Bible Readings for July 24, 2011

Today our passages are 2 Chronicles 11:1–13:22; Romans 8:22-39; Psalm 18:37-50; and Proverbs 19:27-29. The readings are from the Contemporary English Version.

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2 Chronicles 11-13:22 (Contemporary English Version)


2 Chronicles 11

Shemaiah the Prophet Warns Rehoboam
(1 Kings 12.21-24)

1After Rehoboam returned to Jerusalem, he decided to attack Israel and regain control of the whole country. So he called together one hundred eighty thousand soldiers from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.

2Meanwhile, the LORD had told Shemaiah the prophet
3to tell Rehoboam and everyone from Judah and Benjamin,

4"The LORD warns you not to go to war against the people from the northern tribes--they are your relatives. Go home! The LORD is the one who made these things happen."

Rehoboam and his army obeyed the LORD's message and did not attack Jeroboam and his troops.

Rehoboam Fortifies Cities in Judah

5Rehoboam ruled from Jerusalem, and he had several cities in Judah turned into fortresses so he could use them to defend his country. These cities included

6Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa,
7Beth-Zur, Soco, Adullam,
8Gath, Mareshah, Ziph,
9Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah,
10Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron.

After he had fortified these cities in the territories of Judah and Benjamin,

11he assigned an army commander to each of them and stocked them with supplies of food, olive oil, and wine,

12as well as with shields and spears. He used these fortified cities to keep control of Judah and Benjamin.

The Priests and the Levites Support Rehoboam

13The priests and Levites from the northern tribes of Israel gave their support to King Rehoboam.

14And since Jeroboam and the kings of Israel that followed him would not allow any Levites to serve as priests, most Levites left their towns and pasturelands in Israel and moved to Jerusalem and other towns in Judah.

15Jeroboam chose his own priests to serve at the local shrines [a] in Israel and at the places of worship where he had set up statues of goat-demons and of calves.

16But some of the people from Israel wanted to worship the LORD God, just as their ancestors had done. So they followed the priests and Levites to Jerusalem, where they could offer sacrifices to the LORD.

17For the next three years, they lived in Judah and were loyal to Rehoboam and his kingdom, just as they had been loyal to David and Solomon.

Rehoboam's Family

18Rehoboam married Mahalath, whose father was Jerimoth son of David, and whose mother was Abihail the daughter of Eliab and granddaughter of Jesse.

19Rehoboam and Mahalath had three sons: Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham.

20Then Rehoboam married Maacah the daughter of Absalom. Their sons were Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith.

21Rehoboam had eighteen wives, but he also married sixty other women, [b] and he was the father of twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters. Rehoboam loved his wife Maacah the most,

22so he chose their oldest son Abijah to be the next king.

23Rehoboam was wise enough to put one of his sons in charge of each fortified city in his kingdom. He gave them all the supplies they needed and found wives for every one of them.

2 Chronicles 12

King Shishak of Egypt Invades Judah
(1 Kings 14.25-28)

1Soon after Rehoboam had control of his kingdom, he and everyone in Judah stopped obeying the LORD.
2So in the fifth year of Rehoboam's rule, the LORD punished them for their unfaithfulness and allowed King Shishak of Egypt to invade Judah.

3Shishak attacked with his army of one thousand two hundred chariots and sixty thousand cavalry troops, as well as Egyptian soldiers from Libya, Sukkoth, and Ethiopia. [c]

4He captured every one of the fortified cities in Judah and then marched to Jerusalem.

5Rehoboam and the leaders of Judah had gone to Jerusalem to escape Shishak's invasion. And while they were there, Shemaiah the prophet told them, "The LORD says that because you have disobeyed him, he has now abandoned you. The LORD will not help you against Shishak!"

6Rehoboam and the leaders were sorry for what they had done and admitted, "The LORD is right. We have deserted him."

7When the LORD heard this, he told Shemaiah:

The people of Judah are truly sorry for their sins, and so I won't let Shishak completely destroy them. But because I am still angry,
8he will conquer and rule them.

Then my people will know what it's like to serve a foreign king instead of serving me.

9Shishak attacked Jerusalem and took all the valuable things from the temple and from the palace, including Solomon's gold shields.

10Rehoboam had bronze shields made to replace the gold ones, and he ordered the guards at the city gates to keep them safe.

11Whenever Rehoboam went to the LORD's temple, the guards carried the shields. But they always took them back to the guardroom as soon as he had finished worshiping.

12Rehoboam turned back to the LORD, and so the LORD did not let Judah be completely destroyed, and Judah was prosperous again.

Rehoboam's Rule in Judah
(1 Kings 14.21,29-31)

13Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king, and he ruled seventeen years from Jerusalem, the city where the LORD had chosen to be worshiped. His mother Naamah was from Ammon. Rehoboam was a powerful king,

14but he still did wrong and refused to obey the LORD.

15Everything else Rehoboam did while he was king, including a history of his family, is written in the records of the two prophets, Shemaiah and Iddo. During Rehoboam's rule, he and King Jeroboam of Israel were constantly at war.

16When Rehoboam died, he was buried beside his ancestors in Jerusalem, and his son Abijah became king.

2 Chronicles 13

King Abijah of Judah
(1 Kings 15.1-8)

1Abijah [d] became king of Judah in Jeroboam's eighteenth year as king of Israel, 2and he ruled from Jerusalem for three years. His mother was Micaiah the daughter of Uriel from Gibeah. Some time later, Abijah and King Jeroboam of Israel went to war against each other.

3Abijah's army had four hundred thousand troops, and Jeroboam met him in battle with eight hundred thousand troops.

4Abijah went to the top of Mount Zemaraim [e] in the hills of Ephraim and shouted: Listen, Jeroboam and all you Israelites!

5The LORD God of Israel has made a solemn promise that every king of Israel will be from David's family.

6But Jeroboam, you were King Solomon's official, and you rebelled.

7Then right after Rehoboam became king, you and your bunch of worthless followers challenged Rehoboam, who was too young to know how to stop you.

8Now you and your powerful army think you can stand up to the kingdom that the LORD has given to David's descendants. The only gods you have are those gold statues of calves that Jeroboam made for you.

9You don't even have descendants of Aaron on your side, because you forced out the LORD's priests and Levites. In their place, you appoint ordinary people to be priests, just as the foreign nations do. In fact, anyone who brings a bull and seven rams to the altar can become a priest of your so-called gods.

10But we have not turned our backs on the LORD God! Aaron's own descendants serve as our priests, and the Levites are their assistants.

11Two times every day they offer sacrifices and burn incense to the LORD. They set out the sacred loaves of bread on a table that has been purified, and they light the lamps in the gold lampstand every day at sunset. We follow the commands of the LORD our God--you have rejected him!

12That's why God is on our side and will lead us into battle when the priests sound the signal on the trumpets. It's no use, Israelites. You might as well give up. There's no way you can defeat the LORD, the God your ancestors worshiped.

13But while Abijah was talking, Jeroboam had sent some of his troops to attack Judah's army from behind, while the rest attacked from the front.

14Judah's army realized they were trapped, and so they prayed to the LORD. The priests blew the signal on the trumpet,

15and the troops let out a battle cry. Then with Abijah leading them into battle, God defeated Jeroboam and Israel's army.

16The Israelites ran away, and God helped Judah's soldiers slaughter

17five hundred thousand enemy troops.

18Judah's army won because they had trusted the LORD God of their ancestors.

19Abijah kept up his attack on Jeroboam's army and captured the Israelite towns of Bethel, Jeshanah, and Ephron, as well as the villages around them.

20Jeroboam never regained his power during the rest of Abijah's rule. The LORD punished Jeroboam, and he died, but Abijah became more powerful.

21Abijah had a total of fourteen wives, twenty-two sons, and sixteen daughters.

22Everything Abijah said and did while he was king is written in the records of Iddo the prophet.

Footnotes:
2 Chronicles 11:15 local shrines: The Hebrew text has "high places," which were local places to worship foreign gods.
2 Chronicles 11:21 other women: This translates a Hebrew word for women who were legally bound to a man, but without the full privileges of a wife.
2 Chronicles 12:3 Ethiopia: The Hebrew text has "Cush," which was a region south of Egypt that included parts of the present countries of Ethiopia and Sudan.
2 Chronicles 13:1 Abijah: In 1 Kings 15.1-8 his name is spelled "Abijam."
2 Chronicles 13:4 Mount Zemaraim: Probably located on the northern border of the territory of Benjamin.


Romans 8:22-39 (Contemporary English Version)

22We know that all creation is still groaning and is in pain, like a woman about to give birth.

