September 23 Reading through the Bible

 

 ISAIAH 41:17-43:13

EPHESIANS 2:1-22

PSALM 67:1-7

PROVERBS 23:29-35

ISAIAH 41:17-43:13

" When the poor and needy search for water and there is none, and their tongues are parched from thirst, then I, the LORD, will answer them. I, the God of Israel, will never forsake them. 18 I will open up rivers for them on high plateaus. I will give them fountains of water in the valleys. In the deserts they will find pools of water. Rivers fed by springs will flow across the dry, parched ground. 19 I will plant trees--cedar, acacia, myrtle, olive, cypress, fir, and pine--on barren land. 20 Everyone will see this miracle and understand that it is the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, who did it. 21 " Can your idols make such claims as these? Let them come and show what they can do!" says the LORD, the King of Israel. 22 " Let them try to tell us what happened long ago or what the future holds. 23 Yes, that's it! If you are gods, tell what will occur in the days ahead. Or perform a mighty miracle that will fill us with amazement and fear. Do something, whether good or bad! 24 But no! You are less than nothing and can do nothing at all. Anyone who chooses you becomes filthy, just like you! 25 " But I have stirred up a leader from the north and east. He will come against the nations and call on my name, and I will give him victory over kings and princes. He will trample them as a potter treads on clay. 26 " Who but I have told you this would happen? Who else predicted this, making you admit that he was right? No one else said a word! 27 I was the first to tell Jerusalem, ` Look! Help is on the way!' 28 Not one of your idols told you this. Not one gave any answer when I asked. 29 See, they are all foolish, worthless things. Your idols are all as empty as the wind.42:1 " LOOK at my servant, whom I strengthen. He is my chosen one, and I am pleased with him. I have put my Spirit upon him. He will reveal justice to the nations. 2 He will be gentle--he will not shout or raise his voice in public. 3 He will not crush those who are weak or quench the smallest hope. He will bring full justice to all who have been wronged. 4 He will not stop until truth and righteousness prevail throughout the earth. Even distant lands beyond the sea will wait for his instruction." 5 God, the LORD, created the heavens and stretched them out. He created the earth and everything in it. He gives breath and life to everyone in all the world. And it is he who says, 6 " I, the LORD, have called you to demonstrate my righteousness. I will guard and support you, for I have given you to my people as the personal confirmation of my covenant with them. And you will be a light to guide all nations to me. 7 You will open the eyes of the blind and free the captives from prison. You will release those who sit in dark dungeons. 8 " I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to anyone else. I will not share my praise with carved idols. 9 Everything I prophesied has come true, and now I will prophesy again. I will tell you the future before it happens."10 Sing a new song to the LORD!

Sing his praises from the ends of the earth!

Sing, all you who sail the seas,

all you who live in distant coastlands.

11 Join in the chorus, you desert towns;

let the villages of Kedar rejoice!

Let the people of Sela sing for joy;

shout praises from the mountaintops!

12 Let the coastlands glorify the LORD;

let them sing his praise.

13 The LORD will march forth like a mighty man;

he will come out like a warrior, full of fury.

He will shout his thundering battle cry,

and he will crush all his enemies.

14 He will say, " I have long been silent;

yes, I have restrained myself.

But now I will give full vent to my fury;

I will gasp and pant like a woman giving birth.

15 I will level the mountains and hills

and bring a blight on all their greenery.

I will turn the rivers into dry land

and will dry up all the pools.

16 I will lead blind Israel down a new path,

guiding them along an unfamiliar way.

I will make the darkness bright before them

and smooth out the road ahead of them.

Yes, I will indeed do these things;

I will not forsake them.

17 But those who trust in idols,

calling them their gods--

they will be turned away in shame.

18 " Oh, how deaf and blind you are toward me! Why won't you listen? Why do you refuse to see? 19 Who in all the world is as blind as my own people, my servant? Who is as deaf as my messengers? Who is as blind as my chosen people, the servant of the LORD? 20 You see and understand what is right but refuse to act on it. You hear, but you don't really listen." 21 The LORD has magnified his law and made it truly glorious. Through it he had planned to show the world that he is righteous. 22 But what a sight his people are, for they have been robbed, enslaved, imprisoned, and trapped. They are fair game for all and have no one to protect them. 23 Will not even one of you apply these lessons from the past and see the ruin that awaits you? 24 Who allowed Israel to be robbed and hurt? Was it not the LORD? It was the LORD whom we sinned against, for the people would not go where he sent them, nor would they obey his law. 25 That is why he poured out such fury on them and destroyed them in battle. They were set on fire and burned, but they still refused to understand. 43:1 BUT now, O Israel, the LORD who created you says: " Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. 2 When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. 3 For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I gave Egypt, Ethiopia, and Seba as a ransom for your freedom. 4 Others died that you might live. I traded their lives for yours because you are precious to me. You are honored, and I love you. 5 " Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will gather you and your children from east and west 6 and from north and south. I will bring my sons and daughters back to Israel from the distant corners of the earth. 7 All who claim me as their God will come, for I have made them for my glory. It was I who created them." 8 Bring out the people who have eyes but are blind, who have ears but are deaf. 9 Gather the nations together! Which of their idols has ever foretold such things? Can any of them predict something even a single day in advance? Where are the witnesses of such predictions? Who can verify that they spoke the truth? 10 " But you are my witnesses, O Israel!" says the LORD. " And you are my servant. You have been chosen to know me, believe in me, and understand that I alone am God. There is no other God; there never has been and never will be. 11 I am the LORD, and there is no other Savior. 12 First I predicted your deliverance; I declared what I would do, and then I did it--I saved you. No foreign god has ever done this before. You are witnesses that I am the only God," says the LORD. 13 " From eternity to eternity I am God. No one can oppose what I do. No one can reverse my actions."

EPHESIANS 2:1-22

Once you [believers] were dead, doomed forever because of your many sins. 2 You used to live just like the rest of the world, full of sin, obeying Satan, the mighty prince of the power of the air. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passions and desires of our evil nature. We were born with an evil nature, and we were under God's anger just like everyone else. 4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so very much, 5 that even while we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God's special favor that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ, and we are seated with him in the heavenly realms--all because we are one with Christ Jesus. 7 And so God can always point to us as examples of the incredible wealth of his favor and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us through Christ Jesus.8 God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. 11 Don't forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders by birth. You were called " the uncircumcised ones" by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts. 12 In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from God's people, Israel, and you did not know the promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. 13 But now you belong to Christ Jesus. Though you once were far away from God, now you have been brought near to him because of the blood of Christ. 14 For Christ himself has made peace between us Jews and you Gentiles by making us all one people. He has broken down the wall of hostility that used to separate us. 15 By his death he ended the whole system of Jewish law that excluded the Gentiles. His purpose was to make peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new person from the two groups. 16 Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death, and our hostility toward each other was put to death. 17 He has brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and to us Jews who were near. 18 Now all of us, both Jews and Gentiles, may come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us. 19 So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God's holy people. You are members of God's family. 20 We are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. 21 We who believe are carefully joined together, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. 22 Through him you Gentiles are also joined together as part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.

PSALM 67:1-7

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

1 May God be merciful and bless us.

May his face shine with favor upon us.

Interlude2 May your ways be known throughout the earth,

your saving power among people everywhere.

3 May the nations praise you, O God.

Yes, may all the nations praise you.

4 How glad the nations will be, singing for joy,

because you govern them with justice

and direct the actions of the whole world.

Interlude5 May the nations praise you, O God.

Yes, may all the nations praise you.

6 Then the earth will yield its harvests,

and God, our God, will richly bless us.

7 Yes, God will bless us,

and people all over the world will fear him.

PROVERBS 23:29-35

Who has anguish? Who has sorrow? Who is always fighting? Who is always complaining? Who has unnecessary bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? It is the one who spends long hours in the taverns, trying out new drinks. Don't let the sparkle and smooth taste of wine deceive you. For in the end it bites like a poisonous serpent; it stings like a viper. You will see hallucinations, and you will say crazy things. You will stagger like a sailor tossed at sea, clinging to a swaying mast. And you will say, " They hit me, but I didn't feel it. I didn't even know it when they beat me up. When will I wake up so I can have another drink?"

