December 11 Reading through the Bible

  

AMOS 4:1-6:14

REVELATION 2:18-3:6

PSALM 130:1-8

PROVERBS 29:21-22

AMOS 4:1-6:14

Listen to me [Amos], you " fat cows" of Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy and who are always asking your husbands for another drink! 2 The Sovereign LORD has sworn this by his holiness: " The time will come when you will be led away with hooks in your noses. Every last one of you will be dragged away like a fish on a hook! 3 You will leave by going straight through the breaks in the wall; you will be thrown from your fortresses. I, the LORD, have spoken! 4 " Go ahead and offer your sacrifices to the idols at Bethel and Gilgal. Keep on disobeying--your sins are mounting up! Offer sacrifices each morning and bring your tithes every three days! 5 Present your bread made with yeast as an offering of thanksgiving. Then give your extra voluntary offerings so you can brag about it everywhere! This is the kind of thing you Israelites love to do," says the Sovereign LORD. 6 " I brought hunger to every city and famine to every town. But still you wouldn't return to me," says the LORD.7 " I kept the rain from falling when you needed it the most, ruining all your crops. I sent rain on one town but withheld it from another. Rain fell on one field, while another field withered away. 8 People staggered from one town to another for a drink of water, but there was never enough. But still you wouldn't return to me," says the LORD. 9 " I struck your farms and vineyards with blight and mildew. Locusts devoured all your fig and olive trees. But still you wouldn't return to me," says the LORD. 10 " I sent plagues against you like the plagues I sent against Egypt long ago. I killed your young men in war and slaughtered all your horses. The stench of death filled the air! But still you wouldn't return to me," says the LORD. 11 " I destroyed some of your cities, as I destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. Those of you who survived were like half-burned sticks snatched from a fire. But still you wouldn't return to me," says the LORD. 12 " Therefore, I will bring upon you all these further disasters I have announced. Prepare to meet your God as he comes in judgment, you people of Israel!" 13 For the LORD is the one who shaped the mountains, stirs up the winds, and reveals his every thought. He turns the light of dawn into darkness and treads the mountains under his feet. The LORD God Almighty is his name!5:1 LISTEN, you people of Israel! Listen to this funeral song I am singing: 2 " The virgin Israel has fallen,

never to rise again!

She lies forsaken on the ground,

with none to raise her up."

3 The Sovereign LORD says: " When one of your cities sends a thousand men to battle, only a hundred will return. When a town sends a hundred, only ten will come back alive." 4 Now this is what the LORD says to the family of Israel: " Come back to me and live! 5 Don't go to worship the idols of Bethel, Gilgal, or Beersheba. For the people of Gilgal will be dragged off into exile, and the people of Bethel will come to nothing." 6 Come back to the LORD and live! If you don't, he will roar through Israel like a fire, devouring you completely. Your gods in Bethel certainly won't be able to quench the flames! 7 You wicked people! You twist justice, making it a bitter pill for the poor and oppressed. Righteousness and fair play are meaningless fictions to you. 8 It is the LORD who created the stars, the Pleiades and Orion. It is he who turns darkness into morning and day into night. It is he who draws up water from the oceans and pours it down as rain on the land. The LORD is his name! 9 With blinding speed and power he destroys the strong, crushing all their defenses. 10 How you hate honest judges! How you despise people who tell the truth! 11 You trample the poor and steal what little they have through taxes and unfair rent. Therefore, you will never live in the beautiful stone houses you are building. You will never drink wine from the lush vineyards you are planting. 12 For I know the vast number of your sins and rebellions. You oppress good people by taking bribes and deprive the poor of justice in the courts. 13 So those who are wise will keep quiet, for it is an evil time. 14 Do what is good and run from evil--that you may live! Then the LORD God Almighty will truly be your helper, just as you have claimed he is. 15 Hate evil and love what is good; remodel your courts into true halls of justice. Perhaps even yet the LORD God Almighty will have mercy on his people who remain.16 Therefore, this is what the Lord, the LORD God Almighty, says: " There will be crying in all the public squares and in every street. Call for the farmers to weep with you, and summon professional mourners to wail and lament. 17 There will be wailing in every vineyard, for I will pass through and destroy them all. I, the LORD, have spoken!" 18 How terrible it will be for you who say, " If only the day of the LORD were here! For then the LORD would rescue us from all our enemies." But you have no idea what you are wishing for. That day will not bring light and prosperity, but darkness and disaster. 19 In that day you will be like a man who runs from a lion--only to meet a bear. After escaping the bear, he leans his hand against a wall in his house--and is bitten by a snake. 20 Yes, the day of the LORD will be a dark and hopeless day, without a ray of joy or hope. 21 " I hate all your show and pretense--the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies. 22 I will not accept your burnt offerings and grain offerings. I won't even notice all your choice peace offerings. 23 Away with your hymns of praise! They are only noise to my ears. I will not listen to your music, no matter how lovely it is. 24 Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, a river of righteous living that will never run dry. 25 " Was it to me you were bringing sacrifices and offerings during the forty years in the wilderness, Israel? 26 No, your real interest was in your pagan gods--Sakkuth your king god and Kaiwan your star god--the images you yourselves made. 27 So I will send you into exile, to a land east of Damascus," says the LORD, whose name is God Almighty.6:1 HOW terrible it will be for you who lounge in luxury and think you are secure in Jerusalem and Samaria! You are famous and popular in Israel, you to whom the people go for help. 2 Go over to Calneh and see what happened there. Then go to the great city of Hamath and on down to the Philistine city of Gath. You are no better than they were, and look at how they were destroyed. 3 You push away every thought of coming disaster, but your actions only bring the day of judgment closer. 4 How terrible it will be for you who sprawl on ivory beds surrounded with luxury, eating the meat of tender lambs and choice calves. 5 You sing idle songs to the sound of the harp, and you fancy yourselves to be great musicians, as King David was. 6 You drink wine by the bowlful, and you perfume yourselves with exotic fragrances, caring nothing at all that your nation is going to ruin. 7 Therefore, you will be the first to be led away as captives. Suddenly, all your revelry will end. 8 The Sovereign LORD has sworn by his own name, and this is what he, the LORD God Almighty, says: " I despise the pride and false glory of Israel, and I hate their beautiful homes. I will give this city and everything in it to their enemies." 9 If there are ten men left in one house, they will all die. 10 And when a close relative--one who is responsible for burning the dead--goes into the house to carry away a dead body, he will ask the last survivor, " Is there anyone else with you?" And the person will answer, " No!" Then he will say, " Hush! Don't even whisper the name of the LORD. He might hear you!" 11 When the LORD gives the command, homes both great and small will be smashed to pieces. 12 Can horses gallop over rocks? Can oxen be used to plow rocks? Stupid even to ask--but that's how stupid you are when you turn justice into poison and make bitter the sweet fruit of righteousness. 13 And just as stupid is this bragging about your conquest of Lo-debar. You boast, " Didn't we take Karnaim by our own strength and power?" 14 " O people of Israel, I am about to bring an enemy nation against you," says the LORD God Almighty. " It will oppress you bitterly throughout your land--from Lebo-hamath in the north to the Arabah Valley in the south."

REVELATION 2:18-3:6

" Write this letter to the angel of the church in Thyatira. This is the message from the Son of God, whose eyes are bright like flames of fire, whose feet are like polished bronze: 19 " I know all the things you do--your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance. And I can see your constant improvement in all these things. 20 But I have this complaint against you. You are permitting that woman--that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet--to lead my servants astray. She is encouraging them to worship idols, eat food offered to idols, and commit sexual sin. 21 I gave her time to repent, but she would not turn away from her immorality. 22 Therefore, I will throw her upon a sickbed, and she will suffer greatly with all who commit adultery with her, unless they turn away from all their evil deeds. 23 I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am the one who searches out the thoughts and intentions of every person. And I will give to each of you whatever you deserve. 24 But I also have a message for the rest of you in Thyatira who have not followed this false teaching (` deeper truths,' as they call them--depths of Satan, really). I will ask nothing more of you 25 except that you hold tightly to what you have until I come. 26 " To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end, I will give authority over all the nations. 27 They will rule the nations with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots. 28 They will have the same authority I received from my Father, and I will also give them the morning star! 29 Anyone who is willing to hear should listen to the Spirit and understand what the Spirit is saying to the churches.3:1 " WRITE this letter to the angel of the church in Sardis. This is the message from the one who has the sevenfold Spirit of God and the seven stars: " I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive--but you are dead. 2 Now wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is at the point of death. Your deeds are far from right in the sight of God. 3 Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly and turn to me again. Unless you do, I will come upon you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief. 4 " Yet even in Sardis there are some who have not soiled their garments with evil deeds. They will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. 5 All who are victorious will be clothed in white. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life, but I will announce before my Father and his angels that they are mine. 6 Anyone who is willing to hear should listen to the Spirit and understand what the Spirit is saying to the churches."

PSALM 130:1-8

A song for the ascent to Jerusalem.

1 From the depths of despair, O LORD,

I call for your help.

2 Hear my cry, O Lord.

Pay attention to my prayer.

3 LORD, if you kept a record of our sins,

who, O Lord, could ever survive?

4 But you offer forgiveness,

that we might learn to fear you.

5 I am counting on the LORD;

yes, I am counting on him.

I have put my hope in his word.

6 I long for the Lord

more than sentries long for the dawn,

yes, more than sentries long for the dawn.

7 O Israel, hope in the LORD;

for with the LORD there is unfailing love

and an overflowing supply of salvation.

8 He himself will free Israel

from every kind of sin.

PROVERBS 29:21-22

A servant who is pampered from childhood will later become a rebel. A hot-tempered person starts fights and gets into all kinds of sin.

