Bible Readings for September 11, 2015

Today our passages are Isaiah 8:1–9:21; 2 Corinthians 12:1-10; Psalm 55:1-23; and Proverbs 23:4-5. 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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Isaiah 8-9:21 (Contemporary English Version)

Isaiah 8

A Warning and a Hope

 ¹The LORD said, "Isaiah, get something to write on. Then write in big clear letters ^[a] the name, MAHER-SHALAL-HASH-BAZ. ^{[b] 2}I will have Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberechiah serve as witnesses to this." ³Sometime later, my wife and I had a son, and the LORD said, "Name him Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. ⁴Because before he can say `Mommy' or `Daddy', the king of Assyria will attack and take everything of value from Damascus and Samaria."     ⁵The LORD spoke to me again and said:
    ⁶These people have refused the gentle waters of Shiloah ^[c] and have gladly gone over to the side of King Rezin and King Pekah. ⁷Now I will send the king of Assyria against them with his powerful army, which will attack like the mighty Euphrates River overflowing its banks. ⁸Enemy soldiers will cover Judah like a flood reaching up to your neck. But God is with us. ^[d] He will spread his wings
   and protect our land. ^{[e] 9}All of you foreign nations,
   go ahead and prepare for war,
   but you will be crushed.
    ¹⁰Get together and make plans,
   but you will fail
   because God is with us.
    ¹¹The LORD took hold of me with his powerful hand and said:
   I'm warning you! Don't act like these people. ¹²Don't call something a rebellious plot, just because they do, and don't be afraid of something, just because they are. ¹³I am the one you should fear and respect. I am the holy God, the LORD All-Powerful! ^14-15Run to me for protection. I am a rock that will make both Judah and Israel stumble and break their bones. I am a trap that will catch the people of Jerusalem--they will be captured and dragged away.
   

Isaiah and His Followers

 ¹⁶My message and my teachings are to be sealed and given to my followers. ¹⁷Meanwhile, I patiently trust the LORD, even though he is no longer pleased with Israel. ¹⁸My children and I are warning signs to Israel from the LORD All-Powerful, who lives on Mount Zion.     ¹⁹Someone may say to you, "Go to the fortunetellers who make soft chirping sounds or ask the spirits of the dead. After all, a nation ought to be able to ask its own gods ²⁰what it should do."
   None of those who talk like that will live to see the light of day! ²¹They will go around in great pain and will become so hungry that they will angrily curse their king and their gods. And when they try to find help in heaven ²²and on earth, they will find only trouble and darkness, terrible trouble and deepest darkness.
   

Isaiah 9

 ¹But those who have suffered will no longer be in pain. ^[f] The territories of Zebulun and Naphtali in Galilee were once hated. But this land of the Gentiles across the Jordan River and along the Mediterranean Sea will be greatly respected.

War Is Over

 ²Those who walked in the dark    have seen a bright light.
   And it shines upon everyone
   who lives in the land
   of darkest shadows.
    ³Our LORD, you have made
   your nation stronger. ^[g] Because of you, its people
   are glad and celebrate
   like workers at harvest time
   or like soldiers dividing up
   what they have taken.
    ⁴You have broken the power
   of those who abused
   and enslaved your people.
   You have rescued them
   just as you saved your people
   from Midian. ^{[h] 5}The boots of marching warriors
   and the blood-stained uniforms
   have been fed to flames
   and eaten by fire.
   

A Child Has Been Born

 ⁶A child has been born for us.    We have been given a son
   who will be our ruler.
   His names will be
   Wonderful Advisor
   and Mighty God,
   Eternal Father
   and Prince of Peace.
    ⁷His power will never end;
   peace will last forever.
   He will rule David's kingdom
   and make it grow strong.
   He will always rule
   with honesty and justice.
   The LORD All-Powerful
   will make certain
   that all of this is done.
   

