Today's Reading

¹Woe to those who decree unrighteous decrees, and to the writers who write oppressive decrees;

²to deprive the needy from justice, and to rob the poor among my people of their rights, that widows may be their spoil, and that they may make the fatherless their prey!

³What will you do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help? Where will you leave your wealth?

⁴They will only bow down under the prisoners, and will fall under the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

⁵Alas Assyrian, the rod of my anger, the staff in whose hand is my indignation!

⁶I will send him against a profane nation, and against the people who anger me will I give him a command to take the spoil and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.

⁷However he doesn't mean so, neither does his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy, and to cut off not a few nations.

⁸For he says, "Aren't all of my princes kings?

⁹Isn't Calno like Carchemish? Isn't Hamath like Arpad? Isn't Samaria like Damascus?"

¹⁰As my hand has found the kingdoms of the idols, whose engraved images exceeded those of Jerusalem and of Samaria;

¹¹shall I not, as I have done to Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols?

¹²Therefore it will happen that, when the Lord has performed his whole work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the willful proud heart of the king of Assyria, and the insolence of his haughty looks.

¹³For he has said, "By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom; for I have understanding: and I have removed the boundaries of the peoples, and have robbed their treasures. Like a valiant man I have brought down their rulers.

¹⁴My hand has found the riches of the peoples like a nest, and like one gathers eggs that are abandoned, have I gathered all the earth. There was no one who moved their wing, or that opened their mouth, or chirped."

¹⁵Should an axe brag against him who chops with it? Should a saw exalt itself above him who saws with it? As if a rod should lift those who lift it up, or as if a staff should lift up someone who is not wood.

¹⁶Therefore the Lord, the Lord of hosts, will send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory a burning will be kindled like the burning of fire.

¹⁷The light of Israel will be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame; and it will burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day.

¹⁸He will consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body. It will be as when a standard bearer faints.

¹⁹The remnant of the trees of his forest shall be few, so that a child could write their number.

²⁰It will come to pass in that day that the remnant of Israel, and those who have escaped from the house of Jacob will no more again lean on him who struck them, but shall lean on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.

²¹A remnant will return, even the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.

²²For though your people, Israel, are like the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will return. A destruction is determined, overflowing with righteousness.

²³For the Lord, the Lord of hosts, will make a full end, and that determined, in the midst of all the earth.

²⁴Therefore the Lord, the Lord of hosts, says "My people who dwell in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrian, though he strike you with the rod, and lift up his staff against you, as Egypt did.

²⁵For yet a very little while, and the indignation against you will be accomplished, and my anger will be directed to his destruction."

²⁶The Lord of hosts will stir up a scourge against him, as in the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb. His rod will be over the sea, and he will lift it up like he did against Egypt.

²⁷It will happen in that day, that his burden will depart from off your shoulder, and his yoke from off your neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing oil.

²⁸He has come to Aiath. He has passed through Migron. At Michmash he stores his baggage.

²⁹They have gone over the pass. They have taken up their lodging at Geba. Ramah trembles. Gibeah of Saul has fled.

³⁰Cry aloud with your voice, daughter of Gallim! Listen, Laishah! You poor Anathoth!

³¹Madmenah is a fugitive. The inhabitants of Gebim flee for safety.

³²This very day he will halt at Nob. He shakes his hand at the mountain of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.

³³Behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, will lop the boughs with terror. The tall will be cut down, and the lofty will be brought low.

³⁴He will cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon will fall by the Mighty One.

¹A shoot will come out of the stock of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots will bear fruit.

²The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.

³His delight will be in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by the sight of his eyes, neither decide by the hearing of his ears;

⁴but with righteousness he will judge the poor, and decide with equity for the humble of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; and with the breath of his lips he will kill the wicked.

⁵Righteousness will be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his waist.

⁶The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat; The calf, the young lion, and the fattened calf together; and a little child will lead them.

⁷The cow and the bear will graze. Their young ones will lie down together. The lion will eat straw like the ox.

⁸The nursing child will play near a cobra's hole, and the weaned child will put his hand on the viper's den.

⁹They will not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.

¹⁰And it shall come to pass in that day that the root of Jesse, that stands for a banner of the peoples; to him shall the nations seek, and his resting place shall be glorious.

¹¹It will happen in that day that the Lord will set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant that is left of his people from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.

¹²He will set up a banner for the nations, and will assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.

