28th December

¹ Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,² Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?³ Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.⁴ Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.⁵ Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?⁶ Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;⁷ When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?⁸ Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb?⁹ When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it,¹⁰ And brake up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors,¹¹ And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed?¹² Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days; and caused the dayspring to know his place;¹³ That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, that the wicked might be shaken out of it?¹⁴ It is turned as clay to the seal; and they stand as a garment.¹⁵ And from the wicked their light is withholden, and the high arm shall be broken.¹⁶ Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? or hast thou walked in the search of the depth?¹⁷ Have the gates of death been opened unto thee? or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death?¹⁸ Hast thou perceived the breadth of the earth? declare if thou knowest it all.¹⁹ Where is the way where light dwelleth? and as for darkness, where is the place thereof,²⁰ That thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof, and that thou shouldest know the paths to the house thereof?²¹ Knowest thou it, because thou wast then born? or because the number of thy days is great?²² Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail,²³ Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?²⁴ By what way is the light parted, which scattereth the east wind upon the earth?²⁵ Who hath divided a watercourse for the overflowing of waters, or a way for the lightning of thunder;²⁶ To cause it to rain on the earth, where no man is; on the wilderness, wherein there is no man;²⁷ To satisfy the desolate and waste ground; and to cause the bud of the tender herb to spring forth?²⁸ Hath the rain a father? or who hath begotten the drops of dew?²⁹ Out of whose womb came the ice? and the hoary frost of heaven, who hath gendered it?³⁰ The waters are hid as with a stone, and the face of the deep is frozen.³¹ Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion?³² Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season? or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons?³³ Knowest thou the ordinances of heaven? canst thou set the dominion thereof in the earth?³⁴ Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds, that abundance of waters may cover thee?³⁵ Canst thou send lightnings, that they may go and say unto thee, Here we are?³⁶ Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts? or who hath given understanding to the heart?³⁷ Who can number the clouds in wisdom? or who can stay the bottles of heaven,³⁸ When the dust groweth into hardness, and the clods cleave fast together?³⁹ Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion? or fill the appetite of the young lions,⁴⁰ When they couch in their dens, and abide in the covert to lie in wait?⁴¹ Who provideth for the raven his food? when his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat.

¹ In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.² And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land.³ And it shall come to pass, that when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of the LORD: and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth.⁴ And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision, when he hath prophesied; neither shall they wear a rough garment to deceive:⁵ But he shall say, I am no prophet, I am an husbandman; for man taught me to keep cattle from my youth.⁶ And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.⁷ Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.⁸ And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.⁹ And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.

¹ Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.² For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.³ Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.⁴ And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.⁵ And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.⁶ And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark:⁷ But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light.⁸ And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.⁹ And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.¹⁰ All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin's gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king's winepresses.¹¹ And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.¹² And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.¹³ And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.¹⁴ And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance.¹⁵ And so shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the ass, and of all the beasts that shall be in these tents, as this plague.¹⁶ And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.¹⁷ And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.¹⁸ And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.¹⁹ This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.²⁰ In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; and the pots in the LORD's house shall be like the bowls before the altar.²¹ Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the LORD of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts.

¹ And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.² And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.³ And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.⁴ Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.⁵ And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened:⁶ And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles.⁷ And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.⁸ And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

¹ And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.² And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.³ And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.⁴ And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.⁵ And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.⁶ For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.⁷ And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.⁸ And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.⁹ And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.¹⁰ And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain,¹¹ And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.¹² And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.¹³ And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.¹⁴ For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.¹⁵ Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.¹⁶ And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.¹⁷ And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.¹⁸ And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.¹⁹ And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.²⁰ And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.²¹ And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.