• ‭Amos 6:1-14 MSG‬
    [1-2] Woe to you who think you live on easy street in Zion, who think Mount Samaria is the good life. You assume you’re at the top of the heap, voted the number-one best place to live. Well, wake up and look around. Get off your pedestal. Take a look at Calneh. Go and visit Great Hamath. Look in on Gath of the Philistines. Doesn’t that take you off your high horse? Compared to them, you’re not much, are you? [3-6] Woe to you who are rushing headlong to disaster! Catastrophe is just around the corner! Woe to those who live in luxury and expect everyone else to serve them! Woe to those who live only for today, indifferent to the fate of others! Woe to the playboys, the playgirls, who think life is a party held just for them! Woe to those addicted to feeling good—life without pain! those obsessed with looking good—life without wrinkles! They could not care less about their country going to ruin. [7] But here’s what’s really coming: a forced march into exile. They’ll leave the country whining, a rag-tag bunch of good-for-nothings. [8] God, the Master, has sworn, and solemnly stands by his Word. The God-of-the-Angel-Armies speaks: “I hate the arrogance of Jacob. I have nothing but contempt for his forts. I’m about to hand over the city and everyone in it.” [9-10] Ten men are in a house, all dead. A relative comes and gets the bodies to prepare them for a decent burial. He discovers a survivor huddled in a closet and asks, “Are there any more?” The answer: “Not a soul. But hush! God must not be mentioned in this desecrated place.” [11] Note well: God issues the orders. He’ll knock large houses to smithereens. He’ll smash little houses to bits. [12-13] Do you hold a horse race in a field of rocks? Do you plow the sea with oxen? You’d cripple the horses and drown the oxen. And yet you’ve made a shambles of justice, a bloated corpse of righteousness, Bragging of your trivial pursuits, beating up on the weak and crowing, “Look what I’ve done!” [14] “Enjoy it while you can, you Israelites. I’ve got a pagan army on the move against you” —this is your God speaking, God-of-the-Angel-Armies— “And they’ll make hash of you, from one end of the country to the other.”

    https://bible.com/bible/97/amo.6.1-14.MSG

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    • Here’s verses 1-6 in the King James Version (see also Amos 5:23).

      ‭‭Amos 6:1-6 KJV‬
      [1] Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came! [2] Pass ye unto Calneh, and see; and from thence go ye to Hamath the great: then go down to Gath of the Philistines: be they better than these kingdoms? or their border greater than your border? [3] Ye that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near; [4] that lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall; [5] that chant to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of musick, like David; [6] that drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments: but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph.

      2024-03-29 15:47:12 UTC 2
  • ‭Amos 5:1-27 MSG‬
    [1] Listen to this, family of Israel, this Message I’m sending in bold print, this tragic warning: [2] “Virgin Israel has fallen flat on her face. She’ll never stand up again. She’s been left where she’s fallen. No one offers to help her up.” [3] This is the Message, God’s Word: “The city that marches out with a thousand will end up with a hundred. The city that marches out with a hundred will end up with ten. Oh, family of Israel!” [4-5] God’s Message to the family of Israel: “Seek me and live. Don’t fool around at those shrines of Bethel, Don’t waste time taking trips to Gilgal, and don’t bother going down to Beer-sheba. Gilgal is here today and gone tomorrow and Bethel is all show, no substance.” [6] So seek God and live! You don’t want to end up with nothing to show for your life But a pile of ashes, a house burned to the ground. For God will send just such a fire, and the firefighters will show up too late. [7-9] Woe to you who turn justice to vinegar and stomp righteousness into the mud. Do you realize where you are? You’re in a cosmos star-flung with constellations by God, A world God wakes up each morning and puts to bed each night. God dips water from the ocean and gives the land a drink. God, God-revealed, does all this. And he can destroy it as easily as make it. He can turn this vast wonder into total waste. [10-12] People hate this kind of talk. Raw truth is never popular. But here it is, bluntly spoken: Because you run roughshod over the poor and take the bread right out of their mouths, You’re never going to move into the luxury homes you have built. You’re never going to drink wine from the expensive vineyards you’ve planted. I know precisely the extent of your violations, the enormity of your sins. Appalling! You bully right-living people, taking bribes right and left and kicking the poor when they’re down. [13] Justice is a lost cause. Evil is epidemic. Decent people throw up their hands. Protest and rebuke are useless, a waste of breath. [14] Seek good and not evil— and live! You talk about God, the God-of-the-Angel-Armies, being your best friend. Well, live like it, and maybe it will happen. [15] Hate evil and love good, then work it out in the public square. Maybe God, the God-of-the-Angel-Armies, will notice your remnant and be gracious. [16-17] Now again, my Master’s Message, God, God-of-the-Angel-Armies: “Go out into the streets and lament loudly! Fill the malls and shops with cries of doom! Weep loudly, ‘Not me! Not us, Not now!’ Empty offices, stores, factories, workplaces. Enlist everyone in the general lament. I want to hear it loud and clear when I make my visit.” God’s Decree. [18-20] Woe to all of you who want God’s Judgment Day! Why would you want to see God, want him to come? When God comes, it will be bad news before it’s good news, the worst of times, not the best of times. Here’s what it’s like: A man runs from a lion right into the jaws of a bear. A woman goes home after a hard day’s work and is raped by a neighbor. At God’s coming we face hard reality, not fantasy— a black cloud with no silver lining. [21-24] “I can’t stand your religious meetings. I’m fed up with your conferences and conventions. I want nothing to do with your religion projects, your pretentious slogans and goals. I’m sick of your fund-raising schemes, your public relations and image making. I’ve had all I can take of your noisy ego-music. When was the last time you sang to me? Do you know what I want? I want justice—oceans of it. I want fairness—rivers of it. That’s what I want. That’s all I want. [25-27] “Didn’t you, dear family of Israel, worship me faithfully for forty years in the wilderness, bringing the sacrifices and offerings I commanded? How is it you’ve stooped to dragging gimcrack statues of your so-called rulers around, hauling the cheap images of all your star-gods here and there? Since you like them so much, you can take them with you when I drive you into exile beyond Damascus.” God’s Message, God-of-the-Angel-Armies.

