Bible Readings for October 17, 2015

Today our passages are Jeremiah 30:1–31:26; 1 Timothy 2:1-15; Psalm 87:1-7; and Proverbs 25:18-19. The readings are from the Contemporary English Version. If you find these readings helpful, please consider sending an offering directly to Cove Presbyterian Church, 3404 Main Street, Weirton, West Virginia or through PayPal. 

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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] 19}Other 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:

1. Jeremiah 30:1 scroll: A roll of paper or special leather used for writing on.
2. Jeremiah 30:3 Israel: The northern kingdom.
3. Jeremiah 30:8 yokes: See the note at 27.1,2.
4. Jeremiah 30:10 Israel: The people of the northern and southern kingdoms.
5. 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."
6. Jeremiah 31:2 In the desert. . . same for you: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
7. Jeremiah 31:3 Some time. . . me: Or "The LORD appeared to me from far away."
8. Jeremiah 31:8 Babylonia: The Hebrew text has "that country in the north," referring to Babylonia.
9. Jeremiah 31:9 level: Or "straight."
10. 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.
11. Jeremiah 31:15 In Ramah: Or "In the hills."
12. 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.
13. Jeremiah 31:18 Israel: Hebrew "Ephraim" (see the note at 31.9).
14. Jeremiah 31:22 I will make sure. . . a woman protecting a man: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
15. Jeremiah 31:26 and when they sleep. . . refreshed: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

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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. 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."

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Psalm 87:1-7 (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:

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

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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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Verse of the Day

“Our LORD, you are the friend of your worshipers, and you make an agreement with all of us. I always look to you, because you rescue me from every trap.” - Psalm 25:14-15

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

German philosopher, cultural critic, poet, composer, and Latin and Greek scholar, Friedrich Nietzsche wrote, “There are no facts, only interpretations.”