Bible Readings for July 25, 2013

Today our passages are 2 Chronicles 14:1–16:14; Romans 9:1-21; Psalm 19:1-14; and Proverbs 20:1. The readings are the Contemporary English Version.

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2 Chronicles 14-16:14 (Contemporary English Version)

2 Chronicles 14

King Asa of Judah

 ¹Abijah died and was buried in Jerusalem. Then his son Asa became king, and Judah had ten years of peace.    ²Asa obeyed the LORD his God and did right.
   ³He destroyed the local shrines ^[a] and the altars to foreign gods. He smashed the stone images of gods and cut down the sacred poles ^[b] used in worshiping the goddess Asherah.
   ⁴Then he told everyone in Judah to worship the LORD God, just as their ancestors had done, and to obey his laws and teachings.
   ⁵He destroyed every local shrine and incense altar in Judah.
   ⁶The LORD blessed Judah with peace while Asa was king, and so during that time, Asa fortified many of the towns.
   ⁷He said to the people, "Let's build walls and defense towers for these towns, and put in gates that can be locked with bars. This land still belongs to us, because we have obeyed the LORD our God. He has given us peace from all our enemies." The people did everything Asa had suggested.
   ⁸Asa had a large army of brave soldiers: Three hundred thousand of them were from the tribe of Judah and were armed with shields and spears; two hundred eighty thousand were from Benjamin and were armed with bows and arrows.
   

Judah Defeats Ethiopia's Army

 ⁹Zerah from Ethiopia ^[c] led an army of a million soldiers and three hundred chariots to the town of Mareshah ^[d] in Judah.    ¹⁰Asa met him there, and the two armies prepared for battle in Zephathah Valley.
   ¹¹Asa prayed:
   LORD God, only you can help a powerless army defeat a stronger one. So we depend on you to help us. We will fight against this powerful army to honor your name, and we know that you won't be defeated. You are the LORD our God.
   ¹²The LORD helped Asa and his army defeat the Ethiopians. The enemy soldiers ran away,
   ¹³but Asa and his troops chased them as far as Gerar. It was a total defeat--the Ethiopians could not even fight back! ^[e] The soldiers from Judah took everything that had belonged to the Ethiopians.
   ¹⁴The people who lived in the villages around Gerar learned what had happened and were afraid of the LORD. So Judah's army easily defeated them and carried off everything of value that they wanted from these towns.
   ¹⁵They also attacked the camps where the shepherds lived and took a lot of sheep, goats, and camels. Then they went back to Jerusalem.
   

2 Chronicles 15

Asa Destroys the Idols in Judah

 ¹Some time later, God spoke to Azariah son of Oded.    ²At once, Azariah went to Asa and said:
   Listen to me, King Asa and you people of Judah and Benjamin. The LORD will be with you and help you, as long as you obey and worship him. But if you disobey him, he will desert you.
   ³For a long time, the people of Israel did not worship the true God or listen to priests who could teach them about God. They refused to obey God's Law.
   ⁴But whenever trouble came, Israel turned back to the LORD their God and worshiped him.
   ⁵There was so much confusion in those days that it wasn't safe to go anywhere in Israel.
   ⁶Nations were destroying each other, and cities were wiping out other cities, because God was causing trouble and unrest everywhere.
   ⁷So you must be brave. Don't give up! God will honor you for obeying him.
   ⁸As soon as Asa heard what Azariah the prophet said, he gave orders for all the idols in Judah and Benjamin to be destroyed, including those in the towns he had captured in the territory of Ephraim. He also repaired the LORD's altar that was in front of the temple porch.
   ⁹Asa called together the people from Judah and Benjamin, as well as the people from the territories of Ephraim, West Manasseh, and Simeon who were living in Judah. Many of these people were now loyal to Asa, because they had seen that the LORD was with him.
   ¹⁰In the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa's rule, they all met in Jerusalem.
   ¹¹That same day, they took seven hundred bulls and seven thousand sheep and goats from what they had brought back from Gerar and sacrificed them as offerings to the LORD.
   ¹²They made a solemn promise to faithfully worship the LORD God their ancestors had worshiped,
   ¹³and to put to death anyone who refused to obey him.
   ¹⁴The crowd solemnly agreed to keep their promise to the LORD, then they celebrated by shouting and blowing trumpets and horns.
   ¹⁵Everyone was happy because they had made this solemn promise, and in return, the LORD blessed them with peace from all their enemies.
   ¹⁶Asa's grandmother Maacah had made a disgusting idol of the goddess Asherah, so he cut it down, crushed it, and burned it in Kidron Valley. Then he removed Maacah from her position as queen mother. ^[f]
   17As long as Asa lived, he was faithful to the LORD, even though he did not destroy the local shrines ^[g] in Israel.
   ¹⁸He placed in the temple all the silver and gold objects that he and his father had dedicated to God.
   ¹⁹There was peace in Judah until the thirty-fifth year of Asa's rule.
   

