Bible Readings for December 22, 2014

Today our passages are Zechariah 2:1–3:10; Revelation 13:1b-18; Psalm 141:1-10; and Proverbs 30:18-20. The readings are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson.

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Zechariah 2-3:10 (The Message)

Zechariah 2

Third Vision: The Man with the Tape Measure

^1-5 I looked up and was surprised to see
a man holding a tape measure in his hand.
I said, "What are you up to?"
"I'm on my way," he said, "to survey Jerusalem,
to measure its width and length."
Just then the Messenger-Angel on his way out
met another angel coming in and said,
"Run! Tell the Surveyor, 'Jerusalem will burst its walls—
bursting with people, bursting with animals.
And I'll be right there with her'—God's Decree—'a wall of fire
around unwalled Jerusalem and a radiant presence within.'" ^6-7"Up on your feet! Get out of there—and now!" God says so.
"Return from your far exile.
I scattered you to the four winds." God's Decree.
"Escape from Babylon, Zion, and come home—now!"
^8-9God-of-the-Angel-Armies, the One of Glory who sent me on my mission, commenting on the godless nations who stripped you and left you homeless, said, "Anyone who hits you, hits me—bloodies my nose, blackens my eye. Yes, and at the right time I'll give the signal and they'll be stripped and thrown out by their own servants." Then you'll know for sure that God-of-the-Angel-Armies sent me on this mission.
¹⁰"Shout and celebrate, Daughter of Zion!
I'm on my way. I'm moving into your neighborhood!"
God's Decree.
^11-12Many godless nations will be linked up with God at that time. ("They will become my family! I'll live in their homes!") And then you'll know for sure that God-of-the-Angel-Armies sent me on this mission. God will reclaim his Judah inheritance in the Holy Land. He'll again make clear that Jerusalem is his choice.
¹³Quiet, everyone! Shh! Silence before God. Something's afoot in his holy house. He's on the move!

Zechariah 3

Fourth Vision: Joshua's New Clothes

^1-2 Next the Messenger-Angel showed me the high priest Joshua. He was standing before God's Angel where the Accuser showed up to accuse him. Then God said to the Accuser, "I, God, rebuke you, Accuser! I rebuke you and choose Jerusalem. Surprise! Everything is going up in flames, but I reach in and pull out Jerusalem!" ^3-4Joshua, standing before the angel, was dressed in dirty clothes. The angel spoke to his attendants, "Get him out of those filthy clothes," and then said to Joshua, "Look, I've stripped you of your sin and dressed you up in clean clothes."
⁵I spoke up and said, "How about a clean new turban for his head also?" And they did it—put a clean new turban on his head. Then they finished dressing him, with God's Angel looking on.
^6-7God's Angel then charged Joshua, "Orders from God-of-the-Angel-Armies: 'If you live the way I tell you and remain obedient in my service, then you'll make the decisions around here and oversee my affairs. And all my attendants standing here will be at your service.
^8-9"'Careful, High Priest Joshua—both you and your friends sitting here with you, for your friends are in on this, too! Here's what I'm doing next: I'm introducing my servant Branch. And note this: This stone that I'm placing before Joshua, a single stone with seven eyes'—Decree of God-of-the-Angel-Armies—'I'll engrave with these words: "I'll strip this land of its filthy sin, all at once, in a single day."
¹⁰"'At that time, everyone will get along with one another, with friendly visits across the fence, friendly visits on one another's porches.'"

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Revelation 13:1-18 (The Message)

Revelation 13

The Beast from the Sea

^1-2And the Dragon stood on the shore of the sea. I saw a Beast rising from the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads—on each horn a crown, and each head inscribed with a blasphemous name. The Beast I saw looked like a leopard with bear paws and a lion's mouth. The Dragon turned over its power to it, its throne and great authority. ^3-4One of the Beast's heads looked as if it had been struck a deathblow, and then healed. The whole earth was agog, gaping at the Beast. They worshiped the Dragon who gave the Beast authority, and they worshiped the Beast, exclaiming, "There's never been anything like the Beast! No one would dare go to war with the Beast!"
^5-8The Beast had a loud mouth, boastful and blasphemous. It could do anything it wanted for forty-two months. It yelled blasphemies against God, blasphemed his Name, blasphemed his Church, especially those already dwelling with God in Heaven. It was permitted to make war on God's holy people and conquer them. It held absolute sway over all tribes and peoples, tongues and races. Everyone on earth whose name was not written from the world's foundation in the slaughtered Lamb's Book of Life will worship the Beast.
^9-10Are you listening to this? They've made their bed; now they must lie in it. Anyone marked for prison goes straight to prison; anyone pulling a sword goes down by the sword. Meanwhile, God's holy people passionately and faithfully stand their ground.

