Old/New Testament
The Lord Judges Israel
5 “Listen to me, you priests!
Pay attention, people of Israel!
Listen, you members of the royal family!
Here is my decision against you.
You have been like a trap at Mizpah.
You have been like a net spread out on Mount Tabor.
2 You refuse to obey me.
You are knee-deep in killing.
So I will punish all of you.
3 I know all about the people of Ephraim.
What Israel is doing is not hidden from me.
Now they have joined themselves to other gods.
They have made themselves ‘unclean.’
4 “They can’t return to me
because they have done so many evil things.
In their hearts they long to act like prostitutes.
They do not recognize me as the Lord.
5 Israel’s pride proves that they are guilty.
The people of Ephraim trip and fall because they have sinned.
Judah falls down along with them.
6 Israel will come to worship the Lord.
They will bring their animals to offer as sacrifices.
But they will not find him.
He has turned away from them.
7 They are not faithful to the Lord.
Their children are not his.
When they celebrate their New Moon feasts,
he will destroy their fields.
8 “My people, blow trumpets in Gibeah!
Blow horns in Ramah!
Shout the battle cry in Bethel!
Say to the people of Benjamin, ‘Lead on into battle!’
9 The people of Ephraim will be completely destroyed
when it is time for me to punish them.
They can be sure it will happen.
I am announcing it among their tribes.
10 Judah’s leaders have stolen some land.
They have moved their borders farther north.
So I will pour out my anger on them
like a flood of water.
11 Ephraim will soon be crushed.
The Assyrians will stomp all over them.
It will happen because they have made up their minds
to chase after other gods.
12 I will be like a moth to Ephraim.
I will cause Judah to rot away.
13 “The people of Ephraim saw how sick they were.
The people of Judah saw that they were wounded.
Then Ephraim turned to Assyria for help.
They sent gifts to the great King Tiglath-Pileser.
But he is not able to make you well.
He can’t heal your wounds.
14 I will be like a lion to Ephraim.
I will attack Judah like a powerful lion.
I will tear them to pieces.
I will drag them off.
Then I will leave them.
No one will be able to save them.
15 I will go back to my lion’s den.
I will stay there until they pay the price for their sin.
Then they will turn to me.
They will suffer so much
that they will really want me to help them.”
Israel Refuses to Turn Away From Their Sins
6 The people say, “Come.
Let us return to the Lord.
He has torn us to pieces.
But he will heal us.
He has wounded us.
But he’ll bandage our wounds.
2 After two days he will give us new life.
On the third day he’ll make us like new again.
Then we will enjoy his blessing.
3 Let’s recognize him as the Lord.
Let’s keep trying to know him.
You can be sure the sun will rise.
And you can be just as sure the Lord will appear.
He will come to renew us like the winter rains.
He will be like the spring rains that water the earth.”
4 The Lord says, “Ephraim, what can I do with you?
And what can I do with you, Judah?
Your love for me vanishes like the morning mist.
It soon disappears like the early dew.
5 So I used the words of my prophets to cut you in pieces.
I used my words to put you to death.
Then my judgments blazed out like the sun.
6 I want mercy and not sacrifice.
I want you to recognize me as God
instead of bringing me burnt offerings.
7 Just as at the city of Adam, they disobeyed me,
they have broken the covenant I made with them.
They were not faithful to me there.
8 Ramoth Gilead is a city where sinful people live.
It is stained with footprints of blood.
9 On the road to Shechem, groups of priests act like robbers.
They hide and wait to attack people.
They murder them.
So they carry out their evil plans.
10 I have seen a horrible thing in Israel.
The people of Ephraim are unfaithful to their own God.
The people of Israel are ‘unclean.’
11 “People of Judah, I have also appointed a time
for you to be destroyed.
“I would like to bless my people
with great success again.
7 I would like to heal Israel.
But when I try to, Ephraim’s sins
are brought out into the open.
The crimes of Samaria
are made known to everyone.
The people tell lies.
They break into houses and steal.
They rob others in the streets.
2 But they do not realize
that I remember all the evil things they do.
