Bible Readings for January 15, 2015

Today our passages are Genesis 31:17–32:12; Matthew 10:26–11:6; Psalm 13:1-6; and Proverbs 3:16-18. The readings are the Contemporary English Version.  

 

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Genesis 31:17-32:12 (Contemporary English Version)

¹⁷Then Jacob, his wives, and his children got on camels and left ¹⁸for the home of his father Isaac in Canaan. Jacob took all of the flocks, herds, and other property that he had gotten in northern Syria. ^[a] 19Before Rachel left, she stole the household idols ^[b] while Laban was out shearing his sheep. ²⁰Jacob tricked Laban the Aramean ^[c] by not saying that he intended to leave. ²¹When Jacob crossed the Euphrates River and headed for the hill country of Gilead, he took with him everything he owned.

Laban Catches Up with Jacob

 ²²Three days later Laban found out that Jacob had gone. ²³So he took some of his relatives along and chased after Jacob for seven days, before catching up with him in the hill country of Gilead. ²⁴But God appeared to Laban in a dream that night and warned, "Don't say a word to Jacob. Don't make a threat or a promise."    ²⁵Jacob had set up camp in the hill country of Gilead, when Laban and his relatives came and set up camp in another part of the hill country. Laban went to Jacob ²⁶and said:
   Look what you've done! You've tricked me and run off with my daughters like a kidnapper. ²⁷Why did you sneak away without telling me? I would have given you a going-away party with singing and with music on tambourines and harps. ²⁸You didn't even give me a chance to kiss my own grandchildren and daughters good-by. That was really foolish. ²⁹I could easily hurt you, but the God your father worshiped has warned me not to make any threats or promises.
    ³⁰I can understand why you were eager to return to your father, but why did you have to steal my idols?
    ³¹Jacob answered, "I left secretly because I was afraid you would take your daughters from me by force.³²If you find that any one of us has taken your idols, I'll have that person killed. Let your relatives be witnesses. Show me what belongs to you, and you can take it back." Jacob did not realize that Rachel had stolen the household idols.
    ³³Laban searched the tents of Jacob, Leah, and the two servant women, ^[d] but did not find the idols. Then he started for Rachel's tent. ³⁴She had already hidden them in the cushion she used as a saddle and was sitting on it. Laban searched everywhere and did not find them. ³⁵Rachel said, "Father, please don't be angry with me for not getting up; I am having my period." Laban kept on searching, but still did not find the idols. ³⁶Jacob became very angry and said to Laban:
   What have I done wrong? Have I committed some crime? Is that why you hunted me down? ³⁷After searching through everything I have, did you find anything of yours? If so, put it here, where your relatives and mine can see it. Then we can decide what to do.
    ³⁸In all the twenty years that I've worked for you, not one of your sheep or goats has had a miscarriage, and I've never eaten even one of your rams. ³⁹If a wild animal killed one of your sheep or goats, I paid for it myself. In fact, you demanded the full price, whether the animal was killed during the day or at night. ^[e] 40I sweated every day, and I couldn't sleep at night because of the cold. ⁴¹I had to work fourteen of these twenty long years to earn your two daughters and another six years to buy your sheep and goats. During that time you kept changing my wages. ⁴²If the fearsome God ^[f] worshiped by Abraham and my father Isaac had not been on my side, you would have sent me away without a thing. But God saw my hard work, and he knew the trouble I was in, so he helped me. Then last night he told you how wrong you were.

Jacob and Laban Make an Agreement

 ⁴³Laban said to Jacob, "Leah and Rachel are my daughters, and their children belong to me. All these sheep you are taking are really mine too. In fact, everything you have belongs to me. But there is nothing I can do to keep my daughters and their children. ⁴⁴So I am ready to make an agreement with you, and we will pile up some large rocks here to remind us of the agreement."    ⁴⁵After Jacob had set up a large rock, ⁴⁶he told his men to get some more rocks and pile them up next to it. Then Jacob and Laban ate a meal together beside the rocks. ⁴⁷Laban named the pile of rocks Jegar Sahadutha. ^[g] But Jacob named it Galeed. ^[h] 48Laban said to Jacob, "This pile of rocks will remind us of our agreement." That's why the place was named Galeed. ⁴⁹Laban also said, "This pile of rocks means that the LORD will watch us both while we are apart from each other." So the place was also named Mizpah. ^[i]50Then Laban said:
   If you mistreat my daughters or marry other women, I may not know about it, but remember, God is watching us! ^51-52Both this pile of rocks and this large rock have been set up between us as a reminder. I must never go beyond them to attack you, and you must never go beyond them to attack me. ⁵³My father Nahor, your grandfather Abraham, and their ancestors all worshiped the same God, and he will make sure that we each keep the agreement.
   Then Jacob made a promise in the name of the fearsome God ^[j] his father Isaac had worshiped. ⁵⁴Jacob killed an animal and offered it as a sacrifice there on the mountain, and he invited his men to eat with him. After the meal they spent the night on the mountain. ⁵⁵Early the next morning, Laban kissed his daughters and his grandchildren good-by, then he left to go back home.

