November 20 Reading through the Bible

  

EZEKIEL 40:28-41:26

JAMES 4:1-17

PSALM 118:19-29

PROVERBS 28:3-5

EZEKIEL 40:28-41:26

Then the man took me [Ezekiel] to the south gateway leading into the inner courtyard. He measured it and found that it had the same measurements as the other gateways. 29 Its guard alcoves, dividing walls, and foyer were the same size as those in the others. It also had windows along its walls and in the foyer structure. And like the others, the gateway passage was 87 feet long and 43 feet wide. 30 (The foyers of the gateways leading into the inner courtyard were 8 feet deep and 43 feet wide.) 31 The foyer of the south gateway faced into the outer courtyard. It had palm tree decorations on its columns, and there were eight steps leading to its entrance. 32 Then he took me to the east gateway leading to the inner courtyard. He measured it and found that it had the same measurements as the other gateways. 33 Its guard alcoves, dividing walls, and foyer were the same size as those of the others, and there were windows along the walls and in the foyer structure. The gateway passage measured 87 feet long and 43 feet wide. 34 Its foyer faced into the outer courtyard. It had palm tree decorations on its columns, and there were eight steps leading to its entrance. 35 Then he took me around to the north gateway leading to the inner courtyard. He measured it and found that it had the same measurements as the other gateways. 36 The guard alcoves, dividing walls, and foyer of this gateway had the same measurements as in the others and the same window arrangements. The gateway passage measured 87 feet long and 43 feet wide. 37 Its foyer faced into the outer courtyard, and it had palm tree decorations on the columns. There were eight steps leading to its entrance. 38 A door led from the foyer of the inner gateway on the north side into a side room where the meat for sacrifices was washed before being taken to the altar. 39 On each side of this foyer were two tables, where the sacrificial animals were slaughtered for the burnt offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings. 40 Outside the foyer, on each side of the stairs going up to the north entrance, there were two more tables. 41 So there were eight tables in all, four inside and four outside, where the sacrifices were cut up and prepared. 42 There were also four tables of hewn stone for preparation of the burnt offerings, each 31 inches square and 21 inches high. On these tables were placed the butchering knives and other implements and the sacrificial animals. 43 There were hooks, each three inches long, fastened to the foyer walls and set on the tables where the sacrificial meat was to be laid. 44 Inside the inner courtyard there were two one-room buildings for the singers, one beside the north gateway, facing south, and the other beside the south gateway, facing north. 45 And the man said to me, " The building beside the north inner gate is for the priests who supervise the Temple maintenance. 46 The building beside the south inner gate is for the priests in charge of the altar--the descendants of Zadok--for they alone of all the Levites may approach the LORD to minister to him." 47 Then the man measured the inner courtyard and found it to be 175 feet square. The altar stood there in the courtyard in front of the Temple. 48 Then he brought me to the foyer of the Temple. He measured its supporting columns and found them to be 8 feet square. The entrance was 24 feet wide with walls 5 feet thick. 49 The depth of the foyer was 35 feet and the width was 19 feet. There were ten steps leading up to it, with a column on each side.41:1 AFTER that, the man brought me into the Holy Place, the large main room of the Temple, and he measured the columns that framed its doorway. They were 10 feet square. 2 The entrance was 17 feet wide, and the walls on each side were 8 feet wide. The Holy Place itself was 70 feet long and 35 feet wide. 3 Then he went into the inner room at the end of the Holy Place. He measured the columns at the entrance and found them to be 3 feet thick. The entrance was 10 feet wide, and the walls on each side of the entrance extended 12 feet to the corners of the inner room. 4 The inner room was 35 feet square. " This," he told me, " is the Most Holy Place."5 Then he measured the wall of the Temple and found that it was 10 feet thick. There was a row of rooms along the outside wall; each room was 7 feet wide. 6 These rooms were built in three levels, one above the other, with thirty rooms on each level. The supports for these rooms rested on ledges in the Temple wall, but the supports did not extend into the wall. 7 Each level was wider than the one below it, corresponding to the narrowing of the Temple wall as it rose higher. A stairway led up from the bottom level through the middle level to the top level. 8 I noticed that the Temple was built on a terrace, which provided a foundation for the side rooms. This terrace was 10 feet high. 9 The outer wall of the Temple's side rooms was 8 feet thick. This left an open area between these side rooms 10 and the row of rooms along the outer wall of the inner courtyard. This open area measured 35 feet in width, and it went all the way around the Temple. 11 Two doors opened from the side rooms into the terrace yard, which was 8 feet wide. One door faced north and the other south. 12 A large building stood on the west, facing the Temple courtyard. It was 122 feet wide and 157 feet long, and its walls were 8 feet thick. 13 Then the man measured the Temple, and he found it to be 175 feet long. The courtyard around the building, including its walls, was an additional 175 feet in length. 14 The inner courtyard to the east of the Temple was also 175 feet wide. 15 The building to the west, including its two walls, was also 175 feet wide. The Holy Place, the Most Holy Place, and the foyer of the Temple were all paneled with wood, 16 as were the frames of the recessed windows. The inner walls of the Temple were paneled with wood above and below the windows. 17 The space above the door leading into the Most Holy Place was also paneled. 18 All the walls were decorated with carvings of cherubim, each with two faces, and there was a palm tree carving between each of the cherubim. 19 One face--that of a man--looked toward the palm tree on one side. The other face--that of a young lion--looked toward the palm tree on the other side. The figures were carved all along the inside of the Temple, 20 from the floor to the top of the walls, including the outer wall of the Holy Place. 21 There were square columns at the entrance to the Holy Place, and the ones at the entrance of the Most Holy Place were similar. 22 There was an altar made of wood, 3 feet square and 5 feet high. Its corners, base, and sides were all made of wood. " This," the man told me, " is the table that stands in the LORD's presence."23 Both the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place had double doorways, 24 each with two swinging doors. 25 The doors leading into the Holy Place were decorated with carved cherubim and palm trees just as on the walls. And there was a wooden canopy over the front of the Temple's foyer. 26 On both sides of the foyer there were recessed windows decorated with carved palm trees.

JAMES 4:1-17

What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Isn't it the whole army of evil desires at war within you? 2 You want what you don't have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous for what others have, and you can't possess it, so you fight and quarrel to take it away from them. And yet the reason you don't have what you want is that you don't ask God for it. 3 And even when you do ask, you don't get it because your whole motive is wrong--you want only what will give you pleasure. 4 You adulterers! Don't you realize that friendship with this world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again, that if your aim is to enjoy this world, you can't be a friend of God. 5 What do you think the Scriptures mean when they say that the Holy Spirit, whom God has placed within us, jealously longs for us to be faithful? 6 He gives us more and more strength to stand against such evil desires. As the Scriptures say, " God sets himself against the proud,

but he shows favor to the humble."

7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, you hypocrites. 9 Let there be tears for the wrong things you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. 10 When you bow down before the Lord and admit your dependence on him, he will lift you up and give you honor. 11 Don't speak evil against each other, my dear brothers and sisters.* If you criticize each other and condemn each other, then you are criticizing and condemning God's law. But you are not a judge who can decide whether the law is right or wrong. Your job is to obey it. 12 God alone, who made the law, can rightly judge among us. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So what right do you have to condemn your neighbor? 13 Look here, you people who say, " Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit." 14 How do you know what will happen tomorrow? For your life is like the morning fog--it's here a little while, then it's gone. 15 What you ought to say is, " If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that." 16 Otherwise you will be boasting about your own plans, and all such boasting is evil. 17 Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.

PSALM 118:19-29

Open for me the gates where the righteous enter,

and I will go in and thank the LORD.

20 Those gates lead to the presence of the LORD,

and the godly enter there.

21 I thank you for answering my prayer

and saving me!

22 The stone rejected by the builders

has now become the cornerstone.

23 This is the LORD's doing,

and it is marvelous to see.

24 This is the day the LORD has made.

We will rejoice and be glad in it.

25 Please, LORD, please save us.

Please, LORD, please give us success.

26 Bless the one who comes in the name of the LORD.

We bless you from the house of the LORD.

27 The LORD is God, shining upon us.

Bring forward the sacrifice and put it on the altar.

28 You are my God, and I will praise you!

You are my God, and I will exalt you!

29 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good!

His faithful love endures forever.

PROVERBS 28:3-5

A poor person who oppresses the poor is like a pounding rain that destroys the crops. To reject the law is to praise the wicked; to obey the law is to fight them. Evil people don't understand justice, but those who follow the LORD understand completely.

