Tuesday, August 3, 2010

August Three


~Good Morning~
Meeting my mom and sis today. Breakfast and camping shopping……

  • ?? There are no other gods????
11 The Lord will terrify them
      as he destroys all the gods in the land.


  • Is this the same Ethiopia as today's?
12 "You Ethiopians will also be slaughtered
      by my sword," says the Lord.

  • Would this reverse the affects of "the tower of babble"?
9 "Then I will purify the speech of all people,
      so that everyone can worship the Lord together.


 
Today's Scripture:
Zephaniah 2:8-3:20
Judgment against Moab and Ammon
8 "I have heard the taunts of the Moabites
      and the insults of the Ammonites,
   mocking my people
      and invading their borders.
 9 Now, as surely as I live,"
      says the Lord of Heaven's Armies, the God of Israel,
   "Moab and Ammon will be destroyed—
      destroyed as completely as Sodom and Gomorrah.
   Their land will become a place of stinging nettles,
      salt pits, and eternal desolation.
   The remnant of my people will plunder them
      and take their land."
10 They will receive the wages of their pride,
      for they have scoffed at the people of the Lord of Heaven's Armies.
 11 The Lord will terrify them
      as he destroys all the gods in the land.

   Then nations around the world will worship the Lord,
      each in their own land.
Judgment against Ethiopia and Assyria
12 "You Ethiopians will also be slaughtered
      by my sword," says the Lord.

13 And the Lord will strike the lands of the north with his fist,
      destroying the land of Assyria.
   He will make its great capital, Nineveh, a desolate wasteland,
      parched like a desert.
 14 The proud city will become a pasture for flocks and herds,
      and all sorts of wild animals will settle there.
   The desert owl and screech owl will roost on its ruined columns,
      their calls echoing through the gaping windows.
   Rubble will block all the doorways,
      and the cedar paneling will be exposed to the weather.
 15 This is the boisterous city,
      once so secure.
   "I am the greatest!" it boasted.
      "No other city can compare with me!"
   But now, look how it has become an utter ruin,
      a haven for wild animals.
   Everyone passing by will laugh in derision
      and shake a defiant fist.
Zephaniah 3
Jerusalem's Rebellion and Redemption
1 What sorrow awaits rebellious, polluted Jerusalem,
      the city of violence and crime!
 2 No one can tell it anything;
      it refuses all correction.
   It does not trust in the Lord
      or draw near to its God.
 3 Its leaders are like roaring lions
      hunting for their victims.
   Its judges are like ravenous wolves at evening time,
      who by dawn have left no trace of their prey.
 4 Its prophets are arrogant liars seeking their own gain.
      Its priests defile the Temple by disobeying God's instructions.
 5 But the Lord is still there in the city,
      and he does no wrong.
   Day by day he hands down justice,
      and he does not fail.
      But the wicked know no shame.
6 "I have wiped out many nations,
      devastating their fortress walls and towers.
   Their streets are now deserted;
      their cities lie in silent ruin.
   There are no survivors—
      none at all.
 7 I thought, 'Surely they will have reverence for me now!
      Surely they will listen to my warnings.
   Then I won't need to strike again,
      destroying their homes.'
   But no, they get up early
      to continue their evil deeds.
 8 Therefore, be patient," says the Lord.
      "Soon I will stand and accuse these evil nations.
   For I have decided to gather the kingdoms of the earth
      and pour out my fiercest anger and fury on them.
   All the earth will be devoured
      by the fire of my jealousy.
9 "Then I will purify the speech of all people,
      so that everyone can worship the Lord together.

