WEBVTT 00:00:00.999 --> 00:00:03.700 Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're 00:00:03.700 --> 00:00:05.740 taking this journey together to read the Bible 00:00:05.740 --> 00:00:09.099 in a year. Today's reading is from the book of 00:00:09.099 --> 00:00:14.699 Ezekiel, chapters 21 and 34. Chapter 21 And the 00:00:14.699 --> 00:00:17.039 word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of man, 00:00:17.280 --> 00:00:20.000 set your face toward Jerusalem, preach against 00:00:20.000 --> 00:00:22.600 the holy places, and prophesy against the land 00:00:22.600 --> 00:00:25.379 of Israel, and say to the land of Israel, Thus 00:00:25.379 --> 00:00:28.379 says the Lord, Behold, I am against you, and 00:00:28.379 --> 00:00:30.859 I will draw my sword out of its sheath and cut 00:00:30.859 --> 00:00:33.740 off both righteous and wicked from you. Because 00:00:33.740 --> 00:00:35.899 I will cut off both righteous and wicked from 00:00:35.899 --> 00:00:38.799 you, therefore my sword shall go out of its sheath 00:00:38.799 --> 00:00:42.560 against all flesh from south to north. That all 00:00:42.560 --> 00:00:45.439 flesh may know that I, the Lord, have drawn my 00:00:45.439 --> 00:00:48.179 sword out of its sheath, it shall not return 00:00:48.179 --> 00:00:51.939 any more. Sigh therefore, son of man. with a 00:00:51.939 --> 00:00:54.539 breaking heart, and sigh with bitterness before 00:00:54.539 --> 00:00:57.460 their eyes. And it shall be, when they say to 00:00:57.460 --> 00:01:00.299 you, Why are you sighing? that you shall answer, 00:01:00.439 --> 00:01:03.380 Because of the news. When it comes, every heart 00:01:03.380 --> 00:01:06.480 will melt, all hands will be feeble, every spirit 00:01:06.480 --> 00:01:09.760 will faint, and all knees will be weak as water. 00:01:10.239 --> 00:01:12.439 Behold, it is coming, and shall be brought to 00:01:12.439 --> 00:01:16.000 pass, says the Lord God. Again the word of the 00:01:16.000 --> 00:01:18.659 Lord came to me, saying, Son of man, prophesy 00:01:18.659 --> 00:01:22.909 and say. Thus says the Lord, Say, a sword a sword 00:01:22.909 --> 00:01:26.329 is sharpened and also polished sharpened to make 00:01:26.329 --> 00:01:29.510 a dreadful slaughter polished to flash like lightning 00:01:29.510 --> 00:01:32.969 should we then make mirth it despises the sceptre 00:01:32.969 --> 00:01:36.489 of my son as it does all wood and he has given 00:01:36.489 --> 00:01:39.989 it to be polished that it may be handled this 00:01:39.989 --> 00:01:42.989 sword is sharpened and it is polished to be given 00:01:42.989 --> 00:01:45.709 into the hand of the slayer cry and wail son 00:01:45.709 --> 00:01:48.629 of man for it will be against my people against 00:01:48.629 --> 00:01:57.780 all the princes of israel Because it is a testing, 00:01:57.980 --> 00:02:00.879 and what if the sword despises even a scepter? 00:02:01.019 --> 00:02:03.980 The scepter shall be no more, says the Lord God. 00:02:04.359 --> 00:02:07.180 You therefore, son of man, prophesy, and strike 00:02:07.180 --> 00:02:10.120 your hands together. The third time let the sword 00:02:10.120 --> 00:02:13.719 do double damage. It is the sword that slays, 00:02:13.759 --> 00:02:16.919 the sword that slays the great men. that enters 00:02:16.919 --> 00:02:19.539 their private chambers. I have set the point 00:02:19.539 --> 00:02:22.379 of the sword against all their gates, that the 00:02:22.379 --> 00:02:26.180 heart may melt and many may stumble. Ah, it is 00:02:26.180 --> 00:02:29.900 made bright, it is