Genesis 32

Jacob Gets Ready To Meet Esau

 ¹As Jacob was on his way back home, some of God's angels came and met him. ²When Jacob saw them, he said, "This is God's camp." So he named the place Mahanaim. ^[k] 3Jacob sent messengers on ahead to Esau, who lived in the land of Seir, also known as Edom. ⁴Jacob told them to say to Esau, "Master, I am your servant! I have lived with Laban all this time, ⁵and now I own cattle, donkeys, and sheep, as well as many slaves. Master, I am sending these messengers in the hope that you will be kind to me."    ⁶When the messengers returned, they told Jacob, "We went to your brother Esau, and now he is heading this way with four hundred men."
    ⁷Jacob was so frightened that he divided his people, sheep, cattle, and camels into two groups. ⁸He thought, "If Esau attacks one group, perhaps the other can escape."
    ⁹Then Jacob prayed:
   You, LORD, are the God who was worshiped by my grandfather Abraham and by my father Isaac. You told me to return home to my family, and you promised to be with me and make me successful. ¹⁰I don't deserve all the good things you have done for me, your servant. When I first crossed the Jordan, I had only my walking stick, but now I have two large groups of people and animals. ¹¹Please rescue me from my brother. I am afraid he will come and attack not only me, but my wives and children as well. ¹²But you have promised that I would be a success and that someday it will be as hard to count my descendants as it is to count the stars in the sky.
   

Footnotes:

1. Genesis 31:18 northern Syria: See the note at 24.10.
2. Genesis 31:19 household idols: These were thought to protect the household from danger. It is also possible that the person who had them would inherit the family property.
3. Genesis 31:20 the Aramean: Meaning someone from northern Syria (see the note at 24.10).
4. Genesis 31:33 two servant women: Bilhah and Zilpah (see 30.4,9).
5. Genesis 31:39 you demanded. . . night: A shepherd was not responsible for sheep and goats killed by wild animals, if the shepherd could supply proof of how they were killed.
6. Genesis 31:42 fearsome God: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
7. Genesis 31:47 Jegar Sahadutha: In Aramaic "Jegar Sahadutha" means "a pile of rocks to remind us."  
8. Genesis 31:47 Galeed: In Hebrew "Galeed" means "a pile of rocks to remind us."
9. Genesis 31:49 Mizpah: In Hebrew "Mizpah" sounds like "a place from which to watch."
10. Genesis 31:53 fearsome God: See the note at 31.42.
11. Genesis 32:2 Mahanaim: In Hebrew "Mahanaim" means "two camps."

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Matthew 10:26-11:6 (Contemporary English Version)

The One To Fear

(Luke 12.2-7)

 ²⁶Don't be afraid of anyone! Everything that is hidden will be found out, and every secret will be known. ²⁷Whatever I say to you in the dark, you must tell in the light. And you must announce from the housetops whatever I have whispered to you. ²⁸Don't be afraid of people. They can kill you, but they cannot harm your soul. Instead, you should fear God who can destroy both your body and your soul in hell. ²⁹Aren't two sparrows sold for only a penny? But your Father knows when any one of them falls to the ground. ³⁰Even the hairs on your head are counted. ³¹So don't be afraid! You are worth much more than many sparrows.   

Telling Others about Christ

(Luke 12.8,9)

 ³²If you tell others that you belong to me, I will tell my Father in heaven that you are my followers. ³³But if you reject me, I will tell my Father in heaven that you don't belong to me.   

Not Peace, but Trouble

(Luke 12.51-53; 14.26,27)

 ³⁴Don't think that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came to bring trouble, not peace. ³⁵I came to turn sons against their fathers, daughters against their mothers, and daughters-in-law against their mothers-in-law. ³⁶Your worst enemies will be in your own family.    ³⁷If you love your father or mother or even your sons and daughters more than me, you are not fit to be my disciples. ³⁸And unless you are willing to take up your cross and come with me, you are not fit to be my disciples. ³⁹If you try to save your life, you will lose it. But if you give it up for me, you will surely find it.
   

Rewards

(Mark 9.41)

 ⁴⁰Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me. And anyone who welcomes me also welcomes the one who sent me. ⁴¹Anyone who welcomes a prophet, just because that person is a prophet, will be given the same reward as a prophet. Anyone who welcomes a good person, just because that person is good, will be given the same reward as a good person. ⁴²And anyone who gives one of my most humble followers a cup of cool water, just because that person is my follower, will surely be rewarded.   

