Month: February 2020

Categories
Hosea

Hosea 9

The Coming Exile

1 Israel, do not rejoice jubilantly as the nations do,

for you have acted promiscuously,leaving your God.

You have loved the wages of a prostitute

on every grain-threshing floor.

2 Threshing floor and wine vat will not sustain them,

and the new wine will fail them.

3 They will not stay in the land of theLord.

Instead, Ephraim will return to Egypt,

and they will eat unclean foodin Assyria.

4 They will not pour out

their wine offerings to theLord,

and their sacrifices will not please Him.

Their food will be like the bread of mourners;

all who eat it become defiled.

For their bread will be for their appetites alone;

it will not enter the house of theLord.

5 What will you do on a festival day,

on the day of theLord’s feast?

6 For even if they flee from devastation,

Egypt will gather them, and Memphis will bury them.

Thistles will take possession of their precious silver;

thorns will invade their tents.

7 The days of punishment have come;

the days of retribution have come.

Let Israel recognize it!

The prophet is a fool,

and the inspired man is insane,

because of the magnitude

of your guilt and hostility.

8 Ephraim’s watchman is with my God.

The prophet encounters a fowler’s snare

on all his ways.

Hostility is in the house of his God!

9 They have deeply corrupted themselves

as in the days of Gibeah.

He will remember their guilt;

He will punish their sins.

Ephraim Bereaved of Offspring

10 I discovered Israel

like grapes in the wilderness.

I saw your fathers

like the first fruit of the fig tree in its first season.

But they went to Baal-peor,

consecrated themselves to Shame,

and became detestable,

like the thing they loved.

11 Ephraim’s glory will fly away like a bird:

no birth, no gestation, no conception.

12 Even if they raise children,

I will bereave them of each one.

Yes, woe to them when I depart from them!

13 I have seen Ephraim like Tyre,

planted in a meadow,

so Ephraim will bring out his children

to the executioner.

14 Give them,Lord—

What should You give?

Give them a womb that miscarries

and breasts that are dry!

15 All their evil appears at Gilgal,

for there I came to hate them.

I will drive them from My house

because of their evil, wicked actions.

I will no longer love them;

all their leaders are rebellious.

16 Ephraimis struck down;

their roots are withered;

they cannot bear fruit.

Even if they bear children,

I will kill the precious offspring of their wombs.

17 My God will reject them

because they have not listened to Him;

they will become wanderers among the nations.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/HOS/9-2d0c900a35598671d70a55718098e4d0.mp3?version_id=72—

Categories
Hosea

Hosea 10

The Vine and the Calf

1 Israel is a lushvine;

it yields fruit for itself.

The more his fruit increased,

the more he increased the altars.

The better his land produced,

the better they made the sacred pillars.

2 Their hearts are devious;

now they must bear their guilt.

TheLordwill break down their altars

and demolish their sacred pillars.

3 In fact, they are now saying,

“We have no king!

For we do not fear theLord.

What can a king do for us? ”

4 They speak mere words,

taking false oaths while making covenants.

So lawsuits break out

like poisonous weeds in the furrows of a field.

5 The residents of Samariawill have anxiety

over the calfof Beth-aven.

Indeed, its idolatrous priests rejoiced over it;

the people will mourn over it,

over its glory.

It will certainly depart from them.

6 The calf itself will be taken to Assyria

as an offering to the great king.

Ephraim will experience shame;

Israel will be ashamed of its counsel.

7 Samaria’s king will disappear

like foamon the surface of the water.

8 The high placesof Aven, the sin of Israel,

will be destroyed;

thorns and thistles will grow over their altars.

They will say to the mountains,“Cover us! ”

and to the hills, “Fall on us! ”

Israel’s Defeat because of Sin

9 Israel, you have sinned

since the days of Gibeah;

they have taken their stand there.

Will not war against the unjust

overtake them in Gibeah?

10 I will disciplinethem at My discretion;

nations will be gathered against them

to put them in bondage

for their two crimes.

