Reading through the Word.....Day 258

ISAIAH 25:1- 28:13
GALATIANS 3:10- 22
PSALM 61:1- 8
PROVERBS 23:17- 18


O LORD, I [Isaiah] will honor and praise your name, for you are my God. You do such wonderful things! You planned them long ago, and now you have accomplished them. 2 You turn mighty cities into heaps of ruins. Cities with strong walls are turned to rubble. Beautiful palaces in distant lands disappear and will never be rebuilt. 3 Therefore, strong nations will declare your glory; ruthless nations will revere you. 4 But to the poor, O LORD, you are a refuge from the storm. To the needy in distress, you are a shelter from the rain and the heat. For the oppressive acts of ruthless people are like a storm beating against a wall, 5 or like the relentless heat of the desert. But you silence the roar of foreign nations. You cool the land with the shade of a cloud. So the boastful songs of ruthless people are stilled. 6 In Jerusalem, the LORD Almighty will spread a wonderful feast for everyone around the world. It will be a delicious feast of good food, with clear, well- aged wine and choice beef. 7 In that day he will remove the cloud of gloom, the shadow of death that hangs over the earth. 8 He will swallow up death forever! The Sovereign LORD will wipe away all tears. He will remove forever all insults and mockery against his land and people. The LORD has spoken! 9 In that day the people will proclaim, "This is our God. We trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the LORD, in whom we trusted. Let us rejoice in the salvation he brings!" 10 For the LORD's good hand will rest on Jerusalem. Moab will be crushed like trampled straw and left to rot. 11 God will push down Moab's people as a swimmer pushes down water with his hands. He will end their pride and all their evil works. 12 The high walls of Moab will be demolished and ground to dust. 26:1 IN that day, everyone in the land of Judah will sing this song:Our city is now strong!
We are surrounded by the walls of God's salvation.
2 Open the gates to all who are righteous;
allow the faithful to enter.
3 You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you,
whose thoughts are fixed on you!
4 Trust in the LORD always,
for the LORD GOD is the eternal Rock.
5 He humbles the proud
and brings the arrogant city to the dust.
Its walls come crashing down!
6 The poor and oppressed trample it underfoot.
7 But for those who are righteous,
the path is not steep and rough.
You are a God of justice,
and you smooth out the road ahead of them.
8 LORD, we love to obey your laws;
our heart's desire is to glorify your name.
9 All night long I search for you;
earnestly I seek for God.
For only when you come to judge the earth
will people turn from wickedness and do what is right.
10 Your kindness to the wicked does not make them do good.
They keep doing wrong and take no notice of the LORD's majesty.
11 O LORD, they do not listen when you threaten.
They do not see your upraised fist.
Show them your eagerness to defend your people.
Perhaps then they will be ashamed.
Let your fire consume your enemies.
12 LORD, you will grant us peace,
for all we have accomplished is really from you.
13 O LORD our God, others have ruled us,
but we worship you alone.
14 Those we served before are dead and gone.
Never again will they return!
You attacked them and destroyed them,
and they are long forgotten.
15 We praise you, LORD!
You have made our nation great;
you have extended our borders!
16 LORD, in distress we searched for you.
We were bowed beneath the burden of your discipline.
17 We were like a woman about to give birth,
writhing and crying out in pain.
When we are in your presence, LORD,
18 we, too, writhe in agony,
but nothing comes of our suffering.
We have done nothing to rescue the world;
no one has been born to populate the earth.
19 Yet we have this assurance:
Those who belong to God will live;
their bodies will rise again!
Those who sleep in the earth
will rise up and sing for joy!
For God's light of life will fall like dew
on his people in the place of the dead!
20 Go home, my people, and lock your doors! Hide until the LORD's anger against your enemies has passed. 21 Look! The LORD is coming from heaven to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will no longer hide those who have been murdered. They will be brought out for all to see. 27:1 IN that day the LORD will take his terrible, swift sword and punish Leviathan, the swiftly moving serpent, the coiling, writhing serpent, the dragon of the sea. 2 "In that day we will sing of the pleasant vineyard. 3 I, the LORD, will watch over it and tend its fruitful vines. Each day I will water them; day and night I will watch to keep enemies away. 4 My anger against Israel will be gone. If I find briers and thorns bothering her, I will burn them up. 5 These enemies will be spared only if they surrender and beg for peace and protection." 6 The time is coming when my people will take root. Israel will bud and blossom and fill the whole earth with her fruit! 7 Has the LORD punished Israel in the same way he has punished her enemies? No, for he devastated her enemies, 8 but he has punished Israel only a little. He has exiled her from her land as though blown away in a storm from the east. 9 The LORD did this to purge away Israel's sin. When he has finished, all the pagan altars will be crushed to dust. There won't be an Asherah pole or incense altar left standing. 10 Israel's fortified cities will be silent and empty, the houses abandoned, the streets covered with grass. Cattle will graze there, chewing on twigs and branches. 11 The people are like the dead branches of a tree, broken off and used for kindling beneath the cooking pots. Israel is a foolish and stupid nation, for its people have turned away from God. Therefore, the one who made them will show them no pity or mercy. 12 Yet the time will come when the LORD will gather them together one by one like handpicked grain. He will bring them to his great threshing floor-- from the Euphrates River in the east to the brook of Egypt in the west. 13 In that day the great trumpet will sound. Many who were dying in exile in Assyria and Egypt will return to Jerusalem to worship the LORD on his holy mountain. 28:1 DESTRUCTION is certain for the city of Samaria-- the pride and joy of the drunkards of Israel! It sits in a rich valley, but its glorious beauty will suddenly disappear. Destruction is certain for that city-- the pride of a people brought low by wine. 2 For the Lord will send the mighty Assyrian army against it. Like a mighty hailstorm and a torrential rain, they will burst upon it and dash it to the ground. 3 The proud city of Samaria-- the pride and joy of the drunkards of Israel-- will be trampled beneath its enemies 'feet. 4 It sits in a fertile valley, but its glorious beauty will suddenly disappear. It will be greedily snatched up, as an early fig is hungrily picked and eaten. 5 Then at last the LORD Almighty will himself be Israel's crowning glory. He will be the pride and joy of the remnant of his people. 6 He will give a longing for justice to their judges. He will give great courage to their warriors who stand at the gates. 7 Now, however, Israel is being led by drunks! The priests and prophets reel and stagger from beer and wine. They make stupid mistakes as they carry out their responsibilities. 8 Their tables are covered with vomit; filth is everywhere. 9 They say, "Who does the LORD think we are? Why does he speak to us like this? Are we little children, barely old enough to talk? 10 He tells us everything over and over again, a line at a time, in very simple words!" 11 Since they refuse to listen, God will speak to them through foreign oppressors who speak an unknown language! 12 God's people could have rest in their own land if they would only obey him, but they will not listen. 13 So the LORD will spell out his message for them again, repeating it over and over, a line at a time, in very simple words. Yet they will stumble over this simple, straightforward message. They will be injured, trapped, and captured.


But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say, "Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all these commands that are written in God's Book of the Law." 11 Consequently, it is clear that no one can ever be right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, "It is through faith that a righteous person has life." 12 How different from this way of faith is the way of law, which says, "If you wish to find life by obeying the law, you must obey all of its commands." 13 But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree." 14 Through the work of Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, and we Christians receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith. 15 Dear brothers and sisters, *here's an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or amend an irrevocable agreement, so it is in this case. 16 God gave the promise to Abraham and his child. And notice that it doesn't say the promise was to his children, as if it meant many descendants. But the promise was to his child-- and that, of course, means Christ. 17 This is what I am trying to say:The agreement God made with Abraham could not be canceled 430 years later when God gave the law to Moses. God would be breaking his promise. 18 For if the inheritance could be received only by keeping the law, then it would not be the result of accepting God's promise. But God gave it to Abraham as a promise. 19 Well then, why was the law given? It was given to show people how guilty they are. But this system of law was to last only until the coming of the child to whom God's promise was made. And there is this further difference. God gave his laws to angels to give to Moses, who was the mediator between God and the people. 20 Now a mediator is needed if two people enter into an agreement, but God acted on his own when he made his promise to Abraham. 21 Well then, is there a conflict between God's law and God's promises? Absolutely not! If the law could have given us new life, we could have been made right with God by obeying it. 22 But the Scriptures have declared that we are all prisoners of sin, so the only way to receive God's promise is to believe in Jesus Christ.


