Revelation 9 When
the fifth angel blew his trumpet, I saw a star fall from
the sky to earth. It was given the key to the tunnel that
leads down to the deep pit. 2As it opened the
tunnel, smoke poured out like the smoke of a great
furnace. The sun and the air turned dark because of the
smoke. 3Locusts came out of the smoke and
covered the earth. They were given the same power that
scorpions have.
 4The
locusts were told not to harm the grass on the earth or
any plant or any tree. They were to punish only those
people who did not have God's mark on their foreheads. 5The
locusts were allowed to make them suffer for five months,
but not to kill them. The suffering they caused was like
the sting of a scorpion. 6In those days people
will want to die, but they will not be able to. They will
hope for death, but it will escape from them.
7These
locusts looked like horses ready for battle. On their
heads they wore something like gold crowns, and they had
human faces. 8Their hair was like a woman's
long hair, and their teeth were like those of a lion. 9On
their chests they wore armor made of iron. Their wings
roared like an army of horse-drawn chariots rushing into
battle. 10Their tails were like a scorpion's
tail with a stinger that had the power to hurt someone
for five months. 11Their king was the angel in
charge of the deep pit. In Hebrew his name was Abaddon,
and in Greek it was Apollyon.
12The
first horrible thing has now happened! But wait. Two more
horrible things will happen soon.
13Then
the sixth angel blew his trumpet. I heard a voice speak
from the four corners of the gold altar that stands in
the presence of God. 14The voice spoke to this
angel and said, "Release the four angels who are
tied up beside the great Euphrates River." 15The
four angels had been prepared for this very hour and day
and month and year. Now they were set free to kill a
third of all people.
16By
listening, I could tell there were more than two hundred
million of these war horses. 17In my vision
their riders wore fiery-red, dark-blue, and yellow armor
on their chests. The heads of the horses looked like
lions, with fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their
mouths. 18One-third of all people were killed
by the three terrible troubles caused by the fire, the
smoke, and the sulfur. 19The horses had
powerful mouths, and their tails were like poisonous
snakes that bite and hurt.
20The
people who lived through these terrible troubles did not
turn away from the idols they had made, and they did not
stop worshiping demons. They kept on worshiping idols
that were made of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood.
Not one of these idols could see, hear, or walk. 21No
one stopped murdering or practicing witchcraft or being
immoral or stealing.
A List of Priests and Levites
Nehemiah 12 Many
priests and Levites had returned from Babylonia with
Zerubbabel and Joshua as their leaders. Those priests
were Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, 2Amariah,
Malluch, Hattush, 3Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,
4Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah, 5Mijamin,
Maadiah, Bilgah, 6Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah, 7Sallu,
Amok, Hilkiah, and another Jedaiah. These were the
leading priests and their assistants during the time of
Joshua.
8The
Levites who returned were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel,
Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah. They and their
assistants were responsible for the songs of praise, 9while
Bakbukiah and Unno, together with their assistants, were
responsible for the choral responses.
Descendants of Joshua the High
Priest
10Joshua
was the father of Joiakim, the grandfather of Eliashib,
and the great-grandfather of Joiada. 11Joiada
was the father of Jonathan and the grandfather of Jaddua.
Leaders of the Priestly Clans
12When
Joiakim was high priest, the following priests were
leaders of their clans: Meraiah of the Seraiah clan,
Hananiah of Jeremiah, 13Meshullam of Ezra,
Jehohanan of Amariah, 14Jonathan of Malluchi,
Joseph of Shebaniah, 15Adna of Harim, Helkai
of Meraioth, 16Zechariah of Iddo, Meshullam of
Ginnethon, 17Zichri of Abijah, Piltai of
Moadiah, 18Shammua of Bilgah, Jehonathan of
Shemaiah, 19Mattenai of Joiarib, Uzzi of
Jedaiah, 20Kallai of Sallai, Eber of Amok, 21Hashabiah
of Hilkiah, and Nethanel of Jedaiah.
The Priestly and Levite
Families
22During
the time of the high priests Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan,
and Jaddua, and including the time that Darius was king
of Persia, a record was kept of the heads of the Levite
and priestly families. 23However, no official
record was kept of the heads of the Levite clans after
the death of Johanan, the grandson of Eliashib.
24Hashabiah,
Sherebiah, Jeshua son of Kadmiel, and their assistants
organized two choirs of Levites to offer praises to God,
just as King David, the man of God, had commanded.
25Mattaniah,
Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were
responsible for guarding the storerooms near the temple
gates.
