Bible in 90 Days

Trouble for Israel's Enemies

Worthless Shepherds

⁴ The Lord my God said to me:

Tend those sheep doomed for slaughter! ⁵ The people who buy and butcher them go unpunished, while everyone who sells them says, “Praise the Lord! I'm rich.” Not even their shepherds have pity on them.

⁶ Tend those sheep because I, the Lord, will no longer have pity on the people of this earth. I'll turn neighbor against neighbor and make them slaves of a king. They will bring disaster on the earth, and I'll do nothing to rescue any of them.

⁷ So I became a shepherd of those sheep doomed to be slaughtered by the sheep dealers.^[a] And I gave names to the two sticks I used for tending the sheep: One of them was named “Mercy” and the other “Unity.” ⁸ In less than a month, I became impatient with three shepherds who didn't like me, and I got rid of them. ⁹ Then I said, “I refuse to be your shepherd. Let the sheep that are going to die, go on and die, and those that are going to be destroyed, go on and be destroyed. Then let the others eat one another alive.”

¹⁰ On that same day, I broke the stick named “Mercy” to show that the Lord had canceled his agreement with all people. ¹¹ The sheep dealers who saw me knew at once that this was a message from the Lord. ^12-13 (A) I told them, “Pay me my wages, if you think you should; otherwise, forget it.” So they handed me my wages, a measly 30 pieces of silver.

Then the Lord said, “Throw the money into the treasury.”^[b] So I threw the money into the treasury at the Lord's temple. ¹⁴ Then I broke the stick named “Unity” and canceled the ties between Judah and Israel.

¹⁵ Next, the Lord said to me, “Act like a shepherd again—this time a worthless shepherd. ¹⁶ Once more I am going to let a worthless nobody rule the land—one who won't care for the strays or search for the young or heal the sick or feed the healthy. He will just dine on the fattest sheep, leaving nothing but a few bones.”

Victory for Jerusalem

12 This is a message from the Lord about Israel:

I am the Lord! I stretched out the heavens; I put the earth on its foundations and gave breath to humans. ² I have decided that Jerusalem will become a bowl of wine that makes the neighboring nations drunk. And when Jerusalem is attacked, Judah will also be attacked.^{[c] 3} But I will turn Jerusalem into a heavy stone that crushes anyone who tries to lift it.

When all nations on earth surround Jerusalem, ⁴ I will blind every horse and make them panic, and every rider will be confused. But at the same time, I will watch over Judah. ⁵ Then every clan in Judah will realize that I, the Lord All-Powerful, am their God, and that I am the source of their strength.

⁶ At that time I will let the clans of Judah be like a ball of fire in a wood pile or a fiery torch in a hay stack. Then Judah will send the surrounding nations up in smoke. And once again the city of Jerusalem will be filled with people.

⁷ But I will first give victory to Judah, so the kingdom of David and the city of Jerusalem in all of their glory won't be thought of more highly than Judah itself. ⁸ I, the Lord God, will protect Jerusalem. Even the weakest person there will be as strong as David, and David's kingdom will rule as though my very own angel were its leader. ⁹ I am determined to wipe out every nation that attacks Jerusalem.

Mourning for the One Pierced with a Spear

^10 (B) I, the Lord, will make the descendants of David and the people of Jerusalem feel deep sorrow and pray when they see the one they pierced with a spear. They will mourn and weep for him, as parents weep over the death of their only child or their first-born. ¹¹ On that day the people of Jerusalem will mourn as much as everyone did for Hadad Rimmon^[d] on the flatlands near Megiddo. ¹² Everyone of each family in the land will mourn, and the men will mourn separately from the women. This includes those from the family of David, and the families of Nathan, ¹³ Levi, Shimei,^{[e] 14} and all other families as well.

Getting Rid of Idols and False Prophets

13 In the future there will be a fountain, where David's descendants and the people of Jerusalem can wash away their sin and guilt.