September 22 Reading through the Bible

  

EPHESIANS 1:1-23

PSALM 66:1-20

PROVERBS 23:25-28

ISAIAH 39:1-41:16

Soon after this, Merodach-baladan son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent Hezekiah his best wishes and a gift. He had heard that Hezekiah had been very sick and that he had recovered. 2 Hezekiah welcomed the Babylonian envoys and showed them everything in his treasure-houses--the silver, the gold, the spices, and the aromatic oils. He also took them to see his armory and showed them all his other treasures--everything! There was nothing in his palace or kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them. 3 Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and asked him, " What did those men want? Where were they from?" Hezekiah replied, " They came from the distant land of Babylon." 4 " What did they see in your palace?" asked Isaiah. " They saw everything," Hezekiah replied. " I showed them everything I own--all my treasures."5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, " Listen to this message from the LORD Almighty: 6 The time is coming when everything you have--all the treasures stored up by your ancestors--will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the LORD. 7 Some of your own descendants will be taken away into exile. They will become eunuchs who will serve in the palace of Babylon's king." 8 Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, " This message you have given me from the LORD is good." But the king was thinking, " At least there will be peace and security during my lifetime." 40:1 " COMFORT, comfort my people," says your God. 2 " Speak tenderly to Jerusalem. Tell her that her sad days are gone and that her sins are pardoned. Yes, the LORD has punished her in full for all her sins." 3 Listen! I hear the voice of someone shouting, " Make a highway for the LORD through the wilderness. Make a straight, smooth road through the desert for our God. 4 Fill the valleys and level the hills. Straighten out the curves and smooth off the rough spots. 5 Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it together. The LORD has spoken!" 6 A voice said, " Shout!" I asked, " What should I shout?"" Shout that people are like the grass that dies away. Their beauty fades as quickly as the beauty of flowers in a field. 7 The grass withers, and the flowers fade beneath the breath of the LORD. And so it is with people. 8 The grass withers, and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever." 9 Messenger of good news, shout to Zion from the mountaintops! Shout louder to Jerusalem--do not be afraid. Tell the towns of Judah, " Your God is coming!" 10 Yes, the Sovereign LORD is coming in all his glorious power. He will rule with awesome strength. See, he brings his reward with him as he comes. 11 He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young. 12 Who else has held the oceans in his hand? Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers? Who else knows the weight of the earth or has weighed out the mountains and the hills? 13 Who is able to advise the Spirit of the LORD? Who knows enough to be his teacher or counselor? 14 Has the LORD ever needed anyone's advice? Does he need instruction about what is good or what is best? 15 No, for all the nations of the world are nothing in comparison with him. They are but a drop in the bucket, dust on the scales. He picks up the islands as though they had no weight at all. 16 All Lebanon's forests do not contain sufficient fuel to consume a sacrifice large enough to honor him. All Lebanon's sacrificial animals would not make an offering worthy of our God. 17 The nations of the world are as nothing to him. In his eyes they are less than nothing--mere emptiness and froth. 18 To whom, then, can we compare God? What image might we find to resemble him? 19 Can he be compared to an idol formed in a mold, overlaid with gold, and decorated with silver chains? 20 Or is a poor person's wooden idol better? Can God be compared to an idol that must be placed on a stand so it won't fall down? 21 Have you never heard or understood? Are you deaf to the words of God--the words he gave before the world began? Are you so ignorant? 22 It is God who sits above the circle of the earth. The people below must seem to him like grasshoppers! He is the one who spreads out the heavens like a curtain and makes his tent from them. 23 He judges the great people of the world and brings them all to nothing. 24 They hardly get started, barely taking root, when he blows on them and their work withers. The wind carries them off like straw. 25 " To whom will you compare me? Who is my equal?" asks the Holy One.26 Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars? He brings them out one after another, calling each by its name. And he counts them to see that none are lost or have strayed away. 27 O Israel, how can you say the LORD does not see your troubles? How can you say God refuses to hear your case? 28 Have you never heard or understood? Don't you know that the LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth? He never grows faint or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. 29 He gives power to those who are tired and worn out; he offers strength to the weak. 30 Even youths will become exhausted, and young men will give up. 31 But those who wait on the LORD will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. 41:1 " LISTEN in silence before me, you lands beyond the sea. Bring your strongest arguments. Come now and speak. The court is ready for your case. 2 " Who has stirred up this king from the east, who meets victory at every step? Who, indeed, but the LORD? He gives him victory over many nations and permits him to trample their kings underfoot. He puts entire armies to the sword. He scatters them in the wind with his bow. 3 He chases them away and goes on safely, though he is walking over unfamiliar ground. 4 Who has done such mighty deeds, directing the affairs of the human race as each new generation marches by? It is I, the LORD, the First and the Last. I alone am he." 5 The lands beyond the sea watch in fear. Remote lands tremble and mobilize for war. 6 They encourage one another with the words, " Be strong!" 7 The craftsmen rush to make new idols. The carver hurries the goldsmith, and the molder helps at the anvil. " Good," they say. " It's coming along fine." Carefully they join the parts together, then fasten the thing in place so it won't fall over.8 " But as for you, Israel my servant, Jacob my chosen one, descended from my friend Abraham, 9 I have called you back from the ends of the earth so you can serve me. For I have chosen you and will not throw you away. 10 Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you with my victorious right hand. 11 " See, all your angry enemies lie there, confused and ashamed. Anyone who opposes you will die. 12 You will look for them in vain. They will all be gone! 13 I am holding you by your right hand--I, the LORD your God. And I say to you, ` Do not be afraid. I am here to help you. 14 Despised though you are, O Israel, don't be afraid, for I will help you. I am the LORD, your Redeemer. I am the Holy One of Israel.' 15 You will be a new threshing instrument with many sharp teeth. You will tear all your enemies apart, making chaff of mountains. 16 You will toss them in the air, and the wind will blow them all away; a whirlwind will scatter them. And the joy of the LORD will fill you to overflowing. You will glory in the Holy One of Israel."

EPHESIANS 1:1-23

This letter is from Paul, chosen by God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus. It is written to God's holy people in Ephesus, who are faithful followers of Christ Jesus. 2 May grace and peace be yours, sent to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. 3 How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we belong to Christ. 4 Long ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure. 6 So we praise God for the wonderful kindness he has poured out on us because we belong to his dearly loved Son. 7 He is so rich in kindness that he purchased our freedom through the blood of his Son, and our sins are forgiven. 8 He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding. 9 God's secret plan has now been revealed to us; it is a plan centered on Christ, designed long ago according to his good pleasure. 10 And this is his plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ--everything in heaven and on earth. 11 Furthermore, because of Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us from the beginning, and all things happen just as he decided long ago. 12 God's purpose was that we who were the first to trust in Christ should praise our glorious God. 13 And now you also have heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. 14 The Spirit is God's guarantee that he will give us everything he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. This is just one more reason for us to praise our glorious God. 15 Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for Christians everywhere, 16 I have never stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, 17 asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. 18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the wonderful future he has promised to those he called. I want you to realize what a rich and glorious inheritance he has given to his people. 19 I pray that you will begin to understand the incredible greatness of his power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power 20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realms. 21 Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else in this world or in the world to come. 22 And God has put all things under the authority of Christ, and he gave him this authority for the benefit of the church. 23 And the church is his body; it is filled by Christ, who fills everything everywhere with his presence.

PSALM 66:1-20

For the choir director: A psalm. A song.

1 Shout joyful praises to God, all the earth!

2 Sing about the glory of his name!

Tell the world how glorious he is.

3 Say to God, " How awesome are your deeds!

Your enemies cringe before your mighty power.

4 Everything on earth will worship you;

they will sing your praises,

shouting your name in glorious songs."

Interlude5 Come and see what our God has done,

what awesome miracles he does for his people!

6 He made a dry path through the Red Sea,

and his people went across on foot.

Come, let us rejoice in who he is.

7 For by his great power he rules forever.

He watches every movement of the nations;

let no rebel rise in defiance.

Interlude8 Let the whole world bless our God

and sing aloud his praises.

9 Our lives are in his hands,

and he keeps our feet from stumbling.

10 You have tested us, O God;

you have purified us like silver melted in a crucible.

11 You captured us in your net

and laid the burden of slavery on our backs.

12 You sent troops to ride across our broken bodies.

We went through fire and flood.

But you brought us to a place of great abundance.

13 Now I come to your Temple with burnt offerings

to fulfill the vows I made to you--

14 yes, the sacred vows you heard me make

when I was in deep trouble.

15 That is why I am sacrificing burnt offerings to you--

the best of my rams as a pleasing aroma.

And I will sacrifice bulls and goats.

Interlude16 Come and listen, all you who fear God,

and I will tell you what he did for me.