November 19 Reading through the Bible

  

EZEKIEL 39:1-40:27

JAMES 2:18-3:18

PSALM 118:1-18

PROVERBS 28:2

EZEKIEL 39:1-40:27

" Son of man, prophesy against Gog. Give him this message from the Sovereign LORD: I am your enemy, O Gog, ruler of the nations of Meshech and Tubal. 2 I will turn you and drive you toward the mountains of Israel, bringing you from the distant north. 3 I will knock your weapons from your hands and leave you helpless. 4 You and all your vast hordes will die on the mountains. I will give you as food to the vultures and wild animals. 5 You will fall in the open fields, for I have spoken, says the Sovereign LORD. 6 And I will rain down fire on Magog and on all your allies who live safely on the coasts. Then they will know that I am the LORD. 7 " Thus, I will make known my holy name among my people of Israel. I will not let it be desecrated anymore. And the nations, too, will know that I am the LORD, the Holy One of Israel. 8 That day of judgment will come, says the Sovereign LORD. Everything will happen just as I have declared it.9 " Then the people in the towns of Israel will go out and pick up your small and large shields, bows and arrows, javelins and spears, and they will use them for fuel. There will be enough to last them seven years! 10 They will need nothing else for their fires. They won't need to cut wood from the fields or forests, for these weapons will give them all they need. They will take plunder from those who planned to plunder them, says the Sovereign LORD. 11 " And I will make a vast graveyard for Gog and his hordes in the Valley of the Travelers, east of the Dead Sea. The path of those who travel there will be blocked by this burial ground, and they will change the name of the place to the Valley of Gog's Hordes. 12 It will take seven months for the people of Israel to cleanse the land by burying the bodies. 13 Everyone in Israel will help, for it will be a glorious victory for Israel when I demonstrate my glory on that day, says the Sovereign LORD. 14 At the end of the seven months, special crews will be appointed to search the land for any skeletons and to bury them, so the land will be made clean again. 15 Whenever some bones are found, a marker will be set up beside them so the burial crews will see them and take them to be buried in the Valley of Gog's Hordes. 16 (There will be a town there named Hamonah--which means ` horde.') And so the land will finally be cleansed. 17 " And now, son of man, call all the birds and wild animals, says the Sovereign LORD. Say to them: Gather together for my great sacrificial feast. Come from far and near to the mountains of Israel, and there eat the flesh and drink the blood! 18 Eat the flesh of mighty men and drink the blood of princes as though they were rams, lambs, goats, and fat young bulls of Bashan! 19 Gorge yourselves with flesh until you are glutted; drink blood until you are drunk. This is the sacrificial feast I have prepared for you. 20 Feast at my banquet table--feast on horses, riders, and valiant warriors, says the Sovereign LORD. 21 " Thus, I will demonstrate my glory among the nations. Everyone will see the punishment I have inflicted on them and the power I have demonstrated. 22 And from that time on the people of Israel will know that I am the LORD their God. 23 The nations will then know why Israel was sent away to exile--it was punishment for sin, for they acted in treachery against their God. Therefore, I turned my back on them and let their enemies destroy them. 24 I turned my face away and punished them in proportion to the vileness of their sins.25 " So now the Sovereign LORD says: I will end the captivity of my people; I will have mercy on Israel, for I am jealous for my holy reputation! 26 They will accept responsibility for their past shame and treachery against me after they come home to live in peace and safety in their own land. And then no one will bother them or make them afraid. 27 When I bring them home from the lands of their enemies, my holiness will be displayed to the nations. 28 Then my people will know that I am the LORD their God--responsible for sending them away to exile and responsible for bringing them home. I will leave none of my people behind. 29 And I will never again turn my back on them, for I will pour out my Spirit upon them, says the Sovereign LORD." 40:1 ON April 28, during the twenty-fifth year of our captivity--fourteen years after the fall of Jerusalem--the LORD took hold of me. 2 In a vision of God he took me to the land of Israel and set me down on a very high mountain. From there I could see what appeared to be a city across from me toward the south. 3 As he brought me nearer, I saw a man whose face shone like bronze standing beside a gateway entrance. He was holding in his hand a measuring tape and a measuring rod. 4 He said to me, " Son of man, watch and listen. Pay close attention to everything I show you. You have been brought here so I can show you many things. Then you will return to the people of Israel and tell them everything you have seen." 5 I could see a wall completely surrounding the Temple area. The man took a measuring rod that was 10 feet long and measured the wall, and the wall was 10 feet thick and 10 feet high. 6 Then he went over to the gateway that goes through the eastern wall. He climbed the steps and measured the threshold of the gateway; it was 10 feet deep. 7 There were guard alcoves on each side built into the gateway passage. Each of these alcoves was 10 feet square, with a distance between them of 8 feet along the passage wall. The gateway's inner threshold, which led to the foyer at the inner end of the gateway passage, was 10 feet deep. 8 He also measured the foyer of the gateway 9 and found it to be 14 feet deep, with supporting columns 3 feet thick. This foyer was at the inner end of the gateway structure, facing toward the Temple. 10 There were three guard alcoves on each side of the gateway passage. Each had the same measurements, and the dividing walls separating them were also identical. 11 The man measured the gateway entrance, which was 17 feet wide at the opening and 22 feet wide in the gateway passage. 12 In front of each of the guard alcoves was a 21-inch curb. The alcoves themselves were 10 feet square.13 Then he measured the entire width of the gateway, measuring the distance between the back walls of facing guard alcoves; this distance was 43 feet. 14 He measured the dividing walls all along the inside of the gateway up to the gateway's foyer; this distance was 105 feet. 15 The full length of the gateway passage was 87 feet from one end to the other. 16 There were recessed windows that narrowed inward through the walls of the guard alcoves and their dividing walls. There were also windows in the foyer structure. The surfaces of the dividing walls were decorated with carved palm trees. 17 Then the man brought me through the gateway into the outer courtyard of the Temple. A stone pavement ran along the walls of the courtyard, and thirty rooms were built against the walls, opening onto the pavement. 18 This pavement flanked the gates and extended out from the walls into the courtyard the same distance as the gateway entrance. This was the lower pavement. 19 Then the man measured across the Temple's outer courtyard between the outer and inner gateways; the distance was 175 feet. 20 There was a gateway on the north just like the one on the east, and the man measured it. 21 Here, too, there were three guard alcoves on each side, with dividing walls and a foyer. All the measurements matched those of the east gateway. The gateway passage was 87 feet long and 43 feet wide between the back walls of facing guard alcoves. 22 The windows, the foyer, and the palm tree decorations were identical to those in the east gateway. There were seven steps leading up to the gateway entrance, and the foyer was at the inner end of the gateway passage. 23 Here on the north side, just as on the east, there was another gateway leading to the Temple's inner courtyard directly opposite this outer gateway. The distance between the two gateways was 175 feet. 24 Then the man took me around to the south gateway and measured its various parts, and he found they were exactly the same as in the others. 25 It had windows along the walls as the others did, and there was a foyer where the gateway passage opened into the outer courtyard. And like the others, the gateway passage was 87 feet long and 43 feet wide between the back walls of facing guard alcoves. 26 This gateway also had a stairway of seven steps leading up to it, and there were palm tree decorations along the dividing walls. 27 And here again, directly opposite the outer gateway, was another gateway that led into the inner courtyard. The distance between the two gateways was 175 feet.

JAMES 2:18-3:18

Now someone may argue, " Some people have faith; others have good deeds." I [James] say, " I can't see your faith if you don't have good deeds, but I will show you my faith through my good deeds." 19 Do you still think it's enough just to believe that there is one God? Well, even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror! 20 Fool! When will you ever learn that faith that does not result in good deeds is useless?21 Don't you remember that our ancestor Abraham was declared right with God because of what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see, he was trusting God so much that he was willing to do whatever God told him to do. His faith was made complete by what he did--by his actions. 23 And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: " Abraham believed God, so God declared him to be righteous." He was even called " the friend of God." 24 So you see, we are made right with God by what we do, not by faith alone. 25 Rahab the prostitute is another example of this. She was made right with God by her actions--when she hid those messengers and sent them safely away by a different road. 26 Just as the body is dead without a spirit, so also faith is dead without good deeds.3:1 DEAR brothers and sisters,* not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged by God with greater strictness. 2 We all make many mistakes, but those who control their tongues can also control themselves in every other way. 3 We can make a large horse turn around and go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. 4 And a tiny rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot wants it to go, even though the winds are strong. 5 So also, the tongue is a small thing, but what enormous damage it can do. A tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. 6 And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is full of wickedness that can ruin your whole life. It can turn the entire course of your life into a blazing flame of destruction, for it is set on fire by hell itself. 7 People can tame all kinds of animals and birds and reptiles and fish, 8 but no one can tame the tongue. It is an uncontrollable evil, full of deadly poison. 9 Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it breaks out into curses against those who have been made in the image of God. 10 And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! 11 Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? 12 Can you pick olives from a fig tree or figs from a grapevine? No, and you can't draw fresh water from a salty pool. 13 If you are wise and understand God's ways, live a life of steady goodness so that only good deeds will pour forth. And if you don't brag about the good you do, then you will be truly wise! 14 But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your hearts, don't brag about being wise. That is the worst kind of lie. 15 For jealousy and selfishness are not God's kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and motivated by the Devil. 16 For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and every kind of evil. 17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no partiality and is always sincere. 18 And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of goodness.

PSALM 118:1-18

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good!

His faithful love endures forever.

2 Let the congregation of Israel repeat:

" His faithful love endures forever."

3 Let Aaron's descendants, the priests, repeat:

" His faithful love endures forever."

4 Let all who fear the LORD repeat:

" His faithful love endures forever."

5 In my distress I prayed to the LORD,

and the LORD answered me and rescued me.

6 The LORD is for me, so I will not be afraid.

What can mere mortals do to me?

7 Yes, the LORD is for me; he will help me.

I will look in triumph at those who hate me.

8 It is better to trust the LORD

than to put confidence in people.

9 It is better to trust the LORD

than to put confidence in princes.

10 Though hostile nations surrounded me,

I destroyed them all in the name of the LORD.

11 Yes, they surrounded and attacked me,

but I destroyed them all in the name of the LORD.