God Will Punish Israel

 ⁸The Lord had warned the people of Israel, ⁹and all of them knew it, including everyone in the capital city of Samaria. But they were proud and stubborn and said,     ¹⁰"Houses of brick and sycamore
   have fallen to the ground,
   but we will build houses
   with stones and cedar."
    ¹¹The LORD made their enemies ^[i] attack them. ¹²He sent the Arameans from the east and the Philistines from the west, and they swallowed up Israel. But even this did not stop him from being angry, so he kept on punishing them. ^{[j] 13}The people of Israel still did not turn back to the LORD All-Powerful and worship him. ¹⁴In one day he cut off their head and tail, their leaves and branches. ¹⁵Their rulers and leaders were the head, and the lying prophets were the tail. ¹⁶They had led the nation down the wrong path, and the people were confused. ¹⁷The Lord was angry with his people and kept punishing them, because they had turned against him. ^[k] They were evil and spoke foolishly. That's why he did not have pity on their young people or on their widows and orphans. ¹⁸Evil had spread like a raging forest fire sending thornbushes up in smoke. ¹⁹The LORD All-Powerful was angry and used the people as fuel for a fire that scorched the land. They turned against each other ²⁰like wild animals attacking and eating everyone around them, even their own relatives. ^[l] But still they were not satisfied. ²¹The tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh turned against each other, then joined forces to attack Judah. But the LORD was still angry and ready to punish the nation even more.

Footnotes:

1. Isaiah 8:1 in big clear letters: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
2. Isaiah 8:1 MAHER-SHALAL-HASH-BAZ: In Hebrew "Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz" means "suddenly attacked, quickly taken."
3. Isaiah 8:6 Shiloah: The canal that brought water from Gihon Spring to Jerusalem.
4. Isaiah 8:8 God is with us: Here and in verse 10 this translates the Hebrew word "Immanuel" (see 7.14).
5. Isaiah 8:8 But. . . land: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
6. Isaiah 9:1 will. . . pain: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
7. Isaiah 9:3 stronger: Or "happy" or "larger."
8. Isaiah 9:4 rescued. . . from Midian: The time when Gideon defeated the people of Midian in Jezreel Valley (see Judges 6-8).
9. Isaiah 9:11 their enemies: Hebrew "the enemies of Rezin."
10. Isaiah 9:12 so. . . them: Or "but he hasn't given up on them yet."
11. Isaiah 9:17 and kept. . . against him: Or "but even though they had turned against him, he still had not given up on them."
12. Isaiah 9:20 their own relatives: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

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2 Corinthians 12:1-10 (Contemporary English Version)

2 Corinthians 12

Visions from the Lord

 ¹I have to brag. There is nothing to be gained by it, but I must brag about the visions and other things that the Lord has shown me. ²I know about one of Christ's followers who was taken up into the third heaven fourteen years ago. I don't know if the man was still in his body when it happened, but God certainly knows.     ³As I said, only God really knows if this man was in his body at the time. ⁴But he was taken up into paradise, ^[a] where he heard things that are too wonderful to tell. ⁵I will brag about that man, but not about myself, except to say how weak I am. ⁶Yet even if I did brag, I would not be foolish. I would simply be speaking the truth. But I will try not to say too much. That way, none of you will think more highly of me than you should because of what you have seen me do and say. ⁷Of course, I am now referring to the wonderful things I saw. One of Satan's angels was sent to make me suffer terribly, so that I would not feel too proud. ^{[b] 8}Three times I begged the Lord to make this suffering go away. ⁹But he replied, "My kindness is all you need. My power is strongest when you are weak." So if Christ keeps giving me his power, I will gladly brag about how weak I am. ¹⁰Yes, I am glad to be weak or insulted or mistreated or to have troubles and sufferings, if it is for Christ. Because when I am weak, I am strong.
   

Footnotes:

1. 2 Corinthians 12:4 paradise: In the Greek translation of the Old Testament, this word is used for the Garden of Eden. In New Testament times it was sometimes used for the place where God's people are happy and at rest, as they wait for the final judgment.
2. 2 Corinthians 12:7 Of course. . . too proud: Or "Because of the wonderful things that I saw, one of Satan's angels was sent to make me suffer terribly, so that I would not feel too proud."

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Psalm 55:1-23 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 55

(A special psalm by David for the music leader. Use with stringed instruments.)

