Today our passages are Daniel 8:1-27; 1 John 2:1-17; Psalm 120:1-7; and
Proverbs 28:25-26. The readings are from the Contemporary English Version. If you find these readings helpful,
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Daniel 8:1-27 (Contemporary English Version)
Daniel 8
Vision of a Ram and a Goat
8 Daniel wrote:
In the third year of King Belshazzar of Babylonia,[a] I had a second vision 2 in which I was in Susa, the chief city of Babylonia’s
Elam Province. I was beside the Ulai River,[b] 3 when I looked up and saw a ram standing there with two
horns on its head—both of them were long, but the second one was longer than the
first. 4 The ram went charging toward the west, the north, and the
south. No other animals were strong enough to oppose him, and nothing could save
them from his power. So he did as he pleased and became even more
powerful.
5 I kept on watching and saw a goat come from the west and
charge across the entire earth, without even touching the ground. Between his
eyes was a powerful horn,[c] 6 and with tremendous anger the goat started toward the ram
that I had seen beside the river.[d] 7 The goat was so fierce that its attack broke both horns
of the ram, leaving him powerless. Then the goat stomped on the ram, and no one
could do anything to help. 8 After this, the goat became even more powerful. But at
the peak of his power, his mighty horn was broken, and four other mighty horns
took its place—one pointing to the north and one to the east, one to the south
and one to the west.
9 A little horn came from one of these, and its power
reached to the south, the east, and even to the holy land.[e] 10 It became so strong that it attacked the stars in the
sky, which were heaven’s army.[f] Then it threw some of them down to the earth
and stomped on them. 11-12 It humiliated heaven’s army and dishonored its
leader[g] by keeping him from offering the daily
sacrifices. In fact, it was so terrible that it even disgraced the temple and
wiped out true worship. It also did everything else it wanted to
do.
13 Then one of the holy angels asked another, “When will
the daily sacrifices be offered again? What about this horrible rebellion? When
will the temple and heaven’s army no longer be trampled in the
dust?”
14 The other answered, “It will be two thousand three
hundred evenings and mornings before the temple is dedicated and in use
again.”
Gabriel Interprets the Vision
15 Daniel wrote:
I was trying to figure out the meaning of the vision, when
someone suddenly appeared there beside me. 16 And from beside the Ulai River,[h] a voice like that of a human said, “Gabriel,
help him understand the vision.”
17 Gabriel came over, and I fell to the ground in fear.
Then he said, “You are merely a human, but you need to understand that this
vision is about the end of time.”
18 While he was speaking, I fell facedown in a deep sleep.
But he lifted me to my feet 19 and said:
Listen, and I will tell you what will happen at the end of
time, when God has chosen to show his anger. 20 The two horns of the ram are the kings of Media and
Persia, 21 the goat is the kingdom of Greece, and the powerful horn
between his eyes is the first of its kings. 22 After this horn is broken, four other kingdoms will
appear, but they won’t be as strong.
23 When these rulers have become as evil as possible, their
power will end, and then a king who is dangerous and cannot be trusted will
appear. 24 He will gain strength, but not on his own, and he will
cause terrible destruction. He will wipe out powerful leaders and God’s people
as well.25 His deceitful lies will make him so successful, that he
will think he is really great. Suddenly he will kill many people, and he will
even attack God, the Supreme Ruler. But God will crush
him!
26 This vision about the evenings and mornings is true, but
these things won’t happen for a long time, so don’t tell it to
others.
27 After this, I was so worn out and weak that it was
several days before I could get out of bed and go about my duties for the king.
I was disturbed by this vision that made no sense to
me.
Footnotes:
- 8.1 third year. . . Babylonia: 552 B.C., two years after the first vision (see 7.1,2).
- 8.2 River: Or “Gate.”
- 8.5 powerful horn: Hebrew “horn of vision.”
- 8.6 river: See the note at 8.2.
- 8.9 holy land: Hebrew “the lovely land.”
- 8.10 heaven’s army: In verses 10-13 the Hebrew word translated “heaven’s army” may also mean “God’s people.”
- 8.11,12 leader: Hebrew “prince.”
- 8.16 River: See the note at 8.2.