17 For I cried out to him for help,

praising him as I spoke.

18 If I had not confessed the sin in my heart,

my Lord would not have listened.

19 But God did listen!

He paid attention to my prayer.

20 Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer

and did not withdraw his unfailing love from me.

PROVERBS 23:25-28

So give your parents joy! May she who gave you birth be happy. O my son, give me your heart. May your eyes delight in my ways of wisdom. A prostitute is a deep pit; an adulterous woman is treacherous. She hides and waits like a robber, looking for another victim who will be unfaithful to his wife.

September 21 Reading through the Bible

 

ISAIAH 37:1-38:22

GALATIANS 6:1-18

PSALM 65:1-13

PROVERBS 23:24

ISAIAH 37:1-38:22

When King Hezekiah heard their report, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and went into the Temple of the LORD to pray. 2 And he sent Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the court secretary, and the leading priests, all dressed in sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. 3 They told him, " This is what King Hezekiah says: This is a day of trouble, insult, and disgrace. It is like when a child is ready to be born, but the mother has no strength to deliver it. 4 But perhaps the LORD your God has heard the Assyrian representative defying the living God and will punish him for his words. Oh, pray for those of us who are left!" 5 After King Hezekiah's officials delivered the king's message to Isaiah, 6 the prophet replied, " Say to your master, ` This is what the LORD says: Do not be disturbed by this blasphemous speech against me from the Assyrian king's messengers. 7 Listen! I myself will make sure that the king will receive a report from Assyria telling him that he is needed at home. Then I will make him want to return to his land, where I will have him killed with a sword.' " 8 Meanwhile, the Assyrian representative left Jerusalem and went to consult his king, who had left Lachish and was attacking Libnah. 9 Soon afterward King Sennacherib received word that King Tirhakah of Ethiopia was leading an army to fight against him. Before leaving to meet the attack, he sent this message back to Hezekiah in Jerusalem: 10 " This message is for King Hezekiah of Judah. Don't let this God you trust deceive you with promises that Jerusalem will not be captured by the king of Assyria. 11 You know perfectly well what the kings of Assyria have done wherever they have gone. They have crushed everyone who stood in their way! Why should you be any different? 12 Have the gods of other nations rescued them--such nations as Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Tel-assar? The former kings of Assyria destroyed them all! 13 What happened to the king of Hamath and the king of Arpad? What happened to the kings of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?"14 After Hezekiah received the letter and read it, he went up to the LORD's Temple and spread it out before the LORD. 15 And Hezekiah prayed this prayer before the LORD: 16 " O LORD Almighty, God of Israel, you are enthroned between the mighty cherubim! You alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You alone created the heavens and the earth. 17 Listen to me, O LORD, and hear! Open your eyes, O LORD, and see! Listen to Sennacherib's words of defiance against the living God. 18 " It is true, LORD, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all these nations, just as the message says. 19 And they have thrown the gods of these nations into the fire and burned them. But of course the Assyrians could destroy them! They were not gods at all--only idols of wood and stone shaped by human hands. 20 Now, O LORD our God, rescue us from his power; then all the kingdoms of the earth will know that you alone, O LORD, are God." 21 Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent this message to Hezekiah: " This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: This is my answer to your prayer concerning King Sennacherib of Assyria. 22 This is the message that the LORD has spoken against him: ` The virgin daughter of Zion

despises you and laughs at you.

The daughter of Jerusalem

scoffs and shakes her head as you flee.

23 ` Whom do you think you have been insulting and ridiculing?

Against whom did you raise your voice?

At whom did you look in such proud condescension?

It was the Holy One of Israel!

24 By your messengers you have mocked the Lord.

You have said, " With my many chariots

I have conquered the highest mountains--

yes, the remotest peaks of Lebanon.

I have cut down its tallest cedars

and its choicest cypress trees.

I have reached its farthest corners

and explored its deepest forests.

25 I have dug wells in many a foreign land

and refreshed myself with their water.

I even stopped up the rivers of Egypt

so that my armies could go across!"

26 ` But have you not heard?

It was I, the LORD, who decided this long ago.

Long ago I planned what I am now causing to happen,

that you should crush fortified cities into heaps of rubble.

27 That is why their people have so little power

and are such easy prey for you.

They are as helpless as the grass,

as easily trampled as tender green shoots.

They are like grass sprouting on a housetop,

easily scorched by the sun.

28 ` But I know you well--

your comings and goings and all you do.

I know the way you have raged against me.

29 And because of your arrogance against me,

which I have heard for myself,

I will put my hook in your nose

and my bridle in your mouth.

I will make you return

by the road on which you came.' "

30 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, " Here is the proof that the LORD will protect this city from Assyria's king. This year you will eat only what grows up by itself, and next year you will eat what springs up from that. But in the third year you will plant crops and harvest them; you will tend vineyards and eat their fruit. 31 And you who are left in Judah, who have escaped the ravages of the siege, will take root again in your own soil, and you will flourish and multiply. 32 For a remnant of my people will spread out from Jerusalem, a group of survivors from Mount Zion. The passion of the LORD Almighty will make this happen! 33 " And this is what the LORD says about the king of Assyria: His armies will not enter Jerusalem to shoot their arrows. They will not march outside its gates with their shields and build banks of earth against its walls. 34 The king will return to his own country by the road on which he came. He will not enter this city, says the LORD. 35 For my own honor and for the sake of my servant David, I will defend it." 36 That night the angel of the LORD went out to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 Assyrian troops. When the surviving Assyrians woke up the next morning, they found corpses everywhere. 37 Then King Sennacherib of Assyria broke camp and returned to his own land. He went home to his capital of Nineveh and stayed there. 38 One day while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with their swords. They then escaped to the land of Ararat, and another son, Esarhaddon, became the next king of Assyria.38:1 ABOUT that time Hezekiah became deathly ill, and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to visit him. He gave the king this message: " This is what the LORD says: Set your affairs in order, for you are going to die. You will not recover from this illness." 2 When Hezekiah heard this, he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, 3 " Remember, O LORD, how I have always tried to be faithful to you and do what is pleasing in your sight." Then he broke down and wept bitterly. 4 Then this message came to Isaiah from the LORD: 5 " Go back to Hezekiah and tell him, ` This is what the LORD, the God of your ancestor David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will add fifteen years to your life, 6 and I will rescue you and this city from the king of Assyria. Yes, I will defend this city. 7 " ` And this is the sign that the LORD will give you to prove he will do as he promised: 8 I will cause the sun's shadow to move ten steps backward on the sundial of Ahaz!' " So the shadow on the sundial moved backward ten steps. 9 When King Hezekiah was well again, he wrote this poem about his experience:10 I said, " In the prime of my life,

must I now enter the place of the dead?

Am I to be robbed of my normal years?"

11 I said, " Never again will I see the LORD GOD

while still in the land of the living.

Never again will I see my friends

or laugh with those who live in this world.

12 My life has been blown away

like a shepherd's tent in a storm.

It has been cut short,

as when a weaver cuts cloth from a loom.

Suddenly, my life was over.

13 I waited patiently all night,

but I was torn apart as though by lions.

Suddenly, my life was over.

14 Delirious, I chattered like a swallow or a crane,

and then I moaned like a mourning dove.

My eyes grew tired of looking to heaven for help.

I am in trouble, Lord. Help me!"

15 But what could I say?

For he himself had sent this sickness.

Now I will walk humbly throughout my years

because of this anguish I have felt.

16 Lord, your discipline is good,

for it leads to life and health.

You have restored my health

and have allowed me to live!

17 Yes, it was good for me to suffer this anguish,

for you have rescued me from death

and have forgiven all my sins.

18 For the dead cannot praise you;

they cannot raise their voices in praise.

Those who go down to destruction

can no longer hope in your faithfulness.

19 Only the living can praise you as I do today.

Each generation can make known your faithfulness to the next.

20 Think of it--the LORD has healed me!

I will sing his praises with instruments

every day of my life

in the Temple of the LORD.

21 Isaiah had said to Hezekiah's servants, " Make an ointment from figs and spread it over the boil, and Hezekiah will recover." 22 And Hezekiah had asked, " What sign will prove that I will go to the Temple of the LORD three days from now?"