For the choir director:A psalm of David, to be accompanied by stringed instruments.
1 O God, listen to my cry!
Hear my prayer!
2 From the ends of the earth,
I will cry to you for help,
for my heart is overwhelmed.
Lead me to the towering rock of safety,
3 for you are my safe refuge,
a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me.
4 Let me live forever in your sanctuary,
safe beneath the shelter of your wings!
Interlude5 For you have heard my vows, O God.
You have given me an inheritance reserved for those who fear your name.
6 Add many years to the life of the king!
May his years span the generations!
7 May he reign under God's protection forever.
Appoint your unfailing love and faithfulness to watch over him.
8 Then I will always sing praises to your name
as I fulfill my vows day after day.


Don't envy sinners, but always continue to fear the LORD. For surely you have a future ahead of you; your hope will not be disappointed

Reading through the Word.....Day 257

ISAIAH 22:1- 24:23
GALATIANS 2:17- 3:9
PSALM 60:1- 12
PROVERBS 23:15- 16


This message came to me [Isaiah] concerning Jerusalem:What is happening? Why is everyone running to the rooftops? 2 The whole city is in a terrible uproar. What do I see in this reveling city? Bodies are lying everywhere, killed by famine and disease. 3 All your leaders flee. They surrender without resistance. The people try to slip away, but they are captured, too. 4 Leave me alone to weep; do not try to comfort me. Let me cry for my people as I watch them being destroyed. 5 Oh, what a day of crushing trouble! What a day of confusion and terror the Lord, the LORD Almighty, has brought upon the Valley of Vision! The walls of Jerusalem have been broken, and cries of death echo from the mountainsides. 6 Elamites are the archers; Arameans drive the chariots. The men of Kir hold up the shields. 7 They fill your beautiful valleys and crowd against your gates. 8 Judah's defenses have been stripped away. You run to the armory for your weapons. 9 You inspect the walls of Jerusalem to see what needs to be repaired. You store up water in the lower pool. 10 You check the houses and tear some down to get stone to fix the walls. 11 Between the city walls, you build a reservoir for water from the old pool. But all your feverish plans are to no avail because you never ask God for help. He is the one who planned this long ago. 12 The Lord, the LORD Almighty, called you to weep and mourn. He told you to shave your heads in sorrow for your sins and to wear clothes of sackcloth to show your remorse. 13 But instead, you dance and play; you slaughter sacrificial animals, feast on meat, and drink wine. "Let's eat, drink, and be merry," you say. "What's the difference, for tomorrow we die." 14 The LORD Almighty has revealed to me that this sin will never be forgiven you until the day you die. That is the judgment of the Lord, the LORD Almighty. 15 Furthermore, the Lord, the LORD Almighty, told me to confront Shebna, the palace administrator, and to give him this message:16 "Who do you think you are, building a beautiful tomb for yourself in the rock? 17 For the LORD is about to seize you and hurl you away. He is going to send you into captivity, you strong man! 18 He will crumple you up into a ball and toss you away into a distant, barren land. There you will die, and there your glorious chariots will remain, broken and useless. You are a disgrace to your master. 19" Yes, I will drive you out of office, "says the LORD." I will pull you down from your high position. 20 And then I will call my servant Eliakim son of Hilkiah to replace you. 21 He will have your royal robes, your title, and your authority. And he will be a father to the people of Jerusalem and Judah. 22 I will give him the key to the house of David-- the highest position in the royal court. He will open doors, and no one will be able to shut them; he will close doors, and no one will be able to open them. 23 He will bring honor to his family name, for I will drive him firmly in place like a tent stake. 24 He will be loaded down with responsibility, and he will bring honor to even the lowliest members of his family. "25 The LORD Almighty says:" When that time comes, I will pull out the stake that seemed so firm. It will come out and fall to the ground. Everything it supports will fall with it. I, the LORD, have spoken! "23:1 THIS message came to me concerning Tyre:Weep, O ships of Tarshish, returning home from distant lands! Weep for your harbor at Tyre because it is gone! The rumors you heard in Cyprus are all true. 2 Mourn in silence, you people of the coast and you merchants of Sidon. Your traders crossed the sea, 3 sailing over deep waters. They brought you grain from Egypt and harvests from along the Nile. You were the merchandise mart of the world. 4 But now you are put to shame, city of Sidon, fortress on the sea. For the sea says," Now I am childless; I have no sons or daughters. "5 When Egypt hears the news about Tyre, there will be great sorrow. 6 Flee now to Tarshish! Wail, you people who live by the sea! 7 How can this silent ruin be all that is left of your once joyous city? What a history was yours! Think of all the colonists you sent to distant lands. 8 Who has brought this disaster on Tyre, empire builder and chief trader of the world? 9 The LORD Almighty has done it to destroy your pride and show his contempt for all human greatness. 10 Come, Tarshish, sweep over your mother Tyre like the flooding Nile, for the city is defenseless. 11 The LORD holds out his hand over the seas. He shakes the kingdoms of the earth. He has spoken out against Phoenicia and depleted its strength. 12 He says," Never again will you rejoice, O daughter of Sidon. Once you were a lovely city, but you will never again be strong. Even if you flee to Cyprus, you will find no rest. "13 Look at the land of Babylonia-- the people of that land are gone! The Assyrians have handed Babylon over to the wild beasts. They have built siege ramps against its walls, torn down its palaces, and turned it into a heap of rubble. 14 Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for your home port is destroyed! 15 For seventy years, the length of a king's life, Tyre will be forgotten. But then the city will come back to life and sing sweet songs like a prostitute. 16 Long absent from her lovers, she will take a harp, walk the streets, and sing her songs, so that she will again be remembered. 17 Yes, after seventy years the LORD will revive Tyre. But she will be no different than she was before. She will return again to all her evil ways around the world. 18 But in the end her businesses will give their profits to the LORD. Her wealth will not be hoarded but will be used to provide good food and fine clothing for the LORD's priests. 24:1 LOOK! The LORD is about to destroy the earth and make it a vast wasteland. See how he is scattering the people over the face of the earth. 2 Priests and laypeople, servants and masters, maids and mistresses, buyers and sellers, lenders and borrowers, bankers and debtors-- none will be spared. 3 The earth will be completely emptied and looted. The LORD has spoken! 4 The earth dries up, the crops wither, the skies refuse to rain. 5 The earth suffers for the sins of its people, for they have twisted the instructions of God, violated his laws, and broken his everlasting covenant. 6 Therefore, a curse consumes the earth and its people. They are left desolate, destroyed by fire. Few will be left alive. 7 All the joys of life will be gone. The grape harvest will fail, and there will be no wine. The merrymakers will sigh and mourn. 8 The clash of tambourines will be stilled; the happy cries of celebration will be heard no more. The melodious chords of the harp will be silent. 9 Gone are the joys of wine and song; strong drink now turns bitter in the mouth. 10 The city writhes in chaos; every home is locked to keep out looters. 11 Mobs gather in the streets, crying out for wine. Joy has reached its lowest ebb. Gladness has been banished from the land. 12 The city is left in ruins, with its gates battered down. 13 Throughout the earth the story is the same-- like the stray olives left on the tree or the few grapes left on the vine after harvest, only a remnant is left. 14 But all who are left will shout and sing for joy. Those in the west will praise the LORD's majesty. 15 In eastern lands, give glory to the LORD. In the coastlands of the sea, praise the name of the LORD, the God of Israel. 16 Listen to them as they sing to the LORD from the ends of the earth. Hear them singing praises to the Righteous One! But my heart is heavy with grief. I am discouraged, for evil still prevails, and treachery is everywhere. 17 Terror and traps and snares will be your lot, you people of the earth. 18 Those who flee in terror will fall into a trap, and those who escape the trap will step into a snare. Destruction falls on you from the heavens. The world is shaken beneath you. 19 The earth has broken down and has utterly collapsed. Everything is lost, abandoned, and confused. 20 The earth staggers like a drunkard. It trembles like a tent in a storm. It falls and will not rise again, for its sins are very great. 21 In that day the LORD will punish the fallen angels in the heavens and the proud rulers of the nations on earth. 22 They will be rounded up and put in prison until they are tried and condemned. 23 Then the LORD Almighty will mount his throne on Mount Zion. He will rule gloriously in Jerusalem, in the sight of all the leaders of his people. There will be such glory that the brightness of the sun and moon will seem to fade away.


