Bible Readings for November 27, 2015

Today our passages are Daniel 4:1-37; 2 Peter 1:1-21; Psalm 119:97-112; and Proverbs 28:17-18. 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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Daniel 4:1-37 (Contemporary English Version)

Daniel 4

King Nebuchadnezzar's Letter about His Second Dream

 ¹King Nebuchadnezzar sent the following letter to the people of all nations and races on the earth:    Greetings to all of you!
    ²I am glad to tell about
   the wonderful miracles
   God Most High
   has done for me.
    ³His miracles are mighty
   and marvelous.
   He will rule forever,
   and his kingdom
   will never end.
    ⁴I was enjoying a time of peace and prosperity, ⁵when suddenly I had some horrifying dreams and visions. ⁶Then I commanded every wise man in Babylonia to appear in my court, so they could explain the meaning of my dream. ⁷After they arrived, I told them my dream, but they were not able to say what it meant. ⁸Finally, a young man named Daniel came in, and I told him the dream. The holy gods had given him special powers, and I had renamed him Belteshazzar after my own god.
    ⁹I said, " Belteshazzar, not only are you the wisest of all advisors and counselors, but the holy gods have given you special powers to solve the most difficult mysteries. So listen to what I dreamed and tell me what it means:
    ¹⁰In my sleep I saw
   a very tall tree
   in the center of the world.
    ¹¹It grew stronger and higher,
   until it reached to heaven
   and could be seen
   from anywhere on earth.
    ¹²It was covered with leaves
   and heavy with fruit--
   enough for all nations.
   Wild animals enjoyed its shade,
   birds nested in its branches,
   and all creatures on earth
   lived on its fruit.
    ¹³" While I was in bed, having this vision, a holy angel ^[a] came down from heaven ¹⁴and shouted: `Chop down the tree
   and cut off its branches;
   strip off its leaves
   and scatter its fruit.
   Make the animals leave its shade
   and send the birds flying
   from its branches.
    <sup>15</sup>But leave its stump and roots
   in the ground,
   surrounded by grass
   and held by chains
   of iron and bronze.
   `Make sure that this ruler
   lives like the animals
   out in the open fields,
   unprotected from the dew.
    ¹⁶Give him the mind
   of a wild animal
   for seven long years. ^{[b] 17}This punishment is given
   at the command
   of the holy angels. ^[c] It will show to all who live
   that God Most High
   controls all kingdoms
   and chooses for their rulers
   persons of humble birth.'
    ¹⁸" Daniel, ^[d] that was the dream that none of the wise men in my kingdom were able to understand. But I am sure that you will understand what it means, because the holy gods have given you some special powers." ¹⁹For a while, Daniel was terribly confused and worried by what he was thinking. But I said, " Don't be bothered either by the dream or by what it means."
   Daniel replied:
   Your Majesty, I wish the dream had been against your enemies. ²⁰You saw a tree that grew so big and strong that it reached up to heaven and could be seen from anywhere on earth. ²¹Its leaves were beautiful, and it produced enough fruit for all living creatures; animals lived in its shade, and birds nested in its branches. ²²Your Majesty, that tree is you. Your glorious reputation has reached heaven, and your kingdom covers the earth.
    ²³Then you saw a holy angel ^[e] come down from heaven and say, " Chop down the tree and destroy it! But leave its stump and roots in the ground, fastened there by a chain of iron and bronze. Let it stay for seven years ^[f] out in the field with the wild animals, unprotected from the dew."
    ²⁴Your Majesty, God Most High has sent you this message, and it means ²⁵that you will be forced to live with the wild animals, far away from humans. You will eat grass like a wild animal and live outdoors for seven years ^[g], until you learn that God Most High controls all earthly kingdoms and chooses their rulers. ²⁶But he gave orders not to disturb the stump and roots. This is to show that you will be king once again, after you learn that the God who rules from heaven is in control. ²⁷Your Majesty, please be willing to do what I say. Turn from your sins and start living right; have mercy on those who are mistreated. Then all will go well with you for a long time.
   

The Rest of Nebuchadnezzar's Letter about His Second Dream

 ^28-30About twelve months later, I was walking on the flat roof of my royal palace and admiring the beautiful city of Babylon, when these things started happening to me. I was saying to myself, " Just look at this wonderful capital city that I have built by my own power and for my own glory!"     ³¹But before I could finish speaking, a voice from heaven interrupted:
   King Nebuchadnezzar, this kingdom is no longer yours. ³²You will be forced to live with the wild animals, away from people. For seven years ^[h] you will eat grass, as though you were an ox, until you learn that God Most High is in control of all earthly kingdoms and that he is the one who chooses their rulers. ³³This was no sooner said than done--I was forced to live like a wild animal; I ate grass and was unprotected from the dew. As time went by, my hair grew longer than eagle feathers, and my fingernails looked like the claws of a bird.
    ³⁴Finally, I prayed to God in heaven, and my mind was healed. Then I said:
   " I praise and honor
   God Most High.
   He lives forever,
   and his kingdom
   will never end.
    ³⁵To him the nations
   are far less than nothing;
   God controls the stars in the sky
   and everyone on this earth.
   When God does something,
   we cannot change it
   or even ask why."
    ³⁶At that time my mind was healed, and once again I became the ruler of my glorious kingdom. My advisors and officials returned to me, and I had greater power than ever before. ³⁷That's why I say:
   " Praise and honor the King
   who rules from heaven!
   Everything he does
   is honest and fair,
   and he can shatter the power
   of those who are proud."
   