GALATIANS 6:1-18

Dear brothers and sisters, if another Christian is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. 2 Share each other's troubles and problems, and in this way obey the law of Christ. 3 If you think you are too important to help someone in need, you are only fooling yourself. You are really a nobody. 4 Be sure to do what you should, for then you will enjoy the personal satisfaction of having done your work well, and you won't need to compare yourself to anyone else. 5 For we are each responsible for our own conduct. 6 Those who are taught the word of God should help their teachers by paying them. 7 Don't be misled. Remember that you can't ignore God and get away with it. You will always reap what you sow! 8 Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful desires will harvest the consequences of decay and death. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. 9 So don't get tired of doing what is good. Don't get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time. 10 Whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone, especially to our Christian brothers and sisters. 11 Notice what large letters I use as I write these closing words in my own handwriting. 12 Those who are trying to force you to be circumcised are doing it for just one reason. They don't want to be persecuted for teaching that the cross of Christ alone can save. 13 And even those who advocate circumcision don't really keep the whole law. They only want you to be circumcised so they can brag about it and claim you as their disciples.14 As for me, God forbid that I should boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world died long ago, and the world's interest in me is also long dead. 15 It doesn't make any difference now whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we really have been changed into new and different people. 16 May God's mercy and peace be upon all those who live by this principle. They are the new people of God. 17 From now on, don't let anyone trouble me with these things. For I bear on my body the scars that show I belong to Jesus. 18 My dear brothers and sisters,* may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

PSALM 65:1-13

For the choir director: A psalm of David. A song.

1 What mighty praise, O God,

belongs to you in Zion.

We will fulfill our vows to you,

2 for you answer our prayers,

and to you all people will come.

3 Though our hearts are filled with sins,

you forgive them all.

4 What joy for those you choose to bring near,

those who live in your holy courts.

What joys await us

inside your holy Temple.

5 You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds,

O God our savior.

You are the hope of everyone on earth,

even those who sail on distant seas.

6 You formed the mountains by your power

and armed yourself with mighty strength.

7 You quieted the raging oceans

with their pounding waves

and silenced the shouting of the nations.

8 Those who live at the ends of the earth

stand in awe of your wonders.

From where the sun rises to where it sets,

you inspire shouts of joy.

9 You take care of the earth and water it,

making it rich and fertile.

The rivers of God will not run dry;

they provide a bountiful harvest of grain,

for you have ordered it so.

10 You drench the plowed ground with rain,

melting the clods and leveling the ridges.

You soften the earth with showers

and bless its abundant crops.

11 You crown the year with a bountiful harvest;

even the hard pathways overflow with abundance.

12 The wilderness becomes a lush pasture,

and the hillsides blossom with joy.

13 The meadows are clothed with flocks of sheep,

and the valleys are carpeted with grain.

They all shout and sing for joy!

PROVERBS 23:24

The father of godly children has cause for joy. What a pleasure it is to have wise children.

September 20 Reading through the Bible

 

ISAIAH 33:10-36:22

GALATIANS 5:13-26

PSALM 64:1-10

PROVERBS 23:23

ISAIAH 33:10-36:22

But the LORD says: " I will stand up and show my power and might. 11 You Assyrians will gain nothing by all your efforts. Your own breath will turn to fire and kill you. 12 Your people will be burned up completely, like thorns cut down and tossed in a fire. 13 Listen to what I have done, you nations far away! And you that are near, acknowledge my might!" 14 The sinners in Jerusalem shake with fear. " Which one of us," they cry, " can live here in the presence of this all-consuming fire?" 15 The ones who can live here are those who are honest and fair, who reject making a profit by fraud, who stay far away from bribes, who refuse to listen to those who plot murder, who shut their eyes to all enticement to do wrong. 16 These are the ones who will dwell on high. The rocks of the mountains will be their fortress of safety. Food will be supplied to them, and they will have water in abundance. 17 Your eyes will see the king in all his splendor, and you will see a land that stretches into the distance. 18 You will think back to this time of terror when the Assyrian officers outside your walls counted your towers and estimated how much plunder they would get from your fallen city. 19 But soon they will all be gone. These fierce, violent people with a strange, unknown language will disappear.20 Instead, you will see Zion as a place of worship and celebration. You will see Jerusalem, a city quiet and secure. 21 The LORD will be our Mighty One. He will be like a wide river of protection that no enemy can cross. 22 For the LORD is our judge, our lawgiver, and our king. He will care for us and save us. 23 The enemies' sails hang loose on broken masts with useless tackle. Their treasure will be divided by the people of God. Even the lame will win their share! 24 The people of Israel will no longer say, " We are sick and helpless," for the LORD will forgive their sins. 34:1 COME here and listen, O nations of the earth. Let the world and everything in it hear my words. 2 For the LORD is enraged against the nations. His fury is against all their armies. He will completely destroy them, bringing about their slaughter. 3 Their dead will be left unburied, and the stench of rotting bodies will fill the land. The mountains will flow with their blood. 4 The heavens above will melt away and disappear like a rolled-up scroll. The stars will fall from the sky, just as withered leaves and fruit fall from a tree. 5 And when my sword has finished its work in the heavens, then watch. It will fall upon Edom, the nation I have completely destroyed. 6 The sword of the LORD is drenched with blood. It is covered with fat as though it had been used for killing lambs and goats and rams for a sacrifice. Yes, the LORD will offer a great sacrifice in the rich city of Bozrah. He will make a mighty slaughter in Edom. 7 The strongest will die--veterans and young men, too. The land will be soaked with blood and the soil enriched with fat. 8 For it is the day of the LORD's vengeance, the year when Edom will be paid back for all it did to Israel. 9 The streams of Edom will be filled with burning pitch, and the ground will be covered with fire.10 This judgment on Edom will never end; the smoke of its burning will rise forever. The land will lie deserted from generation to generation. No one will live there anymore. 11 It will be haunted by the horned owl, the hawk, the screech owl, and the raven. For God will bring chaos and destruction to that land. 12 It will be called the Land of Nothing, and its princes soon will all be gone. 13 Thorns will overrun its palaces; nettles will grow in its forts. The ruins will become a haunt for jackals and a home for ostriches. 14 Wild animals of the desert will mingle there with hyenas, their howls filling the night. Wild goats will bleat at one another among the ruins, and night creatures will come there to rest. 15 There the owl will make her nest and lay her eggs. She will hatch her young and cover them with her wings. And the vultures will come, each one with its mate. 16 Search the book of the LORD, and see what he will do. He will not miss a single detail. Not one of these birds and animals will be missing, and none will lack a mate, for the LORD has promised this. His Spirit will make it all come true. 17 He has surveyed and divided the land and deeded it over to those creatures. They will possess it forever, from generation to generation. 35:1 EVEN the wilderness will rejoice in those days. The desert will blossom with flowers. 2 Yes, there will be an abundance of flowers and singing and joy! The deserts will become as green as the mountains of Lebanon, as lovely as Mount Carmel's pastures and the plain of Sharon. There the LORD will display his glory, the splendor of our God. 3 With this news, strengthen those who have tired hands, and encourage those who have weak knees. 4 Say to those who are afraid, " Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you." 5 And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unstop the ears of the deaf. 6 The lame will leap like a deer, and those who cannot speak will shout and sing! Springs will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams will water the desert. 7 The parched ground will become a pool, and springs of water will satisfy the thirsty land. Marsh grass and reeds and rushes will flourish where desert jackals once lived.8 And a main road will go through that once deserted land. It will be named the Highway of Holiness. Evil-hearted people will never travel on it. It will be only for those who walk in God's ways; fools will never walk there. 9 Lions will not lurk along its course, and there will be no other dangers. Only the redeemed will follow it. 10 Those who have been ransomed by the LORD will return to Jerusalem, singing songs of everlasting joy. Sorrow and mourning will disappear, and they will be overcome with joy and gladness. 36:1 IN the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah's reign, King Sennacherib of Assyria came to attack the fortified cities of Judah and conquered them. 2 Then the king of Assyria sent his personal representative with a huge army from Lachish to confront King Hezekiah in Jerusalem. The Assyrians stopped beside the aqueduct that feeds water into the upper pool, near the road leading to the field where cloth is bleached. 3 These are the officials who went out to meet with them: Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace administrator, Shebna the court secretary, and Joah son of Asaph, the royal historian. 4 Then the Assyrian king's personal representative sent this message to King Hezekiah: " This is what the great king of Assyria says: What are you trusting in that makes you so confident? 5 Do you think that mere words can substitute for military skill and strength? Which of your allies will give you any military backing against Assyria? 6 Will Egypt? If you lean on Egypt, you will find it to be a stick that breaks beneath your weight and pierces your hand. The Pharaoh of Egypt is completely unreliable! 7 " But perhaps you will say, ` We are trusting in the LORD our God!' But isn't he the one who was insulted by King Hezekiah? Didn't Hezekiah tear down his shrines and altars and make everyone in Judah worship only at the altar here in Jerusalem? 8 " I'll tell you what! My master, the king of Assyria, will strike a bargain with you. If you can find two thousand horsemen in your entire army, he will give you two thousand horses for them to ride on! 9 With your tiny army, how can you think of challenging even the weakest contingent of my master's troops, even with the help of Egypt's chariots and horsemen? 10 What's more, do you think we have invaded your land without the LORD's direction? The LORD himself told us, ` Go and destroy it!' "11 Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the king's representative, " Please speak to us in Aramaic, for we understand it well. Don't speak in Hebrew, for the people on the wall will hear." 12 But Sennacherib's representative replied, " My master wants everyone in Jerusalem to hear this, not just you. He wants them to know that if you do not surrender, this city will be put under siege. The people will become so hungry and thirsty that they will eat their own dung and drink their own urine." 13 Then he stood and shouted in Hebrew to the people on the wall, " Listen to this message from the great king of Assyria! 14 This is what the king says: Don't let King Hezekiah deceive you. He will never be able to rescue you. 15 Don't let him fool you into trusting in the LORD by saying, ` The LORD will rescue us! This city will never be handed over to the Assyrian king.' 16 " Don't listen to Hezekiah! These are the terms the king of Assyria is offering: Make peace with me--open the gates and come out. Then I will allow each of you to continue eating from your own garden and drinking from your own well. 17 Then I will arrange to take you to another land like this one--a country with bountiful harvests of grain and wine, bread and vineyards--a land of plenty.18 " Don't let Hezekiah mislead you by saying, ` The LORD will rescue us!' Have the gods of any other nations ever saved their people from the king of Assyria? 19 What happened to the gods of Hamath and Arpad? And what about the gods of Sepharvaim? Did they rescue Samaria from my power? 20 What god of any nation has ever been able to save its people from my power? Name just one! So what makes you think that the LORD can rescue Jerusalem?" 21 But the people were silent and did not answer because Hezekiah had told them not to speak. 22 Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace administrator, Shebna the court secretary, and Joah son of Asaph, the royal historian, went back to Hezekiah. They tore their clothes in despair, and they went in to see the king and told him what the Assyrian representative had said.

