Bible Readings for July 2, 2019

Today our passages are 2 Kings 20:1–22:2; Acts 21:17-36; Psalm 150:1-6; and Proverbs 18:9-10. 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 by using the link below. 

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2 Kings 20-22:2 (Contemporary English Version)

2 Kings 20

Hezekiah Gets Sick and Almost Dies

(2 Chronicles 32.24-26; Isaiah 38.1-8,21,22)

 ¹About this time, Hezekiah got sick and was almost dead. Isaiah the prophet went in and told him, "The LORD says you won't ever get well. You are going to die, so you had better start doing what needs to be done."     ²Hezekiah turned toward the wall and prayed, ³"Don't forget that I have been faithful to you, LORD. I have obeyed you with all my heart, and I do whatever you say is right." After this, he cried hard.
    ⁴Before Isaiah got to the middle court of the palace, ⁵the LORD sent him back to Hezekiah with this message:
   Hezekiah, you are the ruler of my people, and I am the LORD God, who was worshiped by your ancestor David. I heard you pray, and I saw you cry. I will heal you, so that three days from now you will be able to worship in my temple.⁶I will let you live fifteen years more, while I protect you and your city from the king of Assyria. I will defend this city as an honor to me and to my servant David.
    ⁷Then Isaiah said to the king's servants, "Bring some mashed figs and place them on the king's open sore. He will then get well."
    ⁸Hezekiah asked Isaiah, "Can you prove that the LORD will heal me, so that I can worship in his temple in three days?"
    ⁹Isaiah replied, "The LORD will prove to you that he will keep his promise. Will the shadow made by the setting sun on the stairway go forward ten steps or back ten steps?" ^[a] ¹⁰"It's normal for the sun to go forward," Hezekiah answered. "But how can it go back?"
    ¹¹Isaiah prayed, and the LORD made the shadow go back ten steps on the stairway built for King Ahaz. ^[b] 

The LORD Is Still with Hezekiah

(Isaiah 39.1-8)

 ¹²Merodach ^[c] Baladan, the son of Baladan, was now king of Babylonia. ^[d] And when he learned that Hezekiah had been sick, he sent messengers with letters and a gift for him. ¹³Hezekiah welcomed ^[e] the messengers and showed them all the silver, the gold, the spices, and the fine oils that were in his storehouse. He even showed them where he kept his weapons. Nothing in his palace or in his entire kingdom was kept hidden from them. ¹⁴Isaiah asked Hezekiah, "Where did these men come from? What did they want?"    "They came all the way from Babylonia," Hezekiah answered.
    ¹⁵"What did you show them?" Isaiah asked.
   Hezekiah answered, "I showed them everything in my kingdom."
    ¹⁶Then Isaiah told Hezekiah:
   I have a message for you from the LORD. ¹⁷One day everything you and your ancestors have stored up will be taken to Babylonia. The LORD has promised that nothing will be left. ¹⁸Some of your own sons will be taken to Babylonia, where they will be disgraced and made to serve in the king's palace.
    ¹⁹Hezekiah thought, "At least our nation will be at peace for a while." So he told Isaiah, "The message you brought me from the LORD is good."     

Hezekiah Dies

(2 Chronicles 32.32,33)

 ²⁰Everything else Hezekiah did while he was king, including how he made the upper pool and tunnel to bring water into Jerusalem, is written in The History of the Kings of Judah. ²¹Hezekiah died, and his son Manasseh became king.     

2 Kings 21

King Manasseh of Judah

(2 Chronicles 33.1-20)

 ¹Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled fifty-five years from Jerusalem. His mother was Hephzibah. ²Manasseh disobeyed the LORD by following the disgusting customs of the nations that the LORD had forced out of Israel. ³He rebuilt the local shrines that his father Hezekiah had torn down. He built altars for the god Baal and set up a sacred pole for worshiping the goddess Asherah, just as King Ahab of Israel had done. And he faithfully worshiped the stars in heaven.     ⁴In the temple, where only the LORD was supposed to be worshiped, Manasseh built altars for pagan gods ⁵and for the stars. He placed these altars in both courts of the temple, ^6-7and even set up the pole for Asherah there. Manasseh practiced magic and witchcraft; he asked fortunetellers for advice and sacrificed his own son. He did many sinful things and made the LORD very angry.
   Years ago the LORD had told David and his son Solomon:
   Jerusalem is the place I prefer above all others in Israel. It belongs to me, and there I will be worshiped forever. ⁸If my people will faithfully obey all the commands in the Law of my servant Moses, I will never make them leave the land I gave to their ancestors.
    ⁹But the people of Judah disobeyed the LORD. They listened to Manasseh and did even more sinful things than the nations the LORD had wiped out.
    ¹⁰One day the LORD said to some of his prophets:
    ¹¹King Manasseh has done more disgusting things than the Amorites, ^[f] and he has led my people to sin by forcing them to worship his idols. ¹²Now I, the LORD God of Israel, will destroy both Jerusalem and Judah! People will hear about it but won't believe it. ¹³Jerusalem is as sinful as Ahab and the people of Samaria were. So I will wipe out Jerusalem and be done with it, just as someone wipes water off a plate and turns it over to dry. ¹⁴I will even get rid of my people who survive. They will be defeated and robbed by their enemies. ¹⁵My people have done what I hate and have not stopped making me angry since their ancestors left Egypt.
    ¹⁶Manasseh was guilty of causing the people of Judah to sin and disobey the LORD. He also refused to protect innocent people--he even let so many of them be killed ^[g] that their blood filled the streets of Jerusalem. ¹⁷Everything else Manasseh did while he was king, including his terrible sins, is written in The History of the Kings of Judah. ¹⁸He died and was buried in Uzza Garden near his palace, and his son Amon became king.     