grasped for slaughter. Swords 00:02:29.900 --> 00:02:33.599 at the ready, thrust right. Set your blade, thrust 00:02:33.599 --> 00:02:37.460 left, wherever your edge is ordered. I also will 00:02:37.460 --> 00:02:40.479 beat my fists together, and I will cause my fury 00:02:40.479 --> 00:02:44.250 to rest. I, the Lord, have spoken. The word of 00:02:44.250 --> 00:02:46.889 the Lord came to me again, saying, And son of 00:02:46.889 --> 00:02:49.949 man, appoint for yourself two ways for the sword 00:02:49.949 --> 00:02:53.069 of the king of Babylon to go. Both of them shall 00:02:53.069 --> 00:02:56.610 go from the same land. Make a sign, put it at 00:02:56.610 --> 00:02:59.430 the head of the road to the city. Appoint a road 00:02:59.430 --> 00:03:02.550 for the sword to go to Rabbah of the Ammonites, 00:03:02.629 --> 00:03:05.830 and to Judah into fortified Jerusalem. For the 00:03:05.830 --> 00:03:08.310 king of Babylon stands at the parting of the 00:03:08.310 --> 00:03:11.650 road, at the fork of the two roads, to use divination. 00:03:12.169 --> 00:03:14.889 He shakes the arrows, he consults the images, 00:03:15.090 --> 00:03:18.229 he looks at the liver. In his right hand is the 00:03:18.229 --> 00:03:21.189 divination for Jerusalem, to set up battering 00:03:21.189 --> 00:03:24.449 rams, to call for a slaughter, to lift the voice 00:03:24.449 --> 00:03:27.509 with shouting, to set battering rams against 00:03:27.509 --> 00:03:31.169 the gates, to heap up a siege mound and to build 00:03:31.169 --> 00:03:34.530 a wall. And it will be to them like a false divination 00:03:34.530 --> 00:03:37.669 in the eyes of those who have sworn oaths with 00:03:37.669 --> 00:03:40.659 them. but he will bring their iniquity to remembrance 00:03:40.659 --> 00:03:43.699 that they may be taken. Therefore, thus says 00:03:43.699 --> 00:03:46.500 the Lord God, because you have made your iniquity 00:03:46.500 --> 00:03:48.860 to be remembered, in that your transgressions 00:03:48.860 --> 00:03:51.840 are uncovered, so that in all your doings your 00:03:51.840 --> 00:03:54.300 sins appear, because you have come to remembrance, 00:03:54.659 --> 00:03:58.139 you shall be taken in hand. Now to you, O profane, 00:03:58.180 --> 00:04:00.960 wicked prince of Israel, whose day has come, 00:04:01.099 --> 00:04:03.539 whose iniquity shall end, thus says the Lord 00:04:03.539 --> 00:04:06.419 God. Remove the turban and take off the crown. 00:04:06.909 --> 00:04:09.669 Nothing shall remain the same. Exalt the humble 00:04:09.669 --> 00:04:13.189 and humble the exalted. Overthrown, overthrown, 00:04:13.189 --> 00:04:16.709 I will make it overthrown. It shall be no longer 00:04:16.709 --> 00:04:19.790 until he comes whose right it is, and I will 00:04:19.790 --> 00:04:22.889 give it to him. And you, son of man, prophesy 00:04:22.889 --> 00:04:26.009 and say, Thus says the Lord God concerning the 00:04:26.009 --> 00:04:28.149 Ammonites and concerning their reproach, and 00:04:28.149 --> 00:04:31.610 say, A sword, a sword, is drawn, polished for 00:04:31.610 --> 00:04:34.750 slaughter, for consuming, for flashing, while 00:04:34.750 --> 00:04:37.410 they see false visions for you. while they divine 00:04:37.410 --> 00:04:40.329 a lie to you, to bring you on the necks of the 00:04:40.329 --> 00:04:43.529 wicked, the slain, whose day has come, whose 00:04:43.529 --> 00:04:46.589 iniquity shall end. Return it to its sheath, 00:04:46.769 --> 00:04:49.430 I will judge you, in the place where you were 00:04:49.430 --> 00:04:52.449 created, in the land of your