Revelation 7; Nehemiah 9; Nehemiah 10; Psalms 102

Revelation 7

1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, restraining the four winds of the earth so that no wind could blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree.

2 Then I saw another angel rise up from the east, who had the seal of the living God. He cried out in a loud voice to the four angels who were empowered to harm the earth and the sea:

3 "Don't harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we seal the slaves of our God on their foreheads."

4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:

5 12,000 sealed from the tribe of Judah, 12,000 from the tribe of Reuben, 12,000 from the tribe of Gad,

6 12,000 from the tribe of Asher, 12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali, 12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh,

7 12,000 from the tribe of Simeon, 12,000 from the tribe of Levi, 12,000 from the tribe of Issachar,

8 12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun, 12,000 from the tribe of Joseph, 12,000 sealed from the tribe of Benjamin.

9 After this I looked, and there was a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language, which no one could number, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were robed in white with palm branches in their hands.

10 And they cried out in a loud voice: Salvation belongs to our God, who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!

11 All the angels stood around the throne, the elders, and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,

12 saying: Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.

13 Then one of the elders asked me, "Who are these people robed in white, and where did they come from?"

14 I said to him, "Sir, you know." Then he told me: These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

15 For this reason they are before the throne of God, and they serve Him day and night in His sanctuary. The One seated on the throne will shelter them:

16 no longer will they hunger; no longer will they thirst; no longer will the sun strike them, or any heat.

17 Because the Lamb who is at the center of the throne will shepherd them; He will guide them to springs of living waters, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

Nehemiah 9

1 On the twenty-fourth day of this month the Israelites assembled; they were fasting, [wearing] sackcloth, [and had put] dust on their heads.

2 Those of Israelite descent separated themselves from all foreigners, and they stood and confessed their sins and the guilt of their fathers.

3 While they stood in their places, they read from the book of the law of the Lord their God for a fourth of the day and [spent] another fourth of the day in confession and worship of the Lord their God.

4 Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani stood on the raised platform [built] for the Levites and cried out loudly to the Lord their God.

5 Then the Levites-Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah-said: Stand up. Bless the Lord your God from everlasting to everlasting. Praise Your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise.

6 You alone are the Lord. You created the heavens, the highest heavens with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them, and the heavenly host worships You.

7 You are the Lord God who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans, and changed his name to Abraham.

8 You found his heart faithful in Your sight, and made a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites, and Girgashites- to give it to his descendants. You have kept Your promise, for You are righteous.

9 You saw the oppression of our ancestors in Egypt and heard their cry at the Red Sea.

10 You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh, all his officials, and all the people of his land, for You knew how arrogantly they treated our ancestors. You made a name for Yourself that endures to this day.

11 You divided the sea before them, and they crossed through it on dry ground. You hurled their pursuers into the depths like a stone into churning waters.

12 You led them with a pillar of cloud by day, and with a pillar of fire by night, to illuminate the way they should go.

13 You came down on Mount Sinai, and spoke to them from heaven. You gave them impartial ordinances, reliable instructions, and good decrees and commandments.

14 You revealed Your holy Sabbath to them, and gave them commandments, statutes, and a law through Your servant Moses.

15 You provided bread from heaven for their hunger; You brought them water from the rock for their thirst. You told them to go in and possess the land You had sworn to give them.

16 But our ancestors acted arrogantly; they became stiff-necked and did not listen to Your commands.

17 They refused to listen and did not remember Your wonders You performed among them. They became stiff-necked and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But You are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in faithful love, and You did not abandon them.

18 Even after they had cast an image of a calf for themselves and said, "This is your God who brought you out of Egypt," and they had committed terrible blasphemies,

19 You did not abandon them in the wilderness because of Your great compassion. During the day the pillar of cloud never turned away from them, guiding them on their journey. And during the night the pillar of fire illuminated the way they should go.

20 You sent Your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold Your manna from their mouths, and You gave them water for their thirst.

21 You provided for them in the wilderness 40 years and they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out, and their feet did not swell.

22 You gave them kingdoms and peoples and assigned them to be a boundary. They took possession of the land of Sihon king of Heshbon and of the land of Og king of Bashan.

23 You multiplied their descendants like the stars of heaven and brought them to the land You told their ancestors to go in and take possession [of it].

24 So their descendants went in and possessed the land: You subdued the Canaanites who inhabited the land before them and handed their kings and the surrounding peoples over to them, to do as they pleased with them.

25 They captured fortified cities and fertile land and took possession of well-supplied houses, rock-hewn cisterns, vineyards, olive groves, and fruit trees in abundance. They ate, were filled, became prosperous, and delighted in Your great goodness.

26 But they were disobedient and rebelled against You. They flung Your law behind their backs and killed Your prophets who warned them to turn them back to You. They committed terrible blasphemies.

27 So You handed them over to their enemies, who oppressed them. In their time of distress, they cried out to You, and You heard from heaven. In Your abundant compassion You gave them deliverers, who rescued them from the power of their enemies.

28 But as soon as they had relief, they again did what was evil in Your sight. So You abandoned them to the power of their enemies, who dominated them. When they cried out to You again, You heard from heaven and rescued them many times in Your compassion.

29 You warned them to turn back to Your law, but they acted arrogantly and would not obey Your commandments. They sinned against Your ordinances, by which a person will live if he does them. They stubbornly resisted, stiffened their necks, and would not obey.

30 You were patient with them for many years, and Your Spirit warned them through Your prophets, but they would not listen. Therefore, You handed them over to the surrounding peoples.

31 However, in Your abundant compassion, You did not destroy them or abandon them, for You are a gracious and compassionate God.

