Thursday, July 10, 2014

Favourite Biblical Verses: The Twelve Prophets

Hosea 2:3-2:25

Say to your brethren, "Ammi," and to your sisters, "Ruhamah."

Strive with your mother, strive, for she is not My wife, and I am not her Husband, and let her remove her harlotries from her face and her adulteries from between her breasts. Lest I strip her naked and leave her as [on] the day she was born; and I make her like a desert, and I set her like an arid land, and cause her to die of thirst. And I will not pity her children for they are children of harlotries. For their mother played the harlot; she who conceived them behaved shamefully, for she said, "I will go after my lovers, those who give my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, my oil and my drinks. " Therefore, behold I will close off your way with thorns, and I make a fence against her, and she shall not find her paths. And she shall pursue her lovers and not overtake them, and she shall seek them and not find them; and she shall say, "I will go and return to my first Husband, for it was better for me then than now. But she did not know that I gave her the corn, the wine, and the oil, and I gave her much silver and gold, but they made it for Baal. Therefore, I will return and take My corn in its time and My wine in its appointed season, and I will separate My wool and My flax, to cover her nakedness. And now, I will bare her disgrace before the eyes of her lovers, and no man shall save her from My hand.. And I will terminate all her rejoicing, her festival[s], her new moon[s], and her Sabbath[s], and all her appointed seasons. And I will lay waste her vine[s] and her fig tree[s], [concerning] which she said, "They are my hire, which my lovers have given me," and I will make them a forest, and the beasts of the field shall devour them.

And I will visit upon her the days of the baalim, to whom she burnt incense, and she adorned herself with her earrings and her jewelry, and went after her lovers, and she forgot Me, says the L-rd.

Therefore, behold I will allure her and lead her into the desert, and I will speak comfortingly to her heart. And I will give her her vineyards from there and the depth of trouble for a door of hope, and she shall dwell there as in the days of her youth, and as the day of her ascent from the land of Egypt. And it shall come to pass on that day, says the L-rd, you shall call [Me] Ishi, and you shall no longer call Me Baali. And I will remove the names of the baalim from her mouth, and they shall no longer be mentioned by their name. And I will make a covenant for them on that day with the beasts of the field and with the fowl of the sky and the creeping things of the earth; and the bow, the sword, and war I will break off the earth, and I will let them lie down safely. And I will betroth you to Me forever, and I will betroth you to Me with righteousness and with justice and with loving-kindness and with mercy. And I will betroth you to Me with faith, and you shall know the L-rd. And it shall come to pass on that day, [that] I will answer, says the L-rd; I will answer the heavens, and they shall answer the earth. And the earth shall answer the corn and the wine and the oil, and they shall answer Jezreel. And I will sow her for Me in the land, and I will have compassion upon the unpitied one, and I will say to them that are not My people, "You are My people," and they shall say, "[You are] my G-d."
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Hosea 4:8-4:11

They [Kohanim] feed on the sin offerings of My people, and set their heart on their inquity. And it shall be like people, like priest; and I will punish them for their ways, and requite them for their deeds. For they shall eat, and not be satisfied; they shall commit harlotry and shall not increase; because they have forsaken G-d to take heed [of His ways]. Harlotry and [old] wine and new wine take away the heart.
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Hosea 5:14-6:3

For I am like a young lion to Ephraim and like a lion's whelp to the house of Judah; I, yea I, will tear and I will go away; I will carry off and no one will rescue. I will go away and return to My place until they admit their guilt and seek My face; in their straits they will seek Me. Come and let us return to the L-rd, for He has torn and He shall heal us; He smites, and He will bind us up. He will revive us from the two days, on the third day He will set us up, and we will live before Him. And let us know, let us strive to know the L-rd: like the dawn whose going forth is sure, and He will come to us like rain, like the latter rain which satisfies the earth.
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Hosea 7:3-7:7

With their evil, they make the king glad, and with their lies, princes. They are all adulterers like an oven heated by the baker; the arouser rests from kneading the dough until it leavens. The day of our king, the princes became ill from the heat of the wine; he withdrew his hand with the scorners. For they have made ready their heart like an oven with their ambush; all night their baker sleeps, in the morning he burns like a flaming fire. They are all heated like an oven and they devour their judges; all their kings have fallen, none of them calls to Me.
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Hosea 7:13-7:14