23The Spirit makes us sure about what we will be in the future. But now we groan silently, while we wait for God to show that we are his children. [a] This means that our bodies will also be set free. 24And this hope is what saves us. But if we already have what we hope for, there is no need to keep on hoping. 25However, we hope for something we have not yet seen, and we patiently wait for it. 26In certain ways we are weak, but the Spirit is here to help us. For example, when we don't know what to pray for, the Spirit prays for us in ways that cannot be put into words. 27All of our thoughts are known to God. He can understand what is in the mind of the Spirit, as the Spirit prays for God's people. 28We know that God is always at work for the good of everyone who loves him. [b] They are the ones God has chosen for his purpose, 29and he has always known who his chosen ones would be. He had decided to let them become like his own Son, so that his Son would be the first of many children. 30God then accepted the people he had already decided to choose, and he has shared his glory with them.

God's Love

31What can we say about all this? If God is on our side, can anyone be against us? 32God did not keep back his own Son, but he gave him for us. If God did this, won't he freely give us everything else? 33If God says his chosen ones are acceptable to him, can anyone bring charges against them? 34Or can anyone condemn them? No indeed! Christ died and was raised to life, and now he is at God's right side, [c] speaking to him for us. 35Can anything separate us from the love of Christ? Can trouble, suffering, and hard times, or hunger and nakedness, or danger and death? 36It is exactly as the Scriptures say, "For you we face death
all day long.

We are like sheep
on their way
to be butchered."

37In everything we have won more than a victory because of Christ who loves us. 38I am sure that nothing can separate us from God's love--not life or death, not angels or spirits, not the present or the future, 39and not powers above or powers below. Nothing in all creation can separate us from God's love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord!

Footnotes:
Romans 8:23 to show that we are his children: These words are not in some manuscripts. The translation of the remainder of the verse would then read, " while we wait for God to set our bodies free."
Romans 8:28 God is always at work for the good of everyone who loves him: Or " All things work for the good of everyone who loves God" or " God's Spirit always works for the good of everyone who loves God."
Romans 8:34 right side: The place of power and honor.


Psalm 18:37-50 (Contemporary English Version)

37I kept chasing my enemies,
until I caught them
and destroyed them.

38I stuck my sword
through my enemies,
and they were crushed
under my feet.

39You helped me win victories,
and you forced my attackers
to fall victim to me.

40You made my enemies run,
and I killed them.

41They cried out for help,
but no one saved them;
they called out to you,
but there was no answer.

42I ground them to dust
blown by the wind,
and I poured them out
like mud in the streets.

43You rescued me
from stubborn people,
and you made me the leader
of foreign nations,
who are now my slaves.

44They obey and come crawling.

45They have lost all courage,
and from their fortresses,
they come trembling.

46You are the living LORD!

I will praise you.

You are a mighty rock. [a]

I will honor you
for keeping me safe.

47You took revenge for me,
and you put nations
in my power.

48You protected me
from violent enemies
and made me much greater
than all of them.

49I will praise you, LORD,
and I will honor you
among the nations.

50You give glorious victories
to your chosen king.

Your faithful love for David
and for his descendants
will never end.

Footnotes:
Psalm 18:46 mighty rock: See the note at 18.2.


Proverbs 19:27-29 (Contemporary English Version)

27If you stop learning,
you will forget
what you already know.

28A lying witness makes fun
of the court system,
and criminals think crime
is really delicious.

29Every stupid fool
is just waiting
to be punished.

Bible Readings for July 23, 2011

Today our passages are 2 Chronicles 8:11–10:19; Romans 8:9-21; Psalm 18:16-36; and Proverbs 19:26. The readings are from the Contemporary English Version.


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2 Chronicles 8:11-10:19 (Contemporary English Version)
11Solomon's wife, the daughter of the king of Egypt, moved from the part of Jerusalem called David's City to her new palace that Solomon had built. The sacred chest had been kept in David's City, which made his palace sacred, and so Solomon's wife could no longer live there.

12Solomon offered sacrifices to the LORD on the altar he had built in front of the temple.

13He followed the requirements that Moses had given for sacrifices offered on the Sabbath, on the first day of each month, the Festival of Thin Bread, the Harvest Festival, and the Festival of Shelters.

14Solomon then assigned the priests and the Levites their duties at the temple, and he followed the instructions that his father David had given him. Some of the Levites were to lead music and help the priests in their duties, and others were to guard the temple gates

15and the storage rooms. The priests and Levites followed these instructions exactly.

16Everything Solomon had planned to do was now finished--from the laying of the temple's foundation to its completion.

17Solomon went to Ezion-Geber and Eloth, two Edomite towns on the Red Sea. [a]

18Hiram sent him ships and some of his experienced sailors. They went with Solomon's own sailors to the country of Ophir [b] and brought back about seventeen tons of gold for Solomon.



2 Chronicles 9
The Queen of Sheba Visits Solomon
(1 Kings 10.1-13)
1The Queen of Sheba heard how famous Solomon was, so she went to Jerusalem to test him with difficult questions. She took along several of her officials, and she loaded her camels with gifts of spices, jewels, and gold. When she arrived, she and Solomon talked about everything she could think of.
2He answered every question, no matter how difficult it was.

3-4The Queen was amazed at Solomon's wisdom. She was breathless when she saw his palace, [c] the food on his table, his officials, all his servants in their uniforms, and the sacrifices he offered at the LORD's temple.

5She said: Solomon, in my own country I had heard about your wisdom and all you've done.

6But I didn't believe it until I saw it with my own eyes! And there's so much I didn't hear about. You are greater than I was told.

7Your people and officials are lucky to be here where they can listen to the wise things you say.

8I praise the LORD your God. He is pleased with you and has made you king of Israel. God loves the people of this country and will never desert them, so he has given them a king who will rule fairly and honestly.

9The Queen of Sheba gave Solomon almost five tons of gold, a large amount of jewels, and the best spices anyone had ever seen.

10-12In return, Solomon gave her everything she wanted--even more than she had given him. Then she and her officials went back to their own country.

Hiram's and Solomon's sailors brought gold, juniper wood, and jewels from the country of Ophir. Solomon used the wood to make steps [d] for the temple and palace, and harps and other stringed instruments for the musicians. Nothing like these had ever been made in Judah.



Solomon's Wealth
(1 Kings 10.14-29)
13Solomon received about twenty-five tons of gold each year,
14not counting what the merchants and traders brought him. The kings of Arabia and the leaders of Israel also gave him gold and silver.

15Solomon made two hundred gold shields that weighed about seven and a half pounds each.

16He also made three hundred smaller gold shields that weighed almost four pounds, and he put these shields in his palace in Forest Hall.

17His throne was made of ivory and covered with pure gold.

18It had a gold footstool attached to it and armrests on each side. There was a statue of a lion on each side of the throne,

19and there were two lion statues on each of the six steps leading up to the throne. No other throne in the world was like Solomon's.

20Solomon's cups and dishes in Forest Hall were made of pure gold, because silver was almost worthless in those days.

21Solomon had a lot of seagoing ships. [e] Every three years he sent them out with Hiram's ships to bring back gold, silver, and ivory, as well as monkeys and peacocks. [f]

22Solomon was the richest and wisest king in the world.

23-24Year after year, other kings came to hear the wisdom God had given him. And they brought gifts of silver and gold, as well as clothes, weapons, spices, horses, and mules.

25Solomon had four thousand stalls for his horses and chariots, and he owned twelve thousand horses that he kept in Jerusalem and other towns.

26He ruled all the nations from the Euphrates River in the north to the land of Philistia in the south, as far as the border of Egypt.

27While Solomon was king, there was silver everywhere in Jerusalem, and cedar was as common as the sycamore trees in the western foothills.

28Solomon's horses were brought in from other countries, including Musri. [g]



Solomon Dies
(1 Kings 11.41-43)
29Everything else Solomon did while he was king is written in the records of Nathan the prophet, Ahijah the prophet from Shiloh, and Iddo the prophet who wrote about Jeroboam son of Nebat.
30After Solomon had ruled forty years from Jerusalem,

31he died and was buried in the city of his father David. His son Rehoboam then became king.



2 Chronicles 10
Some of the People Rebel against Rehoboam
(1 Kings 12.1-20)
1Rehoboam went to Shechem where everyone was waiting to crown him king.
2Jeroboam son of Nebat heard what was happening, and he returned from Egypt, where he had gone to hide from Solomon.

3The people from the northern tribes of Israel sent for him. Then together they went to Rehoboam and said,

4"Your father Solomon forced us to work very hard. But if you make our work easier, we will serve you and do whatever you ask."

5Rehoboam replied, "Come back in three days for my answer." So the people left.

6Rehoboam went to some leaders who had been his father's senior officials, and he asked them, "What should I tell these people?"

7They answered, "If you want them to serve and obey you, then you should be kind and promise to make their work easier."

8But Rehoboam refused their advice and went to the younger men who had grown up with him and were now his officials.

9He asked, "What do you think I should say to these people who asked me to make their work easier?"

10His younger advisors said:

Here's what we think you should say to them: "Compared to me, my father was weak. [h]

11He made you work hard, but I'll make you work even harder. He punished you with whips, but I'll use whips with pieces of sharp metal!"

12Three days later, Jeroboam and the others came back.

