Bible Readings for February 6, 2019

Today our passages are Exodus 23:14–25:40; Matthew 24:29-51; Psalm 30:1-12; and Proverbs 7:24-27. The readings are 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.

---

Exodus 23:14-25:40 (Contemporary English Version)

Three Annual Festivals

(Exodus 34.18-26; Deuteronomy 16.1-17)

¹⁴Celebrate three festivals each year in my honor. ¹⁵Celebrate the Festival of Thin Bread by eating bread made without yeast, just as I have commanded. ^[a] Do this at the proper time during the month of Abib, ^[b] because it is the month when you left Egypt. And make certain that everyone brings the proper offerings. ¹⁶Celebrate the Harvest Festival ^[c]each spring when you start harvesting your wheat, and celebrate the Festival of Shelters ^[d] each autumn when you pick your fruit. ¹⁷Your men must come to these three festivals each year to worship me.
¹⁸Do not offer bread made with yeast when you sacrifice an animal to me. And make sure that the fat of the animal is burned that same day.
¹⁹Each year bring the best part of your first harvest to the place of worship.
Don't boil a young goat in its mother's milk. 

A Promise and a Warning

The LORD said:

²⁰I am sending an angel to protect you and to lead you into the land I have ready for you. ²¹Carefully obey everything the angel says, because I am giving him complete authority, and he won't tolerate rebellion. ²²If you faithfully obey him, I will be a fierce enemy of your enemies. ²³My angel will lead you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and I will wipe them out. ²⁴Don't worship their gods or follow their customs. Instead, destroy their idols and shatter their stone images. ²⁵Worship only me, the LORD your God! I will bless you with plenty of food and water and keep you strong. ²⁶Your women will give birth to healthy children, and everyone will live a long life.
²⁷I will terrify those nations and make your enemies so confused that they will run from you. ²⁸I will make the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites panic as you approach. ²⁹But I won't do all this in the first year, because the land would become poor, and wild animals would be everywhere. ³⁰Instead, I will force out your enemies little by little and give your nation time to grow strong enough to take over the land.
³¹I will see that your borders reach from the Red Sea ^[e] to the Euphrates River and from the Mediterranean Sea to the desert. I will let you defeat the people who live there, and you will force them out of the land. ³²But you must not make any agreements with them or with their gods. ³³Don't let them stay in your land. They will trap you into sinning against me and worshiping their gods. 

Exodus 24

The People Agree To Obey God

¹The LORD said to Moses, " Come up to me on this mountain. Bring along Aaron, as well as his two sons Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of Israel's leaders. They must worship me at a distance, ²but you are to come near. Don't let anyone else come up." ³Moses gave the LORD's instructions to the people, and they promised, " We will do everything the LORD has commanded!" ⁴Then Moses wrote down what the LORD had said.
The next morning Moses got up early. He built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up a large stone for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. ⁵He also sent some young men to burn offerings and to sacrifice bulls as special offerings ^[f]to the LORD. ⁶Moses put half of the blood from the animals into bowls and sprinkled the rest on the altar. ⁷Then he read aloud the LORD's commands and promises, and the people shouted, " We will obey the LORD and do everything he has commanded!" ⁸Moses took the blood from the bowls and sprinkled it on the people. Next, he told them, " With this blood the LORD makes his agreement with you."
⁹Moses and Aaron, together with Nadab and Abihu and the seventy leaders, went up the mountain ¹⁰and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something that looked like a pavement made out of sapphire, ^[g] and it was as bright as the sky. ¹¹Even though these leaders of Israel saw God, he did not punish them. So they ate and drank. 

Moses on Mount Sinai

¹²The LORD said to Moses, " Come up on the mountain and stay here for a while. I will give you the two flat stones on which I have written the laws that my people must obey." ¹³Moses and Joshua his assistant got ready, then Moses started up the mountain to meet with God. ¹⁴Moses had told the leaders, " Wait here until we come back. Aaron and Hur will be with you, and they can settle any arguments while we are away."
¹⁵When Moses went up on Mount Sinai, a cloud covered it, ¹⁶and the bright glory of the LORD came down and stayed there. The cloud covered the mountain for six days, and on the seventh day the LORD told Moses to come into the cloud. ^17-18Moses did so and stayed there forty days and nights. To the people, the LORD's glory looked like a blazing fire on top of the mountain. 