But what if we [Paul and other believers] seek to be made right with God through faith in Christ and then find out that we are still sinners? Has Christ led us into sin? Of course not! 18 Rather, I make myself guilty if I rebuild the old system I already tore down. 19 For when I tried to keep the law, I realized I could never earn God's approval. So I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ. 20 I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me. So I live my life in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I am not one of those who treats the grace of God as meaningless. For if we could be saved by keeping the law, then there was no need for Christ to die. 3:1 OH, foolish Galatians! What magician has cast an evil spell on you? For you used to see the meaning of Jesus Christ's death as clearly as though I had shown you a signboard with a picture of Christ dying on the cross. 2 Let me ask you this one question:Did you receive the Holy Spirit by keeping the law? Of course not, for the Holy Spirit came upon you only after you believed the message you heard about Christ. 3 Have you lost your senses? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? 4 You have suffered so much for the Good News. Surely it was not in vain, was it? Are you now going to just throw it all away? 5 I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law of Moses? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ. 6 In the same way," Abraham believed God, so God declared him righteous because of his faith. "7 The real children of Abraham, then, are all those who put their faith in God. 8 What's more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would accept the Gentiles, too, on the basis of their faith. God promised this good news to Abraham long ago when he said," All nations will be blessed through you. "9 And so it is:All who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith.


For the choir director:A psalm of David useful for teaching, regarding the time David fought Aram- naharaim and Aram- zobah, and Joab returned and killed twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt. To be sung to the tune" Lily of the Testimony. "
1 You have rejected us, O God, and broken our defenses.
You have been angry with us; now restore us to your favor.
2 You have shaken our land and split it open.
Seal the cracks before it completely collapses.
3 You have been very hard on us,
making us drink wine that sent us reeling.
4 But you have raised a banner for those who honor you--
a rallying point in the face of attack.
Interlude5 Use your strong right arm to save us,
and rescue your beloved people.
6 God has promised this by his holiness:
" I will divide up Shechem with joy.
I will measure out the valley of Succoth.
7 Gilead is mine,
and Manasseh is mine.
Ephraim will produce my warriors,
and Judah will produce my kings.
8 Moab will become my lowly servant,
and Edom will be my slave.
I will shout in triumph over the Philistines. "
9 But who will bring me into the fortified city?
Who will bring me victory over Edom?
10 Have you rejected us, O God?
Will you no longer march with our armies?
11 Oh, please help us against our enemies,
for all human help is useless.
12 With God's help we will do mighty things,
for he will trample down our foes.


My child, how I will rejoice if you become wise. Yes, my heart will thrill when you speak what is right and just

Reading through the Word.....Day 256

ISAIAH 19:1- 21:17
GALATIANS 2:1- 16
PSALM 59:1- 17
PROVERBS 23:13- 14


This message came to me [Isaiah] concerning Egypt:Look! The LORD is advancing against Egypt, riding on a swift cloud. The idols of Egypt tremble. The hearts of the Egyptians melt with fear. 2 "I will make the Egyptians fight against each other-- brother against brother, neighbor against neighbor, city against city, province against province. 3 The Egyptians will lose heart, and I will confuse their plans. They will plead with their idols for wisdom. They will call on spirits, mediums, and psychics to show them which way to turn. 4 I will hand Egypt over to a hard, cruel master, to a fierce king," says the Lord, the LORD Almighty. 5 The waters of the Nile will fail to rise and flood the fields. The riverbed will be parched and dry. 6 The canals of the Nile will dry up, and the streams of Egypt will become foul with rotting reeds and rushes. 7 All the greenery along the riverbank will wither and blow away. All the crops will dry up, and everything will die. 8 The fishermen will weep for lack of work. Those who fish with hooks and those who use nets will all be unemployed. 9 The weavers will have no flax or cotton, for the crops will fail. 10 The weavers and all the workers will be sick at heart. 11 What fools are the counselors of Zoan! Their best counsel to the king of Egypt is stupid and wrong. Will they still boast of their wisdom? Will they dare tell Pharaoh about their long line of wise ancestors? 12 What has happened to your wise counselors, Pharaoh? If they are so wise, let them tell you what the LORD Almighty is going to do to Egypt. 13 The wise men from Zoan are fools, and those from Memphis are deluded. The leaders of Egypt have ruined the land with their foolish counsel. 14 The LORD has sent a spirit of foolishness on them, so all their suggestions are wrong. They cause the land of Egypt to stagger like a sick drunkard. 15 Nobody in Egypt, whether rich or poor, important or unknown, can offer any help. 16 In that day the Egyptians will be as weak as women. They will cower in fear beneath the upraised fist of the LORD Almighty. 17 Just to speak the name of Israel will strike deep terror in their hearts, for the LORD Almighty has laid out his plans against them. 18 In that day five of Egypt's cities will follow the LORD Almighty. They will even begin to speak the Hebrew language. One of these will be Heliopolis, the City of the Sun. 19 In that day there will be an altar to the LORD in the heart of Egypt, and there will be a monument to the LORD at its border. 20 It will be a sign and a witness to the LORD Almighty in the land of Egypt. When the people cry to the LORD for help against those who oppress them, he will send them a savior who will rescue them. 21 In that day the LORD will make himself known to the Egyptians. Yes, they will know the LORD and will give their sacrifices and offerings to him. They will make promises to the LORD and keep them. 22 The LORD will strike Egypt in a way that will bring healing. For the Egyptians will turn to the LORD, and he will listen to their pleas and heal them. 23 In that day Egypt and Assyria will be connected by a highway. The Egyptians and Assyrians will move freely between their lands, and they will worship the same God. 24 And Israel will be their ally. The three will be together, and Israel will be a blessing to them. 25 For the LORD Almighty will say, "Blessed be Egypt, my people. Blessed be Assyria, the land I have made. Blessed be Israel, my special possession!" 20:1 IN the year when King Sargon of Assyria captured the Philistine city of Ashdod, 2 the LORD told Isaiah son of Amoz, "Take off all your clothes, including your sandals." Isaiah did as he was told and walked around naked and barefoot. 3 Then the LORD said, "My servant Isaiah has been walking around naked and barefoot for the last three years. This is a sign-- a symbol of the terrible troubles I will bring upon Egypt and Ethiopia. 4 For the king of Assyria will take away the Egyptians and Ethiopians as prisoners. He will make them walk naked and barefoot, both young and old, their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt. 5 How dismayed will be the Philistines, who counted on the power of Ethiopia and boasted of their allies in Egypt! 6 They will say, `If this can happen to Egypt, what chance do we have? For we counted on Egypt to protect us from the king of Assyria. '" 21:1 THIS message came to me concerning the land of Babylonia:Disaster is roaring down on you from the desert, like a whirlwind sweeping in from the Negev. 2 I see an awesome vision:I see you plundered and destroyed. Go ahead, you Elamites and Medes, take part in the siege. Babylon will fall, and the groaning of all the nations she enslaved will end. 3 My stomach aches and burns with pain. Sharp pangs of horror are upon me, like the pangs of a woman giving birth. I grow faint when I hear what God is planning; I am blinded with dismay. 4 My mind reels; my heart races. The sleep I once enjoyed at night is now a faint memory. I lie awake, trembling. 5 Look! They are preparing a great feast. They are spreading rugs for people to sit on. Everyone is eating and drinking. Quick! Grab your shields and prepare for battle! You are being attacked! 6 Meanwhile, the Lord said to me, "Put a watchman on the city wall to shout out what he sees. 7 Tell him to sound the alert when he sees chariots drawn by horses and warriors mounted on donkeys and camels." 8 Then the watchman called out, "Day after day I have stood on the watchtower, my lord. Night after night I have remained at my post. 9 Now at last-- look! Here come the chariots and warriors!" Then the watchman said, "Babylon is fallen! All the idols of Babylon lie broken on the ground!" 10 O my people, threshed and winnowed, I have told you everything the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, has said. 11 This message came to me concerning Edom:Someone from Edom keeps calling to me, "Watchman, how much longer until morning? When will the night be over?" 12 The watchman replies, "Morning is coming, but night will soon follow. If you wish to ask again, then come back and ask." 13 This message came to me concerning Arabia:O caravans from Dedan, hide in the deserts of Arabia. 14 O people of Tema, bring food and water to these weary refugees. 15 They have fled from drawn swords and sharp arrows and the terrors of war. 16 "But within a year," says the Lord, "all the glory of Kedar will come to an end. 17 Only a few of its courageous archers will survive. I, the LORD, the God of Israel, have spoken!"