13Rehoboam ignored the advice of the older advisors. He spoke bluntly

14and told them exactly what his own advisors had suggested. He said: "My father made you work hard, but I'll make you work even harder. He punished you with whips, but I'll use whips with pieces of sharp metal!"

15-19When the people realized that Rehoboam would not listen to them, they shouted: "We don't have to be loyal to David's family. We can do what we want. Come on, people of Israel, let's go home! Rehoboam can rule his own people."

Adoniram [i] was in charge of the work force, and Rehoboam sent him to talk to the people. But they stoned him to death. Then Rehoboam ran to his chariot and hurried back to Jerusalem. Everyone from Israel's northern tribes went home, leaving Rehoboam to rule only the people from Judah. And since that day, the people of Israel have been opposed to David's descendants in Judah. [j] All of this happened just as Ahijah the LORD's prophet from Shiloh had told Jeroboam.




Footnotes:
2 Chronicles 8:17 Red Sea: Hebrew yam suph, here referring to the Gulf of Aqaba, since the term is extended to include the northeastern arm of the Red Sea (see also the note at Exodus 13.18).
2 Chronicles 8:18 Ophir: The location of this place is not known.
2 Chronicles 9:3 his palace: Or "the temple."
2 Chronicles 9:10 steps: Or "stools" or "railings."
2 Chronicles 9:21 seagoing ships: The Hebrew text has "ships of Tarshish," which may have been a Phoenician city in Spain. "Ships of Tarshish" probably means large, seagoing ships.
2 Chronicles 9:21 peacocks: Or "baboons."
2 Chronicles 9:28 Musri: See the note at 1.16,17.
2 Chronicles 10:10 Compared. . . weak: Hebrew "My little finger is bigger than my father's waist."
2 Chronicles 10:15 Adoniram: The Hebrew text has "Hadoram," another spelling of the name.
2 Chronicles 10:15 the people of Israel have been opposed. . . Judah: From this time on, "Israel" usually refers only to the northern kingdom. The southern kingdom is called "Judah."

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Romans 8:9-21 (Contemporary English Version)
9You are no longer ruled by your desires, but by God's Spirit, who lives in you. People who don't have the Spirit of Christ in them don't belong to him. 10But Christ lives in you. So you are alive because God has accepted you, even though your bodies must die because of your sins. 11Yet God raised Jesus to life! God's Spirit now lives in you, and he will raise you to life by his Spirit.

12My dear friends, we must not live to satisfy our desires. 13If you do, you will die. But you will live, if by the help of God's Spirit you say "No" to your desires. 14Only those people who are led by God's Spirit are his children. 15God's Spirit doesn't make us slaves who are afraid of him. Instead, we become his children and call him our Father. [a] 16God's Spirit makes us sure that we are his children. 17His Spirit lets us know that together with Christ we will be given what God has promised. We will also share in the glory of Christ, because we have suffered with him.

A Wonderful Future for God's People
18I am sure that what we are suffering now cannot compare with the glory that will be shown to us. 19In fact, all creation is eagerly waiting for God to show who his children are. 20Meanwhile, creation is confused, but not because it wants to be confused. God made it this way in the hope 21that creation would be set free from decay and would share in the glorious freedom of his children.


Footnotes:
Romans 8:15 our Father: The Greek text uses the Aramaic word " Abba" (meaning " father" ), which shows the close relation between the children and their father.

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Psalm 18:16-36 (Contemporary English Version)
16You reached down from heaven,

and you lifted me

from deep in the ocean.

17You rescued me from enemies,

who were hateful

and too powerful for me.

18On the day disaster struck,

they came and attacked,

but you defended me.

19When I was fenced in,

you freed and rescued me

because you love me.

20You are good to me, LORD,

because I do right,

and you reward me

because I am innocent.

21I do what you want

and never turn to do evil.

22I keep your laws in mind

and never look away

from your teachings.

23I obey you completely

and guard against sin.

24You have been good to me

because I do right;

you have rewarded me

for being innocent

by your standards.

25You are always loyal

to your loyal people,

and you are faithful

to the faithful.

26With all who are sincere,

you are sincere,

but you treat the unfaithful

as their deeds deserve.

27You rescue the humble,

but you put down all

who are proud.

28You, the LORD God,

keep my lamp burning

and turn darkness to light.

29You help me defeat armies

and capture cities.

30Your way is perfect, LORD,

and your word is correct.

You are a shield for those

who run to you for help.

31You alone are God!

Only you are a mighty rock. [a] 32You give me strength

and guide me right.

33You make my feet run as fast

as those of a deer,

and you help me stand

on the mountains.

34You teach my hands to fight

and my arms to use

a bow of bronze.

35You alone are my shield.

Your right hand supports me,

and by coming to help me,

you have made me famous.

36You clear the way for me,

and now I won't stumble.




Footnotes:
Psalm 18:31 mighty rock: See the note at 18.2.

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Proverbs 19:26 (Contemporary English Version)
26Children who bring disgrace

rob their father

and chase their mother away.

Bible Readings for July 22, 2011

Today our passages are 2 Chronicles 6:12–8:10; Romans 7:14–8:8; Psalm 18:1-15; and Proverbs 19:24-25. The readings are from the Contemporary English Version.

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2 Chronicles 6:12-8:10 (Contemporary English Version)

Solomon Prays at the Temple
(1 Kings 8.22-53)

12-13Earlier, Solomon had a bronze platform made that was about eight feet square and five feet high, and he put it in the center of the outer courtyard near the altar. Solomon stood on the platform facing the altar with everyone standing behind him. Then he lifted his arms toward heaven; he knelt down 14and prayed:

LORD God of Israel, no other god in heaven or on earth is like you!

You never forget the agreement you made with your people, and you are loyal to anyone who faithfully obeys your teachings.

15My father David was your servant, and today you have kept every promise you made to him.

16You promised that someone from his family would always be king of Israel, if they do their best to obey you, just as he did.

17Please keep this promise you made to your servant David.

18There's not enough room in all of heaven for you, LORD God. How could you possibly live on earth in this temple I have built?

19But I ask you to answer my prayer.

20This is the temple where you have chosen to be worshiped. Please watch over it day and night and listen when I turn toward it and pray.

21I am your servant, and the people of Israel belong to you, and so whenever any of us look toward this temple and pray, answer from your home in heaven and forgive our sins.

22Suppose someone accuses a person of a crime, and the accused has to stand in front of the altar in your temple and say, "I swear I am innocent!"

23Listen from heaven and decide who is right. Then punish the guilty person and let the innocent one go free.

24Suppose your people Israel sin against you, and then an enemy defeats them. If they come to this temple and beg for forgiveness,

25listen from your home in heaven. Forgive them and bring them back to the land you gave their ancestors.

26Suppose your people sin against you, and you punish them by holding back the rain. If they stop sinning and turn toward this temple to pray in your name,

27listen from your home in heaven and forgive them. The people of Israel are your servants, so teach them to live right. And send rain on the land you promised them forever.

28Sometimes the crops may dry up or rot or be eaten by locusts [a] or grasshoppers, and your people will be starving. Sometimes enemies may surround their towns, or your people will become sick with deadly diseases.

29Please listen when anyone in Israel truly feels sorry and sincerely prays with arms lifted toward your temple.

30You know what is in everyone's heart. So from your home in heaven answer their prayers, according to what they do and what is in their hearts.

31Then your people will worship you and obey you for as long as they live in the land you gave their ancestors.

32Foreigners will hear about you and your mighty power, and some of them will come to live among your people Israel. If any of them pray toward this temple,

33listen from your home in heaven and answer their prayers. Then everyone on earth will worship you, just as your own people Israel do, and they will know that I have built this temple in your honor.

34Sometimes you will order your people to attack their enemies. Then your people will turn toward this temple I have built for you in your chosen city, and they will pray to you.

35Answer their prayers from heaven and give them victory.

36Everyone sins. But when your people sin against you, suppose you get angry enough to let their enemies drag them away to foreign countries.

37-39Later, they may feel sorry for what they did and ask your forgiveness. Answer them when they pray toward this temple I have built for you in your chosen city, here in this land you gave their ancestors. From your home in heaven, listen to their sincere prayers and forgive your people who have sinned against you.

40LORD God, hear us when we pray in this temple.

41Come to your new home, where we have already placed the sacred chest, which is the symbol of your strength. I pray that when the priests announce your power to save people, those who are faithful to you will celebrate what you've done for them.

42Always remember the love you had for your servant David, [b] so that you will not reject your chosen kings.

2 Chronicles 7

Solomon Dedicates the Temple
(1 Kings 8.62-66)

1As soon as Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and burned up the offerings. The LORD's dazzling glory then filled the temple, 2and the priests could not go in.

3When the crowd of people saw the fire and the LORD's glory, they knelt down and worshiped the LORD. They prayed:

"The LORD is good,
and his love never ends."

4-5Solomon and the people dedicated the temple to the LORD by sacrificing twenty-two thousand cattle and one hundred twenty thousand sheep.