² The Lord All-Powerful says:

When that time comes, I will get rid of every idol in the country, and they will be forgotten forever. I will also do away with their prophets and those evil spirits that control them. ³ If any such prophets ever appear again, their own parents must warn them that they will die for telling lies in my name—the name of the Lord. If those prophets don't stop speaking, their parents must then kill them with a sword.

⁴ Those prophets will be ashamed of their so-called visions, and they won't deceive anyone by dressing like a true prophet. ⁵ Instead, they will say, “I'm no prophet. I've been a farmer all my life.”^[f]

⁶ And if any of them are asked why they are wounded,^[g] they will answer, “It happened at the house of some friends.”

A Wounded Shepherd and Scattered Sheep

^7 (C) The Lord All-Powerful said:

War and Victory

14 The Lord will have his day. And when it comes, everything that was ever taken from Jerusalem will be returned and divided among its people. ² But first, he will bring many nations to attack Jerusalem—homes will be robbed, women raped, and half of the population dragged off, though the others will be allowed to remain.

³ The Lord will attack those nations like a warrior fighting in battle. ⁴ He will take his stand on the Mount of Olives east of Jerusalem, and the mountain will split in half, forming a wide valley that runs from east to west. ⁵ Then you people will escape from the Lord's mountain, through this valley, which reaches to Azal.^[h] You will run in all directions, just as everyone did when the earthquake struck^[i] in the time of King Uzziah of Judah. Afterwards, the Lord my God will appear with his holy angels.

⁶ It will be a bright day that won't turn cloudy or cold.^{[j] 7} And the Lord has decided when it will happen—this time of unending day.

^8 (D) In both summer and winter, life-giving streams will flow from Jerusalem, half of them to the Dead Sea in the east and half to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. ⁹ Then there will be only one Lord who rules as King and whose name is worshiped everywhere on earth.

^10-11 (E) From Geba down to Rimmon^[k] south of Jerusalem, the entire country will be turned into flatlands, with Jerusalem still towering above. Then the city will be full of people, from Benjamin Gate, Old Gate Place, and Hananel Tower in the northeast part of the city over to Corner Gate in the northwest and down to King's Wine Press in the south. Jerusalem will always be secure and will never again be destroyed.

¹² Here is what the Lord will do to those who attack Jerusalem: While they are standing there, he will make their flesh rot and their eyes fall from their sockets and their tongues drop out. ¹³ The Lord will make them go into a frenzy and start attacking each other, ^14-15 until even the people of Judah turn against those in Jerusalem.^[l] This same terrible disaster will also strike every animal nearby, including horses, mules, camels, and donkeys. Finally, everything of value in the surrounding nations will be collected and brought to Jerusalem—gold, silver, and piles of clothing.

^16 (F) Afterwards, the survivors from those nations that attacked Jerusalem will go there each year to worship the King, the Lord All-Powerful, and to celebrate the Festival of Shelters. ¹⁷ No rain will fall on the land of anyone in any country who refuses to go to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord All-Powerful. ^18-19 This horrible disaster will strike the Egyptians and everyone else who refuses to go there for the celebration.

^20-21 At that time the words “Dedicated to the Lord” will be engraved on the bells worn by horses. In fact, every ordinary cooking pot in Jerusalem will be just as sacred to the Lord All-Powerful as the bowls used at the altar. Any one of them will be acceptable for boiling the meat of sacrificed animals, and there will no longer be a need to sell special pots and bowls.^[m]

1 I am Malachi. And this is the message that the Lord gave me for Israel.

The Lord's Love for Israel

^2 (G)(H) Israel, I, the Lord, have loved you. And yet you ask in what way have I loved you. Don't forget that Esau was the brother of your ancestor Jacob, but I chose Jacob ³ instead of Esau. And I turned Esau's hill country into a barren desert where jackals^[n] roam. ⁴ Esau's descendants may say, “Although our nation Edom is in ruins, we will rebuild it.”

But I, the Lord All-Powerful, promise to tear down whatever they build. Then everyone will know that I will never stop being angry with them as long as they are so sinful.

