October 5 Reading through the Bible

 

JEREMIAH 4:19-6:15

COLOSSIANS 1:18-2:7

PSALM 77:1-20

PROVERBS 24:23-25

JEREMIAH 4:19-6:15

My heart, my heart--I [Jeremiah] writhe in pain! My heart pounds within me! I cannot be still. For I have heard the blast of enemy trumpets and the roar of their battle cries. 20 Waves of destruction roll over the land, until it lies in complete desolation. Suddenly, every tent is destroyed; in a moment, every shelter is crushed. 21 How long must this go on? How long must I be surrounded by war and death? 22 " My people are foolish and do not know me," says the LORD. " They are senseless children who have no understanding. They are clever enough at doing wrong, but they have no talent at all for doing right!"23 I looked at the earth, and it was empty and formless. I looked at the heavens, and there was no light. 24 I looked at the mountains and hills, and they trembled and shook. 25 I looked, and all the people were gone. All the birds of the sky had flown away. 26 I looked, and the fertile fields had become a wilderness. The cities lay in ruins, crushed by the LORD's fierce anger. 27 This is what the LORD says: " The whole land will be ruined, but I will not destroy it completely. 28 The earth will mourn, the heavens will be draped in black, because of my decree against my people. I have made up my mind and will not change it." 29 At the noise of marching armies, the people flee in terror from the cities. They hide in the bushes and run for the mountains. All the cities have been abandoned--not a person remains! 30 What are you doing, you who have been plundered? Why do you dress up in your most beautiful clothing and jewelry? Why do you brighten your eyes with mascara? It will do you no good! Your allies despise you and will kill you. 31 I hear a great cry, like that of a woman giving birth to her first child. It is the cry of Jerusalem's people gasping for breath, pleading for help, prostrate before their murderers.5:1 " RUN up and down every street in Jerusalem," says the LORD. " Look high and low; search throughout the city! If you can find even one person who is just and honest, I will not destroy the city. 2 Even when they are under oath, saying, ` As surely as the LORD lives,' they all tell lies!" 3 LORD, you are searching for honesty. You struck your people, but they paid no attention. You crushed them, but they refused to turn from sin. They are determined, with faces set like stone; they have refused to repent. 4 Then I said, " But what can we expect from the poor and ignorant? They don't know the ways of the LORD. They don't understand what God expects of them. 5 I will go and speak to their leaders. Surely they will know the LORD's ways and what God requires of them." But the leaders, too, had utterly rejected their God. 6 So now a lion from the forest will attack them; a wolf from the desert will pounce on them. A leopard will lurk near their towns, tearing apart any who dare to venture out. For their rebellion is great, and their sins are many. 7 " How can I pardon you? For even your children have turned from me. They have sworn by gods that are not gods at all! I fed my people until they were fully satisfied. But they thanked me by committing adultery and lining up at the city's brothels. 8 They are well-fed, lusty stallions, each neighing for his neighbor's wife. 9 Should I not punish them for this?" asks the LORD. " Should I not avenge myself against a nation such as this? 10 " Go down the rows of the vineyards and destroy them, but leave a scattered few alive. Strip the branches from the vine, for they do not belong to the LORD. 11 The people of Israel and Judah are full of treachery against me," says the LORD. 12 " They have lied about the LORD and have said, ` He won't bother us! No disasters will come upon us! There will be no war or famine! 13 God's prophets are windbags full of words with no divine authority. Their predictions of disaster will fall on themselves!' " 14 Therefore, this is what the LORD God Almighty says: " Because the people are talking like this, I will give you messages that will burn them up as if they were kindling wood. 15 O Israel, I will bring a distant nation against you," says the LORD. " It is a mighty nation, an ancient nation, a people whose language you do not know, whose speech you cannot understand. 16 Their weapons are deadly; their warriors are mighty. 17 They will eat your harvests and your children's bread, your flocks of sheep and your herds of cattle. Yes, they will eat your grapes and figs. And they will destroy your fortified cities, which you think are so safe. 18 " Yet even in those days I will not blot you out completely," says the LORD. 19 " And when your people ask, ` Why is the LORD our God doing this to us?' you must reply, ` You rejected him and gave yourselves to foreign gods in your own land. Now you will serve foreigners in a land that is not your own.' 20 " Make this announcement to Israel and to Judah: 21 Listen, you foolish and senseless people--who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear. 22 Do you have no respect for me? Why do you not tremble in my presence? I, the LORD, am the one who defines the ocean's sandy shoreline, an everlasting boundary that the waters cannot cross. The waves may toss and roar, but they can never pass the bounds I set. 23 " But my people have stubborn and rebellious hearts. They have turned against me and have chosen to practice idolatry. 24 They do not say from the heart, ` Let us live in awe of the LORD our God, for he gives us rain each spring and fall, assuring us of plentiful harvests.' 25 Your wickedness has deprived you of these wonderful blessings. Your sin has robbed you of all these good things.26 " Among my people are wicked men who lie in wait for victims like a hunter hiding in a blind. They are continually setting traps for other people. 27 Like a cage filled with birds, their homes are filled with evil plots. And the result? Now they are great and rich. 28 They are well fed and well groomed, and there is no limit to their wicked deeds. They refuse justice to orphans and deny the rights of the poor. 29 Should I not punish them for this?" asks the LORD. " Should I not avenge myself against a nation such as this? 30 " A horrible and shocking thing has happened in this land--31 the prophets give false prophecies, and the priests rule with an iron hand. And worse yet, my people like it that way! But what will you do when the end comes?6:1 " RUN for your lives, you people of Benjamin! Flee from Jerusalem! Sound the alarm in Tekoa! Send up a signal at Beth-hakkerem! Warn everyone that a powerful army is coming from the north to destroy this nation. 2 O Jerusalem, you are my beautiful and delicate daughter--but I will destroy you! 3 Enemy shepherds will surround you. They will set up camp around the city and divide your pastures for their flocks. 4 They shout, ` Prepare for battle and attack at noon! But now the day is fading, and the evening shadows are falling. 5 So let us attack by night and destroy her palaces!' " 6 This is what the LORD Almighty says: " Cut down the trees for battering rams. Build ramps against the walls of Jerusalem. This is the city to be punished, for she is wicked through and through. 7 She spouts evil like a fountain! Her streets echo with the sounds of violence and destruction. Her sickness and sores are ever before me. 8 This is your last warning, Jerusalem! If you do not listen, I will empty the land." 9 This is what the LORD Almighty says: " Disaster will fall upon you. Even the few who remain in Israel will be gleaned again, as when a harvester checks each vine a second time to pick the grapes that were missed." 10 To whom can I give warning? Who will listen when I speak? Their ears are closed, and they cannot hear. They scorn the word of the LORD. They don't want to listen at all. 11 So now I am filled with the LORD's fury. Yes, I am weary of holding it in! " I will pour out my fury over Jerusalem, even on children playing in the streets, on gatherings of young men, and on husbands and wives and grandparents. 12 Their homes will be turned over to their enemies, and so will their fields and their wives. For I will punish the people of this land," says the LORD. 13 " From the least to the greatest, they trick others to get what does not belong to them. Yes, even my prophets and priests are like that! 14 They offer superficial treatments for my people's mortal wound. They give assurances of peace when all is war. 15 Are they ashamed when they do these disgusting things? No, not at all--they don't even blush! Therefore, they will lie among the slaughtered. They will be humbled beneath my punishing anger," says the LORD.

COLOSSIANS 1:18-2:7

Christ is the head of the church, which is his body. He is the first of all who will rise from the dead, so he is first in everything. 19 For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, 20 and by him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of his blood on the cross. 21 This includes you who were once so far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions, 22 yet now he has brought you back as his friends. He has done this through his death on the cross in his own human body. As a result, he has brought you into the very presence of God, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. 23 But you must continue to believe this truth and stand in it firmly. Don't drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed by God to proclaim it. 24 I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am completing what remains of Christ's sufferings for his body, the church. 25 God has given me the responsibility of serving his church by proclaiming his message in all its fullness to you Gentiles. 26 This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to his own holy people. 27 For it has pleased God to tell his people that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. For this is the secret: Christ lives in you, and this is your assurance that you will share in his glory. 28 So everywhere we go, we tell everyone about Christ. We warn them and teach them with all the wisdom God has given us, for we want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ. 29 I work very hard at this, as I depend on Christ's mighty power that works within me.2:1 I WANT you to know how much I have agonized for you and for the church at Laodicea, and for many other friends who have never known me personally. 2 My goal is that they will be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have full confidence because they have complete understanding of God's secret plan, which is Christ himself. 3 In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I am telling you this so that no one will be able to deceive you with persuasive arguments. 5 For though I am far away from you, my heart is with you. And I am very happy because you are living as you should and because of your strong faith in Christ. 6 And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to live in obedience to him. 7 Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him, so you will grow in faith, strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let your lives overflow with thanksgiving for all he has done.

PSALM 77:1-20

For Jeduthun, the choir director: A psalm of Asaph.

1 I cry out to God without holding back.

Oh, that God would listen to me!

2 When I was in deep trouble,

I searched for the Lord.

All night long I pray, with hands lifted toward heaven, pleading.