12 They swarmed around me like bees;

they blazed against me like a roaring flame.

But I destroyed them all in the name of the LORD.

13 You did your best to kill me, O my enemy,

but the LORD helped me.

14 The LORD is my strength and my song;

he has become my victory.

15 Songs of joy and victory are sung in the camp of the godly.

The strong right arm of the LORD has done glorious things!

16 The strong right arm of the LORD is raised in triumph.

The strong right arm of the LORD has done glorious things!

17 I will not die, but I will live

to tell what the LORD has done.

18 The LORD has punished me severely,

but he has not handed me over to death.

PROVERBS 28:2

When there is moral rot within a nation, its government topples easily. But with wise and knowledgeable leaders, there is stability.

November 18 Reading through the Bible

 

 EZEKIEL 37:1-38:23

JAMES 1:19-2:17

PSALM 117:1-2

PROVERBS 28:1

EZEKIEL 37:1-38:23

The LORD took hold of me [Ezekiel], and I was carried away by the Spirit of the LORD to a valley filled with bones. 2 He led me around among the old, dry bones that covered the valley floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground. 3 Then he asked me, " Son of man, can these bones become living people again?" " O Sovereign LORD," I replied, " you alone know the answer to that." 4 Then he said to me, " Speak to these bones and say, ` Dry bones, listen to the word of the LORD! 5 This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Look! I am going to breathe into you and make you live again! 6 I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.' " 7 So I spoke these words, just as he told me. Suddenly as I spoke, there was a rattling noise all across the valley. The bones of each body came together and attached themselves as they had been before. 8 Then as I watched, muscles and flesh formed over the bones. Then skin formed to cover their bodies, but they still had no breath in them. 9 Then he said to me, " Speak to the winds and say: ` This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come, O breath, from the four winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so that they may live again.' " 10 So I spoke as he commanded me, and the wind entered the bodies, and they began to breathe. They all came to life and stood up on their feet--a great army of them. 11 Then he said to me, " Son of man, these bones represent the people of Israel. They are saying, ` We have become old, dry bones--all hope is gone.' 12 Now give them this message from the Sovereign LORD: O my people, I will open your graves of exile and cause you to rise again. Then I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 When this happens, O my people, you will know that I am the LORD. 14 I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live and return home to your own land. Then you will know that I am the LORD. You will see that I have done everything just as I promised. I, the LORD, have spoken!"15 Again a message came to me from the LORD: 16 " Son of man, take a stick and carve on it these words: ` This stick represents Judah and its allied tribes.' Then take another stick and carve these words on it: ` This stick represents the northern tribes of Israel.' 17 Now hold them together in your hand as one stick. 18 When your people ask you what your actions mean, 19 say to them, ` This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will take the northern tribes and join them to Judah. I will make them one stick in my hand.' 20 Then hold out the sticks you have inscribed, so the people can see them. 21 And give them this message from the Sovereign LORD: I will gather the people of Israel from among the nations. I will bring them home to their own land from the places where they have been scattered. 22 I will unify them into one nation in the land. One king will rule them all; no longer will they be divided into two nations. 23 They will stop polluting themselves with their detestable idols and other sins, for I will save them from their sinful backsliding. I will cleanse them. Then they will truly be my people, and I will be their God. 24 " My servant David will be their king, and they will have only one shepherd. They will obey my regulations and keep my laws. 25 They will live in the land of Israel where their ancestors lived, the land I gave my servant Jacob. They and their children and their grandchildren after them will live there forever, generation after generation. And my servant David will be their prince forever. 26 And I will make a covenant of peace with them, an everlasting covenant. I will give them their land and multiply them, and I will put my Temple among them forever. 27 I will make my home among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 28 And since my Temple will remain among them forever, the nations will know that I, the LORD, have set Israel apart for myself to be holy."38:1 THIS is another message that came to me from the LORD: 2 " Son of man, prophesy against Gog of the land of Magog, the prince who rules over the nations of Meshech and Tubal. 3 Give him this message from the Sovereign LORD: Gog, I am your enemy! 4 I will turn you around and put hooks into your jaws to lead you out to your destruction. I will mobilize your troops and cavalry and make you a vast and mighty horde, all fully armed. 5 Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya will join you, too, with all their weapons. 6 Gomer and all its hordes will also join you, along with the armies of Beth-togarmah from the distant north and many others. 7 " Get ready; be prepared! Keep all the armies around you mobilized, and take command of them. 8 A long time from now you will be called into action. In the distant future you will swoop down on the land of Israel, which will be lying in peace after her recovery from war and after the return of her people from many lands. 9 You and all your allies--a vast and awesome horde--will roll down on them like a storm and cover the land like a cloud.10 " This is what the Sovereign LORD says: At that time evil thoughts will come to your mind, and you will devise a wicked scheme. 11 You will say, ` Israel is an unprotected land filled with unwalled villages! I will march against her and destroy these people who live in such confidence! 12 I will go to those once-desolate cities that are again filled with people who have returned from exile in many nations. I will capture vast amounts of plunder and take many slaves, for the people are rich with cattle now, and they think the whole world revolves around them!' 13 But Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish will ask, ` Who are you to rob them of silver and gold? Who are you to drive away their cattle and seize their goods and make them poor?' 14 " Therefore, son of man, prophesy against Gog. Give him this message from the Sovereign LORD: When my people are living in peace in their land, then you will rouse yourself. 15 You will come from your homeland in the distant north with your vast cavalry and your mighty army, 16 and you will cover the land like a cloud. This will happen in the distant future. I will bring you against my land as everyone watches, and my holiness will be displayed by what happens to you. Then all the nations will know that I am the LORD. 17 " This is what the Sovereign LORD says: You are the one I was talking about long ago, when I announced through Israel's prophets that in future days I would bring you against my people. 18 But when Gog invades the land of Israel, says the Sovereign LORD, my fury will rise! 19 For in my jealousy and blazing anger, I promise a mighty shaking in the land of Israel on that day. 20 All living things--all the fish, birds, animals, and people--will quake in terror at my presence. Mountains will be thrown down; cliffs will crumble; walls will fall to the earth. 21 I will summon the sword against you throughout Israel, says the Sovereign LORD. Your men will turn against each other in mortal combat. 22 I will punish you and your hordes with disease and bloodshed; I will send torrential rain, hailstones, fire, and burning sulfur! 23 Thus will I show my greatness and holiness, and I will make myself known to all the nations of the world. Then they will know that I am the LORD!"

JAMES 1:19-2:17

My dear brothers and sisters,* be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. 20 Your anger can never make things right in God's sight. 21 So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the message God has planted in your hearts, for it is strong enough to save your souls. 22 And remember, it is a message to obey, not just to listen to. If you don't obey, you are only fooling yourself. 23 For if you just listen and don't obey, it is like looking at your face in a mirror but doing nothing to improve your appearance. 24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. 25 But if you keep looking steadily into God's perfect law--the law that sets you free--and if you do what it says and don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.26 If you claim to be religious but don't control your tongue, you are just fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. 27 Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles, and refuse to let the world corrupt us. 2:1 MY dear brothers and sisters,* how can you claim that you have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people more than others? 2 For instance, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in shabby clothes. 3 If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, " You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor"--well, 4 doesn't this discrimination show that you are guided by wrong motives? 5 Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn't God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren't they the ones who will inherit the kingdom God promised to those who love him? 6 And yet, you insult the poor man! Isn't it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court? 7 Aren't they the ones who slander Jesus Christ, whose noble name you bear? 8 Yes indeed, it is good when you truly obey our Lord's royal command found in the Scriptures: " Love your neighbor as yourself." 9 But if you pay special attention to the rich, you are committing a sin, for you are guilty of breaking that law.10 And the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as the person who has broken all of God's laws. 11 For the same God who said, " Do not commit adultery," also said, " Do not murder." So if you murder someone, you have broken the entire law, even if you do not commit adultery. 12 So whenever you speak, or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law of love, the law that set you free. 13 For there will be no mercy for you if you have not been merciful to others. But if you have been merciful, then God's mercy toward you will win out over his judgment against you. 14 Dear brothers and sisters, what's the use of saying you have faith if you don't prove it by your actions? That kind of faith can't save anyone. 15 Suppose you see a brother or sister who needs food or clothing, 16 and you say, " Well, good-bye and God bless you; stay warm and eat well"--but then you don't give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? 17 So you see, it isn't enough just to have faith. Faith that doesn't show itself by good deeds is no faith at all--it is dead and useless.

PSALM 117:1-2

Praise the LORD, all you nations.

Praise him, all you people of the earth.

2 For he loves us with unfailing love;

the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.

Praise the LORD!

PROVERBS 28:1

The wicked run away when no one is chasing them, but the godly are as bold as lions.

