Tuesday, March 8, 2016 (Dec 18) One Year Bible

Afternoon Devotion/Prayer
Exercise: Physical therapy /Lower resistance

Habakkuk 1:1-3:19; Revelations 9:1-21; Psalm 137:1-9; Proverbs 30:10

Habakkuk 1-3New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Chaldeans Used to Punish Judah
1 The [a]oracle which Habakkuk the prophet saw.

2 How long, O Lord, will I call for help,
And You will not hear?
I cry out to You, “Violence!”
Yet You do not save.
3 Why do You make me see iniquity,
And cause me to look on wickedness?
Yes, destruction and violence are before me;
Strife exists and contention arises.
4 Therefore the law is [b]ignored
And justice [c]is never upheld.
For the wicked surround the righteous;
Therefore justice comes out perverted.
5 “Look among the nations! Observe!
Be astonished! Wonder!
Because I am doing something in your days—
You would not believe if [d]you were told.
6 “For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans,
That [e]fierce and impetuous people
Who march [f]throughout the earth
To [g]seize dwelling places which are not theirs.
7 “They are dreaded and feared;
Their justice and [h]authority [i]originate with themselves.
8 “Their horses are swifter than leopards
And [j]keener than wolves in the evening.
Their [k]horsemen come galloping,
Their horsemen come from afar;
They fly like an eagle swooping down to devour.
9 “All of them come for violence.
[l]Their horde of faces moves forward.
They collect captives like sand.
10 “They mock at kings
And rulers are a laughing matter to them.
They laugh at every fortress
And heap up rubble to capture it.
11 “Then they will sweep through like the wind and pass on.
But they will be held guilty,
They whose strength is their god.”
12 Are You not from everlasting,
O Lord, my God, my Holy One?
We will not die.
You, O Lord, have appointed them to judge;
And You, O Rock, have established them to correct.
13 Your eyes are too pure to [m]approve evil,
And You can not look on wickedness with favor.
Why do You look with favor
On those who deal treacherously?
Why are You silent when the wicked swallow up
Those more righteous than they?
14 Why have You made men like the fish of the sea,
Like creeping things without a ruler over them?
15 The Chaldeans bring all of them up with a hook,
Drag them away with their net,
And gather them together in their fishing net.
Therefore they rejoice and are glad.
16 Therefore they offer a sacrifice to their net
And [n]burn incense to their fishing net;
Because through these things their [o]catch is [p]large,
And their food is [q]plentiful.
17 Will they therefore empty their net
And continually slay nations without sparing?
God Answers the Prophet
2 I will stand on my guard post
And station myself on the rampart;
And I will keep watch to see what He will speak to me,
And how I may reply [r]when I am reproved.
2 Then the Lord answered me and said,
“Record the vision
And inscribe it on tablets,
That [s]the one who [t]reads it may run.
3 “For the vision is yet for the appointed time;
It [u]hastens toward the goal and it will not [v]fail.
Though it tarries, wait for it;
For it will certainly come, it will not delay.
4 “Behold, as for the proud one,
His soul is not right within him;
But the righteous will live by his [w]faith.
5 “Furthermore, wine betrays the haughty man,
So that he does not stay at home.
He enlarges his appetite like Sheol,
And he is like death, never satisfied.
He also gathers to himself all nations
And collects to himself all peoples.
6 “Will not all of these take up a taunt-song against him,
Even mockery and insinuations against him
And say, ‘Woe to him who increases what is not his—
For how long—
And makes himself [x]rich with loans?’
7 “Will not [y]your creditors rise up suddenly,
And those who [z]collect from you awaken?
Indeed, you will become plunder for them.
8 “Because you have looted many nations,
All the remainder of the peoples will loot you—
Because of human bloodshed and violence [aa]done to the land,
To the town and all its inhabitants.
9 “Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house
To put his nest on high,
To be delivered from the hand of calamity!
10 “You have devised a shameful thing for your house
By cutting off many peoples;
So you are sinning against yourself.
11 “Surely the stone will cry out from the wall,
And the rafter will answer it from the [ab]framework.
12 “Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed
And founds a town with [ac]violence!
13 “Is it not indeed from the Lord of hosts
That peoples toil for fire,
And nations grow weary for nothing?
14 “For the earth will be filled
With the knowledge of the glory of the Lord,
As the waters cover the sea.
15 “Woe to you who make [ad]your neighbors drink,
Who mix in your venom even to make them drunk
So as to look on their nakedness!
16 “You will be filled with disgrace rather than honor.
Now you yourself drink and [ae]expose your own nakedness.
The cup in the Lord’s right hand will come around to you,
And utter disgrace will come upon your glory.
17 “For the violence [af]done to Lebanon will [ag]overwhelm you,
And the devastation of its beasts [ah]by which you terrified them,
Because of human bloodshed and violence [ai]done to the land,
To the town and all its inhabitants.
18 “What profit is the [aj]idol when its maker has carved it,
Or [ak]an image, a teacher of falsehood?
For its maker trusts in his own handiwork
When he fashions speechless idols.
19 “Woe to him who says to a piece of wood, ‘Awake!’
To a mute stone, ‘Arise!’
And that is your teacher?
Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver,
And there is no breath at all inside it.
20 “But the Lord is in His holy temple.
[al]Let all the earth be silent before Him.”
God’s Deliverance of His People
3 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to [am]Shigionoth.

2 Lord, I have heard [an]the report about You and [ao]I fear.
O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years,
In the midst of the years make it known;
In wrath remember [ap]mercy.
3 God comes from Teman,
And the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah.
His splendor covers the heavens,
And the earth is full of His praise.
4 His radiance is like the sunlight;
He has rays flashing from His hand,
And there is the hiding of His power.
5 Before Him goes pestilence,
And plague comes [aq]after Him.
6 He stood and surveyed the earth;
He looked and startled the nations.
Yes, the perpetual mountains were shattered,
The ancient hills [ar]collapsed.
His ways are everlasting.
7 I saw the tents of Cushan under distress,
The tent curtains of the land of Midian were trembling.
8 Did the Lord rage against the rivers,
Or was Your anger against the rivers,
Or was Your wrath against the sea,
That You rode on Your horses,
On Your chariots of salvation?
9 Your bow was made bare,
The rods of [as]chastisement were sworn. Selah.
You cleaved the earth with rivers.
10 The mountains saw You and quaked;
The downpour of waters swept by.
The deep uttered forth its voice,
It lifted high its hands.
11 Sun and moon stood in their places;
They went away at the light of Your arrows,
At the radiance of Your gleaming spear.
12 In indignation You marched through the earth;
In anger You [at]trampled the nations.
13 You went forth for the salvation of Your people,
For the salvation of Your anointed.
You struck the head of the house of the evil
To lay him open from [au]thigh to neck. Selah.
14 You pierced with his own [av]spears
The head of his [aw]throngs.
They stormed in to scatter [ax]us;
Their exultation was like those
Who devour the oppressed in secret.
15 You trampled on the sea with Your horses,
On the surge of many waters.
16 I heard and my [ay]inward parts trembled,
At the sound my lips quivered.
Decay enters my bones,
And in my place I tremble.
Because I must wait quietly for the day of distress,
[az]For the people to arise who will invade us.
17 Though the fig tree should not blossom
And there be no [ba]fruit on the vines,
Though the yield of the olive should fail
And the fields produce no food,
Though the flock should be cut off from the fold
And there be no cattle in the stalls,
18 Yet I will exult in the Lord,
I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.
19 The Lord [bb]God is my strength,
And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet,
And makes me walk on my high places.
For the choir director, on my stringed instruments.

