November 10 Reading through the Bible

 

EZEKIEL 21:1-22:31

HEBREWS 10:1-17

PSALM 108:1-13

PROVERBS 27:12

EZEKIEL 21:1-22:31

Then this message came to me [Ezekiel] from the LORD: 2 " Son of man, look toward Jerusalem and prophesy against Israel and her sanctuaries. 3 Give her this message from the LORD: I am your enemy, O Israel, and I am about to unsheath my sword to destroy your people--the righteous and the wicked alike. 4 Yes, I will not spare even the righteous! I will make a clean sweep throughout the land from south to north. 5 All the world will know that I am the LORD. My sword is in my hand, and it will not return to its sheath until its work is finished. 6 " Son of man, groan before the people! Groan before them with bitter anguish and a broken heart. 7 When they ask you why, tell them, ` I groan because of the terrifying news I have heard. When it comes true, the boldest heart will melt with fear; all strength will disappear. Every spirit will faint; strong knees will tremble and become as weak as water. And the Sovereign LORD says: It is coming! It's on its way!' " 8 Then the LORD said to me, 9 " Son of man, give the people this message from the LORD: A sword is being sharpened and polished. 10 It is being prepared for terrible slaughter; it will flash like lightning! Now will you laugh? Those far stronger than you have fallen beneath its power! 11 Yes, the sword is now being sharpened and polished; it is being prepared for the executioner! 12 " Son of man, cry out and wail; pound your thighs in anguish, for that sword will slaughter my people and their leaders--everyone will die! 13 It will put them all to the test! So now the Sovereign LORD asks: What chance do they have? 14 " Son of man, prophesy to them and clap your hands vigorously. Then take the sword and brandish it twice, even three times, to symbolize the great massacre they will face! 15 Let their hearts melt with terror, for the sword glitters at every gate. It flashes like lightning; it is polished for slaughter! 16 O sword, slash to the right, and slash to the left, wherever you will, wherever you want. 17 I, too, will clap my hands, and I will satisfy my fury. I, the LORD, have spoken!"18 Then this message came to me from the LORD: 19 " Son of man, make a map and trace two routes on it for the sword of Babylon's king to follow. Put a signpost on the road that comes out of Babylon where the road forks into two--20 one road going to Ammon and its capital, Rabbah, and the other to Judah and fortified Jerusalem. 21 The king of Babylon now stands at the fork, uncertain whether to attack Jerusalem or Rabbah. He will call his magicians to use divination. They will cast lots by shaking arrows from the quiver. They will inspect the livers of their animal sacrifices. 22 Then they will decide to turn toward Jerusalem! With battering rams they will go against the gates, shouting for the kill. They will put up siege towers and build ramps against the walls to reach the top. 23 The people of Jerusalem will think it is a mistake, because of their treaty with the Babylonians. But the king of Babylon will remind the people of their rebellion. Then he will attack and capture them. 24 " Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Again and again your guilt cries out against you, for you are not ashamed of your sin. You don't even try to hide it! Wherever you go, whatever you do, all your actions are filled with sin. So now the time of your punishment has come! 25 " O you corrupt and wicked prince of Israel, your final day of reckoning is here! 26 Take off your jeweled crown, says the Sovereign LORD. The old order changes--now the lowly are exalted, and the mighty are brought low. 27 Destruction! Destruction! I will surely destroy the kingdom. And it will not be restored until the one appears who has the right to judge it. Then I will hand it over to him.28 " And now, son of man, prophesy concerning the Ammonites and their mockery. Give them this message from the Sovereign LORD: My sword is drawn for your slaughter; it is sharpened to destroy, flashing like lightning! 29 Your magicians and false prophets have given false visions and told lies about the sword. And now it will fall with even greater force on the wicked for whom the day of final reckoning has come. 30 Should I return my sword to its sheath before I deal with you? No, I will destroy you in your own country, the land of your birth. 31 I will pour out my fury on you and blow on you with the fire of my anger. I will hand you over to cruel men who are skilled in destruction. 32 You are fuel for the fire, and your blood will be spilled in your own land. You will be utterly wiped out, your memory lost to history. I, the LORD, have spoken!" 22:1 NOW this message came to me from the LORD: 2 " Son of man, are you ready to judge Jerusalem? Are you ready to judge this city of murderers? Denounce her terrible deeds in public, 3 and give her this message from the Sovereign LORD: O city of murderers, doomed and damned--city of idols, filthy and foul--4 you are guilty of both murder and idolatry. Your day of destruction has come! You have reached the end of your years. I will make you an object of mockery throughout the world. 5 O infamous city, filled with confusion, you will be mocked by people both far and near. 6 " Every leader in Israel who lives within your walls is bent on murder. 7 Fathers and mothers are contemptuously ignored. Resident foreigners are forced to pay for protection. Orphans and widows are wronged and oppressed. 8 Inside your walls you despise my holy things and violate my Sabbath days of rest. 9 People accuse others falsely and send them to their death. You are filled with idol worshipers and people who take part in lewd activities. 10 Men sleep with their fathers' wives and have intercourse with women who are menstruating. 11 Within your walls live men who commit adultery with their neighbors' wives, who defile their daughters-in-law or who rape their own sisters. 12 There are hired murderers, loan racketeers, and extortioners everywhere! They never even think of me and my commands, says the Sovereign LORD.13 " But now I clap my hands in indignation over your dishonest gain and bloodshed. 14 How strong and courageous will you be in my day of reckoning? I, the LORD, have spoken! I will do what I have said. 15 I will scatter you among the nations and purge you of your wickedness. 16 And when you have been dishonored among the nations, you will know that I am the LORD." 17 Then this message came to me from the LORD: 18 " Son of man, the people of Israel are the worthless slag that remains after silver is smelted. They are the dross that is left over--a useless mixture of copper, tin, iron, and lead. 19 So give them this message from the Sovereign LORD: Because you are all worthless slag, I will bring you to my crucible in Jerusalem. 20 I will melt you down in the heat of my fury, just as copper, tin, iron, and lead are melted down in a furnace. 21 I will gather you together and blow the fire of my anger upon you, 22 and you will melt like silver in fierce heat. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have poured out my fury on you."23 Again a message came to me from the LORD: 24 " Son of man, give the people of Israel this message: In the day of my indignation, you will become like an uncleared wilderness or a desert without rain. 25 Your princes plot conspiracies just as lions stalk their prey. They devour innocent people, seizing treasures and extorting wealth. They increase the number of widows in the land. 26 Your priests have violated my laws and defiled my holy things. To them there is no difference between what is holy and what is not. And they do not teach my people the difference between what is ceremonially clean and unclean. They disregard my Sabbath days so that my holy name is greatly dishonored among them. 27 Your leaders are like wolves, who tear apart their victims. They actually destroy people's lives for profit! 28 And your prophets announce false visions and speak false messages. They say, ` My message is from the Sovereign LORD,' when the LORD hasn't spoken a single word to them. They repair cracked walls with whitewash! 29 Even common people oppress the poor, rob the needy, and deprive foreigners of justice. 30 " I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn't have to destroy the land, but I found no one. 31 So now I will pour out my fury on them, consuming them in the fire of my anger. I will heap on them the full penalty for all their sins, says the Sovereign LORD."

HEBREWS 10:1-17

The old system in the law of Moses was only a shadow of the things to come, not the reality of the good things Christ has done for us. The sacrifices under the old system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship. 2 If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared. 3 But just the opposite happened. Those yearly sacrifices reminded them of their sins year after year. 4 For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 5 That is why Christ, when he came into the world, said, " You did not want animal sacrifices and grain offerings.

But you have given me a body so that I may obey you.

6 No, you were not pleased with animals burned on the altar

or with other offerings for sin.

7 Then I said, ` Look, I have come to do your will, O God--

just as it is written about me in the Scriptures.' "

8 Christ said, " You did not want animal sacrifices or grain offerings or animals burned on the altar or other offerings for sin, nor were you pleased with them" (though they are required by the law of Moses). 9 Then he added, " Look, I have come to do your will." He cancels the first covenant in order to establish the second. 10 And what God wants is for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all time. 11 Under the old covenant, the priest stands before the altar day after day, offering sacrifices that can never take away sins. 12 But our High Priest offered himself to God as one sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down at the place of highest honor at God's right hand. 13 There he waits until his enemies are humbled as a footstool under his feet. 14 For by that one offering he perfected forever all those whom he is making holy. 15 And the Holy Spirit also testifies that this is so. First he says,16 " This is the new covenant I will make

with my people on that day, says the Lord:

I will put my laws in their hearts

so they will understand them,

and I will write them on their minds

so they will obey them."

17 Then he adds, " I will never again remember

their sins and lawless deeds."

PSALM 108:1-13

A psalm of David. A song.

1 My heart is confident in you, O God;

no wonder I can sing your praises!

Wake up, my soul!

2 Wake up, O harp and lyre!

I will waken the dawn with my song.

3 I will thank you, LORD, in front of all the people.

I will sing your praises among the nations.

4 For your unfailing love is higher than the heavens.

Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

5 Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens.

May your glory shine over all the earth.

6 Use your strong right arm to save me,

and rescue your beloved people.

7 God has promised this by his holiness:

" I will divide up Shechem with joy.

I will measure out the valley of Succoth.

8 Gilead is mine,

and Manasseh is mine.

Ephraim will produce my warriors,

and Judah will produce my kings.

9 Moab will become my lowly servant,

and Edom will be my slave.

I will shout in triumph over the Philistines."