Then fourteen years later I [Paul] went back to Jerusalem again, this time with Barnabas; and Titus came along, too. 2 I went there because God revealed to me that I should go. While I was there I talked privately with the leaders of the church. I wanted them to understand what I had been preaching to the Gentiles. I wanted to make sure they did not disagree, or my ministry would have been useless. 3 And they did agree. They did not even demand that my companion Titus be circumcised, though he was a Gentile. 4 Even that question wouldn't have come up except for some so- called Christians there-- false ones, really-- who came to spy on us and see our freedom in Christ Jesus. They wanted to force us, like slaves, to follow their Jewish regulations. 5 But we refused to listen to them for a single moment. We wanted to preserve the truth of the Good News for you. 6 And the leaders of the church who were there had nothing to add to what I was preaching. (By the way, their reputation as great leaders made no difference to me, for God has no favorites.) 7 They saw that God had given me the responsibility of preaching the Good News to the Gentiles, just as he had given Peter the responsibility of preaching to the Jews. 8 For the same God who worked through Peter for the benefit of the Jews worked through me for the benefit of the Gentiles. 9 In fact, James, Peter, and John, who were known as pillars of the church, recognized the gift God had given me, and they accepted Barnabas and me as their co- workers. They encouraged us to keep preaching to the Gentiles, while they continued their work with the Jews. 10 The only thing they suggested was that we remember to help the poor, and I have certainly been eager to do that. 11 But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him publicly, speaking strongly against what he was doing, for it was very wrong. 12 When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile Christians, who don't bother with circumcision. But afterward, when some Jewish friends of James came, Peter wouldn't eat with the Gentiles anymore because he was afraid of what these legalists would say. 13 Then the other Jewish Christians followed Peter's hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was influenced to join them in their hypocrisy. 14 When I saw that they were not following the truth of the Good News, I said to Peter in front of all the others, "Since you, a Jew by birth, have discarded the Jewish laws and are living like a Gentile, why are you trying to make these Gentiles obey the Jewish laws you abandoned? 15 You and I are Jews by birth, not `sinners' like the Gentiles. 16 And yet we Jewish Christians know that we become right with God, not by doing what the law commands, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be accepted by God because of our faith in Christ-- and not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be saved by obeying the law."


For the choir director:A psalm of David, regarding the time Saul sent soldiers to watch David's house in order to kill him. To be sung to the tune "Do Not Destroy!"
1 Rescue me from my enemies, O God.
Protect me from those who have come to destroy me.
2 Rescue me from these criminals;
save me from these murderers.
3 They have set an ambush for me.
Fierce enemies are out there waiting,
though I have done them no wrong, O LORD.
4 Despite my innocence, they prepare to kill me.
Rise up and help me! Look on my plight!
5 O LORD God Almighty, the God of Israel,
rise up to punish hostile nations.
Show no mercy to wicked traitors.
Interlude6 They come at night,
snarling like vicious dogs
as they prowl the streets.
7 Listen to the filth that comes from their mouths,
the piercing swords that fly from their lips.
"Who can hurt us?" they sneer.
8 But LORD, you laugh at them.
You scoff at all the hostile nations.
9 You are my strength; I wait for you to rescue me,
for you, O God, are my place of safety.
10 In his unfailing love, my God will come and help me.
He will let me look down in triumph on all my enemies.
11 Don't kill them, for my people soon forget such lessons;
stagger them with your power, and bring them to their knees,
O Lord our shield.
12 Because of the sinful things they say,
because of the evil that is on their lips,
let them be captured by their pride,
their curses, and their lies.
13 Destroy them in your anger!
Wipe them out completely!
Then the whole world will know
that God reigns in Israel.
Interlude14 My enemies come out at night,
snarling like vicious dogs
as they prowl the streets.
15 They scavenge for food
but go to sleep unsatisfied.
16 But as for me, I will sing about your power.
I will shout with joy each morning because of your unfailing love.
For you have been my refuge,
a place of safety in the day of distress.
17 O my Strength, to you I sing praises,
for you, O God, are my refuge,
the God who shows me unfailing love.


Don't fail to correct your children. They won't die if you spank them. Physical discipline may well save them from death.

