Bible Readings for December 26, 2015

Today our passages are Zechariah 9:1-17; Revelation 17:1-18; Psalm 145:1-21; and Proverbs 30:32. 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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Zechariah 9:1-17 (Contemporary English Version)

Zechariah 9

Israel's Enemies Will Be Punished

 ¹This is a message    from the LORD:
   His eyes are on everyone,
   especially the tribes
   of Israel. ^[a] So he pronounces judgment
   against the cities
   of Hadrach and Damascus. ^{[b] 2}Judgment will also fall
   on the nearby city
   of Hamath,
   as well as on Tyre and Sidon, ^[c] whose people are clever.
    ³Tyre has built a fortress
   and piled up silver and gold,
   as though they were dust
   or mud from the streets.
    ⁴Now the Lord will punish Tyre
   with poverty;
   he will sink its ships
   and send it up in flames.
    ⁵Both Ashkelon and Gaza
   will tremble with fear;
   Ekron will lose all hope.
   Gaza's king will be killed,
   and Ashkelon emptied
   of its people.
    ⁶A mob of half-breeds
   will settle in Ashdod, ^[d] and the Lord himself
   will rob Philistia of pride.
    ⁷No longer will the Philistines
   eat meat with blood in it
   or any unclean food. ^[e] They will become part
   of the people of our God
   from the tribe of Judah.
   And God will accept
   the people of Ekron,
   as he did the Jebusites. ^{[f] 8}God says, "I will stand guard
   to protect my temple
   from those
   who come to attack.
   I know what's happening,
   and no one will mistreat
   my people ever again."
   

The LORD Tells about the Coming King

 ⁹Everyone in Jerusalem,    celebrate and shout!
   Your king has won a victory,
   and he is coming to you.
   He is humble
   and rides on a donkey;
   he comes on the colt
   of a donkey.
    ¹⁰I, the LORD, will take away
   war chariots and horses
   from Israel ^[g] and Jerusalem. Bows that were made for battle
   will be broken.
   I will bring peace to nations,
   and your king will rule
   from sea to sea.
   His kingdom will reach
   from the Euphrates River
   across the earth.
   

The LORD Promises To Rescue Captives

 ¹¹When I made a sacred agreement    with you, my people,
   we sealed it with blood. ^[h] Now some of you are captives
   in waterless pits,
   but I will come to your rescue
    ¹²and offer you hope.
   Return to your fortress,
   because today I will reward you
   with twice what you had.
    ¹³I will use Judah as my bow
   and Israel ^[i] as my arrow. I will take the people of Zion
   as my sword
   and attack the Greeks.
   

The LORD Will Protect His People

 ¹⁴Like a cloud, the LORD God    will appear over his people,
   and his arrows will flash
   like lightning.
   God will sound his trumpet
   and attack in a whirlwind
   from the south.
    ¹⁵The LORD All-Powerful
   will protect his people,
   and they will trample down
   the sharpshooters
   and their slingshots.
   They will drink and get rowdy;
   they will be as full as a bowl
   at the time of sacrifice.
    ¹⁶The LORD God will save them
   on that day,
   because they are his people,
   and they will shine on his land
   like jewels in a crown.
    ¹⁷How lovely they will be.
   Young people will grow there
   like grain in a field
   or grapes in a vineyard.
   

Footnotes:

1. Zechariah 9:1 His. . . Israel: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
2. Zechariah 9:1 Hadrach and Damascus: Hadrach was north of both Damascus (the main city of Syria) and Hamath (verse 2).
3. Zechariah 9:2 Tyre and Sidon: Phoenician cities.
4. Zechariah 9:6 Ashkelon and Gaza. . . Ekron. . . Ashdod: Philistine cities.
5. Zechariah 9:7 eat. . . food: The Philistines will become part of Judah and no longer eat meat with blood in it (see Genesis 9.4) or any other forbidden foods (see Leviticus 11.1-23; Deuteronomy 14.3-21).
6. Zechariah 9:7 Jebusites: The original people of Canaan, who lived in Jerusalem before it was captured by David (see 2 Samuel 5.6-10) and were later accepted as part of Israel.
7. Zechariah 9:10 Israel: The Hebrew text has "Ephraim," the leading tribe of the northern kingdom of Israel, which sometimes stands for the whole kingdom.
8. Zechariah 9:11 agreement. . . blood: The agreement at Mount Sinai (see Exodus 24.7,8).
9. Zechariah 9:13 Israel: Hebrew "Ephraim" (see the note at 9.10).