December 10 Reading through the Bible

 

AMOS 1:1-3:15

REVELATION 2:1-17

PSALM 129:1-8

PROVERBS 29:19-20

AMOS 1:1-3:15

This message was given to Amos, a shepherd from the town of Tekoa in Judah. He received this message in visions two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam II, the son of Jehoash, was king of Israel. 2 This is his report of what he saw and heard: " The LORD's voice roars from his Temple on Mount Zion; he thunders from Jerusalem! Suddenly, the lush pastures of the shepherds dry up. All the grass on Mount Carmel withers and dies." 3 This is what the LORD says: " The people of Damascus have sinned again and again, and I will not forget it. I will not let them go unpunished any longer! They beat down my people in Gilead as grain is threshed with threshing sledges of iron. 4 So I will send down fire on King Hazael's palace, and the fortresses of King Ben-hadad will be destroyed. 5 I will break down the gates of Damascus and slaughter its people all the way to the valley of Aven. I will destroy the ruler in Beth-eden, and the people of Aram will return to Kir as slaves. I, the LORD, have spoken!"6 This is what the LORD says: " The people of Gaza have sinned again and again, and I will not forget it. I will not let them go unpunished any longer! They sent my people into exile, selling them as slaves in Edom. 7 So I will send down fire on the walls of Gaza, and all its fortresses will be destroyed. 8 I will slaughter the people of Ashdod and destroy the king of Ashkelon. Then I will turn to attack Ekron, and the few Philistines still left will be killed. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken!" 9 This is what the LORD says: " The people of Tyre have sinned again and again, and I will not forget it. I will not let them go unpunished any longer! They broke their treaty of brotherhood with Israel, selling whole villages as slaves to Edom. 10 So I will send down fire on the walls of Tyre, and all its fortresses will be destroyed." 11 This is what the LORD says: " The people of Edom have sinned again and again, and I will not forget it. I will not let them go unpunished any longer! They chased down their relatives, the Israelites, with swords. They showed them no mercy and were unrelenting in their anger. 12 So I will send down fire on Teman, and the fortresses of Bozrah will be destroyed." 13 This is what the LORD says: " The people of Ammon have sinned again and again, and I will not forget it. I will not let them go unpunished any longer! When they attacked Gilead to extend their borders, they committed cruel crimes, ripping open pregnant women with their swords. 14 So I will send down fire on the walls of Rabbah, and all its fortresses will be destroyed. There will be wild shouts during the battle, swirling like a whirlwind in a mighty storm. 15 And their king and his princes will go into exile together. I, the LORD, have spoken!"2:1 THIS is what the LORD says: " The people of Moab have sinned again and again, and I will not forget it. I will not let them go unpunished any longer! They desecrated the tomb of Edom's king and burned his bones to ashes. 2 So I will send down fire on the land of Moab, and all the fortresses in Kerioth will be destroyed. The people will fall in the noise of battle, as the warriors shout and the trumpets blare. 3 And I will destroy their king and slaughter all their princes. I, the LORD, have spoken!" 4 This is what the LORD says: " The people of Judah have sinned again and again, and I will not forget it. I will not let them go unpunished any longer! They have rejected the laws of the LORD, refusing to obey him. They have been led astray by the same lies that deceived their ancestors. 5 So I will send down fire on Judah, and all the fortresses of Jerusalem will be destroyed."6 This is what the LORD says: " The people of Israel have sinned again and again, and I will not forget it. I will not let them go unpunished any longer! They have perverted justice by selling honest people for silver and poor people for a pair of sandals. 7 They trample helpless people in the dust and deny justice to those who are oppressed. Both father and son sleep with the same woman, corrupting my holy name. 8 At their religious festivals, they lounge around in clothing stolen from their debtors. In the house of their god, they present offerings of wine purchased with stolen money. 9 " Yet think of all I did for my people! I destroyed the Amorites before my people arrived in the land. The Amorites were as tall as cedar trees and strong as oaks, but I destroyed their fruit and dug out their roots. 10 It was I who rescued you from Egypt and led you through the desert for forty years so you could possess the land of the Amorites. 11 I chose some of your sons to be prophets and others to be Nazirites. Can you deny this, my people of Israel?" asks the LORD. 12 " But you caused the Nazirites to sin by making them drink your wine, and you said to my prophets, ` Shut up!'13 " So I will make you groan as a wagon groans when it is loaded down with grain. 14 Your fastest runners will not get away. The strongest among you will become weak. Even the mightiest warriors will be unable to save themselves. 15 The archers will fail to stand their ground. The swiftest soldiers won't be fast enough to escape. Even warriors on horses won't be able to outrun the danger. 16 On that day, the most courageous of your fighting men will drop their weapons and run for their lives. I, the LORD, have spoken!" 3:1 LISTEN to this message that the LORD has spoken against you, O people of Israel and Judah--the entire family I rescued from Egypt: 2 " From among all the families on the earth, I chose you alone. That is why I must punish you for all your sins." 3 Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction? 4 Does a lion ever roar in a thicket without first finding a victim? Does a young lion growl in its den without first catching its prey? 5 Does a bird ever get caught in a trap that has no bait? Does a trap ever spring shut when there's nothing there to catch? 6 When the war trumpet blares, shouldn't the people be alarmed? When disaster comes to a city, isn't it because the LORD planned it? 7 " But always, first of all, I warn you through my servants the prophets. I, the Sovereign LORD, have now done this." 8 The lion has roared--tremble in fear! The Sovereign LORD has spoken--I dare not refuse to proclaim his message! 9 Announce this to the leaders of Philistia and Egypt: " Take your seats now on the hills around Samaria, and witness the scandalous spectacle of all Israel's crimes." 10 " My people have forgotten what it means to do right," says the LORD. " Their fortresses are filled with wealth taken by theft and violence. 11 Therefore," says the Sovereign LORD, " an enemy is coming! He will surround them and shatter their defenses. Then he will plunder all their fortresses." 12 This is what the LORD says: " A shepherd who tries to rescue a sheep from a lion's mouth will recover only two legs and a piece of ear. So it will be when the Israelites in Samaria are rescued with only a broken chair and a tattered pillow. 13 Now listen to this, and announce it throughout all Israel," says the Lord, the LORD God Almighty. 14 " On the very day I punish Israel for its sins, I will destroy the pagan altars at Bethel. The horns of the altar will be cut off and fall to the ground. 15 And I will destroy the beautiful homes of the wealthy--their winter mansions and their summer houses, too--all their palaces filled with ivory. I, the LORD, have spoken!"

REVELATION 2:1-17

" Write this letter to the angel of the church in Ephesus. This is the message from the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, the one who walks among the seven gold lampstands: 2 " I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don't tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars. 3 You have patiently suffered for me without quitting. 4 But I have this complaint against you. You don't love me or each other as you did at first! 5 Look how far you have fallen from your first love! Turn back to me again and work as you did at first. If you don't, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches. 6 But there is this about you that is good: You hate the deeds of the immoral Nicolaitans, just as I do. 7 " Anyone who is willing to hear should listen to the Spirit and understand what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Everyone who is victorious will eat from the tree of life in the paradise of God.8 " Write this letter to the angel of the church in Smyrna. This is the message from the one who is the First and the Last, who died and is alive: 9 " I know about your suffering and your poverty--but you are rich! I know the slander of those opposing you. They say they are Jews, but they really aren't because theirs is a synagogue of Satan. 10 Don't be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The Devil will throw some of you into prison and put you to the test. You will be persecuted for ` ten days.' Remain faithful even when facing death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11 " Anyone who is willing to hear should listen to the Spirit and understand what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Whoever is victorious will not be hurt by the second death.12 " Write this letter to the angel of the church in Pergamum. This is the message from the one who has a sharp two-edged sword: 13 " I know that you live in the city where that great throne of Satan is located, and yet you have remained loyal to me. And you refused to deny me even when Antipas, my faithful witness, was martyred among you by Satan's followers. 14 And yet I have a few complaints against you. You tolerate some among you who are like Balaam, who showed Balak how to trip up the people of Israel. He taught them to worship idols by eating food offered to idols and by committing sexual sin. 15 In the same way, you have some Nicolaitans among you--people who follow the same teaching and commit the same sins. 16 Repent, or I will come to you suddenly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth. 17 " Anyone who is willing to hear should listen to the Spirit and understand what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Everyone who is victorious will eat of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven. And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one knows except the one who receives it."

PSALM 129:1-8

A song for the ascent to Jerusalem.

1 From my earliest youth my enemies have persecuted me--

let Israel now say--

2 from my earliest youth my enemies have persecuted me,

but they have never been able to finish me off.

3 My back is covered with cuts,

as if a farmer had plowed long furrows.

4 But the LORD is good;

he has cut the cords used by the ungodly to bind me.

5 May all who hate Jerusalem

be turned back in shameful defeat.

6 May they be as useless as grass on a rooftop,

turning yellow when only half grown,

7 ignored by the harvester,

despised by the binder.

8 And may those who pass by refuse to give them this blessing:

" The LORD's blessings be upon you;

we bless you in the LORD's name."

PROVERBS 29:19-20

For a servant, mere words are not enough--discipline is needed. For the words may be understood, but they are not heeded. There is more hope for a fool than for someone who speaks without thinking. 