Betrayed by a Friend

 ¹Listen, God, to my prayer!    Don't reject my request.
    ²Please listen and help me.
   My thoughts are troubled,
   and I keep groaning
    ³because my loud enemies
   shout and attack.
   They treat me terribly
   and hold angry grudges.
    ⁴My heart is racing fast,
   and I am afraid of dying.
    ⁵I am trembling with fear,
   completely terrified.
    ⁶I wish I had wings
   like a dove,
   so I could fly far away
   and be at peace.
    ⁷I would go and live
   in some distant desert.
    ⁸I would quickly find shelter
   from howling winds
   and raging storms.
    ⁹Confuse my enemies, Lord!
   Upset their plans.
   Cruelty and violence
   are all I see in the city,
    ¹⁰and they are like guards
   on patrol day and night.
   The city is full of trouble,
   evil, ¹¹and corruption.
   Troublemakers and liars
   freely roam the streets.
    ¹²My enemies are not the ones
   who sneer and make fun.
   I could put up with that
   or even hide from them.
    ¹³But it was my closest friend,
   the one I trusted most.
    ¹⁴We enjoyed being together,
   and we went with others
   to your house, our God.
    ¹⁵All who hate me are controlled
   by the power of evil.
   Sentence them to death
   and send them down alive
   to the world of the dead.
    ¹⁶I ask for your help, LORD God,
   and you will keep me safe.
    ¹⁷Morning, noon, and night
   you hear my concerns
   and my complaints.
    ¹⁸I am attacked from all sides,
   but you will rescue me
   unharmed by the battle.
    ¹⁹You have always ruled,
   and you will hear me.
   You will defeat my enemies
   because they won't turn
   and worship you.
    ²⁰My friend turned against me
   and broke his promise.
    ²¹His words were smoother
   than butter,
   and softer
   than olive oil.
   But hatred filled his heart,
   and he was ready to attack
   with a sword.
    ²²Our LORD, we belong to you.
   We tell you what worries us,
   and you won't let us fall.
    ²³But what about those people
   who are cruel and brutal?
   You will throw them down
   into the deepest pit
   long before their time.
   I trust you, LORD!

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Proverbs 23:4-5 (Contemporary English Version)

-7-

 ⁴ Give up trying so hard    to get rich.
    ⁵Your money flies away
   before you know it,
   just like an eagle
   suddenly taking off.

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Verse of the Day

“[(A song for worship.)][The LORD Will Protect His People]I look to the hills! Where will I find help? It will come from the LORD, who created the heavens and the earth.” - Psalm 121:1-2

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

 

British Indian novelist and essayist, Salman Rushdie wrote, “How to defeat terrorism? Don't be terrorized. Don't let fear rule your life.”

Bible Readings for June 19, 2014

Today our passages are 1 Kings 20:1– 21:29; Acts 12:24–13:15; Psalm 137:1-9; and Proverbs 17:16. 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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1 Kings 20-21:29 (The Message)