Woe is to them for they have wandered away from Me; plunder to them for they have rebelled against Me. I would redeem them, but they spoke lies about Me. And they did not cry out to Me with their heart, therefore they will wail on their beds; because of the corn and the wine which they store up, they turn away from Me.__________________________________________________________

Hosea 14:5-14:10

I will remedy their backsliding; I will love them freely, for My wrath has turned away from them. I will be like dew to Israel, they shall blossom like a rose, and it shall strike its roots like the Lebanon. Its branches shall go forth, and its beauty shall be like the olive tree, and its fragrance like the Lebanon. Those who dwelt in its shade shall return; they shall revive [like] corn and blossom like the vine; its fragrance shall be like the wine of Lebanon. Ephraim; What more do I need the images? I will answer him and I will look upon him: I am like a leafy cypress tree; from Me your fruit is found.

Who is wise and will understand these, discerning and will know them; for the ways of the L-rd are straight, and the righteous shall walk in them, and the rebellious shall stumble on them.
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Joel 1:1-2:14

The word of the L-rd, which came to Joel son of Pethuel.

Hear this, you elders, and hearken, all you inhabitants of the land. Did this come about in your days or in the days of your forefathers? Tell your children about it, and your children to their children, and their children to another generation. What the shearing locust left over, the increasing locust devoured, and what the increasing locust left over the nibbling locust devoured, and what the nibbling locust left over the finishing locust devoured. Awaken, you drunkards, and weep; and wail, all you wine drinkers, concerning the strong wine, which has been cut off from your mouth. For a nation has ascended upon my land, mighty and innumerable; its teeth are like the teeth of an old lion, and its molars are like those of a young lion. He has laid my vine waste, and my fig tree into a disappointment; he has peeled it and cast it off, its branches have become white. Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth. Meal offering and libation have been cut off from the house of the L-rd; the priests, the ministers of the L-rd, mourn. The field has been plundered, the soil destroyed, for corn has been plundered, must has dried up, oil has been cut off. Be ashamed, you plowmen; wail, you vinedressers, for wheat and for barley, for the harvest of the field is lost. The vines have dried up, and the fig trees have been cut off; the pomegranates, also the date palms and the apples, all the trees of the field have dried up, for joy has dried up from the sons of man.

Gird yourselves and lament, you priests; wail, you ministers of the altar; come, lodge in sackcloth, you ministers of my G-d, for the meal offering and the libations have been withheld from the house of your G-d. Proclaim a fast, call an assembly; assemble, you elders, all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the L-rd your G-d, and cry out to the L-rd. Woe is to the day, for the day of the L-rd is near, and like plunder, it will come from the Almighty. Is not the food cut off from before our eyes? From the house of our G-d joy and jubilation?  Casks of wine have gathered mold under their bungs, the storehouses are laid desolate, garners are demolished, for the corn has dried out. How the cattle sighs, herds of cattle are perplexed, for they have no pasture; also flocks of sheep are laid waste. To You, O L-rd, I call, for a fire has consumed the dwellings of the wilderness, and a flame has burnt all the trees of the field. Also, the beasts of the field cry out to You for the springs of water have dried up, and fire has consumed the dwellings of the wilderness.

Sound a shophar in Zion and sound an alarm in My holy mountain; all the inhabitants of the land shall quake, for the day of the L-rd has come, for it is near. A day of darkness and gloom, a day of cloud and thick darkness, like the dawn spread over the mountains; a numerous and mighty people, the like of which has never been, and after it there shall be no more until the years of the generations. Fire consumes before it and a flame blazes after it; before it, the land was like the Garden of Eden, and in its wake is a desert wasteland; neither does it have a remnant. Like the appearance of horses is its appearance, and like horsemen, so do they run.
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Joel 3:1-3:5

And it shall come to pass afterwards that I will pour out My spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and daughters shall prophesy; your elders shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And even upon the slaves and the maidservants in those days will I pour out My spirit. And I will perform signs in the heavens and on the earth: Blood, fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall turn to darkness, and the moon to blood, prior to the coming of the great and awesome day of the L-rd. And it shall come to pass that whoever shall call in the name of the L-rd shall be delivered, for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be a deliverance, as the L-rd said, and among the survivors whom the L-rd invites.
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Joel 4:13-4:21

Stretch out a sickle, for the harvest is ripe; come, press, for the winepress is full; the vats roar, for their evil is great. Multitudes [upon] multitudes in the valley of decision, for the day of the L-rd is near in the valley of decision. The sun and the moon have darkened, and the stars have withdrawn their shining. And the L-rd shall roar from Zion, and from Jerusalem He shall give forth His voice, and the heavens and earth shall quake, and the L-rd is a shelter to His people and a stronghold for the children of Israel. And you shall know that I, the L-rd your G-d, dwell in Zion, My holy mount, and Jerusalem shall be holy, and strangers shall no longer pass through there.