¹³The envy also of Ephraim will depart, and those who persecute Judah will be cut off. Ephraim won't envy Judah, and Judah won't persecute Ephraim.

¹⁴They will fly down on the shoulders of the Philistines on the west. Together they will plunder the children of the east. They will extend their power over Edom and Moab, and the children of Ammon will obey them.

¹⁵The Lord will utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his scorching wind he will wave his hand over the River, and will split it into seven streams, and cause men to march over in sandals.

¹⁶There will be a highway for the remnant that is left of his people from Assyria, like there was for Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.

¹In that day you will say, "I will give thanks to you, the Lord; for though you were angry with me, your anger has turned away and you comfort me.

²Behold, God is my salvation. I will trust, and will not be afraid; for Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song; and he has become my salvation."

³Therefore with joy you will draw water out of the wells of salvation.

⁴In that day you will say, "Give thanks to the Lord! Call on his name. Declare his doings among the peoples. Proclaim that his name is exalted!

⁵Sing to the Lord, for he has done excellent things! Let this be known in all the earth!

⁶Cry aloud and shout, you inhabitant of Zion; for the Holy One of Israel is great in the midst of you!"

¹You were made alive when you were dead in your transgressions and sins,

²in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the children of disobedience;

³among whom we also all once lived in the lust of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.

⁴But God, being rich in mercy, for his great love with which he loved us,

⁵even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

⁶and raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

⁷that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus;

⁸for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

⁹not of works, that no one would boast.

¹⁰For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before that we would walk in them.

¹¹Therefore remember that once you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called "uncircumcision" by that which is called "circumcision," (in the flesh, made by hands);

¹²that you were at that time separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

¹³But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off are made near in the blood of Christ.

¹⁴For he is our peace, who made both one, and broke down the middle wall of partition,

¹⁵having abolished in the flesh the hostility, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man of the two, making peace;

¹⁶and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, having killed the hostility thereby.

¹⁷He came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.

¹⁸For through him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.

¹⁹So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God,

²⁰being built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone;

²¹in whom the whole building, fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord;

²²in whom you also are built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit.

¹A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

²The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of fools gush out folly.

³The Lord's eyes are everywhere, keeping watch on the evil and the good.

⁴A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but deceit in it crushes the spirit.

⁵A fool despises his father's correction, but he who heeds reproof shows prudence.

⁶In the house of the righteous is much treasure, but the income of the wicked brings trouble.

⁷The lips of the wise spread knowledge; not so with the heart of fools.

⁸The sacrifice made by the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is his delight.

⁹The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but he loves him who follows after righteousness.

¹⁰There is stern discipline for one who forsakes the way: whoever hates reproof shall die.

¹¹Sheol and Abaddon are before the Lord- how much more then the hearts of the children of men!

¹²A scoffer doesn't love to be reproved; he will not go to the wise.

¹³A glad heart makes a cheerful face; but an aching heart breaks the spirit.

¹⁴The heart of one who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouths of fools feed on folly.

¹⁵All the days of the afflicted are wretched, but one who has a cheerful heart enjoys a continual feast.

¹⁶Better is little, with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure with trouble.

¹⁷Better is a dinner of herbs, where love is, than a fattened calf with hatred.

¹⁸A wrathful man stirs up contention, but one who is slow to anger appeases strife.

¹⁹The way of the sluggard is like a thorn patch, but the path of the upright is a highway.

²⁰A wise son makes a father glad, but a foolish man despises his mother.

²¹Folly is joy to one who is void of wisdom, but a man of understanding keeps his way straight.

²²Where there is no counsel, plans fail; but in a multitude of counselors they are established.

²³Joy comes to a man with the reply of his mouth. How good is a word at the right time!

²⁴The path of life leads upward for the wise, to keep him from going downward to Sheol.

²⁵The Lord will uproot the house of the proud, but he will keep the widow's borders intact.

²⁶The Lord detests the thoughts of the wicked, but the thoughts of the pure are pleasing.

²⁷He who is greedy for gain troubles his own house, but he who hates bribes will live.

²⁸The heart of the righteous weighs answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes out evil.

²⁹The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous.

³⁰The light of the eyes rejoices the heart. Good news gives health to the bones.

³¹The ear that listens to reproof lives, and will be at home among the wise.

³²He who refuses correction despises his own soul, but he who listens to reproof gets understanding.

³³The fear of the Lord teaches wisdom. Before honor is humility.