Day 351 – December 17, 2022

Ezekiel 33-35

​¹ Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, speak to the sons of your people, and you will say to them, ‘On whatever land I bring the sword, take one man from among the people of the land and make him their watchman. ³ When he sees the sword coming upon the land, he shall blow the trumpet and warn the people. ⁴ Then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet but does not take warning, and the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be on his own head. ⁵ For he heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning. So his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save his life. ⁶ But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his transgressions; but his blood I shall require at the watchman’s hand.’
⁷ “As for you, son of man, I made you a watchman for the house of Israel, and you shall hear a word from My mouth. ⁸ When I say to the sinner, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not speak to warn the ungodly man to change his way, that lawless man will die in his lawlessness; but his blood I shall require at your hand. ⁹ But if you warn the ungodly man to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he will die in his ungodliness; but you have delivered your own soul.
¹⁰ “As for you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus you spoke, saying, “Our errors and our lawlessness are upon us, and we waste away in them. So how can we then live?’ ” ¹¹ Say to them, ‘As I live, thus says the Lord: “I do not will the death of the ungodly man. So the ungodly man should turn from his way and live. Turn heartily from your way, for why should you die, O house of Israel?’ ”
¹² “Say to the sons of your people, ‘The righteousness of a righteous man will not deliver him in the day he goes astray. As for the lawlessness of the ungodly man, it will not harm him in the day he turns from his lawlessness, but a righteous man who goes astray cannot save himself.” ¹³ When I say regarding the righteous man, this man puts his trust in his righteousness but commits lawlessness, then none of his righteousness will be remembered, for he shall die in the wrongdoing he commits. ¹⁴ Again when I say to the ungodly man, “You will surely die,” and he turns from his sin, does judgment and righteousness, ¹⁵ restores the pledge, gives back what he has stolen, and walks in the ordinances of life without committing wrongdoing, he will surely live. Thus he will not die. ¹⁶ None of his sins he committed will be remembered, for he does judgment and righteousness. By doing these things, he shall live.’
¹⁷ “Yet the sons of your people will say, ‘The way of the Lord is not upright.’ But it is their way that is not upright. ¹⁸ When the righteous turns from his righteousness and commits lawlessness, he will die because of it. ¹⁹ But when the sinner turns from his lawlessness and does judgment and righteousness, he shall live because of it. ²⁰ Yet this is what you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not upright.’ O house of Israel, I shall judge every one of you according to his ways.”
The Capture of Jerusalem
²¹ Again it came to pass in the twelfth year of our captivity, in the twelfth month, on the fifth day of the month, that one who escaped from Jerusalem came to me, saying, “The city is taken.” ²² Then the hand of the Lord came upon me the evening before the man came, and opened my mouth. So when He came to me in the morning, my mouth was opened, and it was no longer closed. ²³ Thus the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ²⁴ “Son of man, those who inhabit the desolate places in the land of Israel say, ‘Abraham was one man, and he inherited the land. But we are many, and the land was given to us as a possession.’ ²⁵ Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord and Master: “As I live, truly those in the desolate places shall fall by the sword, and those in the open plain shall be given to the wild animals as food; and those in the strongholds and caves I will surely kill. ²⁶ For I shall make the land a desert, and the insolence of her strength will perish; and the mountains of Israel will be desolate by reason of no one passing through. ²⁷ Then they will know that I am the Lord. I shall make their land a desert, and it will be laid waste because of all the abominations they committed.’ ”
Hearing, but Not Heeding
²⁸ “As for you, son of man, the sons of your people are talking about you by the walls and at the gateways of the houses. They speak as a man speaks to his brother, saying, ‘Let us gather and hear the words that proceed from the Lord.’ ²⁹ So they come together before you as people do, and they sit before you to hear your words, but they will not do them, because a lie is in their mouth, and their heart pursues their own defilements. ³⁰ For you are to them as a sweet, well-tuned song, and they will hear your words, but will not do them. ³¹ So when it comes to pass, they will say, ‘Behold, it has come.’ Then they will know a prophet was among them.”
Prophecy against Israel’s Shepherds
​¹ Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to the shepherds, ‘Thus says the Lord and Master: “O shepherds of Israel who feed themselves, should not the shepherds feed the sheep? ³ Behold, you drink the milk and clothe yourselves with the wool. You slay the fatlings, but do not feed My sheep. ⁴ You have not strengthened the weak, and the sick you have not revived. The broken you have not bandaged, and the misled you have not brought back. The lost you have not sought, and the strong you have not prepared for labor. ⁵ So My sheep were scattered, because there were no shepherds. So they became food for all the wild animals of the field. ⁶ My sheep were scattered in all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over the face of the earth, and there was no one to seek them or to bring them back.”