The Beast from Under the Ground

^11-12I saw another Beast rising out of the ground. It had two horns like a lamb but sounded like a dragon when it spoke. It was a puppet of the first Beast, made earth and everyone in it worship the first Beast, which had been healed of its deathblow. ^13-17This second Beast worked magical signs, dazzling people by making fire come down from Heaven. It used the magic it got from the Beast to dupe earth dwellers, getting them to make an image of the Beast that received the deathblow and lived. It was able to animate the image of the Beast so that it talked, and then arrange that anyone not worshiping the Beast would be killed. It forced all people, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to have a mark on the right hand or forehead. Without the mark of the name of the Beast or the number of its name, it was impossible to buy or sell anything.
¹⁸Solve a riddle: Put your heads together and figure out the meaning of the number of the Beast. It's a human number: 666.

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Psalm 141:1-10 (The Message)

Psalm 141

A David Psalm

^1-2 God, come close. Come quickly! Open your ears—it's my voice you're hearing!
Treat my prayer as sweet incense rising;
my raised hands are my evening prayers.

^3-7 Post a guard at my mouth, God,
set a watch at the door of my lips.
Don't let me so much as dream of evil
or thoughtlessly fall into bad company.
And these people who only do wrong—
don't let them lure me with their sweet talk!
May the Just One set me straight,
may the Kind One correct me,
Don't let sin anoint my head.
I'm praying hard against their evil ways!
Oh, let their leaders be pushed off a high rock cliff;
make them face the music.
Like a rock pulverized by a maul,
let their bones be scattered at the gates of hell.

^8-10 But God, dear Lord,
I only have eyes for you.
Since I've run for dear life to you,
take good care of me.
Protect me from their evil scheming,
from all their demonic subterfuge.
Let the wicked fall flat on their faces,
while I walk off without a scratch.

 

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Proverbs 30:18-20 (The Message)

Four Mysteries

^18-19 Three things amaze me,
no, four things I'll never understand—
how an eagle flies so high in the sky,
how a snake glides over a rock,
how a ship navigates the ocean,
why adolescents act the way they do. ²⁰ Here's how a prostitute operates:
she has sex with her client,
Takes a bath,
then asks, "Who's next?"

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Verse of the Day

“That night in the fields near Bethlehem some shepherds were guarding their sheep. All at once an angel came down to them from the Lord, and the brightness of the Lord's glory flashed around them. The shepherds were frightened. But the angel said, "Don't be afraid! I have good news for you, which will make everyone happy. This very day in King David's hometown a Savior was born for you. He is Christ the Lord.” - Luke 2:8-11

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

 

English novelist, essayist, journalist and critic, George Orwell wrote, “Happiness can exist only in acceptance.”

Bible Readings for June 25, 2014

Today our passages are 2 Kings 8:1–9:13; Acts 16:16-40; Psalm 143:1-12; and Proverbs 17:26. The readings are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson. If you missed a day, you can find all the readings at our blog, The Bible in a Year.

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2 Kings 8-9:13 (The Message)