10 But who will bring me into the fortified city?

Who will bring me victory over Edom?

11 Have you rejected us, O God?

Will you no longer march with our armies?

12 Oh, please help us against our enemies,

for all human help is useless.

13 With God's help we will do mighty things,

for he will trample down our foes.

PROVERBS 27:12

A prudent person foresees the danger ahead and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences. 

November 9 Reading through the Bible

 

EZEKIEL 20:1-49

HEBREWS 9:11-28

PSALM 107:1-43

PROVERBS 27:11

EZEKIEL 20:1-49

On August 14, during the seventh year of King Jehoiachin's captivity, some of the leaders of Israel came to request a message from the LORD. They sat down in front of me [Ezekiel] to wait for his reply. 2 Then this message came to me from the LORD: 3 " Son of man, give the leaders of Israel this message from the Sovereign LORD: How dare you come to ask for my help? As surely as I live, I will tell you nothing. This is the word of the Sovereign LORD! 4 " Son of man, bring judgment against them and condemn them. Make them realize how loathsome the actions of their ancestors really were. 5 Give them this message from the Sovereign LORD: When I chose Israel and revealed myself to her in Egypt, I swore that I, the LORD, would be her God. 6 I promised that I would bring her and her descendants out of Egypt to a land I had discovered and explored for them--a good land, a land flowing with milk and honey, the best of all lands anywhere. 7 Then I said to them, ` Each of you, get rid of your idols. Do not defile yourselves with the Egyptian gods, for I am the LORD your God.' 8 " But they rebelled against me and would not listen. They did not get rid of their idols or forsake the gods of Egypt. Then I threatened to pour out my fury on them to satisfy my anger while they were still in Egypt. 9 But I didn't do it, for I acted to protect the honor of my name. That way the surrounding nations wouldn't be able to laugh at Israel's God, who had promised to deliver his people. 10 So I brought my people out of Egypt and led them into the wilderness. 11 There I gave them my laws so they could live by keeping them. Yes, all those who keep them will live! 12 And I gave them my Sabbath days of rest as a sign between them and me. It was to remind them that I, the LORD, had set them apart to be holy, making them my special people. 13 " But the people of Israel rebelled against me, and they refused to obey my laws there in the wilderness. They wouldn't obey my instructions even though obedience would have given them life. And they also violated my Sabbath days. So I threatened to pour out my fury on them, and I made plans to utterly consume them in the desert. 14 But again I held back in order to protect the honor of my name. That way the nations who saw me lead my people out of Egypt wouldn't be able to claim I destroyed them because I couldn't take care of them. 15 But I swore to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them into the land I had given them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful place on earth. 16 I told them this because they had rejected my laws, ignored my will for them, and violated my Sabbath days. Their hearts were given to their idols. 17 Nevertheless, I pitied them and held back from destroying them in the wilderness.18 " Then I warned their children and told them not to follow in their parents' footsteps, defiling themselves with their idols. 19 ` I am the LORD your God,' I told them. ` Follow my laws, pay attention to my instructions, 20 and keep my Sabbath days holy, for they are a sign to remind you that I am the LORD your God.' 21 " But their children, too, rebelled against me. They refused to keep my laws and follow my instructions, even though obeying them would have given them life. And they also violated my Sabbath days. So again I threatened to pour out my fury on them in the wilderness. 22 Nevertheless, I withdrew my judgment against them to protect the honor of my name among the nations who had seen my power in bringing them out of Egypt. 23 But I took a solemn oath against them while they were in the wilderness. I vowed I would scatter them among all the nations 24 because they did not obey my laws. They scorned my instructions by violating my Sabbath days and longing for the idols of their ancestors. 25 I gave them over to worthless customs and laws that would not lead to life. 26 I let them pollute themselves with the very gifts I had given them, and I allowed them to give their firstborn children as offerings to their gods--so I might devastate them and show them that I alone am the LORD. 27 " Therefore, son of man, give the people of Israel this message from the Sovereign LORD: Your ancestors continued to blaspheme and betray me, 28 for when I brought them into the land I had promised them, they offered sacrifices and incense on every high hill and under every green tree they saw! They roused my fury as they offered up sacrifices to their gods. They brought their perfumes and incense and poured out their drink offerings to them! 29 I said to them, ` What is this high place where you are going?' (This idol shrine has been called Bamah--` high place'--ever since.) 30 " Therefore, give the people of Israel this message from the Sovereign LORD: Do you plan to pollute yourselves just as your ancestors did? Do you intend to keep prostituting yourselves by worshiping detestable idols? 31 For when you offer gifts to them and give your little children to be burned as sacrifices, you continue to pollute yourselves to this day. Should I listen to you or help you, O people of Israel? As surely as I live, says the Sovereign LORD, I will not give you a message even though you have come to me requesting one. 32 " You say, ` We want to be like the nations all around us, who serve idols of wood and stone.' But what you have in mind will never happen. 33 As surely as I live, says the Sovereign LORD, I will rule you with an iron fist in great anger and with awesome power. 34 With might and fury I will bring you out from the lands where you are scattered. 35 I will bring you into the wilderness of the nations, and there I will judge you face to face. 36 I will judge you there just as I did your ancestors in the wilderness after bringing them out of Egypt, says the Sovereign LORD. 37 I will count you carefully and hold you to the terms of the covenant. 38 I will purge you of all those who rebel and sin against me. I will bring them out of the countries where they are in exile, but they will never enter the land of Israel. And when that happens, you will know that I am the LORD. 39 " As for you, O people of Israel, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: If you insist, go right ahead and worship your idols, but then don't turn around and bring gifts to me. Such desecration of my holy name must stop! 40 For on my holy mountain, says the Sovereign LORD, the people of Israel will someday worship me, and I will accept them. There I will require that you bring me all your offerings and choice gifts and sacrifices. 41 When I bring you home from exile, you will be as pleasing to me as an offering of perfumed incense. And I will display my holiness in you as all the nations watch. 42 Then when I have brought you home to the land I promised your ancestors, you will know that I am the LORD. 43 You will look back at all your sins and hate yourselves because of the evil you have done. 44 You will know that I am the LORD, O people of Israel, when I have honored my name by treating you mercifully in spite of your wickedness, says the Sovereign LORD." 45 Then this message came to me from the LORD: 46 " Son of man, look toward the south and speak out against it; prophesy against the fields of the Negev. 47 Give the southern wilderness this message from the Sovereign LORD: Hear the word of the LORD! I will set you on fire, O forest, and every tree will be burned--green and dry trees alike. The terrible flames will not be quenched; they will scorch everything from south to north. 48 And all the world will see that I, the LORD, have set this fire. It will not be put out." 49 Then I said, " O Sovereign LORD, they are saying of me, ` He only talks in riddles!' "

HEBREWS 9:11-28

So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that great, perfect sanctuary in heaven, not made by human hands and not part of this created world. 12 Once for all time he took blood into that Most Holy Place, but not the blood of goats and calves. He took his own blood, and with it he secured our salvation forever. 13 Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow could cleanse people's bodies from ritual defilement. 14 Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our hearts from deeds that lead to death so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. 15 That is why he is the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, so that all who are invited can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant. 16 Now when someone dies and leaves a will, no one gets anything until it is proved that the person who wrote the will is dead. 17 The will goes into effect only after the death of the person who wrote it. While the person is still alive, no one can use the will to get any of the things promised to them. 18 That is why blood was required under the first covenant as a proof of death. 19 For after Moses had given the people all of God's laws, he took the blood of calves and goats, along with water, and sprinkled both the book of God's laws and all the people, using branches of hyssop bushes and scarlet wool. 20 Then he said, " This blood confirms the covenant God has made with you." 21 And in the same way, he sprinkled blood on the sacred tent and on everything used for worship. 22 In fact, we can say that according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified by sprinkling with blood. Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins. 23 That is why the earthly tent and everything in it--which were copies of things in heaven--had to be purified by the blood of animals. But the real things in heaven had to be purified with far better sacrifices than the blood of animals. 24 For Christ has entered into heaven itself to appear now before God as our Advocate. He did not go into the earthly place of worship, for that was merely a copy of the real Temple in heaven. 25 Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, like the earthly high priest who enters the Most Holy Place year after year to offer the blood of an animal. 26 If that had been necessary, he would have had to die again and again, ever since the world began. But no! He came once for all time, at the end of the age, to remove the power of sin forever by his sacrificial death for us.27 And just as it is destined that each person dies only once and after that comes judgment, 28 so also Christ died only once as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again but not to deal with our sins again. This time he will bring salvation to all those who are eagerly waiting for him.

PSALM 107:1-43

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good!

His faithful love endures forever.

2 Has the LORD redeemed you? Then speak out!

Tell others he has saved you from your enemies.

3 For he has gathered the exiles from many lands,

from east and west, from north and south.

4 Some wandered in the desert,

lost and homeless.

5 Hungry and thirsty,

they nearly died.

6 " LORD, help!" they cried in their trouble,

and he rescued them from their distress.

7 He led them straight to safety,

to a city where they could live.

8 Let them praise the LORD for his great love

and for all his wonderful deeds to them.

9 For he satisfies the thirsty

and fills the hungry with good things.

10 Some sat in darkness and deepest gloom,

miserable prisoners in chains.

11 They rebelled against the words of God,

scorning the counsel of the Most High.

12 That is why he broke them with hard labor;

they fell, and no one helped them rise again.

13 " LORD, help!" they cried in their trouble,

and he saved them from their distress.

