Nancy: Welcome to immerse: the daily bible reading experience.
day 200 and 73
then this message came to me from the Lord Son of man.
Turn and face the south and speak out against it.
Prophesy against the brush lands of the Negev.
Tell the southern wilderness.
This is what the sovereign Lord says.
Hear the word of the Lord.
I will set you on fire and every tree, both green and dry.
Will be burned.
The terrible flames will not be quenched and will scorch everything from south
to north, and everyone in the world will see that I, the Lord have set this fire.
It will not be put out.
Then I said, oh, sovereign Lord, they're saying of me.
He only talks in riddles.
Then this message came to me from the Lord.
Son of man turn and face Jerusalem and prophesy against
Israel and her sanctuaries.
Tell her this is what the Lord says.
I am your enemy real.
And I am about to uns sheath my sword to destroy your people, the
righteous and the wicked alike.
Yes, I will cut off both the righteous and the wicked.
I will draw my sword against everyone in the land from south to north.
Everyone in the world will know that I am the Lord.
My sword is in my hand, and it will not return to its sheath
until its work is finished.
Son of man groan before the people groan before them with
bitter anguish and a broken heart.
When they ask why you are groaning, tell them I groan because of the
terrifying news I have heard.
When it comes true, the boldest heart will melt with fear.
All strength will disappear.
Every spirit will faint.
Strong knees will become as weak as water, and the sovereign Lord says it is coming.
It's on its way.
Then the Lord said to me, son of man, give the people this message from the Lord.
A sword.
A sword is being sharpened and polished.
It is sharpened for terrible slaughter and polished a flash like lightning.
Now will you laugh those far stronger than you have fallen beneath its power.
Yes, the sword is now being sharpened and polished.
It is being prepared for the executioner.
Son of man.
Cry out and wail.
Pound your thighs in anguish.
For that sword will slaughter my people and their leaders.
Everyone will die.
It will put them all to the test.
What chance do they have?
Says the sovereign Lord, son of man.
Prophesy to them and clap your hands.
Then take the sword and brandish it twice, even three times.
To symbolize the great massacre.
The great massacre facing them on every side.
Let their hearts melt with terror.
For the sword glitters at every gate, it flashes like lightning
and is polished for slaughter.
Oh, sword slash to the right, then slash to the left.
Wherever you will, wherever you want.
I too will clap my hands and I will satisfy my fury.
I the Lord have spoken.
Then this message came to me from the Lord.
Son of man make a map and trace two routes on it for the sword
of Babylon's King to follow.
Put a signpost on the road that comes out of Babylon where the road
forks into two one road going to Amon and its capital Rabbi and the other
to Judah and fortified Jerusalem.
The king of Babylon now stands at the fork uncertain whether
to attack Jerusalem or Rabbi.
He calls his magicians to look for omens.
They cast lots by shaking arrows from the quiver.
They inspect the livers of animal sacrifices.
The omen in his right hand says Jerusalem with battering rams.
As soldiers will go against the gates shouting for the kill,
they will put up siege towers and build ramps against the walls.
The people of Jerusalem will think it is a false omen because of their treaty with
the Babylonians, but the King of Babylon will remind the people of their rebellion.
Then he will attack and capture them.
Therefore, this is what the sovereign Lord says again and again.
You remind me of your sin and your guilt.
You don't even try to hide it in everything you do, your sins
are obvious for all to see.
So now the time of your punishment has come, oh, you corrupt
and wicked Prince of Israel.
Your final day of reckoning is here.
This is what the sovereign Lord says, take off your jeweled crown for the old order
changes now the lowly will be exalted and the mighty will be brought down.
Destruction.
I will surely destroy the kingdom and it will not be
restored until the one appears.
Who has the right to judge it?
Then I will hand it over to him.
Now son of man prophesy concerning the Ammonites and their mockery.
Give them this message from the sovereign Lord.
A sword.
A sword is drawn for your slaughter.
It is polished to destroy flashing like lightning.
Your prophets have given false visions and your fortune tellers have told lies.
The sword will fall on the necks of the wicked for whom the day
of final reckoning has come.
Now return the sword to its sheath for in your own country, the land of your birth.