 10 My scattered people who live beyond the rivers of Ethiopia
      will come to present their offerings.
 11 On that day you will no longer need to be ashamed,
      for you will no longer be rebels against me.
   I will remove all proud and arrogant people from among you.
      There will be no more haughtiness on my holy mountain.
 12 Those who are left will be the lowly and humble,
      for it is they who trust in the name of the Lord.
 13 The remnant of Israel will do no wrong;
      they will never tell lies or deceive one another.
   They will eat and sleep in safety,
      and no one will make them afraid."
14 Sing, O daughter of Zion;
      shout aloud, O Israel!
   Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
      O daughter of Jerusalem!
 15 For the Lord will remove his hand of judgment
      and will disperse the armies of your enemy.
   And the Lord himself, the King of Israel,
      will live among you!
   At last your troubles will be over,
      and you will never again fear disaster.
 16 On that day the announcement to Jerusalem will be,
      "Cheer up, Zion! Don't be afraid!
 17 For the Lord your God is living among you.
      He is a mighty savior.
   He will take delight in you with gladness.
      With his love, he will calm all your fears.
      He will rejoice over you with joyful songs."
18 "I will gather you who mourn for the appointed festivals;
      you will be disgraced no more.
 19 And I will deal severely with all who have oppressed you.
      I will save the weak and helpless ones;
   I will bring together
      those who were chased away.
   I will give glory and fame to my former exiles,
      wherever they have been mocked and shamed.
 20 On that day I will gather you together
      and bring you home again.
   I will give you a good name, a name of distinction,
      among all the nations of the earth,
   as I restore your fortunes before their very eyes.
      I, the Lord, have spoken!"
2 Chronicles 35:20-27
Josiah Dies in Battle
20 After Josiah had finished restoring the Temple, King Neco of Egypt led his army up from Egypt to do battle at Carchemish on the Euphrates River, and Josiah and his army marched out to fight him. 21 But King Neco sent messengers to Josiah with this message:
"What do you want with me, king of Judah? I have no quarrel with you today! I am on my way to fight another nation, and God has told me to hurry! Do not interfere with God, who is with me, or he will destroy you."
22 But Josiah refused to listen to Neco, to whom God had indeed spoken, and he would not turn back. Instead, he disguised himself and led his army into battle on the plain of Megiddo. 23 But the enemy archers hit King Josiah with their arrows and wounded him. He cried out to his men, "Take me from the battle, for I am badly wounded!"
24 So they lifted Josiah out of his chariot and placed him in another chariot. Then they brought him back to Jerusalem, where he died. He was buried there in the royal cemetery. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for him. 25 The prophet Jeremiah composed funeral songs for Josiah, and to this day choirs still sing these sad songs about his death. These songs of sorrow have become a tradition and are recorded in The Book of Laments.
26 The rest of the events of Josiah's reign and his acts of devotion (carried out according to what was written in the Law of the Lord), 27from beginning to end—all are recorded in The Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.
2 Kings 23:29-30
29 While Josiah was king, Pharaoh Neco, king of Egypt, went to the Euphrates River to help the king of Assyria. King Josiah and his army marched out to fight him, but King Neco killed him when they met at Megiddo. 30 Josiah's officers took his body back in a chariot from Megiddo to Jerusalem and buried him in his own tomb. Then the people of the land anointed Josiah's son Jehoahaz and made him the next king.
Jeremiah 47-48:47
Jeremiah 47
A Message about Philistia
1 This is the Lord's message to the prophet Jeremiah concerning the Philistines of Gaza, before it was captured by the Egyptian army. 2This is what the Lord says:
"A flood is coming from the north
      to overflow the land.
   It will destroy the land and everything in it—
      cities and people alike.
   People will scream in terror,
      and everyone in the land will wail.
 3 Hear the clatter of stallions' hooves
      and the rumble of wheels as the chariots rush by.
   Terrified fathers run madly,
      without a backward glance at their helpless children.
4 "The time has come for the Philistines to be destroyed,
      along with their allies from Tyre and Sidon.
   Yes, the Lord is destroying the remnant of the Philistines,
      those colonists from the island of Crete.
 5 Gaza will be humiliated, its head shaved bald;
      Ashkelon will lie silent.
   You remnant from the Mediterranean coast,
      how long will you lament and mourn?
6 "Now, O sword of the Lord,
      when will you be at rest again?
   Go back into your sheath;
      rest and be still.
7 "But how can it be still
      when the Lord has sent it on a mission?
   For the city of Ashkelon
      and the people living along the sea
      must be destroyed."
Jeremiah 48
A Message about Moab
1 This message was given concerning Moab. This is what the Lord of Heaven's Armies, the God of Israel, says:
"What sorrow awaits the city of Nebo;
      it will soon lie in ruins.
   The city of Kiriathaim will be humiliated and captured;
      the fortress will be humiliated and broken down.
 2 No one will ever brag about Moab again,
      for in Heshbon there is a plot to destroy her.
   'Come,' they say, 'we will cut her off from being a nation.'
      The town of Madmen, too, will be silenced;
      the sword will follow you there.
 3 Listen to the cries from Horonaim,
      cries of devastation and great destruction.