14 He led them from the darkness and deepest gloom;

he snapped their chains.

15 Let them praise the LORD for his great love

and for all his wonderful deeds to them.

16 For he broke down their prison gates of bronze;

he cut apart their bars of iron.

17 Some were fools in their rebellion;

they suffered for their sins.

18 Their appetites were gone,

and death was near.

19 " LORD, help!" they cried in their trouble,

and he saved them from their distress.

20 He spoke, and they were healed--

snatched from the door of death.

21 Let them praise the LORD for his great love

and for all his wonderful deeds to them.

22 Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving

and sing joyfully about his glorious acts.

23 Some went off in ships,

plying the trade routes of the world.

24 They, too, observed the LORD's power in action,

his impressive works on the deepest seas.

25 He spoke, and the winds rose,

stirring up the waves.

26 Their ships were tossed to the heavens

and sank again to the depths;

the sailors cringed in terror.

27 They reeled and staggered like drunkards

and were at their wits' end.

28 " LORD, help!" they cried in their trouble,

and he saved them from their distress.

29 He calmed the storm to a whisper

and stilled the waves.

30 What a blessing was that stillness

as he brought them safely into harbor!

31 Let them praise the LORD for his great love

and for all his wonderful deeds to them.

32 Let them exalt him publicly before the congregation

and before the leaders of the nation.

33 He changes rivers into deserts,

and springs of water into dry land.

34 He turns the fruitful land into salty wastelands,

because of the wickedness of those who live there.

35 But he also turns deserts into pools of water,

the dry land into flowing springs.

36 He brings the hungry to settle there

and build their cities.

37 They sow their fields, plant their vineyards,

and harvest their bumper crops.

38 How he blesses them!

They raise large families there,

and their herds of cattle increase.

39 When they decrease in number and become impoverished

through oppression, trouble, and sorrow,

40 the LORD pours contempt on their princes,

causing them to wander in trackless wastelands.

41 But he rescues the poor from their distress

and increases their families like vast flocks of sheep.

42 The godly will see these things and be glad,

while the wicked are stricken silent.

43 Those who are wise will take all this to heart;

they will see in our history the faithful love of the LORD.

PROVERBS 27:11

My child, how happy I will be if you turn out to be wise! Then I will be able to answer my critics. 

November 3 Reading through the Bible

  

EZEKIEL 7:1-9:11

HEBREWS 5:1-14

PSALM 105:1-15

PROVERBS 26:28

EZEKIEL 7:1-9:11

Then this message came to me [Ezekiel] from the LORD: 2 " Son of man, this is what the Sovereign LORD says to Israel: The end is here! Wherever you look--east, west, north, or south--your land is finished. 3 No hope remains, for I will unleash my anger against you. I will call you to account for all your disgusting behavior. 4 I will turn my eyes away and show no pity, repaying you in full for all your evil. Then you will know that I am the LORD! 5 " This is what the Sovereign LORD says: With one blow after another I will bring total disaster! 6 The end has come! It has finally arrived! Your final doom is waiting! 7 O people of Israel, the day of your destruction is dawning. The time has come; the day of trouble is near. It will ring with shouts of anguish, not shouts of joy. 8 Soon I will pour out my fury to complete your punishment for all your disgusting behavior. 9 I will neither spare nor pity you. I will repay you for all your detestable practices. Then you will know that it is I, the LORD, who is striking the blow. 10 " The day of judgment is here; your destruction awaits! The people's wickedness and pride have reached a climax. 11 Their violence will fall back on them as punishment for their wickedness. None of these proud and wicked people will survive. All their wealth will be swept away. 12 Yes, the time has come; the day is here! There is no reason for buyers to rejoice over the bargains they find or for sellers to grieve over their losses, for all of them will fall under my terrible anger. 13 And if any merchants should survive, they will never return to their business. For what God has said applies to everyone--it will not be changed! Not one person whose life is twisted by sin will recover. 14 " The trumpets call Israel's army to mobilize, but no one listens, for my fury is against them all. 15 Any who leave the city walls will be killed by enemy swords. Those who stay inside will die of famine and disease. 16 The few who survive and escape to the mountains will moan like doves, weeping for their sins. 17 Everyone's hands will be feeble; their knees will be as weak as water. 18 They will dress themselves in sackcloth; horror and shame will cover them. They will shave their heads in sorrow and remorse. 19 " They will throw away their money, tossing it out like worthless trash. It won't buy their deliverance in that day of the LORD's anger. It will neither satisfy nor feed them, for their love of money made them stumble into sin. 20 They were proud of their gold jewelry and used it to make vile and detestable idols. That is why I will make all their wealth disgusting to them. 21 I will give it as plunder to foreigners from the most wicked of nations, and they will defile it. 22 I will hide my eyes as these robbers invade my treasured land and corrupt it. 23 " Prepare chains for my people, for the land is bloodied by terrible crimes. Jerusalem is filled with violence. 24 I will bring the most ruthless of nations to occupy their homes. I will break down their proud fortresses and defile their sanctuaries. 25 Terror and trembling will overcome my people. They will look for peace but will not find it. 26 Calamity will follow calamity; rumor will follow rumor. They will look in vain for a vision from the prophets. They will receive no teaching from the priests and no counsel from the leaders. 27 The king and the prince will stand helpless, weeping in despair, and the people's hands will tremble with fear. I will bring against them the evil they have done to others, and they will receive the punishment they so richly deserve. Then they will know that I am the LORD!"8:1 THEN on September 17, during the sixth year of King Jehoiachin's captivity, while the leaders of Judah were in my home, the Sovereign LORD took hold of me. 2 I saw a figure that appeared to be a man. From the waist down he looked like a burning flame. From the waist up he looked like gleaming amber. 3 He put out what seemed to be a hand and took me by the hair. Then the Spirit lifted me up into the sky and transported me in a vision of God to Jerusalem. I was taken to the north gate of the inner courtyard of the Temple, where there is a large idol that has made the LORD very angry. 4 Suddenly, the glory of the God of Israel was there, just as I had seen it before in the valley. 5 Then the LORD said to me, " Son of man, look toward the north." So I looked, and there to the north, beside the entrance to the gate of the altar, stood the idol that had made the LORD so angry.6 " Son of man," he said, " do you see what they are doing? Do you see the great sins the people of Israel are doing to drive me from my Temple? But come, and you will see even greater sins than these!" 7 Then he brought me to the door of the Temple courtyard, where I could see an opening in the wall. 8 He said to me, " Now, son of man, dig into the wall." So I dug into the wall and uncovered a door to a hidden room. 9 " Go in," he said, " and see the unspeakable wickedness going on in there!" 10 So I went in and saw the walls engraved with all kinds of snakes, lizards, and hideous creatures. I also saw the various idols worshiped by the people of Israel. 11 Seventy leaders of Israel were standing there with Jaazaniah son of Shaphan in the middle. Each of them held an incense burner, so there was a thick cloud of incense above their heads. 12 Then the LORD said to me, " Son of man, have you seen what the leaders of Israel are doing with their idols in dark rooms? They are saying, ` The LORD doesn't see us; he has deserted our land!' " 13 Then he added, " Come, and I will show you greater sins than these!" 14 He brought me to the north gate of the LORD's Temple, and some women were sitting there, weeping for the god Tammuz. 15 " Have you seen this?" he asked. " But I will show you even greater sins than these!" 16 Then he brought me into the inner courtyard of the LORD's Temple. At the entrance, between the foyer and the bronze altar, about twenty-five men were standing with their backs to the LORD's Temple. They were facing eastward, worshiping the sun! 17 " Have you seen this, son of man?" he asked. " Is it nothing to the people of Judah that they commit these terrible sins, leading the whole nation into violence, thumbing their noses at me, and rousing my fury against them? 18 Therefore, I will deal with them in fury. I will neither pity nor spare them. And though they scream for mercy, I will not listen."9:1 THEN the LORD thundered, " Bring on the men appointed to punish the city! Tell them to bring their weapons with them!" 2 Six men soon appeared from the upper gate that faces north, each carrying a battle club in his hand. One of them was dressed in linen and carried a writer's case strapped to his side. They all went into the Temple courtyard and stood beside the bronze altar. 3 Then the glory of the God of Israel rose up from between the cherubim, where it had rested, and moved to the entrance of the Temple. And the LORD called to the man dressed in linen who was carrying the writer's case. 4 He said to him, " Walk through the streets of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of all those who weep and sigh because of the sins they see around them." 5 Then I heard the LORD say to the other men, " Follow him through the city and kill everyone whose forehead is not marked. Show no mercy; have no pity! 6 Kill them all--old and young, girls and women and little children. But do not touch anyone with the mark. Begin your task right here at the Temple." So they began by killing the seventy leaders. 7 " Defile the Temple!" the LORD commanded. " Fill its courtyards with the bodies of those you kill! Go!" So they went throughout the city and did as they were told. 8 While they were carrying out their orders, I was all alone. I fell face down in the dust and cried out, " O Sovereign LORD! Will your fury against Jerusalem wipe out everyone left in Israel?" 9 Then he said to me, " The sins of the people of Israel and Judah are very great. The entire land is full of murder; the city is filled with injustice. They are saying, ` The LORD doesn't see it! The LORD has forsaken the land!' 10 So I will not spare them or have any pity on them. I will fully repay them for all they have done." 11 Then the man in linen clothing, who carried the writer's case, reported back and said, " I have finished the work you gave me to do."

