Micah 6-7 61 Listen now to what Yahweh says: “Arise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear what you have to say. 2 Hear, you mountains, Yahweh’s controversy, and you enduring foundations of the earth; for Yahweh has a controversy with his people, and he will contend with Israel. 3 My people, what have I done to you? How have I burdened you? Answer me! 4 For I brought you up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage. I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. 5 My people, remember now what Balak king of Moab devised, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of Yahweh.” 6 How shall I come before Yahweh, and bow myself before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? 7 Will Yahweh be pleased with thousands of rams? With tens of thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my disobedience? The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8 He has shown you, O man, what is good. What does Yahweh require of you, but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? 9 Yahweh’s voice calls to the city, and wisdom sees your name: “Listen to the rod, and he who appointed it. 10 Are there yet treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and a short ephah that is accursed? 11 Shall I be pure with dishonest scales, and with a bag of deceitful weights? 12 Her rich men are full of violence, her inhabitants speak lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their speech. 13 Therefore I also have struck you with a grievous wound. I have made you desolate because of your sins. 14 You shall eat, but not be satisfied. Your humiliation will be within you. You will store up, but not save; and that which you save I will give up to the sword. 15 You will sow, but won’t reap. You will tread the olives, but won’t anoint yourself with oil; and crush grapes, but won’t drink the wine. 16 For the statutes of Omri are kept, and all the works of Ahab’s house. You walk in their counsels, that I may make you a ruin, and her inhabitants a hissing; And you will bear the reproach of my people.” 71 Misery is mine! Indeed, I am like one who gathers the summer fruits, as gleanings of the vineyard: There is no cluster of grapes to eat. My soul desires to eat the early fig. 2 The godly man has perished out of the earth, and there is no one upright among men. They all lie in wait for blood; every man hunts his brother with a net. 3 Their hands are on that which is evil to do it diligently. The ruler and judge ask for a bribe; and the powerful man dictates the evil desire of his soul. Thus they conspire together. 4 The best of them is like a brier. The most upright is worse than a thorn hedge. The day of your watchmen, even your visitation, has come; now is the time of their confusion. 5 Don’t trust in a neighbor. Don’t put confidence in a friend. With the woman lying in your embrace, be careful of the words of your mouth! 6 For the son dishonors the father, the daughter rises up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house. 7 But as for me, I will look to Yahweh. I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me. 8 Don’t rejoice against me, my enemy. When I fall, I will arise. When I sit in darkness, Yahweh will be a light to me. 9 I will bear the indignation of Yahweh, because I have sinned against him, until he pleads my case, and executes judgment for me. He will bring me out to the light. I will see his righteousness. 10 Then my enemy will see it, and shame will cover her who said to me, where is Yahweh your God? Then my enemy will see me and will cover her shame. Now she will be trodden down like the mire of the streets. 11 A day to build your walls— In that day, he will extend your boundary. 12 In that day they will come to you from Assyria and the cities of Egypt, and from Egypt even to the River, and from sea to sea, and mountain to mountain. 13 Yet the land will be desolate because of those who dwell therein, for the fruit of their doings. 14 Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your heritage, who dwell by themselves in a forest, in the middle of fertile pasture land, let them feed; in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old. 15 “As in the days of your coming out of the land of Egypt, I will show them marvelous things.” 16 The nations will see and be ashamed of all their might. They will lay their hand on their mouth. Their ears will be deaf. 17 They will lick the dust like a serpent. Like crawling things of the earth they shall come trembling out of their dens. They will come with fear to Yahweh our God, and will be afraid because of you. 18 Who is a God like you, who pardons iniquity, and passes over the disobedience of the remnant of his heritage? He doesn’t retain his anger forever, because he delights in loving kindness. 19 He will again have compassion on us. He will tread our iniquities under foot; and you will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. 20 You will give truth to Jacob, and mercy to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old.

Job 35 351 Moreover Elihu answered, 2 “Do you think this to be your right, or do you say, ‘My righteousness is more than God’s,’ 3 that you ask, ‘What advantage will it be to you? What profit will I have, more than if I had sinned?’ 4 I will answer you, and your companions with you. 5 Look to the skies, and see. See the skies, which are higher than you. 6 If you have sinned, what effect do you have against him? If your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to him? 7 If you are righteous, what do you give him? Or what does he receive from your hand? 8 Your wickedness may hurt a man as you are, and your righteousness may profit a son of man. 9 “By reason of the multitude of oppressions they cry out. They cry for help by reason of the arm of the mighty. 10 But no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night, 11 who teaches us more than the animals of the earth, and makes us wiser than the birds of the sky?’ 12 There they cry, but no one answers, because of the pride of evil men. 13 Surely God will not hear an empty cry, neither will the Almighty regard it. 14 How much less when you say you don’t see him. The cause is before him, and you wait for him! 15 But now, because he has not visited in his anger, neither does he greatly regard arrogance. 16 Therefore Job opens his mouth with empty talk, and he multiplies words without knowledge.”

John 18:37-40 1837 Pilate therefore said to him, “Are you a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this reason I have been born, and for this reason I have come into the world, that I should testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” 38 Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” When he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, “I find no basis for a charge against him. 39 But you have a custom, that I should release someone to you at the Passover. Therefore, do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” 40 Then they all shouted again, saying, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.

Revelation 13 131 Then I stood on the sand of the sea. I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads. On his horns were ten crowns, and on his heads, blasphemous names. 2 The beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. 3 One of his heads looked like it had been wounded fatally. His fatal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled at the beast. 4 They worshiped the dragon, because he gave his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” 5 A mouth speaking great things and blasphemy was given to him. Authority to make war for forty-two months was given to him. 6 He opened his mouth for blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his dwelling, those who dwell in heaven. 7 It was given to him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them. Authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation was given to him. 8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been killed. 9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear. 10 If anyone is to go into captivity, he will go into captivity. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, he must be killed. Here is the endurance and the faith of the saints. 11 I saw another beast coming up out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke like a dragon. 12 He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. He makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. 13 He performs great signs, even making fire come down out of the sky to the earth in the sight of people. 14 He deceives my own people who dwell on the earth because of the signs he was granted to do in front of the beast, saying to those who dwell on the earth that they should make an image to the beast who had the sword wound and lived. 15 It was given to him to give breath to it, to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause as many as wouldn’t worship the image of the beast to be killed. 16 He causes all, the small and the great, the rich and the poor, and the free and the slave, to be given marks on their right hands, or on their foreheads; 17 and that no one would be able to buy or to sell, unless he has that mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom. He who has understanding, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is six hundred sixty-six.

If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?