<t /><p class="bodytext">This is what the sovereign <sc>Lordsc> says: &#8220;Here<n id="1" /> are the borders<n id="2" /> you will observe as you allot the land to the twelve tribes of Israel. (Joseph will have two portions.)<n id="3" />

I prayed to the <sc>LORDsc> my God, confessing in this way:p> <p class="bodytext">&#8220;O Lord,<n id="1" /> great and awesome God who is faithful to his covenant<n id="2" /> with those who love him and keep his commandments,

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;Now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with great power<n id="1" /> and made a name for yourself that is remembered to this day &#8211; we have sinned and behaved wickedly.

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;So now, our God, accept<n id="1" /> the prayer and requests of your servant, and show favor to<n id="2" /> your devastated sanctuary for your own sake.<n id="3" />

<p class="poetry">I will remove<n id="1" /> the ruler<n id="2" /> from Ashdod,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">the one who holds the royal scepter from Ashkelon.<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">I will strike Ekron<n id="5" /> with my hand;<n id="6" />p> <p class="poetry">the rest of the Philistines will also die.&#8221;<n id="7" />p> <p class="poetry">The sovereign <sc>Lordsc> has spoken!p>

<p class="poetry">Certainly the sovereign <sc>Lordsc> does nothing without first revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.p>

<p class="poetry">Therefore,&#8221; says the sovereign <sc>Lordsc>, &#8220;an enemy will encircle the land.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">He will take away your power;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">your fortresses will be looted.&#8221;p>

<p class="poetry">The sovereign <sc>Lordsc> confirms this oath by his own holy character:<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;Certainly the time is approaching<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">when you will be carried away<n id="3" /> in baskets,<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">every last one of you<n id="5" /> in fishermen&#8217;s pots.<n id="6" />p>

<p class="poetry">Burn a thank offering of bread made with yeast!<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Make a public display of your voluntary offerings!<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">For you love to do this, you Israelites.&#8221;p> <p class="poetry">The sovereign <sc>Lordsc> is speaking!p>

<p class="poetry">The sovereign <sc>Lordsc> says this:p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;The city that marches out with a thousand soldiers<n id="1" /> will have only a hundred left;p> <p class="poetry">the town<n id="2" /> that marches out with a hundred soldiers<n id="3" /> will have only ten left for the family of Israel.&#8221;<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">The sovereign <sc>Lordsc> confirms this oath by his very own life.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">The <sc>Lordsc>, the God who commands armies, is speaking:p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;I despise Jacob&#8217;s arrogance;p> <p class="poetry">I hate their<n id="2" /> fortresses.p> <p class="poetry">I will hand over to their enemies<n id="3" /> the city of Samaria<n id="4" /> and everything in it.&#8221;p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">The sovereign <sc>Lordsc> showed me this: I saw<n id="1" /> him making locusts just as the crops planted late<n id="2" /> were beginning to sprout. (The crops planted late sprout after the royal harvest.<n id="3" />)

When they had completely consumed the earth&#8217;s vegetation, I said,p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;Sovereign <sc>Lordsc>, forgive Israel!<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">How can Jacob survive?<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">He is too weak!&#8221;<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">The women singing in the temple<n id="1" /> will wail in that day.&#8221;p> <p class="poetry">The sovereign <sc>Lordsc> is speaking.p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;There will be many corpses littered everywhere!<n id="2" /> Be quiet!&#8221;p>

<p class="poetry">In that day,&#8221; says the sovereign <sc>Lordsc>, &#8220;I will make the sun set at noon,p> <p class="poetry">and make the earth dark in the middle of the day.<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">The sovereign <sc>Lordsc> who commands armies will do this.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">He touches the earth and it dissolves;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">all who live on it mourn.p> <p class="poetry">The whole earth<n id="3" /> rises like the River Nile,<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">and then grows calm<n id="5" /> like the Nile in Egypt.<n id="6" />p>

<t /><p class="poetry">The vision<n id="1" /> that Obadiah<n id="2" /> saw.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">The Lord <sc>Godsc><n id="4" /> says this concerning<n id="5" /> Edom:<n id="6" />p><t /><p class="poetry">We have heard a report from the <sc>Lordsc>.p> <p class="poetry">An envoy was sent among the nations, saying,<n id="7" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;Arise! Let us make war against Edom!&#8221;<n id="8" />p>

<p class="poetry">Be silent before the Lord <sc>Godsc>,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">for the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s day of judgment<n id="2" /> is almost here.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">The <sc>Lordsc> has prepared a sacrificial meal;<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">he has ritually purified<n id="5" /> his guests.p>

<p class="bodytext">Then the <sc>Lordsc> will appear above them, and his arrow will shoot forth like lightning; the Lord <sc>Godsc> will blow the trumpet and will sally forth on the southern storm winds.

<p class="bodytext">Then Moses said to the <sc>Lordsc>,<n id="1" /> &#8220;O<n id="2" /> my Lord,<n id="3" /> I am not an eloquent man,<n id="4" /> neither in the past<n id="5" /> nor since you have spoken to your servant, for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.&#8221;<n id="6" />p>