Reading through the Word.....Day 255

ISAIAH 15:1- 18:7
GALATIANS 1:1- 24
PSALM 58:1- 11
PROVERBS 23:12


This message came to me concerning Moab:In one night your cities of Ar and Kir will be destroyed. 2 Your people in Dibon will mourn at their temples and shrines, weeping for the fate of Nebo and Medeba. They will shave their heads in sorrow and cut off their beards. 3 They will wear sackcloth as they wander the streets. From every home will come the sound of weeping. 4 The cries from the cities of Heshbon and Elealeh will be heard far away, even in Jahaz! The bravest warriors of Moab will cry out in utter terror. 5 My heart weeps for Moab. Its people flee to Zoar and Eglath- shelishiyah. Weeping, they climb the road to Luhith. Their crying can be heard all along the road to Horonaim. 6 Even the waters of Nimrim are dried up! The grassy banks are scorched, and the tender plants are gone. 7 The desperate refugees take only the possessions they can carry and flee across the Ravine of Willows. 8 The whole land of Moab is a land of weeping from one end to the other-- from Eglaim to Beer- elim. 9 The stream near Dibon runs red with blood, but I am still not finished with Dibon! Lions will hunt down the survivors, both those who try to run and those who remain behind. 16:1 MOAB'S refugees at Sela send lambs to Jerusalem as a token of alliance with the king of Judah. 2 The women of Moab are left like homeless birds at the shallow crossings of the Arnon River. 3 "Help us," they cry. "Defend us against our enemies. Protect us from their relentless attack. Do not betray us. 4 Let our outcasts stay among you. Hide them from our enemies until the terror is past." When oppression and destruction have ceased and enemy raiders have disappeared, 5 then David's throne will be established by love. From that throne a faithful king will reign, one who always does what is just and right. 6 Is this Moab, the proud land we have heard so much about? Its pride and insolence are all gone now! 7 The entire land of Moab weeps. Yes, you people of Moab, mourn for the delicacies of Kir- hareseth. 8 Weep for the abandoned farms of Heshbon and the vineyards at Sibmah. The wine from those vineyards used to make the rulers of the nations drunk. Moab was once like a spreading grapevine. Her tendrils spread out as far as Jazer and trailed out into the desert. Her shoots once reached as far as the Dead Sea. 9 But now the enemy has completely destroyed that vine. So I wail and lament for Jazer and the vineyards of Sibmah. My tears will flow for Heshbon and Elealeh, for their summer fruits and harvests have all been destroyed. 10 Gone now is the gladness; gone is the joy of harvest. The happy singing in the vineyards will be heard no more. The treading out of grapes in the winepresses has ceased forever. I have ended all their harvest joys. 11 I will weep for Moab. My sorrow for Kir- hareseth will be very great. 12 On the hilltops the people of Moab will pray in anguish to their idols, but it will do them no good. They will cry to the gods in their temples, but no one will come to save them. 13 The LORD has already said this about Moab in the past. 14 But now the LORD says, "Within three years, without fail, the glory of Moab will be ended, and few of its people will be left alive." 17:1 THIS message came to me concerning Damascus:"Look, Damascus will disappear! It will become a heap of ruins. 2 The cities of Aroer will be deserted. Sheep will graze in the streets and lie down unafraid. There will be no one to chase them away. 3 The fortified cities of Israel will also be destroyed, and the power of Damascus will end. The few left in Aram will share the fate of Israel's departed glory," says the LORD Almighty. 4 "In that day the glory of Israel will be very dim, for poverty will stalk the land. 5 Israel will be abandoned like the grainfields in the valley of Rephaim after the harvest. 6 Only a few of its people will be left, like the stray olives left on the tree after the harvest. Only two or three remain in the highest branches, four or five out on the tips of the limbs. Yes, Israel will be stripped bare of people," says the LORD, the God of Israel. 7 Then at last the people will think of their Creator and have respect for the Holy One of Israel. 8 They will no longer ask their idols for help or worship what their own hands have made. They will never again bow down to their Asherah poles or burn incense on the altars they built. 9 Their largest cities will be as deserted as overgrown thickets. They will become like the cities the Amorites abandoned when the Israelites came here so long ago. 10 Why? Because you have turned from the God who can save you-- the Rock who can hide you. You may plant the finest imported grapevines, 11 and they may grow so well that they blossom on the very morning you plant them, but you will never pick any grapes from them. Your only harvest will be a load of grief and incurable pain. 12 Look! The armies rush forward like waves thundering toward the shore. 13 But though they roar like breakers on a beach, God will silence them. They will flee like chaff scattered by the wind or like dust whirling before a storm. 14 In the evening Israel waits in terror, but by dawn its enemies are dead. This is the just reward of those who plunder and destroy the people of God. 18:1 DESTRUCTION is certain for the land of Ethiopia, which lies at the headwaters of the Nile. Its winged sailboats glide along the river, 2 and ambassadors are sent in fast boats down the Nile. Go home, swift messengers! Take a message to your land divided by rivers, to your tall, smooth- skinned people, who are feared far and wide for their conquests and destruction. 3 When I raise my battle flag on the mountain, let all the world take notice. When I blow the trumpet, listen! 4 For the LORD has told me this:"I will watch quietly from my dwelling place-- as quietly as the heat rises on a summer day, or as the dew forms on an autumn morning during the harvest." 5 Even before you begin your attack, while your plans are ripening like grapes, the LORD will cut you off as though with pruning shears. He will snip your spreading branches. 6 Your mighty army will be left dead in the fields for the mountain birds and wild animals to eat. The vultures will tear at corpses all summer. The wild animals will gnaw at bones all winter. 7 But the time will come when the LORD Almighty will receive gifts from this land divided by rivers, from this tall, smooth- skinned people, who are feared far and wide for their conquests and destruction. They will bring the gifts to the LORD Almighty in Jerusalem, the place where his name dwells.


This letter is from Paul, an apostle. I was not appointed by any group or by human authority. My call is from Jesus Christ himself and from God the Father, who raised Jesus from the dead. 2 All the brothers and sisters *here join me in sending greetings to the churches of Galatia. 3 May grace and peace be yours from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 He died for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live. 5 That is why all glory belongs to God through all the ages of eternity. Amen. 6 I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who in his love and mercy called you to share the eternal life he gives through Christ. You are already following a different way 7 that pretends to be the Good News but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who twist and change the truth concerning Christ. 8 Let God's curse fall on anyone, including myself, who preaches any other message than the one we told you about. Even if an angel comes from heaven and preaches any other message, let him be forever cursed. 9 I will say it again:If anyone preaches any other gospel than the one you welcomed, let God's curse fall upon that person. 10 Obviously, I'm not trying to be a people pleaser! No, I am trying to please God. If I were still trying to please people, I would not be Christ's servant. 11 Dear brothers and sisters, I solemnly assure you that the Good News of salvation which I preach is not based on mere human reasoning or logic. 12 For my message came by a direct revelation from Jesus Christ himself. No one else taught me. 13 You know what I was like when I followed the Jewish religion-- how I violently persecuted the Christians. I did my best to get rid of them. 14 I was one of the most religious Jews of my own age, and I tried as hard as possible to follow all the old traditions of my religion. 15 But then something happened! For it pleased God in his kindness to choose me and call me, even before I was born! What undeserved mercy! 16 Then he revealed his Son to me so that I could proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles. When all this happened to me, I did not rush out to consult with anyone else; 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to consult with those who were apostles before I was. No, I went away into Arabia and later returned to the city of Damascus. 18 It was not until three years later that I finally went to Jerusalem for a visit with Peter and stayed there with him for fifteen days. 19 And the only other apostle I met at that time was James, our Lord's brother. 20 You must believe what I am saying, for I declare before God that I am not lying. 21 Then after this visit, I went north into the provinces of Syria and Cilicia. 22 And still the Christians in the churches in Judea didn't know me personally. 23 All they knew was that people were saying, "The one who used to persecute us now preaches the very faith he tried to destroy!" 24 And they gave glory to God because of me.


For the choir director:A psalm of David, to be sung to the tune "Do Not Destroy!"
1 Justice-- do you rulers know the meaning of the word?
Do you judge the people fairly?
2 No, all your dealings are crooked;
you hand out violence instead of justice.
3 These wicked people are born sinners;
even from birth they have lied and gone their own way.
4 They spit poison like deadly snakes;
they are like cobras that refuse to listen,
5 ignoring the tunes of the snake charmers,
no matter how skillfully they play.
6 Break off their fangs, O God!
Smash the jaws of these lions, O LORD!
7 May they disappear like water into thirsty ground.
Make their weapons useless in their hands.
8 May they be like snails that dissolve into slime,
like a stillborn child who will never see the sun.
9 God will sweep them away, both young and old,
faster than a pot heats on an open flame.
10 The godly will rejoice when they see injustice avenged.
They will wash their feet in the blood of the wicked.
11 Then at last everyone will say,
"There truly is a reward for those who live for God;
surely there is a God who judges justly here on earth."


