Read the Bible in a Year

Each day, we'll post passages so that you can read the Bible in one year. This is part of The Colossians 13:16 Project, sponsored by Cove Presbyterian Church, 3404 Main Street, Weirton, West Virginia. You're invited to worship with us Sundays, at 11:00 a.m. or Saturdays, at 6:30 p.m. You may also want to consider joining one our adult Bible Studies: Thursdays at 12:00 noon and Sundays at 9:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. We also have a full range of programs for children. If you want more information about the church, check out the other blogs. And please feel free to leave any comments.

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Monday, October 17, 2011

Bible Readings for October 17, 2011

Today our passages are Jeremiah 30:1–31:26; 1 Timothy 2:1-15; Psalm 87:1-17; and Proverbs 25:18-19. The readings are from the Contemporary English Version.

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Jeremiah 30-31:26 (Contemporary English Version)

Jeremiah 30

The LORD Will Rescue Israel and Judah

1-2The LORD God of Israel said, "Jeremiah, get a scroll a] and write down everything I have told you. 3Someday I will let my people from both Israel b] and Judah return to the land I gave their ancestors." 4-5Then the LORD told me to say to Israel and Judah:

I, the LORD, hear screams
of terror,
and there is no peace.
6Can men give birth?
Then why do I see them
looking so pale
and clutching their stomachs
like women in labor?
7My people, soon you will suffer
worse than ever before,
but I will save you.
8Now you are slaves
of other nations,
but I will break the chains
and smash the yokes c]
that keep you in slavery.
9Then you will be my servants,
and I will choose a king for you
from the family of David.
10Israel, d] you belong to me,
so don't be afraid.
You deserved to be punished;
that's why I scattered you
in distant nations.
But I am with you,
and someday I will destroy
those nations.
11Then I will bring you
and your descendants
back to your land,
where I will protect you
and give you peace.
Then your fears will be gone.
I, the LORD, have spoken.

The LORD Will Heal Israel and Judah

12The LORD said:
My people, you are wounded
and near death.
13You are accused of a crime
with no one to defend you,
and you are covered with sores
that no medicine can cure.
14Your friends have forgotten you;
they don't care anymore.
Even I have acted like an enemy.
And because your sins
are horrible and countless,
I will be cruel
as I punish you.
15So don't bother to cry out
for relief from your pain.
16But if your enemies try to rob
or destroy you,
I will rob and destroy them,
and they will be led as captives
to foreign lands.
17No one wants you as a friend
or cares what happens to you.
But I will heal your injuries,
and you will get well.

The LORD Will Rescue Israel and Judah

18The LORD said:
Israel, I will be kind to you
and let you come home.
Jerusalem now lies in ruins,
but you will rebuild it,
complete with a new palace. e]
19Other nations will respect
and honor you.
Your homes will be filled
with children,
and you will celebrate,
singing praises to me.
20It will be just like old times.
Your nation will worship me,
and I will punish anyone
who abuses you.
21One of your own people
will become your ruler.
And when I invite him
to come near me
at the place of worship,
he will do so.
No one would dare to come near
without being invited.
22You will be my people,
and I will be your God.
I, the LORD, have spoken.
23I am furious!
And like a violent storm
I will strike those
who do wrong.
24I won't calm down
until I have finished
what I have decided to do.
Someday, you will understand
what I mean.

Jeremiah 31

Israel Will Return to God

1The LORD said:
Israel, I promise
that someday all your tribes
will again be my people,
and I will be your God.
2In the desert I was kind
to those who escaped death.
I gave them peace,
and when the time is right,
I'll do the same for you. f]
I, the LORD, have spoken.

The LORD Will Rebuild Israel

3Some time ago, the LORD appeared to me g] and told me to say:

Israel, I will always love you;
that's why I've been so patient
and kind.
4You are precious to me,
and so I will rebuild
your nation.
Once again you will dance for joy
and play your tambourines.
5You will plant vineyards
on the hills of Samaria
and enjoy the grapes.
6Someday those who guard
the hill country of Ephraim
will shout, "Let's go to Zion
and worship the LORD our God."

Israel Will Return to Its Own Land

7The LORD says:
Celebrate and sing for Israel,
the greatest of nations.
Offer praises and shout,
"Come and rescue
your people, LORD!
Save what's left of Israel."
8I, the LORD, will bring
my people back from Babylonia h]
and everywhere else on earth.
The blind and the lame
will be there.
Expectant mothers
and women about to give birth
will come and be part
of that great crowd.
9They will weep and pray
as I bring them home.
I will lead them
to streams of water.
They will walk on a level i]
road and not stumble.
I am a father to Israel, j]
my favorite children.
10Listen to me, you nations
nearby or across the sea.
I scattered the people of Israel,
but I will gather them again.
I will protect them like a shepherd
guarding a flock;
11I will rescue them from enemies
who could overpower them.
12My people will come
to Mount Zion
and celebrate;
their faces will glow
because of my blessings.
I'll give them grain, grapes,
and olive oil,
as well as sheep and cattle.
Israel will be prosperous
and grow
like a garden
with plenty of water.
13Young women and young men,
together with the elderly,
will celebrate and dance,
because I will comfort them
and turn their sorrow
into happiness.
14I will bless my people
with more food
than they need,
and the priests will enjoy
the choice cuts of meat.
I, the LORD, have spoken.

