Encounter Series 4 Day 264

Daniel 11

¹ Also I in the first year of Darius the Mede, even I, stood to confirm and to strengthen him. ² And now will I shew thee the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer than they all: and by his strength through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia. ³ And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will. ⁴ And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven; and not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion which he ruled: for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others beside those. ⁵ And the king of the south shall be strong, and one of his princes; and he shall be strong above him, and have dominion; his dominion shall be a great dominion. ⁶ And in the end of years they shall join themselves together; for the king’s daughter of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement: but she shall not retain the power of the arm; neither shall he stand, nor his arm: but she shall be given up, and they that brought her, and he that begat her, and he that strengthened her in these times. ⁷ But out of a branch of her roots shall one stand up in his estate, which shall come with an army, and shall enter into the fortress of the king of the north, and shall deal against them, and shall prevail: ⁸ And shall also carry captives into Egypt their gods, with their princes, and with their precious vessels of silver and of gold; and he shall continue more years than the king of the north. ⁹ So the king of the south shall come into his kingdom, and shall return into his own land. ¹⁰ But his sons shall be stirred up, and shall assemble a multitude of great forces: and one shall certainly come, and overflow, and pass through: then shall he return, and be stirred up, even to his fortress. ¹¹ And the king of the south shall be moved with choler, and shall come forth and fight with him, even with the king of the north: and he shall set forth a great multitude; but the multitude shall be given into his hand. ¹² And when he hath taken away the multitude, his heart shall be lifted up; and he shall cast down many ten thousands: but he shall not be strengthened by it. ¹³ For the king of the north shall return, and shall set forth a multitude greater than the former, and shall certainly come after certain years with a great army and with much riches. ¹⁴ And in those times there shall many stand up against the king of the south: also the robbers of thy people shall exalt themselves to establish the vision; but they shall fall. ¹⁵ So the king of the north shall come, and cast up a mount, and take the most fenced cities: and the arms of the south shall not withstand, neither his chosen people, neither shall there be any strength to withstand. ¹⁶ But he that cometh against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand before him: and he shall stand in the glorious land, which by his hand shall be consumed. ¹⁷ He shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, and upright ones with him; thus shall he do: and he shall give him the daughter of women, corrupting her: but she shall not stand on his side, neither be for him. ¹⁸ After this shall he turn his face unto the isles, and shall take many: but a prince for his own behalf shall cause the reproach offered by him to cease; without his own reproach he shall cause it to turn upon him. ¹⁹ Then he shall turn his face toward the fort of his own land: but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found. ²⁰ Then shall stand up in his estate a raiser of taxes in the glory of the kingdom: but within few days he shall be destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle. ²¹ And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries. ²² And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him, and shall be broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant. ²³ And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people. ²⁴ He shall enter peaceably even upon the fattest places of the province; and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers’ fathers; he shall scatter among them the prey, and spoil, and riches: yea, and he shall forecast his devices against the strong holds, even for a time. ²⁵ And he shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south with a great army; and the king of the south shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army; but he shall not stand: for they shall forecast devices against him. ²⁶ Yea, they that feed of the portion of his meat shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow: and many shall fall down slain. ²⁷ And both these kings’ hearts shall be to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not prosper: for yet the end shall be at the time appointed. ²⁸ Then shall he return into his land with great riches; and his heart shall be against the holy covenant; and he shall do exploits, and return to his own land. ²⁹ At the time appointed he shall return, and come toward the south; but it shall not be as the former, or as the latter. ³⁰ For the ships of Chittim shall come against him: therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant. ³¹ And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate. ³² And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. ³³ And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days. ³⁴ Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries. ³⁵ And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed. ³⁶ And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done. ³⁷ Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all. ³⁸ But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things. ³⁹ Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain. ⁴⁰ And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. ⁴¹ He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. ⁴² He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape. ⁴³ But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps. ⁴⁴ But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many. ⁴⁵ And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.

