Read the Bible in a Year
Each day, we'll post passages so that you can read the Bible in one year. This is part of The Colossians 13:16 Project, sponsored by Cove Presbyterian Church, 3404 Main Street, Weirton, West Virginia. You're invited to worship with us Sundays, at 11:00 a.m. or Saturdays, at 6:30 p.m. You may also want to consider joining one our adult Bible Studies: Thursdays at 12:00 noon and Sundays at 9:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. We also have a full range of programs for children. If you want more information about the church, check out the other blogs. And please feel free to leave any comments.
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Today our passages are Amos 7:1–9:15; Revelation 3:7-22; Psalm 131:1-3; and Proverbs 29:23. 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.
Amos 7-9:15 (Contemporary English Version)
Amos 7
A Vision of Locusts
1The LORD God showed me that he is going to send locusts to attack your crops. It will happen after the king has already been given his share of the grain and before the rest of the grain has been harvested. 2In my vision the locusts ate every crop in the land, and I said to the LORD, "Forgive me for asking, but how can the nation survive? It's so weak." 3Then the LORD felt sorry and answered, "I won't let it be destroyed."
A Vision of Fire
4The LORD showed me that he is going to send a ball of fire to burn up everything on earth, including the ocean. 5Then I said, "Won't you please stop? How can our weak nation survive?" 6Again the LORD felt sorry and answered, "I won't let it be destroyed."
A Vision of a Measuring Line
7The LORD showed me a vision of himself standing beside a wall and holding a string with a weight tied to the end of it. The string and weight had been used to measure the straightness of the wall. 8Then he asked, "Amos, what do you see?" "A measuring line," I answered.
The LORD said, "I'm using this measuring line to show that my people Israel don't measure up, and I won't forgive them any more. 9Their sacred places will be destroyed, and I will send war against the nation of King Jeroboam."
Amos and Amaziah
10Amaziah the priest at Bethel sent this message to King Jeroboam of Israel, "Amos is plotting against you in the very heart of Israel. Our nation cannot put up with his message for very long. 11Here is what he is saying: `Jeroboam will be put to death,
and the people will be taken
to a foreign country.' "
12Then Amaziah told me, "Amos, take your visions and get out! Go back to Judah and earn your living there as a prophet. 13Don't do any more preaching at Bethel. The king worships here at our national temple."
14I answered:
I'm not a prophet! And I wasn't trained to be a prophet. I am a shepherd, and I take care of fig trees. 15But the LORD told me to leave my herds and preach to the people of Israel. 16And here you are, telling me not to preach! 17Now, listen to what the LORD says about you:
Your wife will become
a prostitute in the city,
your sons and daughters
will be killed in war,
and your land will be divided
among others.
You will die in a country
of foreigners,
and the people of Israel
will be dragged
from their homeland.
Amos 8
A Basket of Fruit
1The LORD God showed me a basket of ripe fruit 2and asked, "Amos, what do you see?" "A basket of ripe fruit," I replied.
Then he said,
"This is the end for my people Israel.
I won't forgive them again.
3Instead of singing
in the temple,
they will cry and weep.
Dead bodies will be everywhere.
So keep silent!
I, the LORD, have spoken!"
Israel Is Doomed
The LORD said:
4You people crush those in need and wipe out the poor.
5You say to yourselves,
"How much longer before the end
of the New Moon Festival?
When will the Sabbath be over? Our wheat is ready,
and we want to sell it now.
We can't wait to cheat
and charge high prices
for the grain we sell.
We will use dishonest scales
6and mix dust in the grain.
Those who are needy and poor
don't have any money.
We will make them our slaves
for the price
of a pair of sandals."
7I, the LORD, won't forget
any of this,
though you take great pride
in your ancestor Jacob. 8Your country will tremble,
and you will mourn.
It will be like the Nile River
that rises and overflows,
then sinks back down.
