Tuesday, 31 December

1.   Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in his father’s place in Jerusalem. 2.   Jehoahaz was twenty–three years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. 3.   Now the king of Egypt deposed him at Jerusalem; and he imposed on the land a tribute of one hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. 4.   Then the king of Egypt made Jehoahaz’s brother Eliakim king over Judah and Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. And Necho took Jehoahaz his brother and carried him off to Egypt. 5.   Jehoiakim was twenty–five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD his God. 6.   Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against him, and bound him in bronze fetters to carry him off to Babylon. 7.   Nebuchadnezzar also carried off some of the articles from the house of the LORD to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon. 8.   Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, the abominations which he did, and what was found against him, indeed they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. Then Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place. 9.   Jehoiachin was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months and ten days. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD. 10.   At the turn of the year King Nebuchadnezzar summoned him and took him to Babylon, with the costly articles from the house of the LORD, and made Zedekiah, Jehoiakim’s brother, king over Judah and Jerusalem. 11.   Zedekiah was twenty–one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. 12.   He did evil in the sight of the LORD his God, and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of the LORD. 13.   And he also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear an oath by God; but he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the LORD God of Israel. 14.   Moreover all the leaders of the priests and the people transgressed more and more, according to all the abominations of the nations, and defiled the house of the LORD which He had consecrated in Jerusalem. 15.   And the LORD God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and sending them , because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place. 16.   But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against His people, till there was no remedy. 17.   Therefore He brought against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, on the aged or the weak; He gave them all into his hand. 18.   And all the articles from the house of God, great and small, the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king and of his leaders, all these he took to Babylon. 19.   Then they burned the house of God, broke down the wall of Jerusalem, burned all its palaces with fire, and destroyed all its precious possessions. 20.   And those who escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon, where they became servants to him and his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia, 21.   to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths. As long as she lay desolate she kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years. 22.   Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, 23.   Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. Who is among you of all His people? May the LORD his God be with him, and let him go up!

1.   "Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming," Says the LORD of hosts. 2.   "But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire And like launderer’s soap. 3.   He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, And purge them as gold and silver, That they may offer to the LORD An offering in righteousness. 4.   "Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem Will be pleasant to the LORD, As in the days of old, As in former years. 5.   And I will come near you for judgment; I will be a swift witness Against sorcerers, Against adulterers, Against perjurers, Against those who exploit wage earners and widows and orphans, And against those who turn away an alien––Because they do not fear Me," Says the LORD of hosts. 6.   "For I am the LORD, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob. 7.   Yet from the days of your fathers You have gone away from My ordinances And have not kept them . Return to Me, and I will return to you," Says the LORD of hosts. "But you said, ‘In what way shall we return?’ 8.   "Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. 9.   You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. 10.   Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this," Says the LORD of hosts, "If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it . 11.   "And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field," Says the LORD of hosts; 12.   "And all nations will call you blessed, For you will be a delightful land," Says the LORD of hosts. 13.   "Your words have been harsh against Me," Says the LORD, "Yet you say, ‘What have we spoken against You?’ 14.   You have said, ‘It is useless to serve God; What profit is it that we have kept His ordinance, And that we have walked as mourners Before the LORD of hosts? 15.   So now we call the proud blessed, For those who do wickedness are raised up; They even tempt God and go free.’" 16.   Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, And the LORD listened and heard them ; So a book of remembrance was written before Him For those who fear the LORD And who meditate on His name. 17.   "They shall be Mine," says the LORD of hosts, "On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them As a man spares his own son who serves him." 18.   Then you shall again discern Between the righteous and the wicked, Between one who serves God And one who does not serve Him.

1.   "For behold, the day is coming, Burning like an oven, And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up," Says the LORD of hosts, "That will leave them neither root nor branch. 2.   But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings; And you shall go out And grow fat like stall–fed calves. 3.   You shall trample the wicked, For they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet On the day that I do this ," Says the LORD of hosts. 4.   "Remember the Law of Moses, My servant, Which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel, With the statutes and judgments. 5.   Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. 6.   And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse."

1.   And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2.   In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3.   And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. 4.   They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. 5.   There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever. 6.   Then he said to me, "These words are faithful and true." And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place. 7.   "Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book." 8.   Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things. 9.   Then he said to me, "See that you do not do that . For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God." 10.   And he said to me, "Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand. 11.   "He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still." 12.   "And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. 13.   "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last." 14.   Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. 15.   But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie. 16.   "I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star." 17.   And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. 18.   For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; 19.   and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. 20.   He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming quickly." Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! 21.   The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.