11 Ephraim is a well-trained calf

that loves to thresh,

but I will place a yoke onher fine neck.

I will harness Ephraim;

Judah will plow;

Jacob will do the final plowing.

12 Sow righteousness for yourselves

and reap faithful love;

break up your unplowed ground.

It is time to seek theLord

until He comesand sends righteousness

on you like the rain.

13 You have plowed wickedness and reaped injustice;

you have eaten the fruit of lies.

Because you have trusted in your own way

and in your large number of soldiers,

14 the roar of battle will rise against your people,

and all your fortifications will be demolished

in a day of war,

like Shalman’s destruction of Beth-arbel.

Mothers will be dashed to pieces

along with their children.

15 So it will be done to you, Bethel,

because of your extreme evil.

At dawn the king of Israel will be totally destroyed.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/HOS/10-c9e0614c6601961bfd899a5540384656.mp3?version_id=72—

Categories
Hosea

Hosea 11

The Lord’s Love for Israel

1 When Israel was a child, I loved him,

and out of Egypt I called My son.

2 The more theycalled them,

the more theydeparted from Me.

They kept sacrificing to the Baals

and burning offerings to idols.

3 It was I who taught Ephraim to walk,

taking themin My arms,

but they never knew that I healed them.

4 I led them with human cords,

with ropes of love.

To them I was like one

who eases the yoke from their jaws;

I bent down to give them food.

5 Israel will not return to the land of Egypt

and Assyria will be his king,

because they refused to repent.

6 A sword will whirl through his cities;

it will destroy and devour the bars of his gates,

because of their schemes.

7 My people are bent on turning from Me.

Though they call to Him on high,

He will not exalt them at all.

8 How can I give you up, Ephraim?

How can I surrender you, Israel?

How can I make you like Admah?

How can I treat you like Zeboiim?

I have had a change of heart;

My compassion is stirred!

9 I will not vent the full fury of My anger;

I will not turn back to destroy Ephraim.

For I am God and not man,

the Holy One among you;

I will not come in rage.

10 They will follow theLord;

He will roar like a lion.

When He roars,

His children will come trembling from the west.

11 They will be roused like birds from Egypt

and like dovesfrom the land of Assyria.

Then I will settle them in their homes.

This is theLord’s declaration.

12 Ephraim surrounds me with lies,

the house of Israel, with deceit.

Judah still wanders with God

and is faithful to the holy ones.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/HOS/11-48a32cabb2309a416da3b16507be1f67.mp3?version_id=72—

Categories
Hosea

Hosea 12

God’s Case against Jacob’s Heirs

1 Ephraim chasesthe wind

and pursues the east wind.

He continually multiplies lies and violence.

He makes a covenant with Assyria,

and olive oil is carried to Egypt.

2 TheLordalso has a dispute with Judah.

He is about to punish Jacob according to his ways;

He will repay him based on his actions.

3 In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel,

and as an adult he wrestled with God.

4 Jacob struggled with the Angel and prevailed;

he wept and sought His favor.

He found himat Bethel,

and there He spoke with him.

5 Yahweh is the God of Hosts;

Yahweh is His name.

6 But you must return to your God.

Maintain love and justice,

and always put your hope in God.

7 A merchant loves to extort

with dishonest scales in his hands.

8 But Ephraim says:

“How rich I have become;

I made it all myself.

In all my earnings,

no one can find any crime in me

that I can be punished for! ”

Judgment on Apostate Israel

9 I have been Yahweh your God

ever sincethe land of Egypt.

I will make you live in tents again,

as in the festival days.

10 I spoke through the prophets

and granted many visions;

I gave parables through the prophets.

11 Since Gilead is full of evil,

they will certainly come to nothing.

They sacrifice bulls in Gilgal;

even their altars will be like heaps of rocks

on the furrows of a field.

Further Indictment of Jacob’s Heirs

12 Jacob fled to the land of Aram.

Israel worked to earn a wife;

he tended flocks for a wife.

13 TheLordbrought Israel from Egypt by a prophet,

and Israel was tended by a prophet.