 4 All Moab is destroyed.
      Her little ones will cry out.
 5 Her refugees weep bitterly,
      climbing the slope to Luhith.
   They cry out in terror,
      descending the slope to Horonaim.
 6 Flee for your lives!
      Hide in the wilderness!
 7 Because you have trusted in your wealth and skill,
      you will be taken captive.
   Your god Chemosh, with his priests and officials,
      will be hauled off to distant lands!
8 "All the towns will be destroyed,
      and no one will escape—
   either on the plateaus or in the valleys,
      for the Lord has spoken.
 9 Oh, that Moab had wings
      so she could fly away,
   for her towns will be left empty,
      with no one living in them.
 10 Cursed are those who refuse to do the Lord's work,
      who hold back their swords from shedding blood!
11 "From his earliest history, Moab has lived in peace,
      never going into exile.
   He is like wine that has been allowed to settle.
      He has not been poured from flask to flask,
      and he is now fragrant and smooth.
 12 But the time is coming soon," says the Lord,
      "when I will send men to pour him from his jar.
   They will pour him out,
      then shatter the jar!
 13 At last Moab will be ashamed of his idol Chemosh,
      as the people of Israel were ashamed of their gold calf at Bethel.
14 "You used to boast, 'We are heroes,
      mighty men of war.'
 15 But now Moab and his towns will be destroyed.
      His most promising youth are doomed to slaughter,"
      says the King, whose name is the Lord of Heaven's Armies.
 16 "Destruction is coming fast for Moab;
      calamity threatens ominously.
 17 You friends of Moab,
      weep for him and cry!
   See how the strong scepter is broken,
      how the beautiful staff is shattered!
18 "Come down from your glory
      and sit in the dust, you people of Dibon,
   for those who destroy Moab will shatter Dibon, too.
      They will tear down all your towers.
 19 You people of Aroer,
      stand beside the road and watch.
   Shout to those who flee from Moab,
      'What has happened there?'
20 "And the reply comes back,
   'Moab lies in ruins, disgraced;
      weep and wail!
   Tell it by the banks of the Arnon River:
      Moab has been destroyed!'
 21 Judgment has been poured out on the towns of the plateau—
      on Holon and Jahaz and Mephaath,
 22 on Dibon and Nebo and Beth-diblathaim,
    23 on Kiriathaim and Beth-gamul and Beth-meon,
 24 on Kerioth and Bozrah—
      all the towns of Moab, far and near.
25 "The strength of Moab has ended.
      His arm has been broken," says the Lord.
 26 "Let him stagger and fall like a drunkard,
      for he has rebelled against the Lord.
   Moab will wallow in his own vomit,
      ridiculed by all.
 27 Did you not ridicule the people of Israel?
      Were they caught in the company of thieves
      that you should despise them as you do?
28 "You people of Moab,
      flee from your towns and live in the caves.
   Hide like doves that nest
      in the clefts of the rocks.
 29 We have all heard of the pride of Moab,
      for his pride is very great.
   We know of his lofty pride,
      his arrogance, and his haughty heart.
 30 I know about his insolence,"
      says the Lord,
   "but his boasts are empty—
      as empty as his deeds.
 31 So now I wail for Moab;
      yes, I will mourn for Moab.
      My heart is broken for the men of Kir-hareseth.
32 "You people of Sibmah, rich in vineyards,
      I will weep for you even more than I did for Jazer.
   Your spreading vines once reached as far as the Dead Sea,
      but the destroyer has stripped you bare!
      He has harvested your grapes and summer fruits.
 33 Joy and gladness are gone from fruitful Moab.
      The presses yield no wine.
   No one treads the grapes with shouts of joy.
      There is shouting, yes, but not of joy.
34 "Instead, their awful cries of terror can be heard from Heshbon clear across to Elealeh and Jahaz; from Zoar all the way to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah. Even the waters of Nimrim are dried up now.
35 "I will put an end to Moab," says the Lord, "for the people offer sacrifices at the pagan shrines and burn incense to their false gods.36 My heart moans like a flute for Moab and Kir-hareseth, for all their wealth has disappeared. 37 The people shave their heads and beards in mourning. They slash their hands and put on clothes made of burlap. 38 There is crying and sorrow in every Moabite home and on every street. For I have smashed Moab like an old, unwanted jar. 39 How it is shattered! Hear the wailing! See the shame of Moab! It has become an object of ridicule, an example of ruin to all its neighbors."
40 This is what the Lord says:
"Look! The enemy swoops down like an eagle,
      spreading his wings over Moab.
 41 Its cities will fall,
      and its strongholds will be seized.
   Even the mightiest warriors will be in anguish
      like a woman in labor.
 42 Moab will no longer be a nation,
      for it has boasted against the Lord.
43 "Terror and traps and snares will be your lot,
      O Moab," says the Lord.
 44 "Those who flee in terror will fall into a trap,
      and those who escape the trap will step into a snare.
   I will see to it that you do not get away,
      for the time of your judgment has come,"
      says the Lord.
 45 "The people flee as far as Heshbon
      but are unable to go on.
   For a fire comes from Heshbon,
      King Sihon's ancient home,
   to devour the entire land
      with all its rebellious people.
46 "O Moab, they weep for you!
      The people of the god Chemosh are destroyed!
   Your sons and your daughters
      have been taken away as captives.
 47 But I will restore the fortunes of Moab
      in days to come.
      I, the Lord, have spoken!"
This is the end of Jeremiah's prophecy concerning Moab.

 

 


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