HEBREWS 5:1-14

Now a high priest is a man chosen to represent other human beings in their dealings with God. He presents their gifts to God and offers their sacrifices for sins. 2 And because he is human, he is able to deal gently with the people, though they are ignorant and wayward. For he is subject to the same weaknesses they have. 3 That is why he has to offer sacrifices, both for their sins and for his own sins. 4 And no one can become a high priest simply because he wants such an honor. He has to be called by God for this work, just as Aaron was. 5 That is why Christ did not exalt himself to become High Priest. No, he was chosen by God, who said to him, " You are my Son.

Today I have become your Father."

6 And in another passage God said to him, " You are a priest forever

in the line of Melchizedek."

7 While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could deliver him out of death. And God heard his prayers because of his reverence for God. 8 So even though Jesus was God's Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. 9 In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him. 10 And God designated him to be a High Priest in the line of Melchizedek. 11 There is so much more we would like to say about this. But you don't seem to listen, so it's hard to make you understand. 12 You have been Christians a long time now, and you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things a beginner must learn about the Scriptures. You are like babies who drink only milk and cannot eat solid food. 13 And a person who is living on milk isn't very far along in the Christian life and doesn't know much about doing what is right. 14 Solid food is for those who are mature, who have trained themselves to recognize the difference between right and wrong and then do what is right.

PSALM 105:1-15

Give thanks to the LORD and proclaim his greatness.

Let the whole world know what he has done.

2 Sing to him; yes, sing his praises.

Tell everyone about his miracles.

3 Exult in his holy name;

O worshipers of the LORD, rejoice!

4 Search for the LORD and for his strength,

and keep on searching.

5 Think of the wonderful works he has done,

the miracles and the judgments he handed down,

6 O children of Abraham, God's servant,

O descendants of Jacob, God's chosen one.

7 He is the LORD our God.

His rule is seen throughout the land.

8 He always stands by his covenant--

the commitment he made to a thousand generations.

9 This is the covenant he made with Abraham

and the oath he swore to Isaac.

10 He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,

to the people of Israel as a never-ending treaty:

11 " I will give you the land of Canaan

as your special possession."

12 He said this when they were few in number,

a tiny group of strangers in Canaan.

13 They wandered back and forth between nations,

from one kingdom to another.

14 Yet he did not let anyone oppress them.

He warned kings on their behalf:

15 " Do not touch these people I have chosen,

and do not hurt my prophets."

PROVERBS 26:28

A lying tongue hates its victims, and flattery causes ruin.

November 2 Reading through the Bible

 

EZEKIEL 3:16-6:14

HEBREWS 4:1-16

PSALM 104:24-35

PROVERBS 26:27

EZEKIEL 3:16-6:14 

At the end of the seven days, the LORD gave me [Ezekiel] a message. He said, 17 " Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman for Israel. Whenever you receive a message from me, pass it on to the people immediately. 18 If I warn the wicked, saying, ` You are under the penalty of death,' but you fail to deliver the warning, they will die in their sins. And I will hold you responsible, demanding your blood for theirs. 19 If you warn them and they keep on sinning and refuse to repent, they will die in their sins. But you will have saved your life because you did what you were told to do. 20 If good people turn bad and don't listen to my warning, they will die. If you did not warn them of the consequences, then they will die in their sins. Their previous good deeds won't help them, and I will hold you responsible, demanding your blood for theirs. 21 But if you warn them and they repent, they will live, and you will have saved your own life, too." 22 Then the LORD took hold of me, and he said to me, " Go out into the valley, and I will talk to you there." 23 So I got up and went, and there I saw the glory of the LORD, just as I had seen it in my first vision by the Kebar River. And I fell face down in the dust. 24 Then the Spirit came into me and set me on my feet. He talked to me and said, " Go, shut yourself up in your house. 25 There you will be bound with ropes so you cannot go out among the people. 26 And I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so you won't be able to pray for them, for they are rebellious. 27 But whenever I give you a message, I will loosen your tongue and let you speak. Then you will say to them, ` This is what the Sovereign LORD says!' Some of them will listen, but some will ignore you, for they are rebels.4:1 " AND now, son of man, take a large brick and set it down in front of you. Then draw a map of the city of Jerusalem on it. 2 Build siege ramps against the city walls. Surround it with enemy camps and battering rams. 3 Then take an iron griddle and place it between you and the city. Turn toward it and demonstrate how the enemy will attack Jerusalem. This will be a warning to the people of Israel. 4 " Now lie on your left side and place the sins of Israel on yourself. You are to bear their sins for the number of days you lie there on your side. 5 You will bear Israel's sins for 390 days--one day for each year of their sin. 6 After that, turn over and lie on your right side for 40 days--one day for each year of Judah's sin. 7 " Meanwhile, continue your demonstration of the siege of Jerusalem. Lie there with your arm bared and prophesy her destruction. 8 I will tie you up with ropes so you won't be able to turn from side to side until the days of your siege have been completed.9 " Now go and get some wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt, and mix them together in a storage jar. Use this food to make bread for yourself during the 390 days you will be lying on your side. 10 Ration this out to yourself, eight ounces of food for each day, and eat it at set times. 11 Then measure out a jar of water for each day, and drink it at set times. 12 Each day prepare your bread as you would barley cakes. While all the people are watching, bake it over a fire using dried human dung as fuel and then eat the bread. 13 For this is what the LORD says: Israel will eat defiled bread in the Gentile lands, where I will banish them!" 14 Then I said, " O Sovereign LORD, must I be defiled by using human dung? For I have never been defiled before. From the time I was a child until now I have never eaten any animal that died of sickness or that I found dead. And I have never eaten any of the animals that our laws forbid." 15 " All right," the LORD said. " You may bake your bread with cow dung instead of human dung." 16 Then he told me, " Son of man, I will cause food to be very scarce in Jerusalem. It will be weighed out with great care and eaten fearfully. The water will be portioned out drop by drop, and the people will drink it with dismay. 17 Food and water will be so scarce that the people will look at one another in terror, and they will waste away under their punishment.5:1 " SON of man, take a sharp sword and use it as a razor to shave your head and beard. Use a scale to weigh the hair into three equal parts. 2 Place a third of it at the center of your map of Jerusalem. After acting out the siege, burn it there. Scatter another third across your map and slash at it with a sword. Scatter the last third to the wind, for I will scatter my people with the sword. 3 Keep just a bit of the hair and tie it up in your robe. 4 Then take a few of these hairs out and throw them into the fire, burning them up. A fire will then spread from this remnant and destroy all of Israel. 5 " This is what the Sovereign LORD says: This is an illustration of what will happen to Jerusalem. I placed her at the center of the nations, 6 but she has rebelled against my regulations and has been even more wicked than the surrounding nations. She has refused to obey the laws I gave her to follow. 7 So this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Since you have refused to obey my laws and regulations and have behaved even worse than your neighbors, 8 I myself, the Sovereign LORD, am now your enemy. I will punish you publicly while all the nations watch. 9 Because of your detestable idols, I will punish you more severely than I have punished anyone before or ever will again. 10 Parents will eat their own children, and children will eat their parents. And I will punish you by scattering the few who survive to the far reaches of the earth. 11 " As surely as I live, says the Sovereign LORD, I will cut you off completely. I will show you no pity at all because you have defiled my Temple with idols and vile practices. 12 A third of your people will die in the city from famine and disease. A third of them will be slaughtered by the enemy outside the city walls. And I will scatter a third to the winds and chase them with my sword. 13 Then at last my anger will be spent, and I will be satisfied. And when my fury against them has subsided, all Israel will know that I, the LORD, have spoken to them in my jealous anger. 14 " So I will turn you into a ruin, a mockery in the eyes of the surrounding nations and to everyone who travels by. 15 You will become an object of mockery and taunting and horror. You will be a warning to all the nations around you. They will see what happens when the LORD turns against a nation in furious rebuke. I, the LORD, have spoken! 16 " I will shower you with the deadly arrows of famine to destroy you. The famine will become more and more severe until every crumb of food is gone. 17 And along with the famine, wild animals will attack you, robbing you of your children. Disease and war will stalk your land, and I will bring the sword of the enemy against you. I, the LORD, have spoken!"6:1 AGAIN a message came to me from the LORD: 2 " Son of man, look over toward the mountains of Israel and prophesy against them. 3 Give the mountains of Israel this message from the Sovereign LORD. This is what the Sovereign LORD says to the mountains and hills and to the ravines and valleys: I am about to bring war upon you, and I will destroy your pagan shrines. 4 All your altars will be demolished, and your incense altars will be smashed. I will kill your people in front of your idols. 5 I will lay your corpses in front of your idols and scatter your bones around your altars. 6 Wherever you live there will be desolation. I will destroy your pagan shrines, your altars, your idols, your incense altars, and all the other religious objects you have made. 7 Then when the place is littered with corpses, you will know that I am the LORD. 8 " But I will let a few of my people escape destruction, and they will be scattered among the nations of the world. 9 Then when they are exiled among the nations, they will remember me. They will recognize how grieved I am by their unfaithful hearts and lustful eyes that long for other gods. Then at last they will hate themselves for all their wickedness. 10 They will know that I alone am the LORD and that I was serious when I predicted that all this would happen to them. 11 " This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Clap your hands in horror, and stamp your feet. Cry out, ` Alas!' because of all the evil that the people of Israel have done. Now they are going to die from war and famine and disease. 12 Disease will strike down those who are far away in exile. War will destroy those who are nearby. And anyone who survives will be killed by famine. So at last I will spend my fury on them. 13 When their dead lie scattered among their idols and altars, on every hill and mountain and under every green tree and great oak where they offered incense to their gods, then they will know that I alone am the LORD. 14 I will crush them and make their cities desolate from the wilderness in the south to Riblah in the north. Then they will know that I am the LORD."