There can be no joy for me until he acts.

3 I think of God, and I moan,

overwhelmed with longing for his help.

Interlude4 You don't let me sleep.

I am too distressed even to pray!

5 I think of the good old days, long since ended,

6 when my nights were filled with joyful songs.

I search my soul and think about the difference now.

7 Has the Lord rejected me forever?

Will he never again show me favor?

8 Is his unfailing love gone forever?

Have his promises permanently failed?

9 Has God forgotten to be kind?

Has he slammed the door on his compassion?

Interlude10 And I said, " This is my fate,

that the blessings of the Most High have changed to hatred."

11 I recall all you have done, O LORD;

I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago.

12 They are constantly in my thoughts.

I cannot stop thinking about them.

13 O God, your ways are holy.

Is there any god as mighty as you?

14 You are the God of miracles and wonders!

You demonstrate your awesome power among the nations.

15 You have redeemed your people by your strength,

the descendants of Jacob and of Joseph by your might.

Interlude16 When the Red Sea saw you, O God,

its waters looked and trembled!

The sea quaked to its very depths.

17 The clouds poured down their rain;

the thunder rolled and crackled in the sky.

Your arrows of lightning flashed.

18 Your thunder roared from the whirlwind;

the lightning lit up the world!

The earth trembled and shook.

19 Your road led through the sea,

your pathway through the mighty waters--

a pathway no one knew was there!

20 You led your people along that road like a flock of sheep,

with Moses and Aaron as their shepherds.

PROVERBS 24:23-25

Here are some further sayings of the wise: It is wrong to show favoritism when passing judgment. A judge who says to the wicked, " You are innocent," will be cursed by many people and denounced by the nations. But blessings are showered on those who convict the guilty.

October 4 Reading through the Bible

 

JEREMIAH 2:31-4:18

COLOSSIANS 1:1-17

PSALM 76:1-12

PROVERBS 24:21-22

JEREMIAH 2:31-4:18

" O my people, listen to the words of the LORD! Have I been like a desert to Israel? Have I been to them a land of darkness? Why then do my people say, ` At last we are free from God! We won't have anything to do with him anymore!' 32 Does a young woman forget her jewelry? Does a bride hide her wedding dress? No! Yet for years on end my people have forgotten me. 33 " How you plot and scheme to win your lovers. The most experienced prostitute could learn from you! 34 Your clothing is stained with the blood of the innocent and the poor. You killed them even though they didn't break into your houses! 35 And yet you say, ` I haven't done anything wrong. Surely he isn't angry with me!' Now I will punish you severely because you claim you have not sinned. 36 " First here, then there--you flit from one ally to another asking for help. But your new friends in Egypt will let you down, just as Assyria did before. 37 In despair, you will be led into exile with your hands on your heads, for the LORD has rejected the nations you trust. You will not succeed despite their help.3:1 " IF a man divorces a woman and she marries someone else, he is not to take her back again, for that would surely corrupt the land. But you have prostituted yourself with many lovers, says the LORD. Yet I am still calling you to come back to me. 2 " Look all around you. Is there anywhere in the entire land where you have not been defiled by your adulteries? You sit like a prostitute beside the road waiting for a client. You sit alone like a nomad in the desert. You have polluted the land with your prostitution and wickedness. 3 That is why even the spring rains have failed. For you are a prostitute and are completely unashamed. 4 Yet you say to me, ` Father, you have been my guide since the days of my youth. 5 Surely you won't be angry about such a little thing! Surely you can forget it!' So you talk, and keep right on doing all the evil you can." 6 During the reign of King Josiah, the LORD said to me, " Have you seen what fickle Israel does? Like a wife who commits adultery, Israel has worshiped other gods on every hill and under every green tree. 7 I thought that after she had done all this she would return to me. But she did not come back. And though her faithless sister Judah saw this, 8 she paid no attention. She saw that I had divorced faithless Israel and sent her away. But now Judah, too, has left me and given herself to prostitution. 9 Israel treated it all so lightly--she thought nothing of committing adultery by worshiping idols made of wood and stone. So now the land has been greatly defiled. 10 But in spite of all this, her faithless sister Judah has never sincerely returned to me. She has only pretended to be sorry," says the LORD. 11 Then the LORD said to me, " Even faithless Israel is less guilty than treacherous Judah! 12 Therefore, go and say these words to Israel, ` This is what the LORD says: O Israel, my faithless people, come home to me again, for I am merciful. I will not be angry with you forever. 13 Only acknowledge your guilt. Admit that you rebelled against the LORD your God and committed adultery against him by worshiping idols under every green tree. Confess that you refused to follow me. I, the LORD, have spoken!' " 14 " Return home, you wayward children," says the LORD, " for I am your husband. I will bring you again to the land of Israel--one from here and two from there, from wherever you are scattered. 15 And I will give you leaders after my own heart, who will guide you with knowledge and understanding. 16 " And when your land is once more filled with people," says the LORD, " you will no longer wish for ` the good old days' when you possessed the Ark of the LORD's covenant. Those days will not be missed or even thought about, and there will be no need to rebuild the Ark. 17 In that day Jerusalem will be known as The Throne of the LORD. All nations will come there to honor the LORD. They will no longer stubbornly follow their own evil desires. 18 In those days the people of Judah and Israel will return together from exile in the north. They will return to the land I gave their ancestors as an inheritance forever. 19 " I thought to myself, ` I would love to treat you as my own children!' I wanted nothing more than to give you this beautiful land--the finest inheritance in the world. I looked forward to your calling me ` Father,' and I thought you would never turn away from me again. 20 But you have betrayed me, you people of Israel! You have been like a faithless wife who leaves her husband," says the LORD. 21 Voices are heard high on the windswept mountains, the weeping and pleading of Israel's people. For they have forgotten the LORD their God and wandered far from his ways. 22 " My wayward children," says the LORD, " come back to me, and I will heal your wayward hearts." " Yes, we will come," the people reply, " for you are the LORD our God. 23 Our worship of idols and our religious orgies on the hills and mountains are completely false. Only in the LORD our God will Israel ever find salvation. 24 From childhood we have watched as everything our ancestors worked for--their flocks and herds, their sons and daughters--was squandered on a delusion. 25 Let us now lie down in shame and dishonor, for we and our ancestors have always sinned against the LORD our God. We have never obeyed him."4:1 " O ISRAEL, come back to me," says the LORD. " If you will throw away your detestable idols and go astray no more, 2 and if you will swear by my name alone, and begin to live good, honest lives and uphold justice, then you will be a blessing to the nations of the world, and all people will come and praise my name." 3 This is what the LORD says to the people of Judah and Jerusalem: " Plow up the hard ground of your hearts! Do not waste your good seed among thorns. 4 Cleanse your minds and hearts before the LORD, or my anger will burn like an unquenchable fire because of all your sins. 5 " Shout to Jerusalem and to all Judah! Tell them to sound the alarm throughout the land: ` Run for your lives! Flee to the fortified cities!' 6 Send a signal toward Jerusalem: ` Flee now! Do not delay!' For I am bringing terrible destruction upon you from the north." 7 A lion stalks from its den, a destroyer of nations. And it is headed for your land! Your towns will lie in ruins, empty of people. 8 So put on clothes of mourning and weep with broken hearts, for the fierce anger of the LORD is still upon us. 9 " In that day," says the LORD, " the king and the officials will tremble in fear. The priests and the prophets will be struck with horror." 10 Then I said, " O Sovereign LORD, the people have been deceived by what you said, for you promised peace for Jerusalem. Yet the sword is even now poised to strike them dead!" 11 The time is coming when the LORD will say to the people of Jerusalem, " A burning wind is blowing in from the desert. It is not a gentle breeze useful for winnowing grain. 12 It is a roaring blast sent by me! Now I will pronounce your destruction!" 13 Our enemy rushes down on us like a storm wind! His chariots are like whirlwinds; his horses are swifter than eagles. How terrible it will be! Our destruction is sure! 14 O Jerusalem, cleanse your hearts that you may be saved. How long will you harbor your evil thoughts? 15 From Dan and the hill country of Ephraim, your destruction has been announced.16 " Warn the surrounding nations and announce to Jerusalem: ` The enemy is coming from a distant land, raising a battle cry against the towns of Judah. 17 They surround Jerusalem like watchmen surrounding a field, for my people have rebelled against me,' " says the LORD. 18 " Your own actions have brought this upon you. This punishment is a bitter dose of your own medicine. It has pierced you to the heart!"