Footnotes:

Habakkuk 1:1 Or burden
Habakkuk 1:4 Or ineffective; lit numbed
Habakkuk 1:4 Lit never goes forth
Habakkuk 1:5 Lit it
Habakkuk 1:6 Lit bitter
Habakkuk 1:6 Lit the breadth of
Habakkuk 1:6 Lit take possession of
Habakkuk 1:7 Lit eminence
Habakkuk 1:7 Lit proceeds from
Habakkuk 1:8 Or more eager to attack
Habakkuk 1:8 Or steeds paw the ground
Habakkuk 1:9 Or The eagerness of their faces
Habakkuk 1:13 Lit look at
Habakkuk 1:16 Or sacrifice
Habakkuk 1:16 Lit portion
Habakkuk 1:16 Lit fat; or plentiful
Habakkuk 1:16 Lit the fat portion
Habakkuk 2:1 Lit upon my reproof
Habakkuk 2:2 Or one may read it fluently
Habakkuk 2:2 Or is to proclaim it
Habakkuk 2:3 Lit pants
Habakkuk 2:3 Or lie
Habakkuk 2:4 Or faithfulness
Habakkuk 2:6 Lit heavy
Habakkuk 2:7 Lit those who bite you
Habakkuk 2:7 Lit violently shake you
Habakkuk 2:8 Lit of the land
Habakkuk 2:11 Lit wood
Habakkuk 2:12 Or injustice
Habakkuk 2:15 Lit his neighbor
Habakkuk 2:16 Lit show yourself uncircumcised; or stagger; so DSS and ancient versions
Habakkuk 2:17 Lit of Lebanon
Habakkuk 2:17 Lit cover
Habakkuk 2:17 Lit which terrified them
Habakkuk 2:17 Lit of the land
Habakkuk 2:18 Or a graven image
Habakkuk 2:18 Lit a cast metal image
Habakkuk 2:20 Lit Hush before Him, all the earth
Habakkuk 3:1 I.e. a highly emotional poetic form
Habakkuk 3:2 Or Your report
Habakkuk 3:2 Or I stand in awe of Your work, O Lord; In the midst of the years revive it,
Habakkuk 3:2 Or compassion
Habakkuk 3:5 Lit at His feet
Habakkuk 3:6 Lit bowed; or sank down
Habakkuk 3:9 Lit word
Habakkuk 3:12 Or thresh
Habakkuk 3:13 Lit foundation
Habakkuk 3:14 Lit shafts
Habakkuk 3:14 Or warriors or villagers
Habakkuk 3:14 Lit me
Habakkuk 3:16 Lit belly
Habakkuk 3:16 Or To come upon the people who will
Habakkuk 3:17 Lit produce
Habakkuk 3:19 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

Revelation 9

Revelation 9New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The Fifth Trumpet—the Bottomless Pit
9 Then the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the [a]bottomless pit was given to him. 2 He opened the [b]bottomless pit, and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit. 3 Then out of the smoke came locusts [c]upon the earth, and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4 They were told not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 And [d]they were not permitted to kill [e]anyone, but to torment for five months; and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it [f]stings a man. 6 And in those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death flees from them.

7 The [g]appearance of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle; and on their heads appeared to be crowns like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men. 8 They had hair like the hair of women, and their teeth were like the teeth of lions. 9 They had breastplates like breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to battle. 10 They have tails like scorpions, and stings; and in their tails is their power to hurt men for five months. 11 They have as king over them, the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is [h]Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name [i]Apollyon.

12 The first woe is past; behold, two woes are still coming after these things.

The Sixth Trumpet—Army from the East
13 Then the sixth angel sounded, and I heard [j]a voice from the [k]four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14 one saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” 15 And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released, so that they would kill a third of [l]mankind. 16 The number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. 17 And [m]this is how I saw in the vision the horses and those who sat on them: the riders had breastplates the color of fire and of hyacinth and of [n]brimstone; and the heads of the horses are like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths proceed fire and smoke and [o]brimstone. 18 A third of [p]mankind was killed by these three plagues, by the fire and the smoke and the [q]brimstone which proceeded out of their mouths. 19 For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents and have heads, and with them they do harm.

20 The rest of [r]mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; 21 and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts.

Footnotes:

Revelation 9:1 Lit shaft of the abyss
Revelation 9:2 V 1, note 1
Revelation 9:3 Lit into
Revelation 9:5 Lit it was given to them
Revelation 9:5 Lit them
Revelation 9:5 Lit strikes
Revelation 9:7 Lit likenesses
Revelation 9:11 I.e. destruction
Revelation 9:11 I.e. destroyer
Revelation 9:13 Lit one voice
Revelation 9:13 Two early mss do not contain four
Revelation 9:15 Gr anthropoi
Revelation 9:17 Lit thus I saw
Revelation 9:17 I.e. burning sulphur
Revelation 9:17 I.e. burning sulphur
Revelation 9:18 Gr anthropoi
Revelation 9:18 I.e. burning sulphur
Revelation 9:20 Gr anthropoi
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

Psalm 137

Psalm 137New American Standard Bible (NASB)

An Experience of the Captivity.
137 By the rivers of Babylon,
There we sat down and wept,
When we remembered Zion.
2 Upon the [a]willows in the midst of it
We hung our [b]harps.
3 For there our captors [c]demanded of us [d]songs,
And our tormentors mirth, saying,
“Sing us one of the songs of Zion.”
4 How can we sing the Lord’s song
In a foreign land?
5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
May my right hand [e]forget her skill.
6 May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth
If I do not remember you,
If I do not [f]exalt Jerusalem
Above my chief joy.
7 Remember, O Lord, against the sons of Edom
The day of Jerusalem,
Who said, “Raze it, raze it
To its very foundation.”
8 O daughter of Babylon, you [g]devastated one,
How blessed will be the one who repays you
With [h]the recompense with which you have repaid us.
9 How blessed will be the one who seizes and dashes your little ones
Against the rock.
Footnotes:

Psalm 137:2 Or poplars
Psalm 137:2 Lit lyres
Psalm 137:3 Lit asked
Psalm 137:3 Lit words of song
Psalm 137:5 I.e. become lame
Psalm 137:6 Lit cause to ascend
Psalm 137:8 Or devastator
Psalm 137:8 Lit your recompense
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

Proverbs 30:10

Proverbs 30:10New American Standard Bible (NASB)

10 Do not slander a slave to his master,
Or he will curse you and you will be found guilty.

Thursday, March 3, 2016 - Part II ..Late Post for (Dec 14) One Year Bible

I'm going through my blog and realized I forgot to post Dec 14 - which was read on March 3, 2016

Dec 14 - One Year Bible

Jonah 1:1-4:11; Revelation 5:1-14; Psalm 133:1-3; Proverbs 29:26-27

Jonah 1-4New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Jonah’s Disobedience
1 The word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me.” 3 But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.

4 The Lord hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea so that the ship was about to [a]break up. 5 Then the sailors became afraid and every man cried to his god, and they threw the [b]cargo which was in the ship into the sea to lighten it [c]for them. But Jonah had gone below into the hold of the ship, lain down and fallen sound asleep. 6 So the captain approached him and said, “How is it that you are sleeping? Get up, call on your god. Perhaps your god will be concerned about us so that we will not perish.”

7 Each man said to his mate, “Come, let us cast lots so we may [d]learn on whose account this calamity has struck us.” So they cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. 8 Then they said to him, “Tell us, now! On whose account has this calamity struck us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?” 9 He said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land.”

10 Then the men became extremely frightened and they said to him, “[e]How could you do this?” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them. 11 So they said to him, “What should we do to you that the sea may become calm [f]for us?”—for the sea was becoming increasingly stormy. 12 He said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will become calm [g]for you, for I know that on account of me this great storm has come upon you.” 13 However, the men [h]rowed desperately to return to land but they could not, for the sea was becoming even stormier against them. 14 Then they called on the Lord and said, “We earnestly pray, O Lord, do not let us perish on account of this man’s life and do not put innocent blood on us; for You, O Lord, have done as You have pleased.”

15 So they picked up Jonah, threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging. 16 Then the men feared the Lord greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.

17 [i]And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights.

Jonah’s Prayer
2 [j]Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the stomach of the fish, 2 and he said,

“I called out of my distress to the Lord,
And He answered me.
I cried for help from the [k]depth of Sheol;
You heard my voice.
3 “For You had cast me into the deep,
Into the heart of the seas,
And the current [l]engulfed me.
All Your breakers and billows passed over me.
4 “So I said, ‘I have been expelled from [m]Your sight.
Nevertheless I will look again toward Your holy temple.’
5 “Water encompassed me to the [n]point of death.
The great deep [o]engulfed me,
Weeds were wrapped around my head.
6 “I descended to the roots of the mountains.
The earth with its bars was around me forever,
But You have brought up my life from [p]the pit, O Lord my God.
7 “While [q]I was fainting away,
I remembered the Lord,
And my prayer came to You,
Into Your holy temple.
8 “Those who regard [r]vain idols
Forsake their faithfulness,
9 But I will sacrifice to You
With the voice of thanksgiving.
That which I have vowed I will pay.
Salvation is from the Lord.”
10 Then the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah up onto the dry land.

Nineveh Repents
3 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and proclaim to it the proclamation which I am going to tell you.” 3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was [s]an exceedingly great city, a three days’ walk. 4 Then Jonah began to go through the city one day’s walk; and he cried out and said, “Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown.”