⁵ Israel, when you see this, you will shout, “The Lord's great reputation reaches beyond our borders.”

Judgment against Priests

⁶ I, the Lord All-Powerful, have something to say to you priests. Children respect their fathers, and servants respect their masters. I am your father and your master, so why don't you respect me? You priests have insulted me, and now you ask, “How did we insult you?”

⁷ You embarrass me by offering worthless food on my altar. Then you ask, “How have we embarrassed you?” You have done it by saying, “What's so great about the Lord's altar?”

^8 (I) But isn't it wrong to offer animals that are blind, lame, or sick? Just try giving those animals to your governor. That certainly wouldn't please him or make him want to help you. ⁹ I am the Lord God All-Powerful, and you had better try to please me. You have sinned. Now see if I will have mercy on any of you.

¹⁰ I wish someone would lock the doors of my temple, so you would stop wasting time building fires on my altar. I am not pleased with you priests, and I refuse to accept any more of your offerings. ¹¹ From dawn until dusk my name is praised by every nation on this earth, as they burn incense and offer the proper sacrifices to me. ¹² But even you priests insult me by saying, “There's nothing special about the Lord's altar, and these sacrifices are worthless.”

¹³ You get so disgusted that you even make vulgar signs at me.^[o] And for an offering, you bring stolen^[p] animals or those that are lame or sick. Should I accept these? ¹⁴ Instead of offering the acceptable animals you have promised, you bring me those that are unhealthy. I will punish you for this, because I am the great King, the Lord All-Powerful, and I am worshiped by nations everywhere.

True and False Priests

2 I, the Lord All-Powerful, have something else to say to you priests. ² You had better take seriously the need to honor my name. Otherwise, when you give a blessing, I will turn it into a curse. In fact, I have already done this, because you haven't taken to heart your duties as priests. ³ I will punish your descendants and rub your faces in the manure from your animal sacrifices, and then be done with you.^[q]

^4 (J) I am telling you this, so I can continue to keep my agreement with your ancestor Levi. ^5 (K) I blessed him with a full life, as I had promised, and he kept his part of the agreement by honoring me and respecting my name. ⁶ He taught the truth and never told lies, and he led a lot of people to turn from sin, because he obeyed me and lived right.

⁷ You priests should be eager to spread knowledge, and everyone should come to you for instruction, because you speak for me, the Lord All-Powerful. ⁸ But you have turned your backs on me. Your teachings have led others to do sinful things, and you have broken the agreement I made with your ancestor Levi. ⁹ So I caused everyone to hate and despise you, because you disobeyed me and failed to treat all people alike.

A Broken Agreement

¹⁰ Don't you know that we all have God as our Father? Didn't the one God create each of us? Then why do you cheat each other by breaking the agreement God made with your ancestors? ¹¹ You people in Judah and Jerusalem have been unfaithful to the Lord. You have disgraced the temple that he loves, and you have committed the disgusting sin of marrying the worshipers of other gods. ¹² I pray that the Lord will no longer let those who are guilty belong to his people, even if they eagerly decide to offer the Lord a gift.^[r]

¹³ And what else are you doing? You cry noisily and flood the Lord's altar with your tears, because he isn't pleased with your offerings and refuses to accept them. ¹⁴ And why isn't God pleased? It's because he knows that each of you men has been unfaithful to the wife you married when you were young. You promised that she would be your partner, but now you have broken that promise. ¹⁵ Didn't God create you and your wife to become like one person?^[s] And why did he do this? It was so you would have children, and then lead them to become God's people. Don't ever be unfaithful to your wife. ¹⁶ The Lord God All-Powerful of Israel hates anyone who is cruel enough to divorce his wife. So take care never to be unfaithful!

¹⁷ You have worn out the Lord with your words. And yet, you ask, “How did we do that?”

You did it by saying, “The Lord is pleased with evil and doesn't care about justice.”