Matthew 11

John the Baptist

(Luke 7.18-35)

 ¹After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he left and began teaching and preaching in the towns. ^[a] 2John was in prison when he heard what Christ was doing. So John sent some of his followers ³to ask Jesus, "Are you the one we should be looking for? Or must we wait for someone else?"    ⁴Jesus answered, "Go and tell John what you have heard and seen. ⁵The blind are now able to see, and the lame can walk. People with leprosy ^[b] are being healed, and the deaf can hear. The dead are raised to life, and the poor are hearing the good news. ⁶God will bless everyone who doesn't reject me because of what I do."

Footnotes:

1. Matthew 11:1 the towns: The Greek text has "their towns," whichmay refer to the towns of Galilee or to the towns where Jesus' disciples had lived.
2. Matthew 11:5 leprosy: See the note at 8.2.

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Psalm 13:1-6 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 13

(A psalm by David for the music leader.)

A Prayer for the LORD's Help

 ¹How much longer, LORD,   will you forget about me?
   Will it be forever?
   How long will you hide?
    ²How long must I be confused
   and miserable all day?
   How long will my enemies
   keep beating me down?
    ³Please listen, LORD God,
   and answer my prayers.
   Make my eyes sparkle again,
   or else I will fall
   into the sleep of death.
    ⁴My enemies will say,
   "Now we've won!"
   They will be greatly pleased
   when I am defeated.
    ⁵I trust your love,
   and I feel like celebrating
   because you rescued me.
    ⁶You have been good to me, LORD,
   and I will sing about you.

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Proverbs 3:16-18 (Contemporary English Version)

¹⁶In her right hand
   Wisdom holds a long life,
   and in her left hand
   are wealth and honor.
    ¹⁷Wisdom makes life pleasant
   and leads us safely along.
    ¹⁸Wisdom is a life-giving tree,
   the source of happiness
   for all who hold on to her.

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Verse of the Day

“[The Truth Will Set You Free]Jesus told the people who had faith in him, "If you keep on obeying what I have said, you truly are my disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” - John 8:31-32 

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

 

French politician, the founder of Mutualist philosophy, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon wrote, “As man seeks justice in equality, so society seeks order in anarchy.”

Bible Readings for October 13, 2014

Today our passages are Jeremiah 22:1–23:20; 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12; Psalm 83:1-18; and Proverbs 25:11-14. The readings are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson.

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Jeremiah 22-23:20 (The Message)

Jeremiah 22

Walking Out on the Covenant of God

^1-3 God's orders: "Go to the royal palace and deliver this Message. Say, 'Listen to what God says, O King of Judah, you who sit on David's throne—you and your officials and all the people who go in and out of these palace gates. This is God's Message: Attend to matters of justice. Set things right between people. Rescue victims from their exploiters. Don't take advantage of the homeless, the orphans, the widows. Stop the murdering! ^4-5"'If you obey these commands, then kings who follow in the line of David will continue to go in and out of these palace gates mounted on horses and riding in chariots—they and their officials and the citizens of Judah. But if you don't obey these commands, then I swear—God's Decree!—this palace will end up a heap of rubble.'"
^6-7This is God's verdict on Judah's royal palace:
"I number you among my favorite places—
like the lovely hills of Gilead,
like the soaring peaks of Lebanon.
Yet I swear I'll turn you into a wasteland,
as empty as a ghost town.
I'll hire a demolition crew,
well-equipped with sledgehammers and wrecking bars,
Pound the country to a pulp
and burn it all up.
^8-9"Travelers from all over will come through here and say to one another, 'Why would God do such a thing to this wonderful city?' They'll be told, 'Because they walked out on the covenant of their God, took up with other gods and worshiped them.'"

Building a Fine House but Destroying Lives

¹⁰Don't weep over dead King Josiah.
Don't waste your tears.
Weep for his exiled son:
He's gone for good.
He'll never see home again. ^11-12For this is God's Word on Shallum son of Josiah, who succeeded his father as king of Judah: "He's gone from here, gone for good. He'll die in the place they've taken him to. He'll never see home again."
^13-17"Doom to him who builds palaces but bullies people,
who makes a fine house but destroys lives,
Who cheats his workers
and won't pay them for their work,
Who says, 'I'll build me an elaborate mansion
with spacious rooms and fancy windows.
I'll bring in rare and expensive woods
and the latest in interior decor.'
So, that makes you a king—
living in a fancy palace?
Your father got along just fine, didn't he?
He did what was right and treated people fairly,
And things went well with him.
He stuck up for the down-and-out,
And things went well for Judah.
Isn't this what it means to know me?"
God's Decree!
"But you're blind and brainless.
All you think about is yourself,
Taking advantage of the weak,
bulldozing your way, bullying victims."
^18-19This is God's epitaph on Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah:
"Doom to this man!
Nobody will shed tears over him,
'Poor, poor brother!'
Nobody will shed tears over him,
'Poor, poor master!'
They'll give him a donkey's funeral,
drag him out of the city and dump him.

