The Seals

Revelation 6 Then I saw the Lamb break open the first of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice that sounded like thunder, "Come!" ²I looked, and there was a white horse. Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown. He rode out as a conqueror to conquer.
³Then the Lamb broke open the second seal; and I heard the second living creature say, "Come!" ⁴Another horse came out, a red one. Its rider was given the power to bring war on the earth, so that people should kill each other. He was given a large sword.
⁵Then the Lamb broke open the third seal; and I heard the third living creature say, "Come!" I looked, and there was a black horse. Its rider held a pair of scales in his hand. ⁶I heard what sounded like a voice coming from among the four living creatures, which said, "A quart of wheat for a day's wages, and three quarts of barley for a day's wages. But do not damage the olive trees and the vineyards!"
⁷Then the Lamb broke open the fourth seal; and I heard the fourth living creature say, "Come!" ⁸I looked, and there was a pale-colored horse. Its rider was named Death, and Hades followed close behind. They were given authority over one fourth of the earth, to kill by means of war, famine, disease, and wild animals.
⁹Then the Lamb broke open the fifth seal. I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been killed because they had proclaimed God's word and had been faithful in their witnessing. ¹⁰They shouted in a loud voice, "Almighty Lord, holy and true! How long will it be until you judge the people on earth and punish them for killing us?" ¹¹Each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to rest a little while longer, until the complete number of other servants and believers were killed, as they had been.
¹²And I saw the Lamb break open the sixth seal. There was a violent earthquake, and the sun became black like coarse black cloth, and the moon turned completely red like blood. ¹³The stars fell down to the earth, like unripe figs falling from the tree when a strong wind shakes it. ¹⁴The sky disappeared like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place. ¹⁵Then the kings of the earth, the rulers and the military chiefs, the rich and the powerful, and all other people, slave and free, hid themselves in caves and under rocks on the mountains. ¹⁶They called out to the mountains and to the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the eyes of the one who sits on the throne and from the anger of the Lamb! ¹⁷The terrible day of their anger is here, and who can stand up against it?"

The Festival of Shelters

Nehemiah 8 ¹³The next day the heads of the clans, together with the priests and the Levites, went to Ezra to study the teachings of the Law. ¹⁴They discovered that the Law, which the LORD gave through Moses, ordered the people of Israel to live in temporary shelters during the Festival of Shelters. ¹⁵So they gave the following instructions and sent them all through Jerusalem and the other cities and towns: "Go out to the hills and get branches from pines, olives, myrtles, palms, and other trees to make shelters according to the instructions written in the Law."
¹⁶So the people got branches and built shelters on the flat roofs of their houses, in their yards, in the Temple courtyard, and in the public squares by the Water Gate and by the Ephraim Gate. ¹⁷All the people who had come back from captivity built shelters and lived in them. This was the first time it had been done since the days of Joshua son of Nun, and everybody was excited and happy. ¹⁸From the first day of the festival to the last they read a part of God's Law every day. They celebrated for seven days, and on the eighth day there was a closing ceremony, as required in the Law.

The People Confess Their Sins

Nehemiah 9 ^1-2On the twenty-fourth day of the same month the people of Israel gathered to fast in order to show sorrow for their sins. They had already separated themselves from all foreigners. They wore sackcloth and put dust on their heads as signs of grief. Then they stood and began to confess the sins that they and their ancestors had committed. ³For about three hours the Law of the LORD their God was read to them, and for the next three hours they confessed their sins and worshiped the LORD their God.
⁴There was a platform for the Levites, and on it stood Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani. They prayed aloud to the LORD their God.
⁵The following Levites gave a call to worship: Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah. They said:
"Stand up and praise the LORD your God;
praise him forever and ever!
Let everyone praise his glorious name,
although no human praise is great enough."

The Prayer of Confession

⁶And then the people of Israel prayed this prayer:
"You, LORD, you alone are LORD;
you made the heavens and the stars of the sky.
You made land and sea and everything in them;
you gave life to all.
The heavenly powers bow down and worship you.
⁷You, LORD God, chose Abram
and led him out of Ur in Babylonia;
you changed his name to Abraham.
⁸You found that he was faithful to you,
and you made a covenant with him.
You promised to give him the land of the Canaanites,
the land of the Hittites and the Amorites,
the land of the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Girgashites,
to be a land where his descendants would live.
You kept your promise, because you are faithful.