nativity. I will 00:04:52.449 --> 00:04:55.449 pour out my indignation on you, I will blow against 00:04:55.449 --> 00:04:58.430 you with the fire of my wrath, and deliver you 00:04:58.430 --> 00:05:01.290 into the hands of brutal men who are skillful 00:05:01.290 --> 00:05:05.120 to destroy. You shall be fuel for the fire. Your 00:05:05.120 --> 00:05:07.800 blood shall be in the midst of the land. You 00:05:07.800 --> 00:05:10.519 shall not be remembered, for I the Lord have 00:05:10.519 --> 00:05:35.240 spoken. You slaughter the fatlings, but you do 00:05:35.240 --> 00:05:38.480 not feed the flock. The weak you have not strengthened, 00:05:38.759 --> 00:05:41.779 nor have you healed those who were sick, nor 00:05:41.779 --> 00:05:44.860 bound up the broken, nor brought back what was 00:05:44.860 --> 00:05:48.019 driven away, nor sought what was lost. But with 00:05:48.019 --> 00:05:51.319 force and cruelty you have ruled them. So they 00:05:51.319 --> 00:05:53.560 were scattered because there was no shepherd, 00:05:53.759 --> 00:05:56.459 and they became food for all the beasts of the 00:05:56.459 --> 00:05:59.720 field when they were scattered. My sheep wandered 00:05:59.720 --> 00:06:02.459 through all the mountains and on every high hill. 00:06:02.750 --> 00:06:05.550 Yes, my flock was scattered over the whole face 00:06:05.550 --> 00:06:08.069 of the earth, and no one was seeking or searching 00:06:08.069 --> 00:06:10.949 for them. Therefore, you shepherds, hear the 00:06:10.949 --> 00:06:13.529 word of the Lord. As I live, says the Lord God, 00:06:13.769 --> 00:06:16.910 surely because my flock became a prey, and my 00:06:16.910 --> 00:06:19.250 flock became food for every beast of the field, 00:06:19.329 --> 00:06:22.410 because there was no shepherd, nor did my shepherds 00:06:22.410 --> 00:06:25.610 search for my flock. But the shepherds fed themselves 00:06:25.610 --> 00:06:29.230 and did not feed my flock. Therefore, O shepherds, 00:06:29.230 --> 00:06:31.870 hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord 00:06:31.870 --> 00:06:35.129 God, Behold, I am against the shepherds, and 00:06:35.129 --> 00:06:37.889 I will require my flock at their hand. I will 00:06:37.889 --> 00:06:40.730 cause them to cease feeding the sheep, and the 00:06:40.730 --> 00:06:43.730 shepherds shall feed themselves no more. For 00:06:43.730 --> 00:06:46.569 I will deliver my flock from their mouths, that 00:06:46.569 --> 00:07:17.029 they may no longer be food for them. For thus 00:07:17.029 --> 00:07:17.639 says the Lord God, in the valleys and in all 00:07:17.639 --> 00:07:20.540 the inhabited places of the country. I will feed 00:07:20.540 --> 00:07:23.300 them in good pasture, and their fold shall be 00:07:23.300 --> 00:07:26.319 on the high mountains of Israel. There they shall 00:07:26.319 --> 00:07:29.620 lie down in a good fold and feed in rich pasture 00:07:29.620 --> 00:07:32.939 on the mountains of Israel. I will feed my flock, 00:07:33.100 --> 00:07:35.360 and I will make them lie down, says the Lord 00:07:35.360 --> 00:07:38.480 God. I will seek what was lost and bring back 00:07:38.480 --> 00:07:41.600 what was driven away, bind up the broken and 00:07:41.600 --> 00:07:44.410 strengthen what was sick. but I will destroy 00:07:44.410 --> 00:07:47.550 the fat and the strong and feed them in judgment. 