The Daily Audio Bible

10 Ask ye of Hashem rain in the time of the latter rain; from Hashem who makes the storm clouds, and gives them showers of rain, to every one esev [Gn 1:12] in the sadeh.

² For the terafim (idols) have spoken aven (deceit, nothing), and the diviners [i.e., fortune tellers] envision sheker, and have told false chalomot (dreams); hevel is their comfort; therefore the people wander like sheep, oppressed for lack of a ro’eh (shepherd).

³ Mine anger was kindled against the ro’im (shepherds), and I punished the attudim (he-goats, leaders); for Hashem Tzva’os hath visited His eder (flock), Bais Yehudah, and hath made them like His majestic war horse.

⁴ From him [Yehudah] will come forth the Pinnah (Cornerstone, i.e., Moshiach, Yeshayah 28:16; Bereshis 49:10), from him, the Yated (Tent Peg, support, i.e. leader of the people, Yeshayah 22:23-24), from him, the Keshet Milchamah (battle bow, Tehillim 45:5), from him every ruler.

⁵ Together they [Bais Yehudah, (10:3)] shall be like gibborim, which tread down their enemies in the mire of the streets in the milchamah; and they shall fight, because Hashem is with them, and they shall overthrow the riders on susim.

⁶ And I will strengthen the Bais Yehudah, and I will save the Bais Yosef, and I will restore them; for I have rachamim upon them; and they shall be as though I had not rejected them; for I am Hashem Eloheihem, and I will answer them.

⁷ And they of Ephrayim shall be like a gibbor (mighty man), and their lev shall have simcha as through yayin; yea, their banim shall see, and have simcha, and their lev shall rejoice in Hashem.

⁸ I will whistle for them, and I will gather them in; for I have redeemed them; and they shall multiply as they have multiplied.

⁹ And I will sow them among the peoples; and they shall remember Me in far countries; and they shall survive and live with their banim, and they will return.

¹⁰ I will bring them back again also out of Eretz Mitzrayim, and gather them out of Assyria; and I will bring them into the Eretz Gil‘ad and Levanon; until no more room shall be found for them.

¹¹ And He [Hashem] shall pass through the yam of tzarah, and shall strike the waves in the yam, and all the depths of the Nile shall dry up; and the ga’on (pride) of Assyria shall be cast down, and the shevet (scepter, i.e., power) of Mitzrayim shall depart.

¹² And I will strengthen them [Ephrayim (10:7)] in Hashem; and they shall walk in Shmo (His Name), saith Hashem.

11 Open thy delatot (gates), O Levanon, that the eish (fire) may devour thy cedars.

² Wail, O cypress, for the cedar is fallen; the mighty is despoiled; wail, O ye oaks of Bashan; for the dense forest is toppled.

³ Hear the sound of the wailing of the ro’im (shepherds); for their glory is destroyed; the sound of the roaring of young lions; for the ga’on of the Yarden (Jordan) is laid waste.

⁴ Thus Hashem Elohai said: Shepherd the tzon haharegah (the flock marked for slaughter);

⁵ Whose buyers slaughter them, and hold themselves not guilty; and they that sell them say, Baruch Hashem, I have become rich! And their own ro’im (shepherds) spare them not.

⁶ Nor will I any more pity the yoshvei ha’aretz (the inhabitants of the land), saith Hashem; and hinei, I will deliver the men every one into his neighbor’s hand, and into the power of his melech; and they shall strike ha’aretz, and out of their hand I will not deliver them.

⁷ So I did shepherd the tzon haharegah (the flock marked for slaughter), even aniyei hatzon (the poor of the flock). And I took unto me two maklot (staffs); the one I called No’am (gracious care), and the other I called Chovelim (bindings [of union, cf.11:14]); and I did shepherd the tzon (flock).

⁸ Shloshet haro’im (three of the shepherds) also I disposed of in one month; and my nefesh wearied of them, and their nefesh also abhorred me.

⁹ Then said I, I will not shepherd you; that which dieth, let it die; and that which is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let those that are left eat every one the basar of another.

¹⁰ And I took my staff, even No’am, and I broke it asunder, breaking off my Brit (covenant) which I had made with kol ha’amim (all the peoples).

