Bible Readings for August 6, 2017

Today our passages are Ezra 3:1–4:24; 1 Corinthians 2:6–3:4; Psalm 28:1-9; and Proverbs 20:24-25. 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 Steet, Weirton, West Virginia or through PayPal by using the link below.

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Ezra 3-4:24 (Contemporary English Version)

Ezra 3

The First Offering on the New Altar

 ¹During the seventh month ^[a] of the year, the Israelites who had settled in their towns went to Jerusalem. ²The priest Joshua son of Jozadak, together with the other priests, and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his relatives rebuilt the altar of Israel's God. Then they were able to offer sacrifices there by following the instructions God had given to Moses. ³And they built the altar where it had stood before, ^[b] even though they were afraid of the people who were already living around there. Then every morning and evening they burned sacrifices and offerings to the LORD. ⁴The people followed the rules for celebrating the Festival of Shelters and offered the proper sacrifices each day. ⁵They offered sacrifices to please the LORD, ^[c] sacrifices at each New Moon Festival, and sacrifices at the rest of the LORD's festivals. Every offering the people had brought was presented to the LORD. ⁶Although work on the temple itself had not yet begun, the people started offering sacrifices on the LORD's altar on the first day of the seventh month of that year.

   

The Rebuilding of the Temple Begins

 ⁷King Cyrus of Persia had said the Israelites could have cedar trees brought from Lebanon to Joppa by sea. So they sent grain, wine, and olive oil to the cities of Tyre and Sidon as payment for these trees, and they gave money to the stoneworkers and carpenters.

    ⁸During the second month ^[d] of the second year after the people had returned from Babylonia, they started rebuilding the LORD's temple. Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak, the priests, the Levites, and everyone else who had returned started working. Every Levite over twenty years of age was put in charge of some part of the work. ⁹The Levites in charge of the whole project were Joshua and his sons and relatives and Kadmiel and his sons from the family of Hodaviah. ^[e] The family of Henadad worked along with them. ¹⁰When the builders had finished laying the foundation of the temple, the priests put on their robes and blew trumpets in honor of the LORD, while the Levites from the family of Asaph praised God with cymbals. All of them followed the instructions given years before by King David. ^[f] ¹¹They praised the LORD and gave thanks as they took turns singing: "The LORD is good!

   His faithful love for Israel

   will last forever."

   Everyone started shouting and praising the LORD because work on the foundation of the temple had begun. ¹²Many of the older priests and Levites and the heads of families cried aloud because they remembered seeing the first temple years before. But others were so happy that they celebrated with joyful shouts. ¹³Their shouting and crying were so noisy that it all sounded alike and could be heard a long way off.

   

Ezra 4

Foreigners (4.1 Foreigners: People from foreign countries who had been captured by Assyrian and Babylonian kings and forced to settle in Palestine.) Want To Help Rebuild the Temple

 ¹The enemies of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin heard that the people had come back to rebuild the temple of the LORD God of Israel. ²So they went to Zerubbabel and to the family leaders and said, "Let us help! Ever since King Esarhaddon of Assyria ^[g] brought us here, we have worshiped your God and offered sacrifices to him." ³But Zerubbabel, Joshua, and the family leaders answered, "You cannot take part in building a temple for the LORD our God! We will build it ourselves, just as King Cyrus of Persia commanded us."

    ⁴Then the neighboring people began to do everything possible to frighten the Jews ^[h] and to make them stop building. ⁵During the time that Cyrus was king and even until Darius ^[i] became king, they kept bribing government officials to slow down the work.

Trouble Rebuilding Jerusalem (4.6 Jerusalem: Verses 6-23, which tell about the events of a later period, are placed here because they are also concerned with the problem of stopping or slowing down work on the temple.)

 ⁶In the first year that Xerxes was king, ^[j] the neighboring people brought written charges against the people of Judah and Jerusalem. ⁷Later, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and their advisors got together and wrote a letter to Artaxerxes when he was king of Persia. ^[k] It was written in Aramaic and had to be translated. ^[l] ^8-10A letter was also written to Artaxerxes about Jerusalem by Governor Rehum, Secretary Shimshai, and their advisors, including the judges, the governors, the officials, and the local leaders. They were joined in writing this letter by people from Erech and Babylonia, the Elamites from Susa, ^[m] and people from other foreign nations that the great and famous Ashurbanipal ^[n] had forced to settle in Samaria and other parts of Western Province. ^[o] ¹¹This letter said:

   Your Majesty King Artaxerxes, we are your servants from everywhere in Western Province, and we send you our greetings.