You've Made a Total Mess of Your Life

^20-23"People of Jerusalem, climb a Lebanon peak and weep,
climb a Bashan mountain and wail,
Climb the Abarim ridge and cry—
you've made a total mess of your life.
I spoke to you when everything was going your way.
You said, 'I'm not interested.'
You've been that way as long as I've known you,
never listened to a thing I said.
All your leaders will be blown away,
all your friends end up in exile,
And you'll find yourself in the gutter,
disgraced by your evil life.
You big-city people thought you were so important,
thought you were 'king of the mountain'!
You're soon going to be doubled up in pain,
pain worse than the pangs of childbirth. ^24-26"As sure as I am the living God"—God's Decree—"even if you, Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were the signet ring on my right hand, I'd pull you off and give you to those who are out to kill you, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the Chaldeans, and then throw you, both you and your mother, into a foreign country, far from your place of birth. There you'll both die.
²⁷"You'll be homesick, desperately homesick, but you'll never get home again."
^28-30Is Jehoiachin a leaky bucket,
a rusted-out pail good for nothing?
Why else would he be thrown away, he and his children,
thrown away to a foreign place?
O land, land, land,
listen to God's Message!
This is God's verdict:
"Write this man off as if he were childless,
a man who will never amount to anything.
Nothing will ever come of his life.
He's the end of the line, the last of the kings."

Jeremiah 23

An Authentic David-Branch

^1-4 "Doom to the shepherd-leaders who butcher and scatter my sheep!" God's Decree. "So here is what I, God, Israel's God, say to the shepherd-leaders who misled my people: 'You've scattered my sheep. You've driven them off. You haven't kept your eye on them. Well, let me tell you, I'm keeping my eye on you, keeping track of your criminal behavior. I'll take over and gather what's left of my sheep, gather them in from all the lands where I've driven them. I'll bring them back where they belong, and they'll recover and flourish. I'll set shepherd-leaders over them who will take good care of them. They won't live in fear or panic anymore. All the lost sheep rounded up!' God's Decree." ^5-6"Time's coming"—God's Decree—
"when I'll establish a truly righteous David-Branch,
A ruler who knows how to rule justly.
He'll make sure of justice and keep people united.
In his time Judah will be secure again
and Israel will live in safety.
This is the name they'll give him:
'God-Who-Puts-Everything-Right.'
^7-8"So watch for this. The time's coming"—God's Decree—"when no one will say, 'As sure as God lives, the God who brought the Israelites out of Egypt,' but, 'As sure as God lives, the God who brought the descendants of Israel back from the north country and from the other countries where he'd driven them, so that they can live on their own good earth.'"

The "Everything Will Turn Out Fine" Sermon

⁹My head is reeling,
my limbs are limp,
I'm staggering like a drunk,
seeing double from too much wine—
And all because of God,
because of his holy words. ^10-12Now for what God says regarding the lying prophets:
"Can you believe it? A country teeming with adulterers!
faithless, promiscuous idolater-adulterers!
They're a curse on the land.
The land's a wasteland.
Their unfaithfulness
is turning the country into a cesspool,
Prophets and priests devoted to desecration.
They have nothing to do with me as their God.
My very own Temple, mind you—
mud-spattered with their crimes." God's Decree.
"But they won't get by with it.
They'll find themselves on a slippery slope,
Careening into the darkness,
somersaulting into the pitch-black dark.
I'll make them pay for their crimes.
It will be the Year of Doom." God's Decree.
^13-14"Over in Samaria I saw prophets
acting like silly fools—shocking!
They preached using that no-god Baal for a text,
messing with the minds of my people.
And the Jerusalem prophets are even worse—horrible!—
sex-driven, living a lie,
Subsidizing a culture of wickedness,
and never giving it a second thought.
They're as bad as those wretches in old Sodom,
the degenerates of old Gomorrah."
¹⁵So here's the Message to the prophets from God-of-the-Angel-Armies:
"I'll cook them a supper of maggoty meat
with after-dinner drinks of strychnine.
The Jerusalem prophets are behind all this.
They're the cause of the godlessness polluting this country."
^16-17A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies:
"Don't listen to the sermons of the prophets.
It's all hot air. Lies, lies, and more lies.
They make it all up.
Not a word they speak comes from me.
They preach their 'Everything Will Turn Out Fine' sermon
to congregations with no taste for God,
Their 'Nothing Bad Will Ever Happen to You' sermon
to people who are set in their own ways.
^18-20"Have any of these prophets bothered to meet with me, the true God?
bothered to take in what I have to say?
listened to and then lived out my Word?
Look out! God's hurricane will be let loose—
my hurricane blast,
Spinning the heads of the wicked like tops!
God's raging anger won't let up
Until I've made a clean sweep,
completing the job I began.
When the job's done,
you'll see that it's been well done.