I will pass judgment upon you.
I will pour out my fury on you and blow on you.
With the fire of my anger, I will hand you over to cruel men
who are skilled in destruction.
You will be fuel for the fire and your blood will be spilled in your own land.
You will be utterly wiped out your memory loss to history.
For I The Lord have spoken now.
This message came to me from the Lord, son of man.
Are you ready to judge Jerusalem?
Are you ready to judge this city of murderers?
Publicly?
Denounce her detestable sins and give her this message From the sovereign
Lord o City of Murderers, doomed and damned city of idols, filthy and foul.
You are guilty because of the blood you have shed.
You are defiled because of the idols you have made.
Your day of destruction has come.
You have reached the end of your years.
I will make you an object of mockery throughout the world.
Oh, infamous city, filled with confusion.
You will be mocked by people far and near.
Every leader in Israel who lives within your walls is bent on murder.
Fathers and mothers are treated with contempt.
Foreigners are forced to pay for protection.
Orphans and widows are wronged and oppressed among you.
You despise my holy things and violate my Sabbath.
Days of rest people accuse others falsely and send them to their death.
You are filled with idol worshipers and people who do obscene things.
Men sleep with their father's wives and force themselves on women who
are menstruating within your walls.
Live.
Men who commit adultery with their neighbor's wives who defile their
daughters-in-law or who rape their own sisters, there are hired murderers, lone
racketeers, and extortioners everywhere.
They never even think of me in my commands, says the sovereign Lord.
But now I clap my hands and indignation over your dishonest gain and bloodshed.
How strong and courageous will you be?
In my day of reckoning, I, the Lord have spoken and I will do what I said.
I will scatter you among the nations and purge you of your wickedness.
And when I have been dishonored among the nations because of you.
You will know that I am the Lord.
Then this message came to me from the Lord, son of man.
The people of Israel are the worthless slag that remains after silver is smelted.
They're the dross that is left over a useless mixture
of copper, tin, iron, and led.
So tell them this is what the sovereign Lord says because
you are all worthless slag.
I will bring you to my crucible in Jerusalem.
Just as silver, copper, iron, lead and tin are melted down in a furnace, I will
melt you down in the heat of my fury.
I will gather you together and blow the fire of my anger upon you, and you
will melt like silver and fierce heat.
Then you will know that I, the Lord have poured out my fury on you.
Again, a message came to me from the Lord, son of man.
Give the people of Israel this message in the day of my indignation.
You will be like a polluted land, a land without rain.
Your princes plot conspiracies just as lions stalk their prey.
They devour innocent people, seizing treasures and extorting wealth.
They make many widows in the land.
Your priests have violated my instructions and defiled my holy things.
They make no distinction between what is holy and what is not, and they do not
teach my people the difference between what is ceremonially clean and unclean.
They disregard my Sabbath days so that I am dishonored among them.
Your leaders are like wolves who tear apart their victims.
They actually destroy people's lives for money.
And your prophets cover up for them by announcing false visions
and making lying predictions.
They say, my message is from the sovereign Lord.
When the Lord hasn't spoken a single word to them.
Even common people oppress the poor, rob the needy, and
deprive foreigners of justice.
I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of
righteousness that guards the land.
I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn't have to
destroy the land, but I found no one.
So now I will pour out my fury on them, consuming them.
With the fire of my anger, I will heap on their heads the
full penalty for all their sins.
I the sovereign Lord have spoken.
This message came to me from the Lord.
Son of man once.
There were two sisters who were daughters of the same mother.
They became prostitutes in Egypt.
Even as young girls.
They allowed men to fondle their breasts.
The older girl was named Olla and her sister was Olba.
I married them and they bore me sons and daughters.
I am speaking of Samaria and Jerusalem for Ola is Samaria and Uba is Jerusalem.
Then Ola lusted after other lovers instead of me, and she gave her
love to the Assyrian officers.
They were all attractive young men, captains and commanders dressed
in handsome blue charioteers driving their horses, and so she
prostituted herself with the most desirable men of Assyria, worshiping
their idols and defiling herself.
For when she left Egypt, she did not leave her spirit of prostitution behind.