November 17 Reading through the Bible

  

EZEKIEL 35:1-36:38

JAMES 1:1-18

PSALM 116:1-19

PROVERBS 27:23-27

EZEKIEL 35:1-36:38

Again a message came to me [Ezekiel] from the LORD: 2 " Son of man, turn toward Mount Seir, and prophesy against its people. 3 Give them this message from the Sovereign LORD: I am your enemy, O Mount Seir, and I will raise my fist against you to destroy you completely. 4 I will demolish your cities and make you desolate, and then you will know that I am the LORD. 5 Your continual hatred for the people of Israel led you to butcher them when they were helpless, when I had already punished them for all their sins. 6 As surely as I live, says the Sovereign LORD, since you show no distaste for blood, I will give you a bloodbath of your own. Your turn has come! 7 I will make Mount Seir utterly desolate, killing off all who try to escape and any who return. 8 I will fill your mountains with the dead. Your hills, your valleys, and your streams will be filled with people slaughtered by the sword. 9 I will make you desolate forever. Your cities will never be rebuilt. Then you will know that I am the LORD. 10 " For you said, ` The lands of Israel and Judah will be ours. We will take possession of them. What do we care that the LORD is there!' 11 Therefore, as surely as I live, says the Sovereign LORD, I will pay back your angry deeds with mine. I will punish you for all your acts of anger, envy, and hatred. And I will bring honor to my name by what I do to you. 12 Then you will know that I, the LORD, have heard every contemptuous word you spoke against the mountains of Israel. For you said, ` They have been destroyed; they have been given to us as food to eat!' 13 In saying that, you boasted proudly against me, and I have heard it all! 14 " This is what the Sovereign LORD says: The whole world will rejoice when I make you desolate. 15 You rejoiced at the desolation of Israel's inheritance. Now I will rejoice at yours! You will be wiped out, you people of Mount Seir and all who live in Edom! Then you will know that I am the LORD!36:1 " SON of man, prophesy to Israel's mountains. Give them this message: O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD! 2 This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Your enemies have taunted you, saying, ` Aha! Now the ancient heights belong to us!' 3 Therefore, son of man, give the mountains of Israel this message from the Sovereign LORD: Your enemies have attacked you from all directions, and now you are possessed by many nations. You are the object of much mocking and slander. 4 Therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Sovereign LORD. He speaks to the hills and mountains, ravines and valleys, and to ruined wastes and long-deserted cities that have been destroyed and mocked by foreign nations everywhere. 5 This is what the Sovereign LORD says: My jealous anger is on fire against these nations, especially Edom, because they have shown utter contempt for me by gleefully taking my land for themselves as plunder. 6 " Therefore, prophesy to the hills and mountains, the ravines and valleys of Israel. Give them this message from the Sovereign LORD: I am full of fury because you have suffered shame before the surrounding nations. 7 Therefore, says the Sovereign LORD, I have raised my hand and sworn an oath that those nations will soon have their turn at suffering shame. 8 But the mountains of Israel will produce heavy crops of fruit to prepare for my people's return--and they will be coming home again soon! 9 See, I am concerned for you, and I will come to help you. Your ground will be tilled and your crops planted. 10 I will greatly increase the population of Israel, and the ruined cities will be rebuilt and filled with people. 11 Not only the people, but your flocks and herds will also greatly multiply. O mountains of Israel, I will bring people to live on you once again. I will make you even more prosperous than you were before. Then you will know that I am the LORD. 12 I will cause my people to walk on you once again, and you will be their inheritance. You will never again devour their children. 13 " This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Now the other nations taunt you, saying, ` Israel is a land that devours her own people!' 14 But you will never again devour your people or bereave your nation, says the Sovereign LORD. 15 I will not allow those foreign nations to sneer at you, and you will no longer be shamed by them or cause your nation to fall, says the Sovereign LORD." 16 Then this further message came to me from the LORD: 17 " Son of man, when the people of Israel were living in their own land, they defiled it by their evil deeds. To me their conduct was as filthy as a bloody rag. 18 They polluted the land with murder and by worshiping idols, so I poured out my fury on them. 19 I scattered them to many lands to punish them for the evil way they had lived. 20 But when they were scattered among the nations, they brought dishonor to my holy name. For the nations said, ` These are the people of the LORD, and he couldn't keep them safe in his own land!' 21 Then I was concerned for my holy name, which had been dishonored by my people throughout the world. 22 " Therefore, give the people of Israel this message from the Sovereign LORD: I am bringing you back again but not because you deserve it. I am doing it to protect my holy name, which you dishonored while you were scattered among the nations. 23 I will show how holy my great name is--the name you dishonored among the nations. And when I reveal my holiness through you before their very eyes, says the Sovereign LORD, then the nations will know that I am the LORD. 24 For I will gather you up from all the nations and bring you home again to your land. 25 " Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. 26 And I will give you a new heart with new and right desires, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony heart of sin and give you a new, obedient heart. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you so you will obey my laws and do whatever I command. 28 " And you will live in Israel, the land I gave your ancestors long ago. You will be my people, and I will be your God. 29 I will cleanse you of your filthy behavior. I will give you good crops, and I will abolish famine in the land. 30 I will give you great harvests from your fruit trees and fields, and never again will the surrounding nations be able to scoff at your land for its famines. 31 Then you will remember your past sins and hate yourselves for all the evil things you did. 32 But remember, says the Sovereign LORD, I am not doing this because you deserve it. O my people of Israel, you should be utterly ashamed of all you have done! 33 " This is what the Sovereign LORD says: When I cleanse you from your sins, I will bring people to live in your cities, and the ruins will be rebuilt. 34 The fields that used to lie empty and desolate--a shock to all who passed by--will again be farmed. 35 And when I bring you back, people will say, ` This godforsaken land is now like Eden's garden! The ruined cities now have strong walls, and they are filled with people!' 36 Then the nations all around--all those still left--will know that I, the LORD, rebuilt the ruins and planted lush crops in the wilderness. For I, the LORD, have promised this, and I will do it. 37 " This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am ready to hear Israel's prayers for these blessings, and I am ready to grant them their requests. 38 I will multiply them like the sacred flocks that fill Jerusalem's streets at the time of her festivals. The ruined cities will be crowded with people once more, and everyone will know that I am the LORD."

JAMES 1:1-18

This letter is from James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is written to Jewish Christians scattered among the nations. Greetings! 2 Dear brothers and sisters,* whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. 3 For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything. 5 If you need wisdom--if you want to know what God wants you to do--ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking. 6 But when you ask him, be sure that you really expect him to answer, for a doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 People like that should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 They can't make up their minds. They waver back and forth in everything they do.9 Christians who are poor should be glad, for God has honored them. 10 And those who are rich should be glad, for God has humbled them. They will fade away like a flower in the field. 11 The hot sun rises and dries up the grass; the flower withers, and its beauty fades away. So also, wealthy people will fade away with all of their achievements. 12 God blesses the people who patiently endure testing. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. 13 And remember, no one who wants to do wrong should ever say, " God is tempting me." God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else either. 14 Temptation comes from the lure of our own evil desires. 15 These evil desires lead to evil actions, and evil actions lead to death. 16 So don't be misled, my dear brothers and sisters.17 Whatever is good and perfect comes to us from God above, who created all heaven's lights. Unlike them, he never changes or casts shifting shadows. 18 In his goodness he chose to make us his own children by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his choice possession.

PSALM 116:1-19

I love the LORD because he hears

and answers my prayers.

2 Because he bends down and listens,

I will pray as long as I have breath!

3 Death had its hands around my throat;

the terrors of the grave overtook me.

I saw only trouble and sorrow.

4 Then I called on the name of the LORD:

" Please, LORD, save me!"

5 How kind the LORD is! How good he is!

So merciful, this God of ours!

6 The LORD protects those of childlike faith;

I was facing death, and then he saved me.

7 Now I can rest again,

for the LORD has been so good to me.

8 He has saved me from death,

my eyes from tears,

my feet from stumbling.

9 And so I walk in the LORD's presence

as I live here on earth!

10 I believed in you, so I prayed,

" I am deeply troubled, LORD."

11 In my anxiety I cried out to you,

" These people are all liars!"

12 What can I offer the LORD

for all he has done for me?

13 I will lift up a cup symbolizing his salvation;

I will praise the LORD's name for saving me.

14 I will keep my promises to the LORD

in the presence of all his people.

15 The LORD's loved ones are precious to him;

it grieves him when they die.

16 O LORD, I am your servant;

yes, I am your servant, the son of your handmaid,

and you have freed me from my bonds!

17 I will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving

and call on the name of the LORD.

18 I will keep my promises to the LORD

in the presence of all his people,

19 in the house of the LORD,

in the heart of Jerusalem.

Praise the LORD!

PROVERBS 27:23-27

Know the state of your flocks, and put your heart into caring for your herds, for riches don't last forever, and the crown might not be secure for the next generation. After the hay is harvested, the new crop appears, and the mountain grasses are gathered in, your sheep will provide wool for clothing, and your goats will be sold for the price of a field. And you will have enough goats' milk for you, your family, and your servants.