GALATIANS 5:13-26

For you have been called to live in freedom--not freedom to satisfy your sinful nature, but freedom to serve one another in love. 14 For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: " Love your neighbor as yourself." 15 But if instead of showing love among yourselves you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another. 16 So I advise you to live according to your new life in the Holy Spirit. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves. 17 The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict. 18 But when you are directed by the Holy Spirit, you are no longer subject to the law. 19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, 20 idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. 22 But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. 25 If we are living now by the Holy Spirit, let us follow the Holy Spirit's leading in every part of our lives. 26 Let us not become conceited, or irritate one another, or be jealous of one another.

PSALM 64:1-10

For the choir director: A psalm of David.

1 O God, listen to my complaint.

Do not let my enemies' threats overwhelm me.

2 Protect me from the plots of the wicked,

from the scheming of those who do evil.

3 Sharp tongues are the swords they wield;

bitter words are the arrows they aim.

4 They shoot from ambush at the innocent,

attacking suddenly and fearlessly.

5 They encourage each other to do evil

and plan how to set their traps.

" Who will ever notice?" they ask.

6 As they plot their crimes, they say,

" We have devised the perfect plan!"

Yes, the human heart and mind are cunning.

7 But God himself will shoot them down.

Suddenly, his arrows will pierce them.

8 Their own words will be turned against them, destroying them.

All who see it happening will shake their heads in scorn.

9 Then everyone will stand in awe,

proclaiming the mighty acts of God,

realizing all the amazing things he does.

10 The godly will rejoice in the LORD

and find shelter in him.

And those who do what is right

will praise him.

PROVERBS 23:23

Get the truth and don't ever sell it; also get wisdom, discipline, and discernment. 

September 19 Reading through the Bible

  

ISAIAH 30:12-33:9

GALATIANS 5:1-12

PSALM 63:1-11

PROVERBS 23:22

ISAIAH 30:12-33:9

This is the reply of the Holy One of Israel: " Because you [Israel] despise what I tell you and trust instead in oppression and lies, 13 calamity will come upon you suddenly. It will be like a bulging wall that bursts and falls. In an instant it will collapse and come crashing down. 14 You will be smashed like a piece of pottery--shattered so completely that there won't be a piece left that is big enough to carry coals from a fireplace or a little water from the well." 15 The Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says, " Only in returning to me and waiting for me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it. 16 You said, ` No, we will get our help from Egypt. They will give us swift horses for riding into battle.' But the only swiftness you are going to see is the swiftness of your enemies chasing you! 17 One of them will chase a thousand of you. Five of them will make all of you flee. You will be left like a lonely flagpole on a distant mountaintop." 18 But the LORD still waits for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the LORD is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for him to help them. 19 O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. He will be gracious if you ask for help. He will respond instantly to the sound of your cries. 20 Though the Lord gave you adversity for food and affliction for drink, he will still be with you to teach you. You will see your teacher with your own eyes, 21 and you will hear a voice say, " This is the way; turn around and walk here." 22 Then you will destroy all your silver idols and gold images. You will throw them out like filthy rags. " Ugh!" you will say to them. " Begone!"23 Then the LORD will bless you with rain at planting time. There will be wonderful harvests and plenty of pastureland for your cattle. 24 The oxen and donkeys that till the ground will eat good grain, its chaff having been blown away by the wind. 25 In that day, when your enemies are slaughtered, there will be streams of water flowing down every mountain and hill. 26 The moon will be as bright as the sun, and the sun will be seven times brighter--like the light of seven days! So it will be when the LORD begins to heal his people and cure the wounds he gave them. 27 Look! The LORD is coming from far away, burning with anger, surrounded by a thick, rising smoke. His lips are filled with fury; his words consume like fire. 28 His anger pours out like a flood on his enemies, sweeping them all away. He will sift out the proud nations. He will bridle them and lead them off to their destruction. 29 But the people of God will sing a song of joy, like the songs at the holy festivals. You will be filled with joy, as when a flutist leads a group of pilgrims to Jerusalem--the mountain of the LORD--to the Rock of Israel. 30 And the LORD will make his majestic voice heard. With angry indignation he will bring down his mighty arm on his enemies. It will descend with devouring flames, with cloudbursts, thunderstorms, and huge hailstones, bringing their destruction. 31 At the LORD's command, the Assyrians will be shattered. He will strike them down with his rod. 32 And as the LORD strikes them, his people will keep time with the music of tambourines and harps. 33 Topheth--the place of burning--has long been ready for the Assyrian king; it has been piled high with wood. The breath of the LORD, like fire from a volcano, will set it ablaze.31:1 DESTRUCTION is certain for those who look to Egypt for help, trusting their cavalry and chariots instead of looking to the LORD, the Holy One of Israel. 2 In his wisdom, the LORD will send great disaster; he will not change his mind. He will rise against those who are wicked, and he will crush their allies, too. 3 For these Egyptians are mere humans, not God! Their horses are puny flesh, not mighty spirits! When the LORD clenches his fist against them, they will stumble and fall among those they are trying to help. They will all fall down and die together. 4 But the LORD has told me this: " When a lion, even a young one, kills a sheep, it pays no attention to the shepherd's shouts and noise. It just goes right on eating. In the same way, the LORD Almighty will come and fight on Mount Zion. He will not be frightened away! 5 The LORD Almighty will hover over Jerusalem as a bird hovers around its nest. He will defend and save the city; he will pass over it and rescue it." 6 Therefore, my people, though you are such wicked rebels, come and return to the LORD. 7 I know the glorious day will come when every one of you will throw away the gold idols and silver images that your sinful hands have made. 8 " The Assyrians will be destroyed, but not by the swords of men. The sword of God will strike them, and they will panic and flee. The strong young Assyrians will be taken away as captives. 9 Even their generals will quake with terror and flee when they see the battle flags," says the LORD, whose flame burns brightly in Jerusalem.32:1 LOOK, a righteous king is coming! And honest princes will rule under him. 2 He will shelter Israel from the storm and the wind. He will refresh her as a river in the desert and as the cool shadow of a large rock in a hot and weary land. 3 Then everyone who can see will be looking for God, and those who can hear will listen to his voice. 4 Even the hotheads among them will be full of sense and understanding. Those who stammer in uncertainty will speak out plainly. 5 In that day ungodly fools will not be heroes. Wealthy cheaters will not be respected as outstanding citizens. 6 Everyone will recognize ungodly fools for what they are. They spread lies about the LORD; they deprive the hungry of food and give no water to the thirsty. 7 The smooth tricks of evil people will be exposed, including all the lies they use to oppress the poor in the courts. 8 But good people will be generous to others and will be blessed for all they do. 9 Listen, you women who lie around in lazy ease. Listen to me, and I will tell you of your reward. 10 In a short time--in just a little more than a year--you careless ones will suddenly begin to care. For your fruit crop will fail, and the harvest will never take place. 11 Tremble, you women of ease; throw off your unconcern. Strip off your pretty clothes, and wear sackcloth in your grief. 12 Beat your breasts in sorrow for your bountiful farms that will soon be gone, and for those fruitful vines of other years. 13 For your land will be overgrown with thorns and briers. Your joyful homes and happy cities will be gone. 14 The palace and the city will be deserted, and busy towns will be empty. Herds of donkeys and goats will graze on the hills where the watchtowers are, 15 until at last the Spirit is poured down upon us from heaven. Then the wilderness will become a fertile field, and the fertile field will become a lush and fertile forest. 16 Justice will rule in the wilderness and righteousness in the fertile field. 17 And this righteousness will bring peace. Quietness and confidence will fill the land forever. 18 My people will live in safety, quietly at home. They will be at rest. 19 Even though the forest will be destroyed and the city torn down, 20 God will greatly bless his people. Wherever they plant seed, bountiful crops will spring up. Their flocks and herds will graze in green pastures.33:1 DESTRUCTION is certain for you Assyrians, who have destroyed everything around you but have never felt destruction yourselves. You expect others to respect their promises to you, while you betray your promises to them. Now you, too, will be betrayed and destroyed! 2 But LORD, be merciful to us, for we have waited for you. Be our strength each day and our salvation in times of trouble. 3 The enemy runs at the sound of your voice. When you stand up, the nations flee! 4 Just as locusts strip the fields and vines, so Jerusalem will strip the fallen army of Assyria! 5 Though the LORD is very great and lives in heaven, he will make Jerusalem his home of justice and righteousness. 6 In that day he will be your sure foundation, providing a rich store of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure.7 But now your ambassadors weep in bitter disappointment, for Assyria has refused their petition for peace. 8 Your roads are deserted; no one travels them anymore. The Assyrians have broken their peace pact and care nothing for the promises they made before witnesses. They have no respect for anyone. 9 All the land of Israel is in trouble. Lebanon has been destroyed. The plain of Sharon is now a wilderness. Bashan and Carmel have been plundered.

