Bible reading for the day: 218_08-Aug-06_Zep1-3Zep 1:2 "I will completely remove all things From the face of the earth," declares the Lord. Zep 1:3 "I will remove man and beast; I will remove the birds of the sky And the fish of the sea, And the ruins along with the wicked; And I will cut off man from the face of the earth," declares the Lord. Zep 1:4 "So I will stretch out My hand against Judah And against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, And the names of the idolatrous priests along with the priests. Zep 1:5 "And those who bow down on the housetops to the host of heaven, And those who bow down and swear to the Lord and yet swear by Milcom, Zep 1:6 And those who have turned back from following the Lord, And those who have not sought the Lord or inquired of Him." Zep 1:7 Be silent before the Lord God! For the day of the Lord is near, For the Lord has prepared a sacrifice, He has consecrated His guests. Zep 1:8 "Then it will come about on the day of the Lord's sacrifice That I will punish the princes, the king's sons And all who clothe themselves with foreign garments. Zep 1:9 "And I will punish on that day all who leap on the temple threshold, Who fill the house of their lord with violence and deceit. Zep 1:10 "On that day," declares the Lord, "There will be the sound of a cry from the Fish Gate, A wail from the Second Quarter, And a loud crash from the hills. Zep 1:11 "Wail, O inhabitants of the Mortar, For all the people of Canaan will be silenced; All who weigh out silver will be cut off. Zep 1:12 "It will come about at that time That I will search Jerusalem with lamps, And I will punish the men Who are stagnant in spirit, Who say in their hearts, 'The Lord will not do good or evil!' Zep 1:13 "Moreover, their wealth will become plunder And their houses desolate; Yes, they will build houses but not inhabit them, And plant vineyards but not drink their wine." Zep 1:14 Near is the great day of the Lord, Near and coming very quickly; Listen, the day of the Lord! In it the warrior cries out bitterly. Zep 1:15 A day of wrath is that day, A day of trouble and distress, A day of destruction and desolation, A day of darkness and gloom, A day of clouds and thick darkness, Zep 1:16 A day of trumpet and battle cry Against the fortified cities And the high corner towers. Zep 1:17 I will bring distress on men So that they will walk like the blind, Because they have sinned against the Lord; And their blood will be poured out like dust And their flesh like dung. Zep 1:18 Neither their silver nor their gold Will be able to deliver them On the day of the Lord's wrath; And all the earth will be devoured In the fire of His jealousy, For He will make a complete end, Indeed a terrifying one, Of all the inhabitants of the earth. -------- Zep 2:1 Gather yourselves together, yes, gather, O nation without shame, Zep 2:2 Before the decree takes effect-- The day passes like the chaff-- Before the burning anger of the Lord comes upon you, Before the day of the Lord's anger comes upon you. Zep 2:3 Seek the Lord, All you humble of the earth Who have carried out His ordinances; Seek righteousness, seek humility. Perhaps you will be hidden In the day of the Lord's anger. Zep 2:4 For Gaza will be abandoned And Ashkelon a desolation; Ashdod will be driven out at noon And Ekron will be uprooted. Zep 2:5 Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast, The nation of the Cherethites! The word of the Lord is against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines; And I will destroy you So that there will be no inhabitant. Zep 2:6 So the seacoast will be pastures, With caves for shepherds and folds for flocks. Zep 2:7 And the coast will be For the remnant of the house of Judah, They will pasture on it. In the houses of Ashkelon they will lie down at evening; For the Lord their God will care for them And restore their fortune. Zep 2:8 "I have heard the taunting of Moab And the revilings of the sons of Ammon, With which they have taunted My people And become arrogant against their territory. Zep 2:9 "Therefore, as I live," declares the Lord of hosts, The God of Israel, "Surely Moab will be like Sodom And the sons of Ammon like Gomorrah" A place possessed by nettles and salt pits, And a perpetual desolation. The remnant of My people will plunder them And the remainder of My nation will inherit them." Zep 2:10 This they will have in return for their pride, because they have taunted and become arrogant against the people of the Lord of hosts. Zep 2:11 The Lord will be terrifying to them, for He will starve all the gods of the earth; and all the coastlands of the nations will bow down to Him, everyone from his own place. Zep 2:12 "You also, O Ethiopians, will be slain by My sword." Zep 2:13 And He will stretch out His hand against the north And destroy Assyria, And He will make Nineveh a desolation, Parched like the wilderness. Zep 2:14 Flocks will lie down in her midst, All beasts which range in herds; Both the pelican and the hedgehog Will lodge in the tops of her pillars; Birds will sing in the window, Desolation will be on the threshold; For He has laid bare the cedar work. Zep 2:15 This is the exultant city Which dwells securely, Who says in her heart, "I am, and there is no one besides me." How she has become a desolation, A resting place for beasts! Everyone who passes by her will hiss And wave his hand in contempt. -------- Zep 3:1 Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled, The tyrannical city! Zep 3:2 She heeded no voice, She accepted no instruction. She did not trust in the Lord, She did not draw near to her God. Zep 3:3 Her princes within her are roaring lions, Her judges are wolves at evening; They leave nothing for the morning. Zep 3:4 Her prophets are reckless, treacherous men; Her priests have profaned the sanctuary. They have done violence to the law. Zep 3:5 The Lord is righteous within her; He will do no injustice. Every morning He brings His justice to light; He does not fail. But the unjust knows no shame. Zep 3:6 "I have cut off nations; Their corner towers are in ruins. I have made their streets desolate, With no one passing by; Their cities are laid waste, Without a man, without an inhabitant. Zep 3:7 "I said, 'Surely you will revere Me, Accept instruction.'So her dwelling will not be cut off According to all that I have appointed concerning her. But they were eager to corrupt all their deeds. Zep 3:8 "Therefore wait for Me," declares the Lord, "For the day when I rise up as a witness. Indeed, My decision is to gather nations, To assemble kingdoms, To pour out on them My indignation, All My burning anger; For all the earth will be devoured By the fire of My zeal. Zep 3:9 "For then I will give to the peoples purified lips, That all of them may call on the name of the Lord, To serve Him shoulder to shoulder. Zep 3:10 "From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia My worshipers, My dispersed ones, Will bring My offerings. Zep 3:11 "In that day you will feel no shame Because of all your deeds By which you have rebelled against Me; For then I will remove from your midst Your proud, exulting ones, And you will never again be haughty On My holy mountain. Zep 3:12 "But I will leave among you A humble and lowly people, And they will take refuge in the name of the Lord. Zep 3:13 "The remnant of Israel will do no wrong And tell no lies, Nor will a deceitful tongue Be found in their mouths; For they will feed and lie down With no one to make them tremble." Zep 3:14 Shout for joy, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! Zep 3:15 The Lord has taken away His judgments against you, He has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; You will fear disaster no more. Zep 3:16 In that day it will be said to Jerusalem: "Do not be afraid, O Zion; Do not let your hands fall limp. Zep 3:17 "The Lord your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy. Zep 3:18 "I will gather those who grieve about the appointed feasts" They came from you, O Zion; The reproach of exile is a burden on them. Zep 3:19 "Behold, I am going to deal at that time With all your oppressors, I will save the lame And gather the outcast, And I will turn their shame into praise and renown In all the earth. Zep 3:20 "At that time I will bring you in, Even at the time when I gather you together; Indeed, I will give you renown and praise Among all the peoples of the earth, When I restore your fortunes before your eyes," Says the Lord.
====== TODAY ================= Day 216 -- 4 August: Nahum 1-3======================= Today's Date: |