1 I will take my stand at my watchpost    and station myself on the tower,and look out to see what he will say to me,    and what I will answer concerning my complaint.The Righteous Shall Live by His Faith2 And the Lord answered me:“Write the vision;    make it plain on tablets,    so he may run who reads it.3 For still the vision awaits its appointed time;    it hastens to the end—it will not lie...  Read More

Habakkuk's Complaint2 O Lord, how long shall I cry for help,    and you will not hear?Or cry to you “Violence!”    and you will not save?3 Why do you make me see iniquity,    and why do you idly look at wrong?Destruction and violence are before me;    strife and contention arise.4 So the law is paralyzed,    and justice never goes forth.For the wicked surround the righteous;    so justice goes for...  Read More

Judgment on Jerusalem and the Nations1 Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled,    the oppressing city!2 She listens to no voice;    she accepts no correction.She does not trust in the Lord;    she does not draw near to her God.3 Her officials within her    are roaring lions;her judges are evening wolves    that leave nothing till the morning.4 Her prophets are fickle, treacherous men;her priests...  Read More

1 The word of the Lord that came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.The Coming Judgment on Judah2 “I will utterly sweep away everything    from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord.3 “I will sweep away man and beast;    I will sweep away the birds of the heavens    and the fish of the sea,and th...  Read More

1 An oracle concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum of Elkosh.God's Wrath Against Nineveh2 The Lord is a jealous and avenging God;    the Lord is avenging and wrathful;the Lord takes vengeance on his adversaries    and keeps wrath for his enemies.3 The Lord is slow to anger and great in power,    and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty.His way is in whirlwind and storm,    and t...  Read More

8 He has told you, O man, what is good;    and what does the Lord require of youbut to do justice, and to love kindness,    and to walk humbly with your God?Micah 6:8 After detailing the injustice and corruption of those who should be leveraging their resources for good, Micah offers a poetic verse on how to walk out the Good News of God's redemption plan. In a world of endless self-improvement ad...  Read More

2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,    who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,from you shall come forth for me    one who is to be ruler in Israel,whose coming forth is from of old,    from ancient days.3 Therefore he shall give them up until the time    when she who is in labor has given birth;then the rest of his brothers shall return    to the people of Israel.4 And he shall stand and ...  Read More

11 Its heads give judgment for a bribe;    its priests teach for a price;    its prophets practice divination for money;yet they lean on the Lord and say,    “Is not the Lord in the midst of us?    No disaster shall come upon us.”Micah 3:11 “Is not the Lord in the midst of us? No disaster shall come upon us.”That’s a bold claim. “God is on our side,” these leaders say. Now, Scripture shows that Go...  Read More

14 I shall ransom them from the power of Sheol;    I shall redeem them from Death.O Death, where are your plagues?    O Sheol, where is your sting?    Compassion is hidden from my eyes.Hosea 6:1-11 This passage is both full of judgment and hope. Hosea uses the Exodus story to give background to God and Israel’s relationship and why they should expect both judgment and future restoration. To briefl...  Read More

The Lord's Love for Israel1 When Israel was a child, I loved him,    and out of Egypt I called my son.2 The more they were called,    the more they went away;they kept sacrificing to the Baals    and burning offerings to idols.3 Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk;    I took them up by their arms,    but they did not know that I healed them.4 I led them with cords of kindness,    with the band...  Read More

Israel and Judah Are Unrepentant1 “Come, let us return to the Lord;    for he has torn us, that he may heal us;    he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.2 After two days he will revive us;    on the third day he will raise us up,    that we may live before him.3 Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord;    his going out is sure as the dawn;he will come to us as the showers,    as the ...  Read More

Hosea’s Wife and Children2 When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him, “Go, marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the Lord.” 3 So he married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.4 Then the Lord said to Hosea, “Call him Jezreel, because I will soon punish the house o...  Read More