2 Chronicles 16

King Baasha of Israel Invades Judah

(1 Kings 15.16-22)

 ¹In the thirty-sixth year of Asa's rule, King Baasha of Israel invaded Judah and captured the town of Ramah. He started making the town stronger, and he put troops there to stop people from going in and out of Judah.    ²When Asa heard about this, he took the silver and gold from his palace and from the LORD's temple. Then he sent it to Damascus with this message for King Benhadad of Syria:
   ³"I think we should sign a peace treaty, just as our fathers did. This silver and gold is a present for you. Would you please break your treaty with King Baasha of Israel and force him to leave my country?"
   ⁴Benhadad did what Asa asked and sent the Syrian army into Israel. They captured the towns of Ijon, Dan, Abel-Maim, ^[h] and all the towns in Naphtali where supplies were kept.
   ⁵When Baasha heard about it, he stopped his work on the town of Ramah.
   ⁶Asa ordered everyone in Judah to carry away the stones and wood Baasha had used to fortify Ramah. Then he fortified the towns of Geba and Mizpah with these same stones and wood.
   

Hanani the Prophet Condemns Asa

 ⁷Soon after that happened, Hanani the prophet went to Asa and said:    You depended on the king of Syria instead of depending on the LORD your God. And so, you will never defeat the Syrian army.
   ⁸Remember how powerful the Ethiopian ^[i] and Libyan army was, with all their chariots and cavalry troops! You trusted the LORD to help you then, and you defeated them.
   ⁹The LORD is constantly watching everyone, and he gives strength to those who faithfully obey him. But you have done a foolish thing, and your kingdom will never be at peace again.
   ¹⁰When Asa heard this, he was so angry that he put Hanani in prison. Asa was also cruel to some of his people. ^[j]
   

Asa Dies

(1 Kings 15.23,24)

 ¹¹Everything Asa did while he was king is written in The History of the Kings of Judah and Israel.    ¹²In the thirty-ninth year of his rule, he got a very bad foot disease, but he relied on doctors and refused to ask the LORD for help.
   ¹³He died two years later.
   ¹⁴Earlier, Asa had his own tomb cut out of a rock hill in Jerusalem. So he was buried there, and the tomb was filled with spices and sweet-smelling oils. Then the people built a bonfire in his honor.
   

Footnotes:

1. 2 Chronicles 14:3 local shrines: See the note at 11.15.
2. 2 Chronicles 14:3 sacred poles: Or "trees," used as symbols of Asherah, the goddess of fertility.
3. 2 Chronicles 14:9 Ethiopia: See the note at 12.3.
4. 2 Chronicles 14:9 Mareshah: About twenty-five miles southwest of Jerusalem.
5. 2 Chronicles 14:13 the Ethiopians could not even fight back: Or "not one of the Ethiopians survived!"
6. 2 Chronicles 15:16 queen mother: Or "the mother of the king," which was an important position in biblical times (see 1 Kings 2.19).
7. 2 Chronicles 15:17 local shrines: See the note at 11.15.
8. 2 Chronicles 16:4 Abel-Maim: Also called "Abel-Bethmaacah" (see 1 Kings 15.20).
9. 2 Chronicles 16:8 Ethiopian: See the note at 12.3.
10. 2 Chronicles 16:10 Asa was also cruel. . . people: Or "Asa also started being cruel to some of his people."