9On that day, I, the LORD God,
will make the sun
go down at noon,
and I will turn daylight
into darkness.
10Your festivals and joyful singing
will turn into sorrow.
You will wear sackcloth and shave your heads,
as you would at the death
of your only son.
It will be a horrible day.
11I, the LORD, also promise you
a terrible shortage,
but not of food and water.
You will hunger and thirst
to hear my message.
12You will search everywhere--
from north to south,
from east to west.
You will go all over the earth,
seeking a message
from me, the LORD.
But you won't find one.
13Your beautiful young women
and your young men
will faint from thirst.
14You made promises
in the name of Ashimah,
the goddess of Samaria.
And you made vows in my name
at the shrines
of Dan and Beersheba. But you will fall
and never get up.
Amos 9
Judgment on Israel
1I saw a vision of the LORD standing by the temple altar, and he said,
"Shake the columns
until the tops fall loose,
and the doorposts crumble.
Then make the pieces fall
on the people below.
I will take a sword and kill
anyone who escapes.
2"If they dig deep into the earth
or climb to the sky,
I'll reach out and get them.
3If they escape to the peaks
of Mount Carmel,
I'll search and find them.
And if they hide from me
at the bottom of the ocean,
I'll command a sea monster
to bite them.
4I'll send a sword to kill them,
wherever their enemies
drag them off as captives.
I'm determined to hurt them,
not to help them."
His Name Is the LORD
5When the LORD God All-Powerful touches the earth,
it melts,
and its people mourn.
God makes the earth rise
and then fall,
just like the Nile River.
6He built his palace in the heavens
and let its foundations
rest on the earth. He scoops up the ocean
and empties it on the earth.
His name is the LORD.
The LORD Is God
7Israel, I am the LORD God, and the Ethiopians are no less important to me
than you are.
I brought you out of Egypt,
but I also brought
the Philistines from Crete and the Arameans from Kir. 8My eyes have seen
what a sinful nation you are,
and I'll wipe you out.
But I will leave a few
of Jacob's descendants.
I, the LORD, have spoken!
9At my command, all of you
will be sifted like grain.
Israelites who remain faithful
will be scattered
among the nations.
And the others will be trapped
like trash in a sifter.
10Some of you are evil,
and you deny
that you will ever get caught.
But you will be killed.
The LORD's Promise to Israel
11In the future, I will rebuild David's fallen kingdom.
I will build it from its ruins
and set it up again,
just as it used to be.
12Then you will capture Edom
and the other nations
that are mine.
I, the LORD, have spoken,
and my words will come true.
13You will have such a harvest
that you won't be able
to bring in all of your wheat
before plowing time.
You will have grapes left over
from season to season;
your fruitful vineyards
will cover the mountains.
14I'll make Israel prosper again.
You will rebuild your towns
and live in them.
You will drink wine
from your own vineyards
and eat the fruit you grow.
15I'll plant your roots deep
in the land I have given you,
and you won't ever
be uprooted again.
I, the LORD God, have spoken!
Revelation 3:7-22 (Contemporary English Version)
The Letter to Philadelphia
7This is what you must write to the angel of the church in Philadelphia: I am the one who is holy and true, and I have the keys that belonged to David. When I open a door, no one can close it. And when I close a door, no one can open it. Listen to what I say. 8I know everything you have done. And I have placed before you an open door that no one can close. You were not very strong, but you obeyed my message and did not deny that you are my followers. 9Now you will see what I will do with those people who belong to Satan's group. They claim to be Jews, but they are liars. I will make them come and kneel down at your feet. Then they will know that I love you. 10You obeyed my message and endured. So I will protect you from the time of testing that everyone in all the world must go through. 11I am coming soon. So hold firmly to what you have, and no one will take away the crown that you will be given as your reward.
12Everyone who wins the victory will be made into a pillar in the temple of my God, and they will stay there forever. I will write on each of them the name of my God and the name of his city. It is the new Jerusalem that my God will send down from heaven. I will also write on them my own new name.