King Amon of Judah

(2 Chronicles 33.21-25)

 ¹⁹Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled from Jerusalem for two years. His mother Meshullemeth was the daughter of Haruz from Jotbah. ²⁰Amon disobeyed the LORD, just as his father Manasseh had done. ²¹Amon worshiped the idols Manasseh had made and ²²refused to be faithful to the LORD, the God his ancestors had worshiped.     ²³Some of Amon's officials plotted against him and killed him in his palace. ^24-26He was buried in Uzza Garden. Soon after that, the people of Judah killed the murderers of Amon, then they made his son Josiah king.
   Everything else Amon did while he was king is written in The History of the Kings of Judah.
    

2 Kings 22

King Josiah of Judah

(2 Chronicles 34.1,2)

 ¹Josiah was eight years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled thirty-one years from Jerusalem. His mother Jedidah was the daughter of Adaiah from Bozkath. ²Josiah always obeyed the LORD, just as his ancestor David had done.     

Footnotes:

1. 2 Kings 20:9 Will. . . steps: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
2. 2 Kings 20:11 the shadow. . . Ahaz: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
3. 2 Kings 20:12 Merodach: The Hebrew text has "Berodach," another spelling of the name.
4. 2 Kings 20:12 Merodach Baladan. . . Babylonia: Ruled Babylonia 722-710 and 704-703 B.C.
5. 2 Kings 20:13 welcomed: Or "listened to."
6. 2 Kings 21:11 Amorites: Here used in the general sense of nations that lived in Canaan before the Israelites.
7. 2 Kings 21:16 He also refused. . . killed: Or "He killed so many innocent people."

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Acts 21:17-36 (Contemporary English Version)

Paul Visits James

 ¹⁷When we arrived in Jerusalem, the Lord's followers gladly welcomed us. ¹⁸Paul went with us to see James ^[a] the next day, and all the church leaders were present. ¹⁹Paul greeted them and told how God had used him to help the Gentiles. ²⁰Everyone who heard this praised God and said to Paul: My friend, you can see how many tens of thousands of the Jewish people have become followers! And all of them are eager to obey the Law of Moses. ²¹But they have been told that you are teaching those who live among the Gentiles to disobey this Law. They claim that you are telling them not to circumcise their sons or to follow Jewish customs.     ²²What should we do now that our people have heard that you are here? ²³Please do what we ask, because four of our men have made special promises to God. ²⁴Join with them and prepare yourself for the ceremony that goes with the promises. Pay the cost for their heads to be shaved. Then everyone will learn that the reports about you are not true. They will know that you do obey the Law of Moses.
    ²⁵Some while ago we told the Gentile followers what we think they should do. We instructed them not to eat anything offered to idols. They were told not to eat any meat with blood still in it or the meat of an animal that has been strangled. They were also told not to commit any terrible sexual sins. ^[b] ²⁶The next day Paul took the four men with him and got himself ready at the same time they did. Then he went into the temple and told when the final ceremony would take place and when an offering would be made for each of them.     

Paul Is Arrested

 ²⁷When the period of seven days for the ceremony was almost over, some of the Jewish people from Asia saw Paul in the temple. They got a large crowd together and started attacking him. ²⁸They were shouting, "Friends, help us! This man goes around everywhere, saying bad things about our nation and about the Law of Moses and about this temple. He has even brought shame to this holy temple by bringing in Gentiles." ²⁹Some of them thought that Paul had brought Trophimus from Ephesus into the temple, because they had seen them together in the city.     ³⁰The whole city was in an uproar, and the people turned into a mob. They grabbed Paul and dragged him out of the temple. Then suddenly the doors were shut. ³¹The people were about to kill Paul when the Roman army commander heard that all Jerusalem was starting to riot. ³²So he quickly took some soldiers and officers and ran to where the crowd had gathered.
   As soon as the mob saw the commander and soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. ³³The army commander went over and arrested him and had him bound with two chains. Then he tried to find out who Paul was and what he had done. ³⁴Part of the crowd shouted one thing, and part of them shouted something else. But they were making so much noise that the commander could not find out a thing. Then he ordered Paul to be taken into the fortress. ³⁵As they reached the steps, the crowd became so wild that the soldiers had to lift Paul up and carry him. ³⁶The crowd followed and kept shouting, "Kill him! Kill him!"
    

Footnotes:

1. Acts 21:18 James: The Lord's brother.
2. Acts 21:25 not to commit any terrible sexual sins: See the note at 15.20.

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Psalm 150:1-6 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 150

The LORD Is Good to His People

 ¹Shout praises to the LORD!    Praise God in his temple.
   Praise him in heaven,
   his mighty fortress.
    ²Praise our God!
   His deeds are wonderful,
   too marvelous to describe.
    ³Praise God with trumpets
   and all kinds of harps.
    ⁴Praise him with tambourines
   and dancing,
   with stringed instruments
   and woodwinds.
    ⁵Praise God with cymbals,
   with clashing cymbals.
    ⁶Let every living creature
   praise the LORD.
   Shout praises to the LORD! 

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Proverbs 18:9-10 (Contemporary English Version)

⁹Being lazy is no different
   from being a troublemaker.
    ¹⁰The LORD is a mighty tower
   where his people can run
   for safety-- 

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Verse of the Day

“You people of Judah are so deceitful that you even fool yourselves, and you can't change. But I know your deeds and your thoughts, and I will make sure you get what you deserve.” - Jeremiah 17:9-10 

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

American writer of more than one hundred books for children and young adults, Jean Craighead George wrote, “My writing process is a mix of research, personal experiences, washing the dishes, raising kids while thinking - then writing.”