2 Kings 8

^1-3 Years before, Elisha had told the woman whose son he had brought to life, "Leave here and go, you and your family, and live someplace else. God has ordered a famine in the land; it will last for seven years." The woman did what the Holy Man told her and left. She and her family lived as aliens in the country of Philistia for seven years. Then, when the seven years were up, the woman and her family came back. She went directly to the king and asked for her home and farm. ^4-5 The king was talking with Gehazi, servant to the Holy Man, saying, "Tell me some stories of the great things Elisha did." It so happened that as he was telling the king the story of the dead person brought back to life, the woman whose son was brought to life showed up asking for her home and farm.
Gehazi said, "My master the king, this is the woman! And this is her son whom Elisha brought back to life!"
⁶ The king wanted to know all about it, and so she told him the story. The king assigned an officer to take care of her, saying, "Make sure she gets everything back that's hers, plus all profits from the farm from the time she left until now."
⁷ Elisha traveled to Damascus. Ben-Hadad, king of Aram, was sick at the time. He was told, "The Holy Man is in town."
⁸ The king ordered Hazael, "Take a gift with you and go meet the Holy Man. Ask God through him, 'Am I going to recover from this sickness?'"
⁹ Hazael went and met with Elisha. He brought with him every choice thing he could think of from Damascus—forty camel-loads of items! When he arrived he stood before Elisha and said, "Your son Ben-Hadad, king of Aram, sent me here to ask you, 'Am I going to recover from this sickness?'"
^10-11 Elisha answered, "Go and tell him, 'Don't worry; you'll live.' The fact is, though—God showed me—that he's doomed to die." Elisha then stared hard at Hazael, reading his heart. Hazael felt exposed and dropped his eyes. Then the Holy Man wept.
¹² Hazael said, "Why does my master weep?"
"Because," said Elisha, "I know what you're going to do to the children of Israel:
burn down their forts, murder their youth, smash their babies, rip open their pregnant women."
¹³ Hazael said, "Am I a mongrel dog that I'd do such a horrible thing?"
"God showed me," said Elisha, "that you'll be king of Aram."
¹⁴ Hazael left Elisha and returned to his master, who asked, "So, what did Elisha tell you?"
"He told me, 'Don't worry; you'll live.'"
¹⁵ But the very next day, someone took a heavy quilt, soaked it in water, covered the king's face, and suffocated him.
Now Hazael was king.

Jehoram of Judah

^16-19 In the fifth year of the reign of Joram son of Ahab king of Israel, Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah became king. He was thirty-two years old when he began his rule, and was king for eight years in Jerusalem. He copied the way of life of the kings of Israel, marrying into the Ahab family and continuing the Ahab line of sin—from God's point of view, an evil man living an evil life. But despite that, because of his servant David, God was not ready to destroy Judah. He had, after all, promised to keep a lamp burning through David's descendants. ^20-21 During Jehoram's reign, Edom revolted against Judah's rule and set up their own king. Jehoram responded by taking his army of chariots to Zair.
Edom surrounded him, but in the middle of the night he and his charioteers broke through the lines and hit Edom hard. But his infantry deserted him.
²² Edom continues in revolt against Judah right up to the present. Even little Libnah revolted at that time.
^23-24 The rest of the life and times of Jehoram, the record of his rule, is written in The Chronicles of the Kings of Judah. Jehoram died and was buried in the family grave in the City of David. His son Ahaziah succeeded him as king.

Ahaziah of Judah

^25-27 In the twelfth year of the reign of Joram son of Ahab king of Israel, Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah began his reign. Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king; he ruled only a year in Jerusalem. His mother was Athaliah, granddaughter of Omri king of Israel. He lived and ruled just like the Ahab family had done, continuing the same evil-in-God's-sight line of sin, related by both marriage and sin to the Ahab clan. ^28-29 He joined Joram son of Ahab king of Israel in a war against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth Gilead. The archers wounded Joram. Joram pulled back to Jezreel to convalesce from the injuries he had received in the fight with Hazael. Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah paid a visit to Joram son of Ahab on his sickbed in Jezreel.

2 Kings 9

Jehu of Israel

^1-3 One day Elisha the prophet ordered a member of the guild of prophets, "Get yourself ready, take a flask of oil, and go to Ramoth Gilead. Look for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat son of Nimshi. When you find him, get him away from his companions and take him to a back room. Take your flask of oil and pour it over his head and say, 'God's word: I anoint you king over Israel.' Then open the door and get out of there as fast as you can. Don't wait around." ^4-5 The young prophet went to Ramoth Gilead. On arrival he found the army officers all sitting around. He said, "I have a matter of business with you, officer."
Jehu said, "Which one of us?"
"With you, officer."
^6-10 He got up and went inside the building. The young prophet poured the oil on his head and said, "God's word, the God of Israel: I've anointed you to be king over the people of God, over Israel. Your assignment is to attack the regime of Ahab your master. I am avenging the massacre of my servants the prophets—yes, the Jezebel-massacre of all the prophets of God. The entire line of Ahab is doomed. I'm wiping out the entire bunch of that sad lot. I'll see to it that the family of Ahab experiences the same fate as the family of Jeroboam son of Nebat and the family of Baasha son of Ahijah. As for Jezebel, the dogs will eat her carcass in the open fields of Jezreel. No burial for her!" Then he opened the door and made a run for it.
¹¹ Jehu went back out to his master's officers. They asked, "Is everything all right? What did that crazy fool want with you?"
He said, "You know that kind of man—all talk."
¹² "That's a lie!" they said. "Tell us what's going on."
He said, "He told me this and this and this—in effect, 'God's word: I anoint you king of Israel!'"
¹³ They sprang into action. Each man grabbed his robe; they piled them at the top of the steps for a makeshift throne. Then they blew the trumpet and declared, "Jehu is king!"

