ISAIAH 18

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Message to Ethiopia18:1 Alas, oh land of whirring wings

Which lies beyond the rivers of Cush,

2 Which sends envoys by the sea,

Even in papyrus vessels on the surface of the waters.

Go, swift messengers, to a nation tall and smooth,

To a people feared far and wide,

A powerful and oppressive nation

Whose land the rivers divide.

3 All you inhabitants of the world and dwellers on earth,

As soon as a standard is raised on the mountains, you will see it,

And as soon as the trumpet is blown, you will hear it.

4 For thus the LORD has told me,

“I will look from My dwelling place quietly

Like dazzling heat in the sunshine,

Like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.”

5 For before the harvest, as soon as the bud blossoms

And the flower becomes a ripening grape,

Then He will cut off the sprigs with pruning knives

And remove and cut away the spreading branches.

6 They will be left together for mountain birds of prey,

And for the beasts of the earth;

And the birds of prey will spend the summer feeding on them,

And all the beasts of the earth will spend harvest time on them.

7 At that time a gift of homage will be brought to the LORD of hosts

From a people tall and smooth,

Even from a people feared far and wide,

A powerful and oppressive nation,

Whose land the rivers divide--

To the place of the name of the LORD of hosts, even Mount Zion.

ISAIAH 19

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Message to Egypt  19:1 The oracle concerning Egypt.

Behold, the LORD is riding on a swift cloud and is about to come to Egypt;

The idols of Egypt will tremble at His presence,

And the heart of the Egyptians will melt within them.

2 “So I will incite Egyptians against Egyptians;

And they will each fight against his brother and each against his neighbor,

City against city and kingdom against kingdom.

3 “Then the spirit of the Egyptians will be demoralized within them;

And I will confound their strategy,

So that they will resort to idols and ghosts of the dead

And to mediums and spiritists.

4 “Moreover, I will deliver the Egyptians into the hand of a cruel master,

And a mighty king will rule over them,” declares the Lord GOD of hosts.

5 The waters from the sea will dry up,

And the river will be parched and dry.

6 The canals will emit a stench,

The streams of Egypt will thin out and dry up;

The reeds and rushes will rot away.

7 The bulrushes by the Nile, by the edge of the Nile

And all the sown fields by the Nile

Will become dry, be driven away, and be no more.

8 And the fishermen will lament,

And all those who cast a line into the Nile will mourn,

And those who spread nets on the waters will pine away.

9 Moreover, the manufacturers of linen made from combed flax

And the weavers of white cloth will be utterly dejected.

10 And the pillars of Egypt will be crushed;

All the hired laborers will be grieved in soul.

11 The princes of Zoan are mere fools;

The advice of Pharaoh’s wisest advisers has become stupid.

How can you men say to Pharaoh,

“I am a son of the wise, a son of ancient kings”?

12 Well then, where are your wise men?

Please let them tell you,

And let them understand what the LORD of hosts

Has purposed against Egypt.

13 The princes of Zoan have acted foolishly,

The princes of Memphis are deluded;

Those who are the cornerstone of her tribes

Have led Egypt astray.

14 The LORD has mixed within her a spirit of distortion;

They have led Egypt astray in all that it does,

As a drunken man staggers in his vomit.

15 There will be no work for Egypt

Which its head or tail, its palm branch or bulrush, may do.

    16 In that day the Egyptians will become like women, and they will tremble and be in dread because of the waving of the hand of the LORD of hosts, which He is going to wave over them. 17 The land of Judah will become a terror to Egypt; everyone to whom it is mentioned will be in dread of it, because of the purpose of the LORD of hosts which He is purposing against them.
    18 In that day five cities in the land of Egypt will be speaking the language of Canaan and swearing allegiance to the LORD of hosts; one will be called the City of Destruction.
    19 In that day there will be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the LORD near its border. 20 It will become a sign and a witness to the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt; for they will cry to the LORD because of oppressors, and He will send them a Savior and a Champion, and He will deliver them. 21 Thus the LORD will make Himself known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will know the LORD in that day. They will even worship with sacrifice and offering, and will make a vow to the LORD and perform it. 22 The LORD will strike Egypt, striking but healing; so they will return to the LORD, and He will respond to them and will heal them.
    23 In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrians will come into Egypt and the Egyptians into Assyria, and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians.
    24 In that day Israel will be the third party with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, 25 whom the LORD of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.”