COLOSSIANS 1:1-17

This letter is from Paul, chosen by God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy. 2 It is written to God's holy people in the city of Colosse, who are faithful brothers and sisters* in Christ. May God our Father give you grace and peace. 3 We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 for we have heard that you trust in Christ Jesus and that you love all of God's people. 5 You do this because you are looking forward to the joys of heaven--as you have been ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News. 6 This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is changing lives everywhere, just as it changed yours that very first day you heard and understood the truth about God's great kindness to sinners. 7 Epaphras, our much loved co-worker, was the one who brought you the Good News. He is Christ's faithful servant, and he is helping us in your place. 8 He is the one who told us about the great love for others that the Holy Spirit has given you. 9 So we have continued praying for you ever since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you a complete understanding of what he wants to do in your lives, and we ask him to make you wise with spiritual wisdom. 10 Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and you will continually do good, kind things for others. All the while, you will learn to know God better and better. 11 We also pray that you will be strengthened with his glorious power so that you will have all the patience and endurance you need. May you be filled with joy, 12 always thanking the Father, who has enabled you to share the inheritance that belongs to God's holy people, who live in the light. 13 For he has rescued us from the one who rules in the kingdom of darkness, and he has brought us into the Kingdom of his dear Son. 14 God has purchased our freedom with his blood and has forgiven all our sins.15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before God made anything at all and is supreme over all creation. 16 Christ is the one through whom God created everything in heaven and earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can't see--kings, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities. Everything has been created through him and for him. 17 He existed before everything else began, and he holds all creation together.

PSALM 76:1-12

For the choir director: A psalm of Asaph, to be accompanied by stringed instruments. A song.

1 God is well known in Judah;

his name is great in Israel.

2 Jerusalem is where he lives;

Mount Zion is his home.

3 There he breaks the arrows of the enemy,

the shields and swords and weapons of his foes.

Interlude4 You are glorious and more majestic

than the everlasting mountains.

5 The mightiest of our enemies have been plundered.

They lie before us in the sleep of death.

No warrior could lift a hand against us.

6 When you rebuked them, O God of Jacob,

their horses and chariots stood still.

7 No wonder you are greatly feared!

Who can stand before you when your anger explodes?

8 From heaven you sentenced your enemies;

the earth trembled and stood silent before you.

9 You stand up to judge those who do evil, O God,

and to rescue the oppressed of the earth.

Interlude10 Human opposition only enhances your glory,

for you use it as a sword of judgment.

11 Make vows to the LORD your God, and fulfill them.

Let everyone bring tribute to the Awesome One.

12 For he breaks the spirit of princes

and is feared by the kings of the earth.

PROVERBS 24:21-22

My child, fear the LORD and the king, and don't associate with rebels. For you will go down with them to sudden disaster. Who knows where the punishment from the LORD and the king will end?

October 3 Reading through the Bible

 

JEREMIAH 1:1-2:30

PHILIPPIANS 4:1-23

PSALM 75:1-10

PROVERBS 24:17-20

JEREMIAH 1:1-2:30

These are the words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests from Anathoth, a town in the land of Benjamin. 2 The LORD first gave messages to Jeremiah during the thirteenth year of King Josiah's reign in Judah. 3 He continued to give messages throughout the reign of Josiah's son, King Jehoiakim, until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah's reign in Judah. In August of that year, the people of Jerusalem were taken away as captives. 4 The LORD gave me a message. He said, 5 " I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my spokesman to the world." 6 " O Sovereign LORD," I said, " I can't speak for you! I'm too young!" 7 " Don't say that," the LORD replied, " for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. 8 And don't be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and take care of you. I, the LORD, have spoken!" 9 Then the LORD touched my mouth and said, " See, I have put my words in your mouth! 10 Today I appoint you to stand up against nations and kingdoms. You are to uproot some and tear them down, to destroy and overthrow them. You are to build others up and plant them." 11 Then the LORD said to me, " Look, Jeremiah! What do you see?" And I replied, " I see a branch from an almond tree." 12 And the LORD said, " That's right, and it means that I am watching, and I will surely carry out my threats of punishment." 13 Then the LORD spoke to me again and asked, " What do you see now?" And I replied, " I see a pot of boiling water, tipping from the north." 14 " Yes," the LORD said, " for terror from the north will boil out on the people of this land. 15 Listen! I am calling the armies of the kingdoms of the north to come to Jerusalem. They will set their thrones at the gates of the city. They will attack its walls and all the other towns of Judah. 16 I will pronounce judgment on my people for all their evil--for deserting me and worshiping other gods. Yes, they worship idols that they themselves have made! 17 " Get up and get dressed. Go out, and tell them whatever I tell you to say. Do not be afraid of them, or I will make you look foolish in front of them. 18 For see, today I have made you immune to their attacks. You are strong like a fortified city that cannot be captured, like an iron pillar or a bronze wall. None of the kings, officials, priests, or people of Judah will be able to stand against you. 19 They will try, but they will fail. For I am with you, and I will take care of you. I, the LORD, have spoken!"2:1 THE LORD gave me another message. He said, 2 " Go and shout in Jerusalem's streets: ` This is what the LORD says: I remember how eager you were to please me as a young bride long ago, how you loved me and followed me even through the barren wilderness. 3 In those days Israel was holy to the LORD, the first of my children. All who harmed my people were considered guilty, and disaster fell upon them. I, the LORD, have spoken!' " 4 Listen to the word of the LORD, people of Jacob--all you families of Israel! 5 This is what the LORD says: " What sin did your ancestors find in me that led them to stray so far? They worshiped foolish idols, only to become foolish themselves. 6 They did not ask, ` Where is the LORD who brought us safely out of Egypt and led us through the barren wilderness--a land of deserts and pits, of drought and death, where no one lives or even travels?' 7 " And when I brought you into a fruitful land to enjoy its bounty and goodness, you defiled my land and corrupted the inheritance I had promised you. 8 The priests did not ask, ` Where is the LORD?' The judges ignored me, the rulers turned against me, and the prophets spoke in the name of Baal, wasting their time on nonsense. 9 Therefore, I will bring my case against you and will keep on accusing you, even against your children's children in the years to come. I, the LORD, have spoken!10 " Go west to the land of Cyprus; go east to the land of Kedar. Think about what you see there. See if anyone has ever heard of anything as strange as this. 11 Has any nation ever exchanged its gods for another god, even though its gods are nothing? Yet my people have exchanged their glorious God for worthless idols! 12 The heavens are shocked at such a thing and shrink back in horror and dismay, says the LORD. 13 For my people have done two evil things: They have forsaken me--the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all! 14 " Why has Israel become a nation of slaves? Why has she been carried away as plunder? 15 Lions have roared against her. The land has been destroyed, and the cities are now in ruins. No one lives in them anymore. 16 Egyptians, marching from their cities of Memphis and Tahpanhes, have utterly destroyed Israel's glory and power. 17 And you have brought this on yourselves by rebelling against the LORD your God when he wanted to lead you and show you the way! 18 " What have you gained by your alliances with Egypt and Assyria? What good to you are the waters of the Nile and the Euphrates? 19 Your own wickedness will punish you. You will see what an evil, bitter thing it is to forsake the LORD your God, having no fear of him. I, the Lord, the LORD Almighty, have spoken! 20 Long ago I broke your yoke and tore away the chains of your slavery, but still you would not obey me. On every hill and under every green tree, you have prostituted yourselves by bowing down to idols. 21 " How could this happen? When I planted you, I chose a vine of the purest stock--the very best. How did you grow into this corrupt wild vine? 22 No amount of soap or lye can make you clean. You are stained with guilt that cannot be washed away. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken! 23 " You say, ` That's not true! We haven't worshiped the images of Baal!' But how can you say that? Go and look in any valley in the land! Face the awful sins you have done. You are like a restless female camel, desperate for a male! 24 You are like a wild donkey, sniffing the wind at mating time. Who can restrain your lust? Those who desire you do not even need to search, for you come running to them! 25 Why do you refuse to turn from all this running after other gods? But you say, ` Don't waste your breath. I have fallen in love with these foreign gods, and I can't stop loving them now!'26 " Like a thief, Israel feels shame only when she gets caught. Kings, officials, priests, and prophets--all are alike in this. 27 To an image carved from a piece of wood they say, ` You are my father.' To an idol chiseled out of stone they say, ` You are my mother.' They turn their backs on me, but in times of trouble they cry out for me to save them! 28 Why don't you call on these gods you have made? When danger comes, let them save you if they can! For you have as many gods as there are cities and towns in Judah. 29 Why do you accuse me of doing wrong? You are the ones who have rebelled, says the LORD. 30 I have punished your children, but it did them no good. They still refuse to obey. You yourselves have killed your prophets as a lion kills its prey."

PHILIPPIANS 4:1-23

Dear brothers and sisters,* I [Paul] love you and long to see you, for you are my joy and the reward for my work. So please stay true to the Lord, my dear friends. 2 And now I want to plead with those two women, Euodia and Syntyche. Please, because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement. 3 And I ask you, my true teammate, to help these women, for they worked hard with me in telling others the Good News. And they worked with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are written in the Book of Life.4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again--rejoice! 5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. 6 Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. 8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, let me say one more thing as I close this letter. Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 9 Keep putting into practice all you learned from me and heard from me and saw me doing, and the God of peace will be with you. 10 How grateful I am, and how I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but for a while you didn't have the chance to help me. 11 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to get along happily whether I have much or little. 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. 13 For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need. 14 But even so, you have done well to share with me in my present difficulty.15 As you know, you Philippians were the only ones who gave me financial help when I brought you the Good News and then traveled on from Macedonia. No other church did this. 16 Even when I was in Thessalonica you sent help more than once. 17 I don't say this because I want a gift from you. What I want is for you to receive a well-earned reward because of your kindness. 18 At the moment I have all I need--more than I need! I am generously supplied with the gifts you sent me with Epaphroditus. They are a sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable to God and pleases him. 19 And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. 20 Now glory be to God our Father forever and ever. Amen. 21 Give my greetings to all the Christians there. The brothers who are with me here send you their greetings. 22 And all the other Christians send their greetings, too, especially those who work in Caesar's palace. 23 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

PSALM 75:1-10

For the choir director: A psalm of Asaph, to be sung to the tune " Do Not Destroy!" A song.