Exodus 25

The Sacred Tent

(Exodus 35.4-9)

¹The LORD said to Moses: ²Tell everyone in Israel who wants to give gifts that they must bring them to you. ³Here is a list of what you are to collect: Gold, silver, and bronze; ⁴blue, purple, and red wool; fine linen; goat hair; ⁵tanned ram skins; fine leather; acacia wood; ⁶olive oil for the lamp; sweet-smelling spices to mix with the oil for dedicating the tent and ordaining the priests; ⁷and onyx ^[h] stones for the sacred vest and the breastpiece. ⁸I also want them to build a special place where I can live among my people. ⁹Make it and its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you. The LORD said to Moses: 

The Sacred Chest

(Exodus 37.1-9)

¹⁰Tell the people to build a chest of acacia wood forty-five inches long, twenty-seven inches wide, and twenty-seven inches high. ¹¹Cover it inside and out with pure gold and put a gold edging around the lid. ¹²Make four gold rings and fasten one of them to each of the four legs of the chest. ¹³Make two poles of acacia wood. Cover them with gold ¹⁴and put them through the rings, so the chest can be carried by the poles. ¹⁵Don't ever remove the poles from the rings. ¹⁶When I give you the Ten Commandments written on two flat stones, put them inside the chest. ¹⁷Cover the lid of the chest with pure gold. ^18-19Then hammer out two winged creatures of pure gold and fasten them to the lid at the ends of the chest. ²⁰The creatures must face each other with their wings spread over the chest. ²¹Inside it place the two flat stones with the Ten Commandments and put the gold lid on top of the chest. ²²I will meet you there ^[i] between the two creatures and tell you what my people must do and what they must not do. The LORD said: 

The Table for the Sacred Bread

(Exodus 37.10-16)

²³Make a table of acacia wood thirty-six inches long, eighteen inches wide, and twenty-seven inches high. ^24-25Cover it with pure gold and put a gold edging around it with a border three inches wide. ^[j]²⁶Make four gold rings and attach one to each of the legs ^27-28near the edging. The poles for carrying the table are to be placed through these rings and are to be made of acacia wood covered with gold. ^29-30The table is to be kept in the holy place, and the sacred loaves of bread must always be put on it. All bowls, plates, jars, and cups for wine offerings are to be made of pure gold and set on this table. The LORD said:

The Lampstand

(Exodus 37.17-24)

³¹Make a lampstand of pure gold. The whole lampstand, including its decorative flowers, must be made from a single piece of hammered gold ³²with three branches on each of its two sides. ³³There are to be three decorative almond blossoms on each branch ³⁴and four on the stem. ³⁵There must also be a blossom where each pair of branches comes out from the stem. ³⁶The lampstand, including its branches and decorative flowers, must be made from a single piece of hammered pure gold. ³⁷The lamp on the top and those at the end of each of its six branches must be made so as to shine toward the front of the lampstand. ³⁸The tongs and trays for taking care of the lamps are to be made of pure gold. ³⁹The lampstand and its equipment will require seventy-five pounds of pure gold, ⁴⁰and they must be made according to the pattern I showed you on the mountain. The LORD said to Moses: 

Footnotes:

1. Exodus 23:15as I have commanded: See 12.14-20.
2. Exodus 23:15Abib: See the note at 12.2.
3. Exodus 23:16Harvest Festival: Traditionally called the " Festival of Weeks" and known in New Testament times as " Pentecost."
4. Exodus 23:16Festival of Shelters: The Hebrew text has " Festival of Ingathering" (so also in 34.22), which was the final harvesting of crops and fruits before the autumn rains began. But the usual name was " Festival of Shelters."
5. Exodus 23:31Red Sea: Hebrew yam suph, here referring to the Gulf of Aqaba, since the term is extended to include the northeastern arm of the Red Sea (see also the note at 13.18).
6. Exodus 24:5special offerings: Often translated " peace offerings," which were to make peace between God and his people, who ate certain parts of the sacrificed animal.
7. Exodus 24:10sapphire: A precious stone, blue in color.
8. Exodus 25:7onyx: A precious stone with bands of different colors.
9. Exodus 25:22I will meet you there: It was believed that God had his earthly throne on the lid of the sacred chest.
10. Exodus 25:24a gold edging. . . wide: Or " a gold edging around it three inches wide."

---

Matthew 24:29-51 (Contemporary English Version)

When the Son of Man Appears

(Mark 13.24-27; Luke 21.25-28)

²⁹Right after those days of suffering, "The sun will become dark,
and the moon
will no longer shine.
The stars will fall,
and the powers in the sky ^[a] will be shaken."
³⁰Then a sign will appear in the sky. And there will be the Son of Man. ^[b] All nations on earth will weep when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. ³¹At the sound of a loud trumpet, he will send his angels to bring his chosen ones together from all over the earth. 

A Lesson from a Fig Tree

(Mark 13.28-31; Luke 21.29-33)

³²Learn a lesson from a fig tree. When its branches sprout and start putting out leaves, you know that summer is near. ³³So when you see all these things happening, you will know that the time has almost come. ^[c]³⁴I can promise you that some of the people of this generation will still be alive when all this happens. ³⁵The sky and the earth won't last forever, but my words will.