Ezra 1

¹ Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, ² Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. ³ Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem. ⁴ And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem. ⁵ Then rose up the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, with all them whose spirit God had raised, to go up to build the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem. ⁶ And all they that were about them strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and with beasts, and with precious things, beside all that was willingly offered. ⁷ Also Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of Jerusalem, and had put them in the house of his gods; ⁸ Even those did Cyrus king of Persia bring forth by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and numbered them unto Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah. ⁹ And this is the number of them: thirty chargers of gold, a thousand chargers of silver, nine and twenty knives, ¹⁰ Thirty basons of gold, silver basons of a second sort four hundred and ten, and other vessels a thousand. ¹¹ All the vessels of gold and of silver were five thousand and four hundred. All these did Sheshbazzar bring up with them of the captivity that were brought up from Babylon unto Jerusalem.

Ezra 2

¹ Now these are the children of the province that went up out of the captivity, of those which had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away unto Babylon, and came again unto Jerusalem and Judah, every one unto his city; ² Which came with Zerubbabel: Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mizpar, Bigvai, Rehum, Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel: ³ The children of Parosh, two thousand an hundred seventy and two. ⁴ The children of Shephatiah, three hundred seventy and two. ⁵ The children of Arah, seven hundred seventy and five. ⁶ The children of Pahath-moab, of the children of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand eight hundred and twelve. ⁷ The children of Elam, a thousand two hundred fifty and four. ⁸ The children of Zattu, nine hundred forty and five. ⁹ The children of Zaccai, seven hundred and threescore. ¹⁰ The children of Bani, six hundred forty and two. ¹¹ The children of Bebai, six hundred twenty and three. ¹² The children of Azgad, a thousand two hundred twenty and two. ¹³ The children of Adonikam, six hundred sixty and six. ¹⁴ The children of Bigvai, two thousand fifty and six. ¹⁵ The children of Adin, four hundred fifty and four. ¹⁶ The children of Ater of Hezekiah, ninety and eight. ¹⁷ The children of Bezai, three hundred twenty and three. ¹⁸ The children of Jorah, an hundred and twelve. ¹⁹ The children of Hashum, two hundred twenty and three. ²⁰ The children of Gibbar, ninety and five. ²¹ The children of Bethlehem, an hundred twenty and three. ²² The men of Netophah, fifty and six. ²³ The men of Anathoth, an hundred twenty and eight. ²⁴ The children of Azmaveth, forty and two. ²⁵ The children of Kirjath-arim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred and forty and three. ²⁶ The children of Ramah and Gaba, six hundred twenty and one. ²⁷ The men of Michmas, an hundred twenty and two. ²⁸ The men of Bethel and Ai, two hundred twenty and three. ²⁹ The children of Nebo, fifty and two. ³⁰ The children of Magbish, an hundred fifty and six. ³¹ The children of the other Elam, a thousand two hundred fifty and four. ³² The children of Harim, three hundred and twenty. ³³ The children of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred twenty and five. ³⁴ The children of Jericho, three hundred forty and five. ³⁵ The children of Senaah, three thousand and six hundred and thirty. ³⁶ The priests: the children of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred seventy and three. ³⁷ The children of Immer, a thousand fifty and two. ³⁸ The children of Pashur, a thousand two hundred forty and seven. ³⁹ The children of Harim, a thousand and seventeen. ⁴⁰ The Levites: the children of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the children of Hodaviah, seventy and four. ⁴¹ The singers: the children of Asaph, an hundred twenty and eight. ⁴² The children of the porters: the children of Shallum, the children of Ater, the children of Talmon, the children of Akkub, the children of Hatita, the children of Shobai, in all an hundred thirty and nine. ⁴³ The Nethinims: the children of Ziha, the children of Hasupha, the children of Tabbaoth, ⁴⁴ The children of Keros, the children of Siaha, the children of Padon, ⁴⁵ The children of Lebanah, the children of Hagabah, the children of Akkub, ⁴⁶ The children of Hagab, the children of Shalmai, the children of Hanan, ⁴⁷ The children of Giddel, the children of Gahar, the children of Reaiah, ⁴⁸ The children of Rezin, the children of Nekoda, the children of Gazzam, ⁴⁹ The children of Uzza, the children of Paseah, the children of Besai, ⁵⁰ The children of Asnah, the children of Mehunim, the children of Nephusim, ⁵¹ The children of Bakbuk, the children of Hakupha, the children of Harhur, ⁵² The children of Bazluth, the children of Mehida, the children of Harsha, ⁵³ The children of Barkos, the children of Sisera, the children of Thamah, ⁵⁴ The children of Neziah, the children of Hatipha. ⁵⁵ The children of Solomon’s servants: the children of Sotai, the children of Sophereth, the children of Peruda, ⁵⁶ The children of Jaalah, the children of Darkon, the children of Giddel, ⁵⁷ The children of Shephatiah, the children of Hattil, the children of Pochereth of Zebaim, the children of Ami. ⁵⁸ All the Nethinims, and the children of Solomon’s servants, were three hundred ninety and two. ⁵⁹ And these were they which went up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsa, Cherub, Addan, and Immer: but they could not shew their father’s house, and their seed, whether they were of Israel: ⁶⁰ The children of Delaiah, the children of Tobiah, the children of Nekoda, six hundred fifty and two. ⁶¹ And of the children of the priests: the children of Habaiah, the children of Koz, the children of Barzillai; which took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called after their name: ⁶² These sought their register among those that were reckoned by genealogy, but they were not found: therefore were they, as polluted, put from the priesthood. ⁶³ And the Tirshatha said unto them, that they should not eat of the most holy things, till there stood up a priest with Urim and with Thummim. ⁶⁴ The whole congregation together was forty and two thousand three hundred and threescore, ⁶⁵ Beside their servants and their maids, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred thirty and seven: and there were among them two hundred singing men and singing women. ⁶⁶ Their horses were seven hundred thirty and six; their mules, two hundred forty and five; ⁶⁷ Their camels, four hundred thirty and five; their asses, six thousand seven hundred and twenty. ⁶⁸ And some of the chief of the fathers, when they came to the house of the LORD which is at Jerusalem, offered freely for the house of God to set it up in his place: ⁶⁹ They gave after their ability unto the treasure of the work threescore and one thousand drams of gold, and five thousand pound of silver, and one hundred priests garments. ⁷⁰ So the priests, and the Levites, and some of the people, and the singers, and the porters, and the Nethinims, dwelt in their cities, and all Israel in their cities.