    ¹²You should know that the Jews who left your country have moved back to Jerusalem and are now rebuilding that terrible city. In fact, they have almost finished rebuilding the walls and repairing the foundations. ¹³You should also know that if the walls are completed and the city is rebuilt, the Jews won't pay any kind of taxes, and there will be less money in your treasury.

    ¹⁴We are telling you this, because you have done so much for us, and we want everyone to respect you. ¹⁵If you look up the official records of your ancestors, you will find that Jerusalem has constantly rebelled and has led others to rebel against kings and provinces. That's why the city was destroyed in the first place. ¹⁶If Jerusalem is rebuilt and its walls completed, you will no longer have control over Western Province.

    ¹⁷King Artaxerxes answered:

   Greetings to Governor Rehum, Secretary Shimshai, and to your advisors in Samaria and other parts of Western Province.

    ¹⁸After your letter was translated and read to me, ¹⁹I had the old records checked. It is true that for years Jerusalem has rebelled and caused trouble for other kings and nations. ²⁰And powerful kings have ruled Western Province from Jerusalem and have collected all kinds of taxes.

    ²¹I want you to command the people to stop rebuilding the city until I give further notice. ²²Do this right now, so that no harm will come to the kingdom.

    ²³As soon as this letter was read, Governor Rehum, Secretary Shimshai, and their advisors went to Jerusalem and forced everyone to stop rebuilding the city.

   

Work on the Temple Starts Again

 ²⁴The Jews were forced to stop work on the temple and were not able to do any more building until the year after Darius became king of Persia. ^[p]

Footnotes:

1. Ezra 3:1 seventh month: Tishri (also called Ethanim), the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar, from about mid-September to mid-October.
2. Ezra 3:3 where it had stood before: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
3. Ezra 3:5 sacrifices to please the LORD: In traditional translations these sacrifices are usually called "whole burnt offerings" (see Leviticus 1.1-16).
4. Ezra 3:8 second month: Ziv, the second month of the Hebrew calendar, from about mid-April to mid-May.
5. Ezra 3:9 Hodaviah: Or "Yehudah" or "Hodiah."
6. Ezra 3:10 King David: Ruled from about 1010 to 970 B.C.
7. Ezra 4:2 King Esarhaddon of Assyria: Ruled from 681 to 669 B.C. These people may have been brought to Palestine in 677 or 676 B.C., when Esarhaddon invaded Syria.
8. Ezra 4:4 Jews: This was the name given to those Israelites who settled in Judah after returning from Babylonia.
9. Ezra 4:5 Cyrus. . . Darius: Cyrus ruled 539-530 B.C. (see the note at 1.1); Darius I, known as Darius the Great, ruled 522-486 B.C.
10. Ezra 4:6 first year that Xerxes was king: Either the end of 486 or the beginning of 485 B.C. The Hebrew has the king's Persian name "Ahasuerus," but he is better known as "Xerxes," the Greek form of the name.
11. Ezra 4:7 Artaxerxes. . . Persia: Artaxerxes I (465-425 B.C.).
12. Ezra 4:7 It was. . . translated: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. Ezra 4.8--6.18 is written in Aramaic, instead of in Hebrew like most of the Old Testament.
13. Ezra 4:8 the judges. . . Susa: One possible translation for the names and titles.
14. Ezra 4:8 Ashurbanipal: King of Assyria 669-633 (or possibly 627) B.C. In Aramaic the king's name is "Osnapper," but he is better known as Ashurbanipal.
15. Ezra 4:8 Western Province: The land from the Euphrates River west to the Mediterranean Sea.
16. Ezra 4:24 year after. . . king of Persia: 520 B.C.

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1 Corinthians 2:6-3:4 (Contemporary English Version)

⁶We do use wisdom when speaking to people who are mature in their faith. But it isn't the wisdom of this world or of its rulers, who will soon disappear. ⁷We speak of God's hidden and mysterious wisdom that God decided to use for our glory long before the world began. ⁸The rulers of this world didn't know anything about this wisdom. If they had known about it, they would not have nailed the glorious Lord to a cross. ⁹But it is just as the Scriptures say,

   "What God has planned

   for people who love him

   is more than eyes have seen

   or ears have heard.