13If you have ears, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.
The Letter to Laodicea
14This is what you must write to the angel of the church in Laodicea: I am the one called Amen! I am the faithful and true witness and the source of God's creation. Listen to what I say. 15I know everything you have done, and you are not cold or hot. I wish you were either one or the other. 16But since you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17You claim to be rich and successful and to have everything you need. But you don't know how bad off you are. You are pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.
18Buy your gold from me. It has been refined in a fire, and it will make you rich. Buy white clothes from me. Wear them and you can cover up your shameful nakedness. Buy medicine for your eyes, so that you will be able to see.
19I correct and punish everyone I love. So make up your minds to turn away from your sins. 20Listen! I am standing and knocking at your door. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and we will eat together. 21Everyone who wins the victory will sit with me on my throne, just as I won the victory and sat with my Father on his throne.
22If you have ears, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.
Psalm 131:1-3 (Contemporary English Version)
Psalm 131
(A song by David for worship.)
Trust the LORD!
1I am not conceited, LORD, and I don't waste my time
on impossible schemes.
2But I have learned to feel safe
and satisfied,
just like a young child
on its mother's lap.
3People of Israel,
you must trust the LORD
now and forever.
Proverbs 29:23 (Contemporary English Version)
23Too much pride brings disgrace;
humility leads to honor.
Verse of the Day
“But when the time was right, God sent his Son, and a woman gave birth to him. His Son obeyed the Law, so he could set us free from the Law, and we could become God's children.” - Galatians 4:4-5
Thought for the Day
Austrian archduchess who reigned as Duchess of Parma from 1814 until her death and Napoleon's second wife and, as such, Empress of the French from 1810 to 1814, Marie Louise wrote, “I am convinced that our movement will be more demoralized and weakened by blind and uncritical admiration than by frank admission of past mistakes.”
A man went into a bookstore and complained...
“I bought this book from you yesterday, 'Cowards in History' and all the pages fell out!"
The sales assistant said, “That’s because it has no spine.”
Today our passages are Amos 4:1–6:14; Revelation 2:18–3:6; Psalm 130:1-8; and Proverbs 29:19-20. 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.
Amos 4-6:14 (Contemporary English Version)
Amos 4
The Women of Samaria
The LORD said:
1You women of Samaria are fat cows! You mistreat and abuse
the poor and needy,
then you say to your husbands,
"Bring us more drinks!"
2I, the LORD God, have sworn
by my own name
that your time is coming.
Not one of you will be left--
you will be taken away
by sharp hooks. 3You will be dragged through holes
in your city walls,
and you will be thrown
toward Harmon. I, the LORD, have spoken!
Israel Refuses To Obey
The LORD said:
4Come to Bethel and Gilgal. Sin all you want! Offer sacrifices the next morning
and bring a tenth of your crops
on the third day. 5Bring offerings to show me
how thankful you are.
Gladly bring more offerings
than I have demanded.
You really love to do this.
I, the LORD God, have spoken!
How the LORD Warned Israel
6I, the LORD, took away the food from every town and village,
but still you rejected me.
7Three months before harvest,
I kept back the rain.
Sometimes I would let it fall
on one town or field
but not on another,
and pastures dried up.
8People from two or three towns
would go to a town
that still had water,
but it wasn't enough.
Even then you rejected me.
I, the LORD, have spoken!
9I dried up your grain fields;
your gardens and vineyards
turned brown.
Locusts ate your fig trees and olive orchards,
but even then you rejected me.
I, the LORD, have spoken!
10I did terrible things to you,
just as I did to Egypt--
I killed your young men in war;
I let your horses be stolen,
and I made your camp stink
with dead bodies.
Even then you rejected me.
I, the LORD, have spoken!
11I destroyed many of you,
just as I did the cities
of Sodom and Gomorrah.