HEBREWS 4:1-16

God's promise of entering his place of rest still stands, so we ought to tremble with fear that some of you might fail to get there. 2 For this Good News--that God has prepared a place of rest--has been announced to us just as it was to them. But it did them no good because they didn't believe what God told them. 3 For only we who believe can enter his place of rest. As for those who didn't believe, God said, " In my anger I made a vow:

` They will never enter my place of rest,' "

even though his place of rest has been ready since he made the world. 4 We know it is ready because the Scriptures mention the seventh day, saying, " On the seventh day God rested from all his work." 5 But in the other passage God said, " They will never enter my place of rest." 6 So God's rest is there for people to enter. But those who formerly heard the Good News failed to enter because they disobeyed God. 7 So God set another time for entering his place of rest, and that time is today. God announced this through David a long time later in the words already quoted: " Today you must listen to his voice.

Don't harden your hearts against him."

8 This new place of rest was not the land of Canaan, where Joshua led them. If it had been, God would not have spoken later about another day of rest. 9 So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. 10 For all who enter into God's rest will find rest from their labors, just as God rested after creating the world. 11 Let us do our best to enter that place of rest. For anyone who disobeys God, as the people of Israel did, will fall. 12 For the word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are. 13 Nothing in all creation can hide from him. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes. This is the God to whom we must explain all that we have done. 14 That is why we have a great High Priest who has gone to heaven, Jesus the Son of God. Let us cling to him and never stop trusting him. 15 This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin. 16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it.

PSALM 104:24-35

O LORD, what a variety of things you have made!

In wisdom you have made them all.

The earth is full of your creatures.

25 Here is the ocean, vast and wide,

teeming with life of every kind,

both great and small.

26 See the ships sailing along,

and Leviathan, which you made to play in the sea.

27 Every one of these depends on you

to give them their food as they need it.

28 When you supply it, they gather it.

You open your hand to feed them, and they are satisfied.

29 But if you turn away from them, they panic.

When you take away their breath, they die

and turn again to dust.

30 When you send your Spirit, new life is born

to replenish all the living of the earth.

31 May the glory of the LORD last forever!

The LORD rejoices in all he has made!

32 The earth trembles at his glance;

the mountains burst into flame at his touch.

33 I will sing to the LORD as long as I live.

I will praise my God to my last breath!

34 May he be pleased by all these thoughts about him,

for I rejoice in the LORD.

35 Let all sinners vanish from the face of the earth;

let the wicked disappear forever.

As for me--I will praise the LORD!

Praise the LORD!

PROVERBS 26:27

If you set a trap for others, you will get caught in it yourself. If you roll a boulder down on others, it will roll back and crush you.

November 1 Reading through the Bible

  

EZEKIEL 1:1-3:15

HEBREWS 3:1-19

PSALM 104:1-23

PROVERBS 26:24-26

EZEKIEL 1:1-3:15

On July 31 of my thirtieth year, while I [Ezekiel] was with the Judean exiles beside the Kebar River in Babylon, the heavens were opened to me, and I saw visions of God. 2 This happened during the fifth year of King Jehoiachin's captivity. 3 The LORD gave a message to me, Ezekiel son of Buzi, a priest, there beside the Kebar River in the land of the Babylonians, and I felt the hand of the LORD take hold of me. 4 As I looked, I saw a great storm coming toward me from the north, driving before it a huge cloud that flashed with lightning and shone with brilliant light. The fire inside the cloud glowed like gleaming amber. 5 From the center of the cloud came four living beings that looked human, 6 except that each had four faces and two pairs of wings. 7 Their legs were straight like human legs, but their feet were split like calves' feet and shone like burnished bronze. 8 Beneath each of their wings I could see human hands. 9 The wings of each living being touched the wings of the two beings beside it. The living beings were able to fly in any direction without turning around. 10 Each had a human face in the front, the face of a lion on the right side, the face of an ox on the left side, and the face of an eagle at the back. 11 Each had two pairs of outstretched wings--one pair stretched out to touch the wings of the living beings on either side of it, and the other pair covered its body. 12 They went in whatever direction the spirit chose, and they moved straight forward in all directions without having to turn around. 13 The living beings looked like bright coals of fire or brilliant torches, and it looked as though lightning was flashing back and forth among them. 14 And the living beings darted to and fro like flashes of lightning.15 As I looked at these beings, I saw four wheels on the ground beneath them, one wheel belonging to each. 16 The wheels sparkled as if made of chrysolite. All four wheels looked the same; each wheel had a second wheel turning crosswise within it. 17 The beings could move forward in any of the four directions they faced, without turning as they moved. 18 The rims of the four wheels were awesomely tall, and they were covered with eyes all around the edges. 19 When the four living beings moved, the wheels moved with them. When they flew upward, the wheels went up, too. 20 The spirit of the four living beings was in the wheels. So wherever the spirit went, the wheels and the living beings went, too. 21 When the living beings moved, the wheels moved. When the living beings stopped, the wheels stopped. When the living beings flew into the air, the wheels rose up. For the spirit of the living beings was in the wheels. 22 There was a surface spread out above them like the sky. It sparkled like crystal. 23 Beneath this surface the wings of each living being stretched out to touch the others' wings, and each had two wings covering its body. 24 As they flew their wings roared like waves crashing against the shore, or like the voice of the Almighty, or like the shouting of a mighty army. When they stopped, they let down their wings. 25 As they stood with their wings lowered, a voice spoke from beyond the crystal surface above them. 26 Above the surface over their heads was what looked like a throne made of blue sapphire. And high above this throne was a figure whose appearance was like that of a man. 27 From his waist up, he looked like gleaming amber, flickering like a fire. And from his waist down, he looked like a burning flame, shining with splendor. 28 All around him was a glowing halo, like a rainbow shining through the clouds. This was the way the glory of the LORD appeared to me. When I saw it, I fell face down in the dust, and I heard someone's voice speaking to me.2:1 " STAND up, son of man," said the voice. " I want to speak with you." 2 The Spirit came into me as he spoke and set me on my feet. I listened carefully to his words. 3 " Son of man," he said, " I am sending you to the nation of Israel, a nation that is rebelling against me. Their ancestors have rebelled against me from the beginning, and they are still in revolt to this very day. 4 They are a hard-hearted and stubborn people. But I am sending you to say to them, ` This is what the Sovereign LORD says!' 5 And whether they listen or not--for remember, they are rebels--at least they will know they have had a prophet among them. 6 " Son of man, do not fear them. Don't be afraid even though their threats are sharp as thorns and barbed like briers, and they sting like scorpions. Do not be dismayed by their dark scowls. For remember, they are rebels! 7 You must give them my messages whether they listen or not. But they won't listen, for they are completely rebellious! 8 Son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not join them in being a rebel. Open your mouth, and eat what I give you." 9 Then I looked and saw a hand reaching out to me, and it held a scroll. 10 He unrolled it, and I saw that both sides were covered with funeral songs, other words of sorrow, and pronouncements of doom.3:1 THE voice said to me, " Son of man, eat what I am giving you--eat this scroll! Then go and give its message to the people of Israel." 2 So I opened my mouth, and he fed me the scroll. 3 " Eat it all," he said. And when I ate it, it tasted as sweet as honey. 4 Then he said, " Son of man, go to the people of Israel with my messages. 5 I am not sending you to some foreign people whose language you cannot understand. 6 No, I am not sending you to people with strange and difficult speech. If I did, they would listen! 7 I am sending you to the people of Israel, but they won't listen to you any more than they listen to me! For the whole lot of them are hard-hearted and stubborn. 8 But look, I have made you as hard and stubborn as they are. 9 I have made you as hard as rock! So don't be afraid of them or fear their angry looks, even though they are such rebels." 10 Then he added, " Son of man, let all my words sink deep into your own heart first. Listen to them carefully for yourself. 11 Then go to your people in exile and say to them, ` This is what the Sovereign LORD says!' Do this whether they listen to you or not." 12 Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard a loud rumbling sound behind me. (May the glory of the LORD be praised in his place!) 13 It was the sound of the wings of the living beings as they brushed against each other and the rumbling of their wheels beneath them. 14 The Spirit lifted me up and took me away. I went in bitterness and turmoil, but the LORD's hold on me was strong. 15 Then I came to the colony of Judean exiles in Tel-abib, beside the Kebar River. I sat there among them for seven days, overwhelmed.

HEBREWS 3:1-19

And so, dear brothers and sisters who belong to God and are bound for heaven, think about this Jesus whom we declare to be God's Messenger and High Priest. 2 For he was faithful to God, who appointed him, just as Moses served faithfully and was entrusted with God's entire house. 3 But Jesus deserves far more glory than Moses, just as a person who builds a fine house deserves more praise than the house itself. 4 For every house has a builder, but God is the one who made everything. 5 Moses was certainly faithful in God's house, but only as a servant. His work was an illustration of the truths God would reveal later. 6 But Christ, the faithful Son, was in charge of the entire household. And we are God's household, if we keep up our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ. 7 That is why the Holy Spirit says, " Today you must listen to his voice.

8 Don't harden your hearts against him

as Israel did when they rebelled,

when they tested God's patience in the wilderness.