    https://bible.com/bible/97/amo.5.1-27.MSG

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    • Here’s verses 21-24 in the King James Version.

      ‭Amos 5:21-24 KJV‬
      [21] I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies. [22] Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts. [23] Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols. [24] But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.

      I’m putting this here as context for a belief, which I’ve talked about before, that some people have regarding this passage (I specifically know of people who read KJV only who believe this, but it likely extends outside of them as well). Some people believe that verse 23 (see also Amos 6:5) is evidence that musical instruments are sinful and displeasing to Yahweh (God). If, however, this was true, then everything else mentioned would be sinful and displeasing to Him (feast days (including Passover, Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, Tabernacles, and other smaller feasts), solemn assemblies (assemblies where a restriction is placed on those who take part which makes it recognizable as ‘special’), burnt offerings, meat offerings, and peace offerings of fat beasts). This is simply saying that all of their worship to God was rejected by Him because it was not offered by people who had truly put Him first above all.

      2024-03-29 15:14:26 UTC 2
  • ‭Amos 4:1-13 MSG‬
    [1] “Listen to this, you cows of Bashan grazing on the slopes of Samaria. You women! Mean to the poor, cruel to the down-and-out! Indolent and pampered, you demand of your husbands, ‘Bring us a tall, cool drink!’ [2-3] “This is serious—I, God, have sworn by my holiness! Be well warned: Judgment Day is coming! They’re going to rope you up and haul you off, keep the stragglers in line with cattle prods. They’ll drag you through the ruined city walls, forcing you out single file, And kick you to kingdom come.” God’s Decree. [4-5] “Come along to Bethel and sin! And then to Gilgal and sin some more! Bring your sacrifices for morning worship. Every third day bring your tithe. Burn pure sacrifices—thank offerings. Speak up—announce freewill offerings! That’s the sort of religious show you Israelites just love.” God’s Decree. [6] “You know, don’t you, that I’m the One who emptied your pantries and cleaned out your cupboards, Who left you hungry and standing in bread lines? But you never got hungry for me. You continued to ignore me.” God’s Decree. [7-8] “Yes, and I’m the One who stopped the rains three months short of harvest. I’d make it rain on one village but not on another. I’d make it rain on one field but not on another—and that one would dry up. People would stagger from village to village crazed for water and never quenching their thirst. But you never got thirsty for me. You ignored me.” God’s Decree. [9] “I hit your crops with disease and withered your orchards and gardens. Locusts devoured your olive and fig trees, but you continued to ignore me.” God’s Decree. [10] “I revisited you with the old Egyptian plagues, killed your choice young men and prize horses. The stink of rot in your camps was so strong that you held your noses— But you didn’t notice me. You continued to ignore me.” God’s Decree. [11] “I hit you with earthquake and fire, left you devastated like Sodom and Gomorrah. You were like a burning stick snatched from the flames. But you never looked my way. You continued to ignore me.” God’s Decree. [12] “All this I have done to you, Israel, and this is why I have done it. Time’s up, O Israel! Prepare to meet your God!” [13] Look who’s here: Mountain-Shaper! Wind-Maker! He laid out the whole plot before Adam. He brings everything out of nothing, like dawn out of darkness. He strides across the alpine ridges. His name is God, God-of-the-Angel-Armies.