You were a burning stick
I rescued from the fire.
Even then you rejected me.
I, the LORD, have spoken!
12Now, Israel, I myself
will deal with you.
Get ready to face your God!
13I created the mountains
and the wind.
I let humans know
what I am thinking. I bring darkness at dawn
and step over hills.
I am the LORD God All-Powerful!
Amos 5
Turn Back to the LORD
1Listen, nation of Israel, to my mournful message:
2You, dearest Israel, have fallen,
never to rise again--
you lie deserted in your own land,
with no one to help you up.
3The LORD God has warned,
"From every ten soldiers
only one will be left;
from a thousand troops,
only a hundred will survive."
4The LORD keeps saying,
"Israel, turn back to me
and you will live!
5Don't go to Gilgal or Bethel
or even to Beersheba. Gilgal will be dragged away,
and Bethel will end up
as nothing." 6Turn back to the LORD,
you descendants of Joseph, and you will live.
If you don't, the LORD
will attack like fire.
Bethel will burn to the ground,
and no one can save it.
7You people are doomed!
You twist the truth
and stomp on justice.
8But the LORD created the stars
and put them in place. He turns darkness to dawn
and daylight to darkness;
he scoops up the ocean
and empties it on the earth.
9God destroys mighty soldiers
and strong fortresses.
Choose Good Instead of Evil!
The LORD said:
10You people hate judges and honest witnesses;
11you abuse the poor and demand
heavy taxes from them.
You have built expensive homes,
but you won't enjoy them;
you have planted vineyards,
but you will get no wine.
12I am the LORD, and I know
your terrible sins.
You cheat honest people
and take bribes;
you rob the poor of justice.
13Times are so evil
that anyone with good sense
will keep quiet.
14If you really want to live,
you must stop doing wrong
and start doing right.
I, the LORD God All-Powerful,
will then be on your side,
just as you claim I am.
15Choose good instead of evil!
See that justice is done.
Maybe I, the LORD All-Powerful,
will be kind to what's left
of your people.
Judgment Is Coming
16This is what the LORD has sworn: Noisy crying will be heard
in every town and street.
Even farmers will be told
to mourn for the dead,
together with those
who are paid to mourn. 17Your vineyards will be filled
with crying and weeping, because I will punish you.
I, the LORD, have spoken!
When the LORD Judges
18You look forward to the day when the LORD comes to judge.
But you are in for trouble!
It won't be a time of sunshine;
all will be darkness.
19You will run from a lion,
only to meet a bear.
You will escape to your house,
rest your hand on the wall,
and be bitten by a snake.
20The day when the LORD judges
will be dark, very dark,
without a ray of light.
What the LORD Demands
21I, the LORD, hate and despise your religious celebrations
and your times of worship.
22I won't accept your offerings
or animal sacrifices--
not even your very best.
23No more of your noisy songs!
I won't listen
when you play your harps.
24But let justice and fairness
flow like a river
that never runs dry.
25Israel, for forty years
you wandered in the desert,
without bringing offerings
or sacrifices to me.
26Now you will have to carry
the two idols you made--
Sakkuth, the one you call king,
and Kaiwan,
the one you built
in the shape of a star. 27I will force you to march
as captives beyond Damascus.
I, the LORD God All-Powerful,
have spoken!
Amos 6
Israel Will Be Punished
1Do you rulers in Jerusalem and in the city of Samaria
feel safe and at ease?
Everyone bows down to you,
and you think you are better
than any other nation.
But you are in for trouble!
2Look what happened
to the cities of Calneh,
powerful Hamath,
and Gath in Philistia. Are you greater than any
of those kingdoms?
3You are cruel, and you forget
the coming day of judgment.
4You rich people lounge around
on beds with ivory posts,
while dining on the meat
of your lambs and calves.
5You sing foolish songs
to the music of harps,
and you make up new tunes,
just as David used to do.
