Jer. 48:1–20

48:1 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, spoke about Moab:

“Sure to be judged is Nebo! Indeed, it will be destroyed.

Kiriathaim will suffer disgrace. It will be captured!

Its fortress will suffer disgrace. It will be torn down!

2People will not praise Moab anymore.

The enemy will capture Heshbon and plot how to destroy Moab,

saying, ‘Come, let’s put an end to that nation!’

City of Madmen, you will also be destroyed.

A destructive army will march against you.

3Cries of anguish will arise in Horonaim,

‘Oh, the ruin and great destruction!’

4“Moab will be crushed.

Her children will cry out in distress.

5Indeed they will climb the slopes of Luhith,

weeping continually as they go.

For on the road down to Horonaim

they will hear the cries of distress over the destruction.

6They will hear, ‘Run! Save yourselves;

even if you must be like a lonely shrub in the wilderness!’

7“Moab, you trust in the things you do and in your riches.

So you too will be conquered.

Your god Chemosh will go into exile

along with his priests and his officials.

8The destroyer will come against every town.

Not one town will escape.

The towns in the valley will be destroyed.

The cities on the high plain will be laid waste.

I, the Lord, have spoken.

9Set up a gravestone for Moab,

for it will certainly be laid in ruins!

Its cities will be laid waste

and become uninhabited.

10A curse on anyone who is lax in doing the Lord’s work!

A curse on anyone who keeps from carrying out his destruction!

11“From its earliest days Moab has lived undisturbed.

It has never been taken into exile.

Its people are like wine allowed to settle undisturbed on its dregs,

never poured out from one jar to another.

They are like wine that tastes like it always did,

whose aroma has remained unchanged.

12But the time is coming when I will send

men against Moab who will empty it out.

They will empty the towns of their people,

then will lay those towns in ruins.

I, the Lord, affirm it!

13The people of Moab will be disappointed by their god Chemosh.

They will be as disappointed as the people of Israel were

when they put their trust in the calf god at Bethel.

14How can you men of Moab say, ‘We are heroes,

men who are mighty in battle?’

15Moab will be destroyed. Its towns will be invaded.

Its finest young men will be slaughtered.

I, the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, affirm it!

16Moab’s destruction is at hand.

Disaster will come on it quickly.

17Mourn for that nation, all you nations living around it,

all you nations that know of its fame.

Mourn and say, ‘Alas, its powerful influence has been broken!

Its glory and power have been done away with!’

18Come down from your place of honor;

sit on the dry ground, you who live in Dibon.

For the one who will destroy Moab will attack you;

he will destroy your fortifications.

19You who live in Aroer,

stand by the road and watch.

Question the man who is fleeing and the woman who is escaping.

Ask them, ‘What has happened?’

20They will answer, ‘Moab is disgraced, for it has fallen!

Wail and cry out in mourning!

Announce along the Arnon River

that Moab has been destroyed.’

Ps. 30

30:1 A psalm, a song used at the dedication of the temple; by David.

I will praise you, O Lord, for you lifted me up

and did not allow my enemies to gloat over me.

2O Lord my God,

I cried out to you and you healed me.

3O Lord, you pulled me up from Sheol;

you rescued me from among those descending into the grave.

4Sing to the Lord, you faithful followers of his;

give thanks to his holy name.

5For his anger lasts only a brief moment,

and his good favor restores one’s life.

One may experience sorrow during the night,

but joy arrives in the morning.

6In my self-confidence I said,

“I will never be shaken.”

7O Lord, in your good favor you made me secure.

Then you rejected me and I was terrified.

8To you, O Lord, I cried out;

I begged the Lord for mercy:

9“What profit is there in taking my life,

in my descending into the Pit?

Can the dust of the grave praise you?

Can it declare your loyalty?

10Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me.

O Lord, deliver me.”

11Then you turned my lament into dancing;

you removed my sackcloth and covered me with joy.

12So now my heart will sing to you and not be silent;

O Lord my God, I will always give thanks to you.

Acts 28:11–16

28:11 After three months we put out to sea in an Alexandrian ship that had wintered at the island and had the “Heavenly Twins” as its figurehead. 12We put in at Syracuse and stayed there three days. 13From there we cast off and arrived at Rhegium, and after one day a south wind sprang up and on the second day we came to Puteoli. 14There we found some brothers and were invited to stay with them seven days. And in this way we came to Rome. 15The brothers from there, when they heard about us, came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. When he saw them, Paul thanked God and took courage. 16When we entered Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him.