"Awake,O sword,againstMy Shepherd,And againstthe man,My Associate,"Declaresthe LORDof hosts."Strikethe Shepherdthat the sheepmay be scattered;And I will turnMy handagainstthe littleones.
The kingsof the earthtaketheir standAnd the rulerstakecounseltogetherAgainstthe LORDand againstHis Anointed,saying,
"I will also turnMy handagainstyou, And will smeltaway your drossas with lyeAnd will removeallyour alloy.
In that daythe LORDwill punishLeviathanthe fleeingserpent,With His fierceand greatand mightysword,EvenLeviathanthe twistedserpent;And He will killthe dragonwho[lives] in the sea.
Like a shepherdHe will tendHis flock,In His armHe will gatherthe lambsAnd carry[them] in His bosom;He will gently leadthe nursing[ewes].
For a childwill be bornto us, a sonwill be givento us; And the governmentwill reston His shoulders;And His namewill be calledWonderfulCounselor,MightyGod,EternalFather,Princeof Peace.
"Ah,swordof the LORD,Howlongwill you not be quiet?Withdrawinto your sheath;Be at restand staystill.
"And you, sonof man,prophesyand say,'Thussaysthe LordGODconcerningthe sonsof Ammonand concerningtheir reproach,'and say:'A sword,a swordis drawn,polishedfor the slaughter,to cause it to consume,that it may be like lightning--
and sayto the landof Israel,'Thussaysthe LORD,"Behold,I am againstyou; and I will drawMy swordout of its sheathand cutofffrom you the righteousand the wicked.
"My servantDavidwill be kingoverthem, and they will allhaveoneshepherd;and they will walkin My ordinancesand keepMy statutesand observethem.
An endis coming;the endhas come!It has awakenedagainstyou; behold,it has come!
"But as for you, BethlehemEphrathah,[Too] littleto be among the clansof Judah,From you One will goforthfor Me to be rulerin Israel.His goingsforthare from longago,From the daysof eternity."
And He will ariseand shepherd[His flock] In the strengthof the LORD,In the majestyof the nameof the LORDHis God.And they will remain,Becauseat that timeHe will be greatTo the endsof the earth.
So it was brokenon that day,and thusthe afflictedof the flockwho were watchingme realizedthat it was the wordof the LORD.
Thussaysthe LORDmy God,"Pasturethe flock[doomed] to slaughter.
So I pasturedthe flock[doomed] to slaughter,hencethe afflictedof the flock.And I tookfor myself twostaffs:the oneI calledFavorand the otherI calledUnion;so I pasturedthe flock.
"BEHOLD,THE VIRGINSHALL BE WITH CHILDAND SHALL BEARA SON,AND THEY SHALL CALLHIS NAMEIMMANUEL,"whichtranslatedmeans,"GODWITH US."
"And whoeverin the nameof a disciplegivesto oneof theselittle onesevena cupof coldwater to drink,trulyI sayto you, he shall not losehis reward."
"All thingshave been handed overto Me by My Father;and no oneknowsthe Sonexceptthe Father;nordoes anyoneknowthe Fatherexceptthe Son,and anyone to whomthe Sonwillsto reveal[Him].
"Seethat you do not despiseoneof theselittle ones,for I sayto you that their angelsin heavencontinuallyseethe faceof My Fatherwho is in heaven.
"Soit is not [the] willof your Fatherwho is in heaventhat oneof theselittle onesperish.
ThenJesussaidto them, "You will allfall awaybecauseof Me thisnight,for it is written,I WILL STRIKE DOWNTHE SHEPHERD,AND THE SHEEPOF THE FLOCKSHALL BE SCATTERED.'
"But allthishas taken placeto fulfillthe Scripturesof the prophets."Thenallthe disciplesleftHim and fled.
And Jesussaidto them, "You will allfall away,becauseit is written,I WILL STRIKE DOWNTHE SHEPHERD,AND THE SHEEPSHALL BE SCATTERED.'
And they allleftHim and fled.
"Do not be afraid,littleflock,for your Fatherhas chosen gladlyto giveyou the kingdom.
"It would be betterfor him ifa millstonewere hungaroundhis neckand he were throwninto the sea,thanthat he would causeoneof theselittle onesto stumble.
The next dayhe sawJesuscomingto him and said,"Behold,the Lambof Godwho takes awaythe sinof the world!
"I and the Fatherare one."
but ifI dothem, thoughyou do not believeMe, believethe works,sothat you may knowand understandthat the Fatheris in Me, and I in the Father."
"Do not let your heartbe troubled;believein God,believealsoin Me.
Jesusansweredand saidto him, "IfanyonelovesMe, he will keepMy word;and My Fatherwill lovehim, and We will cometo him and makeOur abodewith him.
"All thingsthat the Fatherhasare Mine;thereforeI saidthat He takesof Mineand will disclose[it] to you.
"Behold,an houris coming,and has [already] come,for you to be scattered,eachto his own[home], and to leaveMe alone;and [yet] I amnot alone,becausethe Fatheris with Me.
sothat allwill honorthe Sonevenas they honorthe Father.He who does not honorthe Sondoes not honorthe Fatherwho sentHim.
Jesussaidto them, "Truly,truly,I sayto you, beforeAbrahamwas born,I am."
this[Man], deliveredover by the predeterminedplanand foreknowledgeof God,you nailed to a crossby the handsof godless menand put [Him] to death.
[He] whowas deliveredover becauseof our transgressions,and was raisedbecauseof our justification.
He whodid not spareHis ownSon,but deliveredHim over for us all,howwill He not alsowith Him freely giveus all things?
He madeHim who knewnosin[to be] sinon our behalf,sothat we might becomethe righteousnessof Godin Him.
Christredeemedus from the curseof the Law,having becomea cursefor us-- for it is written,"CURSEDIS EVERYONEWHO HANGSON A TREE"--
who,although He existedin the formof God,did not regardequalitywith Goda thing to be grasped,
Nowthe Godof peace,who broughtup from the deadthe greatShepherdof the sheepthroughthe bloodof the eternalcovenant,[even] Jesusour Lord,
For Christalsodiedfor sinsonce for all,[the] justfor [the] unjust,sothat He might bringus to God,having been put to deathin the flesh,but made alivein the spirit;
And when the Chief Shepherdappears,you will receivethe unfadingcrownof glory.
and He Himselfis the propitiationfor our sins;and not for oursonly,but alsofor [those of] the wholeworld.
saying,"Writein a bookwhatyou see,and send[it] to the sevenchurches:to Ephesusand to Smyrnaand to Pergamumand to Thyatiraand to Sardisand to Philadelphiaand to Laodicea."
WhenI sawHim, I fellat His feetlikea dead man.And He placedHis right handon me, saying,"Do not be afraid;I amthe firstand the last,
"I amthe Alphaand the Omega,"saysthe LordGod,"who is and whowas and who is to come,the Almighty."
Allwho dwellon the earthwill worshiphim, [everyone] whosenamehas not been writtenfrom the foundationof the worldin the bookof lifeof the Lambwho has been slain.
And I will killher childrenwith pestilence,and allthe churcheswill knowthat I amHe who searchesthe mindsand hearts;and I will giveto each oneof you accordingto your deeds.
ThenHe saidto me, "It is done.I am the Alphaand the Omega,the beginningand the end.I will giveto the one who thirstsfrom the springof the waterof lifewithout cost.