And it shall come to pass on that day that the mountains shall drip with wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the springs of Judah shall flow with water, and a spring shall emanate from the house of the L-rd and water the valley of Shittim. And Egypt shall become desolate, and Edom shall be a desert waste, because of the violence done to the children of Judah, because they shed innocent blood in their land. But Judah shall remain forever, and Jerusalem throughout all generations. Now should I cleanse, their blood I will not cleanse, when the L-rd dwells in Zion.
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Amos 5:16-6:7

Therefore, so said the L-rd G-d of Hosts, the L-rd:

In all the city squares lamentation, and in all streets they shall say, "Alas! Alas!" and they shall meet the plowman with mourning and lamentation with those who know to wail. And in all vineyards [there shall be] lamentation, for I will pass in your midst, said the L-rd.

Woe to those who desire the day of the L-rd. Why would you have the day of the L-rd? It is darkness, and not light. As if a man flees from the lion and the bear meets him, and he comes to the house and leans his hand on the wall, and a serpent bites him. Is not the day of the L-rd darkness and not light, even very dark, with no brightness in it. I hate, I reject your festivals, and I will not smell [the sacrifices of] your assemblies. For if you offer up to Me burnt- offerings and your meal-offerings, I will not accept [them], and the peace offerings of your fattened cattle I will not regard. Take away from Me the din of your songs, and the music of your lutes I will not hear. And justice shall be revealed like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream. Did you offer Me sacrifices and meal-offerings in the desert forty years, O house of Israel? And you shall carry Siccuth your king and Chiun your images, Kochav your G-d, which you have made for yourselves. And I will exile you beyond Damascus, said He Whose Name is the L-rd G-d of Hosts.

Woe to those who are at ease in Zion and to those who are secure in the mountain of Samaria, those called the first of the nations, and the house of Israel has come to them. Proceed to Calneh and see, and go from there to the great Hamath, and go down to Gath of the Philistines-are they better than these kingdoms, or is their border greater than your border? You, who bring yourselves closer to the day of evil, and you bring near the dwelling amidst violence. Those who lie on couches of ivory and stretch out on their beds, and eat lambs of the flock and calves out of the stall. Who sing according to the tone of the lute. They thought that their musical instruments were like [those of] David. Who drink from basins of wine, and with the first oils they anoint themselves, and they feel no pain concerning the destruction of Joseph. Therefore, now they shall go into exile at the head of the exiles, and the banquet of the haughty shall pass away.
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Amos 8:11-9:13

Behold, days are coming, says the L-rd G-d, and I will send famine into the land, not a famine for bread nor a thirst for water, but to hear the word of the L-rd. And they shall wander from sea to sea and from the north to the east; they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the L-rd, but they shall not find it. On that day, the beautiful virgins and the young men shall faint of thirst. Those who swear by the sin of Samaria, and say, "As your G-d lives, O Dan," and "As the road to Beersheba exists," shall fall and no longer rise.

I saw the L-rd standing beside the altar, and He said:

Strike the lintel, and the sideposts shall quake, and break to pieces those who are at the head of all of them, and their remnant I will slay by the sword; no one of them shall flee, and no one of them shall escape. If they dig down into the grave, from there My hand shall take them, and if they ascend to the heavens, from there I will bring them down. And if they hide at the peak of Carmel, from there I will search [them out] and I will take them, and if they hide from before My eyes in the land of the sea, from there I will command the serpent, and it shall bite them. And if they go into captivity before their enemies, from there I will command the sword and it shall slay them, and I will place My eye upon them for evil and not for good.

And the L-rd G-d of the Hosts, Who touches the land and it quakes, and all the inhabitants thereof shall be destroyed, and it shall ascend wholly like the river, and it shall sink like the river of Egypt.

