Meditate

22. Jerusalem's Sins

The Bloody City

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The word of the Lord came to me:²You, mortal, will you judge, will you judge the bloody city? Then declare to it all its abominable deeds.³You shall say, Thus says the Lord God: A city! Shedding blood within itself; its time has come; making its idols, defiling itself.⁴You have become guilty by the blood that you have shed, and defiled by the idols that you have made; you have brought your day near, the appointed time of your years has come. Therefore I have made you a disgrace before the nations, and a mockery to all the countries.⁵Those who are near and those who are far from you will mock you, you infamous one, full of tumult.

⁶ The princes of Israel in you, everyone according to his power, have been bent on shedding blood.⁷Father and mother are treated with contempt in you; the alien residing within you suffers extortion; the orphan and the widow are wronged in you.⁸You have despised my holy things, and profaned my sabbaths.⁹In you are those who slander to shed blood, those in you who eat upon the mountains, who commit lewdness in your midst.¹⁰In you they uncover their fathers’ nakedness; in you they violate women in their menstrual periods.¹¹One commits abomination with his neighbor’s wife; another lewdly defiles his daughter-in-law; another in you defiles his sister, his father’s daughter.¹²In you, they take bribes to shed blood; you take both advance interest and accrued interest, and make gain of your neighbors by extortion; and you have forgotten me, says the Lord God.

¹³ See, I strike my hands together at the dishonest gain you have made, and at the blood that has been shed within you.¹⁴Can your courage endure, or can your hands remain strong in the days when I shall deal with you? I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it.¹⁵I will scatter you among the nations and disperse you through the countries, and I will purge your filthiness out of you.¹⁶And I shall be profaned through you in the sight of the nations; and you shall know that I am the Lord.

¹⁷ The word of the Lord came to me:¹⁸Mortal, the house of Israel has become dross to me; all of them, silver, bronze, tin, iron, and lead. In the smelter they have become dross.¹⁹Therefore thus says the Lord God: Because you have all become dross, I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem.²⁰As one gathers silver, bronze, iron, lead, and tin into a smelter, to blow the fire upon them in order to melt them; so I will gather you in my anger and in my wrath, and I will put you in and melt you.²¹I will gather you and blow upon you with the fire of my wrath, and you shall be melted within it.²²As silver is melted in a smelter, so you shall be melted in it; and you shall know that I the Lord have poured out my wrath upon you.

²³ The word of the Lord came to me:²⁴Mortal, say to it: You are a land that is not cleansed, not rained upon in the day of indignation.²⁵Its princes within it are like a roaring lion tearing the prey; they have devoured human lives; they have taken treasure and precious things; they have made many widows within it.²⁶Its priests have done violence to my teaching and have profaned my holy things; they have made no distinction between the holy and the common, neither have they taught the difference between the unclean and the clean, and they have disregarded my sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them.²⁷Its officials within it are like wolves tearing the prey, shedding blood, destroying lives to get dishonest gain.²⁸Its prophets have smeared whitewash on their behalf, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, “Thus says the Lord God,” when the Lord has not spoken.²⁹The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery; they have oppressed the poor and needy, and have extorted from the alien without redress.³⁰And I sought for anyone among them who would repair the wall and stand in the breach before me on behalf of the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one.³¹Therefore I have poured out my indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath; I have returned their conduct upon their heads, says the Lord God.

14. Miracles of Jesus

The Death of John the Baptist

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At that time Herod the ruler heard reports about Jesus;²and he said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist; he has been raised from the dead, and for this reason these powers are at work in him.”³For Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife,⁴because John had been telling him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.”⁵Though Herod wanted to put him to death, he feared the crowd, because they regarded him as a prophet.⁶But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company, and she pleased Herod⁷so much that he promised on oath to grant her whatever she might ask.⁸Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter.”⁹The king was grieved, yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he commanded it to be given;¹⁰he sent and had John beheaded in the prison.¹¹The head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, who brought it to her mother.¹²His disciples came and took the body and buried it; then they went and told Jesus.

119. Psalm 119

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Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes,

and I will observe it to the end.

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Give me understanding, that I may keep your law

and observe it with my whole heart.

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Lead me in the path of your commandments,

for I delight in it.

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Turn my heart to your decrees,

and not to selfish gain.

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Turn my eyes from looking at vanities;

give me life in your ways.

38

Confirm to your servant your promise,

which is for those who fear you.

39

Turn away the disgrace that I dread,

for your ordinances are good.

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See, I have longed for your precepts;

in your righteousness give me life.

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Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord,

your salvation according to your promise.

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Then I shall have an answer for those who taunt me,

for I trust in your word.

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Do not take the word of truth utterly out of my mouth,

for my hope is in your ordinances.

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I will keep your law continually,

forever and ever.

45

I shall walk at liberty,

for I have sought your precepts.

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I will also speak of your decrees before kings,

and shall not be put to shame;

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I find my delight in your commandments,

because I love them.

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I revere your commandments, which I love,

and I will meditate on your statutes.