GALATIANS 5:1-12

So Christ has really set us free. Now make sure that you [Galatians] stay free, and don't get tied up again in slavery to the law. 2 Listen! I, Paul, tell you this: If you are counting on circumcision to make you right with God, then Christ cannot help you. 3 I'll say it again. If you are trying to find favor with God by being circumcised, you must obey all of the regulations in the whole law of Moses. 4 For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God's grace. 5 But we who live by the Spirit eagerly wait to receive everything promised to us who are right with God through faith. 6 For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, it makes no difference to God whether we are circumcised or not circumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love. 7 You were getting along so well. Who has interfered with you to hold you back from following the truth? 8 It certainly isn't God, for he is the one who called you to freedom. 9 But it takes only one wrong person among you to infect all the others--a little yeast spreads quickly through the whole batch of dough! 10 I am trusting the Lord to bring you back to believing as I do about these things. God will judge that person, whoever it is, who has been troubling and confusing you.11 Dear brothers and sisters,* if I were still preaching that you must be circumcised--as some say I do--why would the Jews persecute me? The fact that I am still being persecuted proves that I am still preaching salvation through the cross of Christ alone. 12 I only wish that those troublemakers who want to mutilate you by circumcision would mutilate themselves.

PSALM 63:1-11

A psalm of David, regarding a time when David was in the wilderness of Judah.

1 O God, you are my God;

I earnestly search for you.

My soul thirsts for you;

my whole body longs for you

in this parched and weary land

where there is no water.

2 I have seen you in your sanctuary

and gazed upon your power and glory.

3 Your unfailing love is better to me than life itself;

how I praise you!

4 I will honor you as long as I live,

lifting up my hands to you in prayer.

5 You satisfy me more than the richest of foods.

I will praise you with songs of joy.

6 I lie awake thinking of you,

meditating on you through the night.

7 I think how much you have helped me;

I sing for joy in the shadow of your protecting wings.

8 I follow close behind you;

your strong right hand holds me securely.

9 But those plotting to destroy me will come to ruin.

They will go down into the depths of the earth.

10 They will die by the sword

and become the food of jackals.

11 But the king will rejoice in God.

All who trust in him will praise him,

while liars will be silenced.

PROVERBS 23:22

Listen to your father, who gave you life, and don't despise your mother's experience when she is old.

September 18 Reading through the Bible

  

ISAIAH 28:14-30:11

GALATIANS 3:23-4:31

PSALM 62:1-12

PROVERBS 23:19-21

ISAIAH 28:14-30:11

Therefore, listen to this message from the LORD, you scoffing rulers in Jerusalem. 15 You boast that you have struck a bargain to avoid death and have made a deal to dodge the grave. You say, " The Assyrians can never touch us, for we have built a strong refuge made of lies and deception." 16 Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: " Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem. It is firm, a tested and precious cornerstone that is safe to build on. Whoever believes need never run away again. 17 " I will take the measuring line of justice and the plumb line of righteousness to check the foundation wall you have built. Your refuge looks strong, but since it is made of lies, a hailstorm will knock it down. Since it is made of deception, the enemy will come like a flood to sweep it away. 18 I will cancel the bargain you made to avoid death, and I will overturn your deal to dodge the grave. When the terrible enemy floods in, you will be trampled into the ground. 19 Again and again that flood will come, morning after morning, day and night, until you are carried away." This message will bring terror to your people. 20 For you have no place of refuge--the bed you have made is too short to lie on. The blankets are too narrow to cover you. 21 The LORD will come suddenly and in anger, as he did against the Philistines at Mount Perazim and against the Amorites at Gibeon. He will come to do a strange, unusual thing: He will destroy his own people! 22 So scoff no more, or your punishment will be even greater. For the Lord, the LORD Almighty, has plainly told me that he is determined to crush you.23 Listen to me; listen as I plead! 24 Does a farmer always plow and never sow? Is he forever cultivating the soil and never planting it? 25 Does he not finally plant his seeds for dill, cumin, wheat, barley, and spelt, each in its own section of his land? 26 The farmer knows just what to do, for God has given him understanding. 27 He doesn't thresh all his crops the same way. A heavy sledge is never used on dill; rather, it is beaten with a light stick. A threshing wheel is never rolled on cumin; instead, it is beaten softly with a flail. 28 Bread grain is easily crushed, so he doesn't keep on pounding it. He threshes it under the wheels of a cart, but he doesn't pulverize it. 29 The LORD Almighty is a wonderful teacher, and he gives the farmer great wisdom. 29:1 " DESTRUCTION is certain for Ariel, the City of David. Year after year you offer your many sacrifices. 2 Yet I will bring disaster upon you, and there will be much weeping and sorrow. For Jerusalem will become as her name Ariel means--an altar covered with blood. 3 I will be your enemy, surrounding Jerusalem and attacking its walls. I will build siege towers around it and will destroy it. 4 Your voice will whisper like a ghost from the earth where you will lie buried. 5 " But suddenly, your ruthless enemies will be driven away like chaff before the wind. 6 In an instant, I, the LORD Almighty, will come against them with thunder and earthquake and great noise, with whirlwind and storm and consuming fire. 7 All the nations fighting against Jerusalem will vanish like a dream! Those who are attacking her walls will vanish like a vision in the night. 8 A hungry person dreams of eating but is still hungry. A thirsty person dreams of drinking but is still faint from thirst when morning comes. In the same way, your enemies will dream of a victorious conquest over Jerusalem, but all to no avail."9 Are you amazed and incredulous? Do you not believe it? Then go ahead and be blind if you must. You are stupid, but not from wine! You stagger, but not from beer! 10 For the LORD has poured out on you a spirit of deep sleep. He has closed the eyes of your prophets and visionaries. 11 All these future events are a sealed book to them. When you give it to those who can read, they will say, " We can't read it because it is sealed." 12 When you give it to those who cannot read, they will say, " Sorry, we don't know how to read." 13 And so the Lord says, " These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far away. And their worship of me amounts to nothing more than human laws learned by rote. 14 Because of this, I will do wonders among these hypocrites. I will show that human wisdom is foolish and even the most brilliant people lack understanding." 15 Destruction is certain for those who try to hide their plans from the LORD, who try to keep him in the dark concerning what they do! " The LORD can't see us," you say to yourselves. " He doesn't know what is going on!" 16 How stupid can you be? He is the Potter, and he is certainly greater than you. You are only the jars he makes! Should the thing that was created say to the one who made it, " He didn't make us"? Does a jar ever say, " The potter who made me is stupid"? 17 Soon--and it will not be very long--the wilderness of Lebanon will be a fertile field once again. And the fertile fields will become a lush and fertile forest. 18 In that day deaf people will hear words read from a book, and blind people will see through the gloom and darkness. 19 The humble will be filled with fresh joy from the LORD. Those who are poor will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. 20 Those who intimidate and harass will be gone, and all those who plot evil will be killed. 21 Those who make the innocent guilty by their false testimony will disappear. And those who use trickery to pervert justice and tell lies to tear down the innocent will be no more.22 That is why the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, says to the people of Israel, " My people will no longer pale with fear or be ashamed. 23 For when they see their many children and material blessings, they will recognize the holiness of the Holy One of Israel. They will stand in awe of the God of Israel. 24 Those in error will then believe the truth, and those who constantly complain will accept instruction. 30:1 " DESTRUCTION is certain for my rebellious children," says the LORD. " You make plans that are contrary to my will. You weave a web of plans that are not from my Spirit, thus piling up your sins. 2 For without consulting me, you have gone down to Egypt to find help. You have put your trust in Pharaoh for his protection. 3 But in trusting Pharaoh, you will be humiliated and disgraced. 4 For though his power extends to Zoan and Hanes, 5 it will all turn out to your shame. He will not help you even one little bit." 6 Look at the animals moving slowly across the terrible desert to Egypt--donkeys and camels loaded with treasure to pay for Egypt's aid. On through the wilderness they go, where lions and poisonous snakes live. All this, and Egypt will give you nothing in return. 7 Egypt's promises are worthless! I call her the Harmless Dragon.8 Now go and write down these words concerning Egypt. They will then stand until the end of time as a witness to Israel's unbelief. 9 For these people are stubborn rebels who refuse to pay any attention to the LORD's instructions. 10 They tell the prophets, " Shut up! We don't want any more of your reports." They say, " Don't tell us the truth. Tell us nice things. Tell us lies. 11 Forget all this gloom. We have heard more than enough about your ` Holy One of Israel.' We are tired of listening to what he has to say."

