The One Year Bible TLB (269 page)
Read The One Year Bible TLB Online
Authors: Tyndale
December 26This is the message concerning God’s curse on the lands of Hadrach and Damascus, for the Lord is closely watching all mankind, as well as Israel.
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“Doomed is Hamath, near Damascus, and Tyre and Sidon too, shrewd though they be.
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Though Tyre has armed herself to the hilt and become so rich that silver is like dirt to her, and fine gold like dust in the streets,
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yet the Lord will dispossess her and hurl her fortifications into the sea; and she shall be set on fire and burned to the ground.
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“Ashkelon will see it happen and be filled with fear; Gaza will huddle in desperation, and Ekron will shake with terror, for their hopes that Tyre would stop the enemies’ advance will all be dashed. Gaza will be conquered, her king killed, and Ashkelon will be completely destroyed.
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“Foreigners will take over the city of Ashdod, the rich city of the Philistines.
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I will yank her idolatry out of her mouth and pull from her teeth her sacrifices that she eats with blood. Everyone left will worship God and be adopted into Israel as a new clan: the Philistines of Ekron will intermarry with the Jews, just as the Jebusites did so long ago.
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And I will surround my Temple like a guard to keep invading armies from entering Israel. I am closely watching their movements, and I will keep them away; no foreign oppressors will again overrun my people’s land.
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“Rejoice greatly, O my people! Shout with joy! For look—your King is coming! He is the Righteous One, the Victor! Yet he is lowly, riding on a donkey’s colt!
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I will disarm all peoples of the earth, including my people in Israel, and he shall bring peace among the nations. His realm shall stretch from sea to sea, from the river to the ends of the earth.
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“I have delivered you from death in a waterless pit because of the covenant I made with you, sealed with blood.
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Come to the place of safety, all you prisoners, for there is yet hope! I promise right now, I will repay you two mercies for each of your woes!
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Judah, you are my bow! Ephraim, you are my arrow! Both of you will be my sword, like the sword of a mighty soldier brandished against the sons of Greece.”
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The Lord shall lead his people as they fight! His arrows shall fly like lightning; the Lord God shall sound the trumpet call and go out against his enemies like a whirlwind off the desert from the south.
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He will defend his people, and they will subdue their enemies, treading them beneath their feet. They will taste victory and shout with triumph. They will slaughter their foes, leaving horrible carnage everywhere.
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The Lord their God will save his people in that day, as a Shepherd caring for his sheep. They shall shine in his land as glittering jewels in a crown. How wonderful and beautiful all shall be! The abundance of grain and grapes will make the young men and girls flourish; they will be radiant with health and happiness.
One of the seven angels who had poured out the plagues came over and talked with me. “Come with me,” he said, “and I will show you what is going to happen to the Notorious Prostitute, who sits upon the many waters of the world.
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The kings of the world have had immoral relations with her, and the people of the earth have been made drunk by the wine of her immorality.”
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So the angel took me in spirit into the wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet animal that had seven heads and ten horns,
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written all over with blasphemies against God.
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The woman wore purple and scarlet clothing and beautiful jewelry made of gold and precious gems and pearls, and held in her hand a golden goblet full of obscenities:
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A mysterious caption was written on her forehead: “Babylon the Great, Mother of Prostitutes and of Idol Worship Everywhere around the World.”
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I could see that she was drunk—drunk with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus she had killed. I stared at her in horror.
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“Why are you so surprised?” the angel asked. “I’ll tell you who she is and what the animal she is riding represents.
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He was alive but isn’t now. And yet, soon he will come up out of the bottomless pit and go to eternal destruction;
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and the people of earth, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life before the world began, will be dumbfounded at his reappearance after being dead.
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“And now think hard: his seven heads represent a certain city
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built on seven hills where this woman has her residence.
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They also represent seven kings. Five have already fallen, the sixth now reigns, and the seventh is yet to come, but his reign will be brief.
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The scarlet animal that died is the eighth king, having reigned before as one of the seven; after his second reign, he too, will go to his doom.
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His ten horns are ten kings who have not yet risen to power; they will be appointed to their kingdoms for one brief moment, to reign with him.
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They will all sign a treaty giving their power and strength to him.
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Together they will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them; for he is Lord over all lords, and King of kings, and his people are the called and chosen and faithful ones.
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“The oceans, lakes, and rivers that the woman is sitting on represent masses of people of every race and nation.
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“The scarlet animal and his ten horns—which represent ten kings who will reign with him—all hate the woman, and will attack her and leave her naked and ravaged by fire.
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For God will put a plan into their minds, a plan that will carry out his purposes: They will mutually agree to give their authority to the scarlet animal so that the words of God will be fulfilled.
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And this woman you saw in your vision represents the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.”
I will praise you, my God and King, and bless your name each day and forever.