5 Then the people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them. 6 When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he arose from his throne, laid aside his robe from him, covered himself with sackcloth and sat on the [t]ashes. 7 He issued a proclamation and it said, “In Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let man, beast, herd, or flock taste a thing. Do not let them eat or drink water. 8 But both man and beast must be covered with sackcloth; and let [u]men call on God earnestly that each may turn from his wicked way and from the violence which is in [v]his hands. 9 Who knows, God may turn and relent and withdraw His burning anger so that we will not perish.”

10 When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would [w]bring upon them. And He did not do it.

Jonah’s Displeasure Rebuked
4 But it greatly displeased Jonah and he became angry. 2 He prayed to the Lord and said, “Please Lord, was not this [x]what I said while I was still in my own country? Therefore [y]in order to forestall this I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity. 3 Therefore now, O Lord, please take my [z]life from me, for death is better to me than life.” 4 The Lord said, “Do you have good reason to be angry?”

5 Then Jonah went out from the city and sat east of [aa]it. There he made a shelter for himself and sat under it in the shade until he could see what would happen in the city. 6 So the Lord God appointed a [ab]plant and it grew up over Jonah to be a shade over his head to deliver him from his discomfort. And Jonah was [ac]extremely happy about the [ad]plant. 7 But God appointed a worm when dawn came the next day and it attacked the plant and it withered. 8 When the sun came up God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on Jonah’s head so that he became faint and begged with all his soul to die, saying, “Death is better to me than life.”

9 Then God said to Jonah, “Do you have good reason to be angry about the plant?” And he said, “I have good reason to be angry, even to death.” 10 Then the Lord said, “You had compassion on the plant for which you did not work and which you did not cause to grow, which [ae]came up overnight and perished [af]overnight. 11 Should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right and left hand, as well as many animals?”

Footnotes:

Jonah 1:4 Lit be broken
Jonah 1:5 Lit vessels
Jonah 1:5 Lit from upon them
Jonah 1:7 Lit know
Jonah 1:10 Lit What is this you have done
Jonah 1:11 Lit from upon us
Jonah 1:12 Lit from upon you
Jonah 1:13 Lit dug their oars into the water
Jonah 1:17 Ch 2:1 in Heb
Jonah 2:1 Ch 2:2 in Heb
Jonah 2:2 Lit belly
Jonah 2:3 Lit surrounded
Jonah 2:4 Lit before Your eyes
Jonah 2:5 Lit soul
Jonah 2:5 Lit surrounded
Jonah 2:6 Or corruption
Jonah 2:7 Lit my soul...within me
Jonah 2:8 Lit empty vanities
Jonah 3:3 Lit a great city to God
Jonah 3:6 Or dust
Jonah 3:8 Lit them
Jonah 3:8 Lit their
Jonah 3:10 Lit do
Jonah 4:2 Lit my word
Jonah 4:2 Lit I was beforehand in fleeing
Jonah 4:3 Lit soul
Jonah 4:5 Lit the city
Jonah 4:6 Probably a castor oil plant, and so in vv 7, 9 and 10
Jonah 4:6 Lit greatly
Jonah 4:6 Probably a castor oil plant, and so in vv 7, 9 and 10
Jonah 4:10 Lit was a son of a night
Jonah 4:10 Lit a son of a night
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

Revelation 5

Revelation 5New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The Book with Seven Seals
5 I saw [a]in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a [b]book written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals. 2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the [c]book and to break its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the [d]book or to look into it. 4 Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the [e]book or to look into it; 5 and one of the elders *said to me, “Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the [f]book and its seven seals.”

6 And I saw [g]between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth. 7 And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. 8 When He had taken the [h]book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the [i]saints. 9 And they *sang a new song, saying,

“Worthy are You to take the [j]book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.

10 “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.”

Angels Exalt the Lamb
11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice,

“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.”

13 And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying,

“To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.”

14 And the four living creatures kept saying, “Amen.” And the elders fell down and worshiped.

Footnotes:

Revelation 5:1 Lit upon
Revelation 5:1 Or scroll
Revelation 5:2 Or scroll
Revelation 5:3 Or scroll
Revelation 5:4 Or scroll
Revelation 5:5 Or scroll
Revelation 5:6 Lit in the middle of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the middle of the elders
Revelation 5:8 Or scroll
Revelation 5:8 Or holy ones
Revelation 5:9 Or scroll
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

Psalm 133

Psalm 133New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The Excellency of Brotherly Unity.
A Song of Ascents, of David.

133 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brothers to dwell together in unity!
2 It is like the precious oil upon the head,
Coming down upon the beard,
Even Aaron’s beard,
Coming down upon the edge of his robes.
3 It is like the dew of Hermon
Coming down upon the mountains of Zion;
For there the Lord commanded the blessing—life forever.
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

Proverbs 29:26-27

Proverbs 29:26-27New American Standard Bible (NASB)

26 Many seek the ruler’s [a]favor,
But justice for man comes from the Lord.
27 An unjust man is abominable to the righteous,
And he who is upright in the way is abominable to the wicked.
Footnotes:

Monday, March 7, 2016 - (Dec 17) One Year Bible

AM Devotion/Prayer

Dec 17
Nahum 1:1-3:19; Revelation 8:1-13; Psalm 136:1-26; Proverbs 30:7-9

Exercise: Upper body resistance, physical therapy

Nahum 1-3New American Standard Bible (NASB)

God Is Awesome
1 The [a]oracle of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.

2 A jealous and avenging God is the Lord;
The Lord is avenging and [b]wrathful.
The Lord takes vengeance on His adversaries,
And He reserves wrath for His enemies.
3 The Lord is slow to anger and great in power,
And the Lord will by no means leave the guilty unpunished.
In whirlwind and storm is His way,
And clouds are the dust beneath His feet.
4 He rebukes the sea and makes it dry;
He dries up all the rivers.
Bashan and Carmel wither;
The blossoms of Lebanon wither.
5 Mountains quake because of Him
And the hills dissolve;
Indeed the earth is upheaved by His presence,
The world and all the inhabitants in it.
6 Who can stand before His indignation?
Who can endure the burning of His anger?
His wrath is poured out like fire
And the rocks are broken up by Him.
7 The Lord is good,
A stronghold in the day of trouble,
And He knows those who take refuge in Him.
8 But with an overflowing flood
He will make a complete end of [c]its site,
And will pursue His enemies into darkness.
9 Whatever you devise against the Lord,
He will make a complete end of it.
Distress will not rise up twice.
10 Like tangled thorns,
And like those who are drunken with their drink,
They are consumed
As stubble completely withered.
11 From you has gone forth
One who plotted evil against the Lord,
A [d]wicked counselor.
12 Thus says the Lord,

“Though they are at full strength and likewise many,
Even so, they will be cut off and pass away.
Though I have afflicted you,
I will afflict you no longer.
13 “So now, I will break his yoke bar from upon you,
And I will tear off your shackles.”
14 The Lord has issued a command concerning [e]you:
“[f]Your name will no longer be perpetuated.
I will cut off [g]idol and [h]image
From the house of your gods.
I will prepare your grave,
For you are contemptible.”
15 [i]Behold, on the mountains the feet of him who brings good news,
Who announces peace!
Celebrate your feasts, O Judah;
Pay your vows.
For never again will the [j]wicked one pass through you;
He is cut off completely.
The Overthrow of Nineveh
2 [k]The one who scatters has come up against [l]you.
Man the fortress, watch the road;
[m]Strengthen your back, [n]summon all your strength.
2 For the Lord will restore the splendor of Jacob
Like the splendor of Israel,
Even though devastators have devastated them
And destroyed their vine branches.
3 The shields of [o]his mighty men are colored red,
The warriors are dressed in scarlet,
The chariots are enveloped in [p]flashing steel
[q]When he is prepared to march,
And the cypress spears are brandished.
4 The chariots race madly in the streets,
They rush wildly in the [r]squares,
Their appearance is like torches,
They dash to and fro like lightning flashes.
5 He remembers his nobles;
They stumble in their march,
They hurry to her wall,
And the [s]mantelet is set up.
6 The gates of the rivers are opened
And the palace is dissolved.
7 It is fixed:
She is stripped, she is carried away,
And her handmaids are moaning like the sound of doves,
Beating on their [t]breasts.
8 Though Nineveh was like a pool of water throughout her days,
Now they are fleeing;
“Stop, stop,”
But no one turns back.
9 Plunder the silver!
Plunder the gold!
For there is no limit to the treasure—
Wealth from every kind of desirable object.
10 She is emptied! Yes, she is desolate and waste!
Hearts are melting and knees knocking!
Also anguish is in [u]the whole body
And all their faces are grown pale!
11 Where is the den of the lions
And the feeding place of the young lions,
Where the lion, lioness and lion’s cub prowled,
With nothing to disturb them?
12 The lion tore enough for his cubs,
[v]Killed enough for his lionesses,
And filled his lairs with prey
And his dens with torn flesh.
13 “Behold, I am against you,” declares the Lord of hosts. “I will burn up her chariots in smoke, a sword will devour your young lions; I will cut off your prey from the land, and no longer will the voice of your messengers be heard.”