December 9 Reading through the Bible

 

 JOEL 1:1-3:21

REVELATION 1:1-20

PSALM 128:1-6

PROVERBS 29:18

JOEL 1:1-3:21

The LORD gave this message to Joel son of Pethuel. 2 Hear this, you leaders of the people! Everyone listen! In all your history, has anything like this ever happened before? 3 Tell your children about it in the years to come. Pass the awful story down from generation to generation. 4 After the cutting locusts finished eating the crops, the swarming locusts took what was left! After them came the hopping locusts, and then the stripping locusts, too!5 Wake up, you drunkards, and weep! All the grapes are ruined, and all your new wine is gone! 6 A vast army of locusts has invaded my land. It is a terrible army, too numerous to count! Its teeth are as sharp as the teeth of lions! 7 They have destroyed my grapevines and fig trees, stripping their bark and leaving the branches white and bare. 8 Weep with sorrow, as a virgin weeps when her fiancé as died. 9 There is no grain or wine to offer at the Temple of the LORD. The priests are mourning because there are no offerings. Listen to the weeping of these ministers of the LORD! 10 The fields are ruined and empty of crops. The grain, the wine, and the olive oil are gone.11 Despair, all you farmers! Wail, all you vine growers! Weep, because the wheat and barley--yes, all the field crops--are ruined. 12 The grapevines and the fig trees have all withered. The pomegranate trees, palm trees, and apple trees--yes, all the fruit trees--have dried up. All joy has dried up with them. 13 Dress yourselves in sackcloth, you priests! Wail, you who serve before the altar! Come, spend the night in sackcloth, you ministers of my God! There is no grain or wine to offer at the Temple of your God. 14 Announce a time of fasting; call the people together for a solemn meeting. Bring the leaders and all the people into the Temple of the LORD your God, and cry out to him there. 15 The day of the LORD is on the way, the day when destruction comes from the Almighty. How terrible that day will be! 16 We watch as our food disappears before our very eyes. There are no joyful celebrations in the house of our God. 17 The seeds die in the parched ground, and the grain crops fail. The barns and granaries stand empty and abandoned. 18 How the animals moan with hunger! The cattle wander about confused because there is no pasture for them. The sheep bleat in misery. 19 LORD, help us! The fire has consumed the pastures and burned up all the trees. 20 Even the wild animals cry out to you because they have no water to drink. The streams have dried up, and fire has consumed the pastures.2:1 BLOW the trumpet in Jerusalem! Sound the alarm on my holy mountain! Let everyone tremble in fear because the day of the LORD is upon us. 2 It is a day of darkness and gloom, a day of thick clouds and deep blackness. Suddenly, like dawn spreading across the mountains, a mighty army appears! How great and powerful they are! The likes of them have not been seen before and never will be seen again. 3 Fire burns in front of them and follows them in every direction! Ahead of them the land lies as fair as the Garden of Eden in all its beauty. Behind them is nothing but desolation; not one thing escapes. 4 They look like tiny horses, and they run as fast. 5 Look at them as they leap along the mountaintops! Listen to the noise they make--like the rumbling of chariots, like the roar of a fire sweeping across a field, or like a mighty army moving into battle. 6 Fear grips all the people; every face grows pale with fright. 7 The attackers march like warriors and scale city walls like trained soldiers. Straight forward they march, never breaking rank. 8 They never jostle each other; each moves in exactly the right place. They lunge through the gaps, and no weapon can stop them. 9 They swarm over the city and run along its walls. They enter all the houses, climbing like thieves through the windows. 10 The earth quakes as they advance, and the heavens tremble. The sun and moon grow dark, and the stars no longer shine. 11 The LORD leads them with a shout! This is his mighty army, and they follow his orders. The day of the LORD is an awesome, terrible thing. Who can endure it? 12 That is why the LORD says, " Turn to me now, while there is time! Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning. 13 Don't tear your clothing in your grief; instead, tear your hearts." Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful. He is not easily angered. He is filled with kindness and is eager not to punish you. 14 Who knows? Perhaps even yet he will give you a reprieve, sending you a blessing instead of this terrible curse. Perhaps he will give you so much that you will be able to offer grain and wine to the LORD your God as before!15 Blow the trumpet in Jerusalem! Announce a time of fasting; call the people together for a solemn meeting. 16 Bring everyone--the elders, the children, and even the babies. Call the bridegroom from his quarters and the bride from her private room. 17 The priests, who minister in the LORD's presence, will stand between the people and the altar, weeping. Let them pray, " Spare your people, LORD! They belong to you, so don't let them become an object of mockery. Don't let their name become a proverb of unbelieving foreigners who say, ` Where is the God of Israel? He must be helpless!' " 18 Then the LORD will pity his people and be indignant for the honor of his land! 19 He will reply, " Look! I am sending you grain and wine and olive oil, enough to satisfy your needs. You will no longer be an object of mockery among the surrounding nations. 20 I will remove these armies from the north and send them far away. I will drive them back into the parched wastelands, where they will die. Those in the rear will go into the Dead Sea; those at the front will go into the Mediterranean. The stench of their rotting bodies will rise over the land."Surely the LORD has done great things! 21 Don't be afraid, my people! Be glad now and rejoice because the LORD has done great things. 22 Don't be afraid, you animals of the field! The pastures will soon be green. The trees will again be filled with luscious fruit; fig trees and grapevines will flourish once more. 23 Rejoice, you people of Jerusalem! Rejoice in the LORD your God! For the rains he sends are an expression of his grace. Once more the autumn rains will come, as well as the rains of spring. 24 The threshing floors will again be piled high with grain, and the presses will overflow with wine and olive oil. 25 The LORD says, " I will give you back what you lost to the stripping locusts, the cutting locusts, the swarming locusts, and the hopping locusts. It was I who sent this great destroying army against you. 26 Once again you will have all the food you want, and you will praise the LORD your God, who does these miracles for you. Never again will my people be disgraced like this. 27 Then you will know that I am here among my people of Israel and that I alone am the LORD your God. My people will never again be disgraced like this. 28 " Then after I have poured out my rains again, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams. Your young men will see visions. 29 In those days, I will pour out my Spirit even on servants, men and women alike. 30 " I will cause wonders in the heavens and on the earth--blood and fire and pillars of smoke. 31 The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon will turn bloodred before that great and terrible day of the LORD arrives. 32 And anyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved. There will be people on Mount Zion in Jerusalem who escape, just as the LORD has said. These will be among the survivors whom the LORD has called.3:1 " AT that time, when I restore the prosperity of Judah and Jerusalem," says the LORD, 2 " I will gather the armies of the world into the valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will judge them for harming my people, for scattering my inheritance among the nations, and for dividing up my land. 3 They cast lots to decide which of my people would be their slaves. They traded young boys for prostitutes and little girls for enough wine to get drunk. 4 " What do you have against me, Tyre and Sidon and you cities of Philistia? Are you trying to take revenge on me? If you are, then watch out! I will strike swiftly and pay you back for everything you have done. 5 You have taken my silver and gold and all my precious treasures, and you have carried them off to your pagan temples. 6 You have sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks, who took them far from their homeland. 7 But I will bring them back again from all these places to which you sold them, and I will pay you back for all you have done. 8 I will sell your sons and daughters to the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the peoples of Arabia, a nation far away. I, the LORD, have spoken!" 9 Say to the nations far and wide: " Get ready for war! Call out your best warriors! Let all your fighting men advance for the attack! 10 Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Train even your weaklings to be warriors. 11 Come quickly, all you nations everywhere! Gather together in the valley." And now, O LORD, call out your warriors! 12 " Let the nations be called to arms. Let them march to the valley of Jehoshaphat. There I, the LORD, will sit to pronounce judgment on them all. 13 Now let the sickle do its work, for the harvest is ripe. Come, tread the winepress because it is full. The storage vats are overflowing with the wickedness of these people." 14 Thousands upon thousands are waiting in the valley of decision. It is there that the day of the LORD will soon arrive. 15 The sun and moon will grow dark, and the stars will no longer shine. 16 The LORD's voice will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem, and the earth and heavens will begin to shake. But to his people of Israel, the LORD will be a welcoming refuge and a strong fortress. 17 " Then you will know that I, the LORD your God, live in Zion, my holy mountain. Jerusalem will be holy forever, and foreign armies will never conquer her again. 18 In that day the mountains will drip with sweet wine, and the hills will flow with milk. Water will fill the dry streambeds of Judah, and a fountain will burst forth from the LORD's Temple, watering the arid valley of acacias. 19 Egypt will become a wasteland and Edom a wilderness, because they attacked Judah and killed her innocent people.20 " But Judah will remain forever, and Jerusalem will endure through all future generations. 21 I will pardon my people's crimes, which I have not yet pardoned; and I, the LORD, will make my home in Jerusalem with my people."

REVELATION 1:1-20

This is a revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him concerning the events that will happen soon. An angel was sent to God's servant John so that John could share the revelation with God's other servants. 2 John faithfully reported the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ--everything he saw. 3 God blesses the one who reads this prophecy to the church, and he blesses all who listen to it and obey what it says. For the time is near when these things will happen. 4 This letter is from John to the seven churches in the province of Asia. Grace and peace from the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come; from the sevenfold Spirit before his throne; 5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness to these things, the first to rise from the dead, and the commander of all the rulers of the world. All praise to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us. 6 He has made us his kingdom and his priests who serve before God his Father. Give to him everlasting glory! He rules forever and ever! Amen! 7 Look! He comes with the clouds of heaven. And everyone will see him--even those who pierced him. And all the nations of the earth will weep because of him. Yes! Amen! 8 " I am the Alpha and the Omega--the beginning and the end," says the Lord God. " I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come, the Almighty One." 9 I am John, your brother. In Jesus we are partners in suffering and in the Kingdom and in patient endurance. I was exiled to the island of Patmos for preaching the word of God and speaking about Jesus. 10 It was the Lord's Day, and I was worshiping in the Spirit. Suddenly, I heard a loud voice behind me, a voice that sounded like a trumpet blast. 11 It said, " Write down what you see, and send it to the seven churches: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea." 12 When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lampstands. 13 And standing in the middle of the lampstands was the Son of Man. He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest. 14 His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were bright like flames of fire. 15 His feet were as bright as bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. 16 He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was as bright as the sun in all its brilliance. 17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, " Don't be afraid! I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the living one who died. Look, I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave. 19 Write down what you have seen--both the things that are now happening and the things that will happen later. 20 This is the meaning of the seven stars you saw in my right hand and the seven gold lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches."