Who built His upper stories in Heaven and has founded His company on earth; Who calls the water of the sea and pours it out on the face of the earth, the L-rd is His Name.

Are you not like the children of the Cushites to Me, O children of Israel? says the L-rd. Did I not bring Israel up from the land of Egypt, and the Philistines from Caphtor and Aram from Kir? Behold the eyes of the L-rd G-d are on the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from upon the face of the earth; but I will not destroy the house of Jacob, says the L-rd. For, behold I command, and I will scatter the house of Israel among all the nations; as it is shaken in a sieve, and not a coarse particle falls to the earth. By the sword shall all the sinful of My people perish, those who say, "The evil shall not soon come upon us. " On that day, I will raise up the fallen Tabernacle of David, and I will close up their breaches, and I will raise up its ruins, and build it up as in the days of yore. In order that they inherit the remnant of Edom and all the nations because My Name is called upon them, says the L-rd Who does this.

Behold days are coming, says the L-rd, that the plowman shall meet the reaper and the treader of the grapes the one who carries the seed, and the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt.
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Obadiah 1:15-1:21

For the day of the L-rd over all the nations is close; as you have done shall be done to you; your recompense shall be returned upon your head. For, as you drank on My Holy Mount, shall all the nations drink constantly, and they shall drink and be stunned, and they shall be as though they were not.

And on Mount Zion there shall be a remnant, and it shall be holy, and the house of Jacob shall inherit those who inherited them. And the house of Jacob shall be fire and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau shall become stubble, and they shall ignite them and consume them, and the house of Esau shall have no survivors, for the L-rd has spoken. And [the inhabitants of] the southland shall inherit the mountain of Esau, and [the inhabitants of] the plain, the Philistines, and they shall inherit the field of Ephraim and the field of Samaria, and Benjamin [with the inhabitants of] Gilead. And this exiled host of the children of Israel who are [with] the Canaanites as far as Zarephath and the exile of Jerusalem which is in Sepharad shall inherit the cities of the southland. And saviors shall ascend Mt. Zion to judge the mountain of Esau, and the L-rd shall have the kingdom.
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Jonah 1:14-2:11

And they called to the L-rd and said, "Please, O L-rd, let us not perish for the life of this man, and do not place upon us innocent blood, for You, O L-rd, as You wish, You have done." And they picked Jonah up and cast him into the sea, and the sea ceased storming. And the men feared the L-rd exceedingly, and they made sacrifices to the L-rd and made vows.

And the L-rd appointed a huge fish to swallow up Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights. And Jonah prayed to the L-rd his G-d, from the belly of the fish. And he said:

I called out from my distress to the L-rd, and He answered me;
From the belly of the grave I cried out, You heard my voice.
And You cast me into the deep in the heart of the seas, and a river surrounded me;
All Your breakers and Your waves passed over me.
And I said, "I have been driven away from before Your eyes,"
But I will again gaze upon Your Holy Temple.
Water has surrounded me even to the soul, the deep encompassed me;
Reeds were tangled about my head.
To the bottom of the mountains I descended
The earth-its bars are closed on me forever;
But You brought up my life from Gehinnom, O L-rd, my G-d.
8. When my soul grew faint upon me, I remembered the L-rd:
And my prayer came to You to Your Holy Temple.
Those who keep worthless futilities abandon their kindness.
But I-with a voice of thanks will I sacrifice to You;
What I vowed I will pay, for the salvation of the L-rd.
And the L-rd said to the fish, and it spewed Jonah onto the dry land.
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Jonah 3:10-4:11

And G-d saw their deeds, that they had repented of their evil way, and the L-rd relented concerning the evil that He had spoken to do to them, and He did not do it. Now it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was grieved. And he prayed to the L-rd and said, "Please, O L-rd, was this not my contention while I was still on my land? For this reason I had hastened to flee to Tarshish, for I know that You are a gracious and merciful G-d, slow to anger, with much kindness, and relenting of evil. And now, O L-rd, take now my soul from me, for my death is better than my life."

And the L-rd said: Are you deeply grieved?

And Jonah had gone out of the city, and had stationed himself on the east of the city, and there he made himself a hut and sat under it in the shade until he would see what would happen in the city.