¹¹ And it was broken on that day; and so the aniyei hatzon (poor of the flock), who were the shomrim giving heed to me, perceived that this was the Devar Hashem.

¹² And I said unto them, If ye think tov, give me my sachar (price); and if not, refrain. So they weighed out for my sachar (price) shloshim kesef (thirty pieces of silver).

¹³ And Hashem said unto me, Throw it unto the yotzer (potter); the magnificent price that I was priced of them. So I took the shloshim hakesef, and threw them to the yotzer (potter) in the Beis Hashem. [Shemot 21:32; Mt 26:14-15; 27:3-10; Ac 1:18-19]

¹⁴ Then I broke my second staff, called Chovelim, breaking off the achavah (brotherhood) between Yehudah and Yisroel.

¹⁵ And Hashem said unto me, Take unto thee yet the keli (implements) of a foolish ro’eh (shepherd).

¹⁶ For, hinei, I will raise up a ro’eh in ha’aretz, which shall not care for the dying, nor look for the na’ar (young one), nor heal that which is injured, nor feed the healthy; but he shall eat the basar of the choice, and tear off their hooves.

¹⁷ Hoy (woe) to the worthless ro’eh (shepherd) that deserteth the tzon! May the cherev (sword) be upon his zero’a (arm), and upon his right eye; let his zero’a wither away, and his right eye be utterly extinguished.

18 After these things I saw another malach (angel) coming down out of Shomayim having great samchut (authority); and ha’aretz (the earth) was illuminated by the splendor of him. [YECHEZKEL 43:2]

² And he cried in a kol gadol, saying, "Fallen, fallen is Bavel Hagedolah. It has become a habitation of shedim (demons) and a beit hasohar of every ruach temei’ah (unclean spirit) and beit hasohar of every unclean bird and a beit hasohar of every unclean beast. And has become detestable, [YESHAYAH 13:21, 22; 34:11,13-15; YIRMEYAH 50:39; 51:37; TZEFANYAH 2:14,15]

³ Because of the yayin (wine) of the wrath of her zenut (fornication) all the Goyim (Nations) have drunk, and the melachim (kings) of ha’aretz committed zenut with her, and the merchants of ha’aretz by the resources of her luxury became rich." [YECHEZKEL 27:9-25]

⁴ And I heard another kol (voice) out of Shomayim saying, "Come out of her, my people, so that you may not participate in the chatta’im (sins) of her, and some of her makkot (plagues) you may not receive, [YESHAYAH 48:20; YIRMEYAH 50:8; 51:6,9,45; BERESHIS 19:15],

⁵ “Because her chatta’im (sins) have piled up reaching up to Shomayim, and Hashem has remembered the unrighteousnesses of her. [2Ch 28:9; Ezra 9:6; Jer 51:9]

⁶ “Render to her as also she herself rendered; serve up double according to her ma’asim, in the kos (cup) which she mixed. [Ps 137:8; Jer 50:15,29; Isa 40:2]

⁷ “As she gave kavod (glory) to herself and lived in luxury, so give her an equal measure of torment and agmat nefesh (grief), because in her lev (heart) she says, ‘I sit as a malkah (queen) and not an almanah (widow), and I will never see agmat nefesh (grief).’ [Ezek 28:2- 8; Ps 10:6; Isa 47:7,8; Zeph 2:15]

⁸ “Therefore in one day will come the makkot (plagues) on her, Mavet (Death) and Avel (Mourning) and Ra’av (Famine), and with eish (fire) she will be burned up, because Chazak is Hashem Adonoi, the Shofet of her. YESHAYAH 9:14; 47:9; YIRMEYAH 50:31,32]

⁹ “And the melachim (kings) of ha’aretz, the ones having committed zenut (fornication) with her and having lived in luxury, when they see the smoke of her burning, will weep and wail over her. [YIRMEYAH 51:8; YECHEZKEL 26:17,18]

¹⁰ “They will stand afar off, because of the fear of her torment, saying ‘Oy, oy to the Ir Hagedolah, Bavel the strong city, because in one hour came the mishpat of you.’