6Everybody stood up during the ceremony. The priests were in their assigned places, blowing their trumpets. And the Levites faced them, playing the musical instruments that David had made for them to use when they praised the LORD for his never-ending love.

7On that same day, Solomon dedicated the courtyard in front of the temple and got it ready to be used for worship. The bronze altar he had made was too small, so he used the courtyard to offer sacrifices to please the LORD [c] and grain sacrifices, and also to send up in smoke the fat from the other offerings.

8For seven days, Solomon and the crowd celebrated the Festival of Shelters, and people came from as far away as the Egyptian Gorge in the south and Lebo-Hamath in the north.

9Then on the next day, everyone came together for worship. They had celebrated a total of fourteen days, seven days for the dedication of the altar and seven more days for the festival.

10Then on the twenty-third day of the seventh month, [d] Solomon sent everyone home. They left very happy because of all the good things the LORD had done for David and Solomon, and for his people Israel.

The LORD Appears to Solomon Again
(1 Kings 9.1-9)

11The LORD's temple and Solomon's palace were now finished. In fact, everything Solomon had planned to do was completed.

12Some time later, the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream and said:

I heard your prayer, and I have chosen this temple as the place where sacrifices will be offered to me.

13Suppose I hold back the rain or send locusts [e] to eat the crops or make my people suffer with deadly diseases.

14If my own people will humbly pray and turn back to me and stop sinning, then I will answer them from heaven. I will forgive them and make their land fertile once again.

15I will hear the prayers made in this temple,

16because it belongs to me, and this is where I will be worshiped forever. I will never stop watching over it.

17Your father David obeyed me, and now, Solomon, you must do the same. Obey my laws and teachings,

18and I will keep my solemn promise to him that someone from your family will always be king of Israel.

19But if you or any of the people of Israel disobey my laws or start worshiping foreign gods,

20I will pull you out of this land I gave you. I will desert this temple where I said I would be worshiped, so that people everywhere will think it is only a joke and will make fun of it.

21This temple is now magnificent. But when these things happen, everyone who walks by it will be shocked and will ask, "Why did the LORD do such a terrible thing to his people and to this temple?"

22Then they will answer, "It was because the people of Israel rejected the LORD their God, who rescued their ancestors from Egypt, and they started worshiping other gods."

2 Chronicles 8

Other Things Solomon Did
(1 Kings 9.10-28)

1It took twenty years for the LORD's temple and Solomon's palace to be built.

2After that, Solomon had his workers rebuild the towns that Hiram had given him. Then Solomon sent Israelites to live in those towns.

3Solomon attacked and captured the town of Hamath-Zobah.

4He had his workers build the town of Tadmor in the desert and some towns in Hamath where he could keep his supplies.

5He strengthened Upper Beth-Horon and Lower Beth-Horon by adding walls and gates that could be locked.

6He did the same thing to the town of Baalath and to the cities where he kept supplies, chariots, and horses. Solomon had his workers build whatever he wanted in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and anywhere else in his kingdom.

7-9Solomon did not force the Israelites to do his work. Instead, they were his soldiers, officers, army commanders, and cavalry troops. But he did make slaves of the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites who were living in Israel. These were the descendants of those foreigners the Israelites did not destroy, and they remained Israel's slaves.

10Solomon appointed two hundred fifty officers to be in charge of his workers.

Footnotes:
2 Chronicles 6:28 locusts: A type of grasshopper that comes in swarms and causes great damage to crops.
2 Chronicles 6:42 the love you had for your servant David: Or "how loyal your servant David was to you."
2 Chronicles 7:7 sacrifices to please the LORD: See the note at 1.6.
2 Chronicles 7:10 seventh month: See the note at 5.2,3.
2 Chronicles 7:13 locusts: See the note at 6.28.


Romans 7:14-8:8 (Contemporary English Version)

14We know that the Law is spiritual. But I am merely a human, and I have been sold as a slave to sin. 15In fact, I don't understand why I act the way I do. I don't do what I know is right. I do the things I hate. 16Although I don't do what I know is right, I agree that the Law is good. 17So I am not the one doing these evil things. The sin that lives in me is what does them.

18I know that my selfish desires won't let me do anything that is good. Even when I want to do right, I cannot. 19Instead of doing what I know is right, I do wrong. 20And so, if I don't do what I know is right, I am no longer the one doing these evil things. The sin that lives in me is what does them.

21The Law has shown me that something in me keeps me from doing what I know is right. 22With my whole heart I agree with the Law of God. 23But in every part of me I discover something fighting against my mind, and it makes me a prisoner of sin that controls everything I do. 24What a miserable person I am. Who will rescue me from this body that is doomed to die? 25Thank God! Jesus Christ will rescue me.

So with my mind I serve the Law of God, although my selfish desires make me serve the law of sin.

Romans 8

Living by the Power of God's Spirit

1If you belong to Christ Jesus, you won't be punished. 2The Holy Spirit will give you life that comes from Christ Jesus and will set you [a] free from sin and death. 3The Law of Moses cannot do this, because our selfish desires make the Law weak. But God set you free when he sent his own Son to be like us sinners and to be a sacrifice for our sin. God used Christ's body to condemn sin. 4He did this, so that we would do what the Law commands by obeying the Spirit instead of our own desires. 5People who are ruled by their desires think only of themselves. Everyone who is ruled by the Holy Spirit thinks about spiritual things. 6If our minds are ruled by our desires, we will die. But if our minds are ruled by the Spirit, we will have life and peace. 7Our desires fight against God, because they do not and cannot obey God's laws. 8If we follow our desires, we cannot please God.

Footnotes:
Romans 8:2 you: Some manuscripts have " me."


Psalm 18:1-15 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 18
(For the music leader. A psalm by David, the LORD's servant. David sang this to the LORD after the LORD had rescued him from his enemies, but especially from Saul.)

David's Song of Thanks

1I love you, LORD God,
and you make me strong.

2You are my mighty rock, [a]
my fortress, my protector,
the rock where I am safe,
my shield,
my powerful weapon, [b]
and my place of shelter.

3I praise you, LORD!

I prayed, and you rescued me
from my enemies.

4Death had wrapped
its ropes around me,
and I was almost swallowed
by its flooding waters.

5Ropes from the world
of the dead
had coiled around me,
and death had set a trap
in my path.

6I was in terrible trouble
when I called out to you,
but from your temple
you heard me
and answered my prayer.

7The earth shook and shivered,
and the mountains trembled
down to their roots.

You were angry
8and breathed out smoke.

Scorching heat and fiery flames
spewed from your mouth.

9You opened the heavens
like curtains,
and you came down
with storm clouds
under your feet.

10You rode on the backs
of flying creatures
and swooped down
with the wind as wings.

11Darkness was your robe;
thunderclouds filled the sky,
hiding you from sight.

12Hailstones and fiery coals
lit up the sky
in front of you.

13LORD Most High, your voice
thundered from the heavens,
as hailstones and fiery coals
poured down like rain.

14You scattered your enemies
with arrows of lightning.

15You roared at the sea,
and its deepest channels
could be seen.

You snorted,
and the earth shook
to its foundations.

Footnotes:
Psalm 18:2 mighty rock: The Hebrew text has " rock," which is sometimes used in poetry to compare the Lord to a mountain where his people can run for protection from their enemies.
Psalm 18:2 my powerful weapon: The Hebrew text has " the horn," which refers to the horn of a bull, one of the most powerful animals in ancient Palestine.


Proverbs 19:24-25 (Contemporary English Version)

24Some people are too lazy
to lift a hand
to feed themselves.

25Stupid fools learn good sense
by seeing others punished;
a sensible person learns
by being corrected.

Bible Readings for July 21, 2011

Today our passages are 2 Chronicles 4:1–6:11; Romans 7:1-13; Psalm 17:1-15; and Proverbs 19:22-23. The readings are from the Contemporary English Version.

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2 Chronicles 4-6:11 (Contemporary English Version)

2 Chronicles 4

The Furnishings for the Temple
(1 Kings 7.23-51)

1Solomon had a bronze altar made that was thirty feet square and fifteen feet high.

2He also gave orders to make a large metal bowl called the Sea. It was fifteen feet across, about seven and a half feet deep, and forty-five feet around.

3Its outer edge was decorated with two rows of carvings of bulls, ten bulls to every eighteen inches, all made from the same piece of metal as the bowl.

4The bowl itself sat on top of twelve bronze bulls, with three bulls facing outward in each of four directions.

5The sides of the bowl were four inches thick, and its rim was in the shape of a cup that curved outward like flower petals. The bowl held about fifteen thousand gallons.

6He also made ten small bowls and put five on each side of the large bowl. The small bowls were used to wash the animals that were burned on the altar as sacrifices, and the priests used the water in the large bowl to wash their hands.

7Ten gold lampstands were also made according to the plans. Solomon placed these lampstands inside the temple, five on each side of the main room.

8He also made ten tables and placed them in the main room, five on each side. And he made a hundred small gold sprinkling bowls.

9Solomon gave orders to build two courtyards: a smaller one that only priests could use and a larger one. The doors to these courtyards were covered with bronze.

