Come to Me – Day 19

₂I myself created the whole universe! I am pleased with those who are humble and repentant, who fear me and obey me.

₃“The people do as they please. It's all the same to them whether they kill a bull as a sacrifice or sacrifice a human being; whether they sacrifice a lamb or break a dog's neck; whether they present a grain offering or offer pigs' blood; whether they offer incense or pray to an idol. They take pleasure in disgusting ways of worship.

₁₈I know their thoughts and their deeds. I am coming to gather the people of all the nations. When they come together, they will see what my power can do ₁₉and will know that I am the one who punishes them.

“But I will spare some of them and send them to the nations and the distant lands that have not heard of my fame or seen my greatness and power: to Spain, Libya, and Lydia, with its skilled archers, and to Tubal and Greece. Among these nations they will proclaim my greatness. ₂₀They will bring back all your fellow-Israelites from the nations as a gift to me. They will bring them to my sacred hill in Jerusalem on horses, mules, and camels, and in chariots and wagons, just as Israelites bring grain offerings to the Temple in ritually clean containers. ₂₁I will make some of them priests and Levites.

₂₂“Just as the new earth and the new heavens will endure by my power, so your descendants and your name will endure. ₂₃On every New Moon Festival and every Sabbath, people of every nation will come to worship me here in Jerusalem,” says the LORD. ₂₄“As they leave, they will see the dead bodies of those who have rebelled against me. The worms that eat them will never die, and the fire that burns them will never be put out. The sight of them will be disgusting to the whole human race.”