The LORD Offers Hope

15In Ramah k] a voice is heard,
crying and weeping loudly.
Rachel mourns for her children l]
and refuses to be comforted,
because they are dead.
16But I, the LORD, say
to dry your tears.
Someday your children
will come home
from the enemy's land.
Then all you have done for them
will be greatly rewarded.
17So don't lose hope.
I, the LORD, have spoken.
18The people of Israel m]
moan and say to me,
"We were like wild bulls,
but you, LORD, broke us,
and we learned to obey.
You are our God--
please let us come home.
19When we were young,
we strayed and sinned,
but then we realized
what we had done.
We are ashamed and disgraced
and want to return to you."
20People of Israel,
you are my own dear children.
Don't I love you best of all?
Though I often make threats,
I want you to be near me,
so I will have mercy on you.
I, the LORD, have spoken.
21With rock piles and signposts,
mark the way home,
my dear people.
It is the same road
by which you left.
22Will you ever decide
to be faithful?
I will make sure that someday
things will be different,
as different as a woman
protecting a man. n]

The LORD Will Bring Judah Home

23The LORD All-Powerful, the God of Israel, said:

I promise to set the people of Judah free and to lead them back to their hometowns. And when I do, they will once again say,

"We pray that the LORD
will bless his home,
the sacred hill in Jerusalem
where his temple stands."

24The people will live in Jerusalem and in the towns of Judah. Some will be farmers, and others will be shepherds. 25Those who feel tired and worn out will find new life and energy, 26and when they sleep, they will wake up refreshed. o]

Footnotes:
Jeremiah 30:1 scroll: A roll of paper or special leather used for writing on.
Jeremiah 30:3 Israel: The northern kingdom.
Jeremiah 30:8 yokes: See the note at 27.1,2.
Jeremiah 30:10 Israel: The people of the northern and southern kingdoms.
Jeremiah 30:18 Jerusalem. . . palace: Or "Your towns lie in ruins, but you will rebuild them, and your homes will be where they were before."
Jeremiah 31:2 In the desert. . . same for you: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
Jeremiah 31:3 Some time. . . me: Or "The LORD appeared to me from far away."
Jeremiah 31:8 Babylonia: The Hebrew text has "that country in the north," referring to Babylonia.
Jeremiah 31:9 level: Or "straight."
Jeremiah 31:9 Israel: The Hebrew text also has "Ephraim," the leading tribe of the northern kingdom of Israel, which sometimes stands for the whole northern kingdom.
Jeremiah 31:15 In Ramah: Or "In the hills."
Jeremiah 31:15 Rachel. . . children: Rachel was one of the wives of Jacob, the ancestor of the nation of Israel. She was the mother of Joseph and Benjamin. Joseph's two sons Ephraim and Manasseh were the ancestors of the leading tribes of the northern kingdom of Israel.
Jeremiah 31:18 Israel: Hebrew "Ephraim" (see the note at 31.9).
Jeremiah 31:22 I will make sure. . . a woman protecting a man: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
Jeremiah 31:26 and when they sleep. . . refreshed: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.


1 Timothy 2:1-15 (Contemporary English Version)

1 Timothy 2

How To Pray

1First of all, I ask you to pray for everyone. Ask God to help and bless them all, and tell God how thankful you are for each of them. 2Pray for kings and others in power, so that we may live quiet and peaceful lives as we worship and honor God. 3This kind of prayer is good, and it pleases God our Savior. 4God wants everyone to be saved and to know the whole truth, which is,

5There is only one God,
and Christ Jesus
is the only one
who can bring us
to God.
Jesus was truly human,
and he gave himself
to rescue all of us.
6God showed us this
at the right time.

7This is why God chose me to be a preacher and an apostle of the good news. I am telling the truth. I am not lying. God sent me to teach the Gentiles about faith and truth.

8I want everyone everywhere to lift innocent hands toward heaven and pray, without being angry or arguing with each other.

9I would like for women to wear modest and sensible clothes. They should not have fancy hairdos, or wear expensive clothes, or put on jewelry made of gold or pearls. 10Women who claim to love God should do helpful things for others, 11and they should learn by being quiet and paying attention. 12They should be silent and not be allowed to teach or to tell men what to do. 13After all, Adam was created before Eve, 14and the man Adam wasn't the one who was fooled. It was the woman Eve who was completely fooled and sinned. 15But women will be saved by having children, a] if they stay faithful, loving, holy, and modest.

Footnotes:
1 Timothy 2:15 saved by having children: Or "brought safely through childbirth" or "saved by the birth of a child" (that is, by the birth of Jesus) or "saved by being good mothers."


Psalm 87:1-17 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 87
(A psalm and a song by the people of Korah.)

The Glory of Mount Zion

1Zion was built by the LORD
on the holy mountain,
2and he loves that city
more than any other place
in all of Israel.
3Zion, you are the city of God,
and wonderful things
are told about you.
4Egypt, a] Babylonia, Philistia, Phoenicia, b]
and Ethiopia c]
are some of those nations
that know you,
and their people all say,
"I was born in Zion."
5God Most High will strengthen
the city of Zion.
Then everyone will say,
"We were born here too."
6The LORD will make a list
of his people,
and all who were born here
will be included.
7All who sing or dance will say,
"I too am from Zion."

Footnotes:
Psalm 87:4 Egypt: The Hebrew text has " Rahab," the name of a monster that stands for Egypt (see Isaiah 30.7).
Psalm 87:4 Phoenicia: See the note at 83.7.
Psalm 87:4 Ethiopia: See the note at 68.31.


Proverbs 25:18-19 (Contemporary English Version)

18Telling lies about friends
is like attacking them
with clubs and swords
and sharp arrows.
19A friend you can't trust
in times of trouble
is like having a toothache
or a sore foot.

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