9 There your ancestors tried my patience,

even though they saw my miracles for forty years.

10 So I was angry with them, and I said,

` Their hearts always turn away from me.

They refuse to do what I tell them.'

11 So in my anger I made a vow:

` They will never enter my place of rest.' "

12 Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters.* Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. 13 You must warn each other every day, as long as it is called " today," so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. 14 For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ. 15 But never forget the warning: " Today you must listen to his voice.

Don't harden your hearts against him

as Israel did when they rebelled."

16 And who were those people who rebelled against God, even though they heard his voice? Weren't they the ones Moses led out of Egypt? 17 And who made God angry for forty years? Wasn't it the people who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom was God speaking when he vowed that they would never enter his place of rest? He was speaking to those who disobeyed him. 19 So we see that they were not allowed to enter his rest because of their unbelief.

PSALM 104:1-23

Praise the LORD, I tell myself;

O LORD my God, how great you are!

You are robed with honor and with majesty;

2 you are dressed in a robe of light.

You stretch out the starry curtain of the heavens;

3 you lay out the rafters of your home in the rain clouds.

You make the clouds your chariots;

you ride upon the wings of the wind.

4 The winds are your messengers;

flames of fire are your servants.

5 You placed the world on its foundation

so it would never be moved.

6 You clothed the earth with floods of water,

water that covered even the mountains.

7 At the sound of your rebuke, the water fled;

at the sound of your thunder, it fled away.

8 Mountains rose and valleys sank

to the levels you decreed.

9 Then you set a firm boundary for the seas,

so they would never again cover the earth.

10 You make the springs pour water into ravines,

so streams gush down from the mountains.

11 They provide water for all the animals,

and the wild donkeys quench their thirst.

12 The birds nest beside the streams

and sing among the branches of the trees.

13 You send rain on the mountains from your heavenly home,

and you fill the earth with the fruit of your labor.

14 You cause grass to grow for the cattle.

You cause plants to grow for people to use.

You allow them to produce food from the earth--

15 wine to make them glad,

olive oil as lotion for their skin,

and bread to give them strength.

16 The trees of the LORD are well cared for--

the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.

17 There the birds make their nests,

and the storks make their homes in the firs.

18 High in the mountains are pastures for the wild goats,

and the rocks form a refuge for rock badgers.

19 You made the moon to mark the seasons

and the sun that knows when to set.

20 You send the darkness, and it becomes night,

when all the forest animals prowl about.

21 Then the young lions roar for their food,

but they are dependent on God.

22 At dawn they slink back

into their dens to rest.

23 Then people go off to their work;

they labor until the evening shadows fall again.

PROVERBS 26:24-26

People with hate in their hearts may sound pleasant enough, but don't believe them. Though they pretend to be kind, their hearts are full of all kinds of evil. While their hatred may be concealed by trickery, it will finally come to light for all to see.

October 31 Reading through the Bible

 

 

LAMENTATIONS 4:1-5:22

HEBREWS 2:1-18

PSALM 103:1-22

PROVERBS 26:23

LAMENTATIONS 4:1-5:22

How the gold has lost its luster! Even the finest gold has become dull. The sacred gemstones lie scattered in the streets! 2 See how the precious children of Jerusalem, worth their weight in gold, are now treated like pots of clay. 3 Even the jackals feed their young, but not my people Israel. They ignore their children's cries, like the ostriches of the desert. 4 The parched tongues of their little ones stick with thirst to the roofs of their mouths. The children cry for bread, but no one has any to give them. 5 The people who once ate only the richest foods now beg in the streets for anything they can get. Those who once lived in palaces now search the garbage pits for food. 6 The guilt of my people is greater than that of Sodom, where utter disaster struck in a moment with no one to help them. 7 Our princes were once glowing with health; they were as clean as snow and as elegant as jewels. 8 But now their faces are blacker than soot. No one even recognizes them. Their skin sticks to their bones; it is as dry and hard as wood. 9 Those killed by the sword are far better off than those who die of hunger, wasting away for want of food. 10 Tenderhearted women have cooked their own children and eaten them in order to survive the siege. 11 But now the anger of the LORD is satisfied. His fiercest anger has now been poured out. He started a fire in Jerusalem that burned the city to its foundations. 12 Not a king in all the earth--no one in all the world--would have believed an enemy could march through the gates of Jerusalem. 13 Yet it happened because of the sins of her prophets and priests, who defiled the city by shedding innocent blood. 14 They wandered blindly through the streets, so defiled by blood that no one dared to touch them. 15 " Get away!" the people shouted at them. " You are defiled! Don't touch us!" So they fled to distant lands and wandered there among foreign nations, but none would let them stay. 16 The LORD himself has scattered them, and he no longer helps them. The priests and leaders are no longer honored and respected.17 We looked in vain for our allies to come and save us, but we were looking to nations that could offer no help at all. 18 We couldn't go into the streets without danger to our lives. Our end was near; our days were numbered. We were doomed! 19 Our enemies were swifter than the eagles. If we fled to the mountains, they found us. If we hid in the wilderness, they were waiting for us there. 20 Our king, the LORD's anointed, the very life of our nation, was caught in their snares. We had foolishly boasted that under his protection we could hold our own against any nation on earth! 21 Are you rejoicing in the land of Uz, O people of Edom? But you, too, must drink from the cup of the LORD's anger. You, too, will be stripped naked in your drunkenness. 22 O Jerusalem, your punishment will end; you will soon return from exile. But Edom, your punishment is just beginning; soon your many sins will be revealed.5:1 LORD, remember everything that has happened to us. See all the sorrows we bear! 2 Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers, our homes to foreigners. 3 We are orphaned and fatherless. Our mothers are widowed. 4 We have to pay for water to drink, and even firewood is expensive. 5 Those who pursue us are at our heels; we are exhausted but are given no rest. 6 We submitted to Egypt and Assyria to get enough food to survive. 7 It was our ancestors who sinned, but they died before the hand of judgment fell. We have suffered the punishment they deserved! 8 Slaves have now become our masters; there is no one left to rescue us. 9 We must hunt for food in the wilderness at the risk of our lives. 10 Because of the famine, our skin has been blackened as though baked in an oven. 11 Our enemies rape the women and young girls in Jerusalem and throughout the towns of Judah. 12 Our princes are being hanged by their thumbs, and the old men are treated with contempt. 13 The young men are led away to work at millstones, and the children stagger under heavy loads of wood. 14 The old men no longer sit in the city gates; the young men no longer dance and sing. 15 The joy of our hearts has ended; our dancing has turned to mourning. 16 The garlands have fallen from our heads. Disaster has fallen upon us because we have sinned. 17 Our hearts are sick and weary, and our eyes grow dim with tears. 18 For Jerusalem is empty and desolate, a place haunted by jackals. 19 But LORD, you remain the same forever! Your throne continues from generation to generation. 20 Why do you continue to forget us? Why have you forsaken us for so long? 21 Restore us, O LORD, and bring us back to you again! Give us back the joys we once had! 22 Or have you utterly rejected us? Are you angry with us still?

HEBREWS 2:1-18

So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it. 2 The message God delivered through angels has always proved true, and the people were punished for every violation of the law and every act of disobedience. 3 What makes us think that we can escape if we are indifferent to this great salvation that was announced by the Lord Jesus himself? It was passed on to us by those who heard him speak, 4 and God verified the message by signs and wonders and various miracles and by giving gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever he chose to do so. 5 And furthermore, the future world we are talking about will not be controlled by angels. 6 For somewhere in the Scriptures it says, " What is man that you should think of him,

and the son of man that you should care for him?

7 For a little while you made him lower than the angels,

and you crowned him with glory and honor.

8 You gave him authority over all things."

Now when it says " all things," it means nothing is left out. But we have not yet seen all of this happen. 9 What we do see is Jesus, who " for a little while was made lower than the angels" and now is " crowned with glory and honor" because he suffered death for us. Yes, by God's grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone in all the world. 10 And it was only right that God--who made everything and for whom everything was made--should bring his many children into glory. Through the suffering of Jesus, God made him a perfect leader, one fit to bring them into their salvation. 11 So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters. 12 For he said to God, " I will declare the wonder of your name to my brothers and sisters.

I will praise you among all your people."

13 He also said, " I will put my trust in him." And in the same context he said, " Here I am--together with the children God has given me." 14 Because God's children are human beings--made of flesh and blood--Jesus also became flesh and blood by being born in human form. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the Devil, who had the power of death. 15 Only in this way could he deliver those who have lived all their lives as slaves to the fear of dying. 16 We all know that Jesus came to help the descendants of Abraham, not to help the angels. 17 Therefore, it was necessary for Jesus to be in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. He then could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. 18 Since he himself has gone through suffering and temptation, he is able to help us when we are being tempted.

PSALM 103:1-22

A psalm of David.

1 Praise the LORD, I tell myself;

with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.

2 Praise the LORD, I tell myself,

and never forget the good things he does for me.

3 He forgives all my sins

and heals all my diseases.

4 He ransoms me from death

and surrounds me with love and tender mercies.

5 He fills my life with good things.

My youth is renewed like the eagle's!

6 The LORD gives righteousness

and justice to all who are treated unfairly.

7 He revealed his character to Moses

and his deeds to the people of Israel.

8 The LORD is merciful and gracious;

he is slow to get angry and full of unfailing love.

9 He will not constantly accuse us,

nor remain angry forever.

10 He has not punished us for all our sins,

nor does he deal with us as we deserve.