14 Ephraim has provoked bitter anger,

so his Lord will leave his bloodguilt on him

and repay him for his contempt.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/HOS/12-758589bf4b5c1085ab2aa5eea5ce07af.mp3?version_id=72—

Categories
Hosea

Hosea 13

1 When Ephraim spoke,there was trembling;

he was exalted in Israel.

But he incurred guilt through Baaland died.

2 Now they continue to sin

and make themselves a cast image,

idols skillfully made from their silver,

all of them the work of craftsmen.

People say about them,

“Let the men who sacrificekiss the calves.”

3 Therefore, they will be like the morning mist,

like the early dew that vanishes,

like chaff blown from a threshing floor,

or like smoke from a window.

Death and Resurrection

4 I have been Yahweh your God

ever sincethe land of Egypt;

you know no God but Me,

and no Savior exists besides Me.

5 I knewyou in the wilderness,

in the land of drought.

6 When they had pasture,

they became satisfied;

they were satisfied,

and their hearts became proud.

Therefore they forgot Me.

7 So I will be like a lionto them;

I will lurk like a leopardon the path.

8 I will attack them

like a bear robbed of her cubs

and tear open the rib cage over their hearts.

I will devour them there like a lioness,

like a wild beast that would rip them open.

9 I will destroy you, Israel;

you have no help but Me.

10 Where now is your king,

that he may save you in all your cities,

and therulersyou demanded, saying,

“Give me a king and leaders”?

11 I give you a king in My anger

and take away a king in My wrath.

12 Ephraim’s guilt is preserved;

his sin is stored up.

13 Labor pains come on him.

He is not a wise son;

when the time comes,

he will not be born.

14 I will ransom them from the power of Sheol.

I will redeemthem from death.

Death, where are your barbs?

Sheol, where is your sting?

Compassion is hidden from My eyes.

The Coming Judgment

15 Although he flourishes among his brothers,

an east wind will come,

a wind from theLordrising up from the desert.

His water source will fail,

and his spring will run dry.

The windwill plunder the treasury

of every precious item.

16 Samariawill bear her guilt

because she has rebelled against her God.

They will fall by the sword;

their little ones will be dashed to pieces,

and their pregnant women ripped open.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/HOS/13-e186958b09e7496e1ab945ffa42e6a80.mp3?version_id=72—

Categories
Hosea

Hosea 14

A Plea to Repent

1 Israel, return to Yahweh your God,

for you have stumbled in your sin.

2 Take words of repentance with you

and return to theLord.

Say to Him: “Forgive all our sin

and accept what is good,

so that we may repay You

with praisefrom ourlips.

3 Assyria will not save us,

we will not ride on horses,

and we will no longer proclaim, ‘Our gods! ’

to the work of our hands.

For the fatherless receives compassion in You.”

A Promise of Restoration

4 I will heal their apostasy;

I will freely love them,

for My anger will have turned from him.

5 I will be like the dew to Israel;

he will blossom like the lily

and take root like the cedars of Lebanon.

6 His new branches will spread,

and his splendor will be like the olive tree,

his fragrance, like the forest of Lebanon.

7 The people will return and live beneath his shade.

They will grow grain

and blossom like the vine.

His renown will be like the wine of Lebanon.

8 Ephraim, why should Ihave anything more

to do with idols?

It is I who answer and watch over him.

I am like a flourishing pine tree;

your fruit comes from Me.

9 Let whoever is wiseunderstand these things,

and whoever is insightful recognize them.

For the ways of theLordare right,

and the righteous walk in them,

but the rebellious stumble in them.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/HOS/14-626ba1f381f350cb63fcce9a4367c68c.mp3?version_id=72—

Categories
Joel

Joel 1

1 The word of theLordthat cameto Joel son of Pethuel:

A Plague of Locusts

2 Hear this,you elders;

listen, all you inhabitants of the land.

Has anything like this ever happened in your days

or in the days of your ancestors?