Ezra 3

¹ And when the seventh month was come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem. ² Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and builded the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings thereon, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God. ³ And they set the altar upon his bases; for fear was upon them because of the people of those countries: and they offered burnt offerings thereon unto the LORD, even burnt offerings morning and evening. ⁴ They kept also the feast of tabernacles, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number, according to the custom, as the duty of every day required; ⁵ And afterward offered the continual burnt offering, both of the new moons, and of all the set feasts of the LORD that were consecrated, and of every one that willingly offered a freewill offering unto the LORD. ⁶ From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer burnt offerings unto the LORD. But the foundation of the temple of the LORD was not yet laid. ⁷ They gave money also unto the masons, and to the carpenters; and meat, and drink, and oil, unto them of Zidon, and to them of Tyre, to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa, according to the grant that they had of Cyrus king of Persia. ⁸ Now in the second year of their coming unto the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, began Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the remnant of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all they that were come out of the captivity unto Jerusalem; and appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to set forward the work of the house of the LORD. ⁹ Then stood Jeshua with his sons and his brethren, Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together, to set forward the workmen in the house of God: the sons of Henadad, with their sons and their brethren the Levites. ¹⁰ And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the LORD, after the ordinance of David king of Israel. ¹¹ And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the LORD; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. ¹² But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy: ¹³ So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.