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Acts 16:16-40 (The Message)

Beat Up and Thrown in Jail

^16-18One day, on our way to the place of prayer, a slave girl ran into us. She was a psychic and, with her fortunetelling, made a lot of money for the people who owned her. She started following Paul around, calling everyone's attention to us by yelling out, "These men are working for the Most High God. They're laying out the road of salvation for you!" She did this for a number of days until Paul, finally fed up with her, turned and commanded the spirit that possessed her, "Out! In the name of Jesus Christ, get out of her!" And it was gone, just like that. ^19-22When her owners saw that their lucrative little business was suddenly bankrupt, they went after Paul and Silas, roughed them up and dragged them into the market square. Then the police arrested them and pulled them into a court with the accusation, "These men are disturbing the peace—dangerous Jewish agitators subverting our Roman law and order." By this time the crowd had turned into a restless mob out for blood.
^22-24The judges went along with the mob, had Paul and Silas's clothes ripped off and ordered a public beating. After beating them black-and-blue, they threw them into jail, telling the jailkeeper to put them under heavy guard so there would be no chance of escape. He did just that—threw them into the maximum security cell in the jail and clamped leg irons on them.
^25-26Along about midnight, Paul and Silas were at prayer and singing a robust hymn to God. The other prisoners couldn't believe their ears. Then, without warning, a huge earthquake! The jailhouse tottered, every door flew open, all the prisoners were loose.
^27-28Startled from sleep, the jailer saw all the doors swinging loose on their hinges. Assuming that all the prisoners had escaped, he pulled out his sword and was about to do himself in, figuring he was as good as dead anyway, when Paul stopped him: "Don't do that! We're all still here! Nobody's run away!"
^29-31The jailer got a torch and ran inside. Badly shaken, he collapsed in front of Paul and Silas. He led them out of the jail and asked, "Sirs, what do I have to do to be saved, to really live?" They said, "Put your entire trust in the Master Jesus. Then you'll live as you were meant to live—and everyone in your house included!"
^32-34They went on to spell out in detail the story of the Master—the entire family got in on this part. They never did get to bed that night. The jailer made them feel at home, dressed their wounds, and then—he couldn't wait till morning!—was baptized, he and everyone in his family. There in his home, he had food set out for a festive meal. It was a night to remember: He and his entire family had put their trust in God; everyone in the house was in on the celebration.
^35-36At daybreak, the court judges sent officers with the instructions, "Release these men." The jailer gave Paul the message, "The judges sent word that you're free to go on your way. Congratulations! Go in peace!"
³⁷But Paul wouldn't budge. He told the officers, "They beat us up in public and threw us in jail, Roman citizens in good standing! And now they want to get us out of the way on the sly without anyone knowing? Nothing doing! If they want us out of here, let them come themselves and lead us out in broad daylight."
^38-40When the officers reported this, the judges panicked. They had no idea that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens. They hurried over and apologized, personally escorted them from the jail, and then asked them if they wouldn't please leave the city. Walking out of the jail, Paul and Silas went straight to Lydia's house, saw their friends again, encouraged them in the faith, and only then went on their way.

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Psalm 143:1-12 (The Message)

Psalm 143

A David Psalm

^1-2 Listen to this prayer of mine, God; pay attention to what I'm asking.
Answer me—you're famous for your answers!
Do what's right for me.
But don't, please don't, haul me into court;
not a person alive would be acquitted there.

^3-6 The enemy hunted me down;
he kicked me and stomped me within an inch of my life.
He put me in a black hole,
buried me like a corpse in that dungeon.
I sat there in despair, my spirit draining away,
my heart heavy, like lead.
I remembered the old days,
went over all you've done, pondered the ways you've worked,
Stretched out my hands to you,
as thirsty for you as a desert thirsty for rain.