No One Knows the Day or Time

(Mark 13.32-37; Luke 17.26-30,34-36)

³⁶No one knows the day or hour. The angels in heaven don't know, and the Son himself doesn't know. ^[d] Only the Father knows. ³⁷When the Son of Man appears, things will be just as they were when Noah lived. ³⁸People were eating, drinking, and getting married right up to the day that the flood came and Noah went into the big boat. ³⁹They didn't know anything was happening until the flood came and swept them all away. That is how it will be when the Son of Man appears. ⁴⁰Two men will be in the same field, but only one will be taken. The other will be left. ⁴¹Two women will be together grinding grain, but only one will be taken. The other will be left. ⁴²So be on your guard! You don't know when your Lord will come. ⁴³Homeowners never know when a thief is coming, and they are always on guard to keep one from breaking in. ⁴⁴Always be ready! You don't know when the Son of Man will come.

Faithful and Unfaithful Servants

(Luke 12.35-48)

⁴⁵Who are faithful and wise servants? Who are the ones the master will put in charge of giving the other servants their food supplies at the proper time? ⁴⁶Servants are fortunate if their master comes and finds them doing their job. ⁴⁷You may be sure that a servant who is always faithful will be put in charge of everything the master owns. ⁴⁸But suppose one of the servants thinks that the master won't return until late. ⁴⁹Suppose that evil servant starts beating the other servants and eats and drinks with people who are drunk. ⁵⁰If that happens, the master will surely come on a day and at a time when the servant least expects him. ⁵¹That servant will then be punished and thrown out with the ones who only pretended to serve their master. There they will cry and grit their teeth in pain. 

Footnotes:

1. Matthew 24:29the powers in the sky: In ancient times people thought that the stars were spiritual powers.
2. Matthew 24:30And there will be the Son of Man: Or "And it will be the Son of Man."
3. Matthew 24:33the time has almost come: Or "he (that is, the Son of Man) will soon be here."
4. Matthew 24:36and the Son himself doesn't know: These words are not in some manuscripts.

---

Psalm 30:1-12 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 30

(A psalm by David for the dedication of the temple.)

A Prayer of Thanks

¹I will praise you, LORD! You saved me from the grave
and kept my enemies
from celebrating my death.
²I prayed to you, LORD God,
and you healed me,
³saving me from death
and the grave.
⁴Your faithful people, LORD,
will praise you with songs
and honor your holy name.
⁵Your anger lasts a little while,
but your kindness lasts
for a lifetime.
At night we may cry,
but when morning comes
we will celebrate.
⁶I was carefree and thought,
"I'll never be shaken!"
⁷You, LORD, were my friend,
and you made me strong
as a mighty mountain.
But when you hid your face,
I was crushed.
⁸I prayed to you, LORD,
and in my prayer I said,
⁹"What good will it do you
if I am in the grave?
Once I have turned to dust,
how can I praise you
or tell how loyal you are?
¹⁰Have pity, LORD! Help!"
¹¹You have turned my sorrow
into joyful dancing.
No longer am I sad
and wearing sackcloth. ^[a]¹²I thank you from my heart,
and I will never stop
singing your praises,
my LORD and my God.

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 30:11sackcloth: A rough, dark-colored cloth made from goat or camel hair and used to make grain sacks. It was worn in times of trouble or sorrow.

---

Proverbs 7:24-27 (Contemporary English Version)

²⁴My son, pay close attention
to what I have said.
²⁵Don't even think about
that kind of woman
or let yourself be misled
by someone like her.
²⁶Such a woman has caused
the downfall
and destruction
of a lot of men.
²⁷Her house is a one-way street
leading straight down
to the world of the dead. 

---

Verse of the Day

“If you try to be kind and good, you will be blessed with life and goodness and honor.” - Proverbs 21:21

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

---

Thought for the Day

American professional baseball player, Babe Ruth wrote, “Don't ever forget two things I'm going to tell you. One, don't believe everything that's written about you. Two, don't pick up too many checks.”

---

A Joke for Today

The woman applying for a job in a Florida lemon grove seemed way too qualified for the job.

Look Miss," said the foreman, "have you any actual experience in picking lemons?"

"Well, as a matter if fact, yes!" she replied. "I've been divorced three times."

Bible Readings for February 6, 2014

Today our passages are Exodus 23:14–25:40; Matthew 24:29-51; Psalm 30:1-12; and Proverbs 7:24-27. The readings are from The Message  by Eugene H. Peterson.