    https://bible.com/bible/97/amo.4.1-13.MSG

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  • ‭Amos 3:1-15 MSG‬
    [1] Listen to this, Israel. God is calling you to account—and I mean all of you, everyone connected with the family that he delivered out of Egypt. Listen! [2] “Out of all the families on earth, I picked you. Therefore, because of your special calling, I’m holding you responsible for all your sins.” [3-7] Do two people walk hand in hand if they aren’t going to the same place? Does a lion roar in the forest if there’s no carcass to devour? Does a young lion growl with pleasure if he hasn’t caught his supper? Does a bird fall to the ground if it hasn’t been hit with a stone? Does a trap spring shut if nothing trips it? When the alarm goes off in the city, aren’t people alarmed? And when disaster strikes the city, doesn’t God stand behind it? The fact is, God, the Master, does nothing without first telling his prophets the whole story. [8] The lion has roared— who isn’t frightened? God has spoken— what prophet can keep quiet? * * * [9-11] Announce to the forts of Assyria, announce to the forts of Egypt— Tell them, “Gather on the Samaritan mountains, take a good, hard look: what a snake pit of brutality and terror! They can’t—or won’t—do one thing right.” God said so. “They stockpile violence and blight. Therefore”—this is God’s Word—“an enemy will surround the country. He’ll strip you of your power and plunder your forts.” [12] God’s Message: “In the same way that a shepherd trying to save a lamb from a lion Manages to recover just a pair of legs or the scrap of an ear, So will little be saved of the Israelites who live in Samaria— A couple of old chairs at most, the broken leg of a table. [13-15] “Listen and bring witness against Jacob’s family”— this is God’s Word, God-of-the-Angel-Armies! “Note well! The day I make Israel pay for its sins, pay for the sin-altars of worship at Bethel, The horned altars will all be dehorned and scattered around. I’ll tear down the winter palace, smash the summer palace—all your fancy buildings. The luxury homes will be demolished, all those pretentious houses.” God’s Decree.

    https://bible.com/bible/97/amo.3.1-15.MSG

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  • ‭Amos 2:1-16 MSG‬
    [1-3] God’s Message: “Because of the three great sins of Moab —make that four—I’m not putting up with her any longer. She violated the corpse of Edom’s king, burning it to cinders. For that, I’m burning down Moab, burning down the forts of Kerioth. Moab will die in the shouting, go out in the blare of war trumpets. I’ll remove the king from the center and kill all his princes with him.” God’s Decree. [4-5] God’s Message: “Because of the three great sins of Judah —make that four—I’m not putting up with them any longer. They rejected God’s revelation, refused to keep my commands. But they swallowed the same old lies that got their ancestors onto dead-end roads. For that, I’m burning down Judah, burning down all the forts of Jerusalem.” [6-8] God’s Message: “Because of the three great sins of Israel —make that four—I’m not putting up with them any longer. They buy and sell upstanding people. People for them are only things—ways of making money. They’d sell a poor man for a pair of shoes. They’d sell their own grandmother! They grind the penniless into the dirt, shove the luckless into the ditch. Everyone and his brother sleeps with the ‘sacred whore’— a sacrilege against my Holy Name. Stuff they’ve extorted from the poor is piled up at the shrine of their god, While they sit around drinking wine they’ve conned from their victims. [9-11] “In contrast, I was always on your side. I destroyed the Amorites who confronted you, Amorites with the stature of great cedars, tough as thick oaks. I destroyed them from the top branches down. I destroyed them from the roots up. And yes, I’m the One who delivered you from Egypt, led you safely through the wilderness for forty years And then handed you the country of the Amorites like a piece of cake on a platter. I raised up some of your young men to be prophets, set aside your best youth for training in holiness. Isn’t this so, Israel?” God’s Decree. [12-13] “But you made the youth-in-training break training, and you told the young prophets, ‘Don’t prophesy!’ You’re too much for me. I’m hard-pressed—to the breaking point. I’m like a wagon piled high and overloaded, creaking and groaning. [14-16] “When I go into action, what will you do? There’s no place to run no matter how fast you run. The strength of the strong won’t count. Fighters won’t make it. Skilled archers won’t make it. Fast runners won’t make it. Chariot drivers won’t make it. Even the bravest of all your warriors Won’t make it. He’ll run off for dear life, stripped naked.” God’s Decree.

    https://bible.com/bible/97/amo.2.1-16.MSG

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  • Making up for missing yesterday. This is the first chapter of Amos.