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2 Thessalonians 1:1-12 (The Message)

2 Thessalonians 1

^1-2I, Paul, together with Silas and Timothy, greet the church of the Thessalonian Christians in the name of God our Father and our Master, Jesus Christ. Our God gives you everything you need, makes you everything you're to be.

Justice Is on the Way

^3-4You need to know, friends, that thanking God over and over for you is not only a pleasure; it's a must. We have to do it. Your faith is growing phenomenally; your love for each other is developing wonderfully. Why, it's only right that we give thanks. We're so proud of you; you're so steady and determined in your faith despite all the hard times that have come down on you. We tell everyone we meet in the churches all about you. ^5-10All this trouble is a clear sign that God has decided to make you fit for the kingdom. You're suffering now, but justice is on the way. When the Master Jesus appears out of heaven in a blaze of fire with his strong angels, he'll even up the score by settling accounts with those who gave you such a bad time. His coming will be the break we've been waiting for. Those who refuse to know God and refuse to obey the Message will pay for what they've done. Eternal exile from the presence of the Master and his splendid power is their sentence. But on that very same day when he comes, he will be exalted by his followers and celebrated by all who believe—and all because you believed what we told you.
^11-12Because we know that this extraordinary day is just ahead, we pray for you all the time—pray that our God will make you fit for what he's called you to be, pray that he'll fill your good ideas and acts of faith with his own energy so that it all amounts to something. If your life honors the name of Jesus, he will honor you. Grace is behind and through all of this, our God giving himself freely, the Master, Jesus Christ, giving himself freely.

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Psalm 83:1-18 (The Message)

Psalm 83

An Asaph Psalm

^1-5 God, don't shut me out;
don't give me the silent treatment, O God.
Your enemies are out there whooping it up,
the God-haters are living it up;
They're plotting to do your people in,
conspiring to rob you of your precious ones.
"Let's wipe this nation from the face of the earth,"
they say; "scratch Israel's name off the books."
And now they're putting their heads together,
making plans to get rid of you.

^6-8 Edom and the Ishmaelites,
Moab and the Hagrites,
Gebal and Ammon and Amalek,
Philistia and the Tyrians,
And now Assyria has joined up,
Giving muscle to the gang of Lot.

^9-12 Do to them what you did to Midian,
to Sisera and Jabin at Kishon Brook;
They came to a bad end at Endor,
nothing but dung for the garden.
Cut down their leaders as you did Oreb and Zeeb,
their princes to nothings like Zebah and Zalmunna,
With their empty brags, "We're grabbing it all,
grabbing God's gardens for ourselves."

^13-18 My God! I've had it with them!
Blow them away!
Tumbleweeds in the desert waste,
charred sticks in the burned-over ground.
Knock the breath right out of them, so they're gasping
for breath, gasping, "God."
Bring them to the end of their rope,
and leave them there dangling, helpless.
Then they'll learn your name: "God,"
the one and only High God on earth.

 

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Proverbs 25:11-14 (The Message)

^11-12 The right word at the right time
is like a custom-made piece of jewelry,
And a wise friend's timely reprimand
is like a gold ring slipped on your finger.

¹³ Reliable friends who do what they say
are like cool drinks in sweltering heat—refreshing!

¹⁴ Like billowing clouds that bring no rain
is the person who talks big but never produces.

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Verse of the Day

“I will bless you with a future filled with hope--a future of success, not of suffering.” - Jeremiah 29:11

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

French politician, mutualist philosopher, economist, and socialist Pierre-Joseph Proudhon wrote, "When deeds speak, words are nothing."

Bible Readings for October 1, 2013

Today our passages are Isaiah 62:6–65:25; Philippians 2:19–3:4a; Psalm 73:1-28; and Proverbs 24:13-14. The readings are the Contemporary English Version.

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Isaiah 62:6-65:25 (Contemporary English Version)

⁶Jerusalem, on your walls
   I have stationed guards,
   whose duty it is
   to speak out day and night,
   without resting.
   They must remind the LORD
    ⁷and not let him rest
   till he makes Jerusalem strong
   and famous everywhere.
    ⁸The LORD has given his word
   and made this promise:
   "Never again will I give
   to your enemies
   the grain and grapes
   for which you struggled.
    ⁹As surely as you harvest
   your grain and grapes,
   you will eat your bread
   with thankful hearts,
   and you will drink your wine
   in my temple."
    ¹⁰People of Jerusalem,
   open your gates!
   Repair the road to the city
   and clear it of stones;
   raise a banner to help
   the nations find their way.
    ¹¹Here is what the LORD has said
   for all the earth to hear:
   "Soon I will come to save
   the city of Zion,
   and to reward you.
    ¹²Then you will be called,
   `The LORD's Own People,
   The Ones He Rescued!'
   Your city will be known
   as a good place to live
   and a city full of people."
   