November 16 Reading through the Bible

  

EZEKIEL 33:1-34:31

HEBREWS 13:1-25

PSALM 115:1-18

PROVERBS 27:21-22

EZEKIEL 33:1-34:31

Once again a message came to me [Ezekiel] from the LORD: 2 " Son of man, give your people this message: When I bring an army against a country, the people of that land choose a watchman. 3 When the watchman sees the enemy coming, he blows the alarm to warn the people. 4 Then if those who hear the alarm refuse to take action--well, it is their own fault if they die. 5 They heard the warning but wouldn't listen, so the responsibility is theirs. If they had listened to the warning, they could have saved their lives. 6 But if the watchman sees the enemy coming and doesn't sound the alarm to warn the people, he is responsible for their deaths. They will die in their sins, but I will hold the watchman accountable. 7 " Now, son of man, I am making you a watchman for the people of Israel. Therefore, listen to what I say and warn them for me. 8 If I announce that some wicked people are sure to die and you fail to warn them about changing their ways, then they will die in their sins, but I will hold you responsible for their deaths. 9 But if you warn them to repent and they don't repent, they will die in their sins, but you will not be held responsible. 10 " Son of man, give the people of Israel this message: You are saying, ` Our sins are heavy upon us; we are wasting away! How can we survive?' 11 As surely as I live, says the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live. Turn! Turn from your wickedness, O people of Israel! Why should you die? 12 " Son of man, give your people this message: The good works of righteous people will not save them if they turn to sin, nor will the sins of evil people destroy them if they repent and turn from their sins. 13 When I tell righteous people that they will live, but then they sin, expecting their past righteousness to save them, then none of their good deeds will be remembered. I will destroy them for their sins. 14 And suppose I tell some wicked people that they will surely die, but then they turn from their sins and do what is just and right. 15 For instance, they might give back a borrower's pledge, return what they have stolen, and obey my life-giving laws, no longer doing what is evil. If they do this, then they will surely live and not die. 16 None of their past sins will be brought up again, for they have done what is just and right, and they will surely live. 17 " Your people are saying, ` The Lord is not just,' but it is they who are not just. 18 For again I say, when righteous people turn to evil, they will die. 19 But if wicked people turn from their wickedness and do what is just and right, they will live. 20 O people of Israel, you are saying, ` The Lord is not just.' But I will judge each of you according to your deeds." 21 On January 8, during the twelfth year of our captivity, a man who had escaped from Jerusalem came to me and said, " The city has fallen!" 22 The previous evening the LORD had taken hold of me and opened my mouth, so I would be able to speak when this man arrived the next morning. 23 Then this message came to me from the LORD: 24 " Son of man, the scattered remnants of Judah living among the ruined cities keep saying, ` Abraham was only one man, and yet he gained possession of the entire land! We are many; surely the land should be given to us as a possession.' 25 Now give these people this message from the Sovereign LORD: You eat meat with blood in it, you worship idols, and you murder the innocent. Do you really think the land should be yours? 26 Murderers! Idolaters! Adulterers! Should the land belong to you? 27 " Give them this message from the Sovereign LORD: As surely as I live, those living in the ruins will die by the sword. Those living in the open fields will be eaten by wild animals. Those hiding in the forts and caves will die of disease. 28 I will destroy the land and demolish her pride. Her arrogant power will come to an end. The mountains of Israel will be so ruined that no one will even travel through them. 29 When I have ruined the land because of their disgusting sins, then they will know that I am the LORD.30 " Son of man, your people are whispering behind your back. They talk about you in their houses and whisper about you at the doors, saying, ` Come on, let's have some fun! Let's go hear the prophet tell us what the LORD is saying!' 31 So they come pretending to be sincere and sit before you listening. But they have no intention of doing what I tell them. They express love with their mouths, but their hearts seek only after money. 32 You are very entertaining to them, like someone who sings love songs with a beautiful voice or plays fine music on an instrument. They hear what you say, but they don't do it! 33 But when all these terrible things happen to them--as they certainly will--then they will know a prophet has been among them." 34:1 THEN this message came to me from the LORD: 2 " Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds, the leaders of Israel. Give them this message from the Sovereign LORD: Destruction is certain for you shepherds who feed yourselves instead of your flocks. Shouldn't shepherds feed their sheep? 3 You drink the milk, wear the wool, and butcher the best animals, but you let your flocks starve. 4 You have not taken care of the weak. You have not tended the sick or bound up the broken bones. You have not gone looking for those who have wandered away and are lost. Instead, you have ruled them with force and cruelty. 5 So my sheep have been scattered without a shepherd. They are easy prey for any wild animal. 6 They have wandered through the mountains and hills, across the face of the earth, yet no one has gone to search for them. 7 " Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: 8 As surely as I live, says the Sovereign LORD, you abandoned my flock and left them to be attacked by every wild animal. Though you were my shepherds, you didn't search for my sheep when they were lost. You took care of yourselves and left the sheep to starve. 9 Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD. 10 This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I now consider these shepherds my enemies, and I will hold them responsible for what has happened to my flock. I will take away their right to feed the flock, along with their right to feed themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths; the sheep will no longer be their prey. 11 " For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will search and find my sheep. 12 I will be like a shepherd looking for his scattered flock. I will find my sheep and rescue them from all the places to which they were scattered on that dark and cloudy day. 13 I will bring them back home to their own land of Israel from among the peoples and nations. I will feed them on the mountains of Israel and by the rivers in all the places where people live. 14 Yes, I will give them good pastureland on the high hills of Israel. There they will lie down in pleasant places and feed in lush mountain pastures. 15 I myself will tend my sheep and cause them to lie down in peace, says the Sovereign LORD. 16 I will search for my lost ones who strayed away, and I will bring them safely home again. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak. But I will destroy those who are fat and powerful. I will feed them, yes--feed them justice! 17 " And as for you, my flock, my people, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will judge between one sheep and another, separating the sheep from the goats. 18 Is it not enough for you to keep the best of the pastures for yourselves? Must you also trample down the rest? Is it not enough for you to take the best water for yourselves? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet? 19 All that is left for my flock to eat is what you have trampled down. All they have to drink is water that you have fouled. 20 " Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will surely judge between the fat sheep and the scrawny sheep. 21 For you fat sheep push and butt and crowd my sick and hungry flock until they are scattered to distant lands. 22 So I will rescue my flock, and they will no longer be abused and destroyed. And I will judge between one sheep and another. 23 And I will set one shepherd over them, even my servant David. He will feed them and be a shepherd to them. 24 And I, the LORD, will be their God, and my servant David will be a prince among my people. I, the LORD, have spoken! 25 " I will make a covenant of peace with them and drive away the dangerous animals from the land. Then my people will be able to camp safely in the wildest places and sleep in the woods without fear. 26 I will cause my people and their homes around my holy hill to be a blessing. And I will send showers, showers of blessings, which will come just when they are needed. 27 The orchards and fields of my people will yield bumper crops, and everyone will live in safety. When I have broken their chains of slavery and rescued them from those who enslaved them, then they will know that I am the LORD. 28 They will no longer be prey for other nations, and wild animals will no longer attack them. They will live in safety, and no one will make them afraid. 29 " And I will give them a land famous for its crops, so my people will never again go hungry or be shamed by the scorn of foreign nations. 30 In this way, they will know that I, the LORD their God, am with them. And they will know that they, the people of Israel, are my people, says the Sovereign LORD. 31 You are my flock, the sheep of my pasture. You are my people, and I am your God, says the Sovereign LORD."

HEBREWS 13:1-25

Continue to love each other with true Christian love. 2 Don't forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it! 3 Don't forget about those in prison. Suffer with them as though you were there yourself. Share the sorrow of those being mistreated, as though you feel their pain in your own bodies. 4 Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery. 5 Stay away from the love of money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, " I will never fail you.

I will never forsake you."

6 That is why we can say with confidence, " The Lord is my helper,

so I will not be afraid.

What can mere mortals do to me?"

7 Remember your leaders who first taught you the word of God. Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and trust the Lord as they do. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 9 So do not be attracted by strange, new ideas. Your spiritual strength comes from God's special favor, not from ceremonial rules about food, which don't help those who follow them. 10 We have an altar from which the priests in the Temple on earth have no right to eat. 11 Under the system of Jewish laws, the high priest brought the blood of animals into the Holy Place as a sacrifice for sin, but the bodies of the animals were burned outside the camp. 12 So also Jesus suffered and died outside the city gates in order to make his people holy by shedding his own blood. 13 So let us go out to him outside the camp and bear the disgrace he bore. 14 For this world is not our home; we are looking forward to our city in heaven, which is yet to come.15 With Jesus' help, let us continually offer our sacrifice of praise to God by proclaiming the glory of his name. 16 Don't forget to do good and to share what you have with those in need, for such sacrifices are very pleasing to God. 17 Obey your spiritual leaders and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they know they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this joyfully and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit. 18 Pray for us, for our conscience is clear and we want to live honorably in everything we do. 19 I especially need your prayers right now so that I can come back to you soon.20-21 And now, may the God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, all that is pleasing to him. Jesus is the great Shepherd of the sheep by an everlasting covenant, signed with his blood. To him be glory forever and ever. Amen. 22 I urge you, dear brothers and sisters,* please listen carefully to what I have said in this brief letter. 23 I want you to know that our brother Timothy is now out of jail. If he comes here soon, I will bring him with me to see you. 24 Give my greetings to all your leaders and to the other believers there. The Christians from Italy send you their greetings. 25 May God's grace be with you all.

PSALM 115:1-18

Not to us, O LORD, but to you goes all the glory

for your unfailing love and faithfulness.

2 Why let the nations say,

" Where is their God?"

3 For our God is in the heavens,

and he does as he wishes.

4 Their idols are merely things of silver and gold,

shaped by human hands.

5 They cannot talk, though they have mouths,

or see, though they have eyes!

6 They cannot hear with their ears,

or smell with their noses,

7 or feel with their hands,

or walk with their feet,

or utter sounds with their throats!

8 And those who make them are just like them,

as are all who trust in them.

9 O Israel, trust the LORD!

He is your helper; he is your shield.

10 O priests of Aaron, trust the LORD!

He is your helper; he is your shield.