Commit yourself to instruction; attune your ears to hear words of knowledge

Reading through the Word.....Day 254

ISAIAH 12:1- 14:32
2 CORINTHIANS 13:1- 13
PSALM 57:1- 11
PROVERBS 23:9- 11


In that day you [Israel] will sing:"Praise the LORD!
He was angry with me,
but now he comforts me.
2 See, God has come to save me.
I will trust in him and not be afraid.
The LORD GOD is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation."
3 With joy you will drink deeply from the fountain of salvation! 4 In that wonderful day you will sing:"Thank the LORD!
Praise his name!
Tell the world what he has done.
Oh, how mighty he is!
5 Sing to the LORD,
for he has done wonderful things.
Make known his praise around the world.
6 Let all the people of Jerusalem shout his praise with joy!
For great is the Holy One of Israel who lives among you."
13:1 ISAIAH son of Amoz received this message concerning the destruction of Babylon:2 "See the flags waving as the enemy attacks. Cheer them on, O Israel! Wave to them as they march against Babylon to destroy the palaces of the high and mighty. 3 I, the LORD, have assigned this task to these armies, and they will rejoice when I am exalted. I have called them to satisfy my anger." 4 Hear the noise on the mountains! Listen, as the armies march! It is the noise and the shout of many nations. The LORD Almighty has brought them here to form an army. 5 They came from countries far away. They are the LORD's weapons; they carry his anger with them and will destroy the whole land. 6 Scream in terror, for the LORD's time has arrived-- the time for the Almighty to destroy. 7 Every arm is paralyzed with fear. Even the strongest hearts melt 8 and are afraid. Fear grips them with terrible pangs, like those of a woman about to give birth. They look helplessly at one another as the flames of the burning city reflect on their faces. 9 For see, the day of the LORD is coming-- the terrible day of his fury and fierce anger. The land will be destroyed and all the sinners with it. 10 The heavens will be black above them. No light will shine from stars or sun or moon. 11 "I, the LORD, will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their sin. I will crush the arrogance of the proud and the haughtiness of the mighty. 12 Few will be left alive when I have finished my work. People will be as scarce as gold-- more rare than the gold of Ophir. 13 For I will shake the heavens, and the earth will move from its place. I, the LORD Almighty, will show my fury and fierce anger." 14 Everyone will run until exhausted, rushing back to their own lands like hunted deer, wandering like sheep without a shepherd. 15 Anyone who is captured will be run through with a sword. 16 Their little children will be dashed to death right before their eyes. Their homes will be sacked and their wives raped by the attacking hordes. 17 For I will stir up the Medes against Babylon, and no amount of silver or gold will buy them off. 18 The attacking armies will shoot down the young people with arrows. They will have no mercy on helpless babies and will show no compassion for the children. 19 Babylon, the most glorious of kingdoms, the flower of Chaldean culture, will be devastated like Sodom and Gomorrah when God destroyed them. 20 Babylon will never rise again. Generation after generation will come and go, but the land will never again be lived in. Nomads will refuse to camp there, and shepherds will not allow their sheep to stay overnight. 21 Wild animals of the desert will move into the ruined city. The houses will be haunted by howling creatures. Ostriches will live among the ruins, and wild goats will come there to dance. 22 Hyenas will howl in its fortresses, and jackals will make their dens in its palaces. Babylon's days are numbered; its time of destruction will soon arrive. 14:1 BUT the LORD will have mercy on the descendants of Jacob. Israel will be his special people once again. He will bring them back to settle once again in their own land. And people from many different nations will come and join them there and become a part of the people of Israel. 2 The nations of the world will help the LORD's people to return, and those who come to live in their land will serve them. Those who captured Israel will be captured, and Israel will rule over its enemies. 3 In that wonderful day when the LORD gives his people rest from sorrow and fear, from slavery and chains, 4 you will taunt the king of Babylon. You will say, "The mighty man has been destroyed. Yes, your insolence is ended. 5 For the LORD has crushed your wicked power and broken your evil rule. 6 You persecuted the people with unceasing blows of rage and held the nations in your angry grip. Your tyranny was unrestrained. 7 But at last the land is at rest and is quiet. Finally it can sing again! 8 Even the trees of the forest-- the cypress trees and the cedars of Lebanon-- sing out this joyous song:`Your power is broken! No one will come to cut us down now! '9" In the place of the dead there is excitement over your arrival. World leaders and mighty kings long dead are there to see you. 10 With one voice they all cry out, `Now you are as weak as we are! 11 Your might and power are gone; they were buried with you. All the pleasant music in your palace has ceased. Now maggots are your sheet and worms your blanket.' 12 "How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star, son of the morning! You have been thrown down to the earth, you who destroyed the nations of the world. 13 For you said to yourself, `I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God's stars. I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north. 14 I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High. '15 But instead, you will be brought down to the place of the dead, down to its lowest depths. 16 Everyone there will stare at you and ask, `Can this be the one who shook the earth and the kingdoms of the world? 17 Is this the one who destroyed the world and made it into a wilderness? Is this the king who demolished the world's greatest cities and had no mercy on his prisoners?' 18" The kings of the nations lie in stately glory in their tombs, 19 but you will be thrown out of your grave like a worthless branch. Like a corpse trampled underfoot, you will be dumped into a mass grave with those killed in battle. You will descend to the pit. 20 You will not be given a proper burial, for you have destroyed your nation and slaughtered your people. Your son will not succeed you as king. 21 Kill the children of this sinner! Do not let them rise and conquer the land or rebuild the cities of the world. "22 This is what the LORD Almighty says:" I, myself, have risen against him! I will destroy his children and his children's children, so they will never sit on his throne. 23 I will make Babylon into a desolate land, a place of porcupines, filled with swamps and marshes. I will sweep the land with the broom of destruction. I, the LORD Almighty, have spoken! "24 The LORD Almighty has sworn this oath:" It will all happen as I have planned. It will come about according to my purposes. 25 I will break the Assyrians when they are in Israel; I will trample them on my mountains. My people will no longer be their slaves. 26 I have a plan for the whole earth, for my mighty power reaches throughout the world. 27 The LORD Almighty has spoken-- who can change his plans? When his hand moves, who can stop him? "28 This message came to me the year King Ahaz died:29 Do not rejoice, you Philistines, that the king who attacked you is dead. For even though that whip is broken, his son will be worse than his father ever was. From that snake a poisonous snake will be born, a fiery serpent to destroy you! 30 I will feed the poor in my pasture; the needy will lie down in peace. But as for you, I will wipe you out with famine. I will destroy the few who remain. 31 Weep, you Philistine cities, for you are doomed! Melt in fear, for everyone will be destroyed. A powerful army is coming out of the north. Each soldier rushes forward ready to fight. 32 What should we tell the enemy messengers? Tell them that the LORD has built Jerusalem, and that the poor of his people will find refuge in its walls.


This is the third time I [Paul] am coming to visit you [Corinthians]. As the Scriptures say," The facts of every case must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. "2 I have already warned those who had been sinning when I was there on my second visit. Now I again warn them and all others, just as I did before, that this next time I will not spare them. 3 I will give you all the proof you want that Christ speaks through me. Christ is not weak in his dealings with you; he is a mighty power among you. 4 Although he died on the cross in weakness, he now lives by the mighty power of God. We, too, are weak, but we live in him and have God's power-- the power we use in dealing with you. 5 Examine yourselves to see if your faith is really genuine. Test yourselves. If you cannot tell that Jesus Christ is among you, it means you have failed the test. 6 I hope you recognize that we have passed the test and are approved by God. 7 We pray to God that you will not do anything wrong. We pray this, not to show that our ministry to you has been successful, but because we want you to do right even if we ourselves seem to have failed. 8 Our responsibility is never to oppose the truth, but to stand for the truth at all times. 9 We are glad to be weak, if you are really strong. What we pray for is your restoration to maturity. 10 I am writing this to you before I come, hoping that I won't need to deal harshly with you when I do come. For I want to use the authority the Lord has given me to build you up, not to tear you down. 11 Dear brothers and sisters, *I close my letter with these last words:Rejoice. Change your ways. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you. 12 Greet each other in Christian love. All the Christians here send you their greetings. 13 May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. 


For the choir director:A psalm of David, regarding the time he fled from Saul and went into the cave. To be sung to the tune" Do Not Destroy! "
1 Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy!
I look to you for protection.
I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings
until this violent storm is past.
2 I cry out to God Most High,
to God who will fulfill his purpose for me.
3 He will send help from heaven to save me,
rescuing me from those who are out to get me.
Interlude My God will send forth his unfailing love and faithfulness.
4 I am surrounded by fierce lions
who greedily devour human prey--
whose teeth pierce like spears and arrows,
and whose tongues cut like swords.
5 Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens!
May your glory shine over all the earth.
6 My enemies have set a trap for me.
I am weary from distress.
They have dug a deep pit in my path,
but they themselves have fallen into it.
Interlude7 My heart is confident in you, O God;
no wonder I can sing your praises!
8 Wake up, my soul!
Wake up, O harp and lyre!
I will waken the dawn with my song.
9 I will thank you, Lord, in front of all the people.
I will sing your praises among the nations.
10 For your unfailing love is as high as the heavens.
Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
11 Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens.
May your glory shine over all the earth.