---

Exodus 23:14-25:40 (The Message)

¹⁴ "Three times a year you are to hold a festival for me.
 ¹⁵ "Hold the spring Festival of Unraised Bread when you eat unraised bread for seven days at the time set for the month of Abib, as I commanded you. That was the month you came out of Egypt. No one should show up before me empty-handed.
 ¹⁶ "Hold the summer Festival of Harvest when you bring in the firstfruits of all your work in the fields.
   "Hold the autumn Festival of Ingathering at the end of the season when you bring in the year's crops.
 ¹⁷ "Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Master, God.
 ¹⁸ "Don't offer the blood of a sacrifice to me with anything that has yeast in it.
   "Don't leave the fat from my festival offering out overnight.
 ¹⁹ "Bring the choice first produce of the year to the house of your God.
   "Don't boil a kid in its mother's milk.

^20-24 "Now get yourselves ready. I'm sending my Angel ahead of you to guard you in your travels, to lead you to the place that I've prepared. Pay close attention to him. Obey him. Don't go against him. He won't put up with your rebellions because he's acting on my authority. But if you obey him and do everything I tell you, I'll be an enemy to your enemies, I'll fight those who fight you. When my Angel goes ahead of you and leads you to the land of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, I'll clear the country of them. So don't worship or serve their gods; don't do anything they do because I'm going to wipe them right off the face of the Earth and smash their sacred phallic pillars to bits.
 ^25-26 "But you—you serve your God and he'll bless your food and your water. I'll get rid of the sickness among you; there won't be any miscarriages nor barren women in your land. I'll make sure you live full and complete lives.
 ²⁷ "I'll send my Terror on ahead of you and throw those peoples you're approaching into a panic. All you'll see of your enemies is the backs of their necks.
 ^28-31 "And I'll send Despair on ahead of you. It will push the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites out of your way. I won't get rid of them all at once lest the land grow up in weeds and the wild animals take over. Little by little I'll get them out of there while you have a chance to get your crops going and make the land your own. I will make your borders stretch from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea and from the Wilderness to the Euphrates River. I'm turning everyone living in that land over to you; go ahead and drive them out.
 ^32-33 "Don't make any deals with them or their gods. They are not to stay in the same country with you lest they get you to sin by worshiping their gods. Beware. That's a huge danger."

Exodus 24

 ^1-2 He said to Moses, "Climb the mountain to God, you and Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel. They will worship from a distance; only Moses will approach God. The rest are not to come close. And the people are not to climb the mountain at all."  ³ So Moses went to the people and told them everything God had said—all the rules and regulations. They all answered in unison: "Everything God said, we'll do."
 ^4-6 Then Moses wrote it all down, everything God had said. He got up early the next morning and built an Altar at the foot of the mountain using twelve pillar-stones for the twelve tribes of Israel. Then he directed young Israelite men to offer Whole-Burnt-Offerings and sacrifice Peace-Offerings of bulls. Moses took half the blood and put it in bowls; the other half he threw against the Altar.
 ⁷ Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it as the people listened. They said, "Everything God said, we'll do. Yes, we'll obey."
 ⁸ Moses took the rest of the blood and threw it out over the people, saying, "This is the blood of the covenant which God has made with you out of all these words I have spoken."

^9-11 Then they climbed the mountain—Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel—and saw the God of Israel. He was standing on a pavement of something like sapphires—pure, clear sky-blue. He didn't hurt these pillar-leaders of the Israelites: They saw God; and they ate and drank.
 ^12-13 God said to Moses, "Climb higher up the mountain and wait there for me; I'll give you tablets of stone, the teachings and commandments that I've written to instruct them." So Moses got up, accompanied by Joshua his aide. And Moses climbed up the mountain of God.
 ¹⁴ He told the elders of Israel, "Wait for us here until we return to you. You have Aaron and Hur with you; if there are any problems, go to them."
 ^15-17 Then Moses climbed the mountain. The Cloud covered the mountain. The Glory of God settled over Mount Sinai. The Cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day he called out of the Cloud to Moses. In the view of the Israelites below, the Glory of God looked like a raging fire at the top of the mountain.
 ¹⁸ Moses entered the middle of the Cloud and climbed the mountain. Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

Exodus 25

Instructions on the Mountain: The Offerings

 ^1-9 God spoke to Moses: "Tell the Israelites that they are to set aside offerings for me. Receive the offerings from everyone who is willing to give. These are the offerings I want you to receive from them: gold, silver, bronze; blue, purple, and scarlet material; fine linen; goats' hair; tanned rams' skins; dolphin skins; acacia wood; lamp oil; spices for anointing oils and for fragrant incense; onyx stones and other stones for setting in the Ephod and the Breastpiece. Let them construct a Sanctuary for me so that I can live among them. You are to construct it following the plans I've given you, the design for The Dwelling and the design for all its furnishings.