11 All you who fear the LORD, trust the LORD!

He is your helper; he is your shield.

12 The LORD remembers us,

and he will surely bless us.

He will bless the people of Israel

and the family of Aaron, the priests.

13 He will bless those who fear the LORD,

both great and small.

14 May the LORD richly bless

both you and your children.

15 May you be blessed by the LORD,

who made heaven and earth.

16 The heavens belong to the LORD,

but he has given the earth to all humanity.

17 The dead cannot sing praises to the LORD,

for they have gone into the silence of the grave.

18 But we can praise the LORD

both now and forever!

Praise the LORD!

PROVERBS 27:21-22

Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but a person is tested by being praised. You cannot separate fools from their foolishness, even though you grind them like grain with mortar and pestle.

November 15 Reading through the Bible

 

EZEKIEL 31:1-32:32

HEBREWS 12:14-29

PSALM 113:1-114:8

PROVERBS 27:18-20

EZEKIEL 31:1-32:32

On June 21, during the eleventh year of King Jehoiachin's captivity, this message came to me [Ezekiel] from the LORD: 2 " Son of man, give this message to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and all his people: To whom would you compare your greatness? 3 You are as Assyria was--a great and mighty nation. Assyria, too, was once like a cedar of Lebanon, full of thick branches that cast deep forest shade with its top high among the clouds. 4 Deep springs watered it and helped it to grow tall and luxuriant. The water was so abundant that there was enough for all the trees nearby. 5 This great tree towered above all the other trees around it. It prospered and grew long thick branches because of all the water at its roots. 6 The birds nested in its branches, and in its shade all the wild animals gave birth to their young. All the great nations of the world lived in its shadow. 7 It was strong and beautiful, for its roots went deep into abundant water. 8 This tree became taller than any of the other cedars in the garden of God. No cypress had branches equal to it; no plane tree had boughs to compare. No tree in the garden of God came close to it in beauty. 9 Because of the magnificence I gave this tree, it was the envy of all the other trees of Eden, the garden of God. 10 " Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Because it became proud and arrogant, and because it set itself so high above the others, reaching to the clouds, 11 I handed it over to a mighty nation that destroyed it as its wickedness deserved. I myself discarded it. 12 A foreign army--the terror of the nations--cut it down and left it fallen on the ground. Its branches were scattered across the mountains and valleys and ravines of the land. All those who lived beneath its shadow went away and left it lying there. 13 The birds roosted on its fallen trunk, and the wild animals lay among its branches. 14 Let no other nation proudly exult in its own prosperity, though it be higher than the clouds, for all are doomed. They will land in the pit along with all the proud people of the world. 15 " This is what the Sovereign LORD says: When Assyria went down into the grave, I made the deep places mourn, and I restrained the mighty waters. I clothed Lebanon in black and caused the trees of the field to wilt. 16 I made the nations shake with fear at the sound of its fall, for I sent it down to the grave with all the others like it. And all the other proud trees of Eden, the most beautiful and the best of Lebanon, the ones whose roots went deep into the water, were relieved to find it there with them in the pit. 17 Its allies, too, were all destroyed and had passed away. They had gone down to the grave--all those nations that had lived in its shade. 18 " O Egypt, to which of the trees of Eden will you compare your strength and glory? You, too, will be brought down to the pit with all these other nations. You will lie there among the outcasts who have died by the sword. This will be the fate of Pharaoh and all his teeming hordes. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken!"32:1 ON March 3, during the twelfth year of King Jehoiachin's captivity, this message came to me from the LORD: 2 " Son of man, mourn for Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and give him this message: You think of yourself as a strong young lion among the nations, but you are really just a sea monster, heaving around in your own rivers, stirring up mud with your feet. 3 " Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will send many people to catch you in my net and haul you out of the water. 4 I will leave you stranded on the land to die. All the birds of the heavens will land on you, and the wild animals of the whole earth will gorge themselves on you. 5 I will cover the hills with your flesh and fill the valleys with your bones. 6 I will drench the earth with your gushing blood all the way to the mountains, filling the ravines to the brim. 7 When I blot you out, I will veil the heavens and darken the stars. I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon will not give you its light. 8 Yes, I will bring darkness everywhere across your land. Even the brightest stars will become dark above you. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken! 9 " And when I bring your shattered remains to distant nations that you have never seen, I will disturb many hearts. 10 Yes, I will bring terror to many lands, and their kings will be terrified because of all I do to you. They will shudder in fear for their lives as I brandish my sword before them on the day of your fall. 11 " For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: The sword of the king of Babylon will come against you. 12 I will destroy you with the swords of mighty warriors--the terror of the nations. They will shatter the pride of Egypt, and all its hordes will be destroyed. 13 I will destroy all your flocks and herds that graze beside the streams. Never again will people or animals disturb those waters with their feet. 14 Then I will let the waters of Egypt become calm again, and they will flow as smoothly as olive oil, says the Sovereign LORD. 15 And when I destroy Egypt and wipe out everything you have and strike down all your people, then you will know that I am the LORD. 16 Yes, this is the funeral song they will sing for Egypt. Let all the nations mourn for Egypt and its hordes. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken!" 17 On March 17, during the twelfth year, another message came to me from the LORD: 18 " Son of man, weep for the hordes of Egypt and for the other mighty nations. For I will send them down to the world below in company with those who descend to the pit. 19 Say to them, ` O Egypt, are you lovelier than the other nations? No! So go down to the pit and lie there among the outcasts.' 20 The Egyptians will fall with the many who have died by the sword, for the sword is drawn against them. Egypt will be dragged away to its judgment. 21 Down in the grave mighty leaders will mockingly welcome Egypt and its allies, saying, ` They have come down; they lie among the outcasts, all victims of the sword.' 22 " Assyria lies there surrounded by the graves of all its people, those who were slaughtered by the sword. 23 Their graves are in the depths of the pit, and they are surrounded by their allies. These mighty men who once struck terror in the hearts of people everywhere are now dead at the hands of their enemies. 24 " Elam lies there buried with its hordes who descended as outcasts to the world below. They terrorized the nations while they lived, but now they lie in the pit and share the humiliation of those who have gone to the world of the dead. 25 They have a resting place among the slaughtered, surrounded by the graves of all their people. Yes, they terrorized the nations while they lived, but now they lie in shame in the pit, all of them outcasts, slaughtered by the sword. 26 " Meshech and Tubal are there, surrounded by the graves of all their hordes. They once struck terror into the hearts of all people. But now they are outcasts, all victims of the sword. 27 They are not buried in honor like the fallen heroes of the outcasts, who went down to the grave with their weapons--their shields covering their bodies, and their swords beneath their heads. They brought terror to everyone while they were still alive. 28 " You too, Egypt, will lie crushed and broken among the outcasts, all victims of the sword.29 " Edom is there with its kings and princes. Mighty as they were, they also lie among those killed by the sword, with the outcasts who have gone down to the pit. 30 All the princes of the north and the Sidonians are there, all victims of the sword. Once a terror, they now lie there in shame. They lie there as outcasts with all the other dead who have descended to the pit. 31 " When Pharaoh arrives, he will be relieved to find that he is not alone in having his entire army killed, says the Sovereign LORD. 32 For I have caused my terror to fall upon all the living. And Pharaoh and his hordes will lie there among the outcasts who have died by the sword. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken!"

HEBREWS 12:14-29

Try to live in peace with everyone, and seek to live a clean and holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord. 15 Look after each other so that none of you will miss out on the special favor of God. Watch out that no bitter root of unbelief rises up among you, for whenever it springs up, many are corrupted by its poison. 16 Make sure that no one is immoral or godless like Esau. He traded his birthright as the oldest son for a single meal. 17 And afterward, when he wanted his father's blessing, he was rejected. It was too late for repentance, even though he wept bitter tears. 18 You have not come to a physical mountain, to a place of flaming fire, darkness, gloom, and whirlwind, as the Israelites did at Mount Sinai when God gave them his laws. 19 For they heard an awesome trumpet blast and a voice with a message so terrible that they begged God to stop speaking. 20 They staggered back under God's command: " If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death." 21 Moses himself was so frightened at the sight that he said, " I am terrified and trembling." 22 No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to thousands of angels in joyful assembly. 23 You have come to the assembly of God's firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God himself, who is the judge of all people. And you have come to the spirits of the redeemed in heaven who have now been made perfect. 24 You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which graciously forgives instead of crying out for vengeance as the blood of Abel did. 25 See to it that you obey God, the one who is speaking to you. For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, how terrible our danger if we reject the One who speaks to us from heaven! 26 When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: " Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also." 27 This means that the things on earth will be shaken, so that only eternal things will be left. 28 Since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be destroyed, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. 29 For our God is a consuming fire.

PSALM 113:1-114:8

Praise the LORD!

Yes, give praise, O servants of the LORD.

Praise the name of the LORD!

2 Blessed be the name of the LORD

forever and ever.

3 Everywhere--from east to west--

praise the name of the LORD.

4 For the LORD is high above the nations;

his glory is far greater than the heavens.

5 Who can be compared with the LORD our God,

who is enthroned on high?

6 Far below him are the heavens and the earth.

He stoops to look,

7 and he lifts the poor from the dirt

and the needy from the garbage dump.

8 He sets them among princes,

even the princes of his own people!

9 He gives the barren woman a home,

so that she becomes a happy mother.

Praise the LORD!