Now the L-rd G-d appointed a kikayon, and it grew up over Jonah to be shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort, and Jonah was overjoyed with the kikayon. Now G-d appointed a worm at the rise of dawn on the morrow, and the worm attacked the kikayon, and it withered. Now it came to pass when the sun shone, that G-d appointed a stilling east wind, and the sun beat on Jonah's head, and he fainted, and he begged to die, and he said, "My death is better than my life."

And G-d said to Jonah; Are you very grieved about the kikayon? And he said, "I am very grieved even to death."

And the L-rd said: You took pity on the kikayon, for which you did not toil nor did you make it grow, which one night came into being and the next night perished. Now should I not take pity on Nineveh, the great city, in which there are many more than one hundred twenty thousand people who do not know their right hand from their left, and many beasts as well?
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Micah 2:12-2:13

I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of you; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; together I will make them as sheep in a fold, as a flock within its stall shall they stir with people. The breaker has gone up before them; they broke and passed through a gate and went out through it; and their king passed before them, and the L-rd was at their head.
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Micah 3:1-4:7

And I said: Hearken now, you heads of Jacob and officers of the house of Israel! Is it not incumbent upon you to know the judgment? Those who hate good and love evil-who rob their skin from upon them and their flesh from upon their bones, and who ate the flesh of My people and flayed their skin from upon them, and opened their bones and broke them, as in a pot, and like meat within a cauldron then they shall cry out to the L-rd, but He shall not respond to them; and He shall hide His countenance from them at that time, as they wrought evil with their works.

So said the L-rd concerning the prophets who mislead my people, who bite with their teeth and herald peace, but concerning whomever does not give into their mouth, they prepare war.

Therefore, it shall be night for you because of the vision, and it shall be dark for you because of the divination, and the sun shall set on the prophets, and the day shall be darkened about them. And the seers shall be ashamed, and the diviners shall be disgraced, and they shall all cover their upper lips, for it is not a statement of G-d.

But I am truly full of strength from the spirit of the L-rd and justice and might, to tell Jacob his transgression and Israel his sin.

Hearken now to this, you heads of the house of Jacob and you rulers of the house of Israel, who condemn justice and pervert all that is straight. Each one builds Zion with blood and Jerusalem with injustice.

Her leaders judge for bribes, and its priests teach for a price; and its prophets divine for money, and they rely on the L-rd, saying, "Is not the L-rd in our midst? No evil shall befall us." Therefore, because of you, Zion shall be plowed as a field; Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the Temple Mount like the high places of a forest.


And it shall be at the end of the days, that the mountain of the L-rd's house shall be firmly established at the top of the mountains, and it shall be raised above the hills, and peoples shall stream upon it. And many nations shall go, and they shall say, "Come, let us go up to the L-rd's mount and to the house of the G-d of Jacob, and let Him teach us of His ways, and we will go in His paths," for out of Zion shall the Torah come forth, and the word of the L-rd from Jerusalem. And he shall judge between many peoples and reprove mighty nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nations shall not lift the sword against nation; neither shall they learn war anymore. And they shall dwell each man under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them move, for the mouth of the L-rd of Hosts has spoken. For all peoples shall go, each one in the name of his G-d, but we will go in the name of the L-rd, our G-d, forever and ever.

On that day, says the L-rd: I will heal the limping one, and the lost one I will gather, and those whom I harmed. And I will make the limping one into a remnant, and the scattered one into a mighty nation, and the L-rd shall reign over them on Mount Zion from now and forever.
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Micah 5:1-6:8

And you, Bethlehem Ephrathah-you should have been the lowest of the clans of Judah-from you [he] shall emerge for Me, to be a ruler over Israel; and his origin is from of old, from days of yore. Therefore, He shall deliver them until the time a woman in confinement gives birth. And the rest of his brothers shall return upon the children of Israel. And he shall stand and lead with the might of the L-rd, with the pride of the L-rd, his G-d: and they shall return, for now he shall become great to the ends of the earth. And this shall be peace. Should Assyria come into our land, and should they tread upon our palaces, we will appoint over them seven shepherds and eight princes of men. And they shall break the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod at its gates; and he shall save [us] from Assyria, who comes into our land, and who treads in our border. And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples-like dew sent by the L-rd, like torrents of rain upon vegatation that does not hope for any man and does not wait for the sons of men.

And 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 among the flocks of sheep, which, if it passes through, treads down and tears in pieces, and no one [can] save anything. Your hand shall be raised above your oppressors, and all your enemies shall be destroyed.