⁷ ‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord. ⁸ “As I live,” says the Lord and Master, “because My sheep became as plunder, and as food for all the wild animals of the plain, because there were no shepherds with them, nor did My shepherds search for My sheep, but fed themselves and not My flock”— ⁹ because of this, O shepherds, ¹⁰ thus says the Lord and Master: “Behold, I am against the shepherds, and shall require My sheep at their hands. I shall turn them away so they may not shepherd My sheep. The shepherds will not feed them anymore, for I shall deliver My sheep from their mouth; and they shall no longer be as food for them.”
The True Shepherd
¹¹ ‘For thus says the Lord: “Behold, I shall search for My sheep and care for them. ¹² As a shepherd seeks his flock on a day when there is darkness, and when a cloud separates the sheep, thus I will drive them from every place where they were scattered in the day of cloud and darkness. ¹³ And I shall bring them out from the Gentiles, gather them from the countries, and bring them into their land. I shall feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the valleys, and in all the inhabited places of the land. ¹⁴ I shall feed them in good pasture and on the high mountain of Israel, and their folds will be there. They will lie down, and there they shall rest in good luxury, and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. ¹⁵ I shall feed My sheep and refresh them; and they will know that I am the Lord,” thus says the Lord and Master. ¹⁶ “I shall seek the lost, bring back the misled, bind up the broken, strengthen the fallen, protect the strong, and feed them with judgment.”
¹⁷ ‘So as for you, My sheep, thus says the Lord and Master: “Behold, I will distinguish between sheep and sheep and between rams and goats. ¹⁸ Is it not enough for you that you grazed on the good pasture, that you trampled down the rest of your pasture with your feet, that you drank the clear water, but muddied the rest with your feet? ¹⁹ Thus My sheep grazed on what you trampled with your feet, and drank what you muddied with your feet.”
²⁰ ‘Therefore thus says the Lord and Master: “Behold, I shall distinguish between the strong sheep and the weak sheep. ²¹ Because you pushed with side and shoulder, butted all the weak ones with your horns, and greatly distressed the weak; ²² therefore, I will save My sheep, and they will not be as plunder anymore; and I shall judge between one ram and another. ²³ I shall raise up one Shepherd over them, and He will tend them, even My Servant David. He shall be their Shepherd, ²⁴ and I, the Lord, will be their God; and David will be the Ruler in their midst. I, the Lord, have spoken.
²⁵ “I will also make a covenant of peace with David, and utterly destroy the evil wild animals from the land. They shall dwell in the desert and sleep in the forests. ²⁶ I will settle them round about my mountain and will give you rain, the rain of blessing. ²⁷ The trees of the plain will also produce their fruit, and the earth shall produce her strength. They shall dwell on their land in the hope of peace, and know that I am the Lord, when I break their yoke and deliver them from the hand of those who enslaved them. ²⁸ They shall no longer be as plunder for the nations, nor will the wild animals devour them; but they will dwell in hope, and no one shall make them afraid. ²⁹ I will raise up for them a garden of peace, and they shall no longer perish with hunger, nor bear the insults of the nations. ³⁰ Then they will know that I am the Lord their God, and they are My people, O house of Israel,” says the Lord. ³¹ “You are My sheep and the sheep of My pasture, and I am the Lord your God,” says the Lord and Master.’ ”
Prophecy against Mount Seir
​¹ Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, set your face against Mount Seir and prophesy against it, ³ and say to it, ‘Thus says the Lord and Master: “Behold, O Mount Seir, I am against you, and I will stretch out My hand against you. I will cause you to become a desert, and you will be wasted. ⁴ I will also cause desolation in your cities, and you shall be desolate. Then you will know that I am the Lord. ⁵ Because you have an eternal hatred for the house of Israel, and laid in wait deceitfully with sword in hand as enemies, in a time of wrongdoing to the extreme; ⁶ therefore, as I live,” says the Lord and Master, “truly you sinned even to blood, thus blood shall pursue you. ⁷ I will cause Mount Seir to become a desert and a desolate place, and destroy man and cattle from it. ⁸ I will fill your hills and valleys with your slain, and in all your plains and among you the slain shall fall by the sword. ⁹ I will make you an eternal desolation, and your cities will be inhabited no more. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
¹⁰ “Because you said, ‘The two nations and the two countries shall be mine, and I shall inherit them,’ though the Lord is there; ¹¹ therefore, as I live,” says the Lord, “I will deal with you according to your enmity, and I will be made known to you when I judge you. ¹² Then you will know that I am the Lord. I heard the voice of your blasphemies when you said, ‘The desert mountains of Israel are given to us as food.’ ¹³ You boasted against Me with your mouth, and I heard it.” ¹⁴ Thus says the Lord: “When all the earth is in gladness, I will make you a desert. ¹⁵ You will be a desert, O Mount Seir, and all of Edom will be utterly destroyed. Then you will know that I am the Lord their God.’ ”

