Sunday, 10 November

1.   Against Moab. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "Woe to Nebo! For it is plundered, Kirjathaim is shamed and taken; The high stronghold is shamed and dismayed–– 2.   No more praise of Moab. In Heshbon they have devised evil against her: ‘Come, and let us cut her off as a nation.’ You also shall be cut down, O Madmen! The sword shall pursue you; 3.   A voice of crying shall be from Horonaim: ‘Plundering and great destruction!’ 4.   "Moab is destroyed; Her little ones have caused a cry to be heard; 5.   For in the Ascent of Luhith they ascend with continual weeping; For in the descent of Horonaim the enemies have heard a cry of destruction. 6.   "Flee, save your lives! And be like the juniper in the wilderness. 7.   For because you have trusted in your works and your treasures, You also shall be taken. And Chemosh shall go forth into captivity, His priests and his princes together. 8.   And the plunderer shall come against every city; No one shall escape. The valley also shall perish, And the plain shall be destroyed, As the LORD has spoken. 9.   "Give wings to Moab, That she may flee and get away; For her cities shall be desolate, Without any to dwell in them. 10.   Cursed is he who does the work of the LORD deceitfully, And cursed is he who keeps back his sword from blood. 11.   "Moab has been at ease from his youth; He has settled on his dregs, And has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, Nor has he gone into captivity. Therefore his taste remained in him, And his scent has not changed. 12.   "Therefore behold, the days are coming," says the LORD, "That I shall send him wine–workers Who will tip him over And empty his vessels And break the bottles. 13.   Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, As the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence. 14.   "How can you say, ‘We are mighty And strong men for the war’? 15.   Moab is plundered and gone up from her cities; Her chosen young men have gone down to the slaughter," says the King, Whose name is the LORD of hosts. 16.   "The calamity of Moab is near at hand, And his affliction comes quickly. 17.   Bemoan him, all you who are around him; And all you who know his name, Say, ‘How the strong staff is broken, The beautiful rod!’ 18.   "O daughter inhabiting Dibon, Come down from your glory, And sit in thirst; For the plunderer of Moab has come against you, He has destroyed your strongholds. 19.   O inhabitant of Aroer, Stand by the way and watch; Ask him who flees And her who escapes; Say, ‘What has happened?’ 20.   Moab is shamed, for he is broken down. Wail and cry! Tell it in Arnon, that Moab is plundered. 21.   "And judgment has come on the plain country: On Holon and Jahzah and Mephaath, 22.   On Dibon and Nebo and Beth Diblathaim, 23.   On Kirjathaim and Beth Gamul and Beth Meon, 24.   On Kerioth and Bozrah, On all the cities of the land of Moab, Far or near. 25.   The horn of Moab is cut off, And his arm is broken," says the LORD. 26.   "Make him drunk, Because he exalted himself against the LORD. Moab shall wallow in his vomit, And he shall also be in derision. 27.   For was not Israel a derision to you? Was he found among thieves? For whenever you speak of him, You shake your head in scorn . 28.   You who dwell in Moab, Leave the cities and dwell in the rock, And be like the dove which makes her nest In the sides of the cave’s mouth. 29.   "We have heard the pride of Moab (He is exceedingly proud), Of his loftiness and arrogance and pride, And of the haughtiness of his heart." 30.   "I know his wrath," says the LORD, "But it is not right; His lies have made nothing right. 31.   Therefore I will wail for Moab, And I will cry out for all Moab; I will mourn for the men of Kir Heres. 32.   O vine of Sibmah! I will weep for you with the weeping of Jazer. Your plants have gone over the sea, They reach to the sea of Jazer. The plunderer has fallen on your summer fruit and your vintage. 33.   Joy and gladness are taken From the plentiful field And from the land of Moab; I have caused wine to fail from the winepresses; No one will tread with joyous shouting––Not joyous shouting! 34.   "From the cry of Heshbon to Elealeh and to Jahaz They have uttered their voice, From Zoar to Horonaim, Like a three–year–old heifer; For the waters of Nimrim also shall be desolate. 35.   "Moreover," says the LORD, "I will cause to cease in Moab The one who offers sacrifices in the high places And burns incense to his gods. 36.   Therefore My heart shall wail like flutes for Moab, And like flutes My heart shall wail For the men of Kir Heres. Therefore the riches they have acquired have perished. 37.   "For every head shall be bald, and every beard clipped; On all the hands shall be cuts, and on the loins sackcloth–– 38.   A general lamentation On all the housetops of Moab, And in its streets; For I have broken Moab like a vessel in which is no pleasure," says the LORD. 39.   "They shall wail: ‘How she is broken down! How Moab has turned her back with shame!’ So Moab shall be a derision And a dismay to all those about her." 40.   For thus says the LORD: "Behold, one shall fly like an eagle, And spread his wings over Moab. 41.   Kerioth is taken, And the strongholds are surprised; The mighty men’s hearts in Moab on that day shall be Like the heart of a woman in birth pangs. 42.   And Moab shall be destroyed as a people, Because he exalted himself against the LORD. 43.   Fear and the pit and the snare shall be upon you, O inhabitant of Moab," says the LORD. 44.   "He who flees from the fear shall fall into the pit, And he who gets out of the pit shall be caught in the snare. For upon Moab, upon it I will bring The year of their punishment," says the LORD. 45.   "Those who fled stood under the shadow of Heshbon Because of exhaustion. But a fire shall come out of Heshbon, A flame from the midst of Sihon, And shall devour the brow of Moab, The crown of the head of the sons of tumult. 46.   Woe to you, O Moab! The people of Chemosh perish; For your sons have been taken captive, And your daughters captive. 47.   "Yet I will bring back the captives of Moab In the latter days," says the LORD. Thus far is the judgment of Moab.

1.   Against the Ammonites. Thus says the LORD: "Has Israel no sons? Has he no heir? Why then does Milcom inherit Gad, And his people dwell in its cities? 2.   Therefore behold, the days are coming," says the LORD, "That I will cause to be heard an alarm of war In Rabbah of the Ammonites; It shall be a desolate mound, And her villages shall be burned with fire. Then Israel shall take possession of his inheritance," says the LORD. 3.   "Wail, O Heshbon, for Ai is plundered! Cry, you daughters of Rabbah, Gird yourselves with sackcloth! Lament and run to and fro by the walls; For Milcom shall go into captivity With his priests and his princes together. 4.   Why do you boast in the valleys, Your flowing valley, O backsliding daughter? Who trusted in her treasures, saying , ‘Who will come against me?’ 5.   Behold, I will bring fear upon you," Says the Lord GOD of hosts, "From all those who are around you; You shall be driven out, everyone headlong, And no one will gather those who wander off. 6.   But afterward I will bring back The captives of the people of Ammon," says the LORD. 7.   Against Edom. Thus says the LORD of hosts: " Is wisdom no more in Teman? Has counsel perished from the prudent? Has their wisdom vanished? 8.   Flee, turn back, dwell in the depths, O inhabitants of Dedan! For I will bring the calamity of Esau upon him, The time that I will punish him. 9.   If grape–gatherers came to you, Would they not leave some gleaning grapes? If thieves by night, Would they not destroy until they have enough? 10.   But I have made Esau bare; I have uncovered his secret places, And he shall not be able to hide himself. His descendants are plundered, His brethren and his neighbors, And he is no more. 11.   Leave your fatherless children, I will preserve them alive; And let your widows trust in Me." 12.   For thus says the LORD: "Behold, those whose judgment was not to drink of the cup have assuredly drunk. And are you the one who will altogether go unpunished? You shall not go unpunished, but you shall surely drink of it . 13.   "For I have sworn by Myself," says the LORD, "that Bozrah shall become a desolation, a reproach, a waste, and a curse. And all its cities shall be perpetual wastes." 14.   I have heard a message from the LORD, And an ambassador has been sent to the nations: "Gather together, come against her, And rise up to battle! 15.   "For indeed, I will make you small among nations, Despised among men. 16.   Your fierceness has deceived you, The pride of your heart, O you who dwell in the clefts of the rock, Who hold the height of the hill! Though you make your nest as high as the eagle, I will bring you down from there," says the LORD. 17.   "Edom also shall be an astonishment; Everyone who goes by it will be astonished And will hiss at all its plagues. 18.   As in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah And their neighbors," says the LORD, "No one shall remain there, Nor shall a son of man dwell in it. 19.   "Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the floodplain of the Jordan Against the dwelling place of the strong; But I will suddenly make him run away from her. And who is a chosen man that I may appoint over her? For who is like Me? Who will arraign Me? And who is that shepherd Who will withstand Me?" 20.   Therefore hear the counsel of the LORD that He has taken against Edom, And His purposes that He has proposed against the inhabitants of Teman: Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out; Surely He shall make their dwelling places desolate with them. 21.   The earth shakes at the noise of their fall; At the cry its noise is heard at the Red Sea. 22.   