Bible Readings for December 6, 2019

Today our passages are Hosea 4:1–5:15; 2 John 1-13; Psalm 125:1-5; and Proverbs 29:9-11. The readings are from the Contemporary English Version..  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 by using the link below.

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Hosea 4-5:15 (Contemporary English Version)

Hosea 4

Israel Is Unfaithful

 ¹Israel, listen   as the LORD accuses
   everyone in the land!
   No one is faithful or loyal
   or truly cares about God.
    ²Cursing, dishonesty, murder,
   robbery, unfaithfulness--
   these happen all the time.
   Violence is everywhere.
    ³And so your land is a desert.
   Every living creature is dying--
   people and wild animals,
   birds and fish.   

The LORD Warns the Priests

 ⁴Don't accuse just anyone!   Not everyone is at fault.
   My case is against you,
   the priests. ^a] 5You and the prophets
   will stumble day and night;
   I'll silence your mothers.
    ⁶You priests have rejected me,
   and my people are destroyed
   by refusing to obey.
   Now I'll reject you and forget
   your children,
   because you
   have forgotten my Law.
    ⁷By adding more of you priests,
   you multiply the number
   of people who sin.
   Now I'll change your pride
   into shame.
    ⁸You encourage others to sin,
   so you can stuff yourselves
   on their sin offerings.
    ⁹That's why I will punish
   the people for their deeds,
   just as I will punish
   you priests.
    ¹⁰Their food won't satisfy,
   and having sex at pagan shrines
   won't produce children.
   My people have rebelled
    ¹¹and have been unfaithful
   to me, their LORD.
   My people, you are foolish
   because of too much pleasure
   and too much wine.   

God Condemns Israel's Idolatry

 ¹²You expect wooden idols   and other objects of wood
   to give you advice.
   Lusting for sex at pagan shrines
   has made you unfaithful
   to me, your God.
    ¹³You offer sacrifices
   on mountaintops and hills,
   under oak trees, and wherever
   good shade is found.
   Your own daughters
   and daughters-in-law
   sell themselves for sex.
    ¹⁴But I won't punish them.
   You men are to blame,
   because you go to prostitutes
   and offer sacrifices with them
   at pagan shrines.
   Your own foolishness
   will lead to your ruin.
    ¹⁵Israel, you are unfaithful,
   but don't lead Judah to sin.
   Stop worshiping at Gilgal
   or at sinful Bethel. ^b] And quit making promises
   in my name--
   the name
   of the living LORD.
    ¹⁶You are nothing more
   than a stubborn cow--
   so stubborn that I, the LORD,
   cannot feed you like lambs
   in an open pasture.
    ¹⁷You people of Israel ^c] are charmed by ^d] idols. Leave them alone!
    ¹⁸You get drunk, then sleep
   with prostitutes;
   you would rather be vulgar
   than lead a decent life. ^e] 19And so you will be swept away
   in a whirlwind
   for sacrificing to idols.
   

Hosea 5

Israel and Judah Will Be Judged

The LORD said:

 ¹Listen, you priests!   Pay attention, Israel! ^f] Listen, you members
   of the royal family.
   Justice was your duty.
   But ^g] at Mizpah and Mount Tabor you trapped the people.
    ²At the place of worship
   you were a treacherous pit, ^h] and I will punish you.
    ³Israel, I know all about you,
   and because of your unfaithfulness,
   I find you unacceptable.
    ⁴Your evil deeds are the reason
   you won't return to me,
   your LORD God.
   And your constant craving for sex
   keeps you from knowing me.
    ⁵Israel, your pride
   testifies to your guilt;
   it makes you stumble,
   and Judah stumbles too.
    ⁶You offer sheep and cattle
   as sacrifices to me,
   but I have turned away
   and refuse to be found.
    ⁷You have been unfaithful
   to me, your LORD;
   you have had children
   by prostitutes. ^i] So at the New Moon Festival,
   you and your crops
   will be destroyed. ^j]

The LORD Warns Israel and Judah

 ⁸Give a warning on the trumpet!   Let it be heard in Gibeah,
   Ramah, and sinful Bethel. ^k] Benjamin, watch out! ^l] 9I, the LORD, will punish
   and wipe out Israel.
   This is my solemn promise
   to every tribe of Israel.
    ¹⁰Judah's leaders are like crooks
   who move boundary markers;
   that's why I will flood them
   with my anger.
    ¹¹Israel was brutally crushed.
   They got what they deserved
   for worshiping useless idols. ^m] 12Now I, the LORD,
   will fill Israel with maggots
   and make Judah rot.
    ¹³When Israel and Judah saw
   their sickness and wounds,
   Israel asked help from Assyria
   and its mighty king. ^n] But the king cannot cure them
   or heal their wounds.
    ¹⁴So I'll become a fierce lion
   attacking Israel and Judah.
   I'll snatch and carry off
   what I want,
   and no one can stop me.
    ¹⁵Then I'll return to my temple
   until they confess their guilt
   and worship me,
   until they are desperate
   and beg for my help. 