The Chest

^10-15 "First let them make a Chest using acacia wood: make it three and three-quarters feet long and two and one-quarter feet wide and deep. Cover it with a veneer of pure gold inside and out and make a molding of gold all around it. Cast four gold rings and attach them to its four feet, two rings on one side and two rings on the other. Make poles from acacia wood and cover them with a veneer of gold and insert them into the rings on the sides of the Chest for carrying the Chest. The poles are to stay in the rings; they must not be removed.  ¹⁶ "Place The Testimony that I give you in the Chest.
 ¹⁷ "Now make a lid of pure gold for the Chest, an Atonement-Cover, three and three-quarters feet long and two and one-quarter feet wide.
 ^18-22 "Sculpt two winged angels out of hammered gold for either end of the Atonement-Cover, one angel at one end, one angel at the other. Make them of one piece with the Atonement-Cover. Make the angels with their wings spread, hovering over the Atonement-Cover, facing one another but looking down on it. Set the Atonement-Cover as a lid over the Chest and place in the Chest The Testimony that I will give you. I will meet you there at set times and speak with you from above the Atonement-Cover and from between the angel-figures that are on it, speaking the commands that I have for the Israelites.

The Table

^23-28 "Next make a Table from acacia wood. Make it three feet long, one and one-half feet wide and two and one-quarter feet high. Cover it with a veneer of pure gold. Make a molding all around it of gold. Make the border a handbreadth wide all around it and a rim of gold for the border. Make four rings of gold and attach the rings to the four legs parallel to the tabletop. They will serve as holders for the poles used to carry the Table. Make the poles of acacia wood and cover them with a veneer of gold. They will be used to carry the Table.  ²⁹ "Make plates, bowls, jars, and jugs for pouring out offerings. Make them of pure gold.
 ³⁰ "Always keep fresh Bread of the Presence on the Table before me.

The Lampstand

^31-36 "Make a Lampstand of pure hammered gold. Make its stem and branches, cups, calyxes, and petals all of one piece. Give it six branches, three from one side and three from the other; put three cups shaped like almond blossoms, each with calyx and petals, on one branch, three on the next, and so on—the same for all six branches. On the main stem of the Lampstand, make four cups shaped like almonds, with calyx and petals, a calyx extending from under each pair of the six branches, the entire Lampstand fashioned from one piece of hammered pure gold.  ^37-38 "Make seven of these lamps for the Table. Arrange the lamps so they throw their light out in front. Make the candle snuffers and trays out of pure gold.
 ^39-40 "Use a seventy-five-pound brick of pure gold to make the Lampstand and its accessories. Study the design you were given on the mountain and make everything accordingly."

---

Matthew 24:29-51 (The Message)

 ²⁹"Following those hard times,

   Sun will fade out,
      moon cloud over,
   Stars fall out of the sky,
      cosmic powers tremble.

 ^30-31"Then, the Arrival of the Son of Man! It will fill the skies—no one will miss it. Unready people all over the world, outsiders to the splendor and power, will raise a huge lament as they watch the Son of Man blazing out of heaven. At that same moment, he'll dispatch his angels with a trumpet-blast summons, pulling in God's chosen from the four winds, from pole to pole.

 ^32-35"Take a lesson from the fig tree. From the moment you notice its buds form, the merest hint of green, you know summer's just around the corner. So it is with you: When you see all these things, you'll know he's at the door. Don't take this lightly. I'm not just saying this for some future generation, but for all of you. This age continues until all these things take place. Sky and earth will wear out; my words won't wear out.

 ³⁶"But the exact day and hour? No one knows that, not even heaven's angels, not even the Son. Only the Father knows.

 ^37-39"The Arrival of the Son of Man will take place in times like Noah's. Before the great flood everyone was carrying on as usual, having a good time right up to the day Noah boarded the ark. They knew nothing—until the flood hit and swept everything away.

 ^39-44"The Son of Man's Arrival will be like that: Two men will be working in the field—one will be taken, one left behind; two women will be grinding at the mill—one will be taken, one left behind. So stay awake, alert. You have no idea what day your Master will show up. But you do know this: You know that if the homeowner had known what time of night the burglar would arrive, he would have been there with his dogs to prevent the break-in. Be vigilant just like that. You have no idea when the Son of Man is going to show up.

 ^45-47"Who here qualifies for the job of overseeing the kitchen? A person the Master can depend on to feed the workers on time each day. Someone the Master can drop in on unannounced and always find him doing his job. A God-blessed man or woman, I tell you. It won't be long before the Master will put this person in charge of the whole operation.

