The Daily Audio Bible

The Lord Judges

66 The Lord says, “Heaven is My throne, and the earth is the place where I rest My feet. Where then is a house you could build for Me? And where is a place that I may rest? ² My hands made all these things, and so all these things came into being,” says the Lord. “But I will look to the one who has no pride and is broken in spirit, and who shakes with fear at My Word.

³ “He who kills an ox is like one who kills a man. He who kills a lamb on the altar in worship is like one who breaks a dog’s neck. He who gives a grain gift is like one who gives pig’s blood. He who burns special perfume is like the one who gives honor and thanks to a false god. They have chosen their own ways, and their soul finds joy in the sinful things they do. ⁴ So I will choose their punishments, and will bring on them what they are most afraid of. I called, but no one answered, and spoke, but they did not listen. They did what was sinful in My eyes, and chose what did not please Me.” ⁵ Hear the word of the Lord, you who shake in fear at His word: “Your brothers who hate you and have nothing to do with you because of Me have said, ‘Let the Lord be honored, that we may see your joy.’ But they will be put to shame. ⁶ Listen! A noise from the city! A voice from the house of God! It is the voice of the Lord Who is giving punishment to those who hate Him.

⁷ “Before she suffered, she gave birth. Before her pain came, a son was born to her. ⁸ Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a land be born in one day? Can a nation be born all at once? As soon as Zion’s pains came, she gave birth to her sons. ⁹ Will I bring a child to birth, and not let him be born?” says the Lord. “Will I, Who gives birth, stop it?” says your God. ¹⁰ Be glad with Jerusalem and have joy in her, all you who love her. Be filled with joy for her, all you who have sorrow for her. ¹¹ Then you will nurse and be filled with her comforting breasts. You will drink and be happy with her greatness.” ¹² For the Lord says, “See, I will give peace to her like a river, and the greatness of the nations like a river flowing over. And you will be nursed. You will be carried at the side and given loving-kindness on the knees. ¹³ I will comfort you as one is comforted by his mother. And you will be comforted in Jerusalem.” ¹⁴ When you see this, your heart will be glad. Your bones will get new strength like the new grass. And the hand of the Lord will be made known to His servants. But He will be angry with those who hate Him. ¹⁵ For see, the Lord will come in fire. His war-wagons will be like a very strong wind. And He will show His anger with fire. ¹⁶ The Lord will punish by fire and by His sword on all flesh. And those killed by the Lord will be many. ¹⁷ Those who set themselves apart and make themselves pure to go to the gardens, following one in the center, who eat pig’s flesh, hated things, and mice, will come to an end together,” says the Lord. ¹⁸ “For I know their works and their thoughts. The time is coming to gather all nations and tongues. And they will come and see My shining-greatness. ¹⁹ I will put something special among them. And I will send some of them who are left alive to the nations: Tarshish, Put, Lud, Mashech, Rosh, Tubal, and Javan, to the far islands that have not heard of My name or seen My greatness. And they will make My greatness known among the nations. ²⁰ Then they will bring all your brothers from all the nations as a grain gift to the Lord, on horses, in war-wagons, on beds pulled by animals, on donkeys, and on camels. They will be brought to My holy mountain Jerusalem,” says the Lord, “just as the sons of Israel bring their grain gift in a clean pot to the house of the Lord. ²¹ I will take some of them for religious leaders and for Levites,” says the Lord. ²² “As the new heavens and the new earth which I make will last before Me,” says the Lord, “in the same way, your children’s children and your name will last. ²³ From a new moon to another new moon, and from one Day of Rest to another Day of Rest, all people will come to bow down before Me,” says the Lord. ²⁴ “Then they will go out and look on the dead bodies of the men who have sinned against Me. For their worm will not die, and their fire will not be put out. And they will be a hated thing to all people.”

⁴ I could have reason to trust in the flesh. If anyone could feel that the flesh could do something for him, I could. ⁵ I went through the religious act of becoming a Jew when I was eight days old. I was born a Jew and came from the family group of Benjamin. I was a Jewish son of Jewish parents. I belonged to the group of the proud religious law-keepers. ⁶ I followed my religion with all my heart and did everything I could to make it hard for the church. No one could say anything against the way I obeyed the Law.