⁹"You saw how our ancestors suffered in Egypt;
you heard their call for help at the Red Sea.
¹⁰You worked amazing miracles against the king,
against his officials and the people of his land,
because you knew how they oppressed your people.
You won then the fame you still have today.
¹¹Through the sea you made a path for your people
and led them through on dry ground.
Those who pursued them drowned in deep water,
as a stone sinks in the raging sea.
¹²With a cloud you led them in daytime,
and at night you lighted their way with fire.
¹³At Mount Sinai you came down from heaven;
you spoke to your people
and gave them good laws and sound teachings.
¹⁴You taught them to keep your Sabbaths holy,
and through your servant Moses you gave them your laws.

¹⁵"When they were hungry, you gave them bread from heaven,
and water from a rock when they were thirsty.
You told them to take control of the land
which you had promised to give them.
¹⁶But our ancestors grew proud and stubborn
and refused to obey your commands.
¹⁷They refused to obey; they forgot all you did;
they forgot the miracles you had performed.
In their pride they chose a leader
to take them back to slavery in Egypt.
But you are a God who forgives;
you are gracious and loving, slow to be angry.
Your mercy is great; you did not forsake them.
¹⁸They made an idol in the shape of a bull-calf
and said it was the god who led them from Egypt!
How much they insulted you, LORD!
¹⁹But you did not abandon them there in the desert,
for your mercy is great.
You did not take away the cloud or the fire
that showed them the path by day and night.
²⁰In your goodness you told them what they should do;
you fed them manna and gave them water to drink.
²¹Through forty years in the desert
you provided all that they needed;
their clothing never wore out,
and their feet were not swollen with pain.

²²"You let them conquer nations and kingdoms,
lands that bordered their own.
They conquered the land of Heshbon, where Sihon ruled,
and the land of Bashan, where Og was king.
²³You gave them as many children as there are stars in the sky,
and let them conquer and live in the land
that you had promised their ancestors to give them.
²⁴They conquered the land of Canaan;
you overcame the people living there.
You gave your people the power to do as they pleased
with the people and kings of Canaan.
²⁵Your people captured fortified cities,
fertile land, houses full of wealth,
cisterns already dug,
olive trees, fruit trees, and vineyards.
They ate all they wanted and grew fat;
they enjoyed all the good things you gave them.

²⁶"But your people rebelled and disobeyed you;
they turned their backs on your Law.
They killed the prophets who warned them,
who told them to turn back to you.
They insulted you time after time,
²⁷ so you let their enemies conquer and rule them.
In their trouble they called to you for help,
and you answered them from heaven.
In your great mercy you sent them leaders
who rescued them from their foes.
²⁸When peace returned, they sinned again,
and again you let their enemies conquer them.
Yet when they repented and asked you to save them,
in heaven you heard, and time after time
you rescued them in your great mercy.
²⁹You warned them to obey your teachings,
but in pride they rejected your laws,
although keeping your Law is the way to life.
Hard-headed and stubborn, they refused to obey.
³⁰Year after year you patiently warned them.
You inspired your prophets to speak,
but your people were deaf,
so you let them be conquered by other nations.
³¹And yet, because your mercy is great,
you did not forsake or destroy them.
You are a gracious and merciful God!

³²"O God, our God, how great you are!
How terrifying, how powerful!
You faithfully keep your covenant promises.
From the time when Assyrian kings oppressed us,
even till now, how much we have suffered!
Our kings, our leaders, our priests and prophets,
our ancestors, and all our people have suffered.
Remember how much we have suffered!
³³You have done right to punish us;
you have been faithful, even though we have sinned.
³⁴Our ancestors, our kings, leaders, and priests
have not kept your Law.
They did not listen to your commands and warnings.
³⁵With your blessing, kings ruled your people
when they lived in the broad, fertile land you gave them;
but they failed to turn from sin and serve you.
³⁶And now we are slaves in the land that you gave us,
this fertile land which gives us food.
³⁷What the land produces goes to the kings
that you put over us because we sinned.
They do as they please with us and our livestock,
and we are in deep distress!"

A King's Promise

Psalm 101 My song is about loyalty and justice,
and I sing it to you, O LORD.
²My conduct will be faultless.
When will you come to me?

I will live a pure life in my house
³and will never tolerate evil.
I hate the actions of those who turn away from God;
I will have nothing to do with them.
⁴I will not be dishonest
and will have no dealings with evil.
⁵I will get rid of anyone
who whispers evil things about someone else;
I will not tolerate anyone
who is proud and arrogant.

⁶I will approve of those who are faithful to God
and will let them live in my palace.
Those who are completely honest
will be allowed to serve me.

⁷No liar will live in my palace;
no hypocrite will remain in my presence.
⁸Day after day I will destroy
the wicked in our land;
I will expel all who are evil
from the city of the LORD.