The Promised Messenger

A Day of Change

^2 (M) On the day the Lord comes, he will be like a furnace that purifies silver or like strong soap in a washbasin. No one will be able to stand up to him. ³ The Lord will purify the descendants of Levi,^[t] as though they were gold or silver. Then they will bring the proper offerings to the Lord, ⁴ and the offerings of the people of Judah and Jerusalem will please him, just as they did in the past.

Don't Cheat God

⁵ The Lord All-Powerful said:

I'm now on my way to judge you. And I will quickly condemn all who practice witchcraft or cheat in marriage or tell lies in court or rob workers of their pay or mistreat widows and orphans or steal the property of foreigners or refuse to respect me.

^6 (N) Descendants of Jacob, I am the Lord All-Powerful, and I never change. That's why you haven't been wiped out, ⁷ even though you have ignored and disobeyed my laws ever since the time of your ancestors. But if you return to me, I will return to you.

And yet you ask, “How can we return?”

⁸ You people are robbing me, your God. And, here you are, asking, “How are we robbing you?”

You are robbing me of the offerings and of the ten percent that belongs to me.^{[u] 9} That's why your whole nation is under a curse. ^10 (O) I am the Lord All-Powerful, and I challenge you to put me to the test. Bring the entire ten percent into the storehouse, so there will be food in my house. Then I will open the windows of heaven and flood you with blessing after blessing.^{[v] 11} I will also stop locusts^[w] from destroying your crops and keeping your vineyards from producing. ¹² Everyone of every nation will talk about how I have blessed you and about your wonderful land. I, the Lord All-Powerful, have spoken!

¹³ You have said horrible things about me, and yet you ask, “What have we said?”

¹⁴ Here is what you have said: “It's foolish to serve the Lord God All-Powerful. What do we get for obeying God and from going around looking sad? ¹⁵ See how happy those arrogant people are. Everyone who does wrong is successful, and when they put God to the test, they always get away with it.”

Faithfulness Is Rewarded

¹⁶ All those who truly respected the Lord and honored his name started discussing these things, and when God saw what was happening, he had their names^[x] written as a reminder in his book.

¹⁷ Then the Lord All-Powerful said:

You people are precious to me, and when I come to bring justice, I will protect you, just as parents protect an obedient child. ¹⁸ Then everyone will once again see the difference between those who obey me by doing right and those who reject me by doing wrong.

The Day of Judgment

The Lord said:

4 The day of judgment is certain to come. And it will be like a red-hot furnace with flames that burn up proud and sinful people, as though they were straw. Not a branch or a root will be left. I, the Lord All-Powerful, have spoken! ² But for you that honor my name, victory will shine like the sun with healing in its rays, and you will jump around like calves at play. ³ When I come to bring justice, you will trample those who are evil, as though they were ashes under your feet. I, the Lord All-Powerful, have spoken!

⁴ Don't ever forget the laws and teachings I gave my servant Moses on Mount Sinai.^[y]

^5 (P) I, the Lord, promise to send the prophet Elijah before that great and terrible day comes. ⁶ He will lead children and parents to love each other more, so that when I come, I won't bring destruction to the land.

The Ancestors of Jesus

(Luke 3.23-38)

1 Jesus Christ came from the family of King David and also from the family of Abraham. And this is a list of his ancestors. From Abraham to King David, his ancestors were:

Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah and his brothers (Judah's sons were Perez and Zerah, and their mother was Tamar), Hezron;

Ram, Amminadab, Nahshon, Salmon, Boaz (his mother was Rahab), Obed (his mother was Ruth), Jesse, and King David.

^(Q) From David to the time of the exile in Babylonia, the ancestors of Jesus were:

David, Solomon (his mother had been Uriah's wife), Rehoboam, Abijah, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Jehoram;

Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon, Josiah, and Jehoiachin and his brothers.

^12-16 From the exile to the birth of Jesus, his ancestors were:

Jehoiachin, Shealtiel, Zerubbabel, Abiud, Eliakim, Azor, Zadok, Achim;

Eliud, Eleazar, Matthan, Jacob, and Joseph, the husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus, who is called the Messiah.