Footnotes:

1. Hosea 4:4 priests: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 4. Hosea may have had in mind only one priest, possibly the chief priest.
2. Hosea 4:15 sinful Bethel: The Hebrew text has " Beth-Aven," which means " house of sin" or " house of nothing," referring to " Bethel," which means " house of God."
3. Hosea 4:17 Israel: The Hebrew text has " Ephraim," the leading tribe of the northern kingdom of Israel, which sometimes stands for the whole kingdom.
4. Hosea 4:17 charmed by: Or " joined to."
5. Hosea 4:18 life: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 18.
6. Hosea 5:1 Israel: Probably meaning the tribal leaders of Israel.
7. Hosea 5:1 Justice. . . duty. But: Or " You are doomed, because."
8. Hosea 5:2 At. . . pit: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
9. Hosea 5:7 prostitutes: See 4.14, and the note at 1.2.
10. Hosea 5:7 So. . . destroyed: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
11. Hosea 5:8 sinful Bethel: See the note at 4.15. Gibeah is three miles north of Jerusalem, Ramah is five miles north, and Bethel is eleven miles north. The attack comes from the south, and all the land of Benjamin (belonging to Israel) is in danger.
12. Hosea 5:8 watch out: Or " lead the way."
13. Hosea 5:11 for. . . idols: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
14. Hosea 5:13 and. . . king: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

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2 John 1-13 (Contemporary English Version)

2 John 1

 ¹From the church leader. ^a] To a very special woman and her children. ^b] I truly love all of you, and so does everyone else who knows the truth. ²We love you because the truth is now in our hearts, and it will be there forever. ³I pray that God the Father and Jesus Christ his Son will be kind and merciful to us! May they give us peace and truth and love.   

Truth and Love

 ⁴I was very glad to learn that some of your children are obeying the truth, as the Father told us to do. ⁵Dear friend, I am not writing to tell you and your children to do something you have not done before. I am writing to tell you to love each other, which is the first thing you were told to do. ⁶Love means that we do what God tells us. And from the beginning, he told you to love him.    ⁷Many liars have gone out into the world. These deceitful liars are saying that Jesus Christ did not have a truly human body. But they are liars and the enemies of Christ. ⁸So be sure not to lose what we ^c] have worked for. If you do, you won't be given your full reward. ⁹Don't keep changing what you were taught about Christ, or else God will no longer be with you. But if you hold firmly to what you were taught, both the Father and the Son will be with you. ¹⁰If people won't agree to this teaching, don't welcome them into your home or even greet them. ¹¹Greeting them is the same as taking part in their evil deeds.

Final Greetings

 ¹²I have much more to tell you, but I don't want to write it with pen and ink. I want to come and talk to you in person, because that will make us ^d] really happy. ¹³Greetings from the children of your very special sister. ^e]

Footnotes:

1. 2 John 1:1 church leader: Or "elder" or "presbyter" or "priest."
2. 2 John 1:1 very special woman and her children: A group of the Lord's followers who met together for worship. "The children of your. . . sister" (see verse 13) is another group of followers. "Very special" (here and verse 13) probably means "chosen (by the Lord)."
3. 2 John 1:8 we: Some manuscripts have "you."
4. 2 John 1:12 us: Some manuscripts have "you."
5. 2 John 1:13 sister: See the note at verse 1.

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Psalm 125:1-5 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 125

(A song for worship.)

The LORD's People Are Safe

 ¹Everyone who trusts the LORD   is like Mount Zion
   that cannot be shaken
   and will stand forever.
    ²Just as Jerusalem is protected
   by mountains on every side,
   the LORD protects his people
   by holding them in his arms
   now and forever.
    ³He won't let the wicked
   rule his people
   or lead them to do wrong.
    ⁴Let's ask the LORD to be kind
   to everyone
   who is good
   and completely obeys him.
    ⁵When the LORD punishes
   the wicked,
   he will punish everyone else
   who lives a crooked life.
   Pray for peace in Israel!

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Proverbs 29:9-11 (Contemporary English Version)

⁹Be wise and don't sue a fool.
   You won't get satisfaction,
   because all the fool will do
   is sneer and shout.
    ¹⁰A murderer hates everyone
   who is honest
   and lives right. ^a] 11Don't be a fool
   and quickly lose your temper--
   be sensible and patient. 

Footnotes:

1. Proverbs 29:10 and lives right: Or " and those who live right are friends of honest people."

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Verse of the Day

 

“I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep, and they know me. Just as the Father knows me, I know the Father, and I give up my life for my sheep.” - John 10:14-15

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

American lyricist who collaborated with his younger brother, composer George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin wrote, “Old age adds to the respect due to virtue, but it takes nothing from the contempt inspired by vice; it whitens only the hair.”

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A Joke for Today

Father: Why don't you get yourself a job?

Son: Why?

Father: So you could earn some money.

Son: Why?

Father: So you could put some money in a bank and earn interest.

Son: Why?

Father: So that when you're old you can use the money in your bank account ...and you would never have to work again.

Son: But I'm not working now.