1 We thank you, O God!

We give thanks because you are near.

People everywhere tell of your mighty miracles.

2 God says, " At the time I have planned,

I will bring justice against the wicked.

3 When the earth quakes and its people live in turmoil,

I am the one who keeps its foundations firm.

Interlude4 " I warned the proud, ` Stop your boasting!'

I told the wicked, ` Don't raise your fists!

5 Don't lift your fists in defiance at the heavens

or speak with rebellious arrogance.' "

6 For no one on earth--from east or west,

or even from the wilderness--

can raise another person up.

7 It is God alone who judges;

he decides who will rise and who will fall.

8 For the LORD holds a cup in his hand;

it is full of foaming wine mixed with spices.

He pours the wine out in judgment,

and all the wicked must drink it,

draining it to the dregs.

9 But as for me, I will always proclaim what God has done;

I will sing praises to the God of Israel.

10 For God says, " I will cut off the strength of the wicked,

but I will increase the power of the godly."

PROVERBS 24:17-20

Do not rejoice when your enemies fall into trouble. Don't be happy when they stumble. For the LORD will be displeased with you and will turn his anger away from them. Do not fret because of evildoers; don't envy the wicked. For the evil have no future; their light will be snuffed out.

October 2 Reading through the Bible

 

ISAIAH 66:1-24

PHILIPPIANS 3:4-21

PSALM 74:1-23

PROVERBS 24:15-16

ISAIAH 66:1-24

This is what the LORD says: " Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Could you ever build me a temple as good as that? Could you build a dwelling place for me? 2 My hands have made both heaven and earth, and they are mine. I, the LORD, have spoken! " I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble at my word. 3 But those who choose their own ways, delighting in their sins, are cursed. Their offerings will not be accepted. When such people sacrifice an ox, it is no more acceptable than a human sacrifice. When they sacrifice a lamb or bring an offering of grain, it is as bad as putting a dog or the blood of a pig on the altar! When they burn incense, it is as if they had blessed an idol. 4 I will send great troubles against them--all the things they feared. For when I called, they did not answer. When I spoke, they did not listen. They deliberately sinned--before my very eyes--and chose to do what they know I despise." 5 Hear this message from the LORD, and tremble at his words: " Your close relatives hate you and throw you out for being loyal to my name. ` Let the LORD be honored!' they scoff. ` Be joyful in him!' But they will be put to shame. 6 What is all the commotion in the city? What is that terrible noise from the Temple? It is the voice of the LORD taking vengeance against his enemies. 7 " Before the birth pains even begin, Jerusalem gives birth to a son. 8 Who has ever seen or heard of anything as strange as this? Has a nation ever been born in a single day? Has a country ever come forth in a mere moment? But by the time Jerusalem's birth pains begin, the baby will be born; the nation will come forth. 9 Would I ever bring this nation to the point of birth and then not deliver it?" asks the LORD. " No! I would never keep this nation from being born," says your God. 10 " Rejoice with Jerusalem! Be glad with her, all you who love her and mourn for her. 11 Delight in Jerusalem! Drink deeply of her glory even as an infant drinks at its mother's generous breasts. 12 Peace and prosperity will overflow Jerusalem like a river," says the LORD. " The wealth of the nations will flow to her. Her children will be nursed at her breasts, carried in her arms, and treated with love. 13 I will comfort you there as a child is comforted by its mother."14 When you see these things, your heart will rejoice. Vigorous health will be yours! Everyone will see the good hand of the LORD on his people--and his anger against his enemies. 15 See, the LORD is coming with fire, and his swift chariots of destruction roar like a whirlwind. He will bring punishment with the fury of his anger and the flaming fire of his hot rebuke. 16 The LORD will punish the world by fire and by his sword, and many will be killed by the LORD. 17 " Those who ` purify' themselves in a sacred garden, feasting on pork and rats and other forbidden meats, will come to a terrible end," says the LORD. 18 " I can see what they are doing, and I know what they are thinking. So I will gather all nations and peoples together, and they will see my glory. 19 I will perform a sign among them. And I will send those who survive to be messengers to the nations--to Tarshish, to the Libyans and Lydians (who are famous as archers), to Tubal and Greece, and to all the lands beyond the sea that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory. There they will declare my glory to the nations. 20 They will bring the remnant of your people back from every nation. They will bring them to my holy mountain in Jerusalem as an offering to the LORD. They will ride on horses, in chariots and wagons, and on mules and camels," says the LORD. 21 " And I will appoint some of those who return to be my priests and Levites. I, the LORD, have spoken! 22 " As surely as my new heavens and earth will remain, so will you always be my people, with a name that will never disappear," says the LORD. 23 " All humanity will come to worship me from week to week and from month to month. 24 And as they go out, they will see the dead bodies of those who have rebelled against me. For the worms that devour them will never die, and the fire that burns them will never go out. All who pass by will view them with utter horror."

PHILIPPIANS 3:4-21

Yet I [Paul] could have confidence in myself if anyone could. If others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more! 5 For I was circumcised when I was eight days old, having been born into a pure-blooded Jewish family that is a branch of the tribe of Benjamin. So I am a real Jew if there ever was one! What's more, I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. 6 And zealous? Yes, in fact, I harshly persecuted the church. And I obeyed the Jewish law so carefully that I was never accused of any fault. 7 I once thought all these things were so very important, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. 8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I may have Christ 9 and become one with him. I no longer count on my own goodness or my ability to obey God's law, but I trust Christ to save me. For God's way of making us right with himself depends on faith. 10 As a result, I can really know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I can learn what it means to suffer with him, sharing in his death, 11 so that, somehow, I can experience the resurrection from the dead! 12 I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection! But I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved me for and wants me to be. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven. 15 I hope all of you who are mature Christians will agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you. 16 But we must be sure to obey the truth we have learned already. 17 Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. 18 For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their future is eternal destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and all they think about is this life here on earth. 20 But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. 21 He will take these weak mortal bodies of ours and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same mighty power that he will use to conquer everything, everywhere.

PSALM 74:1-23

A psalm of Asaph.

1 O God, why have you rejected us forever?

Why is your anger so intense against the sheep of your own pasture?

2 Remember that we are the people you chose in ancient times,

the tribe you redeemed as your own special possession!

And remember Jerusalem, your home here on earth.

3 Walk through the awful ruins of the city;

see how the enemy has destroyed your sanctuary.

4 There your enemies shouted their victorious battle cries;

there they set up their battle standards.

5 They chopped down the entrance

like woodcutters in a forest.

6 With axes and picks,

they smashed the carved paneling.

7 They set the sanctuary on fire, burning it to the ground.

They utterly defiled the place that bears your holy name.

8 Then they thought, " Let's destroy everything!"

So they burned down all the places where God was worshiped.

9 We see no miraculous signs

as evidence that you will save us.

All the prophets are gone;

no one can tell us when it will end.

10 How long, O God, will you allow our enemies to mock you?

Will you let them dishonor your name forever?

11 Why do you hold back your strong right hand?

Unleash your powerful fist and deliver a deathblow.

12 You, O God, are my king from ages past,

bringing salvation to the earth.

13 You split the sea by your strength

and smashed the sea monster's heads.

14 You crushed the heads of Leviathan

and let the desert animals eat him.

15 You caused the springs and streams to gush forth,

and you dried up rivers that never run dry.

16 Both day and night belong to you;

you made the starlight and the sun.

17 You set the boundaries of the earth,

and you make both summer and winter.

18 See how these enemies scoff at you, LORD.

A foolish nation has dishonored your name.

19 Don't let these wild beasts destroy your doves.

Don't forget your afflicted people forever.

20 Remember your covenant promises,

for the land is full of darkness and violence!

21 Don't let the downtrodden be constantly disgraced!

Instead, let these poor and needy ones give praise to your name.

22 Arise, O God, and defend your cause.

Remember how these fools insult you all day long.

23 Don't overlook these things your enemies have said.

Their uproar of rebellion grows ever louder.

PROVERBS 24:15-16

Do not lie in wait like an outlaw at the home of the godly. And don't raid the house where the godly live. They may trip seven times, but each time they will rise again. But one calamity is enough to lay the wicked low.

