Bible Reading Plan

^1 [a]Now, daughter who is under attack,
you slash yourself in grief;
a siege is set against us!
They are striking the judge^(a) of Israel
on the cheek with a rod.
^2 [b]Bethlehem Ephrathah,^(b)
you are small among the clans of Judah;
One will come from you^(c)
to be ruler over Israel for Me.^(d)
His origin^[c] is from antiquity,^(e)
from eternity.^[d]
3 Therefore, He will abandon them^(f) until the time
when she who is in labor^(g) has given birth;
then the rest of His brothers^(h) will return
to the people of Israel.^(i)
4 He will stand and shepherd them^(j)
in the strength of Yahweh,
in the majestic name of Yahweh His God.
They will live securely,
for then His greatness will extend
to the ends of the earth.^(k)
5 He will be their peace.^(l)
When Assyria invades our land,^(m)
when it marches against our fortresses,
we will raise against it seven shepherds,
even eight leaders of men.
⁶ They will shepherd⁽ⁿ⁾ the land of Assyria with the sword,
the land of Nimrod^(o) with a drawn blade.^[e]
So He will rescue us^(p) from Assyria
when it invades our land,
when it marches against our territory.

⁷ Then the remnant of Jacob^(q)
will be among many peoples
like dew from the Lord ,^(r)
like showers on the grass,^(s)
which do not wait for anyone
or linger for mankind.
⁸ Then the remnant of Jacob
will be among the nations, among many peoples,
like a lion among animals of the forest,^(t)
like a young lion among flocks of sheep,
which tramples^(u) and tears^(v) as it passes through,
and there is no one to rescue them.^(w)
9 Your hand will be lifted up against your adversaries,^(x)
and all your enemies will be destroyed.

¹⁰ In that day—
this is the Lord 's declaration—
I will remove your horses from you^(y)
and wreck your chariots.
¹¹ I will remove the cities of your land^(z)
and tear down all your fortresses.^(aa)
12 I will remove sorceries from your hands,^(ab)
and you will not have any more fortune-tellers.
¹³ I will remove your carved images^(ac)
and sacred pillars from you
so that you will not bow down again
to the work of your hands.
¹⁴ I will pull up the Asherah poles^(ad) from among you^(ae)
and demolish your cities.^[f]
15 I will take vengeance in anger and wrath^(af)
against the nations that have not obeyed Me.

Rise, plead your case before the mountains,
and let the hills hear your voice.
² Listen to the Lord 's lawsuit,^(a)
you mountains and enduring foundations of the earth,^(b)
because the Lord has a case against His people,^(c)
and He will argue it against Israel.
³ My people,^(d) what have I done to you,^(e)
or how have I wearied you?^(f)
Testify against Me!
⁴ Indeed, I brought you up^(g) from the land of Egypt
and redeemed you^(h) from that place of slavery.⁽ⁱ⁾
I sent Moses,^(j) Aaron, and Miriam^(k) ahead of you.
⁵ My people,
remember what Balak king of Moab^(l) proposed,
what Balaam son of Beor answered him,^(m)
and what happened from the Acacia Grove^[a](n) to Gilgal^(o)
so that you may acknowledge
the Lord 's righteous acts.^(p)

⁶ What should I bring before the Lord ^(q)
when I come to bow before God on high?
Should I come before Him with burnt offerings,^(r)
with year-old calves?
⁷ Would the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams^(s)
or with ten thousand streams of oil?
Should I give my firstborn for my transgression,^(t)
the child of my body for my own sin?

⁸ Mankind, He has told you what is good^(u)
and what it is the Lord requires of you:^(v)
to act justly,^(w)
to love faithfulness,^(x)
and to walk humbly with your God.^(y)

⁹ The voice of Yahweh calls out to the city^[b]
(and it is wise to fear Your name):
"Pay attention to the rod
and the One who ordained it.^[c]
10 Are there still^[d] the treasures of wickedness^(z)
and the accursed short measure^(aa)
in the house of the wicked?
¹¹ Can I excuse wicked scales
or bags of deceptive weights?^(ab)
12 For the wealthy of the city are full of violence,^(ac)
and its residents speak lies;^(ad)
the tongues in their mouths are deceitful.^(ae)

¹³ "As a result, I have begun to strike you severely,^[e](af)
bringing desolation because of your sins.^(ag)
14 You will eat but not be satisfied,^(ah)
for there will be hunger within you.
What you acquire, you cannot save,^(ai)
and what you do save,
I will give to the sword.^[f]
15 You will sow but not reap;^(aj)
you will press olives
but not anoint yourself with oil;
and you will tread grapes
but not drink the wine.^(ak)
16 The statutes of Omri
and all the practices of Ahab's house
have been observed;
you have followed their policies.^(al)
Therefore, I will make you a desolate place^(am)
and the city's^[g] residents an object of contempt;^[h](an)
you will bear the scorn of My people."^[i](ao)

