Friday, 13 December

1.   "Ephraim feeds on the wind, And pursues the east wind; He daily increases lies and desolation. Also they make a covenant with the Assyrians, And oil is carried to Egypt. 2.   "The LORD also brings a charge against Judah, And will punish Jacob according to his ways; According to his deeds He will recompense him. 3.   He took his brother by the heel in the womb, And in his strength he struggled with God. 4.   Yes, he struggled with the Angel and prevailed; He wept, and sought favor from Him. He found Him in Bethel, And there He spoke to us–– 5.   That is, the LORD God of hosts. The LORD is His memorable name. 6.   So you, by the help of your God, return; Observe mercy and justice, And wait on your God continually. 7.   "A cunning Canaanite! Deceitful scales are in his hand; He loves to oppress. 8.   And Ephraim said, ‘Surely I have become rich, I have found wealth for myself; In all my labors They shall find in me no iniquity that is sin.’ 9.   "But I am the LORD your God, Ever since the land of Egypt; I will again make you dwell in tents, As in the days of the appointed feast. 10.   I have also spoken by the prophets, And have multiplied visions; I have given symbols through the witness of the prophets." 11.   Though Gilead has idols––Surely they are vanity––Though they sacrifice bulls in Gilgal, Indeed their altars shall be heaps in the furrows of the field. 12.   Jacob fled to the country of Syria; Israel served for a spouse, And for a wife he tended sheep . 13.   By a prophet the LORD brought Israel out of Egypt, And by a prophet he was preserved. 14.   Ephraim provoked Him to anger most bitterly; Therefore his Lord will leave the guilt of his bloodshed upon him, And return his reproach upon him.

1.   When Ephraim spoke, trembling, He exalted himself in Israel; But when he offended through Baal worship , he died. 2.   Now they sin more and more, And have made for themselves molded images, Idols of their silver, according to their skill; All of it is the work of craftsmen. They say of them, "Let the men who sacrifice kiss the calves!" 3.   Therefore they shall be like the morning cloud And like the early dew that passes away, Like chaff blown off from a threshing floor And like smoke from a chimney. 4.   "Yet I am the LORD your God Ever since the land of Egypt, And you shall know no God but Me; For there is no Savior besides Me. 5.   I knew you in the wilderness, In the land of great drought. 6.   When they had pasture, they were filled; They were filled and their heart was exalted; Therefore they forgot Me. 7.   "So I will be to them like a lion; Like a leopard by the road I will lurk; 8.   I will meet them like a bear deprived of her cubs ; I will tear open their rib cage, And there I will devour them like a lion. The wild beast shall tear them. 9.   "O Israel, you are destroyed, But your help is from Me. 10.   I will be your King; Where is any other , That he may save you in all your cities? And your judges to whom you said, ‘Give me a king and princes’? 11.   I gave you a king in My anger, And took him away in My wrath. 12.   "The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up; His sin is stored up. 13.   The sorrows of a woman in childbirth shall come upon him. He is an unwise son, For he should not stay long where children are born. 14.   "I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. O Death, I will be your plagues! O Grave, I will be your destruction! Pity is hidden from My eyes. 15.   Though he is fruitful among his brethren, An east wind shall come; The wind of the LORD shall come up from the wilderness. Then his spring shall become dry, And his fountain shall be dried up. He shall plunder the treasury of every desirable prize. 16.   Samaria is held guilty, For she has rebelled against her God. They shall fall by the sword, Their infants shall be dashed in pieces, And their women with child ripped open.

1.   O Israel, return to the LORD your God, For you have stumbled because of your iniquity; 2.   Take words with you, And return to the LORD. Say to Him, "Take away all iniquity; Receive us graciously, For we will offer the sacrifices of our lips. 3.   Assyria shall not save us, We will not ride on horses, Nor will we say anymore to the work of our hands, ‘ You are our gods.’ For in You the fatherless finds mercy." 4.   "I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, For My anger has turned away from him. 5.   I will be like the dew to Israel; He shall grow like the lily, And lengthen his roots like Lebanon. 6.   His branches shall spread; His beauty shall be like an olive tree, And his fragrance like Lebanon. 7.   Those who dwell under his shadow shall return; They shall be revived like grain, And grow like a vine. Their scent shall be like the wine of Lebanon. 8.   "Ephraim shall say , ‘What have I to do anymore with idols?’ I have heard and observed him. I am like a green cypress tree; Your fruit is found in Me." 9.   Who is wise? Let him understand these things. Who is prudent? Let him know them. For the ways of the LORD are right; The righteous walk in them, But transgressors stumble in them.

1.   After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, "Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this." 2.   Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. 3.   And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. 4.   Around the throne were twenty–four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty–four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads. 5.   And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. 6.   Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. 7.   The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. 8.   The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!" 9.   Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10.   the twenty–four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: 11.   "You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created."