Bible Readings for November 4, 2013

Today our passages are Ezekiel 10:1–11:25; Hebrews 6:1-20; Psalm 105:16-36; and Proverbs 27:1-2. The readings are the Contemporary English Version.

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Ezekiel 10-11:25 (Contemporary English Version)

Ezekiel 10

The LORD's Glory Leaves the Temple

 ¹I saw the dome that was above the four winged creatures, ^[a] and on it was the sapphire ^[b] throne. ^{[c] 2}The LORD said to the man in the linen robe, "Walk among the four wheels beside the creatures and pick up as many hot coals as you can carry. Then scatter them over the city of Jerusalem." I watched him as he followed the LORD's instructions. ³The winged creatures were standing south of the temple when the man walked among them. A cloud filled the inner courtyard, ⁴and the brightness of the LORD's glory moved from above the creatures and stopped at the entrance of the temple. The entire temple was filled with his glory, and the courtyard was dazzling bright. ⁵The sound of the creatures' wings was as loud as the voice of God All-Powerful and could even be heard in the outer courtyard.     ⁶The man in the robe was now standing beside a wheel. ⁷One of the four creatures reached its hand into the fire among them and gave him some of the hot coals. The man took the coals and left.
    ⁸I noticed again that each of the four winged creatures had what looked like human hands under their wings, ⁹and I saw the four wheels near the creatures. These wheels were shining like chrysolite. ^{[d] 10}Each wheel was exactly the same and had a second wheel that cut through the middle of it, ^{[e] 11}so that they could move in any direction without turning. The wheels moved together whenever the creatures moved. ¹²I also noticed that the wheels and the creatures' bodies, including their backs, their hands, and their wings, were covered with eyes. ¹³And I heard a voice calling these "the wheels that spin." ¹⁴Each of the winged creatures had four faces: the face of a bull, ^[f] the face of a human, the face of a lion, and the face of an eagle. ^15-17These were the same creatures I had seen near the Chebar River. They controlled when and where the wheels moved--the wheels went wherever the creatures went and stopped whenever they stopped. Even when the creatures flew in the air, the wheels stayed beside them. ¹⁸Then I watched the brightness of the LORD's glory move from the entrance of the temple and stop above the winged creatures. ¹⁹They spread their wings and flew into the air with the wheels at their side. They stopped at the east gate of the temple, and the LORD's glory was above them.
    ²⁰I knew for sure that these were the same creatures I had seen beneath the LORD's glory near the Chebar River. ^21-22They had four wings with hands beneath them, and they had the same four faces as those near the River. Each creature moved straight ahead without turning.
   

Ezekiel 11

Ezekiel Condemns Jerusalem's Wicked Leaders

 ¹The LORD's Spirit ^[g] lifted me up and took me to the east gate of the temple, where I saw twenty-five men, including the two leaders, Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah. ²The LORD said, "Ezekiel, son of man, these men are making evil plans and giving dangerous advice to the people of Jerusalem. ³They say things like, `Let's build more houses. ^[h] This city is like a cooking pot over a fire, and we are the meat, but at least the pot keeps us from being burned in the fire.' ^{[i] 4}So, Ezekiel, condemn them!" ⁵The LORD's Spirit took control of me and told me to tell these leaders:    I, the LORD God, know what you leaders are saying. ⁶You have murdered so many people that the city is filled with dead bodies! ⁷This city is indeed a cooking pot, but the bodies of those you killed are the meat. And so I will force you to leave Jerusalem, ⁸and I'll send armies to attack you, just as you fear. ⁹Then you will be captured and punished by foreign enemies. ^{[j] 10}You will be killed in your own country, but not before you realize that I, the LORD, have done these things. ¹¹You leaders claim to be meat in a cooking pot, but you won't be protected by this city. No, you will die at the border of Israel. ¹²You will realize that while you were following the laws of nearby nations, you were disobeying my laws and teachings. And I am the LORD!
    ¹³Before I finished speaking, Pelatiah dropped dead. I bowed down and cried out, "Please, LORD God, don't kill everyone left in Israel."
   

A Promise of Hope

 ¹⁴The LORD replied:     ¹⁵Ezekiel, son of man, the people living in Jerusalem claim that you and the other Israelites who were taken to Babylonia are too far away to worship me. They also claim that the land of Israel now belongs only to them. ¹⁶But here is what I want you to tell the Israelites in Babylonia:
   It's true that I, the LORD God, have forced you out of your own country and made you live among foreign nations. But for now, I will be with you wherever you are, so that you can worship me. ¹⁷And someday, I will gather you from the nations where you are scattered and let you live in Israel again. ¹⁸When that happens, I want you to clear the land of all disgusting idols. ¹⁹Then I will take away your stubbornness and make you eager to be completely faithful to me. You will want to obey me ²⁰and all my laws and teachings. You will be my people, and I will be your God. ²¹But those who worship idols will be punished and get what they deserve. I, the LORD God, have spoken.
   

The LORD's Glory Leaves Jerusalem

 ²²After the LORD had finished speaking, the winged creatures spread their wings and flew into the air, and the wheels were beside them. The brightness of the LORD's glory above them ²³left Jerusalem and stopped at a hill east of the city.     ²⁴Then in my vision, the LORD's Spirit ^[k] lifted me up and carried me back to the other exiles in Babylonia. The vision faded away, ²⁵and I told them everything the LORD had shown me.