PSALM 128:1-6

A song for the ascent to Jerusalem.

1 How happy are those who fear the LORD--

all who follow his ways!

2 You will enjoy the fruit of your labor.

How happy you will be! How rich your life!

3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine,

flourishing within your home.

And look at all those children!

There they sit around your table

as vigorous and healthy as young olive trees.

4 That is the LORD's reward

for those who fear him.

5 May the LORD continually bless you from Zion.

May you see Jerusalem prosper as long as you live.

6 May you live to enjoy your grandchildren.

And may Israel have quietness and peace.

PROVERBS 29:18

When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is happy.

December 8 Reading through the Bible

 

HOSEA 10:1-14:9

JUDE 1-25

PSALM 127:1-5

PROVERBS 29:15-17

HOSEA 10:1-14:9

How prosperous Israel is--a luxuriant vine loaded with fruit! But the more wealth the people got, the more they poured it on the altars of their foreign gods. The richer the harvests they brought in, the more beautiful the statues and idols they built. 2 The hearts of the people are fickle; they are guilty and must be punished. The LORD will break down their foreign altars and smash their many idols. 3 Then they will say, " We have no king because we didn't fear the LORD. But what's the difference? What could a king do for us anyway?" 4 They spout empty words and make promises they don't intend to keep. So perverted justice springs up among them like poisonous weeds in a farmer's field. 5 The people of Samaria tremble for their calf idol at Beth-aven. The people mourn over it, and the priests wail for it, because its glory will be stripped away. 6 This idol they love so much will be carted away with them when they go as captives to Assyria, a gift to the great king there. Israel will be laughed at and shamed because its people have trusted in this idol. 7 Samaria will be cut off, and its king will disappear like a chip of wood on an ocean wave. 8 And the pagan shrines of Aven, the place of Israel's sin, will crumble. Thorns and thistles will grow up around them. They will beg the mountains to bury them and the hills to fall on them. 9 The LORD says, " O Israel, ever since that awful night in Gibeah, there has been only sin and more sin! You have made no progress whatsoever. Was it not right that the wicked men of Gibeah were attacked? 10 Now I will attack you, too, for your rebellion and disobedience. I will call out the armies of the nations to punish you for your multiplied sins.11 " Israel is like a trained heifer accustomed to treading out the grain--an easy job that she loves. Now I will put a heavy yoke on her tender neck. I will drive her in front of the plow. Israel and Judah must now break up the hard ground; their days of ease are gone. 12 I said, ` Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of my love. Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and shower righteousness upon you.' 13 " But you have cultivated wickedness and raised a thriving crop of sins. You have eaten the fruit of lies--trusting in your military might, believing that great armies could make your nation safe! 14 Now the terrors of war will rise among your people. All your fortifications will fall, just as they did when Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel. Even mothers and children were dashed to death there. 15 You will share that fate, Bethel, because of your great wickedness. When the day of judgment dawns, the king of Israel will be completely destroyed.11:1 " WHEN Israel was a child, I loved him as a son, and I called my son out of Egypt. 2 But the more I called to him, the more he rebelled, offering sacrifices to the images of Baal and burning incense to idols. 3 It was I who taught Israel how to walk, leading him along by the hand. But he doesn't know or even care that it was I who took care of him. 4 I led Israel along with my ropes of kindness and love. I lifted the yoke from his neck, and I myself stooped to feed him. 5 " But since my people refuse to return to me, they will go back to Egypt and will be forced to serve Assyria. 6 War will swirl through their cities; their enemies will crash through their gates and destroy them, trapping them in their own evil plans. 7 For my people are determined to desert me. They call me the Most High, but they don't truly honor me.8 " Oh, how can I give you up, Israel? How can I let you go? How can I destroy you like Admah and Zeboiim? My heart is torn within me, and my compassion overflows. 9 No, I will not punish you as much as my burning anger tells me to. I will not completely destroy Israel, for I am God and not a mere mortal. I am the Holy One living among you, and I will not come to destroy. 10 " For someday the people will follow the LORD. I will roar like a lion, and my people will return trembling from the west. 11 Like a flock of birds, they will come from Egypt. Flying like doves, they will return from Assyria. And I will bring them home again," says the LORD. 12 Israel surrounds me with lies and deceit, but Judah still walks with God and is faithful to the Holy One.12:1 THE people of Israel feed on the wind; they chase after the east wind all day long. They multiply lies and violence; they make alliances with Assyria and cut deals with the Egyptians. 2 Now the LORD is bringing a lawsuit against Judah. He is about to punish Jacob for all his deceitful ways. 3 Before Jacob was born, he struggled with his brother; when he became a man, he even fought with God. 4 Yes, he wrestled with the angel and won. He wept and pleaded for a blessing from him. There at Bethel he met God face to face, and God spoke to him--5 the LORD God Almighty, the LORD is his name! 6 So now, come back to your God! Act on the principles of love and justice, and always live in confident dependence on your God. 7 But no, the people are like crafty merchants selling from dishonest scales--they love to cheat. 8 Israel boasts, " I am rich, and I've gotten it all by myself! No one can say I got it by cheating! My record is spotless!" 9 " I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from your slavery in Egypt. And I will make you live in tents again, as you do each year when you celebrate the Festival of Shelters. 10 I sent my prophets to warn you with many visions and parables."11 But Gilead is filled with sinners who worship idols. And in Gilgal, too, they sacrifice bulls; their altars are lined up like the heaps of stone along the edges of a plowed field. 12 Jacob fled to the land of Aram and earned a wife by tending sheep. 13 Then the LORD led Jacob's descendants, the Israelites, out of Egypt by a prophet, who guided and protected them. 14 But the people of Israel have bitterly provoked the LORD, so their Lord will now sentence them to death in payment for their sins. 13:1 IN the past when the tribe of Ephraim spoke, the people shook with fear because the other Israelite tribes looked up to them. But the people of Ephraim sinned by worshiping Baal and thus sealed their destruction. 2 Now they keep on sinning by making silver idols to worship--images shaped skillfully with human hands. " Sacrifice to these," they cry, " and kiss the calf idols!" 3 Therefore, they will disappear like the morning mist, like dew in the morning sun, like chaff blown by the wind, like smoke from a chimney. 4 " I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from your slavery in Egypt. You have no God but me, for there is no other savior. 5 I took care of you in the wilderness, in that dry and thirsty land. 6 But when you had eaten and were satisfied, then you became proud and forgot me. 7 So now I will attack you like a lion, or like a leopard that lurks along the road. 8 I will rip you to pieces like a bear whose cubs have been taken away. I will tear you apart and devour you like a hungry lion. 9 " You are about to be destroyed, O Israel, though I am your helper. 10 Where now is your king? Why don't you call on him for help? Where are all the leaders of the land? You asked for them, now let them save you! 11 In my anger I gave you kings, and in my fury I took them away.12 " The sins of Ephraim have been collected and stored away for punishment. 13 The people have been offered new birth, but they are like a child who resists being born. How stubborn they are! How foolish! 14 Should I ransom them from the grave? Should I redeem them from death? O death, where are your terrors? O grave, where is your destruction? For I will have no compassion. 15 Ephraim was the most fruitful of all his brothers, but the east wind--a blast from the LORD--will arise in the desert. It will blow hard against the people of Ephraim, drying up their land. All their flowing springs and wells will disappear. Every precious thing they have will be plundered and carried away. 16 The people of Samaria must bear the consequences of their guilt because they rebelled against their God. They will be killed by an invading army, their little ones dashed to death against the ground, their pregnant women ripped open by swords." 14:1 RETURN, O Israel, to the LORD your God, for your sins have brought you down. 2 Bring your petitions, and return to the LORD. Say to him, " Forgive all our sins and graciously receive us, so that we may offer you the sacrifice of praise. 3 Assyria cannot save us, nor can our strength in battle. Never again will we call the idols we have made ` our gods.' No, in you alone do the orphans find mercy." 4 The LORD says, " Then I will heal you of your idolatry and faithlessness, and my love will know no bounds, for my anger will be gone forever! 5 I will be to Israel like a refreshing dew from heaven. It will blossom like the lily; it will send roots deep into the soil like the cedars in Lebanon. 6 Its branches will spread out like those of beautiful olive trees, as fragrant as the cedar forests of Lebanon. 7 My people will return again to the safety of their land. They will flourish like grain and blossom like grapevines. They will be as fragrant as the wines of Lebanon. 8 " O Israel, stay away from idols! I am the one who looks after you and cares for you. I am like a tree that is always green, giving my fruit to you all through the year."9 Let those who are wise understand these things. Let those who are discerning listen carefully. The paths of the LORD are true and right, and righteous people live by walking in them. But sinners stumble and fall along the way.