She was still as lewd as in her youth when the Egyptians slept with her, fondled her
breasts, and used her as a prostitute.
And so I handed her over to her Assyrian lovers, whom she desired so much, they
stripped her, took away her children as their slaves, and then killed her.
After she received her punishment, her reputation was known
to every woman in the land.
Yet, even though Olba saw what had happened to Olla her sister, she
followed right in her footsteps and she was even more depraved, abandoning
herself to her lust and prostitution.
She fawned over all the Assyrian officers, those captains and
commanders, and handsome uniforms.
Those charioteers driving their horses, all of them attractive young men.
I saw the way she was going defiling herself just like her older sister.
Then she carried her prostitution even further.
She fell in love with pictures that were painted on a wall.
Pictures of Babylonian military officers outfitted in striking red uniforms.
Handsome belts encircled their waists and flowing turbans crowned their heads.
They were dressed like chariot officers from the land of Babylonia.
When she saw these paintings, she longed to give herself to them, so
she sent messengers to Babylonia to invite them to come to her.
So they came and committed adultery with her, defiling her in the bed of love.
After being defiled.
However, she rejected them in disgust in the same way.
I became disgusted with Olba and rejected her just as I had rejected her sister
because she flaunt herself before them and gave herself to satisfy their lusts.
Yet she turned to even greater prostitution, remembering her youth
when she was a prostitute in Egypt.
She lusted after lovers with genitals as large as the donkeys
and emissions like those of a horse.
And so olba, you relived your former days as a young girl in Egypt when
you first allowed your breasts to be fondled, therefore, olba, this
is what the sovereign Lord says.
I will send your lovers against you from every direction.
Those very nations from which you turned away and discussed for the Babylonians
will come with all the Chaldeans from Peacock and Shoa and Koa, and all
the Assyrians will come with them.
Handsome young captains, commanders, chariot officers, and other high ranking
officers all riding their horses.
They will all come against you from the north with chariots, wagons, and
a great army prepared for attack.
They will take up positions on every side surrounding you with men armed
with shields and helmets, and I will hand you over to them for punishment
so they can do with you as they please.
I will turn my jealous anger against you and they will deal harshly with you.
They will cut off your nose and ears and any survivors will then
be slaughtered by the sword.
Your children will be taken away.
Its captives and everything that is left will be burned.
They will strip you of your beautiful clothes and jewels In this way, I
will put a stop to the lewdness and prostitution you brought from Egypt.
You will never again cast longing eyes on those things or fondly.
Remember your time in Egypt.
For this is what the Sovereign Lord says, I will surely hand you
over to your enemies, to those you loathe, those you rejected.
They will treat you with hatred and rob you of all you
own, leaving you stark naked.
The shame of your prostitution will be exposed to all the world.
You brought all this on yourself By prostituting yourself to other nations,
defiling yourself with all their idols.
Because you have followed in your sister's footsteps, I will force you to
drink the same cup of terror she drank.
Yes.
This is what the sovereign Lord says, you will drink from
your sister's cup of terror.
A cup that is large and deep.
It is filled to the brimm.
With scorn and derision, drunkenness and anguish will fill you for
your cup is filled to the brimm with distress and desolation.
The same cup your sister Samaria drank, you will drain that cup of terror to the
very bottom, then you will smash it to pieces and beat your breast in anguish.
I the sovereign Lord have spoken and because you have forgotten me
and turned your back on me, this is what the sovereign Lord says.
You must bear the consequences of all your lewdness and prostitution.
The Lord said to me, son of man, you must accuse olah and olba
of all their detestable sins.
They have committed both adultery and murder, adultery
by worshiping idols and murder.
By burning his sacrifices, the children they bore to me.
Furthermore, they have defiled my temple and violated my Sabbath day.
On the very day that they sacrificed their children to their idols, they
boldly came into my temple to worship.
They came in and defiled my house.
You sisters sent messengers to distant lands to get men.
Then when they arrived, you bathed yourselves, painted your eyelids, and
put on your finest jewels for them.
You sat with them on a beautifully embroidered couch and put my incense
and my special oil on a table that was spread before you from your room
came the sound of many men, carousing.