11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him

is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.

12 He has removed our rebellious acts

as far away from us as the east is from the west.

13 The LORD is like a father to his children,

tender and compassionate to those who fear him.

14 For he understands how weak we are;

he knows we are only dust.

15 Our days on earth are like grass;

like wildflowers, we bloom and die.

16 The wind blows, and we are gone--

as though we had never been here.

17 But the love of the LORD remains forever

with those who fear him.

His salvation extends to the children's children

18 of those who are faithful to his covenant,

of those who obey his commandments!

19 The LORD has made the heavens his throne;

from there he rules over everything.

20 Praise the LORD, you angels of his,

you mighty creatures who carry out his plans,

listening for each of his commands.

21 Yes, praise the LORD, you armies of angels

who serve him and do his will!

22 Praise the LORD, everything he has created,

everywhere in his kingdom.

As for me--I, too, will praise the LORD.

PROVERBS 26:23

Smooth words may hide a wicked heart, just as a pretty glaze covers a common clay pot.

October 30 Reading through the Bible

 

LAMENTATIONS 3:1-66

HEBREWS 1:1-14

PSALM 102:1-28

PROVERBS 26:21-22

LAMENTATIONS 3:1-66

I AM the one who has seen the afflictions that come from the rod of the LORD's anger. 2 He has brought me into deep darkness, shutting out all light. 3 He has turned against me. Day and night his hand is heavy upon me. 4 He has made my skin and flesh grow old. He has broken my bones. 5 He has attacked me and surrounded me with anguish and distress. 6 He has buried me in a dark place, like a person long dead. 7 He has walled me in, and I cannot escape. He has bound me in heavy chains. 8 And though I cry and shout, he shuts out my prayers. 9 He has blocked my path with a high stone wall. He has twisted the road before me with many detours.10 He hid like a bear or a lion, waiting to attack me. 11 He dragged me off the path and tore me with his claws, leaving me helpless and desolate. 12 He bent his bow and aimed it squarely at me. 13 He shot his arrows deep into my heart. 14 My own people laugh at me. All day long they sing their mocking songs. 15 He has filled me with bitterness. He has given me a cup of deep sorrow to drink. 16 He has made me grind my teeth on gravel. He has rolled me in the dust. 17 Peace has been stripped away, and I have forgotten what prosperity is. 18 I cry out, " My splendor is gone! Everything I had hoped for from the LORD is lost!"19 The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. 20 I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. 21 Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: 22 The unfailing love of the LORD never ends! By his mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. 23 Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day. 24 I say to myself, " The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!" 25 The LORD is wonderfully good to those who wait for him and seek him. 26 So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the LORD. 27 And it is good for the young to submit to the yoke of his discipline. 28 Let them sit alone in silence beneath the LORD's demands. 29 Let them lie face down in the dust; then at last there is hope for them. 30 Let them turn the other cheek to those who strike them. Let them accept the insults of their enemies.31 For the Lord does not abandon anyone forever. 32 Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion according to the greatness of his unfailing love. 33 For he does not enjoy hurting people or causing them sorrow. 34 But the leaders of his people trampled prisoners underfoot. 35 They deprived people of their God-given rights in defiance of the Most High. 36 They perverted justice in the courts. Do they think the Lord didn't see it? 37 Can anything happen without the Lord's permission? 38 Is it not the Most High who helps one and harms another? 39 Then why should we, mere humans, complain when we are punished for our sins? 40 Instead, let us test and examine our ways. Let us turn again in repentance to the LORD. 41 Let us lift our hearts and hands to God in heaven and say, 42 " We have sinned and rebelled, and you have not forgiven us. 43 " You have engulfed us with your anger, chased us down, and slaughtered us without mercy. 44 You have hidden yourself in a cloud so our prayers cannot reach you. 45 You have discarded us as refuse and garbage among the nations. 46 " All our enemies have spoken out against us. 47 We are filled with fear, for we are trapped, desolate, and ruined." 48 Streams of tears flow from my eyes because of the destruction of my people! 49 My tears flow down endlessly. They will not stop 50 until the LORD looks down from heaven and sees. 51 My heart is breaking over the fate of all the women of Jerusalem. 52 My enemies, whom I have never harmed, chased me like a bird. 53 They threw me into a pit and dropped stones on me. 54 The water flowed above my head, and I cried out, " This is the end!" 55 But I called on your name, LORD, from deep within the well, 56 and you heard me! You listened to my pleading; you heard my weeping! 57 Yes, you came at my despairing cry and told me, " Do not fear." 58 Lord, you are my lawyer! Plead my case! For you have redeemed my life. 59 You have seen the wrong they have done to me, LORD. Be my judge, and prove me right. 60 You have seen the plots my enemies have laid against me. 61 LORD, you have heard the vile names they call me. You know all about the plans they have made--62 the plots my enemies whisper and mutter against me all day long. 63 Look at them! In all their activities, they constantly mock me with their songs. 64 Pay them back, LORD, for all the evil they have done. 65 Give them hard and stubborn hearts, and then let your curse fall upon them! 66 Chase them down in your anger, destroying them from beneath the LORD's heavens.

HEBREWS 1:1-14

Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. 2 But now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he made the universe and everything in it. 3 The Son reflects God's own glory, and everything about him represents God exactly. He sustains the universe by the mighty power of his command. After he died to cleanse us from the stain of sin, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God of heaven. 4 This shows that God's Son is far greater than the angels, just as the name God gave him is far greater than their names. 5 For God never said to any angel what he said to Jesus: " You are my Son.

Today I have become your Father."

And again God said, " I will be his Father,

and he will be my Son."

6 And then, when he presented his honored Son to the world, God said, " Let all the angels of God worship him." 7 God calls his angels " messengers swift as the wind,

and servants made of flaming fire."

8 But to his Son he says, " Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever.

Your royal power is expressed in righteousness.

9 You love what is right and hate what is wrong.

Therefore God, your God, has anointed you,

pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else."

10 And, " Lord, in the beginning you laid the foundation of the earth,

and the heavens are the work of your hands.

11 Even they will perish, but you remain forever.

They will wear out like old clothing.

12 You will roll them up like an old coat.

They will fade away like old clothing.

But you are always the same;

you will never grow old."

13 And God never said to an angel, as he did to his Son, " Sit in honor at my right hand

until I humble your enemies,

making them a footstool under your feet."

14 But angels are only servants. They are spirits sent from God to care for those who will receive salvation.

PSALM 102:1-28

A prayer of one overwhelmed with trouble, pouring out problems before the LORD.

1 LORD, hear my prayer!

Listen to my plea!

2 Don't turn away from me

in my time of distress.

Bend down your ear

and answer me quickly when I call to you,

3 for my days disappear like smoke,

and my bones burn like red-hot coals.

4 My heart is sick, withered like grass,

and I have lost my appetite.

5 Because of my groaning,

I am reduced to skin and bones.

6 I am like an owl in the desert,

like a lonely owl in a far-off wilderness.

7 I lie awake,

lonely as a solitary bird on the roof.

8 My enemies taunt me day after day.

They mock and curse me.

9 I eat ashes instead of my food.

My tears run down into my drink

10 because of your anger and wrath.

For you have picked me up and thrown me out.

11 My life passes as swiftly as the evening shadows.

I am withering like grass.

12 But you, O LORD, will rule forever.

Your fame will endure to every generation.

13 You will arise and have mercy on Jerusalem--

and now is the time to pity her,

now is the time you promised to help.

14 For your people love every stone in her walls

and show favor even to the dust in her streets.

15 And the nations will tremble before the LORD.

The kings of the earth will tremble before his glory.

16 For the LORD will rebuild Jerusalem.

He will appear in his glory.

17 He will listen to the prayers of the destitute.

He will not reject their pleas.

18 Let this be recorded for future generations,

so that a nation yet to be created will praise the LORD.

19 Tell them the LORD looked down

from his heavenly sanctuary.

He looked to the earth from heaven

20 to hear the groans of the prisoners,

to release those condemned to die.

21 And so the LORD's fame will be celebrated in Zion,

his praises in Jerusalem,

22 when multitudes gather together

and kingdoms come to worship the LORD.

23 He has cut me down in midlife,

shortening my days.

24 But I cried to him, " My God, who lives forever,

don't take my life while I am still so young!

25 In ages past you laid the foundation of the earth,

and the heavens are the work of your hands.

26 Even they will perish, but you remain forever;

they will wear out like old clothing.

You will change them like a garment,

and they will fade away.

27 But you are always the same;

your years never end.

28 The children of your people

will live in security.

Their children's children

will thrive in your presence."

PROVERBS 26:21-22

A quarrelsome person starts fights as easily as hot embers light charcoal or fire lights wood. What dainty morsels rumors are--but they sink deep into one's heart. 

