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Hosea 12 - 13

Ephraim feeds on wind
And pursues the east wind continually;
He abounds in falsehood and destruction.
Moreover, he cuts a covenant with Assyria,
And oil is carried to Egypt.

Yahweh’s Contention with Judah

2
And Yahweh has a contention with Judah
And will punish Jacob according to his ways;
He will cause everything to return to him according to his deeds.
3
In the womb he took his brother by the heel,
And in his maturity he wrestled with God.
4
Indeed, he wrestled with the angel and prevailed;
He wept and sought His favor.
He found Him at Bethel,
And there He spoke with us,
5
Even Yahweh, the God of hosts,
Yahweh is His name of remembrance.
6
Therefore, return to your God,
Keep lovingkindness and justice,
And hope in your God continually.
7
A merchant, in whose hands are deceptive balances,
He loves to oppress.
8
And Ephraim said, “Surely I have become rich;
I have found wealth for myself;
In all my labors they will find in me
No iniquity, which would be sin.”
9
But I have been Yahweh your God since the land of Egypt;
I will make you settle in tents again,
As in the days of the appointed festival.
10
And I have spoken to the prophets,
And I made visions abound,
And by the hand of the prophets I gave parables.
11
Is there wickedness in Gilead?
Surely they are worthless.
In Gilgal they sacrifice bulls;
Yes, their altars are like the stone heaps
Beside the furrows of the field.

12
Now Jacob fled to the field of Aram,
And Israel worked for a wife,
And for a wife he kept sheep.
13
But by a prophet Yahweh brought Israel up from Egypt,
And by a prophet he was kept.
14
Ephraim has provoked to bitter anger;
So his Lord will leave his bloodguilt on him
And cause his reproach to return to him.

Ephraim’s Idolatry

When Ephraim spoke, there was trembling.
He lifted himself up in Israel,
But through Baal he became guilty and died.
2
And now they sin more and more
And make for themselves molten images,
Idols made from their silver according to their understanding,
All of them the work of craftsmen.
They are saying of them, “Let the men who sacrifice kiss the calves!”
3
Therefore they will be like the morning cloud
And like dew which soon disappears,
Like chaff which is blown away from the threshing floor
And like smoke from a chimney.

4
Yet I have been Yahweh your God
Since the land of Egypt;
And you were not to know any god except Me,
And there is no savior besides Me.
5
I Myself knew you in the wilderness,
In the land of drought.
6
As they had their pasture, then they became satisfied,
Indeed, they were satisfied, and their heart became raised up;
Therefore they forgot Me.
7
So I will be like a lion to them;
Like a leopard I will lie in wait by the wayside.
8
I will encounter them like a bear robbed of her cubs,
And I will tear open the chest enclosing their heart;
There I will also devour them like a lioness,
As a beast of the field would rip them open.

9
It is your ruin, O Israel,
That you are against Me, against your help.
10
Where now is your king,
That he may save you in all your cities,
And your judges of whom you said,
“Give me a king and princes”?
11
I gave you a king in My anger
And took him away in My wrath.

12
The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up;
His sin is stored up.
13
The pains of childbirth come upon him;
He is not a wise son,
For it is not the time that he should delay at the opening of the womb.
14
Shall I ransom them from the power of Sheol?
Shall I redeem them from death?
O Death, where are your thorns?
O Sheol, where is your sting?
Compassion will be hidden from My sight.

15
Though he is fruitful among the reeds,
An east wind will come,
The wind of Yahweh coming up from the wilderness;
And his fountain will become dry,
And his spring will be dried up;
It will plunder his treasury of every desirable article.
16
Samaria will be held guilty,
For she has rebelled against her God.
They will fall by the sword;
Their infants will be dashed in pieces,
And their pregnant women will be ripped open.

Luke 1

Luke’s Account of Things Fulfilled

Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us,
2 just as those, who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, handed them down to us, 3 it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in orderly sequence, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the certainty about the things you have been taught.

John the Baptist’s Birth Foretold

5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah, and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
6 And they were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and righteous requirements of the Lord. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years. 8 Now it happened that while he was performing his priestly service before God in the order of his division, 9 according to the custom of the priestly office, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of the incense offering. 11 And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. 12 And Zechariah was troubled when he saw the angel, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will not drink any wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb. 16 And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” 18 And Zechariah said to the angel, “How will I know this? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years.” 19 And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands before God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.” 21 And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and were wondering at his delay in the sanctuary. 22 But when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. And he kept making signs to them, and remained mute. 23 And it happened that when the days of his priestly service were fulfilled, he went back home. 24 After these days Elizabeth his wife conceived, and she kept herself in seclusion for five months, saying, 25 “This is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked upon me to take away my disgrace among men.”