Nineveh’s Complete Ruin
3 Woe to the bloody city, completely full of lies and pillage;
Her prey never departs.
2 The noise of the whip,
The noise of the rattling of the wheel,
Galloping horses
And [w]bounding chariots!
3 Horsemen charging,
Swords flashing, spears gleaming,
Many slain, a mass of corpses,
And [x]countless dead bodies—
They stumble over [y]the dead bodies!
4 All because of the many harlotries of the harlot,
The charming one, the mistress of sorceries,
Who sells nations by her harlotries
And families by her sorceries.
5 “Behold, I am against you,” declares the Lord of hosts;
“And I will [z]lift up your skirts over your face,
And show to the nations your nakedness
And to the kingdoms your disgrace.
6 “I will throw [aa]filth on you
And make you vile,
And set you up as a spectacle.
7 “And it will come about that all who see you
Will [ab]shrink from you and say,
‘Nineveh is devastated!
Who will grieve for her?’
Where will I seek comforters for you?”
8 Are you better than [ac]No-amon,
Which was situated by the waters of the Nile,
With water surrounding her,
Whose rampart was [ad]the sea,
Whose wall consisted of [ae]the sea?
9 Ethiopia was her might,
And Egypt too, without limits.
Put and Lubim were among [af]her helpers.
10 Yet she became an exile,
She went into captivity;
Also her small children were dashed to pieces
At the head of every street;
They cast lots for her honorable men,
And all her great men were bound with fetters.
11 You too will become drunk,
You will be hidden.
You too will search for a refuge from the enemy.
12 All your fortifications are fig trees with [ag]ripe fruit—
When shaken, they fall into the eater’s mouth.
13 Behold, your people are women in your midst!
The gates of your land are opened wide to your enemies;
Fire consumes your gate bars.
14 Draw for yourself water for the siege!
Strengthen your fortifications!
Go into the clay and tread the mortar!
Take hold of the brick mold!
15 There fire will consume you,
The sword will cut you down;
It will consume you as the locust does.
Multiply yourself like the creeping locust,
Multiply yourself like the swarming locust.
16 You have increased your traders more than the stars of heaven—
The creeping locust [ah]strips and flies away.
17 Your [ai]guardsmen are like the swarming locust.
Your marshals are like hordes of grasshoppers
Settling in the stone walls on a cold day.
The sun rises and they flee,
And the place where they are is not known.
18 Your shepherds are sleeping, O king of Assyria;
Your nobles are lying down.
Your people are scattered on the mountains
And there is no one to regather them.
19 There is no relief for your breakdown,
Your wound is incurable.
All who hear [aj]about you
Will clap their hands over you,
For on whom has not your evil passed continually?
Footnotes:

Nahum 1:1 Or burden
Nahum 1:2 Lit a possessor of wrath
Nahum 1:8 I.e. Nineveh’s
Nahum 1:11 Or worthless; Heb Belial
Nahum 1:14 I.e. the king of Nineveh
Nahum 1:14 Lit No more of your name will be sown
Nahum 1:14 Or a graven image
Nahum 1:14 Lit cast metal image
Nahum 1:15 Ch 2:1 in Heb
Nahum 1:15 Or worthless one; Heb Belial
Nahum 2:1 Ch 2:2 in Heb
Nahum 2:1 Lit your face
Nahum 2:1 Lit Make strong your loins
Nahum 2:1 Lit strengthen power greatly
Nahum 2:3 I.e. those attacking Nineveh
Nahum 2:3 Lit fire of steel
Nahum 2:3 Lit On the day of his preparation
Nahum 2:4 Lit broad places
Nahum 2:5 Lit covering used in a siege
Nahum 2:7 Lit hearts
Nahum 2:10 Lit all the loin
Nahum 2:12 Lit Strangled
Nahum 3:2 Lit skipping
Nahum 3:3 Lit there is no end to
Nahum 3:3 Lit their
Nahum 3:5 Lit uncover your
Nahum 3:6 Lit detestable things
Nahum 3:7 Lit flee
Nahum 3:8 I.e. the city of Amon: Thebes
Nahum 3:8 I.e. the Nile
Nahum 3:8 I.e. the Nile
Nahum 3:9 Lit your
Nahum 3:12 Lit first fruits
Nahum 3:16 I.e. strips vegetation; or molts
Nahum 3:17 Or officials
Nahum 3:19 Lit your report
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

Revelation 8

Revelation 8New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The Seventh Seal—the Trumpets
8 When the Lamb broke 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 seven trumpets were given to them.

3 Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might [a]add it to the prayers of all the [b]saints on the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, [c]with the prayers of the [d]saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand. 5 Then the angel [e]took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar, and threw it to the earth; and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake.

6 And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound them.

7 The first sounded, and there came hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.

8 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 creatures which were in the sea [f]and had life, died; and a third of the ships were destroyed.

10 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 waters. 11 The name of the star is called Wormwood; and a third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the waters, because they were made bitter.

12 The fourth angel sounded, and a third of the sun and a third of the moon and a third of the stars were struck, so that a third of them would be darkened and the day would not shine for a third of it, and the night in the same way.

13 Then I looked, and I heard [g]an eagle flying in midheaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!”

Footnotes:

Revelation 8:3 Lit give
Revelation 8:3 Or holy ones
Revelation 8:4 Or for
Revelation 8:4 V 3, note 2
Revelation 8:5 Lit has taken
Revelation 8:9 Lit the ones having
Revelation 8:13 Lit one eagle
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

Psalm 136

Psalm 136New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Thanks for the Lord’s Goodness to Israel.
136 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
4 To Him who alone does great [a]wonders,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting;
5 To Him who made the heavens [b]with skill,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting;
6 To Him who spread out the earth above the waters,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting;
7 To Him who made the great lights,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting:
8 The sun to rule [c]by day,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting,
9 The moon and stars to rule [d]by night,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
10 To Him who smote [e]the Egyptians in their firstborn,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting,
11 And brought Israel out from their midst,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting,
12 With a strong hand and an outstretched arm,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
13 To Him who divided the [f]Red Sea [g]asunder,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting,
14 And made Israel pass through the midst of it,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting;
15 But He [h]overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the [i]Red Sea,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
16 To Him who led His people through the wilderness,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting;
17 To Him who smote great kings,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting,
18 And slew [j]mighty kings,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting:
19 Sihon, king of the Amorites,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting,
20 And Og, king of Bashan,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting,
21 And gave their land as a heritage,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting,
22 Even a heritage to Israel His servant,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
23 Who remembered us in our low estate,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting,
24 And has rescued us from our adversaries,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting;
25 Who gives food to all flesh,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
Footnotes:

Psalm 136:4 I.e. wonderful acts
Psalm 136:5 Lit with understanding
Psalm 136:8 Or over the
Psalm 136:9 Or over the
Psalm 136:10 Lit Egypt
Psalm 136:13 Lit Sea of Reeds
Psalm 136:13 Lit in parts
Psalm 136:15 Lit shook off
Psalm 136:15 Lit Sea of Reeds
Psalm 136:18 Lit majestic
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

Proverbs 30:7-9

Proverbs 30:7-9New American Standard Bible (NASB)

7 Two things I asked of You,
Do not refuse me before I die:
8 Keep deception and [a]lies far from me,
Give me neither poverty nor riches;
Feed me with the food that is my portion,
9 That I not be full and deny You and say, “Who is the Lord?”
Or that I not be in want and steal,
And profane the name of my God.
Footnotes:

Proverbs 30:8 Lit words of falsehood

Friday, March 4, 2016 - One Year Bible (Dec 16)

AM Devotion/Prayer

Dec 16 - Micah 5:1-7:20; Revelation 7:1-17; Psalm 135:1-21; Proverbs 30:5-6;

Exercise: Physical therapy / Upper body resistance

Micah 5-7Amplified Bible (AMP)