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Revelation 17:1-18 (Contemporary English Version)

Revelation 17

The Prostitute and the Beast

 ¹One of the seven angels who had emptied the bowls came over and said to me, "Come on! I will show you how God will punish that shameless prostitute who sits on many oceans. ²Every king on earth has slept with her, and her shameless ways are like wine that has made everyone on earth drunk."     ³With the help of the Spirit, the angel took me into the desert, where I saw a woman sitting on a red beast. The beast was covered with names that were an insult to God, and it had seven heads and ten horns. ⁴The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet robes, and she wore jewelry made of gold, precious stones, and pearls. In her hand she held a gold cup filled with the filthy and nasty things she had done. ⁵On her forehead a mysterious name was written: I AM THE GREAT CITY OF BABYLON, THE MOTHER OF EVERY IMMORAL AND FILTHY THING ON EARTH.
    ⁶I could tell that the woman was drunk on the blood of God's people who had given their lives for Jesus. This surprising sight amazed me, ⁷and the angel said:
   Why are you so amazed? I will explain the mystery about this woman and about the beast she is sitting on, with its seven heads and ten horns. ⁸The beast you saw is one that used to be and no longer is. It will come back from the deep pit, but only to be destroyed. Everyone on earth whose names were not written in the book of life ^[a] before the time of creation will be amazed. They will see this beast that used to be and no longer is, but will be once more. ⁹Anyone with wisdom can figure this out. The seven heads that the woman is sitting on stand for seven hills. These heads are also seven kings. ¹⁰Five of the kings are dead. One is ruling now, and the other one has not yet come. But when he does, he will rule for only a little while.
    ¹¹You also saw a beast that used to be and no longer is. That beast is one of the seven kings who will return as the eighth king, but only to be destroyed.
    ¹²The ten horns that you saw are ten more kings, who have not yet come into power, and they will rule with the beast for only a short time. ¹³They all think alike and will give their power and authority to the beast. ¹⁴These kings will go to war against the Lamb. But he will defeat them, because he is Lord over all lords and King over all kings. His followers are chosen and special and faithful.
    ¹⁵The oceans that you saw the prostitute sitting on are crowds of people from all races and languages. ¹⁶The ten horns and the beast will start hating the shameless woman. They will strip off her clothes and leave her naked. Then they will eat her flesh and throw the rest of her body into a fire. ¹⁷God is the one who made these kings all think alike and decide to give their power to the beast. And they will do this until what God has said comes true.
    ¹⁸The woman you saw is the great city that rules over all kings on earth.
   

Footnotes:

1. Revelation 17:8 book of life: See the note at 3.5.

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Psalm 145:1-21 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 145

(By David for praise.)

The LORD Is Kind and Merciful

 ¹I will praise you,    my God and King,
   and always honor your name.
    ²I will praise you each day
   and always honor your name.
    ³You are wonderful, LORD,
   and you deserve all praise,
   because you are much greater
   than anyone can understand.
    ⁴Each generation will announce
   to the next
   your wonderful
   and powerful deeds.
    ⁵I will keep thinking about
   your marvelous glory
   and your mighty miracles. ^{[a] 6}Everyone will talk about
   your fearsome deeds,
   and I will tell all nations
   how great you are.
    ⁷They will celebrate and sing
   about your matchless mercy
   and your power to save.
    ⁸You are merciful, LORD!
   You are kind and patient
   and always loving.
    ⁹You are good to everyone,
   and you take care
   of all your creation.
    ¹⁰All creation will thank you,
   and your loyal people
   will praise you.
    ¹¹They will tell about
   your marvelous kingdom
   and your power.
    ¹²Then everyone will know about
   the mighty things you do
   and your glorious kingdom.
    ¹³Your kingdom will never end,
   and you will rule forever.
   Our LORD, you keep your word
   and do everything you say. ^{[b] 14}When someone stumbles or falls,
   you give a helping hand.
    ¹⁵Everyone depends on you,
   and when the time is right,
   you provide them with food.
    ¹⁶By your own hand
   you satisfy
   the desires of all who live.
    ¹⁷Our LORD, everything you do
   is kind and thoughtful,
    ¹⁸and you are near to everyone
   whose prayers are sincere.
    ¹⁹You satisfy the desires
   of all your worshipers,
   and you come to save them
   when they ask for help.
    ²⁰You take care of everyone
   who loves you,
   but you destroy the wicked.
    ²¹I will praise you, LORD,
   and everyone will respect
   your holy name forever.
   

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 145:5 and. . . miracles: One Hebrew manuscript and two ancient translations have " as others tell about your mighty miracles."
2. Psalm 145:13 Our. . . say: These words are found in one Hebrew manuscript and two ancient translations.

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Proverbs 30:32 (Contemporary English Version)

³²If you are foolishly bragging
   or planning something evil,
   then stop it now!

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Verse of the Day
“Simeon took the baby Jesus in his arms and praised God, "Lord, I am your servant, and now I can die in peace, because you have kept your promise to me. With my own eyes I have seen what you have done to save your people, and foreign nations will also see this. Your mighty power is a light for all nations, and it will bring honor to your people Israel.” - Luke 2:28-32

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

One of the Founding Fathers of the United States, author, printer, political theorist, politician, freemason, postmaster, scientist, inventor, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat, Benjamin Franklin wrote, “A good conscience is a continual Christmas.”