3 Tell your children about it,

and let your children tell their children,

and their children the next generation.

4 What the devouring locusthas left,

the swarming locust has eaten;

what the swarming locust has left,

the young locusthas eaten;

and what the young locust has left,

the destroying locusthas eaten.

5 Wake up, you drunkards,and weep;

wail, all you wine drinkers,

because of the sweet wine,

for it has been taken from your mouth.

6 For a nation has invaded My land,

powerful and without number;

its teeth are the teeth of a lion,

and it has the fangs of a lioness.

7 It has devastated My grapevine

and splintered My fig tree.

It has stripped off its bark and thrown it away;

its branches have turned white.

8 Grieve like a young woman dressed in sackcloth,

mourning for the husband of her youth.

9 Grain and drink offerings have been cut off

from the house of theLord;

the priests, who are ministers of theLord, mourn.

10 The fields are destroyed;

the land grieves;

indeed, the grain is destroyed;

the new wine is dried up;

and the olive oil fails.

11 Be ashamed, you farmers,

wail, you vinedressers,

over the wheat and the barley,

because the harvest of the field has perished.

12 The grapevine is dried up,

and the fig tree is withered;

the pomegranate,the date palm,and the apple—

all the trees of the orchard — have withered.

Indeed, human joy has dried up.

13 Dress in sackcloth and lament,you priests;

wail,you ministers of the altar.

Come and spend the night in sackcloth,

you ministers of my God,

because grain and drink offerings

are withheld from the house of your God.

14 Announce a sacred fast;

proclaim an assembly!

Gather the elders

and all the residents of the land

at the house of theLordyour God,

and cry out to theLord.

The Day of the Lord

15 Woe because of that day!

For the Day of theLordis near

and will come as devastation from the Almighty.

16 Hasn’t the food been cut off

before our eyes,

joy and gladness

from the house of our God?

17 The seeds lie shriveled in their casings.

The storehouses are in ruin,

and the granaries are broken down,

because the grain has withered away.

18 How the animals groan!

The herds of cattle wander in confusion

since they have no pasture.

Even the flocks of sheep suffer punishment.

19 I call to You,Lord,

for fire has consumed

the pastures of the wilderness,

and flames have devoured

all the trees of the countryside.

20 Even the wild animals cry out toYou,

for the river beds are dried up,

and fire has consumed

the pastures of the wilderness.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/JOL/1-46ac6780dcf3648833bc8fe378f519a8.mp3?version_id=72—

Categories
Joel

Joel 2

1 Blow the horn in Zion;

sound the alarm on My holy mountain!

Let all the residents of the land tremble,

for the Day of theLordis coming;

in fact, it is near —

2 a day of darkness and gloom,

a day of clouds and dense overcast,

like the dawn spreading over the mountains;

a great and strong peopleappears,

such as never existed in ages past

and never will again

in all the generations to come.

3 A fire destroysin front of them,

and behind them a flame devours.

The land in front of them

is like the Garden of Eden,

but behind them,

it is like a desert wasteland;

there is no escape from them.

4 Their appearance is like that of horses,

and they gallop like war horses.

5 They bound on the tops of the mountains.

Their sound is like the sound of chariots,

like the sound of fiery flames consuming stubble,

like a mighty army deployed for war.

6 Nations writhe in horror before them;

all faces turn pale.

7 They attack as warriors attack;

they scale walls as men of war do.

Each goes on his own path,

and they do not change their course.

8 They do not push each other;

each man proceeds on his own path.

They dodge the arrows, never stopping.

9 They storm the city;

they run on the wall;

they climb into the houses;

they enter through the windows like thieves.

10 The earth quakes before them;

the sky shakes.

The sun and moon grow dark,

and the stars cease their shining.

11 TheLordraises His voice

in the presence of His army.

His camp is very large;

Those who carry out His command are powerful.

Indeed, the Day of theLordis terrible and dreadful—

who can endure it?

God’s Call for Repentance

12 Even now —

this is theLord’s declaration —

turn to Me with all your heart,

with fasting, weeping, and mourning.