Birth of the King in Bethlehem
5 “Now gather yourself in troops, O daughter of troops;
A state of siege has been placed against us.
They shall strike the ruler of Israel on the cheek with a rod (scepter).
2
“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Too little to be among the clans of Judah;
From you One shall come forth for Me [who is] to be Ruler in Israel,
His goings forth (appearances) are from long ago,
From [a]ancient days.”
3
Therefore, He will give them up until the time
When she who is in labor has given birth to a child.
Then what is left of His kinsmen
Shall return to the children of Israel.
4
And He shall stand and shepherd and guide His flock
In the strength of the Lord,
In the majesty of the name of the Lord His God;
And they shall dwell [secure in undisturbed peace],
Because at that time He shall be great [extending His authority]
[Even] to the ends of the earth.
5
This One [the Messiah] shall be our peace.
When the Assyrian invades our land
And tramples on our citadels and in our palaces,
Then shall we raise against him
Seven shepherds and eight princes [an overpowering force] among men.
6
They shall devastate the land of Assyria with the sword and
The land of Nimrod within her [own] gates.
And He (the Messiah) shall rescue us from the Assyrian (all enemy nations)
When he attacks our land
And when he tramples our territory.
7
Then the remnant of Jacob
Shall be among many peoples
Like dew from the Lord,
Like showers on the grass [a source of blessing]
Which [come suddenly and] do not wait for man
Nor delay for the sons of men.
8
The remnant of Jacob
Shall be among the nations,
In the midst of many peoples
Like a lion among the beasts of the forest,
Like a young lion [suddenly appearing] among the flocks of sheep
Which, if he passes through,
Tramples down and tears into pieces [the nations in judgment],
And there is no one to rescue.
9
Your hand will be lifted up against your adversaries,
And all your enemies shall be cut off and destroyed.
10
“And in that day,” says the Lord,
“I will cut off your horses from among you
And destroy your chariots [on which you depend].
11
“I will cut off the cities of your land
And tear down all your fortifications.
12
“I will cut off witchcrafts and sorceries from your hand,
And you shall have no more fortune-tellers.
13
“I will also cut off your carved images
And your sacred pillars from among you,
So that you will no longer worship and bow down
To the work of your hands.
14
“I will root out your Asherim (symbols of the goddess Asherah) from among you
And destroy your cities [which are the centers of pagan worship].
15
“And in anger and wrath I shall execute vengeance
On the nations which have not obeyed [such vengeance as they have not known before].”
God’s Indictment of His People
6 Hear now what the Lord is saying,
“Arise, plead your case before the mountains,
And let the hills [as witnesses] hear your voice.
2
“Hear, O mountains, the indictment of the Lord,
And you enduring foundations of the earth,
For the Lord has a case (a legal complaint) against His people,
And He will dispute (challenge) Israel.
3
“O My people, what have I done to you [since you have turned away from Me]?
And how have I wearied you? Answer Me.
4
“For I brought you up from the land of Egypt
And ransomed you from the house of slavery,
And I sent before you Moses [to lead you], Aaron [the high priest], and Miriam [the prophetess].
5
“My people, remember now
What Balak king of Moab devised [with his evil plan against Israel]
And what Balaam the son of Beor answered him [turning the curse into blessing for Israel],
[Remember what the Lord did for you] from [b]Shittim to Gilgal,
So that you may know the righteous and saving acts [displaying the power] of the Lord.”
What God Requires of Man
6
With what shall I come before the Lord [to honor Him]
And bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings,
With yearling calves?
7
Will the Lord be delighted with thousands of rams,
Or with ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I present my firstborn for my acts of rebellion,
The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8
He has told you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
Except to be just, and to love [and to diligently practice] kindness (compassion),
And to walk humbly with your God [setting aside any overblown sense of importance or self-righteousness]?
9
The voice of the Lord shall call to the city [of Jerusalem]—
And it is sound wisdom to heed [solemnly] and fear Your name [with awe-filled reverence];
“Hear, O tribe [the rod of punishment]. Who has appointed its time?
10
“Are there not still treasures gained by wickedness
In the house of the wicked,
And a short (inaccurate) measure [for grain] that is cursed?
11
“Can I [be guiltless and] justify deceptive scales
And a bag of dishonest weights?
12
“For the rich men of the city are full of violence [of every kind];
Her inhabitants speak lies
And their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.
13
“So also I will make you sick, striking you down,
Desolating and devastating you, because of your sins.
14
“You shall eat, but you will not be satisfied,
And your [c]emptiness shall be among you;
You will [try to] remove [your goods and those you love] for safekeeping
But you will fail to save anything,
And what you do save I shall give to the sword.
15
“You shall sow but you shall not reap;
You shall tread olives, but shall not anoint yourself with oil,
And [you will extract juice from] the grapes, but you shall not drink the wine.
16
“For [you have kept] the statutes of Omri [the idolatrous king],
And all the works of the [wicked] house (dynasty) of Ahab;
And you walk in their counsels and policies.
Therefore, I shall hand you over for destruction and horror
And your [city’s] inhabitants for ridicule,
And you shall bear the rebuke and scorn of My people.”
The Prophet Acknowledges Injustice
7 Woe is me (judgment is coming)! For I am
Like one who gathers the summer fruits, like one who gleans the vintage grapes.
There is not a cluster of grapes to eat,
No first-ripe fig which my appetite craves.
2
The godly person [who is faithful and loyal to God] has perished from the earth,
And there is no upright person [one with good character and moral integrity] among men.
They all lie in wait to shed blood;
Each hunts the other with a net.
3
Concerning evil, both of their hands pursue it and do it diligently and thoroughly;
The prince asks, also the judge, for a bribe,
And a great man speaks the [evil] desire of his soul.
So they twist the course of justice between them.
4
The best of them is [injurious] like a briar;
The most upright is [prickly] like a thorn hedge.
The day of your watchmen [that is, the time predicted by the prophets]
And your punishment comes;
Now shall be their confusion.
5
Do not trust in a neighbor [because of the moral corruption in the land];
Do not have confidence in a friend.
Guard the doors of your mouth
From her who lies in your bosom.
6
For the son dishonors the father and treats him contemptuously,
The daughter rises up [in hostility] against her mother,
The daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
A man’s enemies are the men (members) of his own household.
God Is the Source of Salvation and Light
7
But as for me, I will look expectantly for the Lord and with confidence in Him I will keep watch;
I will wait [with confident expectation] for the God of my salvation.
My God will hear me.
8
Do not rejoice over me [amid my tragedies], O my enemy!
Though I fall, I will rise;
Though I sit in the darkness [of distress], the Lord is a light for me.
9
I will bear the indignation and wrath of the Lord
Because I have sinned against Him,
Until He pleads my case and executes judgment for me.
He will bring me out to the light,
And I will behold His [amazing] righteousness and His remarkable deliverance.
10
Then my enemy [all the pagan nations] shall see it,
And shame [for despising the Lord] will cover her who said to me,
“Where is the Lord your God?”
My eyes will look on her [with satisfaction at her judgment];
Now she (unbelievers) will be trampled down
Like mud of the streets.
11
It shall be a day for building your walls,
On that day the boundary [of Israel] shall be [greatly] extended.
12
It shall be a day when [d]the Gentiles will come to you
From Assyria and from the cities of Egypt,
And from Egypt even to the river Euphrates,
From sea to sea and from mountain to mountain.
13
Yet the earth [beyond the land of Israel] shall become desolate because of those who dwell in it,
Because of the fruit of their deeds.
14
Shepherd and rule Your people with Your scepter [of blessing],
The flock of Your inheritance and Your possession
Which dwells alone [separate and secure from attack] in the forest,
In the midst of a garden land.
Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead
As in the days of old [the days of Moses and Elijah].
15
“As in the days when you came out from the land of Egypt,
I shall show you marvelous and miraculous things.”
16
The [pagan] nations shall see [God’s omnipotence in delivering Israel] and be ashamed
Of all their might [which cannot be compared to His].
They shall put their hand on their mouth [in silent astonishment];
Their ears shall be deaf.
17
They shall lick the dust like a serpent;
Like crawling things of the earth
They shall come trembling out of their fortresses and hiding places.
They shall turn and come with fear and dread to the Lord our God
And they shall be afraid and stand in awe before You [O Lord].
18
Who is a God like You, who forgives wickedness
And passes over the rebellious acts of the remnant of His possession?
He does not retain His anger forever,
Because He [constantly] delights in mercy and lovingkindness.
19
He shall again have compassion on us;
He will subdue and tread underfoot our wickedness [destroying sin’s power].
Yes, You will cast all our sins
Into the depths of the sea.
20
You shall give truth to Jacob
And lovingkindness and mercy to Abraham,
As You have sworn to our forefathers
From the days of old.
Footnotes:

Micah 5:2 Lit the days of eternity.
Micah 6:5 God reminds His people of His gracious acts in their behalf—how Balak tried to oppose Israel through pagan rites, sending for Balaam to put a curse on the Israelites; how God saved Israel by causing Balaam to bless instead of curse them; and how God later led them across the Jordan River into the promised land, from Shittim (Josh 3:1) to Gilgal (Josh 4:19).
Micah 6:14 Or possibly garbage or vileness.
Micah 7:12 Lit he.
Amplified Bible (AMP)
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.

