Read Aloud the Text Content

This audio was created by Woord's Text to Speech service by content creators from all around the world.

Text Content or SSML code:

Heaven and earth, listen,
    because the Lord is speaking:
“I raised my children and helped them grow.
    But they have turned against me. An ox knows its master.
    And a donkey knows where its owner feeds it.
But the people of Israel do not know me.
    My people do not understand.” Terrible times are coming for Israel, a nation of sin.
    The people are loaded down with guilt.
They are like a group of children doing evil.
    They are full of evil.
They have left the Lord.
    They hate God, the Holy One of Israel.
    They have turned away from him. Why should you continue to be punished?
    Why do you continue to turn against him?
Your whole head is hurt.
    And your whole heart is sick. There is no healthy spot
    from the bottom of your foot to the top of your head.
    You are covered with wounds, hurts and open sores.
Your wounds are not cleaned and covered.
    No medicine takes away the pain. Your land is ruined.
    Your cities have been burned with fire.
While you watch,
    your enemies are stealing everything from your land.
    Your land is ruined like a country destroyed by enemies. Jerusalem is left alone
    like an empty shelter in a vineyard.
It is like a hut left in a field of melons.
    It is like a city surrounded by enemies. The Lord of heaven’s armies
    allowed a few of our people to live.
    Otherwise we would have been completely destroyed
    like the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Jerusalem, your rulers are like those of Sodom.
    Your people are like those of Gomorrah.
Hear the word of the Lord.
    Listen to the teachings of our God! The Lord says,
    “I do not want all these sacrifices you give me.
I have had enough of your sacrifices
    of male sheep and fat from fine animals.
I am not pleased
    by the blood of bulls, sheep and goats. You come to meet with me.
    But who asked you to do
    all this running in and out? Don’t continue bringing me worthless sacrifices!
    I hate the incense you burn.
I can’t stand your New Moons, Sabbaths and other feast days.
    I can’t stand the evil you do in holding your holy meetings. I hate your New Moon feasts
    and your other yearly feasts.
They have become like heavy weights on me.
    I am tired of carrying them. You will raise your arms in prayer to me.
    But I will refuse to look at you.
Even if you say many prayers,
    I will not listen to you.
It’s because your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves and make yourselves clean.
    Stop doing the evil things I see you do.
Stop doing wrong!     Learn to do good.
Be fair to other people.
    Punish those who hurt others.
Help the orphans.
    Stand up for the rights of widows.” A person might think he is religious. But if he says things he should not say, then he is just fooling himself. His “religion” is worth nothing. Religion that God the Father accepts is this: caring for orphans or widows who need help; and keeping yourself free from the world’s evil influence. This is the kind of religion that God accepts as pure and good. He who is having an ear -- let him hear what the Spirit saith to the assemblies. And to the messenger of the assembly in Philadelphia write: These things saith he who is holy, he who is true, he who is having the key of David, he who is opening and no one doth shut, and he shutteth and no one doth open! I have known thy works; lo, I have set before thee a door -- opened, and no one is able to shut it, because thou hast a little power, and didst keep my word, and didst not deny my name; lo, I make of the synagogue of the Adversary those saying themselves to be Jews, and are not, but do lie; lo, I will make them that they may come and bow before thy feet, and may know that I loved thee.  `Because thou didst keep the word of my endurance, I also will keep thee from the hour of the trial that is about to come upon all the world, to try those dwelling upon the earth. Lo, I come quickly, be holding fast that which thou hast, that no one may receive thy crown. You are being guarded by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. You rejoice in this, even though now for a short time, if necessary, you suffer grief in various trials so that the proven character of your faith—more valuable than gold which, though perishable, is refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him; though not seeing him now, you believe in him, and you rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy, because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. And to the messenger of the assembly of the Laodiceans write: These things saith the Amen, the witness -- the faithful and true -- the chief of the creation of God; I have known thy works, that neither cold art thou nor hot; I would thou wert cold or hot. So -- because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to vomit thee out of my mouth; because thou sayest -- I am rich, and have grown rich, and have need of nothing, and hast not known that thou art the wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked, I counsel thee to buy from me gold fired by fire, that thou mayest be rich, and white garments that thou mayest be arrayed, and the shame of thy nakedness may not be manifest, and with eye-salve anoint thine eyes, that thou mayest see. `As many as I love, I do convict and chasten; be zealous, then, and reform; lo, I have stood at the door, and I knock; if any one may hear my voice, and may open the door, I will come in unto him, and will sup with him, and he with me. If a believer is poor, he should take pride that God has made him spiritually rich.  If he is rich, he should take pride that God has shown him that he is spiritually poor. The rich person will die like a wild flower in the grass. The sun rises and becomes hotter and hotter. The heat makes the plants very dry, and the flower falls off. The flower was beautiful, but now it is dead. It is the same with a rich person. While he is still taking care of his business, he will die.