Don't waste your breath on fools, for they will despise the wisest advice. Don't steal the land of defenseless orphans by moving the ancient boundary markers, for their Redeemer is strong. He himself will bring their charges against you

Reading through the Word.....Day 253

ISAIAH 10:1- 11:16
2 CORINTHIANS 12:11- 21
PSALM 56:1- 13
PROVERBS 23:6- 8


Destruction is certain for the unjust judges, for those who issue unfair laws. 2 They deprive the poor, the widows, and the orphans of justice. Yes, they rob widows and fatherless children! 3 What will you do when I send desolation upon you from a distant land? To whom will you turn for help? Where will your treasures be safe? 4 I will not help you. You will stumble along as prisoners or lie among the dead. But even then the LORD's anger will not be satisfied. His fist is still poised to strike. 5 "Destruction is certain for Assyria, the whip of my anger. Its military power is a club in my hand. 6 Assyria will enslave my people, who are a godless nation. It will plunder them, trampling them like dirt beneath its feet. 7 But the king of Assyria will not know that it is I who sent him. He will merely think he is attacking my people as part of his plan to conquer the world. 8 He will say, `Each of my princes will soon be a king, ruling a conquered land. 9 We will destroy Calno just as we did Carchemish. Hamath will fall before us as Arpad did. And we will destroy Samaria just as we did Damascus. 10 Yes, we have finished off many a kingdom whose gods were far greater than those in Jerusalem and Samaria. 11 So when we have defeated Samaria and her gods, we will destroy Jerusalem with hers. '" 12 After the Lord has used the king of Assyria to accomplish his purposes in Jerusalem, he will turn against the king of Assyria and punish him-- for he is proud and arrogant. 13 He boasts, "By my own power and wisdom I have won these wars. By my own strength I have captured many lands, destroyed their kings, and carried off their treasures. 14 By my greatness I have robbed their nests of riches and gathered up kingdoms as a farmer gathers eggs. No one can even flap a wing against me or utter a peep of protest." 15 Can the ax boast greater power than the person who uses it? Is the saw greater than the person who saws? Can a whip strike unless a hand is moving it? Can a cane walk by itself? 16 Listen now, king of Assyria! Because of all your evil boasting, the Lord, the LORD Almighty, will send a plague among your proud troops, and a flaming fire will ignite your glory. 17 The LORD, the Light of Israel and the Holy One, will be a flaming fire that will destroy them. In a single night he will burn those thorns and briers, the Assyrians. 18 Assyria's vast army is like a glorious forest, yet it will be destroyed. The LORD will completely destroy Assyria's warriors, and they will waste away like sick people in a plague. 19 Only a few from all that mighty army will survive-- so few that a child could count them! 20 Then at last those left in Israel and Judah will trust the LORD, the Holy One of Israel. They will no longer depend on the Assyrians, who would destroy them. 21 A remnant of them will return to the Mighty God. 22 But though the people of Israel are as numerous as the sand on the seashore, only a few of them will return at that time. The LORD has rightly decided to destroy his people. 23 Yes, the Lord, the LORD Almighty, has already decided to consume them. 24 So this is what the Lord, the LORD Almighty, says:"My people in Jerusalem, do not be afraid of the Assyrians when they oppress you just as the Egyptians did long ago. 25 It will not last very long. In a little while my anger against you will end, and then my anger will rise up to destroy them." 26 The LORD Almighty will beat them with his whip, as he did when Gideon triumphed over the Midianites at the rock of Oreb, or when the LORD's staff was raised to drown the Egyptian army in the sea. 27 In that day the LORD will end the bondage of his people. He will break the yoke of slavery and lift it from their shoulders. 28 Look, the mighty armies of Assyria are coming! They are now at Aiath, now at Migron. They are storing some of their equipment at Micmash. 29 They are crossing the pass and are staying overnight at Geba. Fear strikes the city of Ramah. All the people of Gibeah-- the city of Saul-- are running for their lives. 30 Well may you scream in terror, you people of Gallim! Shout out a warning to Laishah, for the mighty army comes. Poor Anathoth, what a fate is yours! 31 There go the people of Madmenah, all fleeing. And the citizens of Gebim are preparing to run. 32 But the enemy stops at Nob for the rest of that day. He shakes his fist at Mount Zion in Jerusalem. 33 But look! The Lord, the LORD Almighty, will chop down the mighty tree! He will destroy all that vast army of Assyria-- officers and high officials alike. 34 The Mighty One will cut down the enemy as an ax cuts down the forest trees in Lebanon. 11:1 OUT of the stump of David's family will grow a shoot-- yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root. 2 And the Spirit of the LORD will rest on him-- the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. 3 He will delight in obeying the LORD. He will never judge by appearance, false evidence, or hearsay. 4 He will defend the poor and the exploited. He will rule against the wicked and destroy them with the breath of his mouth. 5 He will be clothed with fairness and truth. 6 In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard and the goat will be at peace. Calves and yearlings will be safe among lions, and a little child will lead them all. 7 The cattle will graze among bears. Cubs and calves will lie down together. And lions will eat grass as the livestock do. 8 Babies will crawl safely among poisonous snakes. Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes and pull it out unharmed. 9 Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain. And as the waters fill the sea, so the earth will be filled with people who know the LORD. 10 In that day the heir to David's throne will be a banner of salvation to all the world. The nations will rally to him, for the land where he lives will be a glorious place. 11 In that day the Lord will bring back a remnant of his people for the second time, returning them to the land of Israel from Assyria, Lower Egypt, Upper Egypt, Ethiopia, Elam, Babylonia, Hamath, and all the distant coastlands. 12 He will raise a flag among the nations for Israel to rally around. He will gather the scattered people of Judah from the ends of the earth. 13 Then at last the jealousy between Israel and Judah will end. They will not fight against each other anymore. 14 They will join forces to swoop down on Philistia to the west. Together they will attack and plunder the nations to the east. They will occupy all the lands of Edom, Moab, and Ammon. 15 The LORD will make a dry path through the Red Sea. He will wave his hand over the Euphrates River, sending a mighty wind to divide it into seven streams that can easily be crossed. 16 He will make a highway from Assyria for the remnant there, just as he did for Israel long ago when they returned from Egypt.


You [Corinthians] have made me [Paul] act like a fool-- boasting like this. You ought to be writing commendations for me, for I am not at all inferior to these "super apostles," even though I am nothing at all. 12 When I was with you, I certainly gave you every proof that I am truly an apostle, sent to you by God himself. For I patiently did many signs and wonders and miracles among you. 13 The only thing I didn't do, which I do in the other churches, was to become a burden to you. Please forgive me for this wrong! 14 Now I am coming to you for the third time, and I will not be a burden to you. I don't want what you have; I want you. And anyway, little children don't pay for their parents' food. It's the other way around; parents supply food for their children. 15 I will gladly spend myself and all I have for your spiritual good, even though it seems that the more I love you, the less you love me. 16 Some of you admit I was not a burden to you. But they still think I was sneaky and took advantage of you by trickery. 17 But how? Did any of the men I sent to you take advantage of you? 18 When I urged Titus to visit you and sent our other brother with him, did Titus take advantage of you? No, of course not! For we both have the same Spirit and walk in each other's steps, doing things the same way. 19 Perhaps you think we are saying all this just to defend ourselves. That isn't it at all. We tell you this as Christ's servants, and we know that God is listening. Everything we do, dear friends, is for your benefit. 20 For I am afraid that when I come to visit you I won't like what I find, and then you won't like my response. I am afraid that I will find quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfishness, backstabbing, gossip, conceit, and disorderly behavior. 21 Yes, I am afraid that when I come, God will humble me again because of you. And I will have to grieve because many of you who sinned earlier have not repented of your impurity, sexual immorality, and eagerness for lustful pleasure.


For the choir director:A psalm of David, regarding the time the Philistines seized him in Gath. To be sung to the tune "Dove on Distant Oaks."
1 O God, have mercy on me.
The enemy troops press in on me.
My foes attack me all day long.
2 My slanderers hound me constantly,
and many are boldly attacking me.
3 But when I am afraid,
I put my trust in you.
4 O God, I praise your word.
I trust in God, so why should I be afraid?
What can mere mortals do to me?
5 They are always twisting what I say;
they spend their days plotting ways to harm me.
6 They come together to spy on me--
watching my every step, eager to kill me.
7 Don't let them get away with their wickedness;
in your anger, O God, throw them to the ground.
8 You keep track of all my sorrows.
You have collected all my tears in your bottle.
You have recorded each one in your book.
9 On the very day I call to you for help,
my enemies will retreat.
This I know:God is on my side.
10 O God, I praise your word.
Yes, LORD, I praise your word.
11 I trust in God, so why should I be afraid?
What can mere mortals do to me?
12 I will fulfill my vows to you, O God,
and offer a sacrifice of thanks for your help.
13 For you have rescued me from death;
you have kept my feet from slipping.
So now I can walk in your presence, O God,
in your life- giving light.