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Verse of the Day

If you are on Facebook, I am sure you will find this hilarious.

The 76-year-old woman walked down the hallway of Clearview Addictions Clinic, searching for the right department. She passed signs for the "Heroin Addiction Department (HAD)," the "Smoking Addiction Department (SAD)" and the "Bingo Addiction Department (BAD)." Then she spotted the department she was looking for: "Facebook Addiction Department (FAD)."

It was the busiest department in the clinic, with about three dozen people filling the waiting room, most of them staring blankly into their Blackberries and iPhones. A middle-aged man with unkempt hair was pacing the room, muttering,"I need to milk my cows. I need to milk my cows."
A twenty-something man was prone on the floor, his face buried in his hands, while a curly-haired woman comforted him.

"Don't worry. It'll be all right."

"I just don't understand it. I thought my update was LOL-worthy, but none of my friends even clicked the 'like' button."

"How long has it been?"

"Almost five minutes. That's like five months in the real world."

The 76-year-old woman waited until her name was called, then followed the receptionist into the office of Alfred Zulu, Facebook Addiction Counselor.

"Please have a seat, Edna," he said with a warm smile. "And tell me how it all started."

"Well, it's all my grandson's fault. He sent me an invitation to join Facebook. I had never heard of Facebook before, but I thought it was something for me, because I usually have my face in a book."

"How soon were you hooked?"

"Faster than you can say 'create a profile.' I found myself on Facebook at least eight times each day -- and more times at night. Sometimes I'd wake up in the middle of the night to check it, just in case there was an update from one of my new friends in India . My husband didn't like that. He said that friendship is a precious thing and should never be outsourced."

"What do you like most about Facebook?"

"It makes me feel like I have a life. In the real world, I have only five or six friends, but on Facebook, I have 674. I'm even friends with Juan Carlos Montoya."

"Who's he?"

"I don't know, but he's got 4,000 friends, so he must be famous."

"Facebook has helped you make some connections, I see."

"Oh yes. I've even connected with some of the gals from high school -- I still call them 'gals.' I hadn't heard from some of them in ages, so it was exciting to look at their profiles and figure out who's retired, who's still working, and who's had some work done. I love browsing their photos and reading their updates. I know where they've been on vacation, which movies they've watched, and whether they hang their toilet paper over or under. I've also been playing a game with some of them."

"Let me guess. Farmville?"

"No, Mafia Wars. I'm a Hitman. No one messes with Edna."

"Wouldn't you rather meet some of your friends in person?"

"No, not really. It's so much easier on Facebook. We don't need to gussy ourselves up. We don't need to take baths or wear perfume or use mouthwash. That's the best thing about Facebook -- you can't smell anyone. Everyone is attractive, because everyone has picked a good profile pic. One of the gals is using a profile pic that was taken, I'm pretty certain, during the Eisenhower Administration. "

"What pic are you using?"

"Well, I spent five hours searching for a profile pic, but couldn't find one I really liked. So I decided to visit the local beauty salon."

"To make yourself look prettier?"

"No, to take a pic of one of the young ladies there. That's what I'm using."

"Didn't your friends notice that you look different?"

"Some of them did, but I just told them I've been doing lots of yoga."

"When did you realize that your Facebooking might be a problem?"

"I realized it last Sunday night, when I was on Facebook and saw a message on my wall from my husband: 'I moved out of the house five days ago. Just thought you should know.'"

"What did you do?"

"What else? I unfriended him of course!"

Bible Readings for July 1, 2019

Today our passages are 2 Kings 18:13–19:37; Acts 21:1-16; Psalm 149:1-9; and Proverbs 18:8. 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 by using the link below.

 

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2 Kings 18:13-19:37 (Contemporary English Version)

King Sennacherib of Assyria Invades Judah

(2 Chronicles 32.1-19; Isaiah 36.1-22)