JUDE 1-25

This letter is from Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ and a brother of James. I am writing to all who are called to live in the love of God the Father and the care of Jesus Christ. 2 May you receive more and more of God's mercy, peace, and love.3 Dearly loved friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the truth of the Good News. God gave this unchanging truth once for all time to his holy people. 4 I say this because some godless people have wormed their way in among you, saying that God's forgiveness allows us to live immoral lives. The fate of such people was determined long ago, for they have turned against our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. 5 I must remind you--and you know it well--that even though the Lord rescued the whole nation of Israel from Egypt, he later destroyed every one of those who did not remain faithful. 6 And I remind you of the angels who did not stay within the limits of authority God gave them but left the place where they belonged. God has kept them chained in prisons of darkness, waiting for the day of judgment. 7 And don't forget the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring towns, which were filled with sexual immorality and every kind of sexual perversion. Those cities were destroyed by fire and are a warning of the eternal fire that will punish all who are evil. 8 Yet these false teachers, who claim authority from their dreams, live immoral lives, defy authority, and scoff at the power of the glorious ones. 9 But even Michael, one of the mightiest of the angels, did not dare accuse Satan of blasphemy, but simply said, " The Lord rebuke you." (This took place when Michael was arguing with Satan about Moses' body.) 10 But these people mock and curse the things they do not understand. Like animals, they do whatever their instincts tell them, and they bring about their own destruction. 11 How terrible it will be for them! For they follow the evil example of Cain, who killed his brother. Like Balaam, they will do anything for money. And like Korah, they will perish because of their rebellion. 12 When these people join you in fellowship meals celebrating the love of the Lord, they are like dangerous reefs that can shipwreck you. They are shameless in the way they care only about themselves. They are like clouds blowing over dry land without giving rain, promising much but producing nothing. They are like trees without fruit at harvesttime. They are not only dead but doubly dead, for they have been pulled out by the roots. 13 They are like wild waves of the sea, churning up the dirty foam of their shameful deeds. They are wandering stars, heading for everlasting gloom and darkness. 14 Now Enoch, who lived seven generations after Adam, prophesied about these people. He said, " Look, the Lord is coming

with thousands of his holy ones.

15 He will bring the people of the world

to judgment.

He will convict the ungodly of all the evil things

they have done in rebellion

and of all the insults that godless sinners

have spoken against him."

16 These people are grumblers and complainers, doing whatever evil they feel like. They are loudmouthed braggarts, and they flatter others to get favors in return. 17 But you, my dear friends, must remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ told you, 18 that in the last times there would be scoffers whose purpose in life is to enjoy themselves in every evil way imaginable. 19 Now they are here, and they are the ones who are creating divisions among you. They live by natural instinct because they do not have God's Spirit living in them. 20 But you, dear friends, must continue to build your lives on the foundation of your holy faith. And continue to pray as you are directed by the Holy Spirit. 21 Live in such a way that God's love can bless you as you wait for the eternal life that our Lord Jesus Christ in his mercy is going to give you. 22 Show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. 23 Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. There are still others to whom you need to show mercy, but be careful that you aren't contaminated by their sins. 24 And now, all glory to God, who is able to keep you from stumbling, and who will bring you into his glorious presence innocent of sin and with great joy. 25 All glory to him, who alone is God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Yes, glory, majesty, power, and authority belong to him, in the beginning, now, and forevermore. Amen.

PSALM 127:1-5

A song for the ascent to Jerusalem. A psalm of Solomon.

1 Unless the LORD builds a house,

the work of the builders is useless.

Unless the LORD protects a city,

guarding it with sentries will do no good.

2 It is useless for you to work so hard

from early morning until late at night,

anxiously working for food to eat;

for God gives rest to his loved ones.

3 Children are a gift from the LORD;

they are a reward from him.

4 Children born to a young man

are like sharp arrows in a warrior's hands.

5 How happy is the man whose quiver is full of them!

He will not be put to shame when he confronts his accusers at the city gates.

PROVERBS 29:15-17

To discipline and reprimand a child produces wisdom, but a mother is disgraced by an undisciplined child. When the wicked are in authority, sin increases. But the godly will live to see the tyrant's downfall. Discipline your children, and they will give you happiness and peace of mind. 

December 7 Reading through the Bible

  

HOSEA 6:1-9:17

3 JOHN 1-15

PSALM 126:1-6

PROVERBS 29:12-14

HOSEA 6:1-9:17

" Come, let us [Israel and Judah] return to the LORD! He has torn us in pieces; now he will heal us. He has injured us; now he will bandage our wounds. 2 In just a short time, he will restore us so we can live in his presence. 3 Oh, that we might know the LORD! Let us press on to know him! Then he will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring." 4 " O Israel and Judah, what should I do with you?" asks the LORD. " For your love vanishes like the morning mist and disappears like dew in the sunlight. 5 I sent my prophets to cut you to pieces. I have slaughtered you with my words, threatening you with death. My judgment will strike you as surely as day follows night. 6 I want you to be merciful; I don't want your sacrifices. I want you to know God; that's more important than burnt offerings. 7 " But like Adam, you broke my covenant and rebelled against me. 8 Gilead is a city of sinners, tracked with footprints of blood. 9 Its citizens are bands of robbers, lying in ambush for their victims. Gangs of priests murder travelers along the road to Shechem and practice every kind of sin. 10 Yes, I have seen a horrible thing in Israel: My people have defiled themselves by chasing after other gods! 11 " O Judah, a harvest of punishment is also waiting for you, though I wanted so much to restore the fortunes of my people!7:1 " I WANTED to heal Israel, but its sins were far too great. Samaria is filled with liars, thieves, and bandits! 2 Its people don't realize I am watching them. Their sinful deeds are all around them; I see them all! 3 The people make the king glad with their wickedness. The princes laugh about the people's many lies. 4 They are all adulterers, always aflame with lust. They are like an oven that is kept hot even while the baker is still kneading the dough. 5 " On royal holidays, the princes get drunk. The king makes a fool of himself and drinks with those who are making fun of him. 6 Their hearts blaze like a furnace with intrigue. Their plot smolders through the night, and in the morning it flames forth like a raging fire. 7 They kill their kings one after another, and no one cries out to me for help. 8 " My people of Israel mingle with godless foreigners, picking up their evil ways. Now they have become as worthless as a half-baked cake! 9 Worshiping foreign gods has sapped their strength, but they don't even know it. Israel is like an old man with graying hair, unaware of how weak and old he has become. 10 His arrogance testifies against him, yet he doesn't return to the LORD his God or even try to find him. 11 " The people of Israel have become like silly, witless doves, first calling to Egypt, then flying to Assyria. 12 But as they fly about, I will throw my net over them and bring them down like a bird from the sky. I will punish them for all their evil ways.13 " How terrible it will be for my people who have deserted me! Let them die, for they have rebelled against me. I wanted to redeem them, but they have only spoken lies about me. 14 They do not cry out to me with sincere hearts. Instead, they sit on their couches and wail. They cut themselves, begging foreign gods for crops and prosperity. 15 " I trained them and made them strong, yet now they plot evil against me. 16 They look everywhere except to heaven, to the Most High. They are like a crooked bow that always misses its target. Their leaders will be killed by their enemies because of their insolence toward me. Then the people of Egypt will laugh at them.8:1 " SOUND the alarm! The enemy descends like an eagle on the people of the LORD, for they have broken my covenant and revolted against my law. 2 Now Israel pleads with me, ` Help us, for you are our God!' 3 But it is too late! The people of Israel have rejected what is good, and now their enemies will chase after them. 4 The people have appointed kings and princes, but not with my consent. By making idols for themselves from their silver and gold, they have brought about their own destruction. 5 " O Samaria, I reject this calf--this idol you have made. My fury burns against you. How long will you be incapable of innocence? 6 This calf you worship was crafted by your own hands! It is not God! Therefore, it must be smashed to bits. 7 " They have planted the wind and will harvest the whirlwind. The stalks of wheat wither, producing no grain. And if there is any grain, foreigners will eat it. 8 The people of Israel have been swallowed up; they lie among the nations like an old pot that no one wants. 9 Like a wild donkey looking for a mate, they have gone up to Assyria. The people of Israel have sold themselves to many lovers. 10 But though they have sold themselves to many lands, I will now gather them together. Then they will writhe under the burden of the great king! 11 " Israel has built many altars to take away sin, but these very altars became places for sinning! 12 Even though I gave them all my laws, they act as if those laws don't apply to them. 13 The people of Israel love their rituals of sacrifice, but to me their sacrifices are all meaningless! I will call my people to account for their sins, and I will punish them. They will go back down to Egypt.14 " Israel has built great palaces, and Judah has fortified its cities. But they have both forgotten their Maker. Therefore, I will send down fire on their palaces and burn their fortresses." 9:1 O PEOPLE of Israel, do not rejoice as others do. For you have been unfaithful to your God, hiring yourselves out like prostitutes, offering sacrifices to other gods on every threshing floor. 2 So now your harvests will be too small to feed you. The grapes you gather will not quench your thirst. 3 You may no longer stay here in this land of the LORD. You will be carried off to Egypt and Assyria, where you will live on food that is ceremonially unclean. 4 There, far from home, you will not be allowed to pour out wine as a sacrifice to the LORD. None of the sacrifices you offer there will please him. Such sacrifices will be unclean, just as food touched by a person in mourning is unclean. All who present such sacrifices will be defiled. They may eat this food to feed themselves, but they may not offer it to the LORD. 5 What then will you do on festival days? What will you do on days of feasting in the LORD's presence? 6 Even if you escape destruction from Assyria, you will be conquered by Egypt. Memphis will bury you. Briers will take over your treasures of silver; brambles will fill your homes. 7 The time of Israel's punishment has come; the day of payment is almost here. Soon Israel will know this all too well. " The prophets are crazy!" the people shout. " The inspired men are mad!" So they taunt, for the nation is burdened with sin and shows only hatred for those who love God. 8 The prophet is a watchman for my God over Israel, yet traps are laid in front of him wherever he goes. He faces hostility even in the house of God. 9 The things my people do are as depraved as what they did in Gibeah long ago. God will not forget. He will surely punish them for their sins.10 The LORD says, " O Israel, when I first found you, it was like finding fresh grapes in the desert! When I saw your ancestors, it was like seeing the first ripe figs of the season! But then they deserted me for Baal-peor, giving themselves to that shameful idol. Soon they became as vile as the god they worshiped. 11 The glory of Israel will fly away like a bird, for your children will die at birth or perish in the womb or never even be conceived. 12 Even if your children do survive to grow up, I will take them from you. It will be a terrible day when I turn away and leave you alone. 13 I have watched Israel become as beautiful and pleasant as Tyre. But now Israel will bring out her children to be slaughtered." 14 O LORD, what should I request for your people? I will ask for wombs that don't give birth and breasts that give no milk. 15 The LORD says, " All their wickedness began at Gilgal; there I began to hate them. I will drive them from my land because of their evil actions. I will love them no more because all their leaders are rebels. 16 The people of Israel are stricken. Their roots are dried up; they will bear no more fruit. And if they give birth, I will slaughter their beloved children." 17 My God will reject the people of Israel because they will not listen or obey. They will be wanderers, homeless among the nations.

