Study Desk

"That very cruel and hated ruler will have a large army that he will use to stir up his strength and courage. He will attack the king of the South. The king of the South will gather a large and very powerful army and prepare for war. But the people who are against him will make secret plans, and the king of the South will be defeated.

Those two kings will want to hurt each other. They will sit at the same table and lie to each other, but it will not do either one any good, because God has set a time for their end to come.

"Those who are wise will help the others understand what is happening. But they will be killed with swords, or burned, or taken captive, or robbed of their homes and possessions. These things will continue for many days.

That king will attack strong, walled cities with the help of a foreign god. He will give much honor to the people who join him, making them rulers in charge of many other people. And he will make them pay him for the land they rule.

The man dressed in linen, who stood over the water, raised his hands toward heaven. And I heard him swear by the name of God who lives forever, "It will be for three and one-half years. The power of the holy people will finally be broken, and then all these things will come true."

Those who wait for the end of the 1,335 days will be happy.

"As for you, Daniel, go your way until the end. You will get your rest, and at the end you will rise to receive your reward."

The Lord said to Hosea, "Name him Jezreel, because soon I will punish the family of Jehu for the people they killed at Jezreel. In the future I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel

The people of Judah and Israel will join together again and will choose one leader for themselves. They will come up from the land, because the day of Jezreel will be truly great.

She will run after her lovers, but she won't catch them. She will look for them, but she won't find them. Then she will say, ‘I will go back to my first husband, because life was better then for me than it is now.'

But she does not know that I was the one who gave her grain, new wine, and oil. I gave her much silver and gold, but she used it for Baal.

I will punish her for all the times she burned incense to the Baals. She put on her rings and jewelry and went chasing after her lovers, but she forgot me!" says the Lord .

At that time I will make an agreement for them with the wild animals, the birds, and the crawling things. I will smash from the land the bow and the sword and the weapons of war, so my people will live in safety.

So I bought her for six ounces of silver and ten bushels of barley.

Then I told her, "You must wait for me for many days. You must not be a prostitute, and you must not have sexual relations with any other man. I will act the same way toward you."

The priests are as wrong as the people, and I will punish them both for what they have done. I will repay them for the wrong they have done.

"My people ask wooden idols for advice; they ask those sticks of wood to advise them! Like prostitutes, they have chased after other gods and have left their own God.

"But I will not punish your daughters for becoming prostitutes, nor your daughters-in-law for their sins of adultery. I will not punish them, because the men have sexual relations with prostitutes and offer sacrifices with the temple prostitutes. A foolish people will be ruined.

"When Israel saw its illness and Judah saw its wounds, Israel went to Assyria for help and sent to the great king of Assyria. But he cannot heal you or cure your wounds.

Then I will go back to my place until they suffer for their guilt and turn back to me. In their trouble they will look for me."