10The large bowl called the Sea was placed near the southeast corner of the temple.

11Huram made shovels, sprinkling bowls, and pans for hot ashes. Here is a list of the other furnishings he made for God's temple:

12two columns, two bowl-shaped caps for the tops of these columns, two chain designs on the caps,
13four hundred pomegranates [a] for the chain designs,
14the stands and the small bowls,
15the large bowl and the twelve bulls that held it up,
16pans for hot ashes, as well as shovels and meat forks. Huram made all these things out of polished bronze
17by pouring melted bronze into the clay molds he had set up near the Jordan River, between Succoth and Zeredah.

18There were so many bronze furnishings that no one ever knew how much bronze it took to make them.

19Solomon also gave orders to make the following temple furnishings out of gold: the altar, the tables that held the sacred loaves of bread, [b]
20the lampstands and the lamps that burned in front of the most holy place,
21flower designs, lamps and tongs,
22lamp snuffers, small sprinkling bowls, ladles, fire pans, and the doors to the most holy place and the main room of the temple.

2 Chronicles 5

1After the LORD's temple was finished, Solomon put in its storage rooms everything that his father David had dedicated to the LORD, including the gold and silver, and the objects used in worship.

Solomon Brings the Sacred Chest to the Temple
(1 Kings 8.1-13)

2-3The sacred chest had been kept on Mount Zion, also known as the city of David. But Solomon decided to have the chest moved to the temple while everyone was in Jerusalem to celebrate the Festival of Shelters during the seventh month. [c] Solomon called together all the important leaders of Israel.

4-5Then the priests and the Levites picked up the sacred chest, the sacred tent, and the objects used for worship, and they carried them to the temple.

6Solomon and a crowd of people walked in front of the chest, and along the way they sacrificed more sheep and cattle than could be counted.

7The priests carried the chest into the most holy place and put it under the winged creatures,
8whose wings covered the chest and the poles used for carrying it.

9The poles were so long that they could be seen from just outside the most holy place, but not from anywhere else. And they stayed there from then on.

10The only things kept in the chest were the two flat stones Moses had put there when the LORD made his agreement with the people of Israel at Mount Sinai, [d] after bringing them out of Egypt.

11-13The priests of every group had gone through the ceremony to make themselves clean and acceptable to the LORD. The Levite musicians, including Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons and relatives, were wearing robes of fine linen. They were standing on the east side of the altar, playing cymbals, small harps, and other stringed instruments. One hundred twenty priests were with these musicians, and they were blowing trumpets.

They were praising the LORD by playing music and singing:

"The LORD is good,
and his love never ends."

Suddenly a cloud filled the temple as the priests were leaving the holy place.

14The LORD's glory was in that cloud, and the light from it was so bright that the priests could not stay inside to do their work.

2 Chronicles 6

1Solomon prayed:

"Our LORD, you said that you
would live in a dark cloud.
2Now I've built a glorious temple
where you can live forever."

Solomon Speaks to the People
(1 Kings 8.14-21)

3Solomon turned toward the people standing there. Then he blessed them 4-6and said:

Praise the LORD God of Israel! He brought his people out of Egypt long ago and later kept his promise to make my father David the king of Israel. The LORD also promised him that Jerusalem would be the city where his temple will be built, and now that promise has come true.

7When my father wanted to build a temple for the LORD God of Israel,
8the LORD said, "It's good that you want to build a temple where I can be worshiped.

9But you're not the one to do it. Your son will build the temple to honor me."

10The LORD has done what he promised. I am now the king of Israel, and I've built a temple for the LORD our God.

11I've also put the sacred chest in the temple. And in that chest are the two flat stones on which is written the solemn agreement the LORD made with our ancestors when he rescued them from Egypt.

Footnotes:
2 Chronicles 4:13 pomegranates: See the note at 3.16.
2 Chronicles 4:19 sacred loaves of bread: This bread was offered to the LORD and was a symbol of the LORD's presence in the temple. It was put out on special tables, and was replaced with fresh bread every week (see Leviticus 24.5-9).
2 Chronicles 5:2 seventh month: Tishri (also called Ethanim), the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar, from about mid-September to mid-October.
2 Chronicles 5:10 Sinai: Hebrew "Horeb."


Romans 7:1-13 (Contemporary English Version)

Romans 7

An Example from Marriage

1My friends, you surely understand enough about law to know that laws only have power over people who are alive. 2For example, the Law says that a man's wife must remain his wife as long as he lives. But once her husband is dead, she is free 3to marry someone else. However, if she goes off with another man while her husband is still alive, she is said to be unfaithful.

4That is how it is with you, my friends. You are now part of the body of Christ and are dead to the power of the Law. You are free to belong to Christ, who was raised to life so that we could serve God. 5When we thought only of ourselves, the Law made us have sinful desires. It made every part of our bodies into slaves who are doomed to die. 6But the Law no longer rules over us. We are like dead people, and it cannot have any power over us. Now we can serve God in a new way by obeying his Spirit, and not in the old way by obeying the written Law.

The Battle with Sin

7Does this mean that the Law is sinful? Certainly not! But if it had not been for the Law, I would not have known what sin is really like. For example, I would not have known what it means to want something that belongs to someone else, unless the Law had told me not to do that. 8It was sin that used this command as a way of making me have all kinds of desires. But without the Law, sin is dead.

9Before I knew about the Law, I was alive. But as soon as I heard that command, sin came to life, 10and I died. The very command that was supposed to bring life to me, instead brought death. 11Sin used this command to trick me, and because of it I died. 12Still, the Law and its commands are holy and correct and good.

13Am I saying that something good caused my death? Certainly not! It was sin that killed me by using something good. Now we can see how terrible and evil sin really is.


Psalm 17:1-15 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 17
(A prayer by David.)

The Prayer of an Innocent Person

1I am innocent, LORD!

Won't you listen as I pray
and beg for help?

I am honest!

Please hear my prayer.

2Only you can say
that I am innocent,
because only your eyes
can see the truth.

3You know my heart,
and even during the night
you have tested me
and found me innocent.

I have made up my mind
never to tell a lie.

4I don't do like others.

I obey your teachings
and am not cruel.

5I have followed you,
without ever stumbling.

6I pray to you, God,
because you will help me.

Listen and answer my prayer!

7Show your wonderful love.

Your mighty arm protects those
who run to you
for safety
from their enemies.

8Protect me as you would
your very own eyes;
hide me in the shadow
of your wings.

9Don't let my brutal enemies
attack from all sides
and kill me.

10They refuse to show mercy,
and they keep bragging.

11They have caught up with me!

My enemies are everywhere,
eagerly hoping to smear me
in the dirt.

12They are like hungry lions
hunting for food,
or like young lions
hiding in ambush.

13Do something, LORD!

Attack and defeat them.

Take your sword and save me
from those evil people.

14Use your powerful arm
and rescue me
from the hands of mere humans
whose world won't last. a]

You provide food
for those you love.

Their children have plenty,
and their grandchildren
will have more than enough.

15I am innocent, LORD,
and I will see your face!

When I awake, all I want
is to see you as you are.

Footnotes:
Psalm 17:14 last: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 14.


Proverbs 19:22-23 (Contemporary English Version)

22What matters most is loyalty.
It's better to be poor
than to be a liar.

23Showing respect to the LORD
brings true life--
if you do it, you can relax
without fear of danger.

Bible Readings for July 20, 2011

Today our passages are 2 Chronicles 1:1–3:17; Romans 6:1-23; Psalm 16:1-11; and Proverbs 19:20-21. The readings are from the Contemporary English Version.

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2 Chronicles 1-3:17 (Contemporary English Version)


2 Chronicles 1

The LORD Makes Solomon Wise
(1 Kings 3.1-15)

1King Solomon, the son of David, was now in complete control of his kingdom, because the LORD God had blessed him and made him a powerful king.

2-5At that time, the sacred tent that Moses the servant of the LORD had made in the desert was still kept at Gibeon, and in front of the tent was the bronze altar that Bezalel [a] had made. One day, Solomon told the people of Israel, the army commanders, the officials, and the family leaders, to go with him to the place of worship at Gibeon, even though his father King David had already moved the sacred chest from Kiriath-Jearim to the tent that he had set up for it in Jerusalem. Solomon and the others went to Gibeon to worship the LORD,

6and there at the bronze altar, Solomon offered a thousand animals as sacrifices to please the LORD. [b]

7God appeared to Solomon that night in a dream and said, "Solomon, ask for anything you want, and I will give it to you."

8Solomon answered:

LORD God, you were always loyal to my father David, and now you have made me king of Israel.

9I am supposed to rule these people, but there are as many of them as there are specks of dust on the ground. So keep the promise you made to my father

10and make me wise. Give me the knowledge I'll need to be the king of this great nation of yours.

11God replied:

Solomon, you could have asked me to make you rich or famous or to let you live a long time. Or you could have asked for your enemies to be destroyed. Instead, you asked for wisdom and knowledge to rule my people.