   It has never even

   entered our minds!"

    ¹⁰God's Spirit has shown you everything. His Spirit finds out everything, even what is deep in the mind of God. ¹¹You are the only one who knows what is in your own mind, and God's Spirit is the only one who knows what is in God's mind. ¹²But God has given us his Spirit. That's why we don't think the same way that the people of this world think. That's also why we can recognize the blessings that God has given us.

    ¹³Every word we speak was taught to us by God's Spirit, not by human wisdom. And this same Spirit helps us teach spiritual things to spiritual people. ^[a] ¹⁴That'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. ¹⁵People who are guided by the Spirit can make all kinds of judgments, but they cannot be judged by others. ¹⁶The Scriptures ask, "Has anyone ever known

   the thoughts of the Lord

   or given him advice?"

   But we understand what Christ is thinking. ^[b]

1 Corinthians 3

Working Together for God

 ¹My friends, you are acting like the people of this world. That's why I could not speak to you as spiritual people. You are like babies as far as your faith in Christ is concerned. ²So I had to treat you like babies and feed you milk. You could not take solid food, and you still cannot, ³because you are not yet spiritual. You are jealous and argue with each other. This proves that you are not spiritual and that you are acting like the people of this world.

    ⁴Some of you say that you follow me, and others claim to follow Apollos. Isn't that how ordinary people behave?

Footnotes:

1. 1 Corinthians 2:13 teach spiritual things to spiritual people: Or "compare spiritual things with spiritual things."
2. 1 Corinthians 2:16 we understand what Christ is thinking: Or "we think as Christ does."

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Psalm 28:1-9 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 28

(By David.)

A Prayer for Help

 ¹Only you, LORD,

   are a mighty rock! ^[a] Don't refuse to help me

   when I pray.

   If you don't answer me,

   I will soon be dead.

    ²Please listen to my prayer

   and my cry for help,

   as I lift my hands

   toward your holy temple.

    ³Don't drag me away, LORD,

   with those cruel people,

   who speak kind words,

   while planning trouble.

    ⁴Treat them as they deserve!

   Punish them for their sins.

    ⁵They don't pay any attention

   to your wonderful deeds.

   Now you will destroy them

   and leave them in ruin.

    ⁶I praise you, LORD,

   for answering my prayers.

    ⁷You are my strong shield,

   and I trust you completely.

   You have helped me,

   and I will celebrate

   and thank you in song.

    ⁸You give strength

   to your people, LORD,

   and you save and protect

   your chosen ones.

    ⁹Come save us and bless us.

   Be our shepherd and always

   carry us in your arms.

   

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 28:1 mighty rock: See the note at 18.2.

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Proverbs 20:24-25 (Contemporary English Version)

²⁴How can we know

   what will happen to us

   when the LORD alone decides?

    ²⁵Don't fall into the trap

   of making promises to God

   before you think!

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Verse of the Day

“All you say can be trusted; your teachings are true and will last forever.” - Psalm 119:160

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

 

American economist, and the first American to win the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, Paul Samuelson wrote, “Good questions outrank easy answers.”

Bible Readings for August 6, 2015

Today our passages are Ezra 3:1–4:24; 1 Corinthians 2:6–3:4; Psalm 28:1-9; and Proverbs 20:24-25. 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. 

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Ezra 3-4:24 (Contemporary English Version)

Ezra 3

The First Offering on the New Altar

 ¹During the seventh month ^[a] of the year, the Israelites who had settled in their towns went to Jerusalem. ²The priest Joshua son of Jozadak, together with the other priests, and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his relatives rebuilt the altar of Israel's God. Then they were able to offer sacrifices there by following the instructions God had given to Moses. ³And they built the altar where it had stood before, ^[b] even though they were afraid of the people who were already living around there. Then every morning and evening they burned sacrifices and offerings to the LORD. ⁴The people followed the rules for celebrating the Festival of Shelters and offered the proper sacrifices each day. ⁵They offered sacrifices to please the LORD, ^[c] sacrifices at each New Moon Festival, and sacrifices at the rest of the LORD's festivals. Every offering the people had brought was presented to the LORD. ⁶Although work on the temple itself had not yet begun, the people started offering sacrifices on the LORD's altar on the first day of the seventh month of that year.    