October 1 Reading through the Bible

 

ISAIAH 62:6-65:25

PHILIPPIANS 2:19-3:3

PSALM 73:1-28

PROVERBS 24:13-14

ISAIAH 62:6-65:25

O Jerusalem, I [Isaiah] have posted watchmen on your walls; they will pray to the LORD day and night for the fulfillment of his promises. Take no rest, all you who pray. 7 Give the LORD no rest until he makes Jerusalem the object of praise throughout the earth. 8 The LORD has sworn to Jerusalem by his own strength: " I will never again hand you over to your enemies. Never again will foreign warriors come and take away your grain and wine. 9 You raised it, and you will keep it, praising the LORD. Within the courtyards of the Temple, you yourselves will drink the wine that you have pressed." 10 Go out! Prepare the highway for my people to return! Smooth out the road; pull out the boulders; raise a flag for all the nations to see. 11 The LORD has sent this message to every land: " Tell the people of Israel, ` Look, your Savior is coming. See, he brings his reward with him as he comes.' " 12 They will be called the Holy People and the People Redeemed by the LORD. And Jerusalem will be known as the Desirable Place and the City No Longer Forsaken. 63:1 WHO is this who comes from Edom, from the city of Bozrah, with his clothing stained red? Who is this in royal robes, marching in the greatness of his strength? " It is I, the LORD, announcing your salvation! It is I, the LORD, who is mighty to save!" 2 Why are your clothes so red, as if you have been treading out grapes? 3 " I have trodden the winepress alone; no one was there to help me. In my anger I have trampled my enemies as if they were grapes. In my fury I have trampled my foes. It is their blood that has stained my clothes. 4 For the time has come for me to avenge my people, to ransom them from their oppressors. 5 I looked, but no one came to help my people. I was amazed and appalled at what I saw. So I executed vengeance alone; unaided, I passed down judgment. 6 I crushed the nations in my anger and made them stagger and fall to the ground." 7 I will tell of the LORD's unfailing love. I will praise the LORD for all he has done. I will rejoice in his great goodness to Israel, which he has granted according to his mercy and love. 8 He said, " They are my very own people. Surely they will not be false again." And he became their Savior. 9 In all their suffering he also suffered, and he personally rescued them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them. He lifted them up and carried them through all the years.10 But they rebelled against him and grieved his Holy Spirit. That is why he became their enemy and fought against them. 11 Then they remembered those days of old when Moses led his people out of Egypt. They cried out, " Where is the one who brought Israel through the sea, with Moses as their shepherd? Where is the one who sent his Holy Spirit to be among his people? 12 Where is the one whose power divided the sea before them, when Moses lifted up his hand, establishing his reputation forever? 13 Where is the one who led them through the bottom of the sea? They were like fine stallions racing through the desert, never stumbling. 14 As with cattle going down into a peaceful valley, the Spirit of the LORD gave them rest. You led your people, LORD, and gained a magnificent reputation." 15 LORD, look down from heaven and see us from your holy, glorious home. Where is the passion and the might you used to show on our behalf? Where are your mercy and compassion now? 16 Surely you are still our Father! Even if Abraham and Jacob would disown us, LORD, you would still be our Father. You are our Redeemer from ages past. 17 LORD, why have you allowed us to turn from your path? Why have you given us stubborn hearts so we no longer fear you? Return and help us, for we are your servants and your special possession. 18 How briefly your holy people possessed the holy place, and now our enemies have destroyed it. 19 LORD, why do you treat us as though we never belonged to you? Why do you act as though we had never been known as your people?64:1 OH, that you would burst from the heavens and come down! How the mountains would quake in your presence! 2 As fire causes wood to burn and water to boil, your coming would make the nations tremble. Then your enemies would learn the reason for your fame! 3 When you came down long ago, you did awesome things beyond our highest expectations. And oh, how the mountains quaked! 4 For since the world began, no ear has heard, and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him! 5 You welcome those who cheerfully do good, who follow godly ways. But we are not godly. We are constant sinners, so your anger is heavy on us. How can people like us be saved? 6 We are all infected and impure with sin. When we proudly display our righteous deeds, we find they are but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall. And our sins, like the wind, sweep us away. 7 Yet no one calls on your name or pleads with you for mercy. Therefore, you have turned away from us and turned us over to our sins. 8 And yet, LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We are all formed by your hand. 9 Oh, don't be so angry with us, LORD. Please don't remember our sins forever. Look at us, we pray, and see that we are all your people. 10 Your holy cities are destroyed; even Jerusalem is a desolate wilderness. 11 The holy, beautiful Temple where our ancestors praised you has been burned down, and all the things of beauty are destroyed. 12 After all this, LORD, must you still refuse to help us? Will you continue to be silent and punish us?65:1 THE LORD says, " People who never before inquired about me are now asking about me. I am being found by people who were not looking for me. To them I have said, ` I am here!' 2 " I opened my arms to my own people all day long, but they have rebelled. They follow their own evil paths and thoughts. 3 All day long they insult me to my face by worshiping idols in their sacred gardens. They burn incense on the rooftops of their homes. 4 At night they go out among the graves and secret places to worship evil spirits. They also eat pork and other forbidden foods. 5 Yet they say to each other, ` Don't come too close or you will defile me! I am holier than you!' They are a stench in my nostrils, an acrid smell that never goes away. 6 " Look, my decree is written out in front of me: I will not stand silent; I will repay them in full! Yes, I will repay them--7 both for their own sins and for those of their ancestors," says the LORD. " For they also burned incense on the mountains and insulted me on the hills. I will pay them back in full! 8 " But I will not destroy them all," says the LORD. " For just as good grapes are found among a cluster of bad ones (and someone will say, ` Don't throw them all away--there are some good grapes there!'), so I will not destroy all Israel. For I still have true servants there. 9 I will preserve a remnant of the people of Israel and of Judah to possess my land. Those I choose will inherit it and serve me there. 10 For my people who have searched for me, the plain of Sharon will again be filled with flocks, and the valley of Achor will be a place to pasture herds. 11 " But because the rest of you have forsaken the LORD and his Temple and worship the gods of Fate and Destiny, 12 I will ` destine' you to the sword. All of you will bow before the executioner, for when I called, you did not answer. When I spoke, you did not listen. You deliberately sinned--before my very eyes--and chose to do what you know I despise."13 Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: " You will starve, but my servants will eat. You will be thirsty, but they will drink. You will be sad and ashamed, but they will rejoice. 14 You will cry in sorrow and despair, while my servants sing for joy. 15 Your name will be a curse word among my people, for the Sovereign LORD will destroy you and call his true servants by another name. 16 All who invoke a blessing or take an oath will do so by the God of truth. For I will put aside my anger and forget the evil of earlier days. 17 " Look! I am creating new heavens and a new earth--so wonderful that no one will even think about the old ones anymore. 18 Be glad; rejoice forever in my creation! And look! I will create Jerusalem as a place of happiness. Her people will be a source of joy. 19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem and delight in my people. And the sound of weeping and crying will be heard no more. 20 " No longer will babies die when only a few days old. No longer will adults die before they have lived a full life. No longer will people be considered old at one hundred! Only sinners will die that young! 21 In those days, people will live in the houses they build and eat the fruit of their own vineyards. 22 It will not be like the past, when invaders took the houses and confiscated the vineyards. For my people will live as long as trees and will have time to enjoy their hard-won gains. 23 They will not work in vain, and their children will not be doomed to misfortune. For they are people blessed by the LORD, and their children, too, will be blessed. 24 I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking to me about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers! 25 The wolf and lamb will feed together. The lion will eat straw like the ox. Poisonous snakes will strike no more. In those days, no one will be hurt or destroyed on my holy mountain. I, the LORD, have spoken!"

PHILIPPIANS 2:19-3:3

If the Lord Jesus is willing, I [Paul] hope to send Timothy to you [Philippians] soon. Then when he comes back, he can cheer me up by telling me how you are getting along. 20 I have no one else like Timothy, who genuinely cares about your welfare. 21 All the others care only for themselves and not for what matters to Jesus Christ. 22 But you know how Timothy has proved himself. Like a son with his father, he has helped me in preaching the Good News. 23 I hope to send him to you just as soon as I find out what is going to happen to me here. 24 And I have confidence from the Lord that I myself will come to see you soon. 25 Meanwhile, I thought I should send Epaphroditus back to you. He is a true brother, a faithful worker, and a courageous soldier. And he was your messenger to help me in my need. 26 Now I am sending him home again, for he has been longing to see you, and he was very distressed that you heard he was ill. 27 And he surely was ill; in fact, he almost died. But God had mercy on him--and also on me, so that I would not have such unbearable sorrow. 28 So I am all the more anxious to send him back to you, for I know you will be glad to see him, and that will lighten all my cares. 29 Welcome him with Christian love and with great joy, and be sure to honor people like him. 30 For he risked his life for the work of Christ, and he was at the point of death while trying to do for me the things you couldn't do because you were far away. 3:1 WHATEVER happens, dear brothers and sisters,* may the Lord give you joy. I never get tired of telling you this. I am doing this for your own good. 2 Watch out for those dogs, those wicked men and their evil deeds, those mutilators who say you must be circumcised to be saved. 3 For we who worship God in the Spirit are the only ones who are truly circumcised. We put no confidence in human effort. Instead, we boast about what Christ Jesus has done for us.

PSALM 73:1-28

A psalm of Asaph.

1 Truly God is good to Israel,

to those whose hearts are pure.

2 But as for me, I came so close to the edge of the cliff!

My feet were slipping, and I was almost gone.

3 For I envied the proud

when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness.

4 They seem to live such a painless life;

their bodies are so healthy and strong.

5 They aren't troubled like other people

or plagued with problems like everyone else.

6 They wear pride like a jeweled necklace,

and their clothing is woven of cruelty.