^7-10 Hurry with your answer, God!
I'm nearly at the end of my rope.
Don't turn away; don't ignore me!
That would be certain death.
If you wake me each morning with the sound of your loving voice,
I'll go to sleep each night trusting in you.
Point out the road I must travel;
I'm all ears, all eyes before you.
Save me from my enemies, God—
you're my only hope!
Teach me how to live to please you,
because you're my God.
Lead me by your blessed Spirit
into cleared and level pastureland.

^11-12 Keep up your reputation, God—give me life!
In your justice, get me out of this trouble!
In your great love, vanquish my enemies;
make a clean sweep of those who harass me.
And why? Because I'm your servant.

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Proverbs 17:26 (The Message)

²⁶ It's wrong to penalize good behavior,
or make good citizens pay for the crimes of others.

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Verse of the Day

“in heaven and on earth. There are no secret places where you can hide from me.” - Jeremiah 23:24

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

English novelist and journalist George Orwell wrote, “If you turn the other cheek, you will get a harder blow on it than you got on the first one. This does not always happen, but it is to be expected, and you ought not to complain if it does happen.”

Bible Readings for June 25, 2013

Today our passages are 2 Kings 8:1–9:13; Acts 16:16-40; Psalm 143:1-12; and Proverbs 17:26. The readings are the Contemporary English Version.

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2 Kings 8-9:13 (Contemporary English Version)

2 Kings 8

The Woman from Shunem Is Given Back Her Land

 ¹Elisha told the woman whose son he had brought back to life, ^[a] "The LORD has warned that there will be no food here for seven years. Take your family and go live somewhere else for a while." ²The woman did exactly what Elisha had said and went to live in Philistine territory. She and her family lived there seven years. ³Then she returned to Israel and immediately begged the king to give back her house and property.     ⁴Meanwhile, the king was asking Gehazi the servant of Elisha about the amazing things Elisha had been doing. ⁵While Gehazi was telling him that Elisha had brought a dead boy back to life, the woman and her son arrived.
   "Here's the boy, Your Majesty," Gehazi said. "And this is his mother."
    ⁶The king asked the woman to tell her story, and she told him everything that had happened. He then said to one of his officials, "I want you to make sure that this woman gets back everything that belonged to her, including the money her crops have made since the day she left Israel."
   

Hazael Kills Benhadad

 ⁷Some time later Elisha went to the capital city of Damascus to visit King Benhadad of Syria, who was sick. And when Benhadad was told he was there, ⁸he said to Hazael, ^[b] "Go meet with Elisha the man of God and have him ask the LORD if I will get well. And take along a gift for him." ⁹Hazael left with forty camel loads of the best things made in Damascus as a gift for Elisha. He found the prophet and said, "Your servant, King Benhadad, wants to know if he will get well."     ¹⁰"Tell him he will," Elisha said to Hazael. "But the LORD has already told me that Benhadad will definitely die." ¹¹Elisha stared at him until Hazael was embarrassed, then Elisha began crying. ^[c] ¹²"Sir, why are you crying?" Hazael asked.
   Elisha answered, "Because I know the terrible things you will do to the people of Israel. You will burn down their walled cities and slaughter their young men. You will even crush the heads of their babies and rip open their pregnant women."
    ¹³"How could I ever do anything like that?" Hazael replied. "I'm only a servant and don't have that kind of power."
   "Hazael, the LORD has told me that you will be the next king of Syria."
    ¹⁴Hazael went back to Benhadad and told him, "Elisha said that you will get well." ¹⁵But the very next day, Hazael got a thick blanket; he soaked it in water and held it over Benhadad's face until he died. Hazael then became king.
   

King Jehoram of Judah

(2 Chronicles 21.2-20)

 ¹⁶Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat became king of Judah in Joram's fifth year as king of Israel, while Jehoshaphat was still king of Judah. ^[d] ¹⁷Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he ruled eight years from Jerusalem. ¹⁸Jehoram disobeyed the LORD by doing wrong. He married Ahab's daughter and was as sinful as Ahab's family and the kings of Israel. ¹⁹But the LORD refused to destroy Judah, because he had promised his servant David that someone from his family would always rule in Judah.     ²⁰While Jehoram was king, the people of Edom rebelled and chose their own king. ²¹So Jehoram ^[e] and his cavalry marched to Zair, where the Edomite army surrounded him and his commanders. During the night he attacked the Edomites, but he was defeated, and his troops escaped to their homes. ^[f] ²²Judah was never able to regain control of Edom. Even the town of Libnah ^[g] rebelled at that time. ²³Everything else Jehoram did while he was king is written in The History of the Kings of Judah. ²⁴Jehoram died and was buried beside his ancestors in Jerusalem. ^[h] His son Ahaziah then became king.