The Rebuilding of the Temple Begins

 ⁷King Cyrus of Persia had said the Israelites could have cedar trees brought from Lebanon to Joppa by sea. So they sent grain, wine, and olive oil to the cities of Tyre and Sidon as payment for these trees, and they gave money to the stoneworkers and carpenters.     ⁸During the second month ^[d] of the second year after the people had returned from Babylonia, they started rebuilding the LORD's temple. Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak, the priests, the Levites, and everyone else who had returned started working. Every Levite over twenty years of age was put in charge of some part of the work. ⁹The Levites in charge of the whole project were Joshua and his sons and relatives and Kadmiel and his sons from the family of Hodaviah. ^[e] The family of Henadad worked along with them. ¹⁰When the builders had finished laying the foundation of the temple, the priests put on their robes and blew trumpets in honor of the LORD, while the Levites from the family of Asaph praised God with cymbals. All of them followed the instructions given years before by King David. ^[f] ¹¹They praised the LORD and gave thanks as they took turns singing: "The LORD is good!
   His faithful love for Israel
   will last forever."
   Everyone started shouting and praising the LORD because work on the foundation of the temple had begun. ¹²Many of the older priests and Levites and the heads of families cried aloud because they remembered seeing the first temple years before. But others were so happy that they celebrated with joyful shouts. ¹³Their shouting and crying were so noisy that it all sounded alike and could be heard a long way off.
   

Ezra 4

Foreigners (4.1 Foreigners: People from foreign countries who had been captured by Assyrian and Babylonian kings and forced to settle in Palestine.) Want To Help Rebuild the Temple

 ¹The enemies of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin heard that the people had come back to rebuild the temple of the LORD God of Israel. ²So they went to Zerubbabel and to the family leaders and said, "Let us help! Ever since King Esarhaddon of Assyria ^[g] brought us here, we have worshiped your God and offered sacrifices to him." ³But Zerubbabel, Joshua, and the family leaders answered, "You cannot take part in building a temple for the LORD our God! We will build it ourselves, just as King Cyrus of Persia commanded us."     ⁴Then the neighboring people began to do everything possible to frighten the Jews ^[h] and to make them stop building. ⁵During the time that Cyrus was king and even until Darius ^[i] became king, they kept bribing government officials to slow down the work.

Trouble Rebuilding Jerusalem (4.6 Jerusalem: Verses 6-23, which tell about the events of a later period, are placed here because they are also concerned with the problem of stopping or slowing down work on the temple.)

 ⁶In the first year that Xerxes was king, ^[j] the neighboring people brought written charges against the people of Judah and Jerusalem. ⁷Later, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and their advisors got together and wrote a letter to Artaxerxes when he was king of Persia. ^[k] It was written in Aramaic and had to be translated. ^[l] ^8-10A letter was also written to Artaxerxes about Jerusalem by Governor Rehum, Secretary Shimshai, and their advisors, including the judges, the governors, the officials, and the local leaders. They were joined in writing this letter by people from Erech and Babylonia, the Elamites from Susa, ^[m] and people from other foreign nations that the great and famous Ashurbanipal ^[n] had forced to settle in Samaria and other parts of Western Province. ^[o] ¹¹This letter said:    Your Majesty King Artaxerxes, we are your servants from everywhere in Western Province, and we send you our greetings.
    ¹²You should know that the Jews who left your country have moved back to Jerusalem and are now rebuilding that terrible city. In fact, they have almost finished rebuilding the walls and repairing the foundations. ¹³You should also know that if the walls are completed and the city is rebuilt, the Jews won't pay any kind of taxes, and there will be less money in your treasury.
    ¹⁴We are telling you this, because you have done so much for us, and we want everyone to respect you. ¹⁵If you look up the official records of your ancestors, you will find that Jerusalem has constantly rebelled and has led others to rebel against kings and provinces. That's why the city was destroyed in the first place. ¹⁶If Jerusalem is rebuilt and its walls completed, you will no longer have control over Western Province.
    ¹⁷King Artaxerxes answered:
   Greetings to Governor Rehum, Secretary Shimshai, and to your advisors in Samaria and other parts of Western Province.
    ¹⁸After your letter was translated and read to me, ¹⁹I had the old records checked. It is true that for years Jerusalem has rebelled and caused trouble for other kings and nations. ²⁰And powerful kings have ruled Western Province from Jerusalem and have collected all kinds of taxes.
    ²¹I want you to command the people to stop rebuilding the city until I give further notice. ²²Do this right now, so that no harm will come to the kingdom.
    ²³As soon as this letter was read, Governor Rehum, Secretary Shimshai, and their advisors went to Jerusalem and forced everyone to stop rebuilding the city.
   