PROVERBS 14

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Contrast the Upright and the Wicked14:1 The wise woman builds her house,

But the foolish tears it down with her own hands.

2 He who walks in his uprightness fears the LORD,

But he who is devious in his ways despises Him.

3 In the mouth of the foolish is a rod for his back,

But the lips of the wise will protect them.

4 Where no oxen are, the manger is clean,

But much revenue comes by the strength of the ox.

5 A trustworthy witness will not lie,

But a false witness utters lies.

6 A scoffer seeks wisdom and finds none,

But knowledge is easy to one who has understanding.

7 Leave the presence of a fool,

Or you will not discern words of knowledge.

8 The wisdom of the sensible is to understand his way,

But the foolishness of fools is deceit.

9 Fools mock at sin,

But among the upright there is good will.

10 The heart knows its own bitterness,

And a stranger does not share its joy.

11 The house of the wicked will be destroyed,

But the tent of the upright will flourish.

12 There is a way which seems right to a man,

But its end is the way of death.

13 Even in laughter the heart may be in pain,

And the end of joy may be grief.

14 The backslider in heart will have his fill of his own ways,

But a good man will be satisfied with his.

15 The naive believes everything,

But the sensible man considers his steps.

16 A wise man is cautious and turns away from evil,

But a fool is arrogant and careless.

17 A quick-tempered man acts foolishly,

And a man of evil devices is hated.

18 The naive inherit foolishness,

But the sensible are crowned with knowledge.

19 The evil will bow down before the good,

And the wicked at the gates of the righteous.

20 The poor is hated even by his neighbor,

But those who love the rich are many.

21 He who despises his neighbor sins,

But happy is he who is gracious to the poor.

22 Will they not go astray who devise evil?

But kindness and truth will be to those who devise good.

23 In all labor there is profit,

But mere talk leads only to poverty.

24 The crown of the wise is their riches,

But the folly of fools is foolishness.

25 A truthful witness saves lives,

But he who utters lies is treacherous.

26 In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence,

And his children will have refuge.

27 The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life,

That one may avoid the snares of death.

28 In a multitude of people is a king’s glory,

But in the dearth of people is a prince’s ruin.

29 He who is slow to anger has great understanding,

But he who is quick-tempered exalts folly.

30 A tranquil heart is life to the body,

But passion is rottenness to the bones.

31 He who oppresses the poor taunts his Maker,

But he who is gracious to the needy honors Him.

32 The wicked is thrust down by his wrongdoing,

But the righteous has a refuge when he dies.

33 Wisdom rests in the heart of one who has understanding,

But in the hearts of fools it is made known.

34 Righteousness exalts a nation,

But sin is a disgrace to any people.

35 The king’s favor is toward a servant who acts wisely,

But his anger is toward him who acts shamefully.

HEBREWS 2

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Give Heed  2:1 For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. 2 For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty, 3 how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, 4 God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.
Earth Subject to Man    5 For He did not subject to angels the world to come, concerning which we are speaking. 6 But one has testified somewhere, saying,

“WHAT IS MAN, THAT YOU REMEMBER HIM?

OR THE SON OF MAN, THAT YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT HIM?

7 “YOU HAVE MADE HIM FOR A LITTLE WHILE LOWER THAN THE ANGELS;

YOU HAVE CROWNED HIM WITH GLORY AND HONOR,

AND HAVE APPOINTED HIM OVER THE WORKS OF YOUR HANDS;

8 YOU HAVE PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET.”

For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him.

Jesus Briefly Humbled9 But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.
    10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. 11 For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, 12 saying,

“I WILL PROCLAIM YOUR NAME TO MY BRETHREN,

IN THE MIDST OF THE CONGREGATION I WILL SING YOUR PRAISE.”

13 And again,

“I WILL PUT MY TRUST IN HIM.”

And again,

“BEHOLD, I AND THE CHILDREN WHOM GOD HAS GIVEN ME.”

    14 Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. 16 For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham. 17 Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.