Don't eat with people who are stingy; don't desire their delicacies. "Eat and drink," they say, but they don't mean it. They are always thinking about how much it costs. You will vomit up the delicious food they serve, and you will have to take back your words of appreciation for their "kindness

Reading through the Word.....Day 252

ISAIAH 8:1- 9:21
2 CORINTHIANS 12:1- 10
PSALM 55:1- 23
PROVERBS 23:4- 5


Again the LORD said to me [Isaiah], "Make a large signboard and clearly write this name on it:Maher- shalal- hash- baz." 2 I asked Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah, both known as honest men, to testify that I had written it before the child was conceived. 3 Then I slept with my wife, and she became pregnant and had a son. And the LORD said, "Call him Maher- shalal- hash- baz. 4 This name prophesies that within a couple of years, before this child is old enough to say `Papa 'or `Mama,' the king of Assyria will invade both Damascus and Samaria and carry away their riches." 5 Then the LORD spoke to me again and said, 6 "The people of Judah have rejected my gentle care and are rejoicing over what will happen to King Rezin and King Pekah. 7 Therefore, the Lord will overwhelm them with a mighty flood from the Euphrates River-- the king of Assyria and all his mighty armies. 8 This flood will overflow all its channels and sweep into Judah. It will submerge Immanuel's land from one end to the other. 9" The Assyrians will cry, `Do your best to defend yourselves, but you will be shattered! Listen all you nations. Prepare for battle-- and die! Yes, die! 10 Call your councils of war, develop your strategies, prepare your plans of attack-- and then die! For God is with us! '"11 The LORD has said to me in the strongest terms:" Do not think like everyone else does. 12 Do not be afraid that some plan conceived behind closed doors will be the end of you. 13 Do not fear anything except the LORD Almighty. He alone is the Holy One. If you fear him, you need fear nothing else. 14 He will keep you safe. But to Israel and Judah he will be a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap that entangles them. 15 Many of them will stumble and fall, never to rise again. Many will be captured. "16 I will write down all these things as a testimony of what the LORD will do. I will entrust it to my disciples, who will pass it down to future generations. 17 I will wait for the LORD to help us, though he has turned away from the people of Israel. My only hope is in him. 18 I and the children the LORD has given me have names that reveal the plans the LORD Almighty has for his people. 19 So why are you trying to find out the future by consulting mediums and psychics? Do not listen to their whisperings and mutterings. Can the living find out the future from the dead? Why not ask your God? 20" Check their predictions against my testimony, "says the LORD." If their predictions are different from mine, it is because there is no light or truth in them. 21 My people will be led away as captives, weary and hungry. And because they are hungry, they will rage and shake their fists at heaven and curse their king and their God. 22 Wherever they look, there will be trouble and anguish and dark despair. They will be thrown out into the darkness. "9:1 NEVERTHELESS, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali will soon be humbled, but there will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory. 2 The people who walk in darkness will see a great light-- a light that will shine on all who live in the land where death casts its shadow. 3 Israel will again be great, and its people will rejoice as people rejoice at harvesttime. They will shout with joy like warriors dividing the plunder. 4 For God will break the chains that bind his people and the whip that scourges them, just as he did when he destroyed the army of Midian with Gideon's little band. 5 In that day of peace, battle gear will no longer be issued. Never again will uniforms be bloodstained by war. All such equipment will be burned. 6 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. And the government will rest on his shoulders. These will be his royal titles:Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 His ever expanding, peaceful government will never end. He will rule forever with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David. The passionate commitment of the LORD Almighty will guarantee this! 8 The Lord has spoken out against that braggart Israel, 9 and the people of Israel and Samaria will soon discover it. In their pride and arrogance they say, 10" Our land lies in ruins now, but we will rebuild it better than before. We will replace the broken bricks with cut stone, the fallen sycamore trees with cedars. "11 The LORD will reply to their bragging by bringing Rezin's enemies, the Assyrians, against them-- 12 along with Arameans from the east and Philistines from the west. With bared fangs, they will devour Israel. But even then the LORD's anger will not be satisfied. His fist is still poised to strike. 13 For after all this punishment, the people will still not repent and turn to the LORD Almighty. 14 Therefore, in a single day, the LORD will destroy both the head and the tail, the palm branch and the reed. 15 The leaders of Israel are the head, and the lying prophets are the tail. 16 For the leaders of the people have led them down the path of destruction. 17 That is why the Lord has no joy in the young men and no mercy on even the widows and orphans. For they are all hypocrites, speaking wickedness with lies. But even then the LORD's anger will not be satisfied. His fist is still poised to strike. 18 This wickedness is like a brushfire. It burns not only briers and thorns but the forests, too. Its burning sends up vast clouds of smoke. 19 The land is blackened by the fury of the LORD Almighty. The people are fuel for the fire, and no one spares anyone else. 20 They fight against their own neighbors to steal food, but they will still be hungry. In the end they will even eat their own children. 21 Manasseh will feed on Ephraim, Ephraim will feed on Manasseh, and both will devour Judah. But even then the LORD's anger will not be satisfied. His fist is still poised to strike.


This boasting is all so foolish, but let me [Paul] go on. Let me tell about the visions and revelations I received from the Lord. 2 I was caught up into the third heaven fourteen years ago. 3 Whether my body was there or just my spirit, I don't know; only God knows. 4 But I do know that I was caught up into paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be told. 5 That experience is something worth boasting about, but I am not going to do it. I am going to boast only about my weaknesses. 6 I have plenty to boast about and would be no fool in doing it, because I would be telling the truth. But I won't do it. I don't want anyone to think more highly of me than what they can actually see in my life and my message, 7 even though I have received wonderful revelations from God. But to keep me from getting puffed up, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from getting proud. 8 Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. 9 Each time he said," My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness. "So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may work through me. 10 Since I know it is all for Christ's good, I am quite content with my weaknesses and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.


For the choir director:A psalm of David, to be accompanied by stringed instruments.
1 Listen to my prayer, O God.
Do not ignore my cry for help!
2 Please listen and answer me,
for I am overwhelmed by my troubles.
3 My enemies shout at me,
making loud and wicked threats.
They bring trouble on me,
hunting me down in their anger.
4 My heart is in anguish.
The terror of death overpowers me.
5 Fear and trembling overwhelm me.
I can't stop shaking.
6 Oh, how I wish I had wings like a dove;
then I would fly away and rest!
7 I would fly far away
to the quiet of the wilderness.
Interlude8 How quickly I would escape--
far away from this wild storm of hatred.
9 Destroy them, Lord, and confuse their speech,
for I see violence and strife in the city.
10 Its walls are patrolled day and night against invaders,
but the real danger is wickedness within the city.
11 Murder and robbery are everywhere there;
threats and cheating are rampant in the streets.
12 It is not an enemy who taunts me--
I could bear that.
It is not my foes who so arrogantly insult me--
I could have hidden from them.
13 Instead, it is you-- my equal,
my companion and close friend.
14 What good fellowship we enjoyed
as we walked together to the house of God.
15 Let death seize my enemies by surprise;
let the grave swallow them alive,
for evil makes its home within them.
16 But I will call on God,
and the LORD will rescue me.
17 Morning, noon, and night
I plead aloud in my distress,
and the LORD hears my voice.
18 He rescues me and keeps me safe
from the battle waged against me,
even though many still oppose me.
19 God, who is king forever,
will hear me and will humble them.
Interlude For my enemies refuse to change their ways;
they do not fear God.
20 As for this friend of mine, he betrayed me;
he broke his promises.
21 His words are as smooth as cream,
but in his heart is war.
His words are as soothing as lotion,
but underneath are daggers!
22 Give your burdens to the LORD,
and he will take care of you.
He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.
23 But you, O God, will send the wicked
down to the pit of destruction.
Murderers and liars will die young,
but I am trusting you to save me.


Don't weary yourself trying to get rich. Why waste your time? For riches can disappear as though they had the wings of a bird