Behold, He shall come up and fly like the eagle, And spread His wings over Bozrah; The heart of the mighty men of Edom in that day shall be Like the heart of a woman in birth pangs. 23.   Against Damascus. "Hamath and Arpad are shamed, For they have heard bad news. They are fainthearted; There is trouble on the sea; It cannot be quiet. 24.   Damascus has grown feeble; She turns to flee, And fear has seized her . Anguish and sorrows have taken her like a woman in labor. 25.   Why is the city of praise not deserted, the city of My joy? 26.   Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets, And all the men of war shall be cut off in that day," says the LORD of hosts. 27.   "I will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus, And it shall consume the palaces of Ben–Hadad." 28.   Against Kedar and against the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon shall strike. Thus says the LORD: "Arise, go up to Kedar, And devastate the men of the East! 29.   Their tents and their flocks they shall take away. They shall take for themselves their curtains, All their vessels and their camels; And they shall cry out to them, ‘Fear is on every side!’ 30.   "Flee, get far away! Dwell in the depths, O inhabitants of Hazor!" says the LORD. "For Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has taken counsel against you, And has conceived a plan against you. 31.   "Arise, go up to the wealthy nation that dwells securely," says the LORD, "Which has neither gates nor bars, Dwelling alone. 32.   Their camels shall be for booty, And the multitude of their cattle for plunder. I will scatter to all winds those in the farthest corners, And I will bring their calamity from all its sides," says the LORD. 33.   "Hazor shall be a dwelling for jackals, a desolation forever; No one shall reside there, Nor son of man dwell in it." 34.   The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet against Elam, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying, 35.   "Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, The foremost of their might. 36.   Against Elam I will bring the four winds From the four quarters of heaven, And scatter them toward all those winds; There shall be no nations where the outcasts of Elam will not go. 37.   For I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies And before those who seek their life. I will bring disaster upon them, My fierce anger,’ says the LORD; ‘And I will send the sword after them Until I have consumed them. 38.   I will set My throne in Elam, And will destroy from there the king and the princes,’ says the LORD. 39.   ‘But it shall come to pass in the latter days: I will bring back the captives of Elam,’ says the LORD."

1.   But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2.   Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. 3.   Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, 4.   they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. 5.   "Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?" 6.   This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. 7.   So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first." 8.   And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9.   Then those who heard it , being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10.   When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?" 11.   She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more." 12.   Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." 13.   The Pharisees therefore said to Him, "You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true." 14.   Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going. 15.   "You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. 16.   "And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me. 17.   "It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. 18.   "I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me." 19.   Then they said to Him, "Where is Your Father?" Jesus answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also." 20.   These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come. 21.   Then Jesus said to them again, "I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin. Where I go you cannot come." 22.   So the Jews said, "Will He kill Himself, because He says, ‘Where I go you cannot come’?" 23.   And He said to them, "You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24.   "Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He , you will die in your sins." 25.   Then they said to Him, "Who are You?" And Jesus said to them, "Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning. 26.   "I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him." 27.   They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father. 28.   Then Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He , and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. 29.   "And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him."