¹¹ “And the merchants of ha’aretz (the earth) cry and have agmat nefesh (grief) over her, because the cargo of them no one buys any more; [YECHEZKEL 27:27, 31]

¹² “Cargo of gold and of silver and of precious stone and of pearls and of fine linen and of purple and of silk and of scarlet, and every kind of scented wood and every kind of ivory article and every kind of article of valuable wood and of bronze and of iron and of marble [YECHEZKEL 27:12-22]

¹³ “And cinnamon and spice and incense and myrrh and frankincense and yayin (wine) and oil and fine flour and wheat and cattle and kevasim (sheep), and of susim (horses) and of chariots and of slaves and nefashot (souls) of men. [YECHEZKEL 27:13]

¹⁴ “And the p’ri (fruit) for which your nefesh longed has departed from you, and all the luxurious things and the splendorous things have become lost for you, and never again shall they be found!

¹⁵ “And the merchants of these things, the ones having become rich from her, will stand afar off because of the fear of her torment, and they will be weeping and wailing, [YECHEZKEL 27:31]

¹⁶ “Saying, ‘Oy, oy, the Ir Hagedolah, the one having clothed herself with fine linen and purple and scarlet and having been gilded with gold and precious stone and pearl,

¹⁷ ‘Because in one hour such great wealth, was laid waste.’ “And there stood afar off every steersman, and everyone sailing the sea, and sailors and all who commerce on the sea. [YECHEZKEL 27:28-30]

¹⁸ “And they were crying out, seeing the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What Ir (City) is like the Ir Hagedolah?’ [YECHEZKEL 27:32]

¹⁹ “And they threw dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and wailing, saying, ‘Oy, oy, the Ir Hagedolah, by which from her wealth, all the ones having ships in the sea became rich, because in one hour she was laid waste.’ [YEHOSHUA 7:6; EKHAH 2:10; YECHEZKEL 27:30,31]

²⁰ "Have lev same’ach over her, O Shomayim! You Kadoshim and Shlichim and Nevi’im, for Hashem has given mishpat for you against her." [YIRMEYAH 51:48]

²¹ And a malach chazak (strong angel) lifted up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “Thus will Bavel the Ir Hagedolah be violently thrown down, and never would it be found any longer. [YIRMEYAH 51:63]

²² “And the sound of harpers, those playing the nevel (harp), and of musicians and of flutists and of trumpeters will be heard in you no more and every oman (artist) of every craft will be found in you no more, and the sound of a mill, would be heard in you no more. [YESHAYAH 24:8; YECHEZKEL 26:13; YIRMEYAH 25:10]

²³ “And the ohr of a menorah would shine in you no more, and the kol (voice) of a choson (bridegroom) and of a kallah (bride) would be heard in you no more; because your merchants were the gedolim (the great) of ha’aretz (the earth), because by your kashefanut (sorcery) were all the Goyim deceived, [YIRMEYAH 7:34; 16:9; 25:10; YESHAYAH 23:8; NACHUM 3:4]

²⁴ "And in her were found the dahm of Nevi’im (prophets) and of Kadoshim and of all the ones having been slain al Kiddush ha-Shem on ha’aretz." [YIRMEYAH 51:49]

146 Praise Hashem. Praise Hashem, O my nefesh.

² While I live will I praise Hashem: I will sing praise unto Elohai while I have any being.

³ Put not your trust in princes, nor in the ben adam, in whom there is no teshuah (salvation).

⁴ His ruach departs, he returneth to his adamah; in yom hahu his plans come to nothing.

⁵ Ashrei is he that hath El Ya’akov for his ezer, whose hope is in Hashem Elohav:

⁶ Oseh Shomayim vaAretz, the yam, and all that therein is: HaShomer Emes l’olam (Who keepeth Truth forever):

⁷ Oseh mishpat for the oppressed; Who giveth lechem to the hungry. Hashem mattir asurim (sets free the prisoners):

⁸ Hashem openeth the eyes of the ivrim: Hashem raiseth them that are bowed down: Hashem loveth the tzaddikim:

⁹ Hashem shomer over the gerim; He relieveth the yatom (fatherless, orphan) and almanah; but the Derech Resha’im He frustrates.

¹⁰ Hashem shall reign l’olam, even thy G-d, O Tziyon, l’dor vador. Praise Hashem.

³³ Surely the churning of cholov (milk) bringeth forth khemah (butter), and the wringing of the nose bringeth forth dahm; so the stirring up of anger bringeth forth strife.