Jesus’ Birth Foretold

26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth,
27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was very perplexed at this statement, and was pondering what kind of greeting this was. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and there will be no end of His kingdom.” 34 But Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, the slave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Mary Visits Elizabeth

39 Now at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah,
40 and entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And it happened that when Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.”

Mary Magnifies the Lord

46 And Mary said:
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47
And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
48
For He has looked upon the humble state of His slave,
For behold, from this time on, all generations will count me blessed.
49
For the Mighty One has done great things for me,
And holy is His name.
50
And His mercy is upon generation after generation
Toward those who fear Him.
51
He has done a mighty deed with His arm;
He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart.
52
He has brought down rulers from their thrones,
And has exalted those who were humble.
53
He has filled the hungry with good things,
And sent away the rich empty‑handed.
54
He has given help to Israel His servant,
In remembrance of His mercy,
55
As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and his seed forever.”
56 And Mary stayed with her about three months, and then returned to her home.

John the Baptist Is Born

57 Now the time was fulfilled for Elizabeth to give birth, and she gave birth to a son.
58 And her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had magnified His great mercy toward her, and they were rejoicing with her. 59 And it happened that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zechariah, after the name of his father. 60 But his mother answered and said, “No, but he shall be called John.” 61 And they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.” 62 And they were making signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called. 63 And he asked for a tablet and wrote as follows, “His name is John.” And they all marveled. 64 And at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he began to speak, blessing God. 65 And fear came on all those living around them, and all these matters were being talked about in all the hill country of Judea. 66 And all who heard these things put them in their heart, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was indeed with him.

Zechariah’s Prophecy

67 And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:
68
“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
For He visited and accomplished redemption for His people,
69
And raised up a horn of salvation for us
In the house of David His servant—
70
As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old—
71
Salvation from our enemies,
And from the hand of all who hate us,
72
To show mercy toward our fathers,
And to remember His holy covenant,
73
The oath which He swore to Abraham our father,
74
To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies,
Might serve Him without fear,
75
In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.
76
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High,
For you will go on before the Lord to make ready His ways,
77
To give to His people the knowledge of salvation
By the forgiveness of their sins,
78
Because of the tender mercy of our God,
With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us,
79
To shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
To direct our feet into the way of peace.”
80 And the child continued to grow and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the desolate regions until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

Psalm 34

Taste and See That Yahweh Is Good

Of David. When he feigned madness before Abimelech, so that he drove him away and he departed.

א  Aleph

I will bless Yahweh at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

ב  Beth

2
My soul will make its boast in Yahweh;
The humble will hear it and rejoice.

ג  Gimel

3
O magnify Yahweh with me,
And let us exalt His name together.

ד  Daleth

4
I inquired of Yahweh, and He answered me,
And delivered me from all that I dread.

ה  He - ו Vav

5
They looked to Him and were radiant,
And their faces will never be humiliated.

ז  Zayin

6
This poor man called out, and Yahweh heard him
And saved him out of all his troubles.

ח  Heth

7
The angel of Yahweh encamps around those who fear Him,
And rescues them.

ט  Teth

8
O taste and see that Yahweh is good;
How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!

י  Yodh

9
Oh, fear Yahweh, you His saints;
For there is no want to those who fear Him.

כ  Kaph

10
The young lions do lack and suffer hunger;
But they who inquire of Yahweh shall not be in want of any good thing.

ל  Lamedh

11
Come, you children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of Yahweh.

מ  Mem

12
Who is the man who delights in life
And loves many days that he may see good?

נ  Nun

13
Guard your tongue from evil
And your lips from speaking deceit.

ס  Samekh

14
Depart from evil and do good;
Seek peace and pursue it.

ע  Ayin

15
The eyes of Yahweh are toward the righteous
And His ears are open to their cry for help.

פ  Pe

16
The face of Yahweh is against evildoers,
To cut off the memory of them from the earth.

צ  Tsadhe

17
The righteous cry, and Yahweh hears
And delivers them out of all their troubles.

ק  Qoph

18
Yahweh is near to the brokenhearted
And saves those who are crushed in spirit.

ר  Resh

19
Many are the evils against the righteous,
But Yahweh delivers him out of them all.

שׁ  Shin

20
He keeps all his bones,
Not one of them is broken.

ת  Tav

21
Evil shall slay the wicked,
And those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
22
Yahweh redeems the soul of His slaves,
And all those who take refuge in Him will not be condemned.