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Romans 9:1-21 (Contemporary English Version)

Romans 9

God's Choice of Israel

 ¹I am a follower of Christ, and the Holy Spirit is a witness to my conscience. So I tell the truth and I am not lying when I say ²my heart is broken and I am in great sorrow. ³I would gladly be placed under God's curse and be separated from Christ for the good of my own people. ⁴They are the descendants of Israel, and they are also God's chosen people. God showed them his glory. He made agreements with them and gave them his Law. The temple is theirs and so are the promises that God made to them. ⁵They have those famous ancestors, who were also the ancestors of Jesus Christ. I pray that God, who rules over all, will be praised forever! ^[a] Amen. ⁶It cannot be said that God broke his promise. After all, not all of the people of Israel are the true people of God. ^7-8In fact, when God made the promise to Abraham, he meant only Abraham's descendants by his son Isaac. God was talking only about Isaac when he promised ⁹Sarah, "At this time next year I will return, and you will already have a son."     ¹⁰Don't forget what happened to the twin sons of Isaac and Rebekah. ^11-12Even before they were born or had done anything good or bad, the Lord told Rebekah that her older son would serve the younger one. The Lord said this to show that he makes his own choices and that it wasn't because of anything either of them had done. ¹³That's why the Scriptures say that the Lord liked Jacob more than Esau.
    ¹⁴Are we saying that God is unfair? Certainly not! ¹⁵The Lord told Moses that he has pity and mercy on anyone he wants to. ¹⁶Everything then depends on God's mercy and not on what people want or do. ¹⁷In the Scriptures the Lord says to Pharaoh of Egypt, "I let you become Pharaoh, so that I could show you my power and be praised by all people on earth." ¹⁸Everything depends on what God decides to do, and he can either have pity on people or make them stubborn.
   

God's Anger and Mercy

 ¹⁹Someone may ask, "How can God blame us, if he makes us behave in the way he wants us to?" ²⁰But, my friend, I ask, "Who do you think you are to question God? Does the clay have the right to ask the potter why he shaped it the way he did? ²¹Doesn't a potter have the right to make a fancy bowl and a plain bowl out of the same lump of clay?"    

Footnotes:

1. Romans 9:5 Christ. I pray that God, who rules over all, will be praised forever: Or " Christ, who rules over all. I pray that God will be praised forever" or " Christ. And I pray that Christ, who is God and rules over all, will be praised forever."

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Psalm 19:1-14 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 19

(A psalm by David for the music leader.)

The Wonders of God and the Goodness of His Law

 ¹The heavens keep telling    the wonders of God,
   and the skies declare
   what he has done.
    ²Each day informs
   the following day;
   each night announces
   to the next.
    ³They don't speak a word,
   and there is never
   the sound of a voice.
    ⁴Yet their message reaches
   all the earth,
   and it travels
   around the world.
   In the heavens a tent
   is set up for the sun.
    ⁵It rises like a bridegroom
   and gets ready like a hero
   eager to run a race.
    ⁶It travels all the way
   across the sky.
   Nothing hides from its heat.
    ⁷The Law of the LORD is perfect;
   it gives us new life.
   His teachings last forever,
   and they give wisdom
   to ordinary people.
    ⁸The LORD's instruction is right;
   it makes our hearts glad.
   His commands shine brightly,
   and they give us light.
    ⁹Worshiping the LORD is sacred;
   he will always be worshiped.
   All of his decisions
   are correct and fair.
    ¹⁰They are worth more
   than the finest gold
   and are sweeter than honey
   from a honeycomb.
    ¹¹By your teachings, Lord,
   I am warned;
   by obeying them,
   I am greatly rewarded.
    ¹²None of us know our faults.
   Forgive me when I sin
   without knowing it.
    ¹³Don't let me do wrong
   on purpose, Lord,
   or let sin have control
   over my life.
   Then I will be innocent,
   and not guilty
   of some terrible fault.
    ¹⁴Let my words and my thoughts
   be pleasing to you, LORD,
   because you are my mighty rock ^[a] and my protector.
   

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 19:14 mighty rock: See the note at 18.2.

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Proverbs 20:1 (Contemporary English Version)

Proverbs 20

Words of Wisdom Are Better than Gold

 ¹It isn't smart to get drunk!    Drinking makes a fool of you
   and leads to fights.

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Verse of the Day

“As soon as you command, I do what you say.” - Psalm 119:60

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

Stuart Chase, American economist and engineer trained at MIT, wrote, “For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don’t believe, no proof is possible.”