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Great is Jehovah! Greatly praise him! His greatness is beyond discovery!
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Let each generation tell its children what glorious things he does.
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I will meditate about your glory, splendor, majesty, and miracles.
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Your awe-inspiring deeds shall be on every tongue; I will proclaim your greatness.
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Everyone will tell about how good you are and sing about your righteousness.
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Jehovah is kind and merciful, slow to get angry, full of love.
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He is good to everyone, and his compassion is intertwined with everything he does.
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All living things shall thank you, Lord, and your people will bless you.
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They will talk together about the glory of your kingdom and mention examples of your power.
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They will tell about your miracles and about the majesty and glory of your reign.
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For your kingdom never ends. You rule generation after generation.
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The Lord lifts the fallen and those bent beneath their loads.
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The eyes of all mankind look up to you for help; you give them their food as they need it.
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You constantly satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing.
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The Lord is fair in everything he does and full of kindness.
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He is close to all who call on him sincerely.
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He fulfills the desires of those who reverence and trust him; he hears their cries for help and rescues them.
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He protects all those who love him, but destroys the wicked.
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I will praise the Lord and call on all men everywhere to bless his holy name forever and forever.
If you have been a fool by being proud or plotting evil, don’t brag about it—cover your mouth with your hand in shame.
December 27Ask the Lord for rain in the springtime, and he will answer with lightning and showers. Every field will become a lush pasture.
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How foolish to ask the idols for anything like that! Fortune-tellers’ predictions are all a bunch of silly lies; what comfort is there in promises that don’t come true? Judah and Israel have been led astray and wander like lost sheep; everyone attacks them, for they have no shepherd to protect them.
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“My anger burns against your ‘shepherds’—your leaders—and I will punish them—these goats. For the Lord Almighty has arrived to help his flock of Judah. I will make them strong and glorious like a proud steed in battle.
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From them will come the Cornerstone, the Peg on which all hope hangs, the Bow that wins the battle, the Ruler over all the earth.
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They will be mighty warriors for God, grinding their enemies’ faces into the dust beneath their feet. The Lord is with them as they fight; their enemy is doomed.
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“I will strengthen Judah, yes, and Israel too; I will reestablish them because I love them. It will be as though I had never cast them all away, for I, the Lord their God, will hear their cries.
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They shall be like mighty warriors. They shall be happy as with wine. Their children, too, shall see the mercies of the Lord and be glad. Their hearts shall rejoice in the Lord.
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When I whistle to them, they’ll come running, for I have bought them back again. From the few that are left, their population will grow again to former size.
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Though I have scattered them like seeds among the nations, still they will remember me and return again to God; with all their children, they will come home again to Israel.
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I will bring them back from Egypt and Assyria and resettle them in Israel—in Gilead and Lebanon; there will scarcely be room for all of them!
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They shall pass safely through the sea of distress,
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for the waves will be held back. The Nile will become dry—the rule of Assyria and Egypt over my people will end.”
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The Lord says, “I will make my people strong with power from me! They will go wherever they wish, and wherever they go they will be under my personal care.”
11:
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Open your doors, O Lebanon, to judgment.
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You will be destroyed as though by fire raging through your forests.
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Weep, O cypress trees, for all the ruined cedars; the tallest and most beautiful of them are fallen. Cry in fear, you oaks of Bashan, as you watch the thickest forests felled.
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Listen to the wailing of Israel’s leaders—all these evil shepherds—for their wealth is gone. Hear the young lions roaring—the princes are weeping, for their glorious Jordan Valley lies in ruins.
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Then said the Lord my God to me, “Go and take a job as shepherd of a flock being fattened for the butcher.
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This will illustrate the way my people have been bought and slain by wicked leaders, who go unpunished. ‘Thank God, now I am rich!’ say those who have betrayed them—their own shepherds have sold them without mercy.
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And I won’t spare them either,” says the Lord, “for I will let them fall into the clutches of their own wicked leaders, and they will slay them. They shall turn the land into a wilderness, and I will not protect it from them.”
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So I took two shepherd’s staffs, naming one Grace and the other Union, and I fed the flock as I had been told to do.
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And I got rid of their three evil shepherds in a single month. But I became impatient with these sheep—this nation—and they hated me too.
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So I told them, “I won’t be your shepherd any longer. If you die, you die; if you are killed, I don’t care. Go ahead and destroy yourselves!”
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And I took my staff called Grace and snapped it in two, showing that I had broken my contract to lead and protect them.
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That was the end of the agreement. Then those who bought and sold sheep, who were watching, realized that God was telling them something through what I did.
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And I said to their leaders, “If you like, give me my pay, whatever I am worth; but only if you want to.”
So they counted out thirty little silver coins
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as my wages.
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And the Lord told me, “Use it to buy a field from the pottery makers
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—this magnificent sum they value you at!”