 ¹³In the fourteenth year of Hezekiah's rule in Judah, King Sennacherib of Assyria invaded the country and captured every walled city, ^[a] except Jerusalem. ¹⁴Hezekiah sent this message to Sennacherib, who was in the town of Lachish: "I know I am guilty of rebellion. But I will pay you whatever you want, if you stop your attack." Sennacherib told Hezekiah to pay about eleven tons of silver and almost a ton of gold. ¹⁵So Hezekiah collected all the silver from the LORD's temple and the royal treasury. ¹⁶He even stripped the gold that he had used to cover the doors and doorposts ^[b] in the temple. He gave it all to Sennacherib. ¹⁷The king of Assyria ordered his three highest military officers to leave Lachish and take a large army to Jerusalem. When they arrived, the officers stood on the road near the cloth makers' shops along the canal from the upper pool. ¹⁸They called out to Hezekiah, and three of his highest officials came out to meet them. One of them was Hilkiah's son Eliakim, who was the prime minister. The other two were Shebna, assistant to the prime minister, and Joah son of Asaph, keeper of the government records.     ¹⁹One of the Assyrian commanders told them:
   I have a message for Hezekiah from the great king of Assyria. Ask Hezekiah why he feels so sure of himself. ²⁰Does he think he can plan and win a war with nothing but words? Who is going to help him, now that he has turned against the king of Assyria? ²¹Is he depending on Egypt and its king? That's the same as leaning on a broken stick, and it will go right through his hand.
    ²²Is Hezekiah now depending on the LORD your God? Didn't Hezekiah tear down all except one of the LORD's altars and places of worship? ^[c] Didn't he tell the people of Jerusalem and Judah to worship at that one place? ²³The king of Assyria wants to make a bet with you people. He will give you two thousand horses, if you have enough troops to ride them. ²⁴How could you even defeat our lowest ranking officer, when you have to depend on Egypt for chariots and cavalry? ²⁵Don't forget that it was the LORD who sent me here with orders to destroy your nation!
    ²⁶Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said, "Sir, we don't want the people listening from the city wall to understand what you are saying. So please speak to us in Aramaic instead of Hebrew."
    ²⁷The Assyrian army commander answered, "My king sent me to speak to everyone, not just to you leaders. These people will soon have to eat their own body waste and drink their own urine! And so will the three of you."
    ²⁸Then, in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, he shouted in Hebrew:
   Listen to what the great king of Assyria says! ²⁹Don't be fooled by Hezekiah. He can't save you. ³⁰Don't trust him when he tells you that the LORD will protect you from the king of Assyria. ³¹Stop listening to Hezekiah! Pay attention to my king. Surrender to him. He will let you keep your own vineyards, fig trees, and cisterns ³²for a while. Then he will come and take you away to a country just like yours, where you can plant vineyards, raise your own grain, and have plenty of olive oil and honey. Believe me, you won't starve there.
   Hezekiah claims the LORD will save you. But don't be fooled by him. ³³Were any other gods able to defend their land against the king of Assyria? ³⁴What happened to the gods of Hamath and Arpad? What about the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Were the gods of Samaria able to protect their land against the Assyrian forces? ³⁵None of these gods kept their people safe from the king of Assyria. Do you think the LORD your God can do any better?
    ^36-37Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah had been warned by King Hezekiah not to answer the Assyrian commander. So they tore their clothes in sorrow and reported to Hezekiah everything the commander had said.
    

2 Kings 19

Hezekiah Asks Isaiah the Prophet for Advice

(Isaiah 37.1-13)

 ¹As soon as Hezekiah heard the news, he tore off his clothes in sorrow and put on sackcloth. Then he went into the temple of the LORD. ²He told Prime Minister Eliakim, Assistant Prime Minister Shebna, and the senior priests to dress in sackcloth and tell the prophet Isaiah:     ³These are difficult and disgraceful times. Our nation is like a woman too weak to give birth, when it's time for her baby to be born. ⁴Please pray for those of us who are left alive. The king of Assyria sent his army commander to insult the living God. Perhaps the LORD heard what he said and will do something, if you will pray.
    ⁵When these leaders went to Isaiah, ⁶he told them that the LORD had this message for Hezekiah:
   I am the LORD. Don't worry about the insulting things that have been said about me by these messengers from the king of Assyria. ⁷I will upset him with rumors about what's happening in his own country. He will go back, and there I will make him die a violent death.
    ⁸Meanwhile, the commander of the Assyrian forces heard that his king had left the town of Lachish and was now attacking Libnah. So he went there.
    ⁹About this same time the king of Assyria learned that King Tirhakah of Ethiopia ^[d] was on his way to attack him. Then the king of Assyria sent some messengers with this note for Hezekiah: ¹⁰Don't trust your God or be fooled by his promise to defend Jerusalem against me. ¹¹You have heard how we Assyrian kings have completely wiped out other nations. What makes you feel so safe? ¹²The Assyrian kings before me destroyed the towns of Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and everyone from Eden who lived in Telassar. What good did their gods do them? ¹³The kings of Hamath, Arpad, Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah have all disappeared.     

Hezekiah Prays

(Isaiah 37.14-20)

 ¹⁴After Hezekiah had read the note from the king of Assyria, he took it to the temple and spread it out for the LORD to see. ¹⁵He prayed:    LORD God of Israel, your throne is above the winged creatures. ^[e] You created the heavens and the earth, and you alone rule the kingdoms of this world. ¹⁶But just look how Sennacherib has insulted you, the living God. ¹⁷It is true, our LORD, that Assyrian kings have turned nations into deserts. ¹⁸They destroyed the idols of wood and stone that the people of those nations had made and worshiped. ¹⁹But you are our LORD and our God! We ask you to keep us safe from the Assyrian king. Then everyone in every kingdom on earth will know that you are the only God.     

The LORD's Answer to Hezekiah

(Isaiah 37.21-35)

 ²⁰Isaiah went to Hezekiah and told him that the LORD God of Israel had said:    Hezekiah, I heard your prayer about King Sennacherib of Assyria. ²¹Now this is what I say to that king:
   The people of Jerusalem
   hate and make fun of you;
   they laugh
   behind your back.
    ²²Sennacherib, you cursed,
   shouted, and sneered at me,
   the holy God of Israel.
    ²³You let your officials
   insult me, the Lord.
   And here is what you
   have said about yourself,
   "I led my chariots
   to the highest heights
   of Lebanon's mountains.
   I went deep into its forest,
   cutting down the best cedar
   and cypress trees.
    ²⁴I dried up every stream
   in the land of Egypt,
   and I drank water
   from wells I had dug."
    ²⁵Sennacherib, now listen
   to me, the Lord.
   I planned all this long ago.
   And you don't even realize
   that I alone am the one
   who decided that you
   would do these things.
   I let you make ruins
   of fortified cities.
    ²⁶Their people became weak,
   terribly confused.
   They were like wild flowers
   or tender young grass
   growing on a flat roof,
   scorched before it matures. ^[f] ²⁷I know all about you,
   even how fiercely angry
   you are with me.
    ²⁸I have seen your pride
   and the tremendous hatred
   you have for me.
   Now I will put a hook
   in your nose,
   a bit in your mouth, ^[g] then I will send you back
   to where you came from.
    ²⁹Hezekiah, I will tell you what's going to happen. This year you will eat crops that grow on their own, and the next year you will eat whatever springs up where those crops grew. But the third year you will plant grain and vineyards, and you will eat what you harvest. ³⁰Those who survive in Judah will be like a vine that puts down deep roots and bears fruit. ³¹I, the LORD All-Powerful, will see to it that some who live in Jerusalem will survive.
    ³²I promise that the king of Assyria won't get into Jerusalem, or shoot an arrow into the city, or even surround it and prepare to attack. ³³As surely as I am the LORD, he will return by the way he came and will never enter Jerusalem. ³⁴I will protect it for myself and for my servant David.     