1 Kings 20

 ^1-3 At about this same time Ben-Hadad king of Aram mustered his troops. He recruited in addition thirty-two local sheiks, all outfitted with horses and chariots. He set out in force and surrounded Samaria, ready to make war. He sent an envoy into the city to set his terms before Ahab king of Israel: "Ben-Hadad lays claim to your silver and gold, and to the pick of your wives and sons."  ⁴ The king of Israel accepted the terms: "As you say, distinguished lord; I and everything I have is yours."
 ^5-6 But then the envoy returned a second time, saying, "On second thought, I want it all—your silver and gold and all your wives and sons. Hand them over—the whole works. I'll give you twenty-four hours; then my servants will arrive to search your palace and the houses of your officials and loot them; anything that strikes their fancy, they'll take."
 ⁷ The king of Israel called a meeting of all his tribal elders. He said, "Look at this—outrageous! He's just looking for trouble. He means to clean me out, demanding all my women and children. And after I already agreed to pay him off handsomely!"
 ⁸ The elders, backed by the people, said, "Don't cave in to him. Don't give an inch."
 ⁹ So he sent an envoy to Ben-Hadad, "Tell my distinguished lord, 'I agreed to the terms you delivered the first time, but this I can't do—this I won't do!'"
    The envoy went back and delivered the answer.
 ¹⁰ Ben-Hadad shot back his response: "May the gods do their worst to me, and then worse again, if there'll be anything left of Samaria but rubble."
 ¹¹ The king of Israel countered, "Think about it—it's easier to start a fight than end one."
 ¹² It happened that when Ben-Hadad heard this retort he was into some heavy drinking, boozing it up with the sheiks in their field shelters. Drunkenly, he ordered his henchmen, "Go after them!" And they attacked the city.
 ¹³ Just then a lone prophet approached Ahab king of Israel and said, "God's word: Have you taken a good look at this mob? Well, look again—I'm turning it over to you this very day. And you'll know, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that I am God."
 ¹⁴ Ahab said, "Really? And who is going to make this happen?"
    God said, "The young commandos of the regional chiefs."
    "And who," said Ahab, "will strike the first blow?"
    God said, "You."
 ¹⁵ Ahab looked over the commandos of the regional chiefs; he counted 232. Then he assessed the available troops—7,000.
 ^16-17 At noon they set out after Ben-Hadad who, with his allies, the thirty-two sheiks, was busy at serious drinking in the field shelters. The commandos of the regional chiefs made up the vanguard.
    A report was brought to Ben-Hadad: "Men are on their way from Samaria."
 ¹⁸ He said, "If they've come in peace, take them alive as hostages; if they've come to fight, the same—take them alive as hostages."
 ^19-20 The commandos poured out of the city with the full army behind them. They hit hard in hand-to-hand combat. The Arameans scattered from the field, with Israel hard on their heels. But Ben-Hadad king of Aram got away on horseback, along with his cavalry.
 ²¹ The king of Israel cut down both horses and chariots—an enormous defeat for Aram.
 ²² Sometime later the prophet came to the king of Israel and said, "On the alert now—build up your army, assess your capabilities, and see what has to be done. Before the year is out, the king of Aram will be back in force."
 ^23-25 Meanwhile the advisors to the king of Aram said, "Their god is a god of the mountains—we don't stand a chance against them there. So let's engage them on the plain where we'll have the advantage. Here's the strategy: Remove each sheik from his place of leadership and replace him with a seasoned officer. Then recruit a fighting force equivalent in size to the army that deserted earlier—horse for horse, chariot for chariot. And we'll fight them on the plain—we're sure to prove stronger than they are."
    It sounded good to the king; he did what they advised.
 ^26-27 As the new year approached, Ben-Hadad rallied Aram and they went up to Aphek to make war on Israel. The Israelite army prepared to fight and took the field to meet Aram. They moved into battle formation before Aram in two camps, like two flocks of goats. The plain was seething with Arameans.
 ²⁸ Just then a holy man approached the king of Israel saying, "This is God's word: Because Aram said, 'God is a god of the mountains and not a god of the valleys,' I'll hand over this huge mob of an army to you. Then you'll know that I am God."
 ^29-30 The two armies were poised in a standoff for seven days. On the seventh day fighting broke out. The Israelites killed 100,000 of the Aramean infantry in one day. The rest of the army ran for their lives back to the city, Aphek, only to have the city wall fall on 27,000 of the survivors.
 ^30-31 Ben-Hadad escaped into the city and hid in a closet. Then his advisors told him, "Look, we've heard that the kings of Israel play by the rules; let's dress in old gunnysacks, carry a white flag of truce, and present ourselves to the king of Israel on the chance that he'll let you live."
 ³² So that's what they did. They dressed in old gunnysacks and carried a white flag, and came to the king of Israel saying, "Your servant Ben-Hadad said, 'Please let me live.'"
    Ahab said, "You mean to tell me that he's still alive? If he's alive, he's my brother."
 ³³ The men took this as a good sign and concluded that everything was going to be all right: "Ben-Hadad is most certainly your brother!"
    The king said, "Go and get him." They went and brought him back by chariot.
 ³⁴ Ahab said, "I am prepared to return the cities that my father took from your father. And you can set up your headquarters in Damascus just as my father did in Samaria; I'll send you home under safe conduct." Then he made a covenant with him and sent him off.
 ³⁵ A man who was one of the prophets said to a bystander, "Hit me; wound me. Do it for God's sake—it's his command. Hit me; wound me." But the man wouldn't do it.
 ³⁶ So he told him, "Because you wouldn't obey God's orders, as soon as you leave me a lion will attack you." No sooner had the man left his side than a lion met him and attacked.
 ³⁷ He then found another man and said, "Hit me; wound me." That man did it—hit him hard in the face, drawing blood.
 ^38-40 Then the prophet went and took a position along the road, with a bandage over his eyes, waiting for the king. It wasn't long before the king happened by. The man cried out to the king, "Your servant was in the thick of the battle when a man showed up and turned over a prisoner to me, saying, 'Guard this man with your life; if he turns up missing you'll pay dearly.' But I got busy doing one thing after another and the next time I looked he was gone."
    The king of Israel said, "You've just pronounced your own verdict."
 ⁴¹ At that, the man ripped the bandage off his eyes and the king recognized who he was—one of the prophets!
 ⁴² The man said to the king, "God's word: Because you let a man go who was under sentence by God, it's now your life for his, your people for his."
 ⁴³ The king of Israel went home in a sulk. He arrived in Samaria in a very bad mood.