1 John 2:1-17 (Contemporary English Version)
1 John 2
Christ Helps Us
2 My children, I am writing this so that you won’t sin.
But if you do sin, Jesus Christ always does the right thing, and he will speak
to the Father for us.2 Christ is the sacrifice that takes away our sins and the
sins of all the world’s people.
3 When we obey God, we are sure that we know him. 4 But if we claim to know him and don’t obey him, we are
lying and the truth isn’t in our hearts. 5 We truly love God only when we obey him as we should, and
then we know that we belong to him. 6 If we say we are his, we must follow the example of
Christ.
The New Commandment
7 My dear friends, I am not writing to give you a new
commandment. It is the same one that you were first given, and it is the message
you heard. 8 But it really is a new commandment, and you know its true
meaning, just as Christ does. You can see the darkness fading away and the true
light already shining.
9 If we claim to be in the light and hate someone, we are
still in the dark.10 But if we love others, we are in the light, and we don’t
cause problems for them.[a] 11 If we hate others, we are living and walking in the
dark. We don’t know where we are going, because we can’t see in the
dark.
12 Children, I am writing you,
because your sins
have been forgiven
in the name of Christ.
13 Parents, I am writing you,
because you have known
the one who was there
from the beginning.
Young people, I am writing you,
because you have defeated
the evil one.
14 Children, I am writing you,
because you have known
the Father.
Parents, I am writing you,
because you have known
the one who was there
from the beginning.
Young people, I am writing you,
because you are strong.
God’s message is firm
in your hearts,
and you have defeated
the evil one.
because your sins
have been forgiven
in the name of Christ.
13 Parents, I am writing you,
because you have known
the one who was there
from the beginning.
Young people, I am writing you,
because you have defeated
the evil one.
14 Children, I am writing you,
because you have known
the Father.
Parents, I am writing you,
because you have known
the one who was there
from the beginning.
Young people, I am writing you,
because you are strong.
God’s message is firm
in your hearts,
and you have defeated
the evil one.
15 Don’t love the world or anything that belongs to the
world. If you love the world, you cannot love the Father. 16 Our foolish pride comes from this world, and so do our
selfish desires and our desire to have everything we see. None of this comes
from the Father. 17 The world and the desires it causes are disappearing.
But if we obey God, we will live forever.
Footnotes:
- 2.10 and we don’t cause problems for them: Or “and we can see anything that might make us fall.”
Psalm 120:1-7 (Contemporary English Version)
A Prayer for the Lord’s Help
When I am in trouble, I
pray,
2 “Come and save me, Lord,
from deceitful liars!”
2 “Come and save me, Lord,
from deceitful liars!”
3 What punishment is fitting
for you deceitful liars?
4 Your reward should be
sharp and flaming arrows!
for you deceitful liars?
4 Your reward should be
sharp and flaming arrows!
5 But I must live as a foreigner
among the people of Meshech
and in the tents of Kedar.[a]
6 I have spent too much time
living among people
who hate peace.
7 I am in favor of peace,
but when I speak of it,
all they want is war.
among the people of Meshech
and in the tents of Kedar.[a]
6 I have spent too much time
living among people
who hate peace.
7 I am in favor of peace,
but when I speak of it,
all they want is war.
Footnotes:
- 120.5 Meshech. . . Kedar: Meshech was a country near the Black Sea, and Kedar was a tribe of the Syrian desert.
Proverbs 28:25-26 (Contemporary English Version)
25
25 Selfish people cause
trouble,
but you will live a full life
if you trust the Lord.26 Only fools would trust
what they alone think,
but if you live by wisdom,
you will do all right.
but you will live a full life
if you trust the Lord.26 Only fools would trust
what they alone think,
but if you live by wisdom,
you will do all right.
“In the beginning was the one who is called the Word. The Word was with God
and was truly God. From the very beginning the Word was with God. The Word
became a human being and lived here with us. We saw his true glory, the glory of
the only Son of the Father. From him all the kindness and all the truth of God
have come down to us.” - John 1:1-2, 14
Today's passage is from the Contemporary
English Version.
Thought
for the Day
American lawyer and Founding Father, principal author of the Declaration of
Independence (1776) the second Vice President of the United States (1797–1801)
and the third President (1801–1809), Thomas Jefferson
wrote, “Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.”
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