The Death of King Sennacherib

(Isaiah 37.36-38)

 ³⁵That same night the LORD sent an angel to the camp of the Assyrians, and he killed one hundred eighty-five thousand of them. And so the next morning, the camp was full of dead bodies. ³⁶After this King Sennacherib went back to Assyria and lived in the city of Nineveh. ³⁷One day he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, when his sons, Adrammelech and Sharezer, killed him with their swords. They escaped to the land of Ararat, and his son Esarhaddon became king. ^[h] 

Footnotes:

1. 2 Kings 18:13 King Sennacherib. . . walled city: Sennacherib ruled Assyria 705-681 B.C., and this event probably took place in 701 B.C.
2. 2 Kings 18:16 doorposts: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
3. 2 Kings 18:22 worship: Hezekiah actually had torn down the places where idols were worshiped, and he had told the people to worship the LORD at the one place of worship in Jerusalem. But the Assyrian leader was confused and thought these were also places where the LORD was supposed to be worshiped.
4. 2 Kings 19:9 Ethiopia: The Hebrew text has "Cush," which was a region south of Egypt that included parts of the present countries of Ethiopia and Sudan.
5. 2 Kings 19:15 winged creatures: Two winged creatures made of gold were on the top of the sacred chest and were symbols of the LORD's throne on earth (see Exodus 25.18; 2 Samuel 6.2).
6. 2 Kings 19:26 tender young grass. . . matures: Many of the houses had roofs made of packed earth. Grass would sometimes grow out of the roof, but would die quickly because of the sun and hot winds.
7. 2 Kings 19:28 I will put. . . your mouth: This is how the Assyrians treated their prisoners, and now the LORD will treat Sennacherib the same way.
8. 2 Kings 19:37 Esarhaddon became king: Ruled Assyria 681-669 B.C.

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Acts 21:1-16 (Contemporary English Version)

Acts 21

Paul Goes to Jerusalem

 ¹After saying good-by, we sailed straight to Cos. The next day we reached Rhodes and from there sailed on to Patara. ²We found a ship going to Phoenicia, so we got on board and sailed off.     ³We came within sight of Cyprus and then sailed south of it on to the port of Tyre in Syria, where the ship was going to unload its cargo. ⁴We looked up the Lord's followers and stayed with them for a week. The Holy Spirit had told them to warn Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. ⁵But when the week was over, we started on our way again. All the men, together with their wives and children, walked with us from the town to the seashore. We knelt on the beach and prayed. ⁶Then after saying good-by to each other, we got into the ship, and they went back home.
    ⁷We sailed from Tyre to Ptolemais, where we greeted the followers and stayed with them for a day. ⁸The next day we went to Caesarea and stayed with Philip, the preacher. He was one of the seven men who helped the apostles, ⁹and he had four unmarried ^[a] daughters who prophesied. ¹⁰We had been in Caesarea for several days, when the prophet Agabus came to us from Judea. ¹¹He took Paul's belt, and with it he tied up his own hands and feet. Then he told us, "The Holy Spirit says that some of the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will tie up the man who owns this belt. They will also hand him over to the Gentiles." ¹²After Agabus said this, we and the followers living there begged Paul not to go to Jerusalem.
    ¹³But Paul answered, "Why are you crying and breaking my heart? I am not only willing to be put in jail for the Lord Jesus. I am even willing to die for him in Jerusalem!"
    ¹⁴Since we could not get Paul to change his mind, we gave up and prayed, "Lord, please make us willing to do what you want."
    ¹⁵Then we got ready to go to Jerusalem. ¹⁶Some of the followers from Caesarea went with us and took us to stay in the home of Mnason. He was from Cyprus and had been a follower from the beginning.
    

Footnotes:

1. Acts 21:9 unmarried: Or "virgin."

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Psalm 149:1-9 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 149

A New Song of Praise

 ¹Shout praises to the LORD!    Sing him a new song of praise
   when his loyal people meet.
    ²People of Israel, rejoice
   because of your Creator.
   People of Zion, celebrate
   because of your King.
    ³Praise his name by dancing
   and playing music on harps
   and tambourines.
    ⁴The LORD is pleased
   with his people,
   and he gives victory
   to those who are humble.
    ⁵All of you faithful people,
   praise our glorious Lord!
   Celebrate and worship.
    ⁶Praise God with songs
   on your lips
   and a sword in your hand.
    ⁷Take revenge and punish
   the nations.
    ⁸Put chains of iron
   on their kings and rulers.
    ⁹Punish them as they deserve;
   this is the privilege
   of God's faithful people.
   Shout praises to the LORD! 

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Proverbs 18:8 (Contemporary English Version)

⁸There's nothing so delicious
   as the taste of gossip!
   It melts in your mouth.

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Verse of the Day

“I realize how kind God has been to me, and so I tell each of you not to think you are better than you really are. Use good sense and measure yourself by the amount of faith that God has given you.” - Romans 12:3 

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

United States Secretary of the Navy from 1861 to 1869, Gideon Welles wrote, “It is vain to expect a well-balanced government without a well-balanced society.”