Work on the Temple Starts Again

 ²⁴The Jews were forced to stop work on the temple and were not able to do any more building until the year after Darius became king of Persia. ^[p]

Footnotes:

1. Ezra 3:1 seventh month: Tishri (also called Ethanim), the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar, from about mid-September to mid-October.
2. Ezra 3:3 where it had stood before: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
3. Ezra 3:5 sacrifices to please the LORD: In traditional translations these sacrifices are usually called "whole burnt offerings" (see Leviticus 1.1-16).
4. Ezra 3:8 second month: Ziv, the second month of the Hebrew calendar, from about mid-April to mid-May.
5. Ezra 3:9 Hodaviah: Or "Yehudah" or "Hodiah."
6. Ezra 3:10 King David: Ruled from about 1010 to 970 B.C.
7. Ezra 4:2 King Esarhaddon of Assyria: Ruled from 681 to 669 B.C. These people may have been brought to Palestine in 677 or 676 B.C., when Esarhaddon invaded Syria.
8. Ezra 4:4 Jews: This was the name given to those Israelites who settled in Judah after returning from Babylonia.
9. Ezra 4:5 Cyrus. . . Darius: Cyrus ruled 539-530 B.C. (see the note at 1.1); Darius I, known as Darius the Great, ruled 522-486 B.C.
10. Ezra 4:6 first year that Xerxes was king: Either the end of 486 or the beginning of 485 B.C. The Hebrew has the king's Persian name "Ahasuerus," but he is better known as "Xerxes," the Greek form of the name.
11. Ezra 4:7 Artaxerxes. . . Persia: Artaxerxes I (465-425 B.C.).
12. Ezra 4:7 It was. . . translated: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. Ezra 4.8--6.18 is written in Aramaic, instead of in Hebrew like most of the Old Testament.
13. Ezra 4:8 the judges. . . Susa: One possible translation for the names and titles.
14. Ezra 4:8 Ashurbanipal: King of Assyria 669-633 (or possibly 627) B.C. In Aramaic the king's name is "Osnapper," but he is better known as Ashurbanipal.
15. Ezra 4:8 Western Province: The land from the Euphrates River west to the Mediterranean Sea.
16. Ezra 4:24 year after. . . king of Persia: 520 B.C.

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1 Corinthians 2:6-3:4 (Contemporary English Version)

⁶We do use wisdom when speaking to people who are mature in their faith. But it isn't the wisdom of this world or of its rulers, who will soon disappear. ⁷We speak of God's hidden and mysterious wisdom that God decided to use for our glory long before the world began. ⁸The rulers of this world didn't know anything about this wisdom. If they had known about it, they would not have nailed the glorious Lord to a cross. ⁹But it is just as the Scriptures say,
   "What God has planned
   for people who love him
   is more than eyes have seen
   or ears have heard.
   It has never even
   entered our minds!"
    ¹⁰God's Spirit has shown you everything. His Spirit finds out everything, even what is deep in the mind of God. ¹¹You are the only one who knows what is in your own mind, and God's Spirit is the only one who knows what is in God's mind. ¹²But God has given us his Spirit. That's why we don't think the same way that the people of this world think. That's also why we can recognize the blessings that God has given us.
    ¹³Every word we speak was taught to us by God's Spirit, not by human wisdom. And this same Spirit helps us teach spiritual things to spiritual people. ^[a] ¹⁴That'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. ¹⁵People who are guided by the Spirit can make all kinds of judgments, but they cannot be judged by others. ¹⁶The Scriptures ask, "Has anyone ever known
   the thoughts of the Lord
   or given him advice?"
   But we understand what Christ is thinking. ^[b]

1 Corinthians 3

Working Together for God

 ¹My friends, you are acting like the people of this world. That's why I could not speak to you as spiritual people. You are like babies as far as your faith in Christ is concerned. ²So I had to treat you like babies and feed you milk. You could not take solid food, and you still cannot, ³because you are not yet spiritual. You are jealous and argue with each other. This proves that you are not spiritual and that you are acting like the people of this world.     ⁴Some of you say that you follow me, and others claim to follow Apollos. Isn't that how ordinary people behave?