114:1 WHEN the Israelites escaped from Egypt--

when the family of Jacob left that foreign land--

2 the land of Judah became God's sanctuary,

and Israel became his kingdom.

3 The Red Sea saw them coming and hurried out of their way!

The water of the Jordan River turned away.

4 The mountains skipped like rams,

the little hills like lambs!

5 What's wrong, Red Sea, that made you hurry out of their way?

What happened, Jordan River, that you turned away?

6 Why, mountains, did you skip like rams?

Why, little hills, like lambs?

7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,

at the presence of the God of Israel.

8 He turned the rock into pools of water;

yes, springs of water came from solid rock.

PROVERBS 27:18-20

Workers who tend a fig tree are allowed to eat its fruit. In the same way, workers who protect their employer's interests will be rewarded. As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the person. Just as Death and Destruction are never satisfied, so human desire is never satisfied.

November 14 Reading through the Bible

  

EZEKIEL 29:1-30:26

HEBREWS 11:32-12:13

PSALM 112:1-10

PROVERBS 27:17

EZEKIEL 29:1-30:26

On January 7, during the tenth year of King Jehoiachin's captivity, this message came to me [Ezekiel] from the LORD: 2 " Son of man, turn toward Egypt and prophesy against Pharaoh the king and all the people of Egypt. 3 Give them this message from the Sovereign LORD: I am your enemy, O Pharaoh, king of Egypt--you great monster, lurking in the streams of the Nile. For you have said, ` The Nile River is mine; I made it for myself!' 4 I will put hooks in your jaws and drag you out on the land with fish sticking to your scales. 5 I will leave you and all your fish stranded in the desert to die. You will lie unburied on the open ground, for I have given you as food to the wild animals and birds. 6 " All the people of Egypt will discover that I am the LORD, for you collapsed like a reed when Israel looked to you for help. 7 Israel leaned on you, but like a cracked staff, you splintered and stabbed her in the armpit. When she put her weight on you, you gave way, and her back was thrown out of joint. 8 So now the Sovereign LORD says: I will bring an army against you, O Egypt, and destroy both people and animals. 9 The land of Egypt will become a desolate wasteland, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD. " Because you said, ` The Nile River is mine; I made it,' 10 I am now the enemy of both you and your river. I will utterly destroy the land of Egypt, from Migdol to Aswan, as far south as the border of Ethiopia. 11 For forty years not a soul will pass that way, neither people nor animals. It will be completely uninhabited. 12 I will make Egypt desolate, and it will be surrounded by other desolate nations. Its cities will be empty and desolate for forty years, surrounded by other desolate cities. I will scatter the Egyptians to distant lands. 13 " But the Sovereign LORD also says: At the end of the forty years I will bring the Egyptians home again from the nations to which they have been scattered. 14 I will restore the prosperity of Egypt and bring its people back to the land of Pathros in southern Egypt from which they came. But Egypt will remain an unimportant, minor kingdom. 15 It will be the lowliest of all the nations, never again great enough to rise above its neighbors. 16 " Then Israel will no longer be tempted to trust in Egypt for help. Egypt's shattered condition will remind Israel of how sinful she was to trust Egypt in earlier days. Then Israel will know that I alone am the Sovereign LORD."17 On April 26, during the twenty-seventh year of King Jehoiachin's captivity, this message came to me from the LORD: 18 " Son of man, the army of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon fought so hard against Tyre that the warriors' heads were rubbed bare and their shoulders were raw and blistered. Yet Nebuchadnezzar and his army won no plunder to compensate them for all their work. 19 Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. He will carry off their wealth, plundering everything they have to pay his army. 20 Yes, I have given him the land of Egypt as a reward for his work, says the Sovereign LORD, because he was working for me when he destroyed Tyre. 21 " And the day will come when I will cause the ancient glory of Israel to revive, and then at last your words will be respected. Then they will know that I am the LORD."30:1 THIS is another message that came to me from the LORD: 2 " Son of man, prophesy and give this message from the Sovereign LORD: Weep, 3 for the terrible day is almost here--the day of the LORD! It is a day of clouds and gloom, a day of despair for the nations! 4 A sword will come against Egypt, and those who are slaughtered will cover the ground. Their wealth will be carried away and their foundations destroyed. The land of Ethiopia will be ravished. 5 Ethiopia, Libya, Lydia, and Arabia, with all their other allies, will be destroyed in that war. 6 " For this is what the LORD says: All of Egypt's allies will fall, and the pride of their power will end. From Migdol to Aswan they will be slaughtered by the sword, says the Sovereign LORD. 7 Egypt will be desolate, surrounded by desolate nations, and its cities will be in ruins, surrounded by other ruined cities. 8 And the people of Egypt will know that I am the LORD when I have set Egypt on fire and destroyed all their allies. 9 At that time I will send swift messengers in ships to terrify the complacent Ethiopians. Great panic will come upon them on that day of Egypt's certain destruction. 10 " For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Through King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, I will destroy the hordes of Egypt. 11 He and his armies--ruthless among the nations--have been sent to demolish the land. They will make war against Egypt until slaughtered Egyptians cover the ground. 12 I will dry up the Nile River and hand the land over to wicked men. I will destroy the land of Egypt and everything in it, using foreigners to do it. I, the LORD, have spoken!13 " This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will smash the idols of Egypt and the images at Memphis. There will be no rulers left in Egypt; anarchy will prevail throughout the land! 14 I will destroy Pathros, Zoan, and Thebes, and they will lie in ruins, burned up by my anger. 15 I will pour out my fury on Pelusium, the strongest fortress of Egypt, and I will stamp out the people of Thebes. 16 Yes, I will set fire to all Egypt! Pelusium will be racked with pain; Thebes will be torn apart; Memphis will live in constant terror. 17 The young men of Heliopolis and Bubastis will die in battle, and the women will be taken away as slaves. 18 When I come to break the proud strength of Egypt, it will be a dark day for Tahpanhes, too. A dark cloud will cover Tahpanhes, and its daughters will be led away as captives. 19 And so I will greatly punish Egypt, and they will know that I am the LORD." 20 On April 29, during the eleventh year of King Jehoiachin's captivity, this message came to me from the LORD: 21 " Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. His arm has not been put in a cast so that it may heal. Neither has it been bound up with a splint to make it strong enough to hold a sword. 22 Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am the enemy of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt! I will break both of his arms--the good arm along with the broken one--and I will make his sword clatter to the ground. 23 I will scatter the Egyptians to many lands throughout the world. 24 I will strengthen the arms of Babylon's king and put my sword in his hand. But I will break the arms of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he will lie there mortally wounded, groaning in pain. 25 I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, while the arms of Pharaoh fall useless to his sides. And when I put my sword in the hand of Babylon's king and he brings it against the land of Egypt, Egypt will know that I am the LORD. 26 I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD."

HEBREWS 11:32-12:13

Well, how much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets. 33 By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight. 35 Women received their loved ones back again from death. But others trusted God and were tortured, preferring to die rather than turn from God and be free. They placed their hope in the resurrection to a better life. 36 Some were mocked, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in dungeons. 37 Some died by stoning, and some were sawed in half; others were killed with the sword. Some went about in skins of sheep and goats, hungry and oppressed and mistreated. 38 They were too good for this world. They wandered over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground. 39 All of these people we have mentioned received God's approval because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. 40 For God had far better things in mind for us that would also benefit them, for they can't receive the prize at the end of the race until we finish the race.12:1 THEREFORE, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish. He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterward. Now he is seated in the place of highest honor beside God's throne in heaven. 3 Think about all he endured when sinful people did such terrible things to him, so that you don't become weary and give up. 4 After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin. 5 And have you entirely forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you, his children? He said, " My child, don't ignore it when the Lord disciplines you,

and don't be discouraged when he corrects you.

6 For the Lord disciplines those he loves,

and he punishes those he accepts as his children."

7 As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Whoever heard of a child who was never disciplined? 8 If God doesn't discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children after all. 9 Since we respect our earthly fathers who disciplined us, should we not all the more cheerfully submit to the discipline of our heavenly Father and live forever? 10 For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God's discipline is always right and good for us because it means we will share in his holiness. 11 No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening--it is painful! But afterward there will be a quiet harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way. 12 So take a new grip with your tired hands and stand firm on your shaky legs. 13 Mark out a straight path for your feet. Then those who follow you, though they are weak and lame, will not stumble and fall but will become strong.

PSALM 112:1-10

Praise the LORD!

Happy are those who fear the LORD.

Yes, happy are those who delight in doing what he commands.

2 Their children will be successful everywhere;

an entire generation of godly people will be blessed.

3 They themselves will be wealthy,

and their good deeds will never be forgotten.

4 When darkness overtakes the godly, light will come bursting in.

They are generous, compassionate, and righteous.

5 All goes well for those who are generous,

who lend freely and conduct their business fairly.

6 Such people will not be overcome by evil circumstances.

Those who are righteous will be long remembered.

7 They do not fear bad news;

they confidently trust the LORD to care for them.

8 They are confident and fearless

and can face their foes triumphantly.

9 They give generously to those in need.

Their good deeds will never be forgotten.

They will have influence and honor.

10 The wicked will be infuriated when they see this.

They will grind their teeth in anger;

they will slink away, their hopes thwarted.

PROVERBS 27:17

As iron sharpens iron, a friend sharpens a friend.