26All
of these men lived during the time of Joiakim and during
the time that I was governor and Ezra, a teacher of the
Law of Moses, was priest.
Nehemiah Dedicates the City
Wall
27When
the city wall was dedicated, Levites from everywhere in
Judah were invited to join in the celebration with songs
of praise and with the music of cymbals, small harps, and
other stringed instruments. 28-29The Levite
singers lived in villages around Jerusalem, and so they
came from there, as well as from the villages around
Netophah, Beth-Gilgal, Geba, and Azmaveth. 30The
priests and Levites held special ceremonies to make
themselves holy, and then they did the same for the rest
of the people and for the gates and walls of the city.
31I
brought the leaders of Judah to the top of the city wall
and put them in charge of the two groups that were to
march around on top of the wall, singing praises to God.
One group marched to the right in the direction of
Garbage Gate. 32Hoshaiah and half of the
leaders followed them. 33Then came the priests
Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam, 34Judah, Benjamin,
Shemaiah, and Jeremiah, 35all of them blowing
trumpets. Next, there was Zechariah of the Asaph clan 36and
his relatives, Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai,
Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani. They played musical
instruments like those that had been played by David, the
man of God. And they marched behind Ezra, the teacher of
the Law. 37When they reached Fountain Gate,
they climbed the steps to David's City and went past his
palace, before stopping at the Water Gate near the
eastern wall of the city.
38The
second group of singers marched along the wall in the
opposite direction, and I followed them, together with
the other half of the leaders of Judah. We went past Oven
Tower, Broad Wall, 39Ephraim Gate, Old Gate,
Fish Gate, Hananel Tower, Hundred Tower, and on to Sheep
Gate. Finally, we stopped at Gate of the Guard, 40where
we stood in front of the temple with the other group,
praising God. In the group with me were half of the
leaders, 41as well as the priests Eliakim,
Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and
Hananiah, who were blowing trumpets. 42Maaseiah,
Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and
Ezer also stood there, as Jezrahiah led the singers. 43God
had made the people very happy, and so on that day they
celebrated and offered many sacrifices. The women and
children joined in the festivities, and joyful shouts
could be heard far from the city of Jerusalem.
Preparation for Worship
44On
that same day, some leaders were appointed to be
responsible for the safekeeping of gifts for the temple
and to be in charge of receiving the first part of the
harvest and the ten percent of the crops and livestock
that was offered to God. These same leaders also
collected the part of crops that the Law of Moses taught
was to be given to the Levites.
Everyone
was pleased with the work of the priests and Levites, 45when
they performed the ceremonies to make people acceptable
to worship God. And the singers and the temple guards did
their jobs according to the instructions given by David
and his son Solomon. 46In fact, ever since the
days of David and Asaph, there had been song leaders and
songs of praise and worship. 47During the time
that Zerubbabel and I were in charge, everyone in Israel
gave what they were supposed to give for the daily needs
of the singers and temple guards from the Levi tribe.
Then the Levites would give the priests their share from
what they had received.
Psalm 104
The LORD
Takes Care of His Creation
1I praise you, LORD God,
with all my heart.
You are glorious and majestic, dressed in royal robes
 2 and
surrounded by light.
You spread out the sky like a tent,
3and you
built your home over the mighty ocean.
The clouds are your chariot with the wind as its wings.
4The
winds are your messengers,
and flames of fire are your servants.
5You
built foundations for the earth,
and it will never be shaken.
6You
covered the earth with the ocean
that rose above the mountains.
7Then
your voice thundered!
And the water flowed 8down the mountains
and through the valleys to the place you prepared.
9Now
you have set boundaries,
so that the water will never flood the earth again.
10You
provide streams of water in the hills and valleys,
11so
that the donkeys and other wild animals
can satisfy their thirst.
12Birds
build their nests nearby and sing in the trees.
13From
your home above you send rain on the hills
and water the earth.
14You
let the earth produce grass for cattle,
plants for our food, 15wine to cheer us up,
olive oil for our skin, and grain for our health.
16Our
LORD, your trees always have water,
and so do the cedars you planted in Lebanon.
17Birds
nest in those trees,
and storks make their home in the fir trees.
18Wild
goats find a home in the tall mountains,
and small animals can hide between the rocks.
19You
created the moon to tell us the seasons.
The sun knows when to set,
20and you
made the darkness,
so the animals in the forest could come out at night.
21Lions
roar as they hunt for the food you provide.
22But
when morning comes, they return to their dens,
23then we
go out to work until the end of day.
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