6You drink all the wine you want
and wear expensive perfume,
but you don't care about
the ruin of your nation. 7So you will be the first
to be dragged off as captives;
your good times will end.
8The LORD God All-Powerful
has sworn by his own name:
"You descendants of Jacob
make me angry by your pride,
and I hate your fortresses.
And so I will surrender your city
and possessions
to your enemies."
9If only ten of you survive
by hiding in a house
you will still die.
10As you carry out a corpse
to prepare it for burial, your relative in the house
will ask, "Are there others?"
You will answer, "No!"
Then your relative will reply,
"Be quiet!
Don't dare mention
the name of the LORD." 11At the LORD's command,
houses great and small
will be smashed to pieces.
12Horses can't gallop on rocks;
oceans can't be plowed. But you have turned justice
and fairness
into bitter poison.
13You celebrate the defeat
of Lo-Debar and Karnaim, and you boast by saying,
"We did it on our own."
14But the LORD God All-Powerful
will send a nation
to attack
you people of Israel.
They will capture Lebo-Hamath
in the north,
Arabah Creek in the south, and everything in between.
Revelation 2:18-3:6 (Contemporary English Version)
The Letter to Thyatira
18This is what you must write to the angel of the church in Thyatira: I am the Son of God! My eyes are like flames of fire, and my feet are like bronze. Listen to what I say.
19I know everything about you, including your love, your faith, your service, and how you have endured. I know that you are doing more now than you have ever done before. 20But I still have something against you because of that woman Jezebel. She calls herself a prophet, and you let her teach and mislead my servants to do immoral things and to eat food offered to idols. 21I gave her a chance to turn from her sins, but she did not want to stop doing these immoral things. 22I am going to strike down Jezebel. Everyone who does these immoral things with her will also be punished, if they don't stop. 23I will even kill her followers. Then all the churches will see that I know everyone's thoughts and feelings. I will treat each of you as you deserve. 24Some of you in Thyatira don't follow Jezebel's teaching. You don't know anything about what her followers call the "deep secrets of Satan." So I won't burden you down with any other commands. 25But until I come, you must hold firmly to the teaching you have.
26I will give power over the nations to everyone who wins the victory and keeps on obeying me until the end. 27-28I will give each of them the same power that my Father has given me. They will rule the nations with an iron rod and smash those nations to pieces like clay pots. I will also give them the morning star. 29If you have ears, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.
Revelation 3
The Letter to Sardis
1This is what you must write to the angel of the church in Sardis: I have the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. Listen to what I say.
I know what you are doing. Everyone may think you are alive, but you are dead. 2Wake up! You have only a little strength left, and it is almost gone. So try to become stronger. I have found that you are not completely obeying God. 3Remember the teaching that you were given and that you heard. Hold firmly to it and turn from your sins. If you don't wake up, I will come when you least expect it, just as a thief does.
4A few of you in Sardis have not dirtied your clothes with sin. You will walk with me in white clothes, because you are worthy. 5Everyone who wins the victory will wear white clothes. Their names will not be erased from the book of life, and I will tell my Father and his angels that they are my followers. 6If you have ears, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.
Psalm 130:1-8 (Contemporary English Version)
Psalm 130
(A song for worship.)
Trusting the LORD in Times of Trouble
1From a sea of troubles I call out to you, LORD.
2Won't you please listen
as I beg for mercy?
3If you kept record of our sins,
no one could last long.
4But you forgive us,
and so we will worship you.
5With all my heart,
I am waiting, LORD, for you!
I trust your promises.
6I wait for you more eagerly
than a soldier on guard duty
waits for the dawn.
Yes, I wait more eagerly
than a soldier on guard duty
waits for the dawn.
7Israel, trust the LORD!
He is always merciful,
and he has the power
to save you.
8Israel, the LORD will save you
from all of your sins.
Psalm 130:1-8 (Contemporary English Version)
Psalm 130
(A song for worship.)