3 JOHN 1-15

This letter is from John the Elder. It is written to Gaius, my dear friend, whom I love in the truth. 2 Dear friend, I am praying that all is well with you and that your body is as healthy as I know your soul is. 3 Some of the brothers recently returned and made me very happy by telling me about your faithfulness and that you are living in the truth. 4 I could have no greater joy than to hear that my children live in the truth. 5 Dear friend, you are doing a good work for God when you take care of the traveling teachers* who are passing through, even though they are strangers to you. 6 They have told the church here of your friendship and your loving deeds. You do well to send them on their way in a manner that pleases God. 7 For they are traveling for the Lord and accept nothing from those who are not Christians. 8 So we ourselves should support them so that we may become partners with them for the truth.9 I sent a brief letter to the church about this, but Diotrephes, who loves to be the leader, does not acknowledge our authority. 10 When I come, I will report some of the things he is doing and the wicked things he is saying about us. He not only refuses to welcome the traveling teachers, he also tells others not to help them. And when they do help, he puts them out of the church. 11 Dear friend, don't let this bad example influence you. Follow only what is good. Remember that those who do good prove that they are God's children, and those who do evil prove that they do not know God. 12 But everyone speaks highly of Demetrius, even truth itself. We ourselves can say the same for him, and you know we speak the truth. 13 I have much to tell you, but I don't want to do it in a letter. 14 For I hope to see you soon, and then we will talk face to face. 15 May God's peace be with you. Your friends here send you their greetings. Please give my personal greetings to each of our friends there.

PSALM 126:1-6

A song for the ascent to Jerusalem.

1 When the LORD restored his exiles to Jerusalem,

it was like a dream!

2 We were filled with laughter,

and we sang for joy.

And the other nations said,

" What amazing things the LORD has done for them."

3 Yes, the LORD has done amazing things for us!

What joy!

4 Restore our fortunes, LORD,

as streams renew the desert.

5 Those who plant in tears

will harvest with shouts of joy.

6 They weep as they go to plant their seed,

but they sing as they return with the harvest.

PROVERBS 29:12-14

If a ruler honors liars, all his advisers will be wicked. The poor and the oppressor have this in common--the LORD gives light to the eyes of both. A king who is fair to the poor will have a long reign.

December 6 Reading through the Bible

  

HOSEA 4:1-5:15

2 JOHN 1-13

PSALM 125:1-5

PROVERBS 29:9-11

HOSEA 4:1-5:15

Hear the word of the LORD, O people of Israel! The LORD has filed a lawsuit against you, saying: " There is no faithfulness, no kindness, no knowledge of God in your land. 2 You curse and lie and kill and steal and commit adultery. There is violence everywhere, with one murder after another. 3 That is why your land is not producing. It is filled with sadness, and all living things are becoming sick and dying. Even the animals, birds, and fish have begun to disappear. 4 " Don't point your finger at someone else and try to pass the blame! Look, you priests, my complaint is with you! 5 As a sentence for your crimes, you will stumble in broad daylight, just as you might at night, and so will your false prophets. And I will destroy your mother, Israel. 6 My people are being destroyed because they don't know me. It is all your fault, you priests, for you yourselves refuse to know me. Now I refuse to recognize you as my priests. Since you have forgotten the laws of your God, I will forget to bless your children. 7 The more priests there are, the more they sin against me. They have exchanged the glory of God for the disgrace of idols. 8 " The priests get fed when the people sin and bring their sin offerings to them. So the priests are glad when the people sin! 9 ` Like priests, like people'--since the priests are wicked, the people are wicked, too. So now I will punish both priests and people for all their wicked deeds. 10 They will eat and still be hungry. Though they do a big business as prostitutes, they will have no children, for they have deserted the LORD to worship other gods.11 " Alcohol and prostitution have robbed my people of their brains. 12 They are asking a piece of wood to tell them what to do! They think a stick can tell them the future! Longing after idols has made them foolish. They have played the prostitute, serving other gods and deserting their God. 13 They offer sacrifices to idols on the tops of mountains. They go up into the hills to burn incense in the pleasant shade of oaks, poplars, and other trees. " That is why your daughters turn to prostitution, and your daughters-in-law commit adultery. 14 Why should I punish them? For you men are doing the same thing, sinning with whores and shrine prostitutes. O foolish people! You will be destroyed, for you refuse to understand.15 " Though Israel is a prostitute, may Judah avoid such guilt. O Judah, do not join with those who worship me insincerely at Gilgal and at Beth-aven. Their worship is mere pretense as they take oaths in the LORD's name. 16 Israel is as stubborn as a heifer, so the LORD will put her out to pasture. She will stand alone and unprotected, like a helpless lamb in an open field. 17 Leave her alone because she is married to idolatry. 18 The men of Israel finish up their drinking bouts and off they go to find some prostitutes. Their love for shame is greater than their love for honor. 19 So a mighty wind will sweep them away. They will die in shame because they offer sacrifices to idols. 5:1 " HEAR this, you priests and all of Israel's leaders! Listen, all you men of the royal family! These words of judgment are for you: You are doomed! For you have led the people into a snare by worshiping the idols at Mizpah and Tabor. 2 You have dug a deep pit to trap them at Acacia. But never forget--I will settle with all of you for what you have done. 3 I know what you are like, O Israel! You have left me as a prostitute leaves her husband; you are utterly defiled. 4 Your deeds won't let you return to your God. You are a prostitute through and through, and you cannot know the LORD. 5 " The arrogance of Israel* testifies against her; she will stumble under her load of guilt. Judah, too, will fall with her. 6 Then at last, they will come with their flocks and herds to offer sacrifices to the LORD. But it will be too late! They will not find him, because he has withdrawn from them, and they are now alone. 7 For they have betrayed the honor of the LORD, bearing children that aren't his. Now their false religion will devour them, along with their wealth. 8 " Blow the ram's horn in Gibeah! Sound the alarm in Ramah! Raise the battle cry in Beth-aven! Lead on into battle, O warriors of Benjamin! 9 One thing is certain, Israel: When your day of punishment comes, you will become a heap of rubble.10 " The leaders of Judah have become as bad as thieves. So I will pour my anger down on them like a waterfall. 11 The people of Israel will be crushed and broken by my judgment because they are determined to worship idols. 12 I will destroy Israel as a moth consumes wool. I will sap Judah's strength as dry rot weakens wood. 13 " When Israel and Judah saw how sick they were, Israel turned to Assyria, to the great king there, but he could neither help nor cure them. 14 I will tear at Israel and Judah as a lion rips apart its prey. I will carry them off, and there will be no one left to rescue them. 15 Then I will return to my place until they admit their guilt and look to me for help. For as soon as trouble comes, they will search for me."

2 JOHN 1-13

This letter is from John the Elder. It is written to the chosen lady and to her children, whom I love in the truth, as does everyone else who knows God's truth--2 the truth that lives in us and will be in our hearts forever. 3 May grace, mercy, and peace, which come from God our Father and from Jesus Christ his Son, be with us who live in truth and love. 4 How happy I was to meet some of your children and find them living in the truth, just as we have been commanded by the Father. 5 And now I want to urge you, dear lady, that we should love one another. This is not a new commandment, but one we had from the beginning. 6 Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning. 7 Many deceivers have gone out into the world. They do not believe that Jesus Christ came to earth in a real body. Such a person is a deceiver and an antichrist. 8 Watch out, so that you do not lose the prize for which we have been working so hard. Be diligent so that you will receive your full reward. 9 For if you wander beyond the teaching of Christ, you will not have fellowship with God. But if you continue in the teaching of Christ, you will have fellowship with both the Father and the Son. 10 If someone comes to your meeting and does not teach the truth about Christ, don't invite him into your house or encourage him in any way. 11 Anyone who encourages him becomes a partner in his evil work. 12 Well, I have much more to say to you, but I don't want to say it in a letter. For I hope to visit you soon and to talk with you face to face. Then our joy will be complete. 13 Greetings from the children of your sister, chosen by God.

PSALM 125:1-5

A song for the ascent to Jerusalem.

1 Those who trust in the LORD are as secure as Mount Zion;

they will not be defeated but will endure forever.

2 Just as the mountains surround and protect Jerusalem,

so the LORD surrounds and protects his people, both now and forever.

3 The wicked will not rule the godly,

for then the godly might be forced to do wrong.

4 O LORD, do good to those who are good,

whose hearts are in tune with you.

