The Daily Audio Bible

4 Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel, for the Lord shall enter into judgment with the inhabitants of the land: for there is no truth, and there is no mercy, and there is no knowledge of God in the land.

² Cursing, and lying, and killing, and theft, and adultery have overflowed, and blood hath touched blood.

³ Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth in it shall languish with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of the air: yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be gathered together.

⁴ But yet let not any man judge: and let not a man be rebuked: for thy people are as they that contradict the priest.

⁵ And thou shalt fall to day, and the prophet also shall fall with thee: in the night I have made thy mother to be silent.

⁶ My people have been silent, because they had no knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will reject thee, that thou shalt not do the office of priesthood to me: and thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I also will forget thy children.

⁷ According to the multitude of them so have they sinned against me: I will change their glory into shame.

⁸ They shall eat the sins of my people, and shall lift up their souls to their iniquity.

⁹ And there shall be like people like priest: and I will visit their ways upon them, and I will repay them their devices.

¹⁰ And they shall eat and shall not be filled: they have committed fornication, and have not ceased: because they have forsaken the Lord in not observing his law.

¹¹ Fornication, and wine, and drunkenness take away the understanding.

¹² My people have consulted their stocks, and their staff hath declared unto them: for the spirit of fornication hath deceived them, and they have committed fornication against their God.

¹³ They offered sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burnt incense upon the hills: under the oak, and the poplar, and the turpentine tree, because the shadow thereof was good: therefore shall your daughters commit fornication, and your spouses shall be adulteresses.

¹⁴ I will not visit upon your daughters when they shall commit fornication, and upon your spouses when they shall commit adultery: because themselves conversed with harlots, and offered sacrifice with the effeminate, and the people that doth not understand shall be beaten.

¹⁵ If thou play the harlot, O Israel, at least let not Juda offend: and go ye not into Galgal, and come not up into Bethaven, and do not swear: The Lord liveth.

¹⁶ For Israel hath gone astray like a wanton heifer: now will the Lord feed them, as a lamb in a spacious place.

¹⁷ Ephraim is a partaker with idols, let him alone.

¹⁸ Their banquet is separated, they have gone astray by fornication: they that should have protected them have loved to bring shame upon them.

¹⁹ The wind hath bound them up in its wings, and they shall be confounded because of their sacrifices.

5 Hear ye this, O priests, and hearken, O ye house of Israel, and give ear, O house of the king: for there is a judgment against you, because you have been a snare to them whom you should have watched over, and a net spread upon Thabor.

² And you have turned aside victims into the depth: and I am, the teacher of them all.

³ I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hid from me: for now Ephraim hath committed fornication, Israel is defiled.

⁴ They will not set their thoughts to return to their God: for the spirit of fornication is in the midst of them, and they have not known the Lord.

⁵ And the pride of Israel shall answer in his face: and Israel and Ephraim shall fall in their iniquity, Juda also shall fall with them.

⁶ With their flocks, and with their herds, they shall go to seek the Lord, and shall not find him: he is withdrawn from them.

⁷ They have transgressed against the Lord, for they have begotten children that are strangers: now shall a month devour them with their portions.

⁸ Blow ye the cornet in Gabaa, the trumpet in Rama: howl ye in Bethaven, behind thy back, O Benjamin.

⁹ Ephraim shall be in desolation in the day of rebuke: among the tribes of Israel I have shewn that which shall surely be.

¹⁰ The princes of Juda are become as they that take up the bound: I will pour out my wrath upon them like water.

¹¹ Ephraim is under oppression, and broken in judgment: because he began to go after filthiness.

¹² And I will be like a moth to Ephraim: and like rottenness to the house of Juda.

¹³ And Ephraim saw his sickness, and Juda his band: and Ephraim went to the Assyrian, and sent to the avenging king: and he shall not be able to heal you, neither shall he be able to take off the band from you.

¹⁴ For I will be like a lioness to Ephraim, and like a lion's whelp to the house of Juda: I, I will catch, and go: I will take away, and there is none that can rescue.

¹⁵ I will go and return to my place: until you are consumed, and seek my face.

¹ The ancient to the lady Elect, and her children, whom I love in the truth, and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth,

² For the sake of the truth which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever.

³ Grace be with you, mercy, and peace from God the Father, and from Christ Jesus the Son of the Father; in truth and charity.

⁴ I was exceeding glad, that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father.

⁵ And now I beseech thee, lady, not as writing a new commandment to thee, but that which we have had from the beginning, that we love one another.

⁶ And this is charity, that we walk according to his commandments. For this is the commandment, that, as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in the same:

⁷ For many seducers are gone out into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh: this is a seducer and an antichrist.

⁸ Look to yourselves, that you lose not the things which you have wrought: but that you may receive a full reward.

⁹ Whosoever revolteth, and continueth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that continueth in the doctrine, the same hath both the Father and the Son.

¹⁰ If any man come to you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into the house nor say to him, God speed you.

¹¹ For he that saith unto him, God speed you, communicateth with his wicked works.

¹² Having more things to write unto you, I would not by paper and ink: for I hope that I shall be with you, and speak face to face: that your joy may be full.

¹³ The children of thy sister Elect salute thee.

125 When the lord brought back the captivity of Sion, we became like men comforted.

² Then was our mouth filled with gladness; and our tongue with joy. Then shall they say among the Gentiles: The Lord hath done great things for them.

³ The Lord hath done great things for us: we are become joyful.

⁴ Turn again our captivity, O Lord, as a stream in the south.

⁵ They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.

⁶ Going they went and wept, casting their seeds.

⁷ But coming they shall come with joyfulness, carrying their sheaves.

⁹ If a wise man contend with a fool, whether he be angry or laugh, he shall find no rest.

¹⁰ Bloodthirsty men hate the upright: but just men seek his soul.

¹¹ A fool uttereth all his mind: a wise man deferreth, and keepeth it till afterwards.