Trusting the LORD in Times of Trouble
1From a sea of troubles I call out to you, LORD.
2Won't you please listen
as I beg for mercy?
3If you kept record of our sins,
no one could last long.
4But you forgive us,
and so we will worship you.
5With all my heart,
I am waiting, LORD, for you!
I trust your promises.
6I wait for you more eagerly
than a soldier on guard duty
waits for the dawn.
Yes, I wait more eagerly
than a soldier on guard duty
waits for the dawn.
7Israel, trust the LORD!
He is always merciful,
and he has the power
to save you.
8Israel, the LORD will save you
from all of your sins.
Proverbs 29:19-20 (Contemporary English Version)
19Even when servants are smart,
it takes more than words
to make them obey.
20There is more hope for a fool
than for someone who speaks
without thinking.
Verse of the Day
“But the LORD will still give you proof. A virgin is pregnant; she will have a son and will name him Immanuel.” - Isaiah 7:14
Thought for the Day
Egyptian writer who won the 1988 Nobel Prize for Literature., Naguib Mahfouz wrote, “You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions.”
A new business was opening and one of the owner's friends wanted to send him flowers for the occasion. They arrived at the new business site and the owner read the card, which said: 'Rest in Peace.'
The owner was angry and called the florist to complain. After he had told the florist of the obvious mistake and how angry he was, the florist replied:
'Sir, I'm really sorry for the mistake, but rather than getting angry, you should imagine this - somewhere, there is a funeral taking place today, and they have flowers with a note saying: 'Congratulations on your new location!''
Today our passages are Amos 1:1–3:15; Revelation 2:1-17; Psalm 129:1-8; and Proverbs 29:19-20. 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.
Amos 1-3:15 (Contemporary English Version)
Amos 1
1I am Amos. And I raised sheep near the town of Tekoa when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel. Two years before the earthquake, the LORD gave me several messages about Israel, 2and I said: When the LORD roars from Jerusalem,
pasturelands and Mount Carmel
dry up and turn brown.
Judgment on Syria
3The LORD said: I will punish Syria for countless crimes,
and I won't change my mind.
They dragged logs with spikes over the people of Gilead.
4Now I will burn down the palaces
and fortresses
of King Hazael
and of King Benhadad. 5I will break through
the gates of Damascus.
I will destroy the people of Wicked Valley and the ruler of Beth-Eden. Then the Syrians will be dragged
as prisoners to Kir. I, the LORD, have spoken!
Judgment on Philistia
6The LORD said: I will punish Philistia for countless crimes,
and I won't change my mind.
They dragged off my people from town after town
to sell them as slaves
to the Edomites.
7That's why I will burn down
the walls and fortresses
of the city of Gaza.
8I will destroy the king of Ashdod and the ruler of Ashkelon.
I will strike down Ekron, and that will be the end
of the Philistines.
I, the LORD, have spoken!
Judgment on Phoenicia
9The LORD said: I will punish Phoenicia for countless crimes,
and I won't change my mind.
They broke their treaty
and dragged off my people from town after town
to sell them as slaves
to the Edomites.
10That's why I will send flames
to burn down the city of Tyre
along with its fortresses.
Judgment on Edom
11The LORD said: I will punish Edom
for countless crimes,
and I won't change my mind.
They killed their own relatives and were so terribly furious
that they showed no mercy.
12Now I will send fire to wipe out
the fortresses
of Teman
and Bozrah.
Judgment on Ammon
13The LORD said: I will punish Ammon
for countless crimes,
and I won't change my mind.
In Gilead they ripped open
pregnant women,
just to take the land.
14Now I will send fire to destroy
the walls and fortresses
of Rabbah. Enemies will shout and attack
like a whirlwind.
15Ammon's king and leaders
will be dragged away.
I, the LORD, have spoken!