1 Kings 21

 ^1-2And then, to top it off, came this: Naboth the Jezreelite owned a vineyard in Jezreel that bordered the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. One day Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, "Give me your vineyard so I can use it as a kitchen garden; it's right next to my house—so convenient. In exchange I'll give you a far better vineyard, or if you'd prefer I'll pay you money for it."  ^3-4 But Naboth told Ahab, "Not on your life! So help me God, I'd never sell the family farm to you!" Ahab went home in a black mood, sulking over Naboth the Jezreelite's words, "I'll never turn over my family inheritance to you." He went to bed, stuffed his face in his pillow, and refused to eat.
 ⁵ Jezebel his wife came to him. She said, "What's going on? Why are you so out of sorts and refusing to eat?"
 ⁶ He told her, "Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite. I said, 'Give me your vineyard—I'll pay you for it or, if you'd rather, I'll give you another vineyard in exchange.' And he said, 'I'll never give you my vineyard.'"
 ⁷ Jezebel said, "Is this any way for a king of Israel to act? Aren't you the boss? On your feet! Eat! Cheer up! I'll take care of this; I'll get the vineyard of this Naboth the Jezreelite for you."
 ^8-10 She wrote letters over Ahab's signature, stamped them with his official seal, and sent them to the elders in Naboth's city and to the civic leaders. She wrote "Call for a fast day and put Naboth at the head table. Then seat a couple of stool pigeons across from him who, in front of everybody will say, 'You! You blasphemed God and the king!' Then they'll throw him out and stone him to death."
 ^11-14 And they did it. The men of the city—the elders and civic leaders— followed Jezebel's instructions that she wrote in the letters sent to them. They called for a fast day and seated Naboth at the head table. Then they brought in two stool pigeons and seated them opposite Naboth. In front of everybody the two degenerates accused him, "He blasphemed God and the king!" The company threw him out in the street, stoned him mercilessly, and he died.
 ¹⁵ When Jezebel got word that Naboth had been stoned to death, she told Ahab, "Go for it, Ahab—take the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite for your own, the vineyard he refused to sell you. Naboth is no more; Naboth is dead."
 ¹⁶ The minute Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he set out for the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite and claimed it for his own.
 ^17-19 Then God stepped in and spoke to Elijah the Tishbite, "On your feet; go down and confront Ahab of Samaria, king of Israel. You'll find him in the vineyard of Naboth; he's gone there to claim it as his own. Say this to him: 'God's word: What's going on here? First murder, then theft?' Then tell him, 'God's verdict: The very spot where the dogs lapped up Naboth's blood, they'll lap up your blood—that's right, your blood.'"
 ^20-22 Ahab answered Elijah, "My enemy! So, you've run me down!"
    "Yes, I've found you out," said Elijah. "And because you've bought into the business of evil, defying God. 'I will most certainly bring doom upon you, make mincemeat of your descendants, kill off every sorry male wretch who's even remotely connected with the name Ahab. And I'll bring down on you the same fate that fell on Jeroboam son of Nebat and Baasha son of Ahijah—you've made me that angry by making Israel sin.'"
 ^23-24 As for Jezebel, God said, "Dogs will fight over the flesh of Jezebel all over Jezreel. Anyone tainted by Ahab who dies in the city will be eaten by stray dogs; corpses in the country will be eaten by carrion crows."
 ^25-26 Ahab, pushed by his wife Jezebel and in open defiance of God, set an alltime record in making big business of evil. He indulged in outrageous obscenities in the world of idols, copying the Amorites whom God had earlier kicked out of Israelite territory.
 ²⁷ When Ahab heard what Elijah had to say, he ripped his clothes to shreds, dressed in penitential rough burlap, and fasted. He even slept in coarse burlap pajamas. He tiptoed around, quiet as a mouse.
 ^28-29 Then God spoke to Elijah the Tishbite: "Do you see how penitently submissive Ahab has become to me? Because of his repentance I'll not bring the doom during his lifetime; Ahab's son, though, will get it."