Revelation 7

Revelation 7Amplified Bible (AMP)

An Interlude
7 After this I saw four angels stationed at the four corners of the earth, holding back the [a]four winds of the earth so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel coming up from the rising of the sun, holding the seal of the living God; and with a loud voice he called out to the four angels to whom it was granted [to have authority and power] to harm the earth and the sea, 3 saying, “Do not harm the earth nor the sea nor the trees until we [b]seal (mark) the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.”

The 144,000
4 And I heard how many were sealed, a hundred and forty-four thousand; [twelve thousand] sealed from [c]every tribe of the sons of Israel:

5
Twelve thousand were sealed from the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand from the tribe of Reuben, twelve thousand from the tribe of Gad,
6
twelve thousand from the tribe of Asher, twelve thousand from the tribe of Naphtali, twelve thousand from the tribe of Manasseh,
7
twelve thousand from the tribe of Simeon, twelve thousand from the tribe of Levi, twelve thousand from the tribe of Issachar,
8
twelve thousand from the tribe of Zebulun, twelve thousand from the tribe of Joseph, and twelve thousand from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed (marked, redeemed, protected).
A Multitude from the Tribulation
9 After these things I looked, and this is what I saw: a vast multitude which no one could count, [gathered] from every nation and from all the tribes and peoples and languages [of the earth], standing before the throne and before the Lamb (Christ), dressed in white robes, with [d]palm branches in their hands; 10 and in a loud voice they cried out, saying,

“Salvation [belongs] to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb [our salvation is the Trinity’s to give, and to God the Trinity we owe our deliverance].” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the [twenty-four] elders and the four living creatures; and they fell to their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying,

“Amen! Blessing and glory and majesty and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might belong to our God forever and ever. Amen.”

13 Then one of the elders responded, saying to me, “These who are dressed in the long white robes—who are they, and from where did they come?” 14 I said to him, “My lord, you know [the answer].” And he said to me, “These are the people who come out of the great tribulation (persecution), and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb [because of His atoning sacrifice]. 15 For this reason, they are [standing] before the throne of God; and they serve Him [in worship] day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will [e]spread His tabernacle over them and shelter and protect them [with His presence]. 16 They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun [f]beat down on them, nor any [scorching] heat; 17 for the Lamb who is in the center of the throne will be their Shepherd, and He will guide them to springs of the waters of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes [giving them eternal comfort].”

Footnotes:

Revelation 7:1 The Jews and other ancient peoples were very observant of the four winds, that is, the winds that came from each point of the compass. It was said in the Talmud that if the winds ceased to blow, the world could not continue to exist.
Revelation 7:3 The seal indicates both ownership and protection by God.
Revelation 7:4 The tribe of Dan is omitted from the following passage without explanation. The tribe of Manasseh, Joseph’s older son, replaces Dan, so the count remains at twelve.
Revelation 7:9 I.e. symbols of victory and joy used on festive occasions.
Revelation 7:15 Lit pitch His tent.
Revelation 7:16 Lit fall.
Amplified Bible (AMP)
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.

Psalm 135

Psalm 135Amplified Bible (AMP)

Praise the Lord’s Wonderful Works. Vanity of Idols.
135 Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)
Praise the name of the Lord;
Praise Him, O servants of the Lord (priests, Levites),
2
You who stand in the house of the Lord,
In the courts of the house of our God,
3
Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;
Sing praises to His name, for it is gracious and lovely.
4
For the Lord has chosen [the descendants of] Jacob for Himself,
Israel for His own special treasure and possession.
5
For I know that the Lord is great
And that our Lord is above all gods.
6
Whatever the Lord pleases, He does,
In the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all deeps—
7
Who causes the clouds to rise from the ends of the earth;
Who makes lightning for the rain,
Who brings the wind from His storehouses;
8
Who struck the firstborn of Egypt,
Both of man and animal;
9
Who sent signs and wonders into your midst, O Egypt,
Upon Pharaoh and all his servants.
10
Who struck many nations
And killed mighty kings,
11
Sihon, king of the Amorites,
Og, king of Bashan,
And all the kingdoms of Canaan;
12
And He gave their land as a heritage,
A heritage to Israel His people.
13
Your name, O Lord, endures forever,
Your fame and remembrance, O Lord, [endures] throughout all generations.
14
For the Lord will judge His people
And He will have compassion on His servants [revealing His mercy].
15
The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
The work of men’s hands.
16
They have mouths, but they do not speak;
They have eyes, but they do not see;
17
They have ears, but they do not hear,
Nor is there any breath in their mouths.
18
Those who make idols are like them [absolutely worthless—spiritually blind, deaf, and powerless];
So is everyone who trusts in and relies on them.
19
O house of Israel, bless and praise the Lord [with gratitude];
O house of Aaron, bless the Lord;
20
O house of Levi, bless the Lord;
You who fear the Lord [and worship Him with obedience], bless the Lord [with grateful praise]!
21
Blessed be the Lord from Zion,
Who dwells [with us] at Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)
Amplified Bible (AMP)
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.

Proverbs 30:5-6

Proverbs 30:5-6Amplified Bible (AMP)

5
Every word of God is tested and refined [like silver];
He is a shield to those who trust and take refuge in Him.
6
Do not add to His words,
Or He will reprove you, and you will be found a liar.

Thursday, March 3, 2016 - Dec 15

AM Devotion/Prayer
Exercise: Therapy / Bike

Dec 15 - One Year Bible
Jonah 1:1-4:11; Revelation 5:1-14; Psalm 133:1-3; Proverbs 29:26-27

Jonah 1-4 Amplified Bible (AMP)

Jonah’s Disobedience
1 Now the word of the Lord came to [a]Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Go to [b]Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim [judgment] against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me.” 3 But Jonah ran away to Tarshish to escape from the presence of the Lord [and his duty as His prophet]. He went down to [c]Joppa and found a ship going to [d]Tarshish [the most remote of the Phoenician trading cities]. So he paid the fare and went down into the ship to go with them to Tarshish away from the presence of the Lord.

4 But the Lord hurled a great wind toward the sea, and there was a violent tempest on the sea so that the ship was about to break up. 5 Then the sailors were afraid, and each man cried out to his god; and to lighten the ship [and diminish the danger] they threw the ship’s cargo into the sea. But Jonah had gone below into the hold of the ship and had lain down and was sound asleep. 6 So the captain came up to him and said, “How can you stay asleep? Get up! Call on your god! Perhaps your god will give a thought to us so that we will not perish.”

7 And they said to another, “Come, [e]let us cast lots, so we may learn who is to blame for this disaster.” So they cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. 8 Then they said to him, “Now tell us! [f]Who is to blame for this disaster? What is your occupation? Where do you come from? What is your country?” 9 So he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I [reverently] fear and worship the Lord, the God of heaven, [g]who made the sea and the dry land.”

10 Then the men became extremely frightened and said to him, “How could you do this?” For the men knew that he was running from the presence of the Lord, [h]because he had told them. 11 Then they said to him, “What should we do to you, so that the sea will become calm for us?”—for the sea was becoming more and more violent. 12 Jonah said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will become calm for you, for I know that it is because of me that this great storm has come upon you.” 13 Nevertheless, the men rowed hard [breaking through the waves] to return to land, but they could not, because the sea became even more violent [surging higher] against them. 14 Then they called on the Lord and said, “Please, O Lord, do not let us perish because of taking this man’s life, and do not make us accountable for innocent blood; for You, O Lord, have done as You pleased.”

15 So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging. 16 Then the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.

17 Now the Lord had prepared (appointed, destined) a great [i]fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the stomach of the fish [j]three days and three nights.

Jonah’s Prayer
2 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the stomach of the fish, 2 and said,

“I called out of my trouble and distress to the Lord,
And He answered me;
Out of the belly of Sheol I cried for help,
And You heard my voice.
3
“For You cast me into the deep,
Into the [deep] heart of the seas,
And the currents surrounded and engulfed me;
All Your breakers and billowing waves passed over me.
4
“Then I said, ‘I have been cast out of Your sight.
Nevertheless I will look again toward Your holy temple.’
5
“The waters surrounded me, to the point of death.
The great deep engulfed me,
Seaweed was wrapped around my head.
6
“I descended to the [very] roots of the mountains.
The earth with its bars closed behind me [bolting me in] forever,
Yet You have brought up my life from the pit (death), O Lord my God.
7
“When my soul was fainting within me,
I remembered the Lord,
And my prayer came to You,
Into Your holy temple.
8
“Those who regard and follow worthless idols
[k]Turn away from their [living source of] mercy and lovingkindness.
9
“But [as for me], I will sacrifice to You
With the voice of thanksgiving;
I shall pay that which I have vowed.
Salvation is from the Lord!”
10 So the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah up onto the dry land.