Footnotes:

1. 1 Corinthians 2:13 teach spiritual things to spiritual people: Or "compare spiritual things with spiritual things."
2. 1 Corinthians 2:16 we understand what Christ is thinking: Or "we think as Christ does."

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Psalm 28:1-9 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 28

(By David.)

A Prayer for Help

 ¹Only you, LORD,    are a mighty rock! ^[a] Don't refuse to help me
   when I pray.
   If you don't answer me,
   I will soon be dead.
    ²Please listen to my prayer
   and my cry for help,
   as I lift my hands
   toward your holy temple.
    ³Don't drag me away, LORD,
   with those cruel people,
   who speak kind words,
   while planning trouble.
    ⁴Treat them as they deserve!
   Punish them for their sins.
    ⁵They don't pay any attention
   to your wonderful deeds.
   Now you will destroy them
   and leave them in ruin.
    ⁶I praise you, LORD,
   for answering my prayers.
    ⁷You are my strong shield,
   and I trust you completely.
   You have helped me,
   and I will celebrate
   and thank you in song.
    ⁸You give strength
   to your people, LORD,
   and you save and protect
   your chosen ones.
    ⁹Come save us and bless us.
   Be our shepherd and always
   carry us in your arms.
   

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 28:1 mighty rock: See the note at 18.2.

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Proverbs 20:24-25 (Contemporary English Version)

²⁴How can we know
   what will happen to us
   when the LORD alone decides?
    ²⁵Don't fall into the trap
   of making promises to God
   before you think!

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Verse of the Day

“All you say can be trusted; your teachings are true and will last forever.” - Psalm 119:160

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

---

 

Thought for the Day

 

American economist, and the first American to win the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, Paul Samuelson wrote, “Good questions outrank easy answers.”

Bible Readings for August 2, 2014

Today our passages are 2 Chronicles 32:1–33:13; Romans 15:23–16:7; Psalm 25:16-22; and Proverbs 20:16-18. 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 Chronicles 32-33:13 (The Message)