Christ Must Be Lord of Our Lives

⁷ But I gave up those things that were so important to me for Christ. ⁸ Even more than that, I think of everything as worth nothing. It is so much better to know Christ Jesus my Lord. I have lost everything for Him. And I think of these things as worth nothing so that I can have Christ. ⁹ I want to be as one with Him. I could not be right with God by what the Law said I must do. I was made right with God by faith in Christ. ¹⁰ I want to know Him. I want to have the same power in my life that raised Jesus from the dead. I want to understand and have a share in His sufferings and be like Christ in His death. ¹¹ Then I may be raised up from among the dead.

¹² I do not say that I have received this or have already become perfect. But I keep going on to make that life my own as Christ Jesus made me His own. ¹³ No, Christian brothers, I do not have that life yet. But I do one thing. I forget everything that is behind me and look forward to that which is ahead of me. ¹⁴ My eyes are on the crown. I want to win the race and get the crown of God’s call from heaven through Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ All of us who are full-grown Christians should think this way. If you do not think this way, God will show it to you. ¹⁶ So let us keep on obeying the same truth we have already been following.

¹⁷ Christian brothers, live your lives as I have lived mine. Watch those who live as I have taught you to live. ¹⁸ There are many whose lives show they hate the cross of Christ. I have told you this before. Now I tell you again with tears in my eyes. ¹⁹ Their god is their stomach. They take pride in things they should be ashamed of. All they think about are the things of this world. In the end they will be destroyed. ²⁰ But we are citizens of heaven. Christ, the One Who saves from the punishment of sin, will be coming down from heaven again. We are waiting for Him to return. ²¹ He will change these bodies of ours of the earth and make them new. He will make them like His body of shining-greatness. He has the power to do this because He can make all things obey Him.

A Prayer for the Nation

74 O God, why have You turned away from us forever? Why does Your anger burn against the sheep in Your fields? ² Remember Your people that You bought a long time ago. You made them free to be the family of Your promise, and Mount Zion, where You have lived. ³ Turn Your steps toward this place that has been destroyed forever. Those who hate You have destroyed all that is in the holy place. ⁴ Those who hate You have called out in the center of Your meeting place. They have set up their flags to show that they have won. ⁵ They acted like men taking up axes against a group of trees. ⁶ All of its fine work has been broken with axes and sticks. ⁷ They have burned Your holy place to the dust. They have made dirty the house of Your name. ⁸ They said in their hearts, “Let us destroy all of these places!” They have burned all the meeting places where God was worshiped in the land. ⁹ We do not see any special things happening. There is no longer anyone who speaks for God. And none of us knows how long this will be. ¹⁰ O God, how long will those who hate You laugh at the truth? Will they speak against Your name forever? ¹¹ Why do You take Your hand away, even Your right hand? Put it out and destroy them!

¹² God is still my King from long ago. He does saving works upon the earth. ¹³ You divided the sea by Your power. You broke the heads of the large dragons in the waters. ¹⁴ You crushed the heads of the Leviathan. And You fed him to the animals of the desert. ¹⁵ It was You Who opened up the earth for water to flow out. And You dried up rivers that flow forever. ¹⁶ The day is Yours. And the night is Yours. You have set the light and the sun in their places. ¹⁷ You have divided all the lands and seas and nations of the earth. You have made summer and winter.

¹⁸ Remember how those who hate You have laughed at the truth, O Lord. Foolish people have spoken against Your name. ¹⁹ Do not give the life of Your dove over to the wild animal. Do not forget the lives of Your troubled people forever. ²⁰ Think about Your agreement. For the dark places of the land are full of fighting. ²¹ Do not let those who suffer under a bad power return without honor. Let those who suffer and those who are in need praise Your name.

²² Rise up, O God. Stand up for Your rights. Remember how the foolish man speaks against You all day long. ²³ Do not forget the voice of those who hate You, the noise that comes without stopping from those who rise against You.

¹⁵ O sinful man, do not lie in wait against the house of the man who is right with God. Do not destroy his resting place. ¹⁶ For a man who is right with God falls seven times, and rises again, but the sinful fall in time of trouble.