Nineveh Repents
3 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Go to Nineveh the great city and declare to it the message which I am going to tell you.” 3 So Jonah went to Nineveh in accordance with the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a [l]three days’ walk [about sixty miles in circumference]. 4 Then on the first day’s walk, Jonah [m]began to go through the city, and he called out and said, “Forty days more [remain] and [then] Nineveh will be overthrown!”

5 The people of Nineveh believed and trusted in God; and they proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth [in penitent mourning], from the greatest even to the least of them. 6 When word reached the king of Nineveh [of Jonah’s message from God], he rose from his throne, took off his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in the dust [in repentance]. 7 He issued a proclamation and it said, “In Nineveh, by the decree of the king and his nobles: No man, animal, herd, or flock is to taste anything. They are not to eat or drink water. 8 But both man and animal must be covered with sackcloth; and every one is to call on God earnestly and forcefully that each may turn from his wicked way and from the violence that is in his hands. 9 Who knows, God may turn [in compassion] and relent and withdraw His burning anger (judgment) so that we will not perish.”

10 When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God [had compassion and] relented concerning the disaster which He had declared that He would bring upon them. And He did not do it.

Jonah’s Displeasure Rebuked
4 But it greatly displeased Jonah and he became angry. 2 He prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, is this not what I said when I was still in my country? That is why I ran to Tarshish, because I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and great in lovingkindness, and [when sinners turn to You] You revoke the [sentence of] disaster [against them]. 3 Therefore now, O Lord, just take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” 4 Then the Lord said, “Do you have a good reason to be angry?”

5 Then Jonah went out of the city and sat east of it. There he made himself a shelter and sat under its shade so that he could see what would happen in the city. 6 So the Lord God prepared a [n]plant and it grew up over Jonah, to be a shade over his head to spare him from discomfort. And Jonah was extremely happy about [the protection of] the plant. 7 But God prepared a worm when morning dawned the next day, and it attacked the plant and it withered. 8 When the sun came up God prepared a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on Jonah’s head so that he fainted and he wished to die, and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.”

9 Then God said to Jonah, “Do you have a good reason to be angry about [the loss of] the plant?” And he said, “I have a [very] good reason to be angry, angry enough to die!” 10 Then the Lord said, “You had compassion on the plant for which you did not work and which you did not cause to grow, which came up overnight and perished overnight. 11 Should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 [innocent] persons, who do not know the difference between their right and left hand [and are not yet accountable for sin], as well as many [blameless] animals?”

Footnotes:

Jonah 1:1 Jonah, the only prophet known to attempt to run away from a divinely appointed mission, lived during the time when Jeroboam II ruled Israel (the ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom). He was from the town of Gath-Hepher in Galilee.
Jonah 1:2 The city of Nineveh was the magnificent capital of the Assyrian Empire. The great palace of Sennacherib was without rival and contained seventy or more rooms. The city was home to more than 120,000 residents (at least twice the size of Babylon) and had no less than fifteen gates in the wall surrounding the city. During this period of time it was probably the largest city in the known world. Built near the juncture of the Tigris River and its tributary the Khoser, it was served by an elaborate water system of eighteen canals. Nineveh had many suburbs, three are mentioned along with Nineveh in Gen 10:11, 12. Nineveh’s extensive ruins are located near the modern city of Mosul, Iraq.
Jonah 1:3 The natural harbor of the city of Joppa (modern Jaffa, Israel) has been in use since the Bronze Age. It was the port of entry for the cedars of Lebanon for Solomon’s temple (2 Chr 2:16), and again for the second temple of Jerusalem (Ezra 3:7). It is located just south of Tel Aviv.
Jonah 1:3 Possibly Tartessos in southwest Spain.
Jonah 1:7 To these sailors, who undoubtedly believed in their own pagan gods, the casting of lots was a way to allow the gods to express themselves since only they could control how a lot fell. In this case, it is possible that God intervened to identify Jonah as the guilty party.
Jonah 1:8 The questions asked indicate that the sailors were afraid of Jonah even before he confessed his worship of the Lord (v 9). The lot had already confirmed that he was responsible, but instead of acting on that they gave him the option of blaming someone else. The other questions are typical of what one would ask any stranger.
Jonah 1:9 This was an important addition to Jonah’s description of God, because most people who believed in pagan gods had different deities for different regions of the created world, and often they also worshiped deities of their own localities. Jonah was affirming that there is only one true God.
Jonah 1:10 Jonah probably had informed them when he first boarded (cf v 3) but they may not have taken him seriously, or perhaps they were just indifferent to his reason for the voyage. Now that they were in mortal danger, they believed him.
Jonah 1:17 The ancient Hebrew term “fish” did not make a distinction between fish and marine mammals. There are no marine creatures known today which would be capable of swallowing a man, either because of their anatomy or because of their observed behavior. It is possible that the creature that swallowed Jonah has long since been extinct, or even that it was uniquely created by God for this one purpose.
Jonah 1:17 Jesus cited Jonah’s experience as a sign of His resurrection (Matt 12:40).
Jonah 2:8 Lit Forsake.
Jonah 3:3 It is usually assumed that the “three days’ walk” was the distance equal to the circumference of the walled city, but it would also include the open fields, farms, and villages that would have been considered the territory of Nineveh. In fact, a significant portion of what was considered an ancient city’s population typically were farmers who lived outside the city, and only left their farms for the protection of the city when an invading army threatened to attack. For another explanation of the distance, see note v 4.
Jonah 3:4 Even though it probably would not have taken Jonah long merely to walk from one end of the city to another, to reach the entire population of more than 120,000, Jonah undoubtedly had to work his way through countless streets and alleys. The term “day’s walk” here and in v 3 does not occur elsewhere in Scripture, so perhaps it refers to the time required to visit every part of the city rather than to walk the circumference (see note v 3).
Jonah 4:6 Probably a castor oil plant.
Amplified Bible (AMP)
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.

Revelation 5

Revelation 5Amplified Bible (AMP)

The Scroll with Seven Seals
5 I saw in the right hand of Him who was seated on the throne a scroll written on the inside and on the back, closed and sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a strong angel announcing with a loud voice, “Who is worthy [having the authority and virtue] to open the scroll and to [a]break its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth [in Hades, the realm of the dead] was able to open the scroll or look into it. 4 And I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or look into it. 5 Then one of the [twenty-four] elders said to me, “Stop weeping! Look closely, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome and conquered! He can open the scroll and [break] its seven seals.”

6 And there [b]between the throne (with the four living creatures) and among the elders I saw a Lamb (Christ) standing, [bearing scars and wounds] as though it had been slain, with seven horns (complete power) and with seven eyes (complete knowledge), which are [c]the seven Spirits of God who have been sent [on duty] into all the earth. 7 And He came and [d]took the scroll from the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. 8 And when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb (Christ), each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of fragrant incense, which are the prayers of the saints (God’s people). 9 And they sang a new song [of glorious redemption], saying,

“Worthy and deserving are You to take the scroll and to break its seals; for You were slain (sacrificed), and with Your blood You purchased people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.
10
“You have made them to be a kingdom [of royal subjects] and priests to our God; and they will reign on the earth.”
Angels Exalt the Lamb
11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and [the voice] of the living creatures and the elders; and they numbered myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands (innumerable), 12 saying in a loud voice,

“Worthy and deserving is the Lamb that was sacrificed to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.”
13 And I heard every created thing that is in heaven or on earth or under the earth [in Hades, the realm of the dead] or on the sea, and everything that is in them, saying [together],

“To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb (Christ), be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.”
14 And the four living creatures kept saying, “Amen.” And the elders fell down and worshiped [Him who lives forever and ever].

Footnotes:

Revelation 5:2 When the seals are broken, the consummation of history, focused in the judgments, is unveiled.
Revelation 5:6 The Lamb is Jesus Christ, who stands “between,” in other words both as one with God upon the throne and as one with humanity around the throne.
Revelation 5:6 See note 1:4.
Revelation 5:7 Lit has taken. This is the Greek perfect tense, which John sometimes uses to emphasize the lasting significance of an action or event.
Amplified Bible (AMP)
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.