Isaiah 63

The LORD's Victory over the Nations

 ¹Who is this coming    from Bozrah ^[a] in Edom with clothes stained red?
   Who is this hero marching
   in his glorious uniform?
   "It's me, the LORD!
   I have won the battle,
   and I can save you!"
    ²What are those red spots?
   Your clothes look stained
   from stomping on grapes. ^{[b] 3}"I alone stomped the grapes!
   None of the nations helped.
   I stomped nations in my anger
   and stained my clothes
   with their blood.
    ⁴I did this because I wanted
   to take revenge--
   the time had come
   to rescue my people.
    ⁵No one was there to help me
   or to give support;
   my mighty arm won the battle,
   strengthened by my anger.
    ⁶In my fury I stomped on nations
   and made them drunk;
   their blood poured out
   everywhere on earth."
   

The LORD's Goodness to His People

 ⁷I will tell about the kind deeds    the LORD has done.
   They deserve praise!
   The LORD has shown mercy
   to the people of Israel;
   he has been kind and good.
    ⁸The LORD rescued his people,
   and said,
   "They are mine.
   They won't betray me."
    ⁹It troubled the LORD
   to see them in trouble,
   and his angel saved them. ^[c] The LORD was truly merciful,
   so he rescued his people.
   He took them in his arms
   and carried them all those years.
    ¹⁰Then the LORD's people
   turned against him
   and made
   his Holy Spirit sad.
   So he became their enemy
   and attacked them.
    ¹¹But his people remembered
   what had happened
   during the time of Moses. ^[d] Didn't the LORD ^[e] bring them and their leaders
   safely through the sea?
   Didn't he ^[f] give them his Holy Spirit?
    ¹²The glorious power of the LORD
   marched beside Moses.
   The LORD will be praised forever
   for dividing the sea.
    ¹³He led his people across
   like horses running wild
   without stumbling.
    ¹⁴His Spirit gave them rest,
   just as cattle find rest
   when led into a valley. ^[g] The name of the LORD was praised
   for doing these things.
   

A Prayer for Mercy and Help

 ¹⁵Please, LORD, look down    from your holy and glorious
   home in the heavens
   and see what's going on.
   Have you lost interest?
   Where is your power?
   Show that you care about us ^[h] and have mercy!
    ¹⁶Our ancestors Abraham and Jacob
   have both rejected us.
   But you are still our Father;
   you have been our protector
   since ancient times.
    ¹⁷Why did you make us turn away
   from you, our LORD?
   Why did you make us want
   to disobey you?
   Please change your mind!
   We are your servants,
   your very own people.
    ¹⁸For a little while,
   your temple belonged to us; ^[i] and now our enemies
   have torn it down.
    ¹⁹We act as though you
   had never ruled us
   or called us your people.
   

Isaiah 64

 ¹Rip the heavens apart!    Come down, LORD;
   make the mountains tremble.
    ²Be a spark that starts a fire
   causing water to boil. ^[j] Then your enemies will know
   who you are;
   all nations will tremble
   because you are nearby.
    ³Your fearsome deeds
   have completely amazed us;
   even the mountains shake
   when you come down.
    ⁴You are the only God
   ever seen or heard of
   who works miracles
   for his followers.
    ⁵You help all who gladly obey
   and do what you want,
   but sin makes you angry.
   Only by your help
   can we ever be saved. ^{[k] 6}We are unfit to worship you;
   each of our good deeds
   is merely a filthy rag.
   We dry up like leaves;
   our sins are storm winds
   sweeping us away.
    ⁷No one worships in your name
   or remains faithful.
   You have turned your back on us
   and let our sins melt us away. ^{[l] 8}You, LORD, are our Father.
   We are nothing but clay,
   but you are the potter
   who molded us.
    ⁹Don't be so furious
   or keep our sins
   in your thoughts forever!
   Remember that all of us
   are your people.
    ¹⁰Every one of your towns
   has turned into a desert,
   especially Jerusalem.
    ¹¹Zion's glorious and holy temple
   where our ancestors praised you
   has been destroyed by fire.
   Our beautiful buildings
   are now a pile of ruins.
    ¹²When you see these things,
   how can you just sit there
   and make us suffer more?
   