Amos 2
Judgment on Moab
1The LORD said: I will punish Moab
for countless crimes,
and I won't change my mind.
They made lime from the bones of the king of Edom.
2Now I will send fire to destroy
the fortresses of Kerioth. Battle shouts and trumpet blasts
will be heard
as I destroy Moab
3with its king and leaders.
I, the LORD, have spoken!
Judgment on Judah
4The LORD said: I will punish Judah
for countless crimes,
and I won't change my mind.
They have rejected my teachings
and refused to obey me.
They were led astray
by the same false gods
their ancestors worshiped.
5Now I will send fire on Judah
and destroy the fortresses
of Jerusalem.
Judgment on Israel
6The LORD said: I will punish Israel
for countless crimes,
and I won't change my mind.
They sell honest people for money,
and the needy are sold
for the price of sandals.
7They smear the poor in the dirt
and push aside
those who are helpless.
My holy name is dishonored,
because fathers and sons
sleep
with the same young women.
8They lie down beside altars
on clothes taken
as security for loans.
And they drink wine in my temple,
wine bought with the money
they received from fines.
9Israel, the Amorites were there when you entered Canaan.
They were tall as cedars
and strong as oaks.
But I wiped them out--
I destroyed their branches
and their roots.
10I had rescued you from Egypt,
and for forty years I had led you
through the desert.
Then I gave you the land
of the Amorites.
11I chose some of you
to be prophets
and others to be Nazirites. People of Israel,
you know this is true.
I, the LORD, have spoken!
12But you commanded the prophets
not to speak their message,
and you pressured the Nazirites
into drinking wine.
13And so I will crush you,
just as a wagon full of grain
crushes the ground. 14No matter how fast you run,
you won't escape.
No matter how strong you are,
you will lose your strength
and your life.
15Even if you are an expert
with a bow and arrow,
you will retreat.
And you won't get away alive,
not even if you run fast
or ride a horse.
16You may be brave and strong,
but you will run away,
stripped naked.
I, the LORD, have spoken!
Amos 3
1People of Israel, I rescued you from Egypt.
Now listen to my judgment
against you.
2Of all nations on earth,
you are the only one
I have chosen.
That's why I will punish you
because of your sins.
The Work of a Prophet
3Can two people walk together without agreeing to meet?
4Does a lion roar in the forest
unless it has caught
a victim?
Does it growl in its den
unless it is eating?
5How can anyone catch a bird
without using a net?
Does a trap spring shut
unless something is caught?
6Isn't the whole city frightened
when the trumpet
signals an attack?
Isn't it the LORD who brings
disaster on a city?
7Whatever the LORD God
plans to do,
he tells his servants,
the prophets.
8Everyone is terrified
when a lion roars--
and ordinary people
become prophets
when the LORD God speaks.
Samaria Is Doomed
9Here is a message for the leaders
of Philistia and Egypt-- tell everyone to come together
on the hills of Samaria.
Let them see the injustice
and the lawlessness
in that city.
10The LORD has said
that they don't even know how
to do right.
They have become rich
from violence and robbery.
11And so the LORD God has sworn
that they will be surrounded.
Enemies will break through
their defenses
and steal their treasures.
12The LORD has promised
that only a few from Samaria
will escape with their lives
and with some broken pieces
of their beds and couches. It will be like when a shepherd
rescues two leg bones
and part of a sheep's ear
from the jaws of a lion.
The Altars at Bethel
13The LORD God All-Powerful told me to speak this message
against Jacob's descendants:
14When I, the LORD, punish Israel
for their sins,
I will destroy the altars
at Bethel.
Even the corners of the altar will be left in the dirt.
15I will tear down winter homes
and summer homes.
Houses decorated with ivory
and all other mansions
will be gone forever.
I, the LORD, have spoken!
Revelation 2:1-17 (Contemporary English Version)
Revelation 2
The Letter to Ephesus
1This is what you must write to the angel of the church in Ephesus: I am the one who holds the seven stars in my right hand, and I walk among the seven gold lampstands. Listen to what I say.