Psalm 133

Psalm 133Amplified Bible (AMP)

The Excellency of Brotherly Unity.
A Song of [a]Ascents. Of David.

133 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brothers to dwell together in unity!
2
It is like the precious oil [of consecration] poured on the head,
Coming down on the beard,
Even the beard of Aaron,
Coming down upon the edge of his [priestly] robes [consecrating the whole body].
3
It is like the dew of [Mount] Hermon
Coming down on the hills of Zion;
For there the Lord has commanded the blessing: life forevermore.
Footnotes:

Psalm 133:1 See Psalm 120 title note.
Amplified Bible (AMP)
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.

Proverbs 29:26-27

Proverbs 29:26-27Amplified Bible (AMP)

26
Many seek the ruler’s favor,
But justice for man comes from the Lord.
27
An unjust man is repulsive to the righteous,
And he who is upright in the way [of the Lord] is repulsive to the wicked.

A little trick to a flatter belly!

For decades, grains and other high carbohydrate foods formed the base of the food pyramid and the foundation for a “healthy diet”.  All the while, fats were demonized.  

Unfortunately, these recommendations couldn’t be further from the ideal path to a flat belly.  A diet high in wheat and other grain products inevitably leads to high blood sugar and poor sensitivity to the hormone insulin.  In turn, poor insulin sensitivity has been shown to be a major cause of abdominal fat accumulation.  Even worse, the more abdominal fat you gain, the worse your insulin sensitivity becomes… and thus the vicious cycle repeats, often leading to out-of-control belly fat storage over time.

Fats, on the other hand, are instrumental in the regulation of your overall hormonal balance, including many fat-burning hormones.  When you understand how to choose the right fats, replacing high-carb items in your diet such as bread, bagels, muffins, baked goods, and pasta with more of these fat-burning, healthful "fatty foods", you’ll be well on your way to a flatter belly.

Here are 7 of our top "fatty foods" for a flat belly: Whole Eggs, Nuts (such as almonds, pecans, walnuts, and cashews), Seeds (such as sunflower seeds and flaxseeds), Avocado, Olive Oil, Fatty Fish (for example, mackerel, tuna, salmon, and trout), and Coconut Oil.

All of these "fattening" foods help to improve your overall fat-burning hormone balance, satiety and feelings of fullness after a meal, and also possess an array of other unique fat-burning and health benefits. 

For example, egg yolks are loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants (making the myth about only eating egg whites for a flat belly completely false); avocados and olive oil are rich in heart-healthy, health-boosting fatty acids; many species of fish are a great source of inflammation-reducing omega-3s; and coconut oil is a prime source of medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), well known for their appetite regulation, energy, and immune benefits.

Wednesday, March 2, 2016 - One Year Bible (Dec 13)

Happy Hump Day!
My recovery is coming along, God is awesome!
Happy Birthday Sheila!!

Dec 13 - One Year Bbile
Obadiah 1-21;  Revelation 4:1-11; Psalm 132:1-18; Proverbs 29:24-25

Workout:  Physical therapy / Upper body resistance

ObadiahNew International Version (NIV)

Obadiah’s Vision
1 The vision of Obadiah.

This is what the Sovereign Lord says about Edom—

We have heard a message from the Lord:
    An envoy was sent to the nations to say,
“Rise, let us go against her for battle”—
2 “See, I will make you small among the nations;
    you will be utterly despised.
3 The pride of your heart has deceived you,
    you who live in the clefts of the rocks[a]
    and make your home on the heights,
you who say to yourself,
    ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’
4 Though you soar like the eagle
    and make your nest among the stars,
    from there I will bring you down,”
declares the Lord.
5 “If thieves came to you,
    if robbers in the night—
oh, what a disaster awaits you!—
    would they not steal only as much as they wanted?
If grape pickers came to you,
    would they not leave a few grapes?
6 But how Esau will be ransacked,
    his hidden treasures pillaged!
7 All your allies will force you to the border;
    your friends will deceive and overpower you;
those who eat your bread will set a trap for you,[b]
    but you will not detect it.
8 “In that day,” declares the Lord,
    “will I not destroy the wise men of Edom,
    those of understanding in the mountains of Esau?
9 Your warriors, Teman, will be terrified,
    and everyone in Esau’s mountains
    will be cut down in the slaughter.
10 Because of the violence against your brother Jacob,
    you will be covered with shame;
    you will be destroyed forever.
11 On the day you stood aloof
    while strangers carried off his wealth
and foreigners entered his gates
    and cast lots for Jerusalem,
    you were like one of them.
12 You should not gloat over your brother
    in the day of his misfortune,
nor rejoice over the people of Judah
    in the day of their destruction,
nor boast so much
    in the day of their trouble.
13 You should not march through the gates of my people
    in the day of their disaster,
nor gloat over them in their calamity
    in the day of their disaster,
nor seize their wealth
    in the day of their disaster.
14 You should not wait at the crossroads
    to cut down their fugitives,
nor hand over their survivors
    in the day of their trouble.
15 “The day of the Lord is near
    for all nations.
As you have done, it will be done to you;
    your deeds will return upon your own head.
16 Just as you drank on my holy hill,
    so all the nations will drink continually;
they will drink and drink
    and be as if they had never been.
17 But on Mount Zion will be deliverance;
    it will be holy,
    and Jacob will possess his inheritance.
18 Jacob will be a fire
    and Joseph a flame;
Esau will be stubble,
    and they will set him on fire and destroy him.
There will be no survivors
    from Esau.”
The Lord has spoken.
19 People from the Negev will occupy
    the mountains of Esau,
and people from the foothills will possess
    the land of the Philistines.
They will occupy the fields of Ephraim and Samaria,
    and Benjamin will possess Gilead.
20 This company of Israelite exiles who are in Canaan
    will possess the land as far as Zarephath;
the exiles from Jerusalem who are in Sepharad
    will possess the towns of the Negev.
21 Deliverers will go up on[c] Mount Zion
    to govern the mountains of Esau.
    And the kingdom will be the Lord’s.
Footnotes:

Obadiah 1:3 Or of Sela
Obadiah 1:7 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
Obadiah 1:21 Or from
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Revelation 4

Revelation 4New International Version (NIV)

The Throne in Heaven
4 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” 2 At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. 3 And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. 4 Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits[a] of God. 6 Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.

In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:

“‘Holy, holy, holy

is the Lord God Almighty,’[b]

who was, and is, and is to come.”

9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:

11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God,
    to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
    and by your will they were created
    and have their being.”
Footnotes:

Revelation 4:5 That is, the sevenfold Spirit
Revelation 4:8 Isaiah 6:3
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Psalm 132

Psalm 132New International Version (NIV)

Psalm 132
A song of ascents.

1 Lord, remember David
    and all his self-denial.
2 He swore an oath to the Lord,
    he made a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:
3 “I will not enter my house
    or go to my bed,
4 I will allow no sleep to my eyes
    or slumber to my eyelids,
5 till I find a place for the Lord,
    a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
6 We heard it in Ephrathah,
    we came upon it in the fields of Jaar:[a]
7 “Let us go to his dwelling place,
    let us worship at his footstool, saying,
8 ‘Arise, Lord, and come to your resting place,
    you and the ark of your might.
9 May your priests be clothed with your righteousness;
    may your faithful people sing for joy.’”
10 For the sake of your servant David,
    do not reject your anointed one.
11 The Lord swore an oath to David,
    a sure oath he will not revoke:
“One of your own descendants
    I will place on your throne.
12 If your sons keep my covenant
    and the statutes I teach them,
then their sons will sit
    on your throne for ever and ever.”
13 For the Lord has chosen Zion,
    he has desired it for his dwelling, saying,
14 “This is my resting place for ever and ever;
    here I will sit enthroned, for I have desired it.
15 I will bless her with abundant provisions;
    her poor I will satisfy with food.
16 I will clothe her priests with salvation,
    and her faithful people will ever sing for joy.
17 “Here I will make a horn[b] grow for David
    and set up a lamp for my anointed one.
18 I will clothe his enemies with shame,
    but his head will be adorned with a radiant crown.”
Footnotes:

Psalm 132:6 Or heard of it in Ephrathah, / we found it in the fields of Jearim. (See 1 Chron. 13:5,6) (And no quotation marks around verses 7-9)
Psalm 132:17 Horn here symbolizes strong one, that is, king.
New International Version (NIV)
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Proverbs 29:24-25

Proverbs 29:24-25New International Version (NIV)

24 The accomplices of thieves are their own enemies;
    they are put under oath and dare not testify.
25 Fear of man will prove to be a snare,
    but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.