Footnotes:

1. Daniel 4:13 angel: The Aramaic text has " watcher," which may be some special class of angel.
2. Daniel 4:16 long years: Aramaic " times."
3. Daniel 4:17 angels: See the note at 4.13.
4. Daniel 4:18 Daniel: See the note at 2.26.
5. Daniel 4:23 angel: See the note at 4.13.
6. Daniel 4:23 years: Aramaic " times."
7. Daniel 4:25 years: Aramaic " times."
8. Daniel 4:32 years: Aramaic " times."

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2 Peter 1:1-21 (Contemporary English Version)

2 Peter 1

 ¹From Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ.    To everyone who shares with us in the privilege of believing that our God and Savior Jesus Christ will do what is just and fair. ^{[a] 2}I pray that God will be kind to you and will let you live in perfect peace! May you keep learning more and more about God and our Lord Jesus.
   

Living as the Lord's Followers

 ³We have everything we need to live a life that pleases God. It was all given to us by God's own power, when we learned that he had invited us to share in his wonderful goodness. ⁴God made great and marvelous promises, so that his nature would become part of us. Then we could escape our evil desires and the corrupt influences of this world.     ⁵Do your best to improve your faith. You can do this by adding goodness, understanding, ⁶self-control, patience, devotion to God, ⁷concern for others, and love. ⁸If you keep growing in this way, it will show that what you know about our Lord Jesus Christ has made your lives useful and meaningful. ⁹But if you don't grow, you are like someone who is nearsighted or blind, and you have forgotten that your past sins are forgiven.
    ¹⁰My friends, you must do all you can to show that God has really chosen and selected you. If you keep on doing this, you won't stumble and fall. ¹¹Then our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will give you a glorious welcome into his kingdom that will last forever.
    ¹²You are holding firmly to the truth that you were given. But I am still going to remind you of these things. ¹³In fact, I think I should keep on reminding you until I leave this body. ¹⁴And our Lord Jesus Christ has already told me that I will soon leave it behind. ¹⁵That is why I am doing my best to make sure that each of you remembers all of this after I am gone.
   

The Message about the Glory of Christ

 ¹⁶When we told you about the power and the return of our Lord Jesus Christ, we were not telling clever stories that someone had made up. But with our own eyes we saw his true greatness. ¹⁷God, our great and wonderful Father, truly honored him by saying, "This is my own dear Son, and I am pleased with him." ¹⁸We were there with Jesus on the holy mountain and heard this voice speak from heaven.     ¹⁹All of this makes us even more certain that what the prophets said is true. So you should pay close attention to their message, as you would to a lamp shining in some dark place. You must keep on paying attention until daylight comes and the morning star rises in your hearts. ²⁰But you need to realize that no one alone can understand any of the prophecies in the Scriptures. ²¹The prophets did not think these things up on their own, but they were guided by the Spirit of God.
   

Footnotes:

1. 2 Peter 1:1 To everyone who. . . just and fair: Or "To everyone whose faith in the justice and fairness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ is as precious as our own faith."

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Psalm 119:97-112 (Contemporary English Version)

⁹⁷I deeply love your Law!
   I think about it all day.
    ⁹⁸Your laws never leave my mind,
   and they make me much wiser
   than my enemies.
    ⁹⁹Thinking about your teachings
   gives me better understanding
   than my teachers,
    ¹⁰⁰and obeying your laws
   makes me wiser
   than those
   who have lived a long time.
    ¹⁰¹I obey your word
   instead of following a way
   that leads to trouble.
    ¹⁰²You have been my teacher,
   and I won't reject
   your instructions.
    ¹⁰³Your teachings are sweeter
   than honey.
    ¹⁰⁴They give me understanding
   and make me hate all lies.
    ¹⁰⁵Your word is a lamp
   that gives light
   wherever I walk.
    ¹⁰⁶Your laws are fair,
   and I have given my word
   to respect them all.
    ¹⁰⁷I am in terrible pain!
   Save me, LORD,
   as you said you would.
    ¹⁰⁸Accept my offerings of praise
   and teach me your laws.
    ¹⁰⁹I never forget your teachings,
   although my life is always
   in danger.
    ¹¹⁰Some merciless people
   are trying to trap me,
   but I never turn my back
   on your teachings.
    ¹¹¹They will always be
   my most prized possession
   and my source of joy.
    ¹¹²I have made up my mind
   to obey your laws forever,
   no matter what.

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Proverbs 28:17-18 (Contemporary English Version)

¹⁷Don't give help to murderers!
   Make them stay on the run
   for as long as they live. ^{[a] 18}Honesty will keep you safe,
   but everyone who is crooked
   will suddenly fall.
   

Footnotes:

1. Proverbs 28:17 live: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 17.

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Verse of the Day

 

“Let the message about Christ completely fill your lives, while you use all your wisdom to teach and instruct each other. With thankful hearts, sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.” - Colossians 3:16

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

Hong Kong American martial artist, Hong Kong action film actor, martial arts instructor, philosopher, filmmaker, and the founder of Jeet Kune Do, Bruce Lee wrote, “The meaning of life is that it is to be lived, and it is not to be traded and conceptualized and squeezed into a pattern of systems.”