Their sins pile up and cover them.
I am always aware of their sins.
3 “Their evil conduct even makes the king glad.
Their lies make the princes happy.
4 But all the people are unfaithful to the king.
Their anger against him burns
like the coals in an oven.
The baker does not even need to stir up the fire
until the dough is ready.”
5 On special days to honor our king,
the princes get drunk with wine.
And the king enjoys the party.
He joins hands with those
who pretend to be faithful to him.
6 Their hearts are as hot as an oven.
They make evil plans to get rid of him.
Their anger burns like a slow fire all night.
In the morning it blazes out like a flaming fire.
7 All of them are as hot as an oven.
They destroy their rulers.
All their kings fall from power.
But none of them calls on the Lord for help.
8 The people of Ephraim mix with the nations.
They are like a thin loaf of bread
that is baked on only one side.
9 People from other lands make them weaker and weaker.
But they don’t realize it.
Their hair is becoming gray.
But they don’t even notice it.
10 The pride of Israel proves that they are guilty.
But in spite of everything,
they don’t return to the Lord their God.
They don’t go to him for help.
11 The Lord says,
“The people of Ephraim are like a dove.
They are easily tricked.
They do not have any sense at all.
First they call out to Egypt for help.
Then they turn to Assyria.
12 When they send for help,
I will throw my net over them.
I will capture them like the birds in the sky.
When I hear them gathering like birds,
I will catch them.
13 How terrible it will be for them!
They have wandered away from me.
So they will be destroyed.
That’s because they have refused to obey me.
I long to save them.
But they tell lies about me.
14 They do not cry out to me from their hearts.
Instead, they just lie on their beds and sob.
They cut themselves when they pray to their gods
for grain and fresh wine.
But they turn away from me.
15 I brought them up and made them strong.
But they make evil plans against me.
16 I am the Most High God. But they do not turn to me.
They are like a bow that does not shoot straight.
Their leaders will be killed by swords.
They will die because they have spoken too proudly.
The people of Egypt
will make fun of them.”
Israel Will Harvest a Windstorm
8 The Lord said to me,
“Put a trumpet to your lips!
Give a warning to my people!
Assyria is like an eagle.
It is ready to attack my land.
My people have broken the covenant I made with them.
They have refused to obey my law.
2 Israel shouts to me,
‘We recognize you as our God!’
3 But they have turned away from what is good.
So an enemy will chase them.
4 My people appoint kings I do not want.
They choose princes without my permission.
They use their silver and gold
to make statues of gods.
That is how they destroy themselves.”
5 The Lord says, “People of Samaria,
throw out your god that looks like a calf!
I am very angry with them.
How long will it be until they are able
to remain faithful to me?
6 Their calf is not God.
A skilled worker from Israel made it.
But that calf of Samaria will be broken to pieces.”
7 The Lord says,
“Worshiping other gods is like worshiping the wind.
It is like planting worthless seeds.
Assyria is like a windstorm.
That is all my people will harvest.
There are no heads of grain
on the stems that will come up.
So they will not produce any flour.
Even if they did produce grain,
the Assyrians would eat all of it up.
8 So the people of Israel are swallowed up.
Now they are among the nations
like something no one wants.
9 They have gone up to Assyria for help.
They are like a wild donkey
that wanders around by itself.
Ephraim’s people have sold themselves
to their Assyrian lovers.
10 They have sold themselves to the nations
to get their help.
But now I will gather them together.
They will get weaker and weaker.
The mighty kings of Assyria will crush them.
11 “Ephraim built many altars where they sacrificed
sin offerings to other gods.
So their altars have become
places where they commit sin.
12 In my law I wrote down many things for their good.
But they considered those things as something strange.
13 They offer sacrifices as gifts to me.
They eat the meat of the animals they bring.
But the Lord is not pleased with any of this.
He will remember the evil things they have done.
He will punish them for their sins.
And they will return to Egypt.
14 Israel has forgotten the God who made them.
They have built palaces for themselves.
Judah has built forts in many towns.
