December 25  

Daily Bible in a Year

Daily Old and New Testaments, Psalms, and Proverbs

  •   Zechariah 8
    Zechariah 8

    The Coming Peace and Prosperity of Zion
    And the word of the Lord of hosts came, saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath.Thus says the Lord: I have returned to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts, the holy mountain. Thus says the Lord of hosts: Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of great age. And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets. Thus says the Lord of hosts: If it is marvelous in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, should it also be marvelous in my sight, declares the Lord of hosts? Thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will save my people from the east country and from the west country, and I will bring them to dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness.”
    Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Let your hands be strong, you who in these days have been hearing these words from the mouth of the prophets who were present on the day that the foundation of the house of the Lord of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built. 10 For before those days there was no wage for man or any wage for beast, neither was there any safety from the foe for him who went out or came in, for I set every man against his neighbor. 11 But now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as in the former days, declares the Lord of hosts. 12 For there shall be a sowing of peace. The vine shall give its fruit, and the ground shall give its produce, and the heavens shall give their dew. And I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things. 13 And as you have been a byword of cursing among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and you shall be a blessing. Fear not, but let your hands be strong.”
    14 For thus says the Lord of hosts: “As I purposed to bring disaster to you when your fathers provoked me to wrath, and I did not relent, says the Lord of hosts,15 so again have I purposed in these days to bring good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah; fear not. 16 These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another; render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace;17 do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate, declares the Lord.”
    18 And the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, 19 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: The fast of the fourth month and the fast of the fifth and the fast of the seventh and the fast of the tenth shall be to the house of Judah seasons of joy and gladness and cheerful feasts. Therefore love truth and peace.
    20 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Peoples shall yet come, even the inhabitants of many cities. 21 The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, ‘Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the Lord and to seek the Lord of hosts; I myself am going.’ 22 Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the Lord. 23 Thus says the Lord of hosts: In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’”
  •   Revelation 16
    Revelation 16

    The Seven Bowls of God's Wrath
    16 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels, “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.”
    So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and harmful and painful sores came upon the people who bore the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.
    The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse, and every living thing died that was in the sea.
    The third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood. And I heard the angel in charge of the waters[a] say,

    “Just are you, O Holy One, who is and who was,
        for you brought these judgments.


    For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets,
        and you have given them blood to drink.
    It is what they deserve!”

    And I heard the altar saying,

    “Yes, Lord God the Almighty,
        true and just are your judgments!”

    The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch people with fire. They were scorched by the fierce heat, and they cursed[b] the name of God who had power over these plagues. They did not repent and give him glory.
    10 The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in anguish 11 and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and sores. They did not repent of their deeds.
    12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east. 13 And I saw, coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs. 14 For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty. 15 (“Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”) 16 And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.

    The Seventh Bowl
    17 The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying, “It is done!” 18 And there were flashes of lightning, rumblings,[c] peals of thunder, and a great earthquake such as there had never been since man was on the earth, so great was that earthquake. 19 The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and God remembered Babylon the great, to make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath. 20 And every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found.21 And great hailstones, about one hundred pounds[d] each, fell from heaven on people; and they cursed God for the plague of the hail, because the plague was so severe.
    Footnotes:
    1. Revelation 16:5 Greek angel of the waters
    2. Revelation 16:9 Greek blasphemed; also verses 1121
    3. Revelation 16:18 Or voices, or sounds
    4. Revelation 16:21 Greek a talent in weight
  •   Psalm 144
    Psalm 144

    My Rock and My Fortress
    Of David.

    144 
    Blessed be the Lord, my rock,
        who trains my hands for war,
        and my fingers for battle;


    he is my steadfast love and my fortress,
        my stronghold and my deliverer,
    my shield and he in whom I take refuge,
        who subdues peoples[a] under me.


    O Lord, what is man that you regard him,
        or the son of man that you think of him?


    Man is like a breath;
        his days are like a passing shadow.


    Bow your heavens, O Lord, and come down!
        Touch the mountains so that they smoke!


    Flash forth the lightning and scatter them;
        send out your arrows and rout them!


    Stretch out your hand from on high;
        rescue me and deliver me from the many waters,
        from the hand of foreigners,


    whose mouths speak lies
        and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.


    I will sing a new song to you, O God;
        upon a ten-stringed harp I will play to you,

    10 
    who gives victory to kings,
        who rescues David his servant from the cruel sword.

    11 
    Rescue me and deliver me
        from the hand of foreigners,
    whose mouths speak lies
        and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

    12 
    May our sons in their youth
        be like plants full grown,
    our daughters like corner pillars
        cut for the structure of a palace;

    13 
    may our granaries be full,
        providing all kinds of produce;
    may our sheep bring forth thousands
        and ten thousands in our fields;

    14 
    may our cattle be heavy with young,
        suffering no mishap or failure in bearing;[b]
    may there be no cry of distress in our streets!

    15 
    Blessed are the people to whom such blessings fall!
        Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!

    Footnotes:
    1. Psalm 144:2 Many Hebrew manuscripts, Dead Sea Scroll, Jerome, Syriac, Aquila; most Hebrew manuscripts subdues my people
    2. Psalm 144:14 Hebrew with no breaking in or going out
  •   Proverbs 30:29-31

    Proverbs 30:29-31

    29 
    Three things are stately in their tread;
        four are stately in their stride:

    30 
    the lion, which is mightiest among beasts
        and does not turn back before any;

    31 
    the strutting rooster,[a] the he-goat,
        and a king whose army is with him.[b]

    Footnotes:
    1. Proverbs 30:31 Or the magpie, or the greyhound; Hebrew girt-of-loins
    2. Proverbs 30:31 Or against whom there is no rising up


    English Standard Version (ESV)
    The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.


Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.