12So I will make you wise and intelligent. But I will also make you richer and more famous than any king before or after you.

13Solomon then left Gibeon and returned to Jerusalem, the capital city of Israel.

Solomon's Wealth
(1 Kings 10.26-29)

14Solomon had a force of one thousand four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses that he kept in Jerusalem and other towns.

15While Solomon was king of Israel, there was silver and gold everywhere in Jerusalem, and cedar was as common as ordinary sycamore trees in the foothills.

16-17Solomon's merchants bought his horses and chariots in the regions of Musri and Kue. [c] They paid about fifteen pounds of silver for a chariot and almost four pounds of silver for a horse. They also sold horses and chariots to the Hittite and Syrian kings.

2 Chronicles 2

Solomon Asks Hiram To Help Build the Temple
(1 Kings 5.1-12)

1Solomon decided to build a temple where the LORD would be worshiped, and also to build a palace for himself.

2He assigned seventy thousand men to carry building supplies and eighty thousand to cut stone from the hills. And he chose three thousand six hundred men to supervise these workers.

3Solomon sent the following message to King Hiram of Tyre:

Years ago, when my father David was building his palace, you supplied him with cedar logs. Now will you send me supplies?

4I am building a temple where the LORD my God will be worshiped. Sweet-smelling incense will be burned there, and sacred bread will be offered to him. Worshipers will offer sacrifices to the LORD every morning and evening, every Sabbath, and on the first day of each month, as well as during all our religious festivals. These things will be done for all time, just as the LORD has commanded.

5This will be a great temple, because our God is greater than all other gods.

6No one can ever build a temple large enough for God--even the heavens are too small a place for him to live in! All I can do is build a place where we can offer sacrifices to him.

7Send me a worker who can not only carve, but who can work with gold, silver, bronze, and iron, as well as make brightly colored cloth. The person you send will work here in Judah and Jerusalem with the skilled workers that my father has already hired.

8I know that you have workers who are experts at cutting lumber in Lebanon. So would you please send me some cedar, pine, and juniper logs? My workers will be there to help them,

9because I'll need a lot of lumber to build such a large and glorious temple.

10I will pay your woodcutters one hundred twenty-five thousand bushels of wheat, the same amount of barley, one hundred fifteen thousand gallons of wine, and that same amount of olive oil.

11Hiram sent his answer back to Solomon:

I know that the LORD must love his people, because he has chosen you to be their king.

12Praise the LORD God of Israel who made heaven and earth! He has given David a son who isn't only wise and smart, but who has the knowledge to build a temple for the LORD and a palace for himself.

13I am sending Huram Abi to you. He is very bright.

14His mother was from the Israelite tribe of Dan, and his father was from Tyre. Not only is Huram an expert at working with gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, but he can also make colored cloth and fine linen. And he can carve anything if you give him a pattern to follow. He can help your workers and those hired by your father King David.

15Go ahead and send the wheat, barley, olive oil, and wine you promised to pay my workers.

16I will tell them to start cutting down trees in Lebanon. They will cut as many as you need, then tie them together into rafts, and float them down along the coast to Joppa. Your workers can take them to Jerusalem from there.

Solomon's Work Force

17Solomon counted all the foreigners who were living in Israel, just as his father David had done when he was king, and the total was 153,600.

18He assigned 70,000 of them to carry building supplies and 80,000 of them to cut stone from the hills. He chose 3,600 others to supervise the workers and to make sure the work was completed.

2 Chronicles 3

The Temple Is Built
(1 Kings 6.1-38)

1-2Solomon's workers began building the temple in Jerusalem on the second day of the second month, [d] four years after Solomon had become king of Israel. It was built on Mount Moriah where the LORD had appeared to David at the threshing place that had belonged to Araunah [e] from Jebus.

3The inside of the temple was ninety feet long and thirty feet wide, according to the older standards. [f]

4Across the front of the temple was a porch thirty feet wide and thirty feet [g] high. The inside walls of the porch were covered with pure gold.

5Solomon had the inside walls of the temple's main room paneled first with pine and then with a layer of gold, and he had them decorated with carvings of palm trees and designs that looked like chains.

6He used precious stones to decorate the temple, and he used gold imported from Parvaim [h]

7to decorate the ceiling beams, the doors, the door frames, and the walls. Solomon also had the workers carve designs of winged creatures into the walls.

8The most holy place was thirty feet square, and its walls were covered with almost twenty-five tons of fine gold.

9More than a pound of gold was used to cover the heads of the nails. The walls of the small storage rooms were also covered with gold. [i]

10Solomon had two statues of winged creatures [j] made to put in the most holy place, and he covered them with gold.

11-13Each creature had two wings and was fifteen feet from the tip of one wing to the tip of the other wing. Solomon set them next to each other in the most holy place, facing the doorway. Their wings were spread out and reached all the way across the thirty foot room.

14A curtain [k] was made of fine linen woven with blue, purple, and red wool, and embroidered with designs of winged creatures.

The Two Columns
(1 Kings 7.15-22)

15Two columns were made for the entrance to the temple. Each one was fifty-two feet tall and had a cap on top that was seven and a half feet high.

16The top of each column was decorated with designs that looked like chains [l] and with a hundred carvings of pomegranates. [m]

17Solomon had one of the columns placed on the south side of the temple's entrance; it was called Jachin. [n] The other one was placed on the north side of the entrance; it was called Boaz. [o]

Footnotes:
2 Chronicles 1:2 Bezalel: Hebrew "Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur."
2 Chronicles 1:6 sacrifices to please the LORD: These sacrifices have traditionally been called "whole burnt offerings," because the whole animal was burned on the altar. A main purpose of such sacrifices was to please the LORD with the smell of the sacrifice, and so in the CEV they are often called "sacrifices to please the LORD."
2 Chronicles 1:16 Musri and Kue: Hebrew "Egypt and Kue." Musri and Kue were regions located in what is today southeast Turkey.
2 Chronicles 3:1 second month: Ziv, the second month of the Hebrew calendar, from about mid-April to mid-May.
2 Chronicles 3:1 Araunah: The Hebrew text has "Ornan," another spelling of the name (see 2 Samuel 24.18-25; 1 Chronicles 21.18--22.1).
2 Chronicles 3:3 according to the older standards: There were possibly two different standards of measurement during Israel's history.
2 Chronicles 3:4 thirty feet: Some manuscripts of two ancient translations; Hebrew "one hundred eighty feet."
2 Chronicles 3:6 Parvaim: An unknown place.
2 Chronicles 3:9 The walls. . . gold: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
2 Chronicles 3:10 statues of winged creatures: These were symbols of the LORD's throne on earth (see Exodus 25.18-22).
2 Chronicles 3:14 A curtain: To separate the most holy place from the main room of the temple.
2 Chronicles 3:16 designs that looked like chains: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
2 Chronicles 3:16 pomegranates: A pomegranate is a small red fruit that looks like an apple. In ancient times, it was a symbol of life.
2 Chronicles 3:17 Jachin: Or "He (God) makes secure."
2 Chronicles 3:17 Boaz: Or "He (God) is strong."


Romans 6:1-23 (Contemporary English Version)

Romans 6

Dead to Sin but Alive because of Christ

1What should we say? Should we keep on sinning, so that God's wonderful kindness will show up even better? 2No, we should not! If we are dead to sin, how can we go on sinning? 3Don't you know that all who share in Christ Jesus by being baptized also share in his death? 4When we were baptized, we died and were buried with Christ. We were baptized, so that we would live a new life, as Christ was raised to life by the glory of God the Father.

5If we shared in Jesus' death by being baptized, we will be raised to life with him. 6We know that the persons we used to be were nailed to the cross with Jesus. This was done, so that our sinful bodies would no longer be the slaves of sin. 7We know that sin doesn't have power over dead people.

8As surely as we died with Christ, we believe we will also live with him. 9We know that death no longer has any power over Christ. He died and was raised to life, never again to die. 10When Christ died, he died for sin once and for all. But now he is alive, and he lives only for God. 11In the same way, you must think of yourselves as dead to the power of sin. But Christ Jesus has given life to you, and you live for God.

12Don't let sin rule your body. After all, your body is bound to die, so don't obey its desires 13or let any part of it become a slave of evil. Give yourselves to God, as people who have been raised from death to life. Make every part of your body a slave that pleases God. 14Don't let sin keep ruling your lives. You are ruled by God's kindness and not by the Law.

Slaves Who Do What Pleases God

15What does all this mean? Does it mean we are free to sin, because we are ruled by God's wonderful kindness and not by the Law? Certainly not! 16Don't you know that you are slaves of anyone you obey? You can be slaves of sin and die, or you can be obedient slaves of God and be acceptable to him. 17You used to be slaves of sin. But I thank God that with all your heart you obeyed the teaching you received from me. 18Now you are set free from sin and are slaves who please God.

19I am using these everyday examples, because in some ways you are still weak. You used to let the different parts of your body be slaves of your evil thoughts. But now you must make every part of your body serve God, so that you will belong completely to him.