    ‭Amos 1:1-15 MSG‬
    [1] The Message of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa, that he received on behalf of Israel. It came to him in visions during the time that Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam II son of Joash was king of Israel, two years before the big earthquake. [2] The Message: God roars from Zion, shouts from Jerusalem! The thunderclap voice withers the pastures tended by shepherds, shrivels Mount Carmel’s proud peak. [3-5] God’s Message: “Because of the three great sins of Damascus —make that four—I’m not putting up with her any longer. She pounded Gilead to a pulp, pounded her senseless with iron hammers and mauls. For that, I’m setting the palace of Hazael on fire. I’m torching Ben-hadad’s forts. I’m going to smash the Damascus gates and banish the crime king who lives in Sin Valley, the vice boss who gives orders from Paradise Palace. The people of the land will be sent back to where they came from—to Kir.” God’s Decree. [6-8] God’s Message: “Because of the three great sins of Gaza —make that four—I’m not putting up with her any longer. She deported whole towns and then sold the people to Edom. For that, I’m burning down the walls of Gaza, burning up all her forts. I’ll banish the crime king from Ashdod, the vice boss from Ashkelon. I’ll raise my fist against Ekron, and what’s left of the Philistines will die.” God’s Decree. [9-10] God’s Message: “Because of the three great sins of Tyre —make that four—I’m not putting up with her any longer. She deported whole towns to Edom, breaking the treaty she had with her kin. For that, I’m burning down the walls of Tyre, burning up all her forts.” [11-12] God’s Message: “Because of the three great sins of Edom —make that four—I’m not putting up with her any longer. She hunts down her brother to murder him. She has no pity, she has no heart. Her anger rampages day and night. Her meanness never takes a timeout. For that, I’m burning down her capital, Teman, burning up the forts of Bozrah.” [13-15] God’s Message: “Because of the three great sins of Ammon —make that four—I’m not putting up with her any longer. She ripped open pregnant women in Gilead to get more land for herself. For that, I’m burning down the walls of her capital, Rabbah, burning up her forts. Battle shouts! War whoops! with a tornado to finish things off! The king has been carted off to exile, the king and his princes with him.” God’s Decree. * * *

    https://bible.com/bible/97/amo.1.1-15.MSG

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  • This is the last chapter of Joel! Next, Amos.

    ‭Joel 3:1-21 MSG‬
    [1-3] “In those days, yes, at that very time when I put life back together again for Judah and Jerusalem, I’ll assemble all the godless nations. I’ll lead them down into Judgment Valley And put them all on trial, and judge them one and all because of their treatment of my own people Israel. They scattered my people all over the pagan world and grabbed my land for themselves. They threw dice for my people and used them for barter. They would trade a boy for a whore, sell a girl for a bottle of wine when they wanted a drink. * * * [4-8] “As for you, Tyre and Sidon and Philistia, why should I bother with you? Are you trying to get back at me for something I did to you? If you are, forget it. I’ll see to it that it boomerangs on you. You robbed me, cleaned me out of silver and gold, carted off everything valuable to furnish your own temples. You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem into slavery to the Greeks in faraway places. But I’m going to reverse your crime. I’m going to free those slaves. I’ll have done to you what you did to them: I’ll sell your children as slaves to your neighbors, And they’ll sell them to the far-off Sabeans.” God’s Verdict. * * * [9-11] Announce this to the godless nations: Prepare for battle! Soldiers at attention! Present arms! Advance! Turn your shovels into swords, turn your hoes into spears. Let the weak one throw out his chest and say, “I’m tough, I’m a fighter.” Hurry up, pagans! Wherever you are, get a move on! Get your act together. Prepare to be shattered by God! [12] Let the pagan nations set out for Judgment Valley. There I’ll take my place at the bench and judge all the surrounding nations. [13] “Swing the sickle— the harvest is ready. Stomp on the grapes— the winepress is full. The wine vats are full, overflowing with vintage evil. [14] “Mass confusion, mob uproar— in Decision Valley! God’s Judgment Day has arrived in Decision Valley. [15-17] “The sky turns black, sun and moon go dark, stars burn out. God roars from Zion, shouts from Jerusalem. Earth and sky quake in terror. But God is a safe hiding place, a granite safe house for the children of Israel. Then you’ll know for sure that I’m your God, Living in Zion, my sacred mountain. Jerusalem will be a sacred city, posted: ‘no trespassing.’ [18-21] “What a day! Wine streaming off the mountains, Milk rivering out of the hills, water flowing everywhere in Judah, A fountain pouring out of God’s Sanctuary, watering all the parks and gardens! But Egypt will be reduced to weeds in a vacant lot, Edom turned into barren badlands, All because of brutalities to the Judean people, the atrocities and murders of helpless innocents. Meanwhile, Judah will be filled with people, Jerusalem inhabited forever. The sins I haven’t already forgiven, I’ll forgive.” God has moved into Zion for good.