13 Tear your hearts,

not just your clothes,

and return to theLordyour God.

For He is gracious and compassionate,

slow to anger, rich in faithful love,

and He relents from sending disaster.

14 Who knows? He may turn and relent

and leave a blessing behind Him,

so you can offer grain and wine

to theLordyour God.

15 Blow the horn in Zion!

Announce a sacred fast;

proclaim an assembly.

16 Gather the people;

sanctify the congregation;

assemble the aged;

gather the children,

even those nursing at the breast.

Let the groom leave his bedroom,

and the bride her honeymoon chamber.

17 Let the priests,theLord’s ministers,

weep between the portico and the altar.

Let them say:

“Have pity on Your people,Lord,

and do not make Your inheritance a disgrace,

an object of scorn among the nations.

Why should it be said among the peoples,

‘Where is their God? ’ ”

God’s Response to His People

18 Then theLordbecame jealous for His landand spared His people.

19 TheLordanswered His people:

Look, I am about to send you

grain, new wine, and olive oil.

You will be satiated with them,

and I will no longer make you

a disgrace among the nations.

20 I will drive the northerner far from you

and banish him to a dry and desolate land,

his front ranks into the Dead Sea,

and his rear guard into the Mediterranean Sea.

His stench will rise;

yes, his rotten smell will rise,

for he has done catastrophic things.

21 Don’t be afraid, land;

rejoice and be glad,

for theLordhas done great things.

22 Don’t be afraid, wild animals,

for the wilderness pastures have turned green,

the trees bear their fruit,

and the fig tree and grapevine yield their riches.

23 Children of Zion,rejoice and be glad

in theLordyour God,

because He gives you the autumn rain

for your vindication.

He sends showers for you,

both autumn and spring rainas before.

24 The threshing floors will be full of grain,

and the vats will overflow

with new wine and olive oil.

25 I will repay you for the years

that the swarming locust ate,

the young locust, the destroying locust,

and the devouring locust —

My great army that I sent against you.

26 You will have plenty to eat and be satisfied.

You will praise the name of Yahweh your God,

who has dealt wondrously with you.

My people will never again be put to shame.

27 You will know that I am present in Israel

and that I am Yahweh your God,

and there is no other.

My people will never again be put to shame.

God’s Promise of His Spirit

28 After this

I will pour out My Spiriton all humanity;

then your sons and your daughters will prophesy,

your old men will have dreams,

and your young men will see visions.

29 I will even pour out My Spirit

on the male and female slaves in those days.

30 I will display wonders

in the heavens and on the earth:

blood, fire, and columns of smoke.

31 The sun will be turned to darkness

and the moon to blood

before the great and awe-inspiring Day of theLordcomes.

32 Then everyone who calls

on the name of Yahweh will be saved,

for there will be an escape

for those on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem,

as theLordpromised,

among the survivors theLordcalls.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/JOL/2-69bf16f7ea80748ba485f9a910d13d30.mp3?version_id=72—

Categories
Joel

Joel 3

Judgment of the Nations

1 Yes, in those days and at that time,

when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,

2 I will gather all the nations

and take them to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.

I will enter into judgment with them there

because of My people, My inheritance Israel.

The nations have scattered the Israelites

in foreign countries

and divided up My land.

3 They cast lots for My people;

they bartered a boy for a prostitute

and sold a girl for wine to drink.

4 And also: Tyre,Sidon, and all the territories of Philistia— what are you to Me? Are you paying Me back or trying to get even with Me? I will quickly bring retribution on your heads.

5 For you took My silver and gold and carried My finest treasuresto your temples.

6 You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeksto remove them far from their own territory.

7 Look, I am about to rouse them up from the place where you sold them;I will bring retribution on your heads.

8 I will sell your sons and daughters into the hands of the people of Judah,and they will sell them to the Sabeans,to a distant nation, for theLordhas spoken.

9 Proclaim this among the nations:

Prepare for holy war;

rouse the warriors;

let all the men of war advance and attack!