 ^48-51"But if that person only looks out for himself, and the minute the Master is away does what he pleases—abusing the help and throwing drunken parties for his friends—the Master is going to show up when he least expects it and make hash of him. He'll end up in the dump with the hypocrites, out in the cold shivering, teeth chattering."

---

Psalm 30:1-12 (The Message)

Psalm 30

A David Psalm

 ¹ I give you all the credit, God— you got me out of that mess,
      you didn't let my foes gloat.

 ^2-3 God, my God, I yelled for help
      and you put me together.
   God, you pulled me out of the grave,
      gave me another chance at life
      when I was down-and-out.

 ^4-5 All you saints! Sing your hearts out to God!
      Thank him to his face!
   He gets angry once in a while, but across
      a lifetime there is only love.
   The nights of crying your eyes out
      give way to days of laughter.

 ^6-7 When things were going great
      I crowed, "I've got it made.
   I'm God's favorite.
      He made me king of the mountain."
   Then you looked the other way
      and I fell to pieces.

 ^8-10 I called out to you, God;
      I laid my case before you:
   "Can you sell me for a profit when I'm dead?
      auction me off at a cemetery yard sale?
   When I'm 'dust to dust' my songs
      and stories of you won't sell.
   So listen! and be kind!
      Help me out of this!"

 ^11-12 You did it: you changed wild lament
      into whirling dance;
   You ripped off my black mourning band
      and decked me with wildflowers.
   I'm about to burst with song;
      I can't keep quiet about you.
   God, my God,
      I can't thank you enough.

---

Proverbs 7:24-27 (The Message)

 ^24-27 So, friends, listen to me,
   take these words of mine most seriously.
Don't fool around with a woman like that;
   don't even stroll through her neighborhood.
Countless victims come under her spell;
   she's the death of many a poor man.
She runs a halfway house to hell,
   fits you out with a shroud and a coffin.

---

Verse of the Day

“If you try to be kind and good, you will be blessed with life and goodness and honor.” - Proverbs 21:21

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

---

Thought for the Day

American professional baseball outfielder and pitcher, Babe Ruth said, “Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.”

Bible Readings for September 28, 2013

Today our passages are Isaiah 54:1–57:13; Ephesians 6:1-24; Psalm 70:1-5; and Proverbs 24:8. The readings are the Contemporary English Version.

---

Isaiah 54-57:13 (Contemporary English Version)

Isaiah 54

A Promise of the LORD's Protection

 ¹Sing and shout,    even though you have never
   had children!
   The LORD has promised that you
   will have more children
   than someone married
   for a long time.
    ²Make your tents larger!
   Spread out the tent pegs;
   fasten them firmly.
    ³You and your descendants
   will take over the land
   of other nations.
   You will settle in towns
   that are now in ruins.
    ⁴Don't be afraid or ashamed
   and don't be discouraged.
   You won't be disappointed.
   Forget how sinful you were
   when you were young;
   stop feeling ashamed
   for being left a widow.
    ⁵The LORD All-Powerful,
   the Holy God of Israel,
   rules all the earth.
   He is your Creator and husband,
   and he will rescue you.
    ⁶You were like a young wife,
   brokenhearted and crying
   because her husband
   had divorced her.
   But the LORD your God says,
   "I am taking you back!
    ⁷I rejected you for a while,
   but with love and tenderness
   I will embrace you again.
    ⁸For a while, I turned away
   in furious anger.
   Now I will have mercy
   and love you forever!
   I, your protector and LORD,
   make this promise."
   

The LORD Promises Lasting Peace

 ⁹I once promised Noah that I    would never again
   destroy
   the earth by a flood.
   Now I have promised that I
   will never again
   get angry
   and punish you.
    ¹⁰Every mountain and hill
   may disappear.
   But I will always be kind
   and merciful to you;
   I won't break my agreement
   to give your nation peace.
   

The New Jerusalem

 ¹¹Jerusalem, you are sad    and discouraged,
   tossed around in a storm.
   But I, the LORD,
   will rebuild your city
   with precious stones; ^[a] for your foundation
   I will use blue sapphires.
    ¹²Your fortresses ^[b] will be built of rubies,
   your gates of jewels,
   and your walls of gems.
    ¹³I will teach your children
   and make them successful.
    ¹⁴You will be built on fairness
   with no fears of injustice;
   every one of your worries
   will be taken far from you.
    ¹⁵I will never send anyone
   to attack your city,
   and you will make prisoners
   of those who do attack.
    ¹⁶Don't forget that I created
   metalworkers
   who make weapons
   over burning coals.
   I also created armies
   that can bring destruction.
    ¹⁷Weapons made to attack you
   won't be successful;
   words spoken against you
   won't hurt at all.
   My servants, Jerusalem is yours!
   I, the LORD, promise
   to bless you with victory.
   