5 But banish those who turn to crooked ways, O LORD.

Take them away with those who do evil.

And let Israel have quietness and peace.

PROVERBS 29:9-11

If a wise person takes a fool to court, there will be ranting and ridicule but no satisfaction. The bloodthirsty hate the honest, but the upright seek out the honest. A fool gives full vent to anger, but a wise person quietly holds it back.

December 5 Reading through the Bible

  

HOSEA 1:1-3:5

1 JOHN 5:1-21

PSALM 124:1-8

PROVERBS 29:5-8

HOSEA 1:1-3:5

The LORD gave these messages to Hosea son of Beeri during the years when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah, and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel. 2 When the LORD first began speaking to Israel through Hosea, he said to him, " Go and marry a prostitute, so some of her children will be born to you from other men. This will illustrate the way my people have been untrue to me, openly committing adultery against the LORD by worshiping other gods." 3 So Hosea married Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and she became pregnant and gave Hosea a son. 4 And the LORD said, " Name the child Jezreel, for I am about to punish King Jehu's dynasty to avenge the murders he committed at Jezreel. 5 In fact, I will put an end to Israel's independence by breaking its military power in the Jezreel Valley."6 Soon Gomer became pregnant again and gave birth to a daughter. And the LORD said to Hosea, " Name your daughter Lo-ruhamah--` Not loved'--for I will no longer show love to the people of Israel or forgive them. 7 But I, the LORD their God, will show love to the people of Judah. I will personally free them from their enemies without any help from weapons or armies." 8 After Gomer had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she again became pregnant and gave birth to a second son. 9 And the LORD said, " Name him Lo-ammi--` Not my people'--for Israel is not my people, and I am not their God. 10 Yet the time will come when Israel will prosper and become a great nation. In that day its people will be like the sands of the seashore--too many to count! Then, at the place where they were told, ` You are not my people,' it will be said, ` You are children of the living God.' 11 Then the people of Judah and Israel will unite under one leader, and they will return from exile together. What a day that will be--the day of Jezreel--when God will again plant his people in his land. 1 In that day you will call your brothers Ammi--` My people.' And you will call your sisters Ruhamah--` The ones I love.' 2:2 " BUT now, call Israel to account, for she is no longer my wife, and I am no longer her husband. Tell her to take off her garish makeup and suggestive clothing and to stop playing the prostitute. 3 If she doesn't, I will strip her as naked as she was on the day she was born. I will leave her to die of thirst, as in a desert or a dry and barren wilderness. 4 And I will not love her children as I would my own because they are not my children! They were conceived in adultery. 5 For their mother is a shameless prostitute and became pregnant in a shameful way. She said, ` I'll run after other lovers and sell myself to them for food and drink, for clothing of wool and linen, and for olive oil.' 6 " But I will fence her in with thornbushes. I will block the road to make her lose her way. 7 When she runs after her lovers, she won't be able to catch up with them. She will search for them but not find them. Then she will think, ` I might as well return to my husband because I was better off with him than I am now.' 8 She doesn't realize that it was I who gave her everything she has--the grain, the wine, the olive oil. Even the gold and silver she used in worshiping the god Baal were gifts from me! 9 " But now I will take back the wine and ripened grain I generously provided each harvest season. I will take away the linen and wool clothing I gave her to cover her nakedness. 10 I will strip her naked in public, while all her lovers look on. No one will be able to rescue her from my hands. 11 I will put an end to her annual festivals, her new moon celebrations, and her Sabbath days--all her appointed festivals. 12 I will destroy her vineyards and orchards, things she claims her lovers gave her. I will let them grow into tangled thickets, where only wild animals will eat the fruit. 13 I will punish her for all the times she deserted me, when she burned incense to her images of Baal, put on her earrings and jewels, and went out looking for her lovers," says the LORD. 14 " But then I will win her back once again. I will lead her out into the desert and speak tenderly to her there. 15 I will return her vineyards to her and transform the Valley of Trouble into a gateway of hope. She will give herself to me there, as she did long ago when she was young, when I freed her from her captivity in Egypt. 16 " In that coming day," says the LORD, " you will call me ` my husband' instead of ` my master.' 17 O Israel, I will cause you to forget your images of Baal; even their names will no longer be spoken. 18 At that time I will make a covenant with all the wild animals and the birds and the animals that scurry along the ground so that they will not harm you. I will remove all weapons of war from the land, all swords and bows, so you can live unafraid in peace and safety. 19 I will make you my wife forever, showing you righteousness and justice, unfailing love and compassion. 20 I will be faithful to you and make you mine, and you will finally know me as LORD. 21 " In that day," says the LORD, " I will answer the pleading of the sky for clouds, which will pour down water on the earth in answer to its cries for rain. 22 Then the earth will answer the thirsty cries of the grain, the grapes, and the olive trees for moisture. And the whole grand chorus will sing together, ` Jezreel'--` God plants!' 23 " At that time I will plant a crop of Israelites and raise them for myself! I will show love to those I called ` Not loved.' And to those I called ` Not my people,' I will say, ` Now you are my people.' Then they will reply, ` You are our God!' "3:1 THEN the LORD said to me, " Go and get your wife again. Bring her back to you and love her, even though she loves adultery. For the LORD still loves Israel even though the people have turned to other gods, offering them choice gifts." 2 So I bought her back for fifteen pieces of silver and about five bushels of barley and a measure of wine. 3 Then I said to her, " You must live in my house for many days and stop your prostitution. During this time, you will not have sexual intercourse with anyone, not even with me." 4 This illustrates that Israel will be a long time without a king or prince, and without sacrifices, temple, priests, or even idols! 5 But afterward the people will return to the LORD their God and to David's descendant, their king. They will come trembling in awe to the LORD, and they will receive his good gifts in the last days.

1 JOHN 5:1-21

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too. 2 We know we love God's children if we love God and obey his commandments. 3 Loving God means keeping his commandments, and really, that isn't difficult. 4 For every child of God defeats this evil world by trusting Christ to give the victory. 5 And the ones who win this battle against the world are the ones who believe that Jesus is the Son of God. 6 And Jesus Christ was revealed as God's Son by his baptism in water and by shedding his blood on the cross--not by water only, but by water and blood. And the Spirit also gives us the testimony that this is true. 7 So we have these three witnesses--8 the Spirit, the water, and the blood--and all three agree. 9 Since we believe human testimony, surely we can believe the testimony that comes from God. And God has testified about his Son. 10 All who believe in the Son of God know that this is true. Those who don't believe this are actually calling God a liar because they don't believe what God has testified about his Son. 11 And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 So whoever has God's Son has life; whoever does not have his Son does not have life. 13 I write this to you who believe in the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life. 14 And we can be confident that he will listen to us whenever we ask him for anything in line with his will. 15 And if we know he is listening when we make our requests, we can be sure that he will give us what we ask for. 16 If you see a Christian brother or sister* sinning in a way that does not lead to death, you should pray, and God will give that person life. But there is a sin that leads to death, and I am not saying you should pray for those who commit it. 17 Every wrong is sin, but not all sin leads to death.18 We know that those who have become part of God's family do not make a practice of sinning, for God's Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot get his hands on them. 19 We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the power and control of the evil one. 20 And we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we are in God because we are in his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life. 21 Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God's place in your hearts.

PSALM 124:1-8

A song for the ascent to Jerusalem. A psalm of David.

1 If the LORD had not been on our side--

let Israel now say--

2 if the LORD had not been on our side

when people rose up against us,

3 they would have swallowed us alive

because of their burning anger against us.

4 The waters would have engulfed us;

a torrent would have overwhelmed us.

5 Yes, the raging waters of their fury

would have overwhelmed our very lives.

6 Blessed be the LORD,

who did not let their teeth tear us apart!

7 We escaped like a bird from a hunter's trap.

The trap is broken, and we are free!

8 Our help is from the LORD,

who made the heavens and the earth.

PROVERBS 29:5-8

To flatter people is to lay a trap for their feet. Evil people are trapped by sin, but the righteous escape, shouting for joy. The godly know the rights of the poor; the wicked don't care to know. Mockers can get a whole town agitated, but those who are wise will calm anger.

December 4 Reading through the Bible

 

DANIEL 11:36-12:13

1 JOHN 4:1-21

PSALM 123:1-4

PROVERBS 29:2-4

DANIEL 11:36-12:13

" The king will do as he pleases, exalting himself and claiming to be greater than every god there is, even blaspheming the God of gods. He will succeed--until the time of wrath is completed. For what has been determined will surely take place. 37 He will have no regard for the gods of his ancestors, or for the god beloved of women, or for any other god, for he will boast that he is greater than them all. 38 Instead of these, he will worship the god of fortresses--a god his ancestors never knew--and lavish on him gold, silver, precious stones, and costly gifts. 39 Claiming this foreign god's help, he will attack the strongest fortresses. He will honor those who submit to him, appointing them to positions of authority and dividing the land among them as their reward. 40 " Then at the time of the end, the king of the south will attack him, and the king of the north will storm out against him with chariots, cavalry, and a vast navy. He will invade various lands and sweep through them like a flood. 41 He will enter the glorious land of Israel, and many nations will fall, but Moab, Edom, and the best part of Ammon will escape. 42 He will conquer many countries, and Egypt will not escape. 43 He will gain control over the gold, silver, and treasures of Egypt, and the Libyans and Ethiopians will be his servants. 44 " But then news from the east and the north will alarm him, and he will set out in great anger to destroy many as he goes. 45 He will halt between the glorious holy mountain and the sea and will pitch his royal tents there, but while he is there, his time will suddenly run out, and there will be no one to help him.12:1 " AT that time Michael, the archangel who stands guard over your nation, will arise. Then there will be a time of anguish greater than any since nations first came into existence. But at that time every one of your people whose name is written in the book will be rescued. 2 Many of those whose bodies lie dead and buried will rise up, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who turn many to righteousness will shine like stars forever. 4 But you, Daniel, keep this prophecy a secret; seal up the book until the time of the end. Many will rush here and there, and knowledge will increase." 5 Then I, Daniel, looked and saw two others standing on opposite banks of the river. 6 One of them asked the man dressed in linen, who was now standing above the river, " How long will it be until these shocking events happen?" 7 The man dressed in linen, who was standing above the river, raised both his hands toward heaven and took this solemn oath by the one who lives forever: " It will go on for a time, times, and half a time. When the shattering of the holy people has finally come to an end, all these things will have happened." 8 I heard what he said, but I did not understand what he meant. So I asked, " How will all this finally end, my lord?" 9 But he said, " Go now, Daniel, for what I have said is for the time of the end. 10 Many will be purified, cleansed, and refined by these trials. But the wicked will continue in their wickedness, and none of them will understand. Only those who are wise will know what it means. 11 " From the time the daily sacrifice is taken away and the sacrilegious object that causes desecration is set up to be worshiped, there will be 1,290 days. 12 And blessed are those who wait and remain until the end of the 1,335 days!13 " As for you, go your way until the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days, you will rise again to receive the inheritance set aside for you."