Psalm 138:1–12

​¹ For the End; a psalm by David.
O Lord, You test me and know me;
² You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thoughts from afar;
³ You search out my path and my portion,
And You foresee all my ways.
⁴ For there is not a word on my tongue,
⁵ But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether,
The last things and the first things;
You fashioned me, and placed Your hands on me.
⁶ Your knowledge has become too wondrous for me;
It has become too overwhelming; I am unable to grasp it.
⁷ Where could I go from Your Spirit,
Or flee from Your face?
⁸ If I should ascend into heaven, You would be there;
If I should descend into Hades, You would be there;
⁹ If I should take up my wings at dawn
And pitch camp at the furthest part of the sea,
¹⁰ Even there Your hand would lead me,
And Your right hand would hold me.
¹¹ And I said, “Perhaps darkness shall cover me,”
But the night shall be light to my delight;
¹² For darkness shall not be dark because of You,
And the night shall be bright as day;
As its darkness, so also shall be its light.

Proverbs 29:19–23

¹⁹ A stubborn servant will not be instructed by words,
For even if he understands them, he will not obey.
²⁰ If you see a man hasty in words,
Know a man without discernment has more hope than he.
²¹ He who lives luxuriously from childhood shall be a servant,
And in the end, he shall cause himself pain.
²² An angry man digs up strife,
But a furious man digs up sins.
²³ Arrogance humbles a man,
But the Lord supports the humble-minded with glory.

Revelation 8

​¹ When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
² And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets.
³ Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
⁴ And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand.
⁵ Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake.
⁶ So the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.
First Trumpet: Vegetation Struck
⁷ The first angel sounded: And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth. And a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.
Second Trumpet: The Seas Struck
⁸ Then the second angel sounded: And something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood.
⁹ And a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
Third Trumpet: The Waters Struck
¹⁰ Then the third angel sounded: And a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water.
¹¹ The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the water, because it was made bitter.
Fourth Trumpet: The Heavens Struck
¹² Then the fourth angel sounded: And a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. A third of the day did not shine, and likewise the night.
¹³ And I looked, and I heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!”