2I know everything you have done, including your hard work and how you have endured. I know you won't put up with anyone who is evil. When some people pretended to be apostles, you tested them and found out that they were liars. 3You have endured and gone through hard times because of me, and you have not given up.
4But I do have something against you! And it is this: You don't have as much love as you used to. 5Think about where you have fallen from, and then turn back and do as you did at first. If you don't turn back, I will come and take away your lampstand. 6But there is one thing you are doing right. You hate what the Nicolaitans are doing, and so do I. 7If you have ears, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. I will let everyone who wins the victory eat from the life-giving tree in God's wonderful garden.
The Letter to Smyrna
8This is what you must write to the angel of the church in Smyrna: I am the first and the last. I died, but now I am alive! Listen to what I say.
9I know how much you suffer and how poor you are, but you are rich. I also know the cruel things being said about you by people who claim to be Jews. But they are not really Jews. They are a group that belongs to Satan.
10Don't worry about what you will suffer. The devil will throw some of you into jail, and you will be tested and made to suffer for ten days. But if you are faithful until you die, I will reward you with a glorious life. 11If you have ears, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. Whoever wins the victory will not be hurt by the second death.
The Letter to Pergamum
12This is what you must write to the angel of the church in Pergamum: I am the one who has the sharp double-edged sword! Listen to what I say.
13I know that you live where Satan has his throne. But you have kept true to my name. Right there where Satan lives, my faithful witness Antipas was taken from you and put to death. Even then you did not give up your faith in me. 14I do have a few things against you. Some of you are following the teaching of Balaam. Long ago he told Balak to teach the people of Israel to eat food that had been offered to idols and to be immoral. 15Now some of you are following the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16Turn back! If you don't, I will come quickly and fight against these people. And my words will cut like a sword. 17If you have ears, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. To everyone who wins the victory, I will give some of the hidden food. I will also give each one a white stone with a new name written on it. No one will know that name except the one who is given the stone.
Psalm 129:1-8 (Contemporary English Version)
Psalm 129
(A song for worship.)
A Prayer for Protection
1Since the time I was young, enemies have often attacked!
Let everyone in Israel say:
2"Since the time I was young,
enemies have often attacked!
But they have not defeated me,
3though my back is like a field
that has just been plowed."
4The LORD always does right,
and he has set me free
from the ropes
of those cruel people.
5I pray that all who hate
the city of Zion
will be made ashamed
and forced to turn and run.
6May they be like grass
on the flat roof of a house,
grass that dries up
as soon as it sprouts.
7Don't let them be like wheat
gathered in bundles.
8And don't let anyone
who passes by say to them,
"The LORD bless you!
I give you my blessing
in the name of the LORD."
Proverbs 29:19-20 (Contemporary English Version)
19Even when servants are smart,
it takes more than words
to make them obey.
20There is more hope for a fool
than for someone who speaks
without thinking.
Verse of the Day
“Instead, he will choose one of your own people to be a prophet just like me, and you must do what that prophet says.” - Deuteronomy 18:15
Thought for the Day
English dramatist, miscellanist, poet and translator, Thomas Holcroft wrote, “Be patient, my soul: thou hath suffered worse than this.”
Two young men were out in the woods on a camping trip, when the came upon this great trout brook. They stayed there all day, enjoying the fishing, which was super.
At the end of the day, knowing that they would be graduating from college soon, they vowed that they would meet, in twenty years, at the same place and renew the experience.
Twenty years later, they met and traveled to a spot near where they had been years before. They walked into the woods and before long came upon a brook. One of the men said to the other, "This is the place!".
The other replied, "No, it's not!".
The first man said, "Yes, I do recognize the clover growing on the bank on the other side.
To which the other man replied, "Silly, you can't tell a brook by it's clover."