October 29 Reading through the Bible

 

 LAMENTATIONS 1:1-2:22

PHILEMON 1-25

PSALM 101:1-8

PROVERBS 26:20

LAMENTATIONS 1:1-2:22

Jerusalem's streets,> once bustling with people, are now silent. Like a widow broken with grief, she sits alone in her mourning. Once the queen of nations, she is now a slave. 2 She sobs through the night; tears stream down her cheeks. Among all her lovers, there is no one left to help her. All her friends have betrayed her; they are now her enemies.3 Judah has been led away into captivity, afflicted and enslaved. She lives among foreign nations and has no place of rest. Her enemies have chased her down, and she has nowhere to turn. 4 The roads to Jerusalem are in mourning, no longer filled with crowds on their way to celebrate the Temple festivals. The city gates are silent, her priests groan, her young women are crying--how bitterly Jerusalem weeps! 5 Her oppressors have become her masters, and her enemies prosper, for the LORD has punished Jerusalem for her many sins. Her children have been captured and taken away to distant lands. 6 All the beauty and majesty of Jerusalem are gone. Her princes are like starving deer searching for pasture, too weak to run from the pursuing enemy. 7 And now in the midst of her sadness and wandering, Jerusalem remembers her ancient splendor. But then she fell to her enemy, and there was no one to help her. Her enemy struck her down and laughed as she fell. 8 Jerusalem has sinned greatly, so she has been tossed away like a filthy rag. All who once honored her now despise her, for they have seen her stripped naked and humiliated. All she can do is groan and hide her face. 9 She defiled herself with immorality with no thought of the punishment that would follow. Now she lies in the gutter with no one to lift her out. " LORD, see my deep misery," she cries. " The enemy has triumphed." 10 The enemy has plundered her completely, taking everything precious that she owns. She has seen foreigners violate her sacred Temple, the place the LORD had forbidden them to enter. 11 Her people groan as they search for bread. They have sold their treasures for food to stay alive. " O LORD, look," she mourns, " and see how I am despised. 12 " Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Look around and see if there is any suffering like mine, which the LORD brought on me in the day of his fierce anger. 13 " He has sent fire from heaven that burns in my bones. He has placed a trap in my path and turned me back. He has made me desolate, racked with sickness all day long. 14 " He wove my sins into ropes to hitch me to a yoke of captivity. The Lord sapped my strength and gave me to my enemies; I am helpless in their hands. 15 " The Lord has treated my mighty men with contempt. At his command a great army has come to crush my young warriors. The Lord has trampled his beloved city as grapes are trampled in a winepress. 16 " For all these things I weep; tears flow down my cheeks. No one is here to comfort me; any who might encourage me are far away. My children have no future, for the enemy has conquered us." 17 Jerusalem pleads for help, but no one comforts her. Regarding his people, the LORD has said, " Let their neighbors be their enemies! Let them be thrown away like a filthy rag!" 18 " And the LORD is right," she groans, " for I rebelled against him. Listen, people everywhere; look upon my anguish and despair, for my sons and daughters have been taken captive to distant lands. 19 " I begged my allies for help, but they betrayed me. My priests and leaders starved to death in the city, even as they searched for food to save their lives. 20 " LORD, see my anguish! My heart is broken and my soul despairs, for I have rebelled against you. In the streets the sword kills, and at home there is only death. 21 " Others heard my groans, but no one turned to comfort me. When my enemies heard of my troubles, they were happy to see what you had done. Oh, bring the day you promised, when you will destroy them as you have destroyed me. 22 " Look at all their evil deeds, LORD. Punish them, as you have punished me for all my sins. My groans are many, and my heart is faint."2:1 THE Lord in his anger has cast a dark shadow over Jerusalem. The fairest of Israel's cities lies in the dust, thrown down from the heights of heaven. In his day of awesome fury, the Lord has shown no mercy even to his Temple. 2 Without mercy the Lord has destroyed every home in Israel. In his anger he has broken down the fortress walls of Jerusalem. He has brought to dust the kingdom and all its rulers. 3 All the strength of Israel vanishes beneath his fury. The Lord has withdrawn his protection as the enemy attacks. He consumes the whole land of Israel like a raging fire. 4 He bends his bow against his people as though he were their enemy. His strength is used against them to kill their finest youth. His fury is poured out like fire on beautiful Jerusalem.5 Yes, the Lord has vanquished Israel like an enemy. He has destroyed her forts and palaces. He has brought unending sorrow and tears to Jerusalem. 6 He has broken down his Temple as though it were merely a garden shelter. The LORD has blotted out all memory of the holy festivals and Sabbath days. Kings and priests fall together before his anger. 7 The Lord has rejected his own altar; he despises his own sanctuary. He has given Jerusalem's palaces to her enemies. They shout in the LORD's Temple as though it were a day of celebration. 8 The LORD was determined to destroy the walls of Jerusalem. He made careful plans for their destruction, then he went ahead and did it. Therefore, the ramparts and walls have fallen down before him. 9 Jerusalem's gates have sunk into the ground. All their locks and bars are destroyed, for he has smashed them. Her kings and princes have been exiled to distant lands; the law is no more. Her prophets receive no more visions from the LORD. 10 The leaders of Jerusalem sit on the ground in silence, clothed in sackcloth. They throw dust on their heads in sorrow and despair. The young women of Jerusalem hang their heads in shame. 11 I have cried until the tears no longer come. My heart is broken, my spirit poured out, as I see what has happened to my people. Little children and tiny babies are fainting and dying in the streets. 12 " Mama, we want food," they cry, and then collapse in their mothers' arms. Their lives ebb away like the life of a warrior wounded in battle. 13 In all the world has there ever been such sorrow? O daughter of Jerusalem, to what can I compare your anguish? O virgin daughter of Zion, how can I comfort you? For your wound is as deep as the sea. Who can heal you? 14 Your " prophets" have said so many foolish things, false to the core. They did not try to hold you back from exile by pointing out your sins. Instead, they painted false pictures, filling you with false hope. 15 All who pass by jeer at you. They scoff and insult Jerusalem, saying, " Is this the city called ` Most Beautiful in All the World' and ` Joy of All the Earth'?" 16 All your enemies deride you. They scoff and grind their teeth and say, " We have destroyed her at last! Long have we awaited this day, and it is finally here!" 17 But it is the LORD who did it just as he warned. He has fulfilled the promises of disaster he made long ago. He has destroyed Jerusalem without mercy and caused her enemies to rejoice over her and boast of their power. 18 Cry aloud before the Lord, O walls of Jerusalem! Let your tears flow like a river. Give yourselves no rest from weeping day or night. 19 Rise during the night and cry out. Pour out your hearts like water to the Lord. Lift up your hands to him in prayer. Plead for your children as they faint with hunger in the streets.20" O LORD, think about this!" Jerusalem cries. " You are doing this to your own people! Should mothers eat their little children, those they once bounced on their knees? Should priests and prophets die within the Lord's Temple? 21 " See them lying in the streets--young and old, boys and girls, killed by the swords of the enemy. You have killed them in your anger, slaughtering them without mercy. 22 " You have invited terrors from all around as though you were calling them to a day of feasting. In the day of the LORD's anger, no one has escaped or survived. The enemy has killed all the children I bore and raised."

PHILEMON 1-25

This letter is from Paul, in prison for preaching the Good News about Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy. It is written to Philemon, our much loved co-worker, 2 and to our sister Apphia and to Archippus, a fellow soldier of the cross. I am also writing to the church that meets in your house. 3 May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. 4 I always thank God when I pray for you, Philemon, 5 because I keep hearing of your trust in the Lord Jesus and your love for all of God's people. 6 You are generous because of your faith. And I am praying that you will really put your generosity to work, for in so doing you will come to an understanding of all the good things we can do for Christ. 7 I myself have gained much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because your kindness has so often refreshed the hearts of God's people. 8 That is why I am boldly asking a favor of you. I could demand it in the name of Christ because it is the right thing for you to do, 9 but because of our love, I prefer just to ask you. So take this as a request from your friend Paul, an old man, now in prison for the sake of Christ Jesus. 10 My plea is that you show kindness to Onesimus. I think of him as my own son because he became a believer as a result of my ministry here in prison. 11 Onesimus hasn't been of much use to you in the past, but now he is very useful to both of us. 12 I am sending him back to you, and with him comes my own heart. 13 I really wanted to keep him here with me while I am in these chains for preaching the Good News, and he would have helped me on your behalf. 14 But I didn't want to do anything without your consent. And I didn't want you to help because you were forced to do it but because you wanted to. 15 Perhaps you could think of it this way: Onesimus ran away for a little while so you could have him back forever. 16 He is no longer just a slave; he is a beloved brother, especially to me. Now he will mean much more to you, both as a slave and as a brother in the Lord. 17 So if you consider me your partner, give him the same welcome you would give me if I were coming. 18 If he has harmed you in any way or stolen anything from you, charge me for it. 19 I, Paul, write this in my own handwriting: " I will repay it." And I won't mention that you owe me your very soul! 20 Yes, dear brother, please do me this favor for the Lord's sake. Give me this encouragement in Christ. 21 I am confident as I write this letter that you will do what I ask and even more! 22 Please keep a guest room ready for me, for I am hoping that God will answer your prayers and let me return to you soon. 23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings. 24 So do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my co-workers. 25 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

PSALM 101:1-8

A psalm of David.

1 I will sing of your love and justice.

I will praise you, LORD, with songs.

2 I will be careful to live a blameless life--

when will you come to my aid?

I will lead a life of integrity

in my own home.

3 I will refuse to look at

anything vile and vulgar.

I hate all crooked dealings;

I will have nothing to do with them.

4 I will reject perverse ideas

and stay away from every evil.

5 I will not tolerate people who slander their neighbors.

I will not endure conceit and pride.

6 I will keep a protective eye on the godly,

so they may dwell with me in safety.

Only those who are above reproach

will be allowed to serve me.

7 I will not allow deceivers to serve me,

and liars will not be allowed to enter my presence.

8 My daily task will be to ferret out criminals

and free the city of the LORD from their grip.

PROVERBS 26:20

Fire goes out for lack of fuel, and quarrels disappear when gossip stops.