Isaiah 65

The LORD Will Punish the Guilty

 ¹I, the LORD, was ready    answer even those
   who were not asking
   and to be found by those
   who were not searching.
   To a nation that refused
   to worship me, ^[m] I said, "Here I am!"
    ²All day long I have reached out
   to stubborn and sinful people
   going their own way.
    ³They keep making me angry
   by sneering at me,
   while offering sacrifices
   to idols in gardens
   and burning incense
   to them on bricks.
    ⁴They spend their nights
   hiding in burial caves;
   they eat the meat of pigs, ^[n] cooked in sauces
   made of stuff unfit to eat.
    ⁵And then they say to others,
   "Don't come near us!
   We're dedicated to God."
   Such people are like smoke,
   irritating my nose all day.
    ⁶I have written this down;
   I won't keep silent.
   I'll pay them back
   just as their sins deserve.
    ⁷I, the LORD, will make them pay
   for their sins
   and for those
   of their ancestors--
   they have disgraced me
   by burning incense
   on mountains.
    ⁸Here is what the LORD says:
   A cluster of grapes
   that produces wine
   is worth keeping!
   So, because of my servants,
   I won't destroy everyone.
    ⁹I have chosen the people
   of Israel and Judah,
   and I will bless them
   with many descendants.
   They will settle here
   in this land of mountains,
   and it will be theirs.
    ¹⁰My people will worship me.
   Then the coastlands of Sharon
   and the land as far
   as Achor Valley ^[o] will turn into pastureland
   where cattle and sheep
   will feed and rest.
    ¹¹What will I, the LORD, do
   if any of you reject me
   and my holy mountain?
   What will happen to you
   for offering food and wine
   to the gods you call
   "Good Luck" and "Fate"?
    ¹²Your luck will end!
   I will see to it
   that you
   are slaughtered with swords.
   You refused to answer
   when I called out;
   you paid no attention
   to my instructions.
   Instead, you did what I hated,
   knowing it was wrong.
    ¹³I, the LORD God, will give
   food and drink
   to my servants,
   and they will celebrate.
   But all of you sinners
   will go hungry and thirsty,
   overcome with disgrace.
    ¹⁴My servants will laugh and sing,
   but you will be sad
   and cry out in pain.
    ¹⁵I, the LORD God, promise
   to see that you are killed
   and that my chosen servants use
   your names
   as curse words.
   But I will give new names ^[p] to my servants. ^{[q] 16}I am God! I can be trusted.
   Your past troubles are gone;
   I no longer think of them.
   When you pray for someone
   to receive a blessing,
   or when you make a promise,
   you must do it in my name.
   I alone am the God
   who can be trusted.
   

The LORD's New Creation

 ¹⁷I am creating new heavens    and a new earth;
   everything of the past
   will be forgotten.
    ¹⁸Celebrate and be glad forever!
   I am creating a Jerusalem,
   full of happy people.
    ¹⁹I will celebrate with Jerusalem
   and all of its people;
   there will be no more crying
   or sorrow in that city.
    ²⁰No child will die in infancy;
   everyone will live
   to a ripe old age.
   Anyone a hundred years old
   will be considered young,
   and to die younger than that
   will be considered a curse.
    ²¹My people will live
   in the houses they build;
   they will enjoy grapes
   from their own vineyards.
    ²²No one will take away
   their homes or vineyards.
   My chosen people will live
   to be as old as trees,
   and they will enjoy
   what they have earned.
    ²³Their work won't be wasted,
   and their children won't die
   of dreadful diseases. ^[r] I will bless their children
   and their grandchildren.
    ²⁴I will answer their prayers
   before they finish praying.
    ²⁵Wolves and lambs
   will graze together;
   lions and oxen
   will feed on straw.
   Snakes will eat only dirt!
   They won't bite
   or harm anyone
   on my holy mountain.
   I, the LORD, have spoken!
   

Footnotes:

1. Isaiah 63:1 Bozrah: The main city of Edom.
2. Isaiah 63:2 stomping on grapes: This is one way that grapes were crushed to make them into juice.
3. Isaiah 63:9 It. . . them: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
4. Isaiah 63:11 But. . . Moses: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
5. Isaiah 63:11 the LORD: Or "Moses."
6. Isaiah 63:11 he: Or "Moses."
7. Isaiah 63:14 His. . . valley: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
8. Isaiah 63:15 us: Hebrew "me."
9. Isaiah 63:18 For. . . us: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
10. Isaiah 64:2 Be. . . boil: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
11. Isaiah 64:5 saved: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 5.
12. Isaiah 64:7 and let. . . away: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
13. Isaiah 65:1 refused. . . me: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
14. Isaiah 65:4 burial. . . pigs: Coming in contact with the dead or eating the meat of pigs made a person unacceptable to God.
15. Isaiah 65:10 coastlands of Sharon. . . Achor Valley: Sharon is the coastal plain on the west, and Achor Valley is in the east near Jericho. These two places stand for the whole country.
16. Isaiah 65:15 new names: The giving of a new name suggests the beginning of a new life.
17. Isaiah 65:15 But I. . . servants: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
18. Isaiah 65:23 their children. . . diseases: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

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Philippians 2:19-3:4 (Contemporary English Version)