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Acts 12:24-13:15 (The Message)

 ²⁴Meanwhile, the ministry of God's Word grew by leaps and bounds.
 ²⁵Barnabas and Saul, once they had delivered the relief offering to the church in Jerusalem, went back to Antioch. This time they took John with them, the one they called Mark.

Acts 13

Barnabas, Saul, and Doctor Know-It-All

 ^1-2The congregation in Antioch was blessed with a number of prophet-preachers and teachers:

   Barnabas,
   Simon, nicknamed Niger,
   Lucius the Cyrenian,
   Manaen, an advisor to the ruler Herod,
   Saul.
One day as they were worshiping God—they were also fasting as they waited for guidance—the Holy Spirit spoke: "Take Barnabas and Saul and commission them for the work I have called them to do."  ³So they commissioned them. In that circle of intensity and obedience, of fasting and praying, they laid hands on their heads and sent them off.
 ^4-5Sent off on their new assignment by the Holy Spirit, Barnabas and Saul went down to Seleucia and caught a ship for Cyprus. The first thing they did when they put in at Salamis was preach God's Word in the Jewish meeting places. They had John along to help out as needed.
 ^6-7They traveled the length of the island, and at Paphos came upon a Jewish wizard who had worked himself into the confidence of the governor, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man not easily taken in by charlatans. The wizard's name was Bar-Jesus. He was as crooked as a corkscrew.
 ^7-11The governor invited Barnabas and Saul in, wanting to hear God's Word firsthand from them. But Dr. Know-It-All (that's the wizard's name in plain English) stirred up a ruckus, trying to divert the governor from becoming a believer. But Saul (or Paul), full of the Holy Spirit and looking him straight in the eye, said, "You bag of wind, you parody of a devil—why, you stay up nights inventing schemes to cheat people out of God. But now you've come up against God himself, and your game is up. You're about to go blind—no sunlight for you for a good long stretch." He was plunged immediately into a shadowy mist and stumbled around, begging people to take his hand and show him the way.
 ¹²When the governor saw what happened, he became a believer, full of enthusiasm over what they were saying about the Master.

Don't Take This Lightly

 ^13-14From Paphos, Paul and company put out to sea, sailing on to Perga in Pamphylia. That's where John called it quits and went back to Jerusalem. From Perga the rest of them traveled on to Antioch in Pisidia.  ^14-15On the Sabbath they went to the meeting place and took their places. After the reading of the Scriptures—God's Law and the Prophets—the president of the meeting asked them, "Friends, do you have anything you want to say? A word of encouragement, perhaps?"

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Psalm 137:1-9 (The Message)

Psalm 137

    Alongside Babylon's rivers we sat on the banks; we cried and cried,
      remembering the good old days in Zion.
   Alongside the quaking aspens
      we stacked our unplayed harps;
   That's where our captors demanded songs,
      sarcastic and mocking:
      "Sing us a happy Zion song!"

 ^4-6 Oh, how could we ever sing God's song
      in this wasteland?
   If I ever forget you, Jerusalem,
      let my fingers wither and fall off like leaves.
   Let my tongue swell and turn black
      if I fail to remember you,
   If I fail, O dear Jerusalem,
      to honor you as my greatest.

 ^7-9 God, remember those Edomites,
      and remember the ruin of Jerusalem,
   That day they yelled out,
      "Wreck it, smash it to bits!"
   And you, Babylonians—ravagers!
      A reward to whoever gets back at you
      for all you've done to us;
   Yes, a reward to the one who grabs your babies
      and smashes their heads on the rocks! 

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Proverbs 17:16 (The Message)

 ¹⁶ What's this? Fools out shopping for wisdom!
   They wouldn't recognize it if they saw it!

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Verse of the Day

“A husband should love his wife as much as Christ loved the church and gave his life for it. He made the church holy by the power of his word, and he made it pure by washing it with water.” - Ephesians 5:25-26

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

 

Indian British novelist and essayist, Salman Rushdie wrote, “I do not envy people who think they have a complete explanation of the world, for the simple reason that they are obviously wrong.”