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A Joke for Today

A young woman came home and told her mom that her steady boyfriend had proposed, but she had turned him down because she found out he was an atheist, and didn't believe in Heaven or Hell. "Marry him anyway, honey. Between the two of us, we'll show him just how very wrong he is."

Bible Readings for June 30, 2019

Today our passages are 2 Kings 17:1–18:12; Acts 20:1-38; Psalm 148:1-14; and Proverbs 18:6-7. 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 by using the link below.

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2 Kings 17-18:12 (Contemporary English Version)

2 Kings 17

King Hoshea of Israel

 ¹Hoshea son of Elah became king of Israel in the twelfth year of Ahaz's rule in Judah, and he ruled nine years from Samaria. ²Hoshea disobeyed the LORD and sinned, but not as much as the earlier Israelite kings had done.     ³During Hoshea's rule, King Shalmaneser of Assyria ^[a] invaded Israel; he took control of the country and made Hoshea pay taxes. ⁴But later, Hoshea refused to pay the taxes and asked King So of Egypt to help him rebel. When Shalmaneser found out, he arrested Hoshea and put him in prison. 

Samaria Is Destroyed and the Israelites Are Taken to Assyria

 ⁵Shalmaneser invaded Israel and attacked the city of Samaria for three years, ⁶before capturing it in the ninth year of Hoshea's rule. The Assyrian king ^[b] took the Israelites away to Assyria as prisoners. He forced some of them to live in the town of Halah, others to live near the Habor River in the territory of Gozan, and still others to live in towns where the Median people lived. ⁷All of this happened because the people of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had rescued them from Egypt, where they had been slaves. They worshiped foreign gods, ⁸followed the customs of the nations that the LORD had forced out of Israel, and were just as sinful as the Israelite kings. ⁹Even worse, the Israelites tried to hide their sins from the LORD their God. They built their own local shrines everywhere in Israel--from small towns to large, walled cities. ¹⁰They also built stone images of foreign gods and set up sacred poles ^[c] for the worship of Asherah on every hill and under every shady tree. ¹¹They offered sacrifices at the shrines, ^[d] just as the foreign nations had done before the LORD forced them out of Israel. They did sinful things that made the LORD very angry. ¹²Even though the LORD had commanded the Israelites not to worship idols, ^[e] they did it anyway. ¹³So the LORD made sure that every prophet warned Israel and Judah with these words: "I, the LORD, command you to stop doing sinful things and start obeying my laws and teachings! I gave them to your ancestors, and I told my servants the prophets to repeat them to you." ¹⁴But the Israelites would not listen; they were as stubborn as their ancestors who had refused to worship the LORD their God. ¹⁵They ignored the LORD's warnings and commands, and they rejected the solemn agreement he had made with their ancestors. They worshiped worthless idols and became worthless themselves. The LORD had told the Israelites not to do the things that the foreign nations around them were doing, but Israel became just like them.     ¹⁶The people of Israel disobeyed all the commands of the LORD their God. They made two gold statues of calves and set up a sacred pole for Asherah; they also worshiped the stars and the god Baal. ¹⁷They used magic and witchcraft and even sacrificed their own children. The Israelites were determined to do whatever the LORD hated. ¹⁸The LORD became so furious with the people of Israel that he allowed them to be carried away as prisoners.
   Only the people living in Judah were left, ¹⁹but they also disobeyed the LORD's commands and acted like the Israelites. ²⁰So the LORD turned his back on everyone in Israel and Judah ^[f] and let them be punished and defeated until no one was left. ²¹Earlier, when the LORD took the northern tribes away from David's family, ^[g] the people living in northern Israel chose Jeroboam son of Nebat as their king. Jeroboam caused the Israelites to sin and to stop worshiping the LORD. ²²The people kept on sinning like Jeroboam, ²³until the LORD got rid of them, just as he had warned his servants the prophets. That's why the people of Israel were taken away as prisoners to Assyria, and that's where they remained.     

Foreigners Are Resettled in Israel

 ²⁴The king of Assyria took people who were living in the cities of Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim, and forced them to move to Israel. They took over the towns where the Israelites had lived, including the capital city of Samaria.     ²⁵At first these people did not worship the LORD, so he sent lions to attack them, and the lions killed some of them. ²⁶A messenger told the king of Assyria, "The people you moved to Israel don't know how to worship the god of that country. So he sent lions that have attacked and killed some of them."
    ²⁷The king replied, "Get one of the Israelite priests we brought here and send him back to Israel. He can live there and teach them about the god of that country." ²⁸One of the Israelite priests was chosen to go back to Israel. He lived in Bethel and taught the people how to worship the LORD.
    ²⁹But in towns all over Israel, the different groups of people made statues of their own gods, then they placed these idols in local Israelite ^[h] shrines. ³⁰The people from Babylonia made the god Succoth-Benoth; those from Cuthah made the god Nergal; those from Hamath made Ashima; ³¹those from Avva made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the people from Sepharvaim sacrificed their children to their own gods Adrammelech and Anammelech. ^32-33They worshiped their own gods, just as they had before they were taken away to Israel. They also worshiped the LORD, but they chose their own people to be priests at the shrines. ³⁴Everyone followed their old customs. None of them worshiped only the LORD, and they refused to obey the laws and commands that the LORD had given to the descendants of Jacob, the man he named Israel. ³⁵At the time when the LORD had made his solemn agreement with the people of Israel, he told them: Do not worship any other gods! Do not bow down to them or offer them a sacrifice. ³⁶Worship only me! I am the one who rescued you from Egypt with my mighty power. Bow down to me and offer sacrifices. ³⁷Never worship any other god, always obey my laws and teachings, ³⁸and remember the solemn agreement between us.
   I will say it again: Do not worship any god ³⁹except me. I am the LORD your God, and I will rescue you from all your enemies.
    ⁴⁰But the people living in Israel ignored that command and kept on following their old customs. ⁴¹They did worship the LORD, but they also worshiped their own idols. Their descendants did the same thing.
    