So I took the thirty coins and threw them into the Temple for the pottery makers.
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Then I broke my other staff, “Union,” to show that the bond of unity between Judah and Israel was broken.
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Then the Lord told me to go again and get a job as a shepherd; this time I was to act the part of a worthless, wicked shepherd.
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And he said to me, “This illustrates how I will give this nation a shepherd who will not care for the dying ones, nor look after the young, nor heal the broken bones, nor feed the healthy ones, nor carry the lame that cannot walk; instead, he will eat the fat ones, even tearing off their feet.
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Woe to this worthless shepherd who doesn’t care for the flock. God’s sword will cut his arm and pierce through his right eye; his arm will become useless and his right eye blinded.”
After all this I saw another angel come down from heaven with great authority, and the earth grew bright with his splendor.
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He gave a mighty shout, “Babylon the Great is fallen, is fallen; she has become a den of demons, a haunt of devils and every kind of evil spirit.
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For all the nations have drunk the fatal wine of her intense immorality. The rulers of earth have enjoyed themselves with her,
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and businessmen throughout the world have grown rich from all her luxurious living.”
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Then I heard another voice calling from heaven, “Come away from her, my people; do not take part in her sins, or you will be punished with her.
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For her sins are piled as high as heaven, and God is ready to judge her for her crimes.
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Do to her as she has done to you, and more—give double penalty for all her evil deeds. She brewed many a cup of woe for others—give twice as much to her.
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She has lived in luxury and pleasure—match it now with torments and with sorrows. She boasts, ‘I am queen upon my throne. I am no helpless widow. I will not experience sorrow.’
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Therefore the sorrows of death and mourning and famine shall overtake her in a single day, and she shall be utterly consumed by fire; for mighty is the Lord who judges her.”
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And the world leaders who took part in her immoral acts and enjoyed her favors will mourn for her as they see the smoke rising from her charred remains.
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They will stand far off, trembling with fear and crying out, “Alas, Babylon, that mighty city! In one moment her judgment fell.”
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The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn for her, for there is no one left to buy their goods.
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She was their biggest customer for gold and silver, precious stones, pearls, finest linens, purple silks, and scarlet; and every kind of perfumed wood, and ivory goods, and most expensive wooden carvings, and brass, and iron, and marble;
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and spices, and perfumes, and incense, ointment, and frankincense, wine, olive oil, and fine flour; wheat, cattle, sheep, horses, chariots, and slaves—and even the souls of men.
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“All the fancy things you loved so much are gone,” they cry. “The dainty luxuries and splendor that you prized so much will never be yours again. They are gone forever.”
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And so the merchants who have become wealthy by selling her these things shall stand at a distance, fearing danger to themselves, weeping and crying,
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“Alas, that great city, so beautiful—like a woman clothed in finest purple and scarlet linens, decked out with gold and precious stones and pearls!
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In one moment, all the wealth of the city is gone!”
And all the shipowners and captains of the merchant ships and crews will stand a long way off,
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crying as they watch the smoke ascend, and saying, “Where in all the world is there another city such as this?”
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And they will throw dust on their heads in their sorrow and say, “Alas, alas, for that great city! She made us all rich from her great wealth. And now in a single hour all is gone. . . . ”
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But you, O heaven, rejoice over her fate; and you, O children of God and the prophets and the apostles! For at last God has given judgment against her for you.
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Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder shaped like a millstone and threw it into the ocean and shouted, “Babylon, that great city, shall be thrown away as I have thrown away this stone, and she shall disappear forever.
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Never again will the sound of music be there—no more pianos, saxophones, and trumpets.
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No industry of any kind will ever again exist there, and there will be no more milling of the grain.
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Dark, dark will be her nights; not even a lamp in a window will ever be seen again. No more joyous wedding bells and happy voices of the bridegrooms and the brides. Her businessmen were known around the world, and she deceived all nations with her sorceries.
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And she was responsible for the blood of all the martyred prophets and the saints.”
Praise the Lord! Yes, really praise him!
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I will praise him as long as I live, yes, even with my dying breath.
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Don’t look to men for help; their greatest leaders fail;
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for every man must die. His breathing stops, life ends, and in a moment all he planned for himself is ended.
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But happy is the man who has the God of Jacob as his helper, whose hope is in the Lord his God—
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the God who made both earth and heaven, the seas and everything in them. He is the God who keeps every promise,
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who gives justice to the poor and oppressed and food to the hungry. He frees the prisoners
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and opens the eyes of the blind; he lifts the burdens from those bent down beneath their loads. For the Lord loves good men.
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He protects the immigrants and cares for the orphans and widows. But he turns topsy-turvy the plans of the wicked.
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The Lord will reign forever. O Jerusalem,
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your God is King in every generation! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!
As the churning of cream yields butter, and a blow to the nose causes bleeding, so anger causes quarrels.