And it shall come to pass on that day, says the L-rd, that I will cut your horses out of your midst, and I will destroy your chariots. And I will destroy the cities of your land, and I will break down all your fortresses.

And I will destroy sorcery from your hand, and you will have no soothsayers. And I will destroy your graven images and your monuments from your midst, and you shall no longer prostrate yourself to your handiwork.

And I will uproot your asherim from your midst, and I will destroy your enemies. And in anger and fury I will execute vengeance upon the nations who have paid no heed.

Hear now what the L-rd says; Rise; contend with the mountains, and may the hills hear My voice. Hear ye, O mountains, the controversy of the L-rd; and you mighty ones, the foundations of the earth; for the L-rd has a controversy with His people, and with Israel He shall contend.

O My people, what have I done, and how have I wearied you? Testify against Me. For I brought you up out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. My people, remember now what Balak king of Moab planned, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him. From Shittim to Gilgal, may you recognize the righteous deeds of the L-rd.

With what shall I come before the L-rd, bow before the Most High G-d? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with yearling calves? Will the L-rd be pleased with thousands of rams, with myriad streams of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

He has told you, O man, what is good, and what the L-rd demands of you; but to do justice, to love loving-kindness, and to walk discreetly with your G-d.
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Micah 7:1-7:20

Woe is to me, for I am as the last of the figs, like the gleanings of the vintage; there is no cluster to eat; the first ripe fig my soul desires. The pious have perished from the land, and there is no upright among men; they all lurk for blood; each one hunts his brother with a net. [In return] for the evil of their hands, do they expect that He will benefit them? The prince asks, and the judge is in the payment, and the great man speaks what is in his heart-and they weave the web. The best of them is like a brier, the most upright, [worse] than a thorn hedge. The day to which you look forward-your visitation-shall come; now will be their perplexity. Believe not a friend; trust not a prince; from her who lies in your bosom guard the openings of your mouth. For a son disgraces his father; a daughter rises up against her mother; a daughter-in-law, against her mother- in-law; a man's enemies are the members of his household. But I will hope in the L-rd; I will wait for the G-d of my salvation; my G-d shall hearken to me.

Rejoice not against me, my enemy; although I have fallen, I will rise; although I will sit in darkness, the L-rd is a light to me. I will bear the fury of the L-rd-for I have sinned against Him-until He pleads my cause and executes justice for me. He shall take me out into the light; I will see His righteousness. And my enemy shall see, and shame shall cover her who says to me, "Where is the L-rd your G-d?" My eyes shall gaze upon her: now she shall become trodden as the mire of the streets.

"The day to build your walls-that day-its time is way off."

It is a day, and he shall come up to you: those from Assyria and the fortified cities, and from the fortress up to the river and the sea from the west, and the dwellers of the mountain. And the land shall become desolate [together] with its inhabitants because of the fruit of their deeds.

Lead Your people with Your rod-the flock of Your inheritance who dwell alone, a forest in the midst of a fruitful field-and they shall graze in Bashan and Gilead as in days of yore.

As in the days of your exodus from the land of Egypt, I will show him wonders.

Nations shall see and be ashamed of all their might-they shall place a hand upon their mouth; their ears shall become deaf.

They shall lick the dust as a snake, as those who crawl on the earth. They shall quake from their imprisonment; they shall fear the L-rd, our G-d, and they shall fear you.

Who is a G-d like You, Who forgives iniquity and passes over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not maintain His anger forever, for He desires loving-kindness. He shall return and grant us compassion; He shall hide our iniquities, and You shall cast into the depths of the sea all their sins. You shall give the truth of Jacob, the loving-kindness of Abraham, which You swore to our forefathers from days of yore.
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Zechariah 2:8-2:17

And he said to him, "Run, speak to this young man, saying:

'Jerusalem shall be inhabited like unwalled towns, because of the multitude of men and cattle therein.' " But I will be for it-says the L-rd-a wall of fire around, and for glory I will be in its midst. Ho, ho! Flee from the land of the north, says the L-rd; for I have spread you as the four corners of the heavens, says the L-rd. Ho, Zion! Flee, she who sits among the nation of Babylon. For so said the L-rd of Hosts: After glory, He sent me to the nations that plunder you, for whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye. For, behold! I raise My hand over them, and they shall be prey for those who serve them. And you shall know that the L-rd of Hosts sent me.

Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for, behold! I will come and dwell in your midst, says the L-rd. And many nations shall join the L-rd on that day, and they shall be My people; and I will dwell in your midst and you shall know that the L-rd of Hosts sent me to you. And the L-rd shall inherit Judah as His share on the Holy Land, and He shall again choose Jerusalem. Silence all flesh from before the L-rd, for He is aroused out of His holy habitation.
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Zechariah 9:1-9:17

The prophecy of the word of the L-rd in the land of Hadrach. And Damascus is His resting place:

For man's eye shall be to the L-rd and all the tribes of Israel. And also Hamath shall border thereon; [also] Tyre and Sidon, for it has become exceedingly wise. And Tyre built a fortification for herself, and she gathered silver like dust and gold like the mire of the streets. Behold, the L-rd shall impoverish her, and He shall smite her wealth in the sea, and she shall be consumed by fire. Ashkelon shall see and fear, and Gaza-and she shall quake violently-and Ekron, for the one to whom she looked was ashamed. And a king was lost from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited. And the strangers shall dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines. And I will remove his blood from his mouth, and his detestable things from between his teeth. And it, too, shall remain to our G-d: and it shall be like a studyhall in Judah; and Ekron, like Jebusi. And I will encamp beside My house against a garrison of those passing by and of those returning. And no oppressor shall pass by them, for now I have seen with My eyes.

Be exceedingly happy, O daughter of Zion; Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem. Behold! Your king shall come to you. He is just and victorious; humble, and riding a donkey and a foal, the offspring of [one of] she-donkeys. And I will cut off the chariots from Ephraim, and the horses from Jerusalem; and the bow of war shall be cut off. And he shall speak peace to the nations, and his rule shall be from the sea to the west and from the river to the ends of the earth.

You, too-with the blood of your covenant I have freed your prisoners from a pit in which there was no water. Return to the stronghold, you prisoners of hope. Also today, I will restore to you a double promise. For I bend Judah for Me like a bow; I filled [the hand of] Ephraim, and I will arouse your children, O Zion, upon your children, O Javan; and I will make you as the sword of a mighty man. And the L-rd shall appear over them, and his arrows shall go forth like lightning. And the L-rd G-d shall sound the shofar, and He shall go with the whirlwinds of the south. The L-rd of Hosts shall protect them, and they shall devour. And they shall tread the sling-stones, and they shall drink. They shall make a noise like [those who drink] wine, and they shall become full like the basin, like the corners of the altar. And the L-rd their G-d shall save them on that day like the flocks of His people, for crown stones are exalted on His land. For how [great] is their goodness and how [great] is their beauty! Corn [will give strength to] young men, and new wine will cause maids to speak.
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Malachi 3:1-3:6

Behold I send My angel, and he will clear a way before Me. And suddenly, the L-rd Whom you seek will come to His Temple. And behold! The angel of the covenant, whom you desire, is coming, says the L-rd of Hosts. Now who can abide the day of his coming, and who will stand when he appears, for it is like fire that refines and like fullers' soap. And he shall sit refining and purifying silver, and he shall purify the children of Levi. And he shall purge them as gold and as silver, and they shall be offering up an offering to the L-rd with righteousness. And then the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem shall be pleasant to the L-rd, as in the days of old and former years. And I will approach you for judgment, and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers and against the adulterers and against those who swear falsely; and also against those who withhold the wages of the day laborers, of the widow and fatherless, and those who pervert [the rights of] the stranger, [and those who] fear Me not, says the L-rd of Hosts. For I, the L-rd, have not changed; and you, the sons of Jacob, have not reached the end.

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Malachi 3:19-3:24

For lo, the sun comes, glowing like a furnace, and all the audacious sinners and all the perpetrators of wickedness will be stubble. And the sun that comes shall burn them up so that it will leave them neither root nor branch, says the L-rd of Hosts. And the sun of mercy shall rise with healing in its wings for you who fear My Name. Then will you go forth and be fat as fatted calves. And you shall crush the wicked, for they will be as ash under the soles of your feet on the day that I will prepare, says the L-rd of Hosts. Keep in remembrance the teaching of Moses, My servant-the laws and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel.

Lo, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome day of the L-rd, that he may turn the heart of the fathers back through the children, and the heart of the children back through their fathers-lest I come and smite the earth with utter destruction.
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