¹⁷ There were 14 generations from Abraham to David. There were also 14 from David to the exile in Babylonia and 14 more to the birth of the Messiah.

The Birth of Jesus

(Luke 2.1-7)

^18 (R) This is how Jesus Christ was born. A young woman named Mary was engaged to Joseph from King David's family. But before they were married, she learned that she was going to have a baby by God's Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ Joseph was a good man^[z] and did not want to embarrass Mary in front of everyone. So he decided to quietly call off the wedding.

²⁰ While Joseph was thinking about this, an angel from the Lord appeared to him in a dream. The angel said, “Joseph, the baby that Mary will have is from the Holy Spirit. Go ahead and marry her. ^21 (S) Then after her baby is born, name him Jesus,^[aa] because he will save his people from their sins.”

²² So the Lord's promise came true, just as the prophet had said, ^23 (T) “A virgin will have a baby boy, and he will be called Immanuel,” which means “God is with us.”

²⁴ After Joseph woke up, he and Mary were soon married, just as the Lord's angel had told him to do. ^25 (U) But they did not sleep together before her baby was born. Then Joseph named him Jesus.

The Wise Men

2 When Jesus was born in the village of Bethlehem in Judea, Herod was king. During this time some wise men^[ab] from the east came to Jerusalem ² and said, “Where is the child born to be king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east^[ac] and have come to worship him.”

³ When King Herod heard about this, he was worried, and so was everyone else in Jerusalem. ⁴ Herod brought together the chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses and asked them, “Where will the Messiah be born?”

⁵ They told him, “He will be born in Bethlehem, just as the prophet wrote,

⁷ Herod secretly called in the wise men and asked them when they had first seen the star. ⁸ He told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, let me know. I also want to go and worship him.”

⁹ The wise men listened to what the king said and then left. And the star they had seen in the east went on ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ They were thrilled and excited to see the star.

¹¹ When the men went into the house and saw the child with Mary, his mother, they knelt down and worshiped him. They took out their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh^[ad] and gave them to him. ¹² Later they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, and they went back home by another road.

The Escape to Egypt

¹³ After the wise men had gone, an angel from the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Hurry and take the child and his mother to Egypt! Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is looking for the child and wants to kill him.”

¹⁴ That night, Joseph got up and took his wife and the child to Egypt, ^15 (W) where they stayed until Herod died. So the Lord's promise came true, just as the prophet had said, “I called my son out of Egypt.”

The Killing of the Children

¹⁶ When Herod found out that the wise men from the east had tricked him, he was very angry. He gave orders for his men to kill all the boys who lived in or near Bethlehem and were two years old and younger. This was based on what he had learned from the wise men.

¹⁷ So the Lord's promise came true, just as the prophet Jeremiah had said,

The Return from Egypt

¹⁹ After King Herod died, an angel from the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph while he was still in Egypt. ²⁰ The angel said, “Get up and take the child and his mother back to Israel. The people who wanted to kill him are now dead.”

²¹ Joseph got up and left with them for Israel. ²² But when he heard that Herod's son Archelaus was now ruler of Judea, he was afraid to go there. Then in a dream he was told to go to Galilee, ^23 (Y) and they went to live there in the town of Nazareth. So the Lord's promise came true, just as the prophet had said, “He will be called a Nazarene.”^[ae]

The Preaching of John the Baptist

(Mark 1.1-8; Luke 3.1-18; John 1.19-28)

3 Years later, John the Baptist started preaching in the desert of Judea. ^2 (Z) He said, “Turn back to God! The kingdom of heaven^[af] will soon be here.”^[ag]

^3 (AA) John was the one the prophet Isaiah was talking about, when he said,

^4 (AB) John wore clothes made of camel's hair. He had a leather strap around his waist and ate grasshoppers and wild honey.

⁵ From Jerusalem and all Judea and from the Jordan River Valley crowds of people went to John. ⁶ They told how sorry they were for their sins, and he baptized them in the river.