7 These fat cats have everything

their hearts could ever wish for!

8 They scoff and speak only evil;

in their pride they seek to crush others.

9 They boast against the very heavens,

and their words strut throughout the earth.

10 And so the people are dismayed and confused,

drinking in all their words.

11 " Does God realize what is going on?" they ask.

" Is the Most High even aware of what is happening?"

12 Look at these arrogant people--

enjoying a life of ease while their riches multiply.

13 Was it for nothing that I kept my heart pure

and kept myself from doing wrong?

14 All I get is trouble all day long;

every morning brings me pain.

15 If I had really spoken this way,

I would have been a traitor to your people.

16 So I tried to understand why the wicked prosper.

But what a difficult task it is!

17 Then one day I went into your sanctuary, O God,

and I thought about the destiny of the wicked.

18 Truly, you put them on a slippery path

and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction.

19 In an instant they are destroyed,

swept away by terrors.

20 Their present life is only a dream

that is gone when they awake.

When you arise, O Lord,

you will make them vanish from this life.

21 Then I realized how bitter I had become,

how pained I had been by all I had seen.

22 I was so foolish and ignorant--

I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you.

23 Yet I still belong to you;

you are holding my right hand.

24 You will keep on guiding me with your counsel,

leading me to a glorious destiny.

25 Whom have I in heaven but you?

I desire you more than anything on earth.

26 My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak,

but God remains the strength of my heart;

he is mine forever.

27 But those who desert him will perish,

for you destroy those who abandon you.

28 But as for me, how good it is to be near God!

I have made the Sovereign LORD my shelter,

and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do.

PROVERBS 24:13-14

My child, eat honey, for it is good, and the honeycomb is sweet to the taste. In the same way, wisdom is sweet to your soul. If you find it, you will have a bright future, and your hopes will not be cut short.

September 30 Reading through the Bible

 

ISAIAH 60:1-62:5

PHILIPPIANS 1:27-2:18

PSALM 72:1-20

PROVERBS 24:11-12

ISAIAH 60:1-62:5

" Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all the nations to see! For the glory of the LORD is shining upon you. 2 Darkness as black as night will cover all the nations of the earth, but the glory of the LORD will shine over you. 3 All nations will come to your light. Mighty kings will come to see your radiance. 4 " Look and see, for everyone is coming home! Your sons are coming from distant lands; your little daughters will be carried home. 5 Your eyes will shine, and your hearts will thrill with joy, for merchants from around the world will come to you. They will bring you the wealth of many lands. 6 Vast caravans of camels will converge on you, the camels of Midian and Ephah. From Sheba they will bring gold and incense for the worship of the LORD. 7 The flocks of Kedar will be given to you, and the rams of Nebaioth will be brought for my altars. In that day I will make my Temple glorious. 8 " And what do I see flying like clouds to Israel, like doves to their nests? 9 They are the ships of Tarshish, reserved to bring the people of Israel home. They will bring their wealth with them, and it will bring great honor to the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he will fill you with splendor. 10 " Foreigners will come to rebuild your cities. Kings and rulers will send you aid. For though I have destroyed you in my anger, I will have mercy on you through my grace. 11 Your gates will stay open around the clock to receive the wealth of many lands. The kings of the world will be led as captives in a victory procession. 12 For the nations that refuse to be your allies will be destroyed. 13 The glory of Lebanon will be yours--the forests of cypress, fir, and pine--to beautify my sanctuary. My Temple will be glorious! 14 " The children of your tormentors will come and bow before you. Those who despised you will kiss your feet. They will call you the City of the LORD, and Zion of the Holy One of Israel.15 " Though you were once despised and hated and rebuffed by all, you will be beautiful forever. You will be a joy to all generations, for I will make you so. 16 Powerful kings and mighty nations will bring the best of their goods to satisfy your every need. You will know at last that I, the LORD, am your Savior and Redeemer, the Mighty One of Israel. 17 I will exchange your bronze for gold, your iron for silver, your wood for bronze, and your stones for iron. Peace and righteousness will be your leaders! 18 Violence will disappear from your land; the desolation and destruction of war will end. Salvation will surround you like city walls, and praise will be on the lips of all who enter there. 19 " No longer will you need the sun or moon to give you light, for the LORD your God will be your everlasting light, and he will be your glory. 20 The sun will never set; the moon will not go down. For the LORD will be your everlasting light. Your days of mourning will come to an end. 21 All your people will be righteous. They will possess their land forever, for I will plant them there with my own hands in order to bring myself glory. 22 The smallest family will multiply into a large clan. The tiniest group will become a mighty nation. I, the LORD, will bring it all to pass at the right time."61:1 THE Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon me, because the LORD has appointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to announce that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. 2 He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the LORD's favor has come, and with it, the day of God's anger against their enemies. 3 To all who mourn in Israel, he will give beauty for ashes, joy instead of mourning, praise instead of despair. For the LORD has planted them like strong and graceful oaks for his own glory. 4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins, repairing cities long ago destroyed. They will revive them, though they have been empty for many generations. 5 Foreigners will be your servants. They will feed your flocks and plow your fields and tend your vineyards. 6 You will be called priests of the LORD, ministers of our God. You will be fed with the treasures of the nations and will boast in their riches. 7 Instead of shame and dishonor, you will inherit a double portion of prosperity and everlasting joy. 8 " For I, the LORD, love justice. I hate robbery and wrongdoing. I will faithfully reward my people for their suffering and make an everlasting covenant with them. 9 Their descendants will be known and honored among the nations. Everyone will realize that they are a people the LORD has blessed."10 I am overwhelmed with joy in the LORD my God! For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness. I am like a bridegroom in his wedding suit or a bride with her jewels. 11 The Sovereign LORD will show his justice to the nations of the world. Everyone will praise him! His righteousness will be like a garden in early spring, filled with young plants springing up everywhere. 62:1 BECAUSE I love Zion, because my heart yearns for Jerusalem, I cannot remain silent. I will not stop praying for her until her righteousness shines like the dawn, and her salvation blazes like a burning torch. 2 The nations will see your righteousness. Kings will be blinded by your glory. And the LORD will give you a new name. 3 The LORD will hold you in his hands for all to see--a splendid crown in the hands of God. 4 Never again will you be called the Godforsaken City or the Desolate Land. Your new name will be the City of God's Delight and the Bride of God, for the LORD delights in you and will claim you as his own. 5 Your children will care for you with joy, O Jerusalem, just as a young man cares for his bride. Then God will rejoice over you as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride.

PHILIPPIANS 1:27-2:18

But whatever happens to me [Paul], you [Philippians] must live in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ, as citizens of heaven. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing side by side, fighting together for the Good News. 28 Don't be intimidated by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself. 29 For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him. 30 We are in this fight together. You have seen me suffer for him in the past, and you know that I am still in the midst of this great struggle. 2:1 IS there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and sympathetic? 2 Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one heart and purpose. 3 Don't be selfish; don't live to make a good impression on others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself. 4 Don't think only about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too, and what they are doing. 5 Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had. 6 Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God. 7 He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form. 8 And in human form he obediently humbled himself even further by dying a criminal's death on a cross. 9 Because of this, God raised him up to the heights of heaven and gave him a name that is above every other name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 12 Dearest friends, you were always so careful to follow my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away you must be even more careful to put into action God's saving work in your lives, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. 13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases him. 14 In everything you do, stay away from complaining and arguing, 15 so that no one can speak a word of blame against you. You are to live clean, innocent lives as children of God in a dark world full of crooked and perverse people. Let your lives shine brightly before them. 16 Hold tightly to the word of life, so that when Christ returns, I will be proud that I did not lose the race and that my work was not useless. 17 But even if my life is to be poured out like a drink offering to complete the sacrifice of your faithful service (that is, if I am to die for you), I will rejoice, and I want to share my joy with all of you. 18 And you should be happy about this and rejoice with me.

PSALM 72:1-20

A psalm of Solomon.

1 Give justice to the king, O God,

and righteousness to the king's son.

2 Help him judge your people in the right way;

let the poor always be treated fairly.

3 May the mountains yield prosperity for all,

and may the hills be fruitful,

because the king does what is right.

4 Help him to defend the poor,

to rescue the children of the needy,

and to crush their oppressors.

5 May he live as long as the sun shines,

as long as the moon continues in the skies.

Yes, forever!

6 May his reign be as refreshing as the springtime rains--

like the showers that water the earth.

7 May all the godly flourish during his reign.

May there be abundant prosperity until the end of time.

8 May he reign from sea to sea,

and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.

9 Desert nomads will bow before him;

his enemies will fall before him in the dust.

10 The western kings of Tarshish and the islands

will bring him tribute.

The eastern kings of Sheba and Seba

will bring him gifts.

11 All kings will bow before him,

and all nations will serve him.

12 He will rescue the poor when they cry to him;

he will help the oppressed, who have no one to defend them.

13 He feels pity for the weak and the needy,

and he will rescue them.

14 He will save them from oppression and from violence,

for their lives are precious to him.

15 Long live the king!

May the gold of Sheba be given to him.

May the people always pray for him

and bless him all day long.

16 May there be abundant crops throughout the land,

flourishing even on the mountaintops.