20When you were slaves of sin, you didn't have to please God. 21But what good did you receive from the things you did? All you have to show for them is your shame, and they lead to death. 22Now you have been set free from sin, and you are God's slaves. This will make you holy and will lead you to eternal life. 23Sin pays off with death. But God's gift is eternal life given by Jesus Christ our Lord.


Psalm 16:1-11 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 16
(A special psalm by David.)

The Best Choice

1Protect me, LORD God!

I run to you for safety,
2and I have said,
"Only you are my Lord!

Every good thing I have
is a gift from you."

3Your people are wonderful,
and they make me happy, [a]
4but worshipers of other gods
will have much sorrow. [b]

I refuse to offer sacrifices
of blood to those gods
or worship in their name.

5You, LORD, are all I want!

You are my choice,
and you keep me safe.

6You make my life pleasant,
and my future is bright.

7I praise you, LORD,
for being my guide.

Even in the darkest night,
your teachings fill my mind.

8I will always look to you,
as you stand beside me
and protect me from fear.

9With all my heart,
I will celebrate,
and I can safely rest.

10I am your chosen one.

You won't leave me in the grave
or let my body decay.

11You have shown me
the path to life,
and you make me glad
by being near to me.

Sitting at your right side, [c]
I will always be joyful.

Footnotes:
Psalm 16:3 Your people. . . happy: Or " I was happy worshiping gods I thought were powerful."
Psalm 16:4 but. . . sorrow: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
Psalm 16:11 right side: The place of power and honor.


Proverbs 19:20-21 (Contemporary English Version)

20Pay attention to advice
and accept correction,
so you can live sensibly.

21We may make a lot of plans,
but the LORD will do
what he has decided.

Bible Readings for July 19, 2011

Today our passages are 1 Chronicles 28:1–29:30; Romans 5:6-21; Psalm 15:1-5; and Proverbs 19:18-19. The readings are from the Contemporary English Version.

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1 Chronicles 28-29:30 (Contemporary English Version)

1 Chronicles 28

David Gives Solomon the Plans for the Temple

1David called a meeting in Jerusalem for all of Israel's leaders, including the tribal leaders, the government officials, the army commanders, the officials in charge of the royal property and livestock, the palace officials, and the brave warriors.

2After everyone was there, David stood up and said:

Listen to me, my people. I wanted to build a place where the sacred chest would be kept, so we could go there and worship the LORD our God. I have prepared all the supplies for building a temple, 3but the LORD has refused to let me build it, because he said I have killed too many people in battle.

4The LORD God chose Judah to be the leading tribe in Israel. Then from Judah, he chose my father's family, and from that family, he chose me to be the king of Israel, and he promised that my descendants will also rule as kings. 5The LORD has blessed me with many sons, but he chose my son Solomon to be the next king of Israel. 6The LORD said to me, "Your son Solomon will build my temple, and it will honor me. Solomon will be like a son to me, and I will be like a father to him. 7If he continues to obey my laws and commands, his kingdom will never end."

8My friends, you are the LORD's people. And now, with God as your witness, I want you to promise that you will do your best to obey everything the LORD God has commanded us. Then this land will always belong to you and your descendants.

9Solomon, my son, worship God and obey him with all your heart and mind, just as I have done. He knows all your thoughts and your reasons for doing things, and so if you turn to him, he will hear your prayers. But if you ignore him, he will reject you forever. 10The LORD has chosen you to build a temple for worshiping him. Be confident and do the work you have been assigned.

11After David finished speaking, he gave Solomon the plans for building the main rooms of the temple, including the porch, the storerooms, the rooms upstairs and downstairs, as well as the most holy place. 12He gave Solomon his plans for the courtyards and the open areas around the temple, and for the rooms to store the temple treasures and gifts that had been dedicated to God.

13David also gave Solomon his plans for dividing the priests and the Levites into groups, as well as for the work that needed to be done at the temple and for taking care of the objects used for worship. 14He told Solomon how much gold and silver was to be used in making the sacred objects, 15including the lampstands and lamps, 16the gold table which held the sacred loaves of bread, the tables made of silver, 17the meat forks, the bowls and cups, 18the gold incense altar, and the gold statue of a chariot for the winged creatures which were on the lid of the sacred chest.

19David then said to Solomon:

The LORD showed me how his temple is to be built. 20But you must see that everything is done according to these plans. Be confident, and never be afraid of anything or get discouraged. The LORD my God will help you do everything needed to finish the temple, so it can be used for worshiping him. 21The priests and Levites have been assigned their duties, and all the skilled workers are prepared to do their work. The people and their leaders will do anything you tell them.

1 Chronicles 29

Gifts for Building the Temple

1David told the crowd:

God chose my son Solomon to build the temple, but Solomon is young and has no experience. This is not just any building--this is the temple for the LORD God! 2That's why I have done my best to get everything Solomon will need to build it--gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, onyx, turquoise, colored gems, all kinds of precious stones, and marble.

3Besides doing all that, I have promised to give part of my own gold and silver as a way of showing my love for God's temple. 4Almost one hundred twenty tons of my finest gold and over two hundred fifty tons of my silver will be used to decorate its walls 5and to make the gold and silver objects. Now, who else will show their dedication to the LORD by giving gifts for building his temple?

6After David finished speaking, the family leaders, the tribal leaders, the army commanders, and the government officials voluntarily gave gifts 7for the temple. These gifts included almost two hundred tons of gold, three hundred eighty tons of silver, almost seven hundred tons of bronze, and three thousand seven hundred fifty tons of iron. 8Everyone who owned precious stones also donated them to the temple treasury, where Jehiel from the Levite clan of Gershon guarded them.

9David and the people were very happy that so much had been given to the LORD, and they all celebrated.

David Praises the LORD

10Then, in front of everyone, David sang praises to the LORD:

I praise you forever, LORD! You are the God our ancestor Jacob [a] worshiped. 11Your power is great, and your glory is seen everywhere in heaven and on earth. You are king of the entire world, 12and you rule with strength and power. You make people rich and powerful and famous. 13We thank you, our God, and praise you. 14But why should we be happy that we have given you these gifts? They belong to you, and we have only given back what is already yours. 15We are only foreigners living here on earth for a while, just as our ancestors were. And we will soon be gone, like a shadow that suddenly disappears.

16Our LORD God, we have brought all these things for building a temple to honor you. They belong to you, and you gave them to us. 17But we are happy, because everyone has voluntarily given you these things. You know what is in everyone's heart, and you are pleased when people are honest. 18Always make us eager to give, and help us be faithful to you, just as our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob faithfully worshiped you. 19And give Solomon the desire to completely obey your laws and teachings, and the desire to build the temple for which I have provided these gifts.

20David then said to the people, "Now it's your turn to praise the LORD, the God your ancestors worshiped!" So everyone praised the LORD, and they bowed down to honor him and David their king.

Solomon Is Crowned King

21The next day, the Israelites slaughtered a thousand bulls, a thousand rams, and a thousand lambs, and they offered them as sacrifices to please the LORD, [b] along with offerings of wine. 22The people were very happy, and they ate and drank there at the LORD's altar. That same day, Solomon was crowned king. The people celebrated and poured olive oil on Solomon's head to show that he would be their next king. They also poured oil on Zadok's head to show that he was their priest.

23So Solomon became king after David his father. Solomon was successful, and everyone in Israel obeyed him. 24Every official and every soldier, as well as all of David's other sons, were loyal to him. 25The LORD made Solomon a great king, and the whole nation was amazed at how famous he was. In fact, no other king of Israel was as great as Solomon.

David Dies

26David the son of Jesse was king of Israel 27for forty years. He ruled from Hebron for seven years and from Jerusalem for thirty-three years. 28David was rich and respected and lived to be an old man. Then he died, and his son Solomon became king.

29Everything David did while he was king is included in the history written by the prophets Samuel, Nathan, and Gad. 30They wrote about his powerful rule and about the things that happened not only to him, but also to Israel and the other nations.

Footnotes:
1 Chronicles 29:10 Jacob: See the note at 1.34.
1 Chronicles 29:21 sacrifices to please the LORD: See the note at 16.1.


Romans 5:6-21 (Contemporary English Version)

6Christ died for us at a time when we were helpless and sinful. 7No one is really willing to die for an honest person, though someone might be willing to die for a truly good person. 8But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful.

9But there is more! Now that God has accepted us because Christ sacrificed his life's blood, we will also be kept safe from God's anger. 10Even when we were God's enemies, he made peace with us, because his Son died for us. Yet something even greater than friendship is ours. Now that we are at peace with God, we will be saved by his Son's life. 11And in addition to everything else, we are happy because God sent our Lord Jesus Christ to make peace with us.

Adam and Christ

12Adam sinned, and that sin brought death into the world. Now everyone has sinned, and so everyone must die. 13Sin was in the world before the Law came. But no record of sin was kept, because there was no Law. 14Yet death still had power over all who lived from the time of Adam to the time of Moses. This happened, though not everyone disobeyed a direct command from God, as Adam did.