^7 (AC) Many Pharisees and Sadducees also came to be baptized. But John said to them:

You bunch of snakes! Who warned you to run from the coming judgment? ⁸ Do something to show you have really given up your sins. ^9 (AD) And don't start telling yourselves that you belong to Abraham's family. I tell you that God can turn these stones into children for Abraham. ^10 (AE) An ax is ready to cut the trees down at their roots. Any tree that doesn't produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into a fire.

¹¹ I baptize you with water so you will give up your sins.^[ah] But someone more powerful is going to come, and I am not good enough even to carry his sandals.^[ai] He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. ^12 (AF) His threshing fork is in his hand, and he is ready to separate the wheat from the husks.^[aj] He will store the wheat in a barn and burn the husks in a fire that never goes out.

The Baptism of Jesus

(Mark 1.9-11; Luke 3.21,22)

¹³ Jesus left Galilee and went to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. ¹⁴ But John kept objecting and said, “I ought to be baptized by you. Why have you come to me?”

¹⁵ Jesus answered, “For now this is how it should be, because we must do all God wants us to do.” Then John agreed.

¹⁶ So Jesus was baptized. And as soon as he came out of the water, the sky opened, and he saw the Spirit of God coming down on him like a dove. ^17 (AG) Then a voice from heaven said, “This is my own dear Son, and I am pleased with him.”

Jesus and the Devil

(Mark 1.12,13; Luke 4.1-13)

4 ^(AH) The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the desert, so that the devil could test him. ² After Jesus had gone without eating^[ak] for 40 days and nights, he was very hungry. ³ Then the devil came to him and said, “If you are God's Son, tell these stones to turn into bread.”

^4 (AI) Jesus answered, “The Scriptures say:

⁵ Next, the devil took Jesus into the holy city to the highest part of the temple. ^6 (AJ) The devil said, “If you are God's Son, jump off. The Scriptures say:

^7 (AK) Jesus answered, “The Scriptures also say, ‘Don't try to test the Lord your God!’ ”

⁸ Finally, the devil took Jesus up on a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms on earth and their power. ⁹ The devil said to him, “I will give all this to you, if you will bow down and worship me.”

^10 (AL) Jesus answered, “Go away Satan! The Scriptures say:

¹¹ Then the devil left Jesus, and angels came to help him.

Jesus Begins His Work

(Mark 1.14,15; Luke 4.14,15)

^12 (AM) When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he went to Galilee. ^13 (AN) But instead of staying in Nazareth, Jesus moved to Capernaum. This town was beside Lake Galilee in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali.^{[al] 14} So God's promise came true, just as the prophet Isaiah had said,

^17 (AP) Then Jesus started preaching, “Turn back to God! The kingdom of heaven will soon be here.”^[am]

Jesus Chooses Four Fishermen

(Mark 1.16-20; Luke 5.1-11)

¹⁸ While Jesus was walking along the shore of Lake Galilee, he saw two brothers. One was Simon, also known as Peter, and the other was Andrew. They were fishermen, and they were casting their net into the lake. ¹⁹ Jesus said to them, “Follow me! I will teach you how to bring in people instead of fish.” ²⁰ Right then the two brothers dropped their nets and went with him.

²¹ Jesus walked on until he saw James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They were in a boat with their father, mending their nets. Jesus asked them to come with him. ²² At once they left the boat and their father and went with Jesus.

Jesus Teaches, Preaches, and Heals

(Luke 6.17-19)

^23 (AQ) Jesus went all over Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the good news about God's kingdom. He also healed every kind of disease and sickness. ²⁴ News about him spread all over Syria, and people with every kind of sickness or disease were brought to him. Some of them had a lot of demons in them, others were thought to be crazy,^[an] and still others could not walk. But Jesus healed them all.

²⁵ Large crowds followed Jesus from Galilee and the region around the ten cities known as Decapolis.^[ao] They also came from Jerusalem, Judea, and from across the Jordan River.