Category: Scripture

“So not, thi sis what the Sovereign Lord says: I will end the captivity of My people; I will have mercy on all Israel, for I jealously guard my holy reputation! They will accept responsibility for their past shame and unfaithfulness after they come home to live in peace in their own land, with no one to bother them. When I bring them home from the lands of their enemies, I will display my holiness among them for all the nations to see. Then My people will know that I am the Lord their God, because I sent them away to exile and brought them home again. I will never again turn My face from them, for i will pour out My Spirit upon the people of Israel. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!” (vv. 25-29, NLT)

“I will make a covenant of peace with my people and drive away the dangerous animals from the land. Then they will be able to camp safely in the wildest places and sleep in the woods without fear. I will bless My people and their homes around My holy hill. And in the proper season I will send the showers they need. There will be showers of blessing. The orchards and fields of My people will yield bumper crops, and everyone will live in safety. When I have broken their chains of slavery and rescued them from those who enslaved them, then they will know that I am the Lord. They will no longer be prey for other nations and wild animals will no longer devour them. They will live in safety, and no one will frighten them.

An I will make their land famous for its crops, so My people will never again suffer from famines or the insults of foreign nations. In this way, they will know that, I, the Lord their God, am with them. And they will know that they, the people of Israel, are My people, and I am your God. I, the Sovereign ord have spoken!” (vv. 25-31, NLT)

“For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘I Myself will search and find My sheep. I will be like a shepherd looking for his scattered flock. I will find My sheep and rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on that dark and cloudy day. I will bring them back hoe to their own land of Israel from among the peoples and nations. I will feed them on the mountains of Israel and by the rivers and in all the places where people live. Yes, I will give them good pastureland on the high hills of Israel. There they will feed in the lush pastures of the hills. I Myself will tend My sheep and give them a place to lie down in peace, says the Sovereign Lord. I will search for My lost ones who strayed away, and I will bring them safely home again. I will bandage the injured and strengthen the weak. But I will destroy those who are fat and powerful. I will feed them, yes – feed them justice!'” (vv. 11-16, NLT)

“For God loved the world so much that He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent His son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him.

There is no judgment against anyone who believes in Him. But anyone who does not believe in Him has already been judged not for believing in God’s one and only Son. And this judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear that their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so that others can see that they are doing what God wants.” (NLT)

“Then this message came to me from the Lord: ‘Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds, the leaders of Israel. Give them this message from the Sovereign Lord: What sorrow awaits you shepherds who feed yourselves instead of your flocks. Shouldn’t shepherds fee their sheep? You drink the milk, wear the wool, and butcher the best animals, but you let your flocks starve. You have not taken care of the weak. You have not tended the sick or bound up the injured. You have not gone looking for those who have wandered away and are lost. Instead, you have ruled them with harshness and cruelty. So My sheep have been scattered without a shepherd, and the are easy prey for any wild animal. They have wandered through all the mountains and all the hills, across the face of the earth, yet no one has gone to search for them.

Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: As surely as I live, says the sovereign Lord, you abandoned My flock and left them to be attacked by every wild animal. And though you were My shepherds, you didn’t search for My sheep when they were lost. You took care of yourselves and left the sheep to starve. Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I no consider these shepherds as My enemies, and I will hold them responsible for what has happened to My flock. I will take away their right to feed the flock, and I will stop them from feeding themselves. I will rescue My flock from their mouths; the sheep will no longer be their prey.'”
(vv. 1-10, NLT)

A Psalm of Asaph

“The Lord, the Mighty One, is God, and He has spoken; He has summoned humanity from where the sun rises to where it sets. From Mount Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines in His glorious radiance. Our God approaches, and He is not silent. Fire devours everything in His way, and a great storm rages around Him. He calls on the heavens above and earth below to witness the judgment of His people. Bring my faithful people to Me – those who made a covenant with Me by giving sacrifices: Then let the heavens proclaim His justice, for God himself will be the judge.” (vv. 1-6, NLT)

“Again a message came to me from the Lord: ‘Son of man, you’ve heard that proverb they quote in Israel: Time passes, and prophecies come to nothing.’ Tell the people, ‘This is what the Lord says: I will put an end to this proverb, and you will soon stop quoting it. No give them this new proverb to replace the old one: ‘The time has come for every prophecy to be fulfilled!’

‘There will be no more false visions and flattering predictions in Israel. For I am the Lord! If I say it, it will happen. There be no more delays, you rebels of Israel. I will fulfill My thread of destruction in your own lifetime. I, the Sovereign Lord has spoken!'” (vv 21-25, NLT)

“Then this message came to me from the Lord. ‘Son of man, the people still left in Jerusalem are talking abut you and your relatives and all the people of Israel who are in exile. They are saying, ‘Those people are far away from the Lord, so now He has given their land to us!’

‘Therefore, tell the exiles, ‘ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Although I have scattered you in the countries of the world, I will be a sanctuary to you during your time in exile. I, the Sovereign Lord, will gather you back from the nations where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel once again.

When the people return to their homeland, they will remove every trace of their vile images and detestable idols. And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them. I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart, so they will obey My decrees and regulations. Then they will truly be My people and I will be their God. But s for those who long for vile images and detestable idols, I will repay them fully for their sins. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken.!'” (vv. 14-21, NLT)

“Then the Lord thundered, ‘Bring on the men appointed to punish the city! Tell them to bring their weapons with them!’ Six men soon appeared from the upper gate that faces north, each carrying a deadly weapon in his hand. with them was a man dressed in linen, who carried a writer’s case at his side. They all went into the Temple courtyard and stood beside the bronze altar.

The glory of the Lord of Israel rose up from between the cherubim, where it had rested, and moved to the entrance of the Temple. And the Lord called to the man dressed in linen who was carrying the writer’s case. He said to him,’Walk through the streets of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of all who weep and sigh because the detestable sins being committed in their city.’

Then I heard the Lord say to the other men, ‘Follow him through the city and kill everyone whose forehead is not marked. Show no mercy; have no pity! Kill them all- old and young, girls and women and little children. But do not touch anyone with the mark. Begin right here at the Temple.’ So they began by killing the seventy leaders.” (vv 1-6, NLT)

“When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he left Judea and returned to Galilee. He went first to Nazareth, then left there and moved to Carpernaum, beside the Sea of Galilee, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. This fulfilled what God said through the prophet Isaiah:

‘In the land of Zebulum and of Naphtali, beside the sea, beyond the Jordan River, in Galilee where so many Gentiles live, the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow, a light has shined.’

From then on Jesus began to preach, ‘ Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”’ (vv. 12-17, NLT)