10 Beat your plows into swords

and your pruning knives into spears.

Let even the weakling say, “I am a warrior.”

11 Come quickly,all you surrounding nations;

gather yourselves.

Bring down Your warriors there,Lord.

12 Let the nations be roused

and come to the Valley of Jehoshaphat,

for there I will sit down

to judge all the surrounding nations.

13 Swing the sickle

because the harvest is ripe.

Come and trample the grapes

because the winepress is full;

the wine vats overflow

because the wickedness of the nations is great.

14 Multitudes, multitudes

in the valley of decision!

For the Day of theLordis near

in the valley of decision.

15 The sun and moon will grow dark,

and the stars will cease their shining.

16 TheLordwill roar from Zion

and raise His voice from Jerusalem;

heaven and earth will shake.

But theLordwill be a refuge for His people,

a stronghold for the Israelites.

Israel Blessed

17 Then you will know

that I am Yahweh your God,

who dwells in Zion, My holy mountain.

Jerusalem will be holy,

and foreigners will never overrun it again.

18 In that day

the mountains will drip with sweet wine,

and the hills will flow with milk.

All the streams of Judah will flow with water,

and a spring will issue from theLord’s house,

watering the Valley of Acacias.

19 Egypt will become desolate,

and Edom a desert wasteland,

because of the violence done to the people of Judah

in whose land they shed innocent blood.

20 But Judah will be inhabited forever,

and Jerusalem from generation to generation.

21 I will pardon their bloodguilt,

which I have not pardoned,

for theLorddwells in Zion.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/JOL/3-77e4e83c6918a3b4c29dc18de6049180.mp3?version_id=72—

Categories
Amos

Amos 1

1 The words of Amos, who was one of the sheep breedersfrom Tekoa— what he saw regarding Israel in the days of Uzziah,king of Judah, and Jeroboamson of Jehoash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.

2 He said:

TheLordroarsfrom Zion

and raises His voice from Jerusalem;

the pastures of the shepherds mourn,

and the summit of Carmelwithers.

Judgment on Israel’s Neighbors

3 TheLordsays:

I will not relent from punishing Damascus

for three crimes, even four,

because they threshed Gilead with iron sledges.

4 Therefore, I will send fire against Hazael’s palace,

and it will consume Ben-hadad’scitadels.

5 I will break down the gatesof Damascus.

I will cut off the ruler from the Valley of Aven,

and the one who wields the scepter from Beth-eden.

The people of Aram will be exiled to Kir.

TheLordhas spoken.

6 TheLordsays:

I will not relent from punishing Gaza

for three crimes, even four,

because they exiled a whole community,

handing them over to Edom.

7 Therefore, I will send fire against the walls of Gaza,

and it will consume its citadels.

8 I will cut off the ruler from Ashdod,

and the one who wields the scepter from Ashkelon.

I will also turn My hand against Ekron,

and the remainder of the Philistineswill perish.

The LordGodhas spoken.

9 TheLordsays:

I will not relent from punishing Tyre

for three crimes, even four,

because they handed over

a whole community of exiles to Edom

and brokea treaty of brotherhood.

10 Therefore, I will send fireagainst the walls of Tyre,

and it will consume its citadels.

11 TheLordsays:

I will not relent from punishing Edom

for three crimes, even four,

because he pursued his brother with the sword.

He stifled his compassion,

his anger tore at themcontinually,

and he harbored his rage incessantly.

12 Therefore, I will send fire against Teman,

and it will consume the citadels of Bozrah.

13 TheLordsays:

I will not relent from punishing the Ammonites

for three crimes, even four,

because they ripped open

the pregnant women of Gilead

in order to enlarge their territory.

14 Therefore, I will set fire to the walls of Rabbah,

and it will consume its citadels.

There will be shouting on the day of battle

and a violent wind on the day of the storm.

15 Their king and his princes

will go into exile together.

TheLordhas spoken.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/AMO/1-ac8a79af1b4f62b78066f18852511a18.mp3?version_id=72—