    https://bible.com/bible/97/jol.3.1-21.MSG

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  • ‭Joel 2:1-32 MSG‬
    [1-3] Blow the ram’s horn trumpet in Zion! Trumpet the alarm on my holy mountain! Shake the country up! God’s Judgment’s on its way—the Day’s almost here! A black day! A Doomsday! Clouds with no silver lining! Like dawn light moving over the mountains, a huge army is coming. There’s never been anything like it and never will be again. Wildfire burns everything before this army and fire licks up everything in its wake. Before it arrives, the country is like the Garden of Eden. When it leaves, it is Death Valley. Nothing escapes unscathed. [4-6] The locust army seems all horses— galloping horses, an army of horses. It sounds like thunder leaping on mountain ridges, Or like the roar of wildfire through grass and brush, Or like an invincible army shouting for blood, ready to fight, straining at the bit. At the sight of this army, the people panic, faces white with terror. [7-11] The invaders charge. They climb barricades. Nothing stops them. Each soldier does what he’s told, so disciplined, so determined. They don’t get in each other’s way. Each one knows his job and does it. Undaunted and fearless, unswerving, unstoppable. They storm the city, swarm its defenses, Loot the houses, breaking down doors, smashing windows. They arrive like an earthquake, sweep through like a tornado. Sun and moon turn out their lights, stars black out. God himself bellows in thunder as he commands his forces. Look at the size of that army! And the strength of those who obey him! God’s Judgment Day—great and terrible. Who can possibly survive this? [12] But there’s also this, it’s not too late— God’s personal Message!— “Come back to me and really mean it! Come fasting and weeping, sorry for your sins!” [13-14] Change your life, not just your clothes. Come back to God, your God. And here’s why: God is kind and merciful. He takes a deep breath, puts up with a lot, This most patient God, extravagant in love, always ready to cancel catastrophe. Who knows? Maybe he’ll do it now, maybe he’ll turn around and show pity. Maybe, when all’s said and done, there’ll be blessings full and robust for your God! * * * [15-17] Blow the ram’s horn trumpet in Zion! Declare a day of repentance, a holy fast day. Call a public meeting. Get everyone there. Consecrate the congregation. Make sure the elders come, but bring in the children, too, even the nursing babies, Even men and women on their honeymoon— interrupt them and get them there. Between Sanctuary entrance and altar, let the priests, God’s servants, weep tears of repentance. Let them intercede: “Have mercy, God, on your people! Don’t abandon your heritage to contempt. Don’t let the pagans take over and rule them and sneer, ‘And so where is this God of theirs?’” * * * [18-20] At that, God went into action to get his land back. He took pity on his people. God answered and spoke to his people, “Look, listen—I’m sending a gift: Grain and wine and olive oil. The fast is over—eat your fill! I won’t expose you any longer to contempt among the pagans. I’ll head off the final enemy coming out of the north and dump them in a wasteland. Half of them will end up in the Dead Sea, the other half in the Mediterranean. There they’ll rot, a stench to high heaven. The bigger the enemy, the stronger the stench!” [21-24] Fear not, Earth! Be glad and celebrate! God has done great things. Fear not, wild animals! The fields and meadows are greening up. The trees are bearing fruit again: a bumper crop of fig trees and vines! Children of Zion, celebrate! Be glad in your God. He’s giving you a teacher to train you how to live right— Teaching, like rain out of heaven, showers of words to refresh and nourish your soul, just as he used to do. And plenty of food for your body—silos full of grain, casks of wine and barrels of olive oil. * * * [25-27] “I’ll make up for the years of the locust, the great locust devastation— Locusts savage, locusts deadly, fierce locusts, locusts of doom, That great locust invasion I sent your way. You’ll eat your fill of good food. You’ll be full of praises to your God, The God who has set you back on your heels in wonder. Never again will my people be despised. You’ll know without question that I’m in the thick of life with Israel, That I’m your God, yes, your God, the one and only real God. Never again will my people be despised. [28-32] “And that’s just the beginning: After that— “I will pour out my Spirit on every kind of people: Your sons will prophesy, also your daughters. Your old men will dream, your young men will see visions. I’ll even pour out my Spirit on the servants, men and women both. I’ll set wonders in the sky above and signs on the earth below: Blood and fire and billowing smoke, the sun turning black and the moon blood-red, Before the Judgment Day of God, the Day tremendous and awesome. Whoever calls, ‘Help, God!’ gets help. On Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be a great rescue—just as God said. Included in the survivors are those that God…[Read more]