32 So now, our God-the great, mighty, and awe-inspiring God who keeps His gracious covenant- do not view lightly all the hardships that have afflicted us, our kings and leaders, our priests and prophets, our ancestors and all Your people, from the days of the Assyrian kings until today.

33 You are righteous concerning all that has come on us, because You have acted faithfully, while we have acted wickedly.

34 Our kings, leaders, priests, and ancestors did not obey Your law or listen to Your commandments and warnings You gave them.

35 When they were in their kingdom, with Your abundant goodness You gave them, and in the spacious and fertile land You set before them, they would not serve You or turn from their wicked ways.

36 Here we are today, slaves in the land You gave our ancestors so that they could enjoy its fruit and its goodness. Here we are-slaves in it!

37 Its abundant harvest goes to the kings You have set over us, because of our sins. They rule over our bodies and our livestock as they please. We are in great distress.

38 In view of all this, we are making a binding agreement in writing on a sealed document [containing the names of] our leaders, Levites, and priests.

Nehemiah 10

1 Those whose seals were [on the document] were: Nehemiah the governor, son of Hacaliah, and Zedekiah,

2 Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah,

3 Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah,

4 Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch,

5 Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,

6 Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch,

7 Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,

8 Maaziah, Bilgai, and Shemaiah. These were the priests.

9 The Levites were: Jeshua son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel,

10 and their brothers Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,

11 Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah,

12 Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,

13 Hodiah, Bani, and Beninu.

14 The leaders of the people were: Parosh, Pahath-moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani,

15 Bunni, Azgad, Bebai,

16 Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin,

17 Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur,

18 Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai,

19 Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai,

20 Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir,

21 Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua,

22 Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah,

23 Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub,

24 Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek,

25 Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,

26 Ahiah, Hanan, Anan,

27 Malluch, Harim, Baanah.

28 The rest of the people-the priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, and temple servants, along with their wives, sons, and daughters, everyone who is able to understand and who has separated themselves from the surrounding peoples to [obey] the law of God-

29 join with their noble brothers and commit themselves with a sworn oath to follow the law of God given through God's servant Moses and to carefully obey all the commands, ordinances, and statutes of the Lord our Lord.

30 We will not give our daughters in marriage to the surrounding peoples and will not take their daughters as wives for our sons.

31 When the surrounding peoples bring merchandise or any kind of grain to sell on the Sabbath day, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or a holy day. We will also leave [the land] uncultivated in the seventh year and will cancel every debt.

32 We will impose [the following] commandments on ourselves: To give an eighth of an ounce of silver yearly for the service of the house of our God:

33 the bread displayed before the Lord,the daily grain offering, the regular burnt offering, the Sabbath and New Moon offerings, the appointed festivals, the holy things, the sin offerings to atone for Israel, and for all the work of the house of our God.

34 We have cast lots among the priests, Levites, and people for the donation of wood by our ancestral houses at the appointed times each year. They are to bring [the wood] to our God's house to burn on the altar of the Lord our God, as it is written in the law.

35 [We will] bring the firstfruits of our land and of every fruit tree to the Lord's house year by year.

36 [We will also bring] the firstborn of our sons and our livestock, as prescribed by the law, and will bring the firstborn of our herds and flocks to the house of our God, to the priests who serve in our God's house.

37 We will bring [a loaf] from our first batch of dough to the priests at the storerooms of the house of our God. We will also bring the firstfruits of our [grain] offerings, of every fruit tree, and of the new wine and oil. A tenth of our land's [produce] from our lands belongs to the Levites, for the Levites are to collect the one-tenth offering in all our agricultural towns.

38 A priest of Aaronic descent must accompany the Levites when they collect the tenth, and the Levites must take a tenth of this offering to the storerooms of the treasury in the house of our God.

39 For the Israelites and the Levites are to bring the contributions of grain, new wine, and oil to the storerooms where the articles of the sanctuary are kept and where the priests, gatekeepers, and singers serve. We will not neglect the house of our God.

Psalms 102

1 Lord, hear my prayer; let my cry for help come before You.

2 Do not hide Your face from me in my day of trouble. Listen closely to me; answer me quickly when I call.

3 For my days vanish like smoke, and my bones burn like a furnace.

4 My heart is afflicted, withered like grass; I even forget to eat my food.

5 Because of the sound of my groaning, my flesh sticks to my bones.

6 I am like a desert owl, like an owl among the ruins.

7 I stay awake; I am like a solitary bird on a roof.

8 My enemies taunt me all day long; they ridicule and curse me.

9 I eat ashes like bread and mingle my drinks with tears

10 because of Your indignation and wrath; for You have picked me up and thrown me aside.

11 My days are like a lengthening shadow, and I wither away like grass.

12 But You, Lord, are enthroned forever; Your fame [endures] to all generations.

13 You will arise and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show favor to her- the appointed time has come.

14 For Your servants take delight in its stones and favor its dust.

15 Then the nations will fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth Your glory,

16 for the Lord will rebuild Zion; He will appear in His glory.

17 He will pay attention to the prayer of the destitute and will not despise their prayer.

18 This will be written for a later generation, and a newly created people will praise the Lord:

19 He looked down from His holy heights- the Lord gazed out from heaven to earth-

20 to hear a prisoner's groaning, to set free those condemned to die,

21 so that they might declare the name of the Lord in Zion and His praise in Jerusalem,

22 when peoples and kingdoms are assembled to serve the Lord.

23 He has broken my strength in midcourse; He has shortened my days.

24 I say: "My God, do not take me in the middle of my life! Your years continue through all generations.

25 Long ago You established the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.

26 They will perish, but You will endure; all of them will wear out like clothing. You will change them like a garment, and they will pass away.

27 But You are the same, and Your years will never end.

28 Your servants' children will dwell [securely], and their offspring will be established before You."