But I will send down fire on their cities.
It will burn up their forts.”
The Letter to the Church in Ephesus
2 “Here is what I command you to write to the church in Ephesus.
Here are the words of Jesus, who holds the seven stars in his right hand. He also walks among the seven golden lampstands. He says,
2 ‘I know what you are doing. You work long and hard. I know you can’t put up with evil people. You have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not. You have found out that they are liars. 3 You have been faithful and have put up with a lot of trouble because of me. You have not given up.
4 ‘But here is something I hold against you. You have turned away from the love you had at first. 5 Think about how far you have fallen! Turn away from your sins. Do the things you did at first. If you don’t, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6 But you do have this in your favor. You hate the way the Nicolaitans act. I hate it too.
7 ‘Whoever has ears should listen to what the Holy Spirit says to the churches. Here is what I will do for anyone who has victory over sin. I will let that person eat from the tree of life in God’s paradise.’
The Letter to the Church in Smyrna
8 “Here is what I command you to write to the church in Smyrna.
Here are the words of Jesus, who is the First and the Last. He is the one who died and came to life again. He says,
9 ‘I know that you suffer and are poor. But you are rich! Some people say they are Jews but are not. I know that their words are evil. Their worship comes from Satan. 10 Don’t be afraid of what you are going to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you. You will be treated badly for ten days. Be faithful, even if it means you must die. Then I will give you life as your crown of victory.
11 ‘Whoever has ears should listen to what the Holy Spirit says to the churches. Here is what I will do for anyone who has victory over sin. I will not let that person be hurt at all by the second death.’
The Letter to the Church in Pergamum
12 “Here is what I command you to write to the church in Pergamum.
Here are the words of Jesus, who has the sharp sword with two edges. He says,
13 ‘I know that you live where Satan has his throne. But you remain faithful to me. You did not give up your faith in me. You didn’t give it up even in the days of Antipas. Antipas, my faithful witness, was put to death in your city, where Satan lives.
14 ‘But I have a few things against you. Some of your people follow the teaching of Balaam. He taught Balak to lead the people of Israel into sin. So they ate food that had been offered to statues of gods. And they committed sexual sins. 15 You also have people who follow the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 So turn away from your sins! If you don’t, I will come to you soon. I will fight against those people with the sword that comes out of my mouth.
17 ‘Whoever has ears should listen to what the Holy Spirit says to the churches. Here is what I will do for anyone who has victory over sin. I will give that person hidden manna to eat. I will also give each of them a white stone with a new name written on it. Only the one who receives this name will know what it is.’
The Letter to the Church in Thyatira
18 “Here is what I command you to write to the church in Thyatira.
Here are the words of the Son of God. He is Jesus, whose eyes are like blazing fire. His feet are like polished bronze. He says,
19 ‘I know what you are doing. I know your love and your faith. I know how well you have served. I know you don’t give up easily. In fact, you are doing more now than you did at first.
20 ‘But here is what I have against you. You put up with that woman Jezebel. She calls herself a prophet. With her teaching, she has led my servants into sexual sin. She has tricked them into eating food offered to statues of gods. 21 I’ve given her time to turn away from her sinful ways. But she doesn’t want to. 22 She lay down to commit her sin so I will make her lie down in suffering. Those who commit adultery with her will suffer greatly too. Their only way out is to turn away from what she taught them to do. 23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I search hearts and minds. I will pay each of you back for what you have done.
24 ‘I won’t ask the rest of you in Thyatira to do anything else. You don’t follow the teaching of Jezebel. You haven’t learned what some people call Satan’s deep secrets. 25 Just hold on to what you have until I come.
26 ‘Here is what I will do for anyone who has victory over sin. I will do it for anyone who carries out my plans to the end. I will give that person authority over the nations. 27 It is written, “They will rule them with an iron scepter. They will break them to pieces like clay pots.” (Psalm 2:9) Their authority is like the authority I’ve received from my Father. 28 I will also give the morning star to all who have victory. 29 Whoever has ears should listen to what the Holy Spirit says to the churches.’
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