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  • ‭Missed a day, sorry, guys! This is the first chapter of Joel.

    Joel 1:1-20 MSG‬
    [1-3] God’s Message to Joel son of Pethuel: Attention, elder statesmen! Listen closely, everyone, whoever and wherever you are! Have you ever heard of anything like this? Has anything like this ever happened before—ever? Make sure you tell your children, and your children tell their children, And their children their children. Don’t let this message die out. [4] What the chewing locust left, the gobbling locust ate; What the gobbling locust left, the munching locust ate; What the munching locust left, the chomping locust ate. [5-7] Sober up, you drunks! Get in touch with reality—and weep! Your supply of booze is cut off. You’re on the wagon, like it or not. My country’s being invaded by an army invincible, past numbering, Teeth like those of a lion, fangs like those of a tiger. It has ruined my vineyards, stripped my orchards, And clear-cut the country. The landscape’s a moonscape. [8-10] Weep like a young virgin dressed in black, mourning the loss of her fiancé. Without grain and grapes, worship has been brought to a standstill in the Sanctuary of God. The priests are at a loss. God’s ministers don’t know what to do. The fields are sterile. The very ground grieves. The wheat fields are lifeless, vineyards dried up, olive oil gone. [11-12] Dirt farmers, despair! Grape growers, wring your hands! Lament the loss of wheat and barley. All crops have failed. Vineyards dried up, fig trees withered, Pomegranates, date palms, and apple trees— deadwood everywhere! And joy is dried up and withered in the hearts of the people. [13-14] And also you priests, put on your robes and join the outcry. You who lead people in worship, lead them in lament. Spend the night dressed in gunnysacks, you servants of my God. Nothing’s going on in the place of worship, no offerings, no prayers—nothing. Declare a holy fast, call a special meeting, get the leaders together, Round up everyone in the country. Get them into God’s Sanctuary for serious prayer to God. [15-18] What a day! Doomsday! God’s Judgment Day has come. The Strong God has arrived. This is serious business! Food is just a memory at our tables, as are joy and singing from God’s Sanctuary. The seeds in the field are dead, barns deserted, Grain silos abandoned. Who needs them? The crops have failed! The farm animals groan—oh, how they groan! The cattle mill around. There’s nothing for them to eat. Not even the sheep find anything. [19-20] God! I pray, I cry out to you! The fields are burning up, The country is a dust bowl, forest and prairie fires rage unchecked. Wild animals, dying of thirst, look to you for a drink. Springs and streams are dried up. The whole country is burning up.

    https://bible.com/bible/97/jol.1.1-20.MSG

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  • Replying to comment by: 'Narra (WC 2025) | ON HIATUSJust read Hosea a few weeks ago, really good, but this book

    If every apostle was killed for spreading His word, getting banned is small potatoes.

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  • This is the last chapter of Hosea. Tomorrow, we\’ll start on Joel.

    ‭Hosea 14:1-9 MSG‬
    [1-3] O Israel, come back! Return to your God! You’re down but you’re not out. Prepare your confession and come back to God. Pray to him, “Take away our sin, accept our confession. Receive as restitution our repentant prayers. Assyria won’t save us; horses won’t get us where we want to go. We’ll never again say ‘our god’ to something we’ve made or made up. You’re our last hope. Is it not true that in you the orphan finds mercy?” * * * [4-8] “I will heal their waywardness. I will love them lavishly. My anger is played out. I will make a fresh start with Israel. He’ll burst into bloom like a crocus in the spring. He’ll put down deep oak tree roots, he’ll become a forest of oaks! He’ll become splendid—like a giant sequoia, his fragrance like a grove of cedars! Those who live near him will be blessed by him, be blessed and prosper like golden grain. Everyone will be talking about them, spreading their fame as the vintage children of God. Ephraim is finished with gods that are no-gods. From now on I’m the one who answers and satisfies him. I am like a luxuriant fruit tree. Everything you need is to be found in me.” * * * [9] If you want to live well, make sure you understand all of this. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll learn this inside and out. God’s paths get you where you want to go. Right-living people walk them easily; wrong-living people are always tripping and stumbling.

