Ezekiel 37
Vision of the Dry Bones
1 Again the hand of the Lord came upon me, and brought me by the Spirit of the Lord, and set me in the midst of the plain, which was full of human bones.†
2 So He led me round about them, and behold, there was a great multitude of bones on the face of the plain. They were very dry.
3 Then He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” So I answered, “O Lord, You know this.”
4 Then He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.
5 Thus says the Lord to these bones: “Behold, I will bring the Spirit of life upon you.
6 I will put muscles on you and bring flesh upon you. I will cover you with skin and put my Spirit into you. Then you shall live and know that I am the Lord.” ’ ”
7 So I prophesied as He commanded me, and it came to pass while I prophesied that, behold, there was a shaking, and the bones came together, each one to its joint.
8 So I looked, and behold, muscle and flesh grew upon them, and skin covered them over; but no breath was in them.
9 Then He said to me, “Prophesy to the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Come from the four winds and breathe upon these dead men; and let them live.” ’ ”
10 So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the Spirit entered into them; and they lived and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great assembly.
11 Again the Lord spoke to me, saying, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope has perished, and we are lost.’
12 Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Behold, I will open your tombs, bring you up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.
13 Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I open your tombs to lead you, My people, up from their graves.
14 I will put My Spirit in you, and you will live; and I will place you in your own land. Then you will know that I am the Lord. I have spoken, and I will do it,” says the Lord.’ ”
One Nation and One King
15 Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying,†
16 “As for you, son of man, take a rod for yourself and write on it, ‘Judah and the sons of Israel devoted to him.’ Then take a second rod for yourself and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the rod of Ephraim, and all the sons of Israel added to him.’
17 Then you shall join them to one another for yourself so as to form one rod, and they shall be in your hand.
18 “So it shall be, when the sons of your people speak to you, saying, ‘Will you not tell us what you mean by these?’—
19 then you will say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Behold, I will take the tribe of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, who are added to him, and I will give them to the tribe of Judah. They shall be one rod in the hand of Judah.’ ”
20 The rods on which you write will be in your hand before their eyes.
21 Then you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord and Master: “Behold, I will take the whole house of Israel from the midst of the nations where they went, and will gather them from every side, to bring them into the land of Israel.
22 I shall make them one nation in My land, even on the mountains of Israel, and there will be one Ruler over them. There will no longer be two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms anymore,
23 so as to defile themselves with their idols. For I will deliver them from all their lawlessness whereby they sinned, and will cleanse them. They will be to Me as a people, and I shall be to them as their God.
24 “My Servant David shall be the Ruler among them, and there will be one Shepherd of them all; for they will walk in My ordinances and observe My judgments, and do them.
25 Then they will dwell in their land which I gave Jacob My servant, where their fathers dwelt; and they will dwell upon it, and My servant David shall be their Ruler forever.
26 I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant, and I will establish My sanctuary in their midst forever.
27 My tabernacle shall be among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
28 Then the nations will know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them, when My sanctuary is among them forever.” ’ ”
Psalms 135
16 To Him who led His people through the wilderness, For His mercy endures forever; To Him who drew water from the hard rock, For His mercy endures forever;
17 To Him who struck down great kings, For His mercy endures forever,
18 And killed mighty kings, For His mercy endures forever,
19 Sihon king of the Amorites, For His mercy endures forever,
20 And Og king of Bashan, For His mercy endures forever,
21 And who gave their land as an inheritance, For His mercy endures forever,
22 An inheritance for Israel His servant, For His mercy endures forever.
23 For in our humiliation the Lord remembered us, For His mercy endures forever;
24 And He redeemed us from our enemies, For His mercy endures forever;
25 Who gave food to all flesh, For His mercy endures forever.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven, For His mercy endures forever; Give thanks to the Lord of lords, For His mercy endures forever.
Proverbs of Solomon 29
7 A righteous man understands how to judge on behalf of the poor, But the ungodly man will not consider such knowledge; For he has no understanding heart for a poor man.
8 Pestilent men burn down a city, But wise men turn away wrath.
9 A wise man judges people fairly, But when a worthless man is angry, he laughs at them, and does not fear.
10 Bloodthirsty men will hate a holy man, But the upright will seek his soul.†
11 A man without discernment brings forth his whole mind, But a wise man distributes his in part.
12 When a king obeys an unrighteous word, All those under him are lawless.
Revelation 6
Seal One: The Conqueror
1 Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.”†
2 And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.†
Seal Two: Conflict on Earth
3 When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see.”†
4 Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword.
Seal Three: Scarcity on Earth
5 When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand.†
6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.”
Seal Four: Widespread Death
7 When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.”†
8 So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.
Seal Five: Cry of the Martyrs
9 When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held.†
10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”
11 Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.
Seal Six: Cosmic Disturbances
12 I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood.†
13 And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind.
14 Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place.
15 And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains,
16 and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!
17 For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”