They were lustful men and drunkards from the wilderness who put bracelets on your
wrists and beautiful crowns on your heads.
Then I said, if they really want to have sex with old, worn out
prostitutes like these, let them.
That is what they did.
They had sex with Ola and Olba, these shameless prostitutes, but righteous
people will judge these sister cities for what they really are.
Adulterers and murderers.
Now, this is what the sovereign Lord says, bring an army against them
and hand them over to be terrorized and plundered for their enemies will
stone them and kill them with swords.
They will butcher their sons and daughters and burn their homes.
In this way, I will put an end to lewdness and idolatry in the land and my
judgment will be a warning to all women.
Not to follow your wicked example.
You will be fully repaid for all your prostitution you worship of idols.
Yes, you will suffer the full penalty.
Then you will know that I am the sovereign Lord.
On January 15th, during the ninth year of King Jo Jolla Kin's
Captivity, this message came to me from the Lord Son of Man.
Write down today's date because on this very day, the King of Babylon is
beginning his attack against Jerusalem.
Then give these rebels and illustration with this message from the sovereign Lord.
Put a pot on the fire and pour in some water.
Fill it with choice pieces of meat.
The rump and the shoulder and all the most tender cuts.
Use only the best cheap from the flock and heap fuel on the fire beneath the pot.
Bring the pot to a boil and cook the bones along with the meat.
Now this is what the sovereign Lord says.
What?
Sorrow awaits Jerusalem, the city of murderers.
She is a cooking pod whose corruption can't be cleaned out.
Take the meat out in random order for no peace is better than another.
For the blood of her murders is splashed on the rocks.
It isn't even spilled on the ground where the dust could cover it.
So I will splash her blood on a rock for all to see an expression of my
anger and vengeance against her.
This is what the sovereign Lord says.
What sorrow awaits Jerusalem.
The city of murderers, I myself will pile up the fuel beneath her.
Yes.
Heap on the wood.
Let the fire roar to make the pot boil.
Cook the meat with many spices and afterward burn the bones.
Now set the empty pot on the coals.
Heated red hot, burn away the filth and corruption.
It's hopeless.
The corruption can't be cleaned out, so throw it into the fire.
Your impurity is your lewdness and the corruption of your idolatry.
I tried to cleanse you, but you refused, so now you will remain in your filth until
my fury against you has been satisfied.
I, the Lord have spoken, the time has come and I won't hold back.
I will not change my mind and I will have no pity on you.
You will be judged on the basis of all your wicked actions,
says the sovereign Lord.
Then this message came to me from the Lord, son of man with one blow.
I will take away your dearest treasure.
Yet you must not show any sorrow at her death.
Do not weep.
Let there be no tears groan silently, but let there be no wailing at her grave.
Do not uncover your head or take off your sandals.
Do not perform the usual rituals of mourning or accept any food
brought to you by consoling friends.
So I proclaimed this to the people the next morning and in the evening.
My wife died the next morning.
I did everything I had been told to do.
Then the people asked, what does all this mean?
What are you trying to tell us?
So I said to them, A message came to me from the Lord and I was told to give
this message to the people of Israel.
This is what the sovereign Lord says, I will defile my temple.
The source of your security and pride, the place your heart delights in.
Your sons and daughters whom you left behind in Judah will
be slaughtered by the sword.
Then you will do as Ezekiel has done.
You will not mourn in public or console yourselves by eating
the food brought by friends.
Your heads will remain covered and your sandals will not be taken off.
You will not mourn or weep, but you'll waste away because of your sins.
You will groan among yourselves for all the evil you have done.
Ezekiel is an example for you.
You will do just as he has done, and when that time comes, you'll
know that I am the sovereign Lord.
Then the Lord said to me, son of man, on the day I take away their
stronghold, their joy and glory, their heart's desire, their dearest treasure.
I will also take away their sons and daughters.
And on that day, a survivor from Jerusalem will come to you in Babylon
and tell you what has happened.
And when he arrives, your voice will suddenly return.
So you can talk to him and you will be a symbol for these people.
Then they will know that I am the Lord.
This concludes today's immerse reading experience.
Thank you for joining us.