Isaiah 55

The LORD's Invitation

 ¹If you are thirsty,    come and drink water!
   If you don't have any money,
   come, eat what you want!
   Drink wine and milk
   without paying a cent.
    ²Why waste your money
   on what really isn't food?
   Why work hard for something
   that doesn't satisfy?
   Listen carefully to me,
   and you will enjoy
   the very best foods.
    ³Pay close attention!
   Come to me and live.
   I will promise you
   the eternal love and loyalty
   that I promised David.
    ⁴I made him the leader and ruler
   of the nations;
   he was my witness to them.
    ⁵You will call out to nations
   you have never known.
   And they have never known you,
   but they will come running
   because I am the LORD,
   the holy God of Israel,
   and I have honored you.
   

God's Words Are Powerful

 ⁶Turn to the LORD!    He can still be found.
   Call out to God! He is near.
    ⁷Give up your crooked ways
   and your evil thoughts.
   Return to the LORD our God.
   He will be merciful
   and forgive your sins.
    ⁸The LORD says:
   "My thoughts and my ways
   are not like yours.
    ⁹Just as the heavens
   are higher than the earth,
   my thoughts and my ways
   are higher than yours.
    ¹⁰"Rain and snow fall from the sky.
   But they don't return
   without watering the earth
   that produces seeds to plant
   and grain to eat.
    ¹¹That's how it is with my words.
   They don't return to me
   without doing everything
   I send them to do."
   

God's People Will Celebrate

 ¹²When you are set free,    you will celebrate
   and travel home in peace.
   Mountains and hills will sing
   as you pass by,
   and trees will clap.
    ¹³Cypress and myrtle trees
   will grow in fields
   once covered by thorns.
   And then those trees will stand
   as a lasting witness
   to the glory of the LORD.
   

Isaiah 56

All Nations Will Be Part of God's People

 ¹The LORD said:    Be honest and fair!
   Soon I will come to save you;
   my saving power will be seen
   everywhere on earth.
    ²I will bless everyone
   who respects the Sabbath
   and refuses to do wrong.
    ³Foreigners who worship me
   must not say,
   "The LORD won't let us
   be part of his people."
   Men who are unable
   to become fathers
   must no longer say,
   "We are dried-up trees."
    ⁴To them, I, the LORD, say:
   Respect the Sabbath,
   obey me completely,
   and keep our agreement.
    ⁵Then I will set up monuments
   in my temple
   with your names
   written on them.
   This will be much better
   than having children,
   because these monuments
   will stand there forever.
    ⁶Foreigners will follow me.
   They will love me
   and worship
   in my name;
   they will respect the Sabbath
   and keep our agreement.
    ⁷I will bring them
   to my holy mountain,
   where they will celebrate
   in my house of worship.
   Their sacrifices and offerings
   will always be welcome
   on my altar.
   Then my house will be known
   as a house of worship
   for all nations.
    ⁸I, the LORD, promise
   to bring together my people
   who were taken away,
   and let them join the others.
   

God Promises To Punish Israel's Leaders

 ⁹Come from the forest,    you wild animals!
   Attack and gobble down
   your victims.
    ¹⁰You leaders of Israel
   should be watchdogs,
   protecting my people.
   But you can't see a thing,
   and you never warn them.
   Dozing and daydreaming
   are all you ever do.
    ¹¹You stupid leaders are a pack
   of hungry and greedy dogs
   that never get enough.
   You are shepherds
   who mistreat your own sheep
   for selfish gain.
    ¹²You say to each other,
   "Let's drink till we're drunk!
   Tomorrow we'll do it again.
   We'll really enjoy ourselves."
   

Isaiah 57

God's Faithful People Suffer

 ¹God's faithful people    are dragged off and killed,
   and no one even cares.
   Evil sweeps them away,
    ²but in death they find peace
   for obeying God. ^[c]

The LORD Condemns Idolatry

 ³You people are unfaithful!    You go to fortunetellers,
   and you worship idols.
   Now pay close attention!
    ⁴Who are you making fun of?
   Who are you sneering at?
   Look how your sins
   have made fools of you.
    ⁵All you think about is sex
   under those green trees
   where idols are worshiped.
   You sacrifice your children
   on altars built in valleys
   under rocky slopes.
    ⁶You have chosen to worship
   idols made of stone; ^[d] you have given them offerings
   of wine and grain.
   Should I be pleased?
    ⁷You have spread out your beds
   on the tops of high mountains,
   where you sacrifice to idols.
    ⁸Even in your homes
   you have placed pagan symbols
   all around your huge beds.
   Yes, you have rejected me,
   sold yourselves to your lovers,
   and gone to bed with them. ^{[e] 9}You smear on olive oil
   and all kinds of perfume
   to worship the god Molech. ^[f] You even seek advice
   from spirits of the dead.
    ¹⁰Though you tired yourself out
   by running after idols,
   you refused to stop.
   Your desires were so strong
   that they kept you going.
    ¹¹Did you forget about me
   and become unfaithful
   because you were more afraid
   of someone else?
   Have I been silent so long ^[g] that you no longer fear me?
    ¹²You think you're so good,
   but I'll point out the truth.
    ¹³Ask your idols to save you
   when you are in trouble.
   Be careful though--
   it takes only a faint breath
   to blow them over.
   But if you come to me
   for protection,
   this land and my holy mountain
   will always belong to you.
   