00:07:47.970 --> 00:07:50.670 And as for you, O my flock, thus says the Lord 00:07:50.670 --> 00:07:53.569 God, Behold, I shall judge between sheep and 00:07:53.569 --> 00:07:57.029 sheep, between rams and goats. Is it too little 00:07:57.029 --> 00:07:59.769 for you to have eaten up the good pasture, that 00:07:59.769 --> 00:08:02.370 you must tread down with your feet the residue 00:08:02.370 --> 00:08:05.449 of your pasture, and to have drunk of the clear 00:08:05.449 --> 00:08:08.430 waters, that you must foul the residue with your 00:08:08.430 --> 00:08:11.629 feet? And as for my flock, they eat what you 00:08:11.629 --> 00:08:14.069 have trampled with your feet, and they drink 00:08:14.069 --> 00:08:16.550 what you have fouled with your feet. Therefore 00:08:16.550 --> 00:08:20.189 thus says the Lord God to them, Behold, I myself 00:08:20.189 --> 00:08:22.610 will judge between the fat and the lean sheep, 00:08:22.769 --> 00:08:25.110 because you have pushed with side and shoulder, 00:08:25.310 --> 00:08:27.990 butted all the weak ones with your horns, and 00:08:27.990 --> 00:08:30.970 scattered them abroad. Therefore I will save 00:08:30.970 --> 00:08:33.889 my flock, and they shall no longer be a prey, 00:08:34.049 --> 00:08:37.269 and I will judge between sheep and sheep. I will 00:08:37.269 --> 00:08:39.929 establish one shepherd over them, and he shall 00:08:39.929 --> 00:08:43.429 feed them, my servant David. He shall feed them 00:08:43.429 --> 00:08:46.490 and be their shepherd, and I the Lord will be 00:08:46.490 --> 00:08:49.009 their God, and my servant David a prince among 00:08:49.009 --> 00:08:52.730 them. I the Lord have spoken. I will make a covenant 00:08:52.730 --> 00:08:55.509 of peace with them, and cause wild beasts to 00:08:55.509 --> 00:08:57.889 cease from the land, and they will dwell safely 00:08:57.889 --> 00:09:00.830 in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. I will 00:09:00.830 --> 00:09:03.090 make them and the places all around my hill a 00:09:03.090 --> 00:09:05.720 blessing. and I will cause showers to come down 00:09:05.720 --> 00:09:08.440 in their season. There shall be showers of blessing. 00:09:08.679 --> 00:09:11.220 Then the trees of the field shall yield their 00:09:11.220 --> 00:09:13.659 fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase. 00:09:14.039 --> 00:09:16.879 They shall be safe in their land, and they shall 00:09:16.879 --> 00:09:20.080 know that I am the Lord, when I have broken the 00:09:20.080 --> 00:09:22.779 bands of their yoke and delivered them from the 00:09:22.779 --> 00:09:25.720 hand of those who enslaved them. And they shall 00:09:25.720 --> 00:09:28.480 no longer be a prey for the nations, nor shall 00:09:28.480 --> 00:09:31.340 beasts of the land devour them, but they shall 00:09:31.340 --> 00:09:34.019 dwell safely, and no one shall make them afraid. 00:09:34.419 --> 00:09:37.340 I will raise up for them a garden of renown, 00:09:37.440 --> 00:09:39.899 and they shall no longer be consumed with hunger 00:09:39.899 --> 00:09:42.860 in the land, nor bear the shame of the Gentiles 00:09:42.860 --> 00:09:46.440 any more. Thus they shall know that I, the Lord 00:09:46.440 --> 00:09:49.179 their God, am with them, and they, the house 00:09:49.179 --> 00:09:51.879 of Israel, are my people, says the Lord God. 00:09:52.509 --> 00:09:55.590 You are my flock, the flock of my pasture. You 00:09:55.590 --> 00:09:59.009 are men and I am your God, says the Lord God. 00:10:04.409 --> 00:10:06.509 I hope you enjoyed today's reading as much as 00:10:06.509 --> 00:10:08.629 I did. And I look forward to seeing you again 00:10:08.629 --> 00:10:11.070 tomorrow to continue on our journey. God bless 00:10:11.070 --> 00:10:12.129 you and have a great day.