1 JOHN 4:1-21

Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. 2 This is the way to find out if they have the Spirit of God: If a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ became a human being, that person has the Spirit of God. 3 If a prophet does not acknowledge Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist. You have heard that he is going to come into the world, and he is already here. 4 But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won your fight with these false prophets, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. 5 These people belong to this world, so they speak from the world's viewpoint, and the world listens to them. 6 But we belong to God; that is why those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception.7 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 But anyone who does not love does not know God--for God is love. 9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. 12 No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love has been brought to full expression through us. 13 And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us. 14 Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 All who proclaim that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. 16 We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in him. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. 17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we are like Christ here in this world. 18 Such love has no fear because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of judgment, and this shows that his love has not been perfected in us. 19 We love each other as a result of his loving us first. 20 If someone says, " I love God," but hates a Christian brother or sister,* that person is a liar; for if we don't love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we have not seen? 21 And God himself has commanded that we must love not only him but our Christian brothers and sisters, too.

PSALM 123:1-4

A song for the ascent to Jerusalem.

1 I lift my eyes to you,

O God, enthroned in heaven.

2 We look to the LORD our God for his mercy,

just as servants keep their eyes on their master,

as a slave girl watches her mistress for the slightest signal.

3 Have mercy on us, LORD, have mercy,

for we have had our fill of contempt.

4 We have had our fill of the scoffing of the proud

and the contempt of the arrogant.

PROVERBS 29:2-4

When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked are in power, they groan. The man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father, but if he hangs around with prostitutes, his wealth is wasted. A just king gives stability to his nation, but one who demands bribes destroys it. 

December 3 Reading through the Bible

 

 DANIEL 11:2-35

1 JOHN 3:7-24

PSALM 122:1-9

PROVERBS 29:1

DANIEL 11:2-35

" Now then, I [the one who looked like a man] will reveal the truth to you. Three more Persian kings will reign, to be succeeded by a fourth, far richer than the others. Using his wealth for political advantage, he will stir up everyone to war against the kingdom of Greece. 3 " Then a mighty king will rise to power who will rule a vast kingdom and accomplish everything he sets out to do. 4 But at the height of his power, his kingdom will be broken apart and divided into four parts. It will not be ruled by the king's descendants, nor will the kingdom hold the authority it once had. For his empire will be uprooted and given to others. 5 " The king of the south will increase in power, but one of this king's own officials will become more powerful than he and will rule his kingdom with great strength. 6 " Some years later, an alliance will be formed between the king of the north and the king of the south. The daughter of the king of the south will be given in marriage to the king of the north to secure the alliance, but she will lose her influence over him, and so will her father. She will be given up along with her supporters. 7 But when one of her relatives becomes king of the south, he will raise an army and enter the fortress of the king of the north and defeat him. 8 When he returns again to Egypt, he will carry back their idols with him, along with priceless gold and silver dishes. For some years afterward he will leave the king of the north alone. 9 " Later the king of the north will invade the realm of the king of the south but will soon return to his own land. 10 However, the sons of the king of the north will assemble a mighty army that will advance like a flood and carry the battle as far as the enemy's fortress. 11 Then the king of the south, in great anger, will rally against the vast forces assembled by the king of the north and will defeat them. 12 After the enemy army is swept away, the king of the south will be filled with pride and will have many thousands of his enemies killed. But his success will be short lived.13 " A few years later, the king of the north will return with a fully equipped army far greater than the one he lost. 14 At that time there will be a general uprising against the king of the south. Lawless ones among your own people will join them in order to fulfill the vision, but they will not succeed. 15 Then the king of the north will come and lay siege to a fortified city and capture it. The best troops of the south will not be able to stand in the face of the onslaught. 16 " The king of the north will march onward unopposed; none will be able to stop him. He will pause in the glorious land of Israel, intent on destroying it. 17 He will make plans to come with the might of his entire kingdom and will form an alliance with the king of the south. He will give him a daughter in marriage in order to overthrow the kingdom from within, but his plan will fail. 18 " After this, he will turn his attention to the coastal cities and conquer many. But a commander from another land will put an end to his insolence and will cause him to retreat in shame. 19 He will take refuge in his own fortresses but will stumble and fall, and he will be seen no more.20 " His successor will be remembered as the king who sent a tax collector to maintain the royal splendor, but after a very brief reign, he will die, though neither in battle nor open conflict. 21 " The next to come to power will be a despicable man who is not directly in line for royal succession. But he will slip in when least expected and take over the kingdom by flattery and intrigue. 22 Before him great armies will be swept away, including a covenant prince. 23 By making deceitful promises, he will make various alliances. With a mere handful of followers, he will become strong. 24 Without warning he will enter the richest areas of the land and do something that none of his predecessors ever did--distribute among his followers the plunder and wealth of the rich. He will plot the overthrow of strongholds, but this will last for only a short while. 25 " Then he will stir up his courage and raise a great army against the king of the south. The king of the south will go to battle with a mighty army, but to no avail, for plots against him will succeed. 26 Those of his own household will bring his downfall. His army will be swept away, and many will be killed. 27 Seeking nothing but each other's harm, these kings will plot against each other at the conference table, attempting to deceive each other. But it will make no difference, for an end will still come at the appointed time. 28 " The king of the north will then return home with great riches. On the way he will set himself against the people of the holy covenant, doing much damage before continuing his journey.29 " Then at the appointed time he will once again invade the south, but this time the result will be different. 30 For warships from western coastlands will scare him off, and he will withdraw and return home. But he will vent his anger against the people of the holy covenant and reward those who forsake the covenant. 31 His army will take over the Temple fortress, polluting the sanctuary, putting a stop to the daily sacrifices, and setting up the sacrilegious object that causes desecration. 32 He will flatter those who have violated the covenant and win them over to his side. But the people who know their God will be strong and will resist him. 33 " Those who are wise will give instruction to many. But for a time many of these teachers will die by fire and sword, or they will be jailed and robbed. 34 While all these persecutions are going on, a little help will arrive, though many who join them will not be sincere. 35 And some who are wise will fall victim to persecution. In this way, they will be refined and cleansed and made pure until the time of the end, for the appointed time is still to come."

1 JOHN 3:7-24

Dear children, don't let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it is because they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. 8 But when people keep on sinning, it shows they belong to the Devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy these works of the Devil. 9 Those who have been born into God's family do not sin, because God's life is in them. So they can't keep on sinning, because they have been born of God. 10 So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the Devil. Anyone who does not obey God's commands and does not love other Christians does not belong to God. 11 This is the message we have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 12 We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because Cain had been doing what was evil, and his brother had been doing what was right. 13 So don't be surprised, dear brothers and sisters,* if the world hates you.14 If we love our Christian brothers and sisters, it proves that we have passed from death to eternal life. But a person who has no love is still dead. 15 Anyone who hates another Christian* is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don't have eternal life within them. 16 We know what real love is because Christ gave up his life for us. And so we also ought to give up our lives for our Christian brothers and sisters. 17 But if anyone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need and refuses to help--how can God's love be in that person? 18 Dear children, let us stop just saying we love each other; let us really show it by our actions. 19 It is by our actions that we know we are living in the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before the Lord, 20 even if our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 21 Dear friends, if our conscience is clear, we can come to God with bold confidence. 22 And we will receive whatever we request because we obey him and do the things that please him. 23 And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us. 24 Those who obey God's commandments live in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Holy Spirit lives in us.

PSALM 122:1-9

A song for the ascent to Jerusalem. A psalm of David.

1 I was glad when they said to me,

" Let us go to the house of the LORD."

2 And now we are standing here

inside your gates, O Jerusalem.

3 Jerusalem is a well-built city,

knit together as a single unit.

4 All the people of Israel--the LORD's people--

make their pilgrimage here.

They come to give thanks to the name of the LORD

as the law requires.

5 Here stand the thrones where judgment is given,

the thrones of the dynasty of David.

6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

May all who love this city prosper.

7 O Jerusalem, may there be peace within your walls

and prosperity in your palaces.

8 For the sake of my family and friends, I will say,

" Peace be with you."

9 For the sake of the house of the LORD our God,

I will seek what is best for you, O Jerusalem.

PROVERBS 29:1

Whoever stubbornly refuses to accept criticism will suddenly be broken beyond repair.