In some ways Adam is like Christ who came later. 15But the gift that God was kind enough to give was very different from Adam's sin. That one sin brought death to many others. Yet in an even greater way, Jesus Christ alone brought God's gift of kindness to many people.

16There is a lot of difference between Adam's sin and God's gift. That one sin led to punishment. But God's gift made it possible for us to be acceptable to him, even though we have sinned many times. 17Death ruled like a king because Adam had sinned. But that cannot compare with what Jesus Christ has done. God has been so kind to us, and he has accepted us because of Jesus. And so we will live and rule like kings.

18Everyone was going to be punished because Adam sinned. But because of the good thing that Christ has done, God accepts us and gives us the gift of life. 19Adam disobeyed God and caused many others to be sinners. But Jesus obeyed him and will make many people acceptable to God.

20The Law came, so that the full power of sin could be seen. Yet where sin was powerful, God's kindness was even more powerful. 21Sin ruled by means of death. But God's kindness now rules, and God has accepted us because of Jesus Christ our Lord. This means that we will have eternal life.


Psalm 15:1-5 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 15
(A psalm by David.)

Who May Worship the LORD?

1Who may stay in God's temple
or live on the holy mountain
of the LORD?

2Only those who obey God
and do as they should.

They speak the truth
3and don't spread gossip;
they treat others fairly
and don't say cruel things.

4They hate worthless people,
but show respect for all
who worship the LORD.

And they keep their promises,
no matter what the cost.

5They lend their money
without charging interest,
and they don't take bribes
to hurt the innocent.

Those who do these things
will always stand firm.


Proverbs 19:18-19 (Contemporary English Version)

18Correct your children
before it's too late;
if you don't punish them,
you are destroying them.

19People with bad tempers
are always in trouble,
and they need help
over and over again. [a]

Footnotes:
Proverbs 19:19 and they. . . again: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

Bible Readings for July 17, 2011

Today our passages are 1 Chronicles 24:1–26:11; Romans 4:1-12; Psalm 13:1-6; and Proverbs 19:15-16. The readings are from the Contemporary English Version.

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1 Chronicles 24-26:11 (Contemporary English Version)

1 Chronicles 24

David Assigns the Priests Their Duties

1Aaron's descendants were then divided into work groups. Aaron had four sons: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 2But Nadab and Abihu died long before their father, without having any sons. That's why Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests.

3David divided Aaron's descendants into groups, according to their assigned work. Zadok, one of Eleazar's descendants, and Ahimelech, one of Ithamar's descendants, helped David.

4Eleazar's descendants were divided into sixteen groups, and Ithamar's were divided into eight groups, because Eleazar's family included more family leaders. 5However, both families included temple officials and priests, and so to make sure the work was divided fairly, David asked God what to do. [a] 6As each group was assigned their duties, Shemaiah the son of Nethanel the Levite wrote down the name of the family leader in charge of that group. The witnesses were David and his officials, as well as Zadok the priest, Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, and the family leaders from the clans of the priests and the Levites.

7-18Each group of priests went by the name of its family leader, and they were assigned their duties in the following order: Jehoiarib, Jedaiah, Harim, Seorim, Malchijah, Mijamin, Hakkoz, Abijah, Jeshua, Shecaniah, Eliashib, Jakim, Huppah, Jeshebeab, Bilgah, Immer, Hezir, Happizzez, Pethahiah, Jehezkel, Jachin, Gamul, Delaiah, Maaziah. 19These men were assigned their duties at the temple, just as the LORD God of Israel had commanded their ancestor Aaron.

The Rest of the Levites Are Assigned Their Duties

20Here is a list of the other descendants of Levi:
Amram was the ancestor of Shubael and Jehdeiah.

21Rehabiah was the ancestor of Isshiah, the oldest son in his family.

22Izhar was the father of Shelomoth and the grandfather of Jahath.

23Hebron had four sons, in the following order: Jeriah, Amariah, Jahaziel, and Jekameam.

24Uzziel was the father of Micah and the grandfather of Shamir.

25Isshiah, Micah's brother, was the father of Zechariah.

26Merari was the father of Mahli, Mushi, and Jaaziah.

27Jaaziah had three sons: Shoham, Zaccur, and Ibri. [b] 28-29Mahli was the father of Eleazar and Kish. Eleazar had no sons, but Kish was the father of Jerahmeel. 30Mushi had three sons: Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth. These were the descendants of Levi, according to their clans. 31Each one was assigned his duties in the same way that their relatives the priests had been assigned their duties. David, Zadok, Ahimelech, and the family leaders of the priests and Levites were the witnesses.

1 Chronicles 25

David Assigns the Temple Musicians Their Duties

1David and the temple officials chose the descendants of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun to be in charge of music. They were to praise the LORD by playing cymbals, harps and other stringed instruments. Here is a list of the musicians and their duties:

2Asaph's four sons, Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asarelah, were under the direction of their father and played music whenever the king told them to.

3Jeduthun's six sons, Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, [c] Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, were under the direction of their father and played harps and sang praises to the LORD. 4Heman had fourteen sons: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, Romamtiezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, Mahazioth. 5Heman was one of the king's prophets, and God honored Heman by giving him fourteen sons and three daughters. 6His sons were under his direction and played cymbals, harps, and other stringed instruments during times of worship at the temple.

Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman took their orders directly from the king.

7There were two hundred eighty-eight of these men, and all of them were skilled musicians. 8David assigned them their duties by asking the LORD what he wanted. [d] Everyone was responsible for something, whether young or old, teacher or student. 9-31The musicians were divided into twenty-four groups of twelve, and each group went by the name of their family leader. They were assigned their duties in the following order: Joseph, Gedaliah, Zaccur, Zeri, Nethaniah, Bukkiah, Asarelah, Jeshaiah, Mattaniah, Shimei, Uzziel, Hashabiah, Shebuel, Mattithiah, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Joshbekashah, Hanani, Mallothi, Eliathah, Hothir, Giddalti, Mahazioth, and Romamtiezer.

1 Chronicles 26

The Temple Guards Are Assigned Their Duties

1The temple guards were also divided into groups according to clans.

Meshelemiah son of Kore was from the Korah clan and was a descendant of Asaph. 2He had seven sons, who were born in the following order: Zechariah, Jediael, Zebadiah, Jathniel, 3Elam, Jehohanan, and Eliehoenai.

4-5Obed-Edom had been blessed with eight sons: Shemaiah, Jehozabad, Joah, Sachar, Nethanel, Ammiel, Issachar, and Peullethai.

6-7Shemaiah was the father of Othni, Rephael, Obed, Elzabad, Elihu, and Semachiah. They were all respected leaders in their clan. 8There were sixty-two descendants of Obed-Edom who were strong enough to be guards at the temple.

9Eighteen descendants of Meshelemiah were chosen for this work.

10-11Hosah, from the Merari clan, was the father of Shimri, Hilkiah, Tebaliah, and Zechariah. Hosah had made Shimri the family leader, even though he was not the oldest son. Thirteen men from Hosah's family were chosen to be temple guards.

Footnotes:
1 Chronicles 24:5 asked God what to do: The Hebrew text has "cast lots" (see the note at 6.65).
1 Chronicles 24:27 Ibri: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verses 26,27.
1 Chronicles 25:3 Shimei: One Hebrew manuscript and two ancient translations; other Hebrew manuscripts do not have this name.
1 Chronicles 25:8 asking the LORD what he wanted: The Hebrew text has "casting lots" (see the note at 6.65).


Romans 4:1-12 (Contemporary English Version)

Romans 4

The Example of Abraham

1Well then, what can we say about our ancestor Abraham? 2If he became acceptable to God because of what he did, then he would have something to brag about. But he would never be able to brag about it to God. 3The Scriptures say, "God accepted Abraham because Abraham had faith in him."

4Money paid to workers isn't a gift. It is something they earn by working. 5But you cannot make God accept you because of something you do. God accepts sinners only because they have faith in him. 6In the Scriptures David talks about the blessings that come to people who are acceptable to God, even though they don't do anything to deserve these blessings. David says,

7"God blesses people
whose sins are forgiven
and whose evil deeds
are forgotten.

8The Lord blesses people
whose sins are erased
from his book."

9Are these blessings meant for circumcised people or for those who are not circumcised? Well, the Scriptures say that God accepted Abraham because Abraham had faith in him. 10But when did this happen? Was it before or after Abraham was circumcised? Of course, it was before.

11Abraham let himself be circumcised to show that he had been accepted because of his faith even before he was circumcised. This makes Abraham the father of all who are acceptable to God because of their faith, even though they are not circumcised. 12This also makes Abraham the father of everyone who is circumcised and has faith in God, as Abraham did before he was circumcised.


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.


Proverbs 19:15-16 (Contemporary English Version)

15If you are lazy
and sleep your time away,
you will starve.

16Obey the Lord's teachings
and you will live--
disobey and you will die.