November 13 Reading through the Bible

  

EZEKIEL 27:1-28:26

HEBREWS 11:17-31

PSALM 111:1-10

PROVERBS 27:15-16

EZEKIEL 27:1-28:26

Then this message came to me [Ezekiel] from the LORD: 2 " Son of man, sing a funeral song for Tyre, 3 that mighty gateway to the sea, the trading center of the world. Give Tyre this message from the Sovereign LORD: You claimed, O Tyre, to be perfect in beauty. 4 You extended your boundaries into the sea. Your builders made you glorious! 5 You were like a great ship built of the finest cypress from Senir. They took a cedar from Lebanon to make a mast for you. 6 They carved oars for you from the oaks of Bashan. They made your deck of pine wood, brought from the southern coasts of Cyprus. Then they inlaid it with ivory. 7 Your sails were made of Egypt's finest linen, and they flew as a banner above you. You stood beneath blue and purple awnings made bright with dyes from the coasts of Elishah. 8 " Your oarsmen came from Sidon and Arvad; your helmsmen were skilled men from Tyre itself. 9 Wise old craftsmen from Gebal did all the caulking. Ships came with goods from every land to barter for your trade. 10 Men from distant Persia, Lydia, and Libya served in your great army. They hung their shields and helmets on your walls, giving you great honor. 11 Men from Arvad and from Helech stood on your walls as sentinels. Your towers were manned by men from Gammad. Their shields hung on your walls, perfecting your splendor. 12 " Tarshish was your agent, trading your wares in exchange for silver, iron, tin, and lead. 13 Merchants from Greece, Tubal, and Meshech brought slaves and bronze dishes. 14 From Togarmah came riding horses, chariot horses, and mules. All these things were exchanged for your manufactured goods. 15 Merchants came to you from Dedan. Numerous coastlands were your captive markets; they brought payment in ivory tusks and ebony wood. 16 " Aram sent merchants to buy your wares. They traded turquoise, purple dyes, embroidery, fine linen, and jewelry of coral and rubies. 17 Judah and Israel traded for your wares, offering wheat from Minnith, early figs, honey, oil, and balm. 18 Damascus traded for your rich variety of goods, bringing wine from Helbon and white wool from Zahar. 19 Greeks from Uzal came to trade for your merchandise. Wrought iron, cassia, and calamus were bartered for your wares. 20 Dedan traded their expensive saddle blankets with you. 21 " The Arabians and the princes of Kedar brought lambs and rams and goats in trade for your goods. 22 The merchants of Sheba and Raamah came with all kinds of spices, jewels, and gold in exchange for your wares. 23 Haran, Canneh, Eden, Sheba, Asshur, and Kilmad came with their merchandise, too. 24 They brought choice fabrics to trade--blue cloth, embroidery, and many-colored carpets bound with cords and made secure. 25 The ships of Tarshish were your ocean caravans. Your island warehouse was filled to the brim! 26 " But look! Your oarsmen are rowing your ship of state into a hurricane! Your mighty vessel flounders in the heavy eastern gale. You are shipwrecked in the heart of the sea! 27 Everything is lost--your riches and wares, your sailors and helmsmen, your ship builders, merchants, and warriors. On that day of vast ruin, everyone on board sinks into the depths of the sea. 28 " Your cities by the sea tremble as your helmsmen cry out in terror. 29 All the oarsmen abandon their ships; the sailors and helmsmen come to stand on the shore. 30 They weep bitterly as they throw dust on their heads and roll in ashes. 31 They shave their heads in grief because of you and dress themselves in sackcloth. They weep for you with bitter anguish and deep mourning. 32 As they wail and mourn, they sing this sad funeral song: ` Was there ever such a city as Tyre,

now silent at the bottom of the sea?

33 The merchandise you traded

satisfied the needs of many nations.

Kings at the ends of the earth

were enriched by your trade.

34 Now you are a wrecked ship,

broken at the bottom of the sea.

All your merchandise and your crew

have passed away with you.

35 All who live along the coastlands

are appalled at your terrible fate.

Their kings are filled with horror

and look on with twisted faces.

36 The merchants of the nations

shake their heads at the sight of you,

for you have come to a horrible end

and will be no more.' "

28:1 THEN this message came to me from the LORD: 2 " Son of man, give the prince of Tyre this message from the Sovereign LORD: In your great pride you claim, ` I am a god! I sit on a divine throne in the heart of the sea.' But you are only a man and not a god, though you boast that you are like a god. 3 You regard yourself as wiser than Daniel and think no secret is hidden from you. 4 With your wisdom and understanding you have amassed great wealth--gold and silver for your treasuries. 5 Yes, your wisdom has made you very rich, and your riches have made you very proud. 6 " Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Because you think you are as wise as a god, 7 I will bring against you an enemy army, the terror of the nations. They will suddenly draw their swords against your marvelous wisdom and defile your splendor! 8 They will bring you down to the pit, and you will die there on your island home in the heart of the sea, pierced with many wounds. 9 Will you then boast, ` I am a god!' to those who kill you? To them you will be no god but merely a man! 10 You will die like an outcast at the hands of foreigners. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken!" 11 Then this further message came to me from the LORD: 12 " Son of man, weep for the king of Tyre. Give him this message from the Sovereign LORD: You were the perfection of wisdom and beauty. 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God. Your clothing was adorned with every precious stone--red carnelian, chrysolite, white moonstone, beryl, onyx, jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emerald--all beautifully crafted for you and set in the finest gold. They were given to you on the day you were created. 14 I ordained and anointed you as the mighty angelic guardian. You had access to the holy mountain of God and walked among the stones of fire. 15 " You were blameless in all you did from the day you were created until the day evil was found in you. 16 Your great wealth filled you with violence, and you sinned. So I banished you from the mountain of God. I expelled you, O mighty guardian, from your place among the stones of fire. 17 Your heart was filled with pride because of all your beauty. You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth and exposed you to the curious gaze of kings. 18 You defiled your sanctuaries with your many sins and your dishonest trade. So I brought fire from within you, and it consumed you. I let it burn you to ashes on the ground in the sight of all who were watching. 19 All who knew you are appalled at your fate. You have come to a terrible end, and you are no more." 20 Then another message came to me from the LORD: 21 " Son of man, look toward the city of Sidon and prophesy against it. 22 Give the people of Sidon this message from the Sovereign LORD: I am your enemy, O Sidon, and I will reveal my glory by what happens to you. When I bring judgment against you and reveal my holiness among you, everyone watching will know that I am the LORD. 23 I will send a plague against you, and blood will be spilled in your streets. The attack will come from every direction, and your people will lie slaughtered within your walls. Then everyone will know that I am the LORD. 24 No longer will Israel's scornful neighbors prick and tear at her like thorns and briers. For then they will know that I am the Sovereign LORD.25 " This is what the Sovereign LORD says: The people of Israel will again live in their own land, the land I gave my servant Jacob. For I will gather them from the distant lands where I have scattered them. I will reveal to the nations of the world my holiness among my people. 26 They will live safely in Israel and build their homes and plant their vineyards. And when I punish the neighboring nations that treated them with contempt, they will know that I am the LORD their God."

HEBREWS 11:17-31

It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God's promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, 18 though God had promised him, " Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted." 19 Abraham assumed that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead. 20 It was by faith that Isaac blessed his two sons, Jacob and Esau. He had confidence in what God was going to do in the future. 21 It was by faith that Jacob, when he was old and dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons and bowed in worship as he leaned on his staff. 22 And it was by faith that Joseph, when he was about to die, confidently spoke of God's bringing the people of Israel out of Egypt. He was so sure of it that he commanded them to carry his bones with them when they left! 23 It was by faith that Moses' parents hid him for three months. They saw that God had given them an unusual child, and they were not afraid of what the king might do.24 It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be treated as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. 25 He chose to share the oppression of God's people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of the Messiah than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to the great reward that God would give him. 27 It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt. He was not afraid of the king. Moses kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible. 28 It was by faith that Moses commanded the people of Israel to keep the Passover and to sprinkle blood on the doorposts so that the angel of death would not kill their firstborn sons. 29 It was by faith that the people of Israel went right through the Red Sea as though they were on dry ground. But when the Egyptians followed, they were all drowned. 30 It was by faith that the people of Israel marched around Jericho seven days, and the walls came crashing down. 31 It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute did not die with all the others in her city who refused to obey God. For she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.

PSALM 111:1-10

Praise the LORD!

I will thank the LORD with all my heart

as I meet with his godly people.

2 How amazing are the deeds of the LORD!

All who delight in him should ponder them.

3 Everything he does reveals his glory and majesty.

His righteousness never fails.

4 Who can forget the wonders he performs?

How gracious and merciful is our LORD!

5 He gives food to those who trust him;

he always remembers his covenant.

6 He has shown his great power to his people

by giving them the lands of other nations.

7 All he does is just and good,

and all his commandments are trustworthy.

8 They are forever true,

to be obeyed faithfully and with integrity.

9 He has paid a full ransom for his people.

He has guaranteed his covenant with them forever.

What a holy, awe-inspiring name he has!

10 Reverence for the LORD is the foundation of true wisdom.

The rewards of wisdom come to all who obey him.

Praise his name forever!

PROVERBS 27:15-16

A nagging wife is as annoying as the constant dripping on a rainy day. Trying to stop her complaints is like trying to stop the wind or hold something with greased hands.