2 Kings 18

King Hezekiah of Judah

(2 Chronicles 29.1,2; 31.1)

 ¹Hezekiah son of Ahaz became king of Judah in the third year of Hoshea's rule in Israel. ²Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he ruled twenty-nine years from Jerusalem. His mother Abi was the daughter of Zechariah.     ³Hezekiah obeyed the LORD, just as his ancestor David had done. ⁴He destroyed the local shrines, then tore down the images of foreign gods and cut down the sacred pole for worshiping the goddess Asherah. He also smashed the bronze snake Moses had made. The people had named it Nehushtan ^[i] and had been offering sacrifices to it. ⁵Hezekiah trusted the LORD God of Israel. No other king of Judah was like Hezekiah, either before or after him. ⁶He was completely faithful to the LORD and obeyed the laws the LORD had given to Moses for the people. ⁷The LORD helped Hezekiah, so he was successful in everything he did. He even rebelled against the king of Assyria, refusing to be his servant. ⁸Hezekiah defeated the Philistine towns as far away as Gaza--from the smallest towns to the large, walled cities.
    ⁹During the fourth year of Hezekiah's rule, which was the seventh year of Hoshea's rule in Israel, King Shalmaneser of Assyria led his troops to Samaria, the capital city of Israel. They attacked ¹⁰and captured it three years later, ^[j] in the sixth year of Hezekiah's rule and the ninth year of Hoshea's rule. ¹¹The king of Assyria ^[k] took the Israelites away as prisoners; he forced some of them to live in the town of Halah, others to live near the Habor River in the territory of Gozan, and still others to live in towns where the Median people lived. ¹²All of that happened because the people of Israel had not obeyed the LORD their God. They rejected the solemn agreement he had made with them, and they ignored everything that the LORD's servant Moses had told them. 

Footnotes:

1. 2 Kings 17:3 King Shalmaneser of Assyria: The son of Tiglath Pileser, who ruled Assyria from 727 to 722 B.C.
2. 2 Kings 17:6 The Assyrian king: Probably Sargon, Shalmaneser's successor. Shalmaneser died after the city of Samaria was captured (722 B.C.) but before the people were taken away as prisoners (720 B.C.). Sargon ruled Assyria from 721 to 705 B.C.
3. 2 Kings 17:10 sacred poles: See the note at 13.6,7.
4. 2 Kings 17:11 shrines: See the note at 12.3.
5. 2 Kings 17:12 the LORD. . . idols: See Exodus 20.4,5.
6. 2 Kings 17:20 Israel and Judah: Or "Israel," that is, the northern kingdom only.
7. 2 Kings 17:21 when the LORD. . . family: See 1 Kings 11.29-39.
8. 2 Kings 17:29 Israelite: The Hebrew text has "Samaritan," which is a later word to describe the people who lived in northern Israel at this time.
9. 2 Kings 18:4 the bronze snake. . . Nehushtan: See Numbers 21.8,9. "Nehushtan" is a nickname that sounds like the Hebrew words for "snake" and "bronze."
10. 2 Kings 18:10 three years later: When the Israelites measured time, part of a year could be counted as a whole year.
11. 2 Kings 18:11 The king of Assyria: Probably Sargon, Shalmaneser's successor (see the note at 17.6).

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Acts 20:1-38 (Contemporary English Version)

Acts 20

Paul Goes through Macedonia and Greece

 ¹When the riot was over, Paul sent for the followers and encouraged them. He then told them good-by and left for Macedonia. ²As he traveled from place to place, he encouraged the followers with many messages. Finally, he went to Greece ^[a] ³and stayed there for three months. Paul was about to sail to Syria. But some of the Jewish leaders plotted against him, so he decided to return by way of Macedonia. ⁴With him were Sopater, son of Pyrrhus from Berea, and Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica. Gaius from Derbe was also with him, and so were Timothy and the two Asians, Tychicus and Trophimus. ⁵They went on ahead to Troas and waited for us there. ⁶After the Festival of Thin Bread, we sailed from Philippi. Five days later we met them in Troas and stayed there for a week.     

Paul's Last Visit to Troas

 ⁷On the first day of the week ^[b] we met to break bread together. ^[c] Paul spoke to the people until midnight because he was leaving the next morning. ⁸In the upstairs room where we were meeting, there were a lot of lamps. ⁹A young man by the name of Eutychus was sitting on a window sill. While Paul was speaking, the young man got very sleepy. Finally, he went to sleep and fell three floors all the way down to the ground. When they picked him up, he was dead. ¹⁰Paul went down and bent over Eutychus. He took him in his arms and said, "Don't worry! He's alive." ¹¹After Paul had gone back upstairs, he broke bread, and ate with us. He then spoke until dawn and left. ¹²Then the followers took the young man home alive and were very happy.     