    https://bible.com/bible/97/hos.14.1-9.MSG

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  • ‭Hosea 13:1-16 MSG‬
    [1-3] God once let loose against Ephraim a terrifying sentence against Israel: Caught and convicted in the lewd sex-worship of Baal—they died! And now they’re back in the sin business again, manufacturing god-images they can use, Religion customized to taste. Professionals see to it: Anything you want in a god you can get. Can you believe it? They sacrifice live babies to these dead gods— kill living babies and kiss golden calves! And now there’s nothing left to these people: hollow men, desiccated women, Like scraps of paper blown down the street, like smoke in a gusty wind. [4-6] “I’m still your God, the God who saved you out of Egypt. I’m the only real God you’ve ever known. I’m the one and only God who delivers. I took care of you during the wilderness hard times, those years when you had nothing. I took care of you, took care of all your needs, gave you everything you needed. You were spoiled. You thought you didn’t need me. You forgot me. [7-12] “I’ll charge them like a lion, like a leopard stalking in the brush. I’ll jump them like a sow grizzly robbed of her cubs. I’ll rip out their guts. Coyotes will make a meal of them. Crows will clean their bones. I’m going to destroy you, Israel. Who is going to stop me? Where is your trusty king you thought would save you? Where are all the local leaders you wanted so badly? All these rulers you insisted on having, demanding, ‘Give me a king! Give me leaders!’? Well, long ago I gave you a king, but I wasn’t happy about it. Now, fed up, I’ve gotten rid of him. I have a detailed record of your infidelities— Ephraim’s sin documented and stored in a safe-deposit box. [13-15a] “When birth pangs signaled it was time to be born, Ephraim was too stupid to come out of the womb. When the passage into life opened up, he didn’t show. Shall I intervene and pull them into life? Shall I snatch them from a certain death? Who is afraid of you, Death? Who cares about your threats, Tomb? In the end I’m abolishing regret, banishing sorrow, Even though Ephraim ran wild, the black sheep of the family. [15b-16] “God’s tornado is on its way, roaring out of the desert. It will devastate the country, leaving a trail of ruin and wreckage. The cities will be gutted, dear possessions gone for good. Now Samaria has to face the charges because she has rebelled against her God: Her people will be killed, babies smashed on the rocks, pregnant women ripped open.”

    https://bible.com/bible/97/hos.13.1-16.MSG

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    • Just read Hosea a few weeks ago, really good, but this book can get you banned for nsfw lol (if Ralph chooses to be a pussy about it).

      2024-03-26 15:54:38 UTC 2
      • Replying to: 'Narra (WC 2025) | ON HIATUSJust read Hosea a few weeks ago, really good, but this book

        If every apostle was killed for spreading His word, getting banned is small potatoes.

        2024-03-26 19:39:25 UTC 2
  • ‭Hosea 12:1-14 MSG‬
    [1-5] Ephraim, obsessed with god-fantasies, chases ghosts and phantoms. He tells lies nonstop, soul-destroying lies. Both Ephraim and Judah made deals with Assyria and tried to get an inside track with Egypt. God is bringing charges against Israel. Jacob’s children are hauled into court to be punished. In the womb, that heel, Jacob, got the best of his brother. When he grew up, he tried to get the best of God. But God would not be bested. God bested him. Brought to his knees, Jacob wept and prayed. God found him at Bethel. That’s where he spoke with him. God is God-of-the-Angel-Armies, God-Revealed, God-Known. * * * [6] What are you waiting for? Return to your God! Commit yourself in love, in justice! Wait for your God, and don’t give up on him—ever! [7-8] The businessmen engage in wholesale fraud. They love to rip people off! Ephraim boasted, “Look, I’m rich! I’ve made it big! And look how well I’ve covered my tracks: not a hint of fraud, not a sign of sin!” [9-11] “But not so fast! I’m God, your God! Your God from the days in Egypt! I’m going to put you back to living in tents, as in the old days when you worshiped in the wilderness. I speak through the prophets to give clear pictures of the way things are. Using prophets, I tell revealing stories. I show Gilead rampant with religious scandal and Gilgal teeming with empty-headed religion. I expose their worship centers as stinking piles of garbage in their gardens.” [12-14] Are you going to repeat the life of your ancestor Jacob? He ran off guilty to Aram, Then sold his soul to get ahead, and made it big through treachery and deceit. Your real identity is formed through God-sent prophets, who led you out of Egypt and served as faithful pastors. As it is, Ephraim has continually and inexcusably insulted God. Now he has to pay for his life-destroying ways. His Master will do to him what he has done.

