Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're
taking this journey together to read the Bible
in a year. Today's reading is from the book of
Isaiah, chapters 23 and 24. Chapter 23 The Burden
Against Tyre Wail, you ships of Tarshish, for
it is laid waste, so that there is no house,
no harbor. From the land of Cyprus it is revealed
to them. Be still, you inhabitants of the coastland,
you merchants of Sidon. whom those who cross
the sea have filled, and on great waters the
grain of Shehor. The harvest of the river is
her revenue, and she is a marketplace of the
nations. Be ashamed, O Sidon, for the sea has
spoken, the strength of the sea saying, I do
not labor nor bring forth children, neither do
I rear young men nor bring up virgins. When the
report reaches Egypt, they also will be in agony
at the report of Tyre. Cross over to Tarshish.
Wail, you inhabitants of the coastland! Is this
your joyous city, whose antiquity is from ancient
days, whose feet carried her far off to dwell?
Who has taken this counsel against Tyre, the
crowning city, whose merchants are princes, whose
traders are the honorable of the earth? The Lord
of hosts has proposed it, to bring to dishonor
the pride of all glory, to bring into contempt
all the honorable of the earth. Overflow through
your land like the river, O daughter of Tarshish.
There is no more strength. He stretched out his
hand over the sea. He shook the kingdoms. The
Lord has given a commandment against Canaan,
to destroy its strongholds. And he said, You
will rejoice no more, O you oppressed virgin,
daughter of Sidon. Arise, cross over to Cyprus.
There also you will have no rest. Behold the
land of the Chaldeans. This people, which was
not, Assyria founded it for wild beasts of the
desert. They set up its towers, they raised up
its palaces, and brought it to ruin. Wail, you
ships of Tarshish, for your strength is laid
waste. Now it shall come to pass in that day
that Tyre will be forgotten seventy years, according
to the days of one king. At the end of seventy
years it will happen to Tyre as in the song of
the harlot. Take a harp, go about the city, you
forgotten harlot. Make sweet melody, sing many
songs, that you may be remembered. And it shall
be at the end of seventy years that the Lord
will deal with Tyre. She will return to her hire
and commit fornication with all the kingdoms
of the world on the face of the earth. Her gain
and her pay will be set apart for the Lord. It
will not be treasured nor laid up, for her gain
will be for those who dwell before the Lord to
eat sufficiently and for fine clothing. Chapter
24 Behold, the Lord makes the earth empty and
makes it waste. distorts its surface and scatters
abroad its inhabitants. And it shall be, as with
the people, so with the priest, as with the servant,
so with his master, as with the maid, so with
her mistress, as with the buyer, so with the
seller, as with the lender, so with the borrower,
as with the creditor, so with the debtor. The
land shall be entirely emptied and utterly plundered,
for the Lord has spoken this word. The earth
mourns and fades away, the world languishes and
fades away. The haughty people of the earth languish.
The earth is also defiled under its inhabitants,
because they have transgressed the laws, changed
the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.
Therefore the curse has devoured the earth, and
those who dwell in it are desolate. Therefore
the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and
few men are left. The new wine fails, the vine
languishes, all the merry -hearted sigh. The
mirth of the tambourine ceases. The noise of
the jubilant ends. The joy of the harp ceases.
They shall not drink wine with a song. Strong
drink is bitter to those who drink it. The city
of confusion is broken down. Every house is shut
up so that none may go in. There is a cry for
wine in the streets. All joy is darkened. The
mirth of the land is gone. In the city desolation
is left. And the gate is stricken with destruction.
When it shall be thus in the midst of the land
among the people, it shall be like the shaking
of an olive tree, like the gleaning of grapes
when the vintage is done. They shall lift up
their voice, they shall sing. For the majesty
of the Lord, they shall cry aloud from the sea.
Therefore glorify the Lord in the dawning light,
the name of the Lord God of Israel in the coastlands
of the sea. From the ends of the earth we have
heard songs. Glory to the righteous. But I said,
I am ruined, ruined. Woe to me! The treacherous
dealers have dealt treacherously. Indeed, the
treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously.
Fear and the pit and the snare are upon you,
O inhabitant of the earth. And it shall be that
he who flees from the noise of the fear shall
fall into the pit, and he who comes up from the
midst of the pit shall be caught in the snare.
For the windows from on high are open, and the
foundations of the earth are shaken. the earth
is violently broken the earth is split open the
earth is shaken exceedingly the earth shall reel
to and fro like a drunkard and shall totter like
a hut its transgression shall be heavy upon it
and it will fall and not rise again it shall
come to pass in that day that the lord will punish
on high the host of exalted ones and on the earth
the kings of the earth they will be gathered
together as prisoners are gathered in the pit
and will be shut up in the prison. After many
days they will be punished. Then the moon will
be disgraced and the sun ashamed. For the Lord
of hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
and before his elders gloriously. I hope you
enjoyed today's reading as much as I did, and
I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow to
continue on our journey. God bless you and have
a great day.