Footnotes:

1. Ezekiel 10:1 winged creatures: See the note at 9.3.
2. Ezekiel 10:1 sapphire: See the note at 1.26.
3. Ezekiel 10:1 dome. . . creatures. . . throne: See 1.22-26.
4. Ezekiel 10:9 chrysolite: See the note at 1.16.
5. Ezekiel 10:10 a second wheel that cut through the middle of it: See the note at 1.16.
6. Ezekiel 10:14 a bull: The Hebrew text has "a winged creature," but see 1.10.
7. Ezekiel 11:1 The LORD's Spirit: Or "A wind."
8. Ezekiel 11:3 Let's. . . houses: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
9. Ezekiel 11:3 the pot keeps us from being burned in the fire: These leaders were trying to convince the people of Jerusalem that they were secure, and that their future was bright.
10. Ezekiel 11:9 foreign enemies: That is, the Babylonians.
11. Ezekiel 11:24 the LORD's Spirit: See the note at 11.1.

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Hebrews 6:1-20 (Contemporary English Version)

Hebrews 6

 ¹We must try to become mature and start thinking about more than just the basic things we were taught about Christ. We shouldn't need to keep talking about why we ought to turn from deeds that bring death and why we ought to have faith in God. ²And we shouldn't need to keep teaching about baptisms ^[a] or about the laying on of hands ^[b] or about people being raised from death and the future judgment. ³Let's grow up, if God is willing. ^4-6But what about people who turn away after they have already seen the light and have received the gift from heaven and have shared in the Holy Spirit? What about those who turn away after they have received the good message of God and the powers of the future world? There is no way to bring them back. What they are doing is the same as nailing the Son of God to a cross and insulting him in public!     ⁷A field is useful to farmers, if there is enough rain to make good crops grow. In fact, God will bless that field. ⁸But land that produces only thornbushes is worthless. It is likely to fall under God's curse, and in the end it will be set on fire.
    ⁹My friends, we are talking this way. But we are sure that you are doing those really good things that people do when they are being saved. ¹⁰God is always fair. He will remember how you helped his people in the past and how you are still helping them. You belong to God, and he won't forget the love you have shown his people. ¹¹We wish that each of you would always be eager to show how strong and lasting your hope really is. ¹²Then you would never be lazy. You would be following the example of those who had faith and were patient until God kept his promise to them.
   

God's Promise Is Sure

 ¹³No one is greater than God. So he made a promise in his own name when he said to Abraham, ¹⁴"I, the Lord, will bless you with many descendants!" ¹⁵Then after Abraham had been very patient, he was given what God had promised. ¹⁶When anyone wants to settle an argument, they make a vow by using the name of someone or something greater than themselves. ¹⁷So when God wanted to prove for certain that his promise to his people could not be broken, he made a vow. ¹⁸God cannot tell lies! And so his promises and vows are two things that can never be changed.    We have run to God for safety. Now his promises should greatly encourage us to take hold of the hope that is right in front of us. ¹⁹This hope is like a firm and steady anchor for our souls. In fact, hope reaches behind the curtain ^[c] and into the most holy place. ²⁰Jesus has gone there ahead of us, and he is our high priest forever, just like Melchizedek. ^[d]

Footnotes:

1. Hebrews 6:2 baptisms: Or "ceremonies of washing."
2. Hebrews 6:2 laying on of hands: This was a ceremony in which church leaders and others put their hands on people to show that those people were chosen to do some special kind of work.
3. Hebrews 6:19 behind the curtain: In the tent that was used for worship, a curtain separated the "holy place" from the "most holy place," which only the high priest could enter.
4. Hebrews 6:20 Melchizedek: See the note at 5.6.

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Psalm 105:16-36 (Contemporary English Version)

¹⁶God kept crops from growing
   until food was scarce
   everywhere in the land.
    ¹⁷But he had already sent Joseph,
   sold as a slave into Egypt,
    ¹⁸with chains of iron
   around his legs and neck.
    ¹⁹Joseph remained a slave
   until his own words
   had come true,
   and the LORD had finished
   testing him.
    ²⁰Then the king of Egypt
   set Joseph free
    ²¹and put him in charge
   of everything he owned.
    ²²Joseph was in command
   of the officials,
   and he taught the leaders
   how to use wisdom.
    ²³Jacob and his family
   came
   and settled in Egypt
   as foreigners.
    ²⁴They were the LORD's people,
   so he let them grow stronger
   than their enemies.
    ²⁵They served the LORD,
   and he made the Egyptians plan
   hateful things against them.
    ²⁶God sent his servant Moses.
   He also chose and sent Aaron
    ²⁷to his people in Egypt,
   and they worked miracles
   and wonders there.
    ²⁸Moses and Aaron obeyed God,
   and he sent darkness
   to cover Egypt.
    ²⁹God turned their rivers
   into streams of blood,
   and the fish all died.
    ³⁰Frogs were everywhere,
   even in the royal palace.
    ³¹When God gave the command,
   flies and gnats
   swarmed all around.
    ³²In place of rain,
   God sent hailstones
   and flashes of lightning.
    ³³He destroyed their grapevines
   and their fig trees,
   and he made splinters
   of all the other trees.
    ³⁴God gave the command,
   and more grasshoppers came
   than could be counted.
    ³⁵They ate every green plant
   and all the crops that grew
   in the land of Egypt.
    ³⁶Then God took the life
   of every first-born son.

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Proverbs 27:1-2 (Contemporary English Version)

Proverbs 27

Don't Brag about Tomorrow

 ¹Don't brag about tomorrow!    Each day brings
   its own surprises.
    ²Don't brag about yourself--
   let others praise you.

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Verse of the Day

“He makes us worthy to be the servants of his new agreement that comes from the Holy Spirit and not from a written Law. After all, the Law brings death, but the Spirit brings life.” - 2 Corinthians 3:6

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

American humorist, writer, illustrator, and cartoonist, Don Herold wrote, “It takes a lot of things to prove you are smart, but only one thing to prove you are ignorant.”