¹ How sad for me!
For I am like one who—
when the summer fruit has been gathered
after the gleaning of the grape harvest^(a)—
finds no grape cluster to eat,
no early fig, which I crave.^(b)
2 Godly people have vanished from the land;^(c)
there is no one upright among the people.^(d)
All of them wait in ambush to shed blood;^(e)
they hunt each other with a net.^(f)
3 Both hands are good^(g) at accomplishing evil:
the official and the judge demand a bribe;^(h)
when the powerful man communicates his evil desire,
they plot it together.
⁴ The best of them is like a brier;⁽ⁱ⁾
the most upright is worse than a hedge of thorns.^(j)
The day of your watchmen,
the day of your punishment, is coming;^(k)
at this time their panic is here.^(l)
5 Do not rely on a friend;^(m)
don't trust in a close companion.
Seal your mouth
from the woman who lies in your arms.
⁶ Surely a son considers his father a fool,⁽ⁿ⁾
a daughter opposes her mother,
and a daughter-in-law is against her mother-in-law;
a man's enemies are the men of his own household.
⁷ But I will look to the Lord ;^(o)
I will wait for the God of my salvation.^(p)
My God will hear me.^(q)

⁸ Do not rejoice over me,^(r) my enemy!
Though I have fallen, I will stand up;^(s)
though I sit in darkness,
the Lord will be my light.^(t)
9 Because I have sinned against Him,
I must endure the Lord 's rage
until He argues my case^(u)
and establishes justice for me.^(v)
He will bring me into the light;^(w)
I will see His salvation.^[a](x)
10 Then my enemy will see,
and she will be covered with shame,
the one who said to me,
"Where is the Lord your God?"^(y)
My eyes will look at her in triumph;
at that time she will be trampled
like mud in the streets.^(z)

¹¹ A day will come for rebuilding your walls;^(aa)
on that day your boundary will be extended.^(ab)
12 On that day people will come to you^(ac)
from Assyria and the cities of Egypt,
even from Egypt to the Euphrates River
and from sea to sea
and mountain to mountain.
¹³ Then the earth will become a wasteland^(ad)
because of its inhabitants
and as a result of their actions.^(ae)

¹⁴ Shepherd Your people^(af) with Your staff,^(ag)
the flock that is Your possession.
They live alone^(ah) in a woodland
surrounded by pastures.
Let them graze in Bashan and Gilead^(ai)
as in ancient times.^(aj)

¹⁵ I will perform miracles for them^[b]
as in the days of your exodus
from the land of Egypt.^(ak)
16 Nations will see and be ashamed
of^[c] all their power.
They will put their hands over their mouths,^(al)
and their ears will become deaf.
¹⁷ They will lick the dust like a snake;^(am)
they will come trembling out of their hiding places^(an)
like reptiles slithering on the ground.^(ao)
They will tremble in the presence of Yahweh our God;^(ap)
they will stand in awe of You.

¹⁸ Who is a God like You,^(aq)
removing iniquity and passing over rebellion^(ar)
for the remnant of His inheritance?^(as)
He does not hold on to His anger forever,^(at)
because He delights in faithful love.^(au)
19 He will again have compassion on us;
He will vanquish our iniquities.^(av)
You will cast all our^[d] sins
into the depths of the sea.^(aw)
20 You will show loyalty to Jacob^(ax)
and faithful love to Abraham,
as You swore to our fathers^(ay)
from days long ago.

¹ One who scatters is coming up against you.
Man the fortifications!
Watch the road!
Brace^[a] yourself!
Summon all your strength!^(a)

² For the Lord will restore the majesty of Jacob,
yes,^[b] the majesty of Israel,
though ravagers have ravaged them
and ruined their vine branches.^(b)

³ The shields of his^[c] warriors are dyed red;
the valiant men are dressed in scarlet.^(c)
The fittings of the chariot flash like fire
on the day of its battle preparations,
and the spears are brandished.
⁴ The chariots dash madly through the streets;
they rush around in the plazas.
They look like torches;
they dart back and forth like lightning.
⁵ He gives orders to his officers;
they stumble as they advance.
They race to its wall;
the protective shield is set in place.
⁶ The river gates are opened,
and the palace erodes away.^(d)

⁷ Beauty^[d] is stripped,^[e]
she is carried away;
her ladies-in-waiting moan
like the sound of doves,^(e)
and beat their breasts.
⁸ Nineveh has been like a pool of water
from her first days,^[f]
but they are fleeing.
"Stop! Stop!" they cry,
but no one turns back.
⁹ "Plunder the silver! Plunder the gold!"
There is no end to the treasure,
an abundance of every precious thing.^(f)
10 Desolation, decimation, devastation!
Hearts melt,^(g)
knees tremble,
loins shake,
every face grows pale!^(h)

¹¹ Where is the lions' lair,⁽ⁱ⁾
or the feeding ground of the young lions,
where the lion and lioness prowled,
and the lion's cub,
with nothing to frighten them away?^(j)
12 The lion mauled whatever its cubs needed
and strangled prey for its lionesses.
It filled up its dens with the kill,
and its lairs with mauled prey.^(k)
13 Beware, I am against you.^(l)
This is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts.
I will make your chariots go up in smoke^[g]
and the sword will devour your young lions.
I will cut off your prey from the earth,
and the sound of your messengers
will never be heard again.