GALATIANS 3:23-4:31

Until faith in Christ was shown to us as the way of becoming right with God, we were guarded by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until we could put our faith in the coming Savior. 24 Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian and teacher to lead us until Christ came. So now, through faith in Christ, we are made right with God. 25 But now that faith in Christ has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian. 26 So you are all children* of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have been made like him. 28 There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female. For you are all Christians--you are one in Christ Jesus. 29 And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and now all the promises God gave to him belong to you.4:1 THINK of it this way. If a father dies and leaves great wealth for his young children, those children are not much better off than slaves until they grow up, even though they actually own everything their father had. 2 They have to obey their guardians until they reach whatever age their father set. 3 And that's the way it was with us before Christ came. We were slaves to the spiritual powers of this world. 4 But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. 5 God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.* 6 And because you Gentiles have become his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, and now you can call God your dear Father. 7 Now you are no longer a slave but God's own child.* And since you are his child, everything he has belongs to you. 8 Before you Gentiles knew God, you were slaves to so-called gods that do not even exist. 9 And now that you have found God (or should I say, now that God has found you), why do you want to go back again and become slaves once more to the weak and useless spiritual powers of this world? 10 You are trying to find favor with God by what you do or don't do on certain days or months or seasons or years. 11 I fear for you. I am afraid that all my hard work for you was worth nothing. 12 Dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to live as I do in freedom from these things, for I have become like you Gentiles were--free from the law. You did not mistreat me when I first preached to you. 13 Surely you remember that I was sick when I first brought you the Good News of Christ. 14 But even though my sickness was revolting to you, you did not reject me and turn me away. No, you took me in and cared for me as though I were an angel from God or even Christ Jesus himself. 15 Where is that joyful spirit we felt together then? In those days, I know you would gladly have taken out your own eyes and given them to me if it had been possible. 16 Have I now become your enemy because I am telling you the truth? 17 Those false teachers who are so anxious to win your favor are not doing it for your good. They are trying to shut you off from me so that you will pay more attention to them. 18 Now it's wonderful if you are eager to do good, and especially when I am not with you. 19 But oh, my dear children! I feel as if I am going through labor pains for you again, and they will continue until Christ is fully developed in your lives. 20 How I wish I were there with you right now, so that I could be more gentle with you. But at this distance I frankly don't know what else to do. 21 Listen to me, you who want to live under the law. Do you know what the law really says? 22 The Scriptures say that Abraham had two sons, one from his slave-wife and one from his freeborn wife. 23 The son of the slave-wife was born in a human attempt to bring about the fulfillment of God's promise. But the son of the freeborn wife was born as God's own fulfillment of his promise.24 Now these two women serve as an illustration of God's two covenants. Hagar, the slave-wife, represents Mount Sinai where people first became enslaved to the law. 25 And now Jerusalem is just like Mount Sinai in Arabia, because she and her children live in slavery. 26 But Sarah, the free woman, represents the heavenly Jerusalem. And she is our mother. 27 That is what Isaiah meant when he prophesied, " Rejoice, O childless woman!

Break forth into loud and joyful song,

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!"

28 And you, dear brothers and sisters, are children of the promise, just like Isaac. 29 And we who are born of the Holy Spirit are persecuted by those who want us to keep the law, just as Isaac, the child of promise, was persecuted by Ishmael, the son of the slave-wife. 30 But what do the Scriptures say about that? " Get rid of the slave and her son, for the son of the slave woman will not share the family inheritance with the free woman's son." 31 So, dear brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman, obligated to the law. We are children of the free woman, acceptable to God because of our faith.

PSALM 62:1-12

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

1 I wait quietly before God,

for my salvation comes from him.

2 He alone is my rock and my salvation,

my fortress where I will never be shaken.

3 So many enemies against one man--

all of them trying to kill me.

To them I'm just a broken-down wall

or a tottering fence.

4 They plan to topple me from my high position.

They delight in telling lies about me.

They are friendly to my face,

but they curse me in their hearts.

Interlude5 I wait quietly before God,

for my hope is in him.

6 He alone is my rock and my salvation,

my fortress where I will not be shaken.

7 My salvation and my honor come from God alone.

He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.

8 O my people, trust in him at all times.

Pour out your heart to him,

for God is our refuge.

Interlude9 From the greatest to the lowliest--

all are nothing in his sight.

If you weigh them on the scales,

they are lighter than a puff of air.

10 Don't try to get rich

by extortion or robbery.

And if your wealth increases,

don't make it the center of your life.

11 God has spoken plainly,

and I have heard it many times:

Power, O God, belongs to you;

12 unfailing love, O Lord, is yours.

Surely you judge all people

according to what they have done.

PROVERBS 23:19-21

My child, listen and be wise. Keep your heart on the right course. Do not carouse with drunkards and gluttons, for they are on their way to poverty. Too much sleep clothes a person with rags.