Timothy and Epaphroditus

 ¹⁹I want to be encouraged by news about you. So I hope the Lord Jesus will soon let me send Timothy to you. ²⁰I don't have anyone else who cares about you as much as he does. ²¹The others think only about what interests them and not about what concerns Christ Jesus. ²²But you know what kind of person Timothy is. He has worked with me like a son in spreading the good news. ²³I hope to send him to you, as soon as I find out what is going to happen to me. ²⁴And I feel sure that the Lord will also let me come soon.     ²⁵I think I ought to send my dear friend Epaphroditus back to you. He is a follower and a worker and a soldier of the Lord, just as I am. You sent him to look after me, ²⁶but now he is eager to see you. He is worried, because you heard he was sick. ²⁷In fact, he was very sick and almost died. But God was kind to him, and also to me, and he kept me from being burdened down with sorrow.
    ²⁸Now I am more eager than ever to send Epaphroditus back again. You will be glad to see him, and I won't have to worry any longer. ²⁹Be sure to give him a cheerful welcome, just as people who serve the Lord deserve. ³⁰He almost died working for Christ, and he risked his own life to do for me what you could not.
   

Philippians 3

Being Acceptable to God

 ¹Finally, my dear friends, be glad that you belong to the Lord. It doesn't bother me to write the same things to you that I have written before. In fact, it is for your own good.     ²Watch out for those people who behave like dogs! They are evil and want to do more than just circumcise you. ³But we are the ones who are truly circumcised, because we worship by the power of God's Spirit ^[a] and take pride in Christ Jesus. We don't brag about what we have done, ⁴although I could. Others may brag about themselves, but I have more reason to brag than anyone else.

Footnotes:

1. Philippians 3:3 by the power of God's Spirit: Some manuscripts have "sincerely."

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Psalm 73:1-28 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 73

BOOK III

(Psalms 73-89)

(A psalm by Asaph.)

God Is Good

 ¹God is truly good to Israel, ^[a] especially to everyone    with a pure heart.
    ²But I almost stumbled and fell,
    ³because it made me jealous
   to see proud and evil people
   and to watch them prosper.
    ⁴They never have to suffer, ^[b] they stay healthy,
    ⁵and they don't have troubles
   like everyone else.
    ⁶Their pride is like a necklace,
   and they commit sin
   more often
   than they dress themselves.
    ⁷Their eyes poke out with fat,
   and their minds are flooded
   with foolish thoughts.
    ⁸They sneer and say cruel things,
   and because of their pride,
   they make violent threats.
    ⁹They dare to speak against God
   and to order others around.
    ¹⁰God will bring his people back,
   and they will drink the water
   he so freely gives. ^{[c] 11}Only evil people would say,
   "God Most High cannot
   know everything!"
    ¹²Yet all goes well for them,
   and they live in peace.
    ¹³What good did it do me
   to keep my thoughts pure
   and refuse to do wrong?
    ¹⁴I am sick all day,
   and I am punished
   each morning.
    ¹⁵If I had said evil things,
   I would not have been loyal
   to your people.
    ¹⁶It was hard for me
   to understand all this!
    ¹⁷Then I went to your temple,
   and there I understood
   what will happen
   to my enemies.
    ¹⁸You will make them stumble,
   never to get up again.
    ¹⁹They will be terrified,
   suddenly swept away
   and no longer there.
    ²⁰They will disappear, Lord,
   despised like a bad dream
   the morning after.
    ²¹Once I was bitter
   and brokenhearted.
    ²²I was stupid and ignorant,
   and I treated you
   as a wild animal would.
    ²³But I never really left you,
   and you hold my right hand.
    ²⁴Your advice has been my guide,
   and later you will welcome me
   in glory. ^{[d] 25}In heaven I have only you,
   and on this earth
   you are all I want.
    ²⁶My body and mind may fail,
   but you are my strength
   and my choice forever.
    ²⁷Powerful LORD God,
   all who stay far from you
   will be lost,
   and you will destroy those
   who are unfaithful.
    ²⁸It is good for me
   to be near you.
   I choose you as my protector,
   and I will tell about
   your wonderful deeds.
   

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 73:1 to Israel: Or " to those who do right."
2. Psalm 73:4 They. . . suffer: Or " They die a painless death."
3. Psalm 73:10 gives: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 10.
4. Psalm 73:24 in glory: Or " with honor."

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Proverbs 24:13-14 (Contemporary English Version)

-26-

 ¹³ Honey is good for you,    my children,
   and it tastes sweet.
    ¹⁴Wisdom is like honey
   for your life--
   if you find it,
   your future is bright.

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Verse of the Day

“God will bless you when people insult you, mistreat you, and tell all kinds of evil lies about you because of me. Be happy and excited! You will have a great reward in heaven. People did these same things to the prophets who lived long ago.” - Matthew 5:11-12

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, French politician, founder of Mutualist philosophy, economist, and libertarian socialist, wrote, “When deeds speak, words are nothing.”