May the fruit trees flourish as they do in Lebanon,

sprouting up like grass in a field.

17 May the king's name endure forever;

may it continue as long as the sun shines.

May all nations be blessed through him

and bring him praise.

18 Bless the LORD God, the God of Israel,

who alone does such wonderful things.

19 Bless his glorious name forever!

Let the whole earth be filled with his glory.

Amen and amen!

20 (This ends the prayers of David son of Jesse.)

PROVERBS 24:11-12

Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to death; don't stand back and let them die. Don't try to avoid responsibility by saying you didn't know about it. For God knows all hearts, and he sees you. He keeps watch over your soul, and he knows you knew! And he will judge all people according to what they have done.

September 29 Reading through the Bible

ISAIAH 57:15-59:21

PHILIPPIANS 1:1-26

PSALM 71:1-24

PROVERBS 24:9-10

ISAIAH 57:15-59:21

The high and lofty one who inhabits eternity, the Holy One, says this: " I live in that high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I refresh the humble and give new courage to those with repentant hearts. 16 For I will not fight against you forever; I will not always show my anger. If I did, all people would pass away--all the souls I have made. 17 I was angry and punished these greedy people. I withdrew myself from them, but they went right on sinning. 18 I have seen what they do, but I will heal them anyway! I will lead them and comfort those who mourn. 19 Then words of praise will be on their lips. May they have peace, both near and far, for I will heal them all," says the LORD. 20 " But those who still reject me are like the restless sea. It is never still but continually churns up mire and dirt. 21 There is no peace for the wicked," says my God. 58:1 " SHOUT with the voice of a trumpet blast. Tell my people Israel of their sins! 2 Yet they act so pious! They come to the Temple every day and seem delighted to hear my laws. You would almost think this was a righteous nation that would never abandon its God. They love to make a show of coming to me and asking me to take action on their behalf. 3 ` We have fasted before you!' they say. ` Why aren't you impressed? We have done much penance, and you don't even notice it!' " I will tell you why! It's because you are living for yourselves even while you are fasting. You keep right on oppressing your workers. 4 What good is fasting when you keep on fighting and quarreling? This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me. 5 You humble yourselves by going through the motions of penance, bowing your heads like a blade of grass in the wind. You dress in sackcloth and cover yourselves with ashes. Is this what you call fasting? Do you really think this will please the LORD? 6 " No, the kind of fasting I want calls you to free those who are wrongly imprisoned and to stop oppressing those who work for you. Treat them fairly and give them what they earn. 7 I want you to share your food with the hungry and to welcome poor wanderers into your homes. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help. 8 " If you do these things, your salvation will come like the dawn. Yes, your healing will come quickly. Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the LORD will protect you from behind. 9 Then when you call, the LORD will answer. ` Yes, I am here,' he will quickly reply." Stop oppressing the helpless and stop making false accusations and spreading vicious rumors! 10 Feed the hungry and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as day. 11 The LORD will guide you continually, watering your life when you are dry and keeping you healthy, too. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring. 12 Your children will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities. Then you will be known as the people who rebuild their walls and cities. 13 " Keep the Sabbath day holy. Don't pursue your own interests on that day, but enjoy the Sabbath and speak of it with delight as the LORD's holy day. Honor the LORD in everything you do, and don't follow your own desires or talk idly. If you do this, 14 the LORD will be your delight. I will give you great honor and give you your full share of the inheritance I promised to Jacob, your ancestor. I, the LORD, have spoken!" 59:1 LISTEN! The LORD is not too weak to save you, and he is not becoming deaf. He can hear you when you call. 2 But there is a problem--your sins have cut you off from God. Because of your sin, he has turned away and will not listen anymore. 3 Your hands are the hands of murderers, and your fingers are filthy with sin. Your mouth is full of lies, and your lips are tainted with corruption. 4 No one cares about being fair and honest. Their lawsuits are based on lies. They spend their time plotting evil deeds and then doing them. 5 They spend their time and energy spinning evil plans that end up in deadly actions. 6 They cheat and shortchange everyone. Nothing they do is productive; all their activity is filled with sin. Violence is their trademark. 7 Their feet run to do evil, and they rush to commit murder. They think only about sinning. Wherever they go, misery and destruction follow them. 8 They do not know what true peace is or what it means to be just and good. They continually do wrong, and those who follow them cannot experience a moment's peace. 9 It is because of all this evil that deliverance is far from us. That is why God doesn't punish those who injure us. No wonder we are in darkness when we expected light. No wonder we are walking in the gloom. 10 No wonder we grope like blind people and stumble along. Even at brightest noontime, we fall down as though it were dark. No wonder we are like corpses when compared to vigorous young men! 11 We growl like hungry bears; we moan like mournful doves. We look for justice, but it is nowhere to be found. We look to be rescued, but it is far away from us. 12 For our sins are piled up before God and testify against us. Yes, we know what sinners we are. 13 We know that we have rebelled against the LORD. We have turned our backs on God. We know how unfair and oppressive we have been, carefully planning our deceitful lies. 14 Our courts oppose people who are righteous, and justice is nowhere to be found. Truth falls dead in the streets, and fairness has been outlawed. 15 Yes, truth is gone, and anyone who tries to live a godly life is soon attacked. The LORD looked and was displeased to find that there was no justice. 16 He was amazed to see that no one intervened to help the oppressed. So he himself stepped in to save them with his mighty power and justice. 17 He put on righteousness as his body armor and placed the helmet of salvation on his head. He clothed himself with the robes of vengeance and godly fury. 18 He will repay his enemies for their evil deeds. His fury will fall on his foes in distant lands. 19 Then at last they will respect and glorify the name of the LORD throughout the world. For he will come like a flood tide driven by the breath of the LORD.20 " The Redeemer will come to Jerusalem," says the LORD, " to buy back those in Israel who have turned from their sins. 21 And this is my covenant with them," says the LORD. " My Spirit will not leave them, and neither will these words I have given you. They will be on your lips and on the lips of your children and your children's children forever. I, the LORD, have spoken!"

PHILIPPIANS 1:1-26

This letter is from Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus. It is written to all of God's people in Philippi, who believe in Christ Jesus, and to the elders and deacons. 2 May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.3 Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. 4 I always pray for you, and I make my requests with a heart full of joy 5 because you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. 6 And I am sure that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again. 7 It is right that I should feel as I do about all of you, for you have a very special place in my heart. We have shared together the blessings of God, both when I was in prison and when I was out, defending the truth and telling others the Good News. 8 God knows how much I love you and long for you with the tender compassion of Christ Jesus. 9 I pray that your love for each other will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in your knowledge and understanding. 10 For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until Christ returns. 11 May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation--those good things that are produced in your life by Jesus Christ--for this will bring much glory and praise to God. 12 And I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters,* that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. 13 For everyone here, including all the soldiers in the palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ. 14 And because of my imprisonment, many of the Christians here have gained confidence and become more bold in telling others about Christ.15 Some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry. But others preach about Christ with pure motives. 16 They preach because they love me, for they know the Lord brought me here to defend the Good News. 17 Those others do not have pure motives as they preach about Christ. They preach with selfish ambition, not sincerely, intending to make my chains more painful to me. 18 But whether or not their motives are pure, the fact remains that the message about Christ is being preached, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice. 19 For I know that as you pray for me and as the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me, this will all turn out for my deliverance. 20 For I live in eager expectation and hope that I will never do anything that causes me shame, but that I will always be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past, and that my life will always honor Christ, whether I live or I die. 21 For to me, living is for Christ, and dying is even better. 22 Yet if I live, that means fruitful service for Christ. I really don't know which is better. 23 I'm torn between two desires: Sometimes I want to live, and sometimes I long to go and be with Christ. That would be far better for me, 24 but it is better for you that I live. 25 I am convinced of this, so I will continue with you so that you will grow and experience the joy of your faith. 26 Then when I return to you, you will have even more reason to boast about what Christ Jesus has done for me.

PSALM 71:1-24

O LORD, you are my refuge;

never let me be disgraced.

2 Rescue me! Save me from my enemies, for you are just.

Turn your ear to listen and set me free.

3 Be to me a protecting rock of safety,

where I am always welcome.

Give the order to save me,

for you are my rock and my fortress.

4 My God, rescue me from the power of the wicked,

from the clutches of cruel oppressors.

5 O Lord, you alone are my hope.

I've trusted you, O LORD, from childhood.

6 Yes, you have been with me from birth;

from my mother's womb you have cared for me.

No wonder I am always praising you!

7 My life is an example to many,

because you have been my strength and protection.

8 That is why I can never stop praising you;

I declare your glory all day long.

9 And now, in my old age, don't set me aside.

Don't abandon me when my strength is failing.

10 For my enemies are whispering against me.

They are plotting together to kill me.

11 They say, " God has abandoned him.

Let's go and get him,

for there is no one to help him now."

12 O God, don't stay away.

My God, please hurry to help me.

13 Bring disgrace and destruction on those who accuse me.

May humiliation and shame cover

those who want to harm me.

14 But I will keep on hoping for you to help me;

I will praise you more and more.

15 I will tell everyone about your righteousness.

All day long I will proclaim your saving power,

for I am overwhelmed by how much you have done for me.