September 17 Reading through the Bible

 

 ISAIAH 25:1-28:13

GALATIANS 3:10-22

PSALM 61:1-8

PROVERBS 23:17-18

ISAIAH 25:1-28:13

O LORD, I [Isaiah] will honor and praise your name, for you are my God. You do such wonderful things! You planned them long ago, and now you have accomplished them. 2 You turn mighty cities into heaps of ruins. Cities with strong walls are turned to rubble. Beautiful palaces in distant lands disappear and will never be rebuilt. 3 Therefore, strong nations will declare your glory; ruthless nations will revere you. 4 But to the poor, O LORD, you are a refuge from the storm. To the needy in distress, you are a shelter from the rain and the heat. For the oppressive acts of ruthless people are like a storm beating against a wall, 5 or like the relentless heat of the desert. But you silence the roar of foreign nations. You cool the land with the shade of a cloud. So the boastful songs of ruthless people are stilled.6 In Jerusalem, the LORD Almighty will spread a wonderful feast for everyone around the world. It will be a delicious feast of good food, with clear, well-aged wine and choice beef. 7 In that day he will remove the cloud of gloom, the shadow of death that hangs over the earth. 8 He will swallow up death forever! The Sovereign LORD will wipe away all tears. He will remove forever all insults and mockery against his land and people. The LORD has spoken! 9 In that day the people will proclaim, " This is our God. We trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the LORD, in whom we trusted. Let us rejoice in the salvation he brings!" 10 For the LORD's good hand will rest on Jerusalem. Moab will be crushed like trampled straw and left to rot. 11 God will push down Moab's people as a swimmer pushes down water with his hands. He will end their pride and all their evil works. 12 The high walls of Moab will be demolished and ground to dust.26:1 IN that day, everyone in the land of Judah will sing this song: Our city is now strong!

We are surrounded by the walls of God's salvation.

2 Open the gates to all who are righteous;

allow the faithful to enter.

3 You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you,

whose thoughts are fixed on you!

4 Trust in the LORD always,

for the LORD GOD is the eternal Rock.

5 He humbles the proud

and brings the arrogant city to the dust.

Its walls come crashing down!

6 The poor and oppressed trample it underfoot.

7 But for those who are righteous,

the path is not steep and rough.

You are a God of justice,

and you smooth out the road ahead of them.

8 LORD, we love to obey your laws;

our heart's desire is to glorify your name.

9 All night long I search for you;

earnestly I seek for God.

For only when you come to judge the earth

will people turn from wickedness and do what is right.

10 Your kindness to the wicked does not make them do good.

They keep doing wrong and take no notice of the LORD's majesty.

11 O LORD, they do not listen when you threaten.

They do not see your upraised fist.

Show them your eagerness to defend your people.

Perhaps then they will be ashamed.

Let your fire consume your enemies.

12 LORD, you will grant us peace,

for all we have accomplished is really from you.

13 O LORD our God, others have ruled us,

but we worship you alone.

14 Those we served before are dead and gone.

Never again will they return!

You attacked them and destroyed them,

and they are long forgotten.

15 We praise you, LORD!

You have made our nation great;

you have extended our borders!

16 LORD, in distress we searched for you.

We were bowed beneath the burden of your discipline.

17 We were like a woman about to give birth,

writhing and crying out in pain.

When we are in your presence, LORD,

18 we, too, writhe in agony,

but nothing comes of our suffering.

We have done nothing to rescue the world;

no one has been born to populate the earth.

19 Yet we have this assurance:

Those who belong to God will live;

their bodies will rise again!

Those who sleep in the earth

will rise up and sing for joy!

For God's light of life will fall like dew

on his people in the place of the dead!

20 Go home, my people, and lock your doors! Hide until the LORD's anger against your enemies has passed. 21 Look! The LORD is coming from heaven to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will no longer hide those who have been murdered. They will be brought out for all to see. 27:1 IN that day the LORD will take his terrible, swift sword and punish Leviathan, the swiftly moving serpent, the coiling, writhing serpent, the dragon of the sea. 2 " In that day we will sing of the pleasant vineyard. 3 I, the LORD, will watch over it and tend its fruitful vines. Each day I will water them; day and night I will watch to keep enemies away. 4 My anger against Israel will be gone. If I find briers and thorns bothering her, I will burn them up. 5 These enemies will be spared only if they surrender and beg for peace and protection." 6 The time is coming when my people will take root. Israel will bud and blossom and fill the whole earth with her fruit! 7 Has the LORD punished Israel in the same way he has punished her enemies? No, for he devastated her enemies, 8 but he has punished Israel only a little. He has exiled her from her land as though blown away in a storm from the east. 9 The LORD did this to purge away Israel's sin. When he has finished, all the pagan altars will be crushed to dust. There won't be an Asherah pole or incense altar left standing. 10 Israel's fortified cities will be silent and empty, the houses abandoned, the streets covered with grass. Cattle will graze there, chewing on twigs and branches. 11 The people are like the dead branches of a tree, broken off and used for kindling beneath the cooking pots. Israel is a foolish and stupid nation, for its people have turned away from God. Therefore, the one who made them will show them no pity or mercy. 12 Yet the time will come when the LORD will gather them together one by one like handpicked grain. He will bring them to his great threshing floor--from the Euphrates River in the east to the brook of Egypt in the west. 13 In that day the great trumpet will sound. Many who were dying in exile in Assyria and Egypt will return to Jerusalem to worship the LORD on his holy mountain.28:1 DESTRUCTION is certain for the city of Samaria--the pride and joy of the drunkards of Israel! It sits in a rich valley, but its glorious beauty will suddenly disappear. Destruction is certain for that city--the pride of a people brought low by wine. 2 For the Lord will send the mighty Assyrian army against it. Like a mighty hailstorm and a torrential rain, they will burst upon it and dash it to the ground. 3 The proud city of Samaria--the pride and joy of the drunkards of Israel--will be trampled beneath its enemies' feet. 4 It sits in a fertile valley, but its glorious beauty will suddenly disappear. It will be greedily snatched up, as an early fig is hungrily picked and eaten. 5 Then at last the LORD Almighty will himself be Israel's crowning glory. He will be the pride and joy of the remnant of his people. 6 He will give a longing for justice to their judges. He will give great courage to their warriors who stand at the gates. 7 Now, however, Israel is being led by drunks! The priests and prophets reel and stagger from beer and wine. They make stupid mistakes as they carry out their responsibilities. 8 Their tables are covered with vomit; filth is everywhere. 9 They say, " Who does the LORD think we are? Why does he speak to us like this? Are we little children, barely old enough to talk? 10 He tells us everything over and over again, a line at a time, in very simple words!" 11 Since they refuse to listen, God will speak to them through foreign oppressors who speak an unknown language! 12 God's people could have rest in their own land if they would only obey him, but they will not listen. 13 So the LORD will spell out his message for them again, repeating it over and over, a line at a time, in very simple words. Yet they will stumble over this simple, straightforward message. They will be injured, trapped, and captured.

GALATIANS 3:10-22

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

PSALM 61:1-8

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

1 O God, listen to my cry!

Hear my prayer!

2 From the ends of the earth,

I will cry to you for help,

for my heart is overwhelmed.

Lead me to the towering rock of safety,

3 for you are my safe refuge,

a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me.

4 Let me live forever in your sanctuary,

safe beneath the shelter of your wings!

Interlude5 For you have heard my vows, O God.

You have given me an inheritance reserved for those who fear your name.

6 Add many years to the life of the king!

May his years span the generations!

7 May he reign under God's protection forever.

Appoint your unfailing love and faithfulness to watch over him.

8 Then I will always sing praises to your name

as I fulfill my vows day after day.

PROVERBS 23:17-18

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

September 16 Reading through the Bible

 

 

ISAIAH 22:1-24:23

GALATIANS 2:17-3:9

PSALM 60:1-12

PROVERBS 23:15-16

ISAIAH 22:1-24:23

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

GALATIANS 2:17-3:9

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

PSALM 60:1-12

For the choir director: A psalm of David useful for teaching, regarding the time David fought Aram-naharaim and Aram-zobah, and Joab returned and killed twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt. To be sung to the tune " Lily of the Testimony."

1 You have rejected us, O God, and broken our defenses.

You have been angry with us; now restore us to your favor.

2 You have shaken our land and split it open.

Seal the cracks before it completely collapses.

3 You have been very hard on us,

making us drink wine that sent us reeling.

4 But you have raised a banner for those who honor you--

a rallying point in the face of attack.

Interlude5 Use your strong right arm to save us,

and rescue your beloved people.

6 God has promised this by his holiness:

" I will divide up Shechem with joy.

I will measure out the valley of Succoth.

7 Gilead is mine,

and Manasseh is mine.

Ephraim will produce my warriors,

and Judah will produce my kings.

8 Moab will become my lowly servant,

and Edom will be my slave.

I will shout in triumph over the Philistines."

9 But who will bring me into the fortified city?

Who will bring me victory over Edom?

10 Have you rejected us, O God?

Will you no longer march with our armies?

11 Oh, please help us against our enemies,

for all human help is useless.

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

for he will trample down our foes.

PROVERBS 23:15-16

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