The Daily Audio Bible
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10 Ask ye of the Lord rain in the time of the latter rain; so the Lord shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field.
2 For the idols have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a lie and have told false dreams. They comfort in vain; therefore they went their way as a flock; they were troubled, because there was no shepherd.
3 “Mine anger was kindled against the shepherds, and I punished the goats; for the Lord of hosts hath visited His flock, the house of Judah, and hath made them as His goodly horse in the battle.
4 Out of him came forth the corner, out of him the nail, out of him the battle bow, out of him every oppressor together.
5 And they shall be as mighty men, who tread down their enemies in the mire of the streets in the battle; and they shall fight because the Lord is with them, and the riders on horses shall be confounded.
6 “And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will bring them back to place them, for I have mercy upon them. And they shall be as though I had not cast them off, for I am the Lord their God and will hear them.
7 And they of Ephraim shall be like a mighty man, and their heart shall rejoice as through wine; yea, their children shall see it and be glad; their heart shall rejoice in the Lord.
8 “I will whistle for them and gather them, for I have redeemed them; and they shall increase as they have increased.
9 And I will sow them among the people, and they shall remember Me in far countries; and they shall live with their children and turn again.
10 I will bring them back also out of the land of Egypt, and gather them out of Assyria; and I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon, and a place shall not be found for them.
11 And He shall pass through the sea with affliction, and shall smite the waves in the sea, and all the deeps of the river shall dry up; and the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, and the scepter of Egypt shall depart away.
12 And I will strengthen them in the Lord; and they shall walk up and down in His name,” saith the Lord.
11 Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy cedars.
2 Howl, fir tree, for the cedar is fallen, because the mighty are despoiled; howl, O ye oaks of Bashan, for the forest of the vintage is come down.
3 There is a voice of the howling of the shepherds, for their glory is despoiled; a voice of the roaring of young lions, for the pride of Jordan is despoiled.
4 Thus saith the Lord my God: “Feed the flock for the slaughter,
5 whose possessors slay them and hold themselves not guilty; and those who sell them say, ‘Blessed be the Lord, for I am rich’; and their own shepherds pity them not.
6 For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land,” saith the Lord. “But lo, I will deliver the men every one into his neighbor’s hand, and into the hand of his king; and they shall smite the land, and out of their hand I will not deliver them.”
7 And I will feed the flock for slaughter, even you, O poor of the flock. And I took unto me two staves: the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bands; and I fed the flock.
8 Three shepherds also I cut off in one month; and my soul loathed them and their soul also abhorred me.
9 Then said I, “I will not feed you: that which dieth, let it die, and that which is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let the rest eat every one the flesh of another.”
10 And I took my staff, even Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the people.
11 And it was broken on that day, and so the poor of the flock who waited upon me knew that it was the word of the Lord.
12 And I said unto them, “If ye think it be good, give me my price; and if not, forbear.” So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver.
13 And the Lord said unto me, “Cast it unto the potter” — a goodly price that I was prized at by them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord.
14 Then I cut asunder mine other staff, even Bands, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.
15 And the Lord said unto me, “Take unto thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd.
16 For lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land who shall not visit those that are cut off, neither shall seek the young one, nor heal that which is broken, nor feed that which standeth still; but he shall eat the flesh of the fat and tear their claws in pieces.
17 “Woe to the sham shepherd that leaveth the flock! The sword shall be upon his arm and upon his right eye; his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.”
18 And after these things, I saw another angel come down from Heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened by his glory.
2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication; and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have waxed rich through the abundance of her indulgences pleasures.”
4 And I heard another voice from Heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues;
5 for her sins have reached unto Heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
6 Reward her even as she has rewarded you, and unto her double according to her works; in the cup which she hath filled, fill to her double.
7 How much she hath glorified herself and lived voluptuously! That much torment and sorrow give back to her; for she saith in her heart,‘I sit a queen and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.’
8 Therefore shall her plagues come in one day” death and mourning and famine, and she shall be utterly burned with fire; for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.
9 “And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived wantonly with her, shall bewail her and lament for her when they shall see the smoke of her burning,
10 standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, ‘Alas! Alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour has thy judgment come.’
11 “And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her, for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:
12 the merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls; and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet; all scented wood, all manner of vessels of ivory and most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble;
13 and cinnamon, and perfumes, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat; and cattle, and sheep, and horses, and chariots; and slaves, and the souls of men.
14 “And the fruits that thy soul lusted after have departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly have departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.
15 The merchants of these things, who were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing
16 and saying, ‘Alas! Alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and bedecked with gold and precious stones and pearls!
17 For in one hour such great riches have come to nought!’ “And every shipmaster and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off;
18 and they cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What city is like unto this great city!’
19 And they cast dust on their heads and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, ‘Alas! Alas, that great city, wherein all that had ships in the sea were made rich by reason of her extravagances! For in one hour is she made desolate!’
20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven and ye holy apostles and prophets, for God hath avenged you on her.”
21 Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, “Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.
22 And the voice of harpers and musicians, and of pipers and trumpeters shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;
23 and the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee. For thy merchants were the great men of the earth, for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.
24 And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.”
146 Praise ye the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul!
2 While I live will I praise the Lord; I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.
3 Put not your trust in princes, nor in a son of man in whom there is no help.
4 His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.
5 Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God,
6 who made heaven and earth, the sea and all that therein is, who keepeth truth for ever;
7 who executeth judgment for the oppressed, who giveth food to the hungry; the Lord looseth the prisoners.
8 The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind; the Lord raiseth them that are bowed down; the Lord loveth the righteous.
9 The Lord preserveth the strangers, He relieveth the fatherless and the widow; but the way of the wicked He turneth upside down.
10 The Lord shall reign for ever, even Thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the Lord!
33 Surely the churning of milk bringeth forth butter, and the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood: so the stirring of wrath bringeth forth strife.
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