King Ahaziah of Judah

(2 Chronicles 22.1-6)

 ²⁵Ahaziah son of Jehoram became king of Judah in the twelfth year of Joram's rule in Israel. ²⁶Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he ruled from Jerusalem for only one year. His mother was Athaliah, a granddaughter of King Omri of Israel. ²⁷Since Ahaziah was related to Ahab's family, ^[i] he acted just like them and disobeyed the LORD by doing wrong. ²⁸Ahaziah went with King Joram of Israel to attack King Hazael and the Syrian troops at Ramoth in Gilead. Joram was wounded in that battle, ²⁹so he went to the town of Jezreel to recover. Ahaziah went there to visit him.    

2 Kings 9

Jehu Becomes King of Israel

 ¹One day, Elisha called for one of the other prophets and said:    Take this bottle of olive oil and get ready to go to the town of Ramoth in Gilead. ²When you get there, find Jehu son of Jehoshaphat and grandson of Nimshi. Take him to a place where the two of you can be alone, ³then pour olive oil on his head to show that he is the new king. Say to him, "The LORD has chosen you to be king of Israel." Then leave quickly--don't wait around for anything!
    ⁴The young prophet left for Ramoth. ⁵When he arrived, the army officers were meeting together. "Sir, I have a message for you," he said.
   "For which one of us?" Jehu asked.
   "You, sir," the prophet answered. ⁶So Jehu got up and went inside. ^[j] The prophet poured olive oil on Jehu's head and told him: The LORD God of Israel has this message for you: "I am the LORD, and I have chosen you to be king of my people Israel. ⁷I want you to wipe out the family of Ahab, so Jezebel will be punished for killing the prophets and my other servants. ⁸Every man and boy in Ahab's family must die, whether slave or free. ⁹His whole family must be destroyed, just like the families of Jeroboam son of Nebat and Baasha son of Ahijah. ¹⁰As for Jezebel, her body will be eaten by dogs in the town of Jezreel. There won't be enough left of her to bury."
   Then the young prophet opened the door and ran out.
    ¹¹Jehu went back to his officers, and one of them asked, "What did that crazy prophet want? Is everything all right?"
   "You know him and how he talks," Jehu answered.
    ¹²"No, we don't. What did he say?" they asked.
   "He had a message from the LORD," Jehu replied. "He said that the LORD has chosen me to be the next king of Israel."
    ¹³They quickly grabbed their coats and spread them out on the steps where Jehu was standing. Someone blew a trumpet, and everyone shouted, "Jehu is king!"
   

Footnotes:

1. 2 Kings 8:1 Elisha. . . life: See 4.8-37.
2. 2 Kings 8:8 Hazael: Probably one of Benhadad's officials.
3. 2 Kings 8:11 Elisha stared. . . crying: Or "Hazael stared at him until Elisha was embarrassed and began to cry."
4. 2 Kings 8:16 while Jehoshaphat. . . Judah: In biblical times, a father and son would sometimes rule as kings at the same time. That way, when the father died, his son would already have control of the kingdom.
5. 2 Kings 8:21 Jehoram: The Hebrew text has "Joram," another spelling of the name.
6. 2 Kings 8:21 he attacked. . . homes: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
7. 2 Kings 8:22 Even the town of Libnah: This was a town on the border between Philistia and Judah, which means that Jehoram was facing rebellion on two sides of his kingdom.
8. 2 Kings 8:24 Jerusalem: Hebrew "the city of David."
9. 2 Kings 8:27 Since. . . family: Ahaziah's mother was Ahab's daughter (see verse 18).
10. 2 Kings 9:6 went inside: The officers were probably meeting outside in an open courtyard of some building

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Acts 16:16-40 (Contemporary English Version)