16 I will praise your mighty deeds, O Sovereign LORD.

I will tell everyone that you alone are just and good.

17 O God, you have taught me from my earliest childhood,

and I have constantly told others about the wonderful things you do.

18 Now that I am old and gray,

do not abandon me, O God.

Let me proclaim your power to this new generation,

your mighty miracles to all who come after me.

19 Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the highest heavens.

You have done such wonderful things.

Who can compare with you, O God?

20 You have allowed me to suffer much hardship,

but you will restore me to life again

and lift me up from the depths of the earth.

21 You will restore me to even greater honor

and comfort me once again.

22 Then I will praise you with music on the harp,

because you are faithful to your promises, O God.

I will sing for you with a lyre,

O Holy One of Israel.

23 I will shout for joy and sing your praises,

for you have redeemed me.

24 I will tell about your righteous deeds

all day long,

for everyone who tried to hurt me

has been shamed and humiliated.

PROVERBS 24:9-10

The schemes of a fool are sinful; everyone despises a mocker. If you fail under pressure, your strength is not very great. 

September 28 Reading through the Bible

 

ISAIAH 54:1-57:14

EPHESIANS 6:1-24

PSALM 70:1-5

PROVERBS 24:8

ISAIAH 54:1-57:14

" Sing, O childless woman! Break forth into loud and joyful song, O Jerusalem, even though you never gave birth to a child. For the woman who could bear no children now has more than all the other women," says the LORD. 2 " Enlarge your house; build an addition; spread out your home! 3 For you will soon be bursting at the seams. Your descendants will take over other nations and live in their cities. 4 " Fear not; you will no longer live in shame. The shame of your youth and the sorrows of widowhood will be remembered no more, 5 for your Creator will be your husband. The LORD Almighty is his name! He is your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the God of all the earth. 6 For the LORD has called you back from your grief--as though you were a young wife abandoned by her husband," says your God. 7 " For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with great compassion I will take you back. 8 In a moment of anger I turned my face away for a little while. But with everlasting love I will have compassion on you," says the LORD, your Redeemer. 9 " Just as I swore in the time of Noah that I would never again let a flood cover the earth and destroy its life, so now I swear that I will never again pour out my anger on you. 10 For the mountains may depart and the hills disappear, but even then I will remain loyal to you. My covenant of blessing will never be broken," says the LORD, who has mercy on you. 11 " O storm-battered city, troubled and desolate! I will rebuild you on a foundation of sapphires and make the walls of your houses from precious jewels. 12 I will make your towers of sparkling rubies and your gates and walls of shining gems. 13 I will teach all your citizens, and their prosperity will be great. 14 You will live under a government that is just and fair. Your enemies will stay far away; you will live in peace. Terror will not come near. 15 If any nation comes to fight you, it will not be because I sent them to punish you. Your enemies will always be defeated because I am on your side. 16 I have created the blacksmith who fans the coals beneath the forge and makes the weapons of destruction. And I have created the armies that destroy. 17 But in that coming day, no weapon turned against you will succeed. And everyone who tells lies in court will be brought to justice. These benefits are enjoyed by the servants of the LORD; their vindication will come from me. I, the LORD, have spoken!55:1 " IS anyone thirsty? Come and drink--even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk--it's all free! 2 Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength? Why pay for food that does you no good? Listen, and I will tell you where to get food that is good for the soul! 3 " Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, for the life of your soul is at stake. I am ready to make an everlasting covenant with you. I will give you all the mercies and unfailing love that I promised to David. 4 He displayed my power by being my witness and a leader among the nations. 5 You also will command the nations, and they will come running to obey, because I, the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, have made you glorious." 6 Seek the LORD while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. 7 Let the people turn from their wicked deeds. Let them banish from their minds the very thought of doing wrong! Let them turn to the LORD that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 8 " My thoughts are completely different from yours," says the LORD. " And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. 9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. 10 " The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. 11 It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it. 12 You will live in joy and peace. The mountains and hills will burst into song, and the trees of the field will clap their hands! 13 Where once there were thorns, cypress trees will grow. Where briers grew, myrtles will sprout up. This miracle will bring great honor to the LORD's name; it will be an everlasting sign of his power and love.56:1 " BE just and fair to all," says the LORD. " Do what is right and good, for I am coming soon to rescue you. 2 Blessed are those who are careful to do this. Blessed are those who honor my Sabbath days of rest by refusing to work. And blessed are those who keep themselves from doing wrong. 3 " And my blessings are for Gentiles, too, when they commit themselves to the LORD. Do not let them think that I consider them second-class citizens. And my blessings are also for the eunuchs. They are as much mine as anyone else. 4 For I say this to the eunuchs who keep my Sabbath days holy, who choose to do what pleases me and commit their lives to me: 5 I will give them--in my house, within my walls--a memorial and a name far greater than the honor they would have received by having sons and daughters. For the name I give them is an everlasting one. It will never disappear! 6 " I will also bless the Gentiles who commit themselves to the LORD and serve him and love his name, who worship him and do not desecrate the Sabbath day of rest, and who have accepted his covenant. 7 I will bring them also to my holy mountain of Jerusalem and will fill them with joy in my house of prayer. I will accept their burnt offerings and sacrifices, because my Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations. 8 For the Sovereign LORD, who brings back the outcasts of Israel, says: I will bring others, too, besides my people Israel." 9 Come, wild animals of the field! Come, wild animals of the forest! Come and devour my people! 10 For the leaders of my people--the LORD's watchmen, his shepherds--are blind to every danger. They are like silent watchdogs that give no warning when danger comes. They love to lie around, sleeping and dreaming. 11 And they are as greedy as dogs, never satisfied. They are stupid shepherds, all following their own path, all of them intent on personal gain. 12 " Come," they say. " We will get some wine and have a party. Let's all get drunk. Let this go on and on, and tomorrow will be even better."57:1 THE righteous pass away; the godly often die before their time. And no one seems to care or wonder why. No one seems to understand that God is protecting them from the evil to come. 2 For the godly who die will rest in peace. 3 " But you--come here, you witches' children, you offspring of adulterers and prostitutes! 4 Whom do you mock, making faces and sticking out your tongues? You children of sinners and liars! 5 You worship your idols with great passion beneath every green tree. You slaughter your children as human sacrifices down in the valleys, under overhanging rocks. 6 Your gods are the smooth stones in the valleys. You worship them with drink offerings and grain offerings. They, not I, are your inheritance. Does all this make me happy? 7 You have committed adultery on the mountaintops by worshiping idols there, and so you have been unfaithful to me. 8 Behind closed doors, you have set up your idols and worship them instead of me. This is adultery, for you are loving these idols instead of loving me. You have climbed right into bed with these detestable gods. 9 You have given olive oil and perfume to Molech as your gift. You have traveled far, even into the world of the dead, to find new gods to love. 10 You grew weary in your search, but you never gave up. You strengthened yourself and went on. 11 Why were you more afraid of them than of me? How is it that you don't even remember me or think about me? Is it because I have not corrected you that you have no fear of me? 12 " Now I will expose your so-called good deeds that you consider so righteous. None of them will benefit or save you. 13 Let's see if your idols can do anything for you when you cry to them for help. They are so helpless that a breath of wind can knock them down! But whoever trusts in me will possess the land and inherit my holy mountain. 14 I will say, ` Rebuild the road! Clear away the rocks and stones so my people can return from captivity.' "

EPHESIANS 6:1-24

Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. 2 " Honor your father and mother." This is the first of the Ten Commandments that ends with a promise. 3 And this is the promise: If you honor your father and mother, " you will live a long life, full of blessing." 4 And now a word to you fathers. Don't make your children angry by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction approved by the Lord. 5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. 6 Work hard, but not just to please your masters when they are watching. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. 7 Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. 8 Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free. 9 And in the same way, you masters must treat your slaves right. Don't threaten them; remember, you both have the same Master in heaven, and he has no favorites.10 A final word: Be strong with the Lord's mighty power. 11 Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the Devil. 12 For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms. 13 Use every piece of God's armor to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the sturdy belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News, so that you will be fully prepared. 16 In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan. 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere. 19 And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words as I boldly explain God's secret plan that the Good News is for the Gentiles, too. 20 I am in chains now for preaching this message as God's ambassador. But pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should.21 Tychicus, a much loved brother and faithful helper in the Lord's work, will tell you all about how I am getting along. 22 I am sending him to you for just this purpose. He will let you know how we are, and he will encourage you. 23 May God give you peace, dear brothers and sisters,* and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 May God's grace be upon all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.

PSALM 70:1-5

For the choir director: A psalm of David, to bring us to the LORD's remembrance.

1 Please, God, rescue me!

Come quickly, LORD, and help me.

2 May those who try to destroy me

be humiliated and put to shame.

May those who take delight in my trouble

be turned back in disgrace.

3 Let them be horrified by their shame,

for they said, " Aha! We've got him now!"

4 But may all who search for you

be filled with joy and gladness.

May those who love your salvation

repeatedly shout, " God is great!"

5 But I am poor and needy;

please hurry to my aid, O God.

You are my helper and my savior;

O LORD, do not delay!

PROVERBS 24:8

A person who plans evil will get a reputation as a troublemaker.