Footnotes:

1. Isaiah 54:11 with precious stones: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
2. Isaiah 54:12 fortresses: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
3. Isaiah 57:2 Evil. . . God: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
4. Isaiah 57:6 You have. . . stone: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
5. Isaiah 57:8 them: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 8.
6. Isaiah 57:9 the god Molech: Or "the king." In Hebrew "Molech" and "king" sound alike.
7. Isaiah 57:11 so long: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

---

Ephesians 6:1-24 (Contemporary English Version)

Ephesians 6

Children and Parents

 ¹Children, you belong to the Lord, and you do the right thing when you obey your parents. The first commandment with a promise says, ²"Obey your father and your mother, ³and you will have a long and happy life."     ⁴Parents, don't be hard on your children. Raise them properly. Teach them and instruct them about the Lord.
   

Slaves and Masters

 ⁵Slaves, you must obey your earthly masters. Show them great respect and be as loyal to them as you are to Christ. ⁶Try to please them at all times, and not just when you think they are watching. You are slaves of Christ, so with your whole heart you must do what God wants you to do. ⁷Gladly serve your masters, as though they were the Lord himself, and not simply people. ⁸You know that you will be rewarded for any good things you do, whether you are slaves or free.     ⁹Slave owners, you must treat your slaves with this same respect. Don't threaten them. They have the same Master in heaven that you do, and he doesn't have any favorites.
   

The Fight against Evil

 ¹⁰Finally, let the mighty strength of the Lord make you strong. ¹¹Put on all the armor that God gives, so you can defend yourself against the devil's tricks. ¹²We are not fighting against humans. We are fighting against forces and authorities and against rulers of darkness and powers in the spiritual world. ¹³So put on all the armor that God gives. Then when that evil day ^[a] comes, you will be able to defend yourself. And when the battle is over, you will still be standing firm. ¹⁴Be ready! Let the truth be like a belt around your waist, and let God's justice protect you like armor. ¹⁵Your desire to tell the good news about peace should be like shoes on your feet. ¹⁶Let your faith be like a shield, and you will be able to stop all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷Let God's saving power be like a helmet, and for a sword use God's message that comes from the Spirit.     ¹⁸Never stop praying, especially for others. Always pray by the power of the Spirit. Stay alert and keep praying for God's people. ¹⁹Pray that I will be given the message to speak and that I may fearlessly explain the mystery about the good news. ²⁰I was sent to do this work, and that's the reason I am in jail. So pray that I will be brave and will speak as I should.
   

Final Greetings

 ^21-22I want you to know how I am getting along and what I am doing. That's why I am sending Tychicus to you. He is a dear friend, as well as a faithful servant of the Lord. He will tell you how I am doing, and he will cheer you up.     ²³I pray that God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ will give peace, love, and faith to every follower! ²⁴May God be kind to everyone who keeps on loving our Lord Jesus Christ.
   

Footnotes:

1. Ephesians 6:13 that evil day: Either the present (see 5.16) or the day of death or the day of judgment.

---

Psalm 70:1-5 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 70

(By David for the music leader. To be used when an offering is made.)

God Is Wonderful

 ¹Save me, LORD God!    Hurry and help.
    ²Disappoint and confuse
   all who want to kill me.
   Turn away and disgrace
   all who want to hurt me.
    ³Embarrass and shame those
   who say, "We told you so!"
    ⁴Let your worshipers celebrate
   and be glad because of you.
   They love your saving power,
   so let them always say,
   "God is wonderful!"
    ⁵I am poor and needy,
   but you, the LORD God,
   care about me.
   You are the one who saves me.
   Please hurry and help!

---

Proverbs 24:8 (Contemporary English Version)

-23-

 ⁸ No one but troublemakers    think up trouble.

---

Verse of the Day

“That's why only someone who has God's Spirit can understand spiritual blessings. Anyone who doesn't have God's Spirit thinks these blessings are foolish.” - 1 Corinthians 2:14

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

---

Thought for the Day

Babe Ruth,  American professional baseball player, said, “Don’t let the fear of striking out hold you back.”