The Voyage from Troas to Miletus

 ¹³Paul decided to travel by land to Assos. The rest of us went on ahead by ship, and we were to take him aboard there. ¹⁴When he met us in Assos, he came aboard, and we sailed on to Mitylene. ¹⁵The next day we came to a place near Chios, and the following day we reached Samos. The day after that we sailed to Miletus. ¹⁶Paul had decided to sail on past Ephesus, because he did not want to spend too much time in Asia. He was in a hurry and wanted to be in Jerusalem in time for Pentecost. ^[d]

Paul Says Good-By to the Church Leaders of Ephesus

 ¹⁷From Miletus, Paul sent a message for the church leaders at Ephesus to come and meet with him. ¹⁸When they got there, he said:    You know everything I did during the time I was with you when I first came to Asia. ¹⁹Some of the Jews plotted against me and caused me a lot of sorrow and trouble. But I served the Lord and was humble. ²⁰When I preached in public or taught in your homes, I didn't hold back from telling anything that would help you. ²¹I told Jews and Gentiles to turn to God and have faith in our Lord Jesus.
    ²²I don't know what will happen to me in Jerusalem, but I must obey God's Spirit and go there. ²³In every city I visit, I am told by the Holy Spirit that I will be put in jail and will be in trouble in Jerusalem. ²⁴But I don't care what happens to me, as long as I finish the work that the Lord Jesus gave me to do. And that work is to tell the good news about God's great kindness.
    ²⁵I have gone from place to place, preaching to you about God's kingdom, but now I know that none of you will ever see me again. ²⁶I tell you today that I am no longer responsible for any of you! ²⁷I have told you everything God wants you to know. ²⁸Look after yourselves and everyone the Holy Spirit has placed in your care. Be like shepherds to God's church. It is the flock that he bought with the blood of his own Son. ^[e] ²⁹I know that after I am gone, others will come like fierce wolves to attack you. ³⁰Some of your own people will tell lies to win over the Lord's followers. ³¹Be on your guard! Remember how day and night for three years I kept warning you with tears in my eyes.
    ³²I now place you in God's care. Remember the message about his great kindness! This message can help you and give you what belongs to you as God's people. ³³I have never wanted anyone's money or clothes. ³⁴You know how I have worked with my own hands to make a living for myself and my friends. ³⁵By everything I did, I showed how you should work to help everyone who is weak. Remember that our Lord Jesus said, "More blessings come from giving than from receiving."
    ³⁶After Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. ³⁷Everyone cried and hugged and kissed him. ³⁸They were especially sad because Paul had told them, "You will never see me again."
   Then they went with him to the ship.
    

Footnotes:

1. Acts 20:2 Greece: Probably Corinth.
2. Acts 20:7 On the first day of the week: Since the Jewish day began at sunset, the meeting would have begun in the evening.
3. Acts 20:7 break bread together: See the note at 2.46.
4. Acts 20:16 in time for Pentecost: The Jewish people liked to be in Jerusalem for this festival (see the note at 2.1).
5. Acts 20:28 the blood of his own Son: Or "his own blood."

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Psalm 148:1-14 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 148

Come Praise the LORD

 ¹Shout praises to the LORD!    Shout the LORD's praises
   in the highest heavens.
    ²All of you angels,
   and all who serve him above,
   come and offer praise.
    ³Sun and moon,
   and all of you bright stars,
   come and offer praise.
    ⁴Highest heavens,
   and the water
   above the highest heavens, ^[a] come and offer praise.
    ⁵Let all things praise
   the name of the LORD,
   because they were created
   at his command.
    ⁶He made them to last forever,
   and nothing can change
   what he has done. ^[b] ⁷All creatures on earth,
   you obey his commands,
   so come praise the LORD!
    ⁸Sea monsters and the deep sea,
   fire and hail,
   snow and frost,
   and every stormy wind,
   come praise the LORD!
    ⁹All mountains and hills,
   fruit trees and cedars,
    ¹⁰every wild and tame animal,
   all reptiles and birds,
   come praise the LORD!
    ¹¹Every king and every ruler,
   all nations on earth,
    ¹²every man and every woman,
   young people and old,
   come praise the LORD!
    ¹³All creation, come praise
   the name of the LORD.
   Praise his name alone.
   The glory of God is greater
   than heaven and earth.
    ¹⁴Like a bull with mighty horns,
   the LORD protects
   his faithful nation Israel,
   because they belong to him.
   Shout praises to the LORD!
    

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 148:4 the water. . . heavens: It was believed that the earth and the heavens were surrounded by water.
2. Psalm 148:6 nothing. . . done: Or " his laws will never change."

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Proverbs 18:6-7 (Contemporary English Version)

⁶Foolish talk will get you
   into a lot of trouble.
    ⁷Saying foolish things
   is like setting a trap
   to destroy yourself. 

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Verse of the Day

“Then there will be only one LORD who rules as King and whose name is worshiped everywhere on earth.” - Zechariah 14:9 

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

American industrialist who became known as the father of modern American shipbuilding, Henry J. Kaiser wrote, “Problems are only opportunities in work clothes.”

 

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A Joke for Today

 

A doctor, a lawyer, a little boy and a minister were out for a Sunday afternoon flight on a small private plane. Suddenly, the plane developed engine trouble.

 

In spite of the best efforts of the pilot, the plane started to go down. Finally, the pilot grabbed a parachute, yelled to the passengers that they had better jump, and bailed out.

 

Unfortunately, there were only three parachutes remaining. The doctor grabbed one and said "I'm a doctor, I save lives, so I must live," and jumped out.

 

The lawyer then said, "I'm a lawyer and lawyers are the smartest people in the world. I deserve to live."

 

He also grabbed a parachute and jumped.

 

The minister looked at the little boy and said, "Son, I've lived a long and full life. You are young and have your whole life ahead of you. Take the last parachute and live in peace."

 

The little boy handed the parachute back to the priest and said, "Not to worry, Pastor. The 'smartest man in the world' just took off with my back pack."