    https://bible.com/bible/97/hos.12.1-14.MSG

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  • ‭Hosea 11:1-12 MSG‬
    [1-9] “When Israel was only a child, I loved him. I called out, ‘My son!’—called him out of Egypt. But when others called him, he ran off and left me. He worshiped the popular sex gods, he played at religion with toy gods. Still, I stuck with him. I led Ephraim. I rescued him from human bondage, But he never acknowledged my help, never admitted that I was the one pulling his wagon, That I lifted him, like a baby, to my cheek, that I bent down to feed him. Now he wants to go back to Egypt or go over to Assyria— anything but return to me! That’s why his cities are unsafe—the murder rate skyrockets and every plan to improve things falls to pieces. My people are hell-bent on leaving me. They pray to god Baal for help. He doesn’t lift a finger to help them. But how can I give up on you, Ephraim? How can I turn you loose, Israel? How can I leave you to be ruined like Admah, devastated like luckless Zeboim? I can’t bear to even think such thoughts. My insides churn in protest. And so I’m not going to act on my anger. I’m not going to destroy Ephraim. And why? Because I am God and not a human. I’m The Holy One and I’m here—in your very midst. [10-12] “The people will end up following God. I will roar like a lion— Oh, how I’ll roar! My frightened children will come running from the west. Like frightened birds they’ll come from Egypt, from Assyria like scared doves. I’ll move them back into their homes.” God’s Word! Ephraim tells lies right and left. Not a word of Israel can be trusted. Judah, meanwhile, is no better, addicted to cheap gods. * * *

    https://bible.com/bible/97/hos.11.1-12.MSG

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  • ‭Hosea 10:1-15 MSG‬
    [1-2] Israel was once a lush vine, bountiful in grapes. The more lavish the harvest, the more promiscuous the worship. The more money they got, the more they squandered on gods-in-their-own-image. Their sweet smiles are sheer lies. They’re guilty as sin. God will smash their worship shrines, pulverize their god-images. [3-4] They go around saying, “Who needs a king? We couldn’t care less about God, so why bother with a king? What difference would he make?” They talk big, lie through their teeth, make deals. But their high-sounding words turn out to be empty words, litter in the gutters. [5-6] The people of Samaria travel over to Crime City to worship the golden calf-god. They go all out, prancing and hollering, taken in by their showmen priests. They act so important around the calf-god, but are oblivious to the sham, the shame. They have plans to take it to Assyria, present it as a gift to the great king. And so Ephraim makes a fool of himself, disgraces Israel with his stupid idols. [7-8] Samaria is history. Its king is a dead branch floating down the river. Israel’s favorite sin centers will all be torn down. Thistles and crabgrass will decorate their ruined altars. Then they’ll say to the mountains, “Bury us!” and to the hills, “Fall on us!” [9-10] You got your start in sin at Gibeah— that ancient, unspeakable, shocking sin— And you’ve been at it ever since. And Gibeah will mark the end of it in a war to end all the sinning. I’ll come to teach them a lesson. Nations will gang up on them, Making them learn the hard way the sum of Gibeah plus Gibeah. [11-15] Ephraim was a trained heifer that loved to thresh. Passing by and seeing her strong, sleek neck, I wanted to harness Ephraim, Put Ephraim to work in the fields— Judah plowing, Jacob harrowing: Sow righteousness, reap love. It’s time to till the ready earth, it’s time to dig in with God, Until he arrives with righteousness ripe for harvest. But instead you plowed wicked ways, reaped a crop of evil and ate a salad of lies. You thought you could do it all on your own, flush with weapons and manpower. But the volcano of war will erupt among your people. All your defense posts will be leveled As viciously as king Shalman leveled the town of Beth-arba, When mothers and their babies were smashed on the rocks. That’s what’s ahead for you, you so-called people of God, because of your off-the-charts evil. Some morning you’re going to wake up and find Israel, king and kingdom, a blank—nothing.

    https://bible.com/bible/97/hos.10.1-15.MSG

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