Paul and Silas Are Put in Jail

 ¹⁶One day on our way to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl. She had a spirit in her that gave her the power to tell the future. By doing this she made a lot of money for her owners. ¹⁷The girl followed Paul and the rest of us and kept yelling, "These men are servants of the Most High God! They are telling you how to be saved."     ¹⁸This went on for several days. Finally, Paul got so upset that he turned and said to the spirit, "In the name of Jesus Christ, I order you to leave this girl alone!" At once the evil spirit left her.
    ¹⁹When the girl's owners realized that they had lost all chances for making more money, they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them into court. ²⁰They told the officials, "These Jews are upsetting our city! ²¹They are telling us to do things we Romans are not allowed to do."
    ²²The crowd joined in the attack on Paul and Silas. Then the officials tore the clothes off the two men and ordered them to be beaten with a whip. ²³After they had been badly beaten, they were put in jail, and the jailer was told to guard them carefully. ²⁴The jailer did as he was told. He put them deep inside the jail and chained their feet to heavy blocks of wood.
    ²⁵About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing praises to God, while the other prisoners listened. ²⁶Suddenly a strong earthquake shook the jail to its foundations. The doors opened, and the chains fell from all the prisoners.
    ²⁷When the jailer woke up and saw that the doors were open, he thought that the prisoners had escaped. He pulled out his sword and was about to kill himself. ²⁸But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! No one has escaped."
    ²⁹The jailer asked for a torch and went into the jail. He was shaking all over as he knelt down in front of Paul and Silas. ³⁰After he had led them out of the jail, he asked, "What must I do to be saved?"
    ³¹They replied, "Have faith in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved! This is also true for everyone who lives in your home."
    ³²Then Paul and Silas told him and everyone else in his house about the Lord. ³³While it was still night, the jailer took them to a place where he could wash their cuts and bruises. Then he and everyone in his home were baptized. ³⁴They were very glad that they had put their faith in God. After this, the jailer took Paul and Silas to his home and gave them something to eat.
    ³⁵The next morning the officials sent some police with orders for the jailer to let Paul and Silas go. ³⁶The jailer told Paul, "The officials have ordered me to set you free. Now you can leave in peace."
    ³⁷But Paul told the police, "We are Roman citizens, ^[a] and the Roman officials had us beaten in public without giving us a trial. They threw us into jail. Now do they think they can secretly send us away? No, they cannot! They will have to come here themselves and let us out." ³⁸When the police told the officials that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, the officials were afraid. ³⁹So they came and apologized. They led them out of the jail and asked them to please leave town. ⁴⁰But Paul and Silas went straight to the home of Lydia, where they saw the Lord's followers and encouraged them. Then they left.
   

Footnotes:

1. Acts 16:37 Roman citizens: Only a small number of the people living in the Roman Empire were citizens, and they had special rights and privileges.

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Psalm 143:1-12 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 143

(A psalm by David.)

A Prayer in Time of Danger

 ¹Listen, LORD, as I pray!    You are faithful and honest
   and will answer my prayer.
    ²I am your servant.
   Don't try me in your court,
   because no one is innocent
   by your standards.
    ³My enemies are chasing me,
   crushing me in the ground.
   I am in total darkness,
   like someone long dead.
    ⁴I have given up all hope,
   and I feel numb all over.
    ⁵I remember to think about
   the many things
   you did
   in years gone by.
    ⁶Then I lift my hands in prayer,
   because my soul is a desert,
   thirsty for water from you.
    ⁷Please hurry, LORD,
   and answer my prayer.
   I feel hopeless.
   Don't turn away
   and leave me here to die.
    ⁸Each morning let me learn
   more about your love
   because I trust you.
   I come to you in prayer,
   asking for your guidance.
    ⁹Please rescue me
   from my enemies, LORD!
   I come to you for safety. ^[a] ¹⁰You are my God. Show me
   what you want me to do,
   and let your gentle Spirit
   lead me in the right path.
    ¹¹Be true to your name, LORD,
   and keep my life safe.
   Use your saving power
   to protect me from trouble.
    ¹²I am your servant.
   Show how much you love me
   by destroying my enemies.
   

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 143:9 I. . . safety: Or " You are my hiding place."

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Proverbs 17:26 (Contemporary English Version)

²⁶It isn't fair
   to punish the innocent
   and those who do right.

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Verse of Day

“in heaven and on earth. There are no secret places where you can hide from me.” - Jeremiah 23:24

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

English novelist and journalist George Orwell wrote, “The relative freedom which we enjoy depends of public opinion. The law is no protection. Governments make laws, but whether they are carried out, and how the police behave, depends on the general temper in the country. If large numbers of people are interested in freedom of speech, there will be freedom of speech, even if the law forbids it; if public opinion is sluggish, inconvenient minorities will be persecuted, even if laws exist to protect them.”