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First Reading: Micah Chapter 4 and 5Micah 4
4:1 The LORD's Reign in Zion
(cf. Isa 2:2-4)
Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the LORD's
house Shall be established on the top of the mountains,And shall be exalted
above the hills;And peoples shall flow to it. 2 Many nations shall come and
say,"Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,To the house of
the God of Jacob;He will teach us His ways,And we shall walk in His paths."For
out of Zion the law shall go forth,And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
3 He shall judge between many peoples,And rebuke strong nations afar off;They
shall beat their swords into plowshares,And their spears into pruning hooks;Nation
shall not lift up sword against nation,Neither shall they learn war anymore.
4 But everyone shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree,And no one shall
make them afraid;For the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken. 5 For all people
walk each in the name of his god,But we will walk in the name of the LORD our
GodForever and ever.
6 Zion's Future Triumph
"In that day," says the LORD,"I will assemble the lame,I will
gather the outcast And those whom I have afflicted; 7 I will make the lame a
remnant,And the outcast a strong nation;So the LORD will reign over them in
Mount ZionFrom now on, even forever. 8 And you, O tower of the flock,The stronghold
of the daughter of Zion,To you shall it come,Even the former dominion shall
come,The kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem."
9 Now why do you cry aloud?Is there no king in your midst?Has your counselor
perished?For pangs have seized you like a woman in labor. 10 Be in pain, and
labor to bring forth,O daughter of Zion,Like a woman in birth pangs.For now
you shall go forth from the city,You shall dwell in the field,And to Babylon
you shall go.There you shall be delivered;There the LORD will redeem you From
the hand of your enemies.
11 Now also many nations have gathered against you,Who say, "Let her be
defiled,And let our eye look upon Zion." 12 But they do not know the thoughts
of the LORD,Nor do they understand His counsel;For He will gather them like
sheaves to the threshing floor.
13 "Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion;For I will make your horn iron,And
I will make your hooves bronze;You shall beat in pieces many peoples;I will
consecrate their gain to the LORD,And their substance to the Lord of the whole
earth."
Micah 5
5:1
Now gather yourself in troops,O daughter of troops;He has laid siege against
us;They will strike the judge of Israel with a rod on the cheek.
2 The Coming Messiah
"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,Though you are little among the thousands
of Judah,Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel,Whose
goings forth are from of old,From everlasting."
3 Therefore He shall give them up,Until the time that she who is in labor has
given birth;Then the remnant of His brethren Shall return to the children of
Israel. 4 And He shall stand and feed His flockIn the strength of the LORD,In
the majesty of the name of the LORD His God;And they shall abide,For now He
shall be great To the ends of the earth; 5 And this One shall be peace.
Judgment on Israel's Enemies
When the Assyrian comes into our land,And when he treads in our palaces,Then
we will raise against him Seven shepherds and eight princely men. 6 They shall
waste with the sword the land of Assyria,And the land of Nimrod at its entrances;Thus
He shall deliver us from the Assyrian,When he comes into our land And when he
treads within our borders.
7 Then the remnant of JacobShall be in the midst of many peoples,Like dew from
the LORD,Like showers on the grass,That tarry for no man Nor wait for the sons
of men. 8 And the remnant of JacobShall be among the Gentiles,In the midst of
many peoples,Like a lion among the beasts of the forest,Like a young lion among
flocks of sheep,Who, if he passes through,Both treads down and tears in pieces,And
none can deliver. 9 Your hand shall be lifted against your adversaries,And all
your enemies shall be cut off.
10 "And it shall be in that day," says the LORD,"That I will
cut off your horses from your midst And destroy your chariots. 11 I will cut
off the cities of your land And throw down all your strongholds. 12 I will cut
off sorceries from your hand,And you shall have no soothsayers. 13 Your carved
images I will also cut off,And your sacred pillars from your midst;You shall
no more worship the work of your hands; 14 I will pluck your wooden images from
your midst;Thus I will destroy your cities. 15 And I will execute vengeance
in anger and fury On the nations that have not heard."
Psalms 100
100:1 A Song of Praise for the Faithfulness to His People
A Psalm of Thanksgiving.
Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands! 2 Serve the LORD with gladness;Come
before His presence with singing. 3 Know that the LORD, He is God;It is He who
has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,And into His courts with praise.Be
thankful to Him, and bless His name. 5 For the LORD is good;His mercy is everlasting,And
His truth endures to all generations.
Psalms 101
101:1 Promised Faithfulness to the LORD
A Psalm of David.
I will sing of mercy and justice;To You, O LORD, I will sing praises.
2 I will behave wisely in a perfect way.Oh, when will You come to me?I will
walk within my house with a perfect heart.
3 I will set nothing wicked before my eyes;I hate the work of those who fall
away;It shall not cling to me. 4 A perverse heart shall depart from me;I will
not know wickedness.
5 Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor,Him I will destroy;The one who has
a haughty look and a proud heart,Him I will not endure.
6 My eyes shall be on the faithful of the land,That they may dwell with me;He
who walks in a perfect way,He shall serve me. 7 He who works deceit shall not
dwell within my house;He who tells lies shall not continue in my presence. 8
Early I will destroy all the wicked of the land,That I may cut off all the evildoers
from the city of the LORD.
TIMELINE OF THE PERIOD OF THE BIBLICAL KINGS
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