2 Chronicles 32

 ¹ And then, after this exemplary track record, this: Sennacherib king of Assyria came and attacked Judah. He put the fortified cities under siege, determined to take them.  ^2-4 When Hezekiah realized that Sennacherib's strategy was to take Jerusalem, he talked to his advisors and military leaders about eliminating all the water supplies outside the city; they thought it was a good idea. There was a great turnout of people to plug the springs and tear down the aqueduct. They said, "Why should the kings of Assyria march in and be furnished with running water?"
 ^5-6 Hezekiah also went to work repairing every part of the city wall that was damaged, built defensive towers on it, built another wall of defense further out, and reinforced the defensive rampart (the Millo) of the old City of David. He also built up a large store of armaments—spears and shields. He then appointed military officers to be responsible for the people and got them all together at the public square in front of the city gate.
 ^6-8 Hezekiah rallied the people, saying, "Be strong! Take courage! Don't be intimidated by the king of Assyria and his troops—there are more on our side than on their side. He only has a bunch of mere men; we have our God to help us and fight for us!"
    Morale surged. Hezekiah's words put steel in their spines.
 ^9-15 Later on, Sennacherib, who had set up camp a few miles away at Lachish, sent messengers to Jerusalem, addressing Judah through Hezekiah: "A proclamation of Sennacherib king of Assyria: You poor people—do you think you're safe in that so-called fortress of Jerusalem? You're sitting ducks. Do you think Hezekiah will save you? Don't be stupid—Hezekiah has fed you a pack of lies. When he says, 'God will save us from the power of the king of Assyria,' he's lying—you're all going to end up dead. Wasn't it Hezekiah who cleared out all the neighborhood worship shrines and told you, 'There is only one legitimate place to worship'? Do you have any idea what I and my ancestors have done to all the countries around here? Has there been a single god anywhere strong enough to stand up against me? Can you name one god among all the nations that either I or my ancestors have ravaged that so much as lifted a finger against me? So what makes you think you'll make out any better with your god? Don't let Hezekiah fool you; don't let him get by with his barefaced lies; don't trust him. No god of any country or kingdom ever has been one bit of help against me or my ancestors—what kind of odds does that give your god?"
 ¹⁶ The messengers felt free to throw in their personal comments, putting down both God and God's servant Hezekiah.
 ¹⁷ Sennacherib continued to send letters insulting the God of Israel: "The gods of the nations were powerless to help their people; the god of Hezekiah is no better, probably worse."
 ^18-19 The messengers would come up to the wall of Jerusalem and shout up to the people standing on the wall, shouting their propaganda in Hebrew, trying to scare them into demoralized submission. They contemptuously lumped the God of Jerusalem in with the handmade gods of other peoples.
 ^20-21 King Hezekiah, joined by the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz, responded by praying, calling up to heaven. God answered by sending an angel who wiped out everyone in the Assyrian camp, both warriors and officers. Sennacherib was forced to return home in disgrace, tail between his legs. When he went into the temple of his god, his own sons killed him.
 ^22-23 God saved Hezekiah and the citizens of Jerusalem from Sennacherib king of Assyria and everyone else. And he continued to take good care of them. People streamed into Jerusalem bringing offerings for the worship of God and expensive presents to Hezekiah king of Judah. All the surrounding nations were impressed—Hezekiah's stock soared.

²⁴ Some time later Hezekiah became deathly sick. He prayed to God and was given a reassuring sign.
 ^25-26 But the sign, instead of making Hezekiah grateful, made him arrogant. This made God angry, and his anger spilled over on Judah and Jerusalem. But then Hezekiah, and Jerusalem with him, repented of his arrogance, and God withdrew his anger while Hezekiah lived.
 ^27-31 Hezekiah ended up very wealthy and much honored. He built treasuries for all his silver, gold, precious stones, spices, shields, and valuables, barns for the grain, new wine, and olive oil, stalls for his various breeds of cattle, and pens for his flocks. He founded royal cities for himself and built up huge stocks of sheep and cattle. God saw to it that he was extravagantly rich. Hezekiah was also responsible for diverting the upper outlet of the Gihon spring and rerouting the water to the west side of the City of David. Hezekiah succeeded in everything he did. But when the rulers of Babylon sent emissaries to find out about the sign from God that had taken place earlier, God left him on his own to see what he would do; he wanted to test his heart.

^32-33 The rest of the history of Hezekiah and his life of loyal service, you can read for yourself—it's written in the vision of the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz in the Royal Annals of the Kings of Judah and Israel. When Hezekiah died, they buried him in the upper part of the King David cemetery. Everyone in Judah and Jerusalem came to the funeral. He was buried in great honor.
    Manasseh his son was the next king.

2 Chronicles 33

King Manasseh

 ^1-6Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king. He ruled for fifty-five years in Jerusalem. In God's opinion he was a bad king—an evil king. He reintroduced all the moral rot and spiritual corruption that had been scoured from the country when God dispossessed the pagan nations in favor of the children of Israel. He rebuilt the sex-and-religion shrines that his father Hezekiah had torn down, he built altars and phallic images for the sex god Baal and the sex goddess Asherah and worshiped the cosmic powers, taking orders from the constellations. He built shrines to the cosmic powers and placed them in both courtyards of The Temple of God, the very Jerusalem Temple dedicated exclusively by God's decree to God's Name ("in Jerusalem I place my Name"). He burned his own sons in a sacrificial rite in the Valley of Ben Hinnom. He practiced witchcraft and fortunetelling. He held séances and consulted spirits from the underworld. Much evil—in God's view a career in evil. And God was angry.  ^7-8 As a last straw he placed a carved image of the sex goddess Asherah that he had commissioned in The Temple of God, a flagrant and provocative violation of God's well-known command to both David and Solomon, "In this Temple and in this city Jerusalem, my choice out of all the tribes of Israel, I place my Name—exclusively and forever." He had promised, "Never again will I let my people Israel wander off from this land I've given to their ancestors. But on this condition, that they keep everything I've commanded in the instructions my servant Moses passed on to them."
 ^9-10 But Manasseh led Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem off the beaten path into practices of evil exceeding even the evil of the pagan nations that God had earlier destroyed. When God spoke to Manasseh and his people about this, they ignored him.
 ^11-13 Then God directed the leaders of the troops of the king of Assyria to come after Manasseh. They put a hook in his nose, shackles on his feet, and took him off to Babylon. Now that he was in trouble, he went to his knees in prayer asking for help—total repentance before the God of his ancestors. As he prayed, God was touched; God listened and brought him back to Jerusalem as king. That convinced Manasseh that God was in control.

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Romans 15:23-16:7 (The Message)

 ^22-24And that's why it has taken me so long to finally get around to coming to you. But now that there is no more pioneering work to be done in these parts, and since I have looked forward to seeing you for many years, I'm planning my visit. I'm headed for Spain, and expect to stop off on the way to enjoy a good visit with you, and eventually have you send me off with God's blessing.
 ^25-29First, though, I'm going to Jerusalem to deliver a relief offering to the followers of Jesus there. The Greeks—all the way from the Macedonians in the north to the Achaians in the south—decided they wanted to take up a collection for the poor among the believers in Jerusalem. They were happy to do this, but it was also their duty. Seeing that they got in on all the spiritual gifts that flowed out of the Jerusalem community so generously, it is only right that they do what they can to relieve their poverty. As soon as I have done this—personally handed over this "fruit basket"—I'm off to Spain, with a stopover with you in Rome. My hope is that my visit with you is going to be one of Christ's more extravagant blessings.
 ^30-33I have one request, dear friends: Pray for me. Pray strenuously with and for me—to God the Father, through the power of our Master Jesus, through the love of the Spirit—that I will be delivered from the lions' den of unbelievers in Judea. Pray also that my relief offering to the Jerusalem believers will be accepted in the spirit in which it is given. Then, God willing, I'll be on my way to you with a light and eager heart, looking forward to being refreshed by your company. God's peace be with all of you. Oh, yes!

Romans 16

 ^1-2Be sure to welcome our friend Phoebe in the way of the Master, with all the generous hospitality we Christians are famous for. I heartily endorse both her and her work. She's a key representative of the church at Cenchrea. Help her out in whatever she asks. She deserves anything you can do for her. She's helped many a person, including me.  ^3-5Say hello to Priscilla and Aquila, who have worked hand in hand with me in serving Jesus. They once put their lives on the line for me. And I'm not the only one grateful to them. All the non-Jewish gatherings of believers also owe them plenty, to say nothing of the church that meets in their house.
   Hello to my dear friend Epenetus. He was the very first follower of Jesus in the province of Asia.
 ⁶Hello to Mary. What a worker she has turned out to be!
 ⁷Hello to my cousins Andronicus and Junias. We once shared a jail cell. They were believers in Christ before I was. Both of them are outstanding leaders.

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Psalm 25:16-22 (The Message)

 ¹⁶ Look at me and help me!
   I'm all alone and in big trouble.

 ¹⁷ My heart and kidneys are fighting each other;
   Call a truce to this civil war.

 ¹⁸ Take a hard look at my life of hard labor,
   Then lift this ton of sin.

 ¹⁹ Do you see how many people
   Have it in for me?
   How viciously they hate me?

 ²⁰ Keep watch over me and keep me out of trouble;
   Don't let me down when I run to you.

 ²¹ Use all your skill to put me together;
   I wait to see your finished product.

 ²² God, give your people a break
   From this run of bad luck.

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Proverbs 20:16-18 (The Message)

 ¹⁶ Hold tight to collateral on any loan to a stranger;
   beware of accepting what a transient has pawned.

 ¹⁷ Stolen bread tastes sweet,
   but soon your mouth is full of gravel.

 ¹⁸ Form your purpose by asking for counsel,
   then carry it out using all the help you can get.

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Verse of the Day

“Obey God's message! Don't fool yourselves by just listening to it.” - James 1:22

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

 

American economist, and the first American to win the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, Paul Samuelson wrote, “Good questions outrank easy answers.”