the Week of Proper 19 / Ordinary 24
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Bible Reading Plan
Daily Bible Reading
June 23 - Historical Order
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Zephaniah 1-3
Chapter 1
1 The word of the Lord that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah(a) son of Amon, king of Judah.
The Great Day of the Lord
2 I will completely sweep away everything
from the face of the earth(b)—
this is the
Lord
's declaration.
3 I will sweep away man and animal;(c)
I will sweep away the birds of the sky
and the fish of the sea,
and the ruins[a] along with the wicked.(d)
I will cut off mankind
from the face of the earth.
This is the
Lord
's declaration.
4 I will stretch out My hand(e) against Judah
and against all the residents of Jerusalem.
I will cut off every vestige of Baal(f)
from this place,
the names of the pagan priests(g)
along with the priests;
5 those who bow in worship on the rooftops(h)
to the heavenly host;
those who bow and pledge loyalty to the
Lord
(i)
but also pledge loyalty to Milcom;[b](j)
6 and those who turn back from following the
Lord
,
who do not seek the
Lord
or inquire of Him.
7 Be silent in the presence of the Lord
God
,(k)
for the Day of the
Lord
is near.(l)
Indeed, the
Lord
has prepared a sacrifice;(m)
He has consecrated His guests.(n)
8 On the day of the
Lord
's sacrifice
I will punish the officials, the king's sons,
and all who are dressed in foreign clothing.
9 On that day(o) I will punish
all who skip over the threshold,[c](p)
who fill their master's house
with violence and deceit.
10 On that day—
this is the
Lord
's declaration—
there will be an outcry from the Fish Gate,(q)
a wailing from the Second District,(r)
and a loud crashing from the hills.
11 Wail, you residents of the Hollow,[d]
for all the merchants[e] will be silenced;
all those loaded with silver will be cut off.
12 And at that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps
and punish the men who settle down comfortably,[f](s)
who say to themselves:
The
Lord
will not do good or evil.
13 Their wealth will become plunder
and their houses a ruin.
They will build houses but never live in them,
plant vineyards but never drink their wine.(t)
14 The great Day of the
Lord
is near,(u)
near and rapidly approaching.
Listen, the Day of the
Lord
—
then the warrior's cry is bitter.
15 That day is a day of wrath,
a day of trouble and distress,
a day of destruction and desolation,
a day of darkness(v) and gloom,
a day of clouds and blackness,(w)
16 a day of trumpet blast and battle cry
against the fortified cities,
and against the high corner towers.
17 I will bring distress on mankind,
and they will walk like the blind(x)
because they have sinned against the
Lord
.
Their blood will be poured out like dust
and their flesh like dung.
18 Their silver and their gold
will not be able to rescue them
on the day of the
Lord
's wrath.(y)
The whole earth will be consumed
by the fire of His jealousy.(z)
For He will make a complete,
yes, a horrifying end
of all the inhabitants of the earth.
Chapter 2
A Call to Repentance
1 Gather yourselves together;
gather together, undesirable[a] nation,
2 before the decree(a) takes effect
and the day passes like chaff,
before the burning of the
Lord
's anger overtakes you,
before the day of the
Lord
's anger overtakes you.
3 Seek the
Lord
,(b) all you humble(c) of the earth,
who carry out what He commands.
Seek righteousness, seek humility;
perhaps you will be concealed(d)
on the day of the
Lord
's anger.
Judgment against the Nations
4 For Gaza will be abandoned,
and Ashkelon will become a ruin.
Ashdod will be driven out at noon,
and Ekron will be uprooted.(e)
5 Woe, inhabitants of the seacoast,
nation of the Cherethites
The word of the
Lord
is against you,
Canaan, land of the Philistines:
I will destroy you until there is no one left.
6 The seacoast will become pasturelands
with caves for shepherds and folds for sheep.
7 The coastland will belong
to the remnant of the house of Judah;
they will find pasture there.
They will lie down in the evening
among the houses of Ashkelon,
for the
Lord
their God will return to them
and restore their fortunes.
8 I have heard the taunting of Moab
and the insults of the Ammonites,(g)
who have taunted My people
and threatened their territory.
9 Therefore, as I live—
this is the declaration of the
Lord
of Hosts,
the God of Israel—
Moab will be like Sodom
and the Ammonites like Gomorrah(h)—
a place overgrown with weeds,
a salt pit, and a perpetual wasteland.
The remnant of My people will plunder them;
the remainder of My nation will dispossess them.
10 This is what they get for their pride,
because they have taunted and acted arrogantly(i)
against the people of the
Lord
of Hosts.
11 The
Lord
will be terrifying to them
when He starves all the gods of the earth.
Then all the distant coastlands of the nations
will bow in worship to Him,
each in its own place.
12 You Cushites will also be slain by My sword.(j)
13 He will also stretch out His hand against the north
and destroy Assyria;
He will make Nineveh a desolate ruin,(k)
dry as the desert.
14 Herds will lie down in the middle of it,
every kind of wild animal.[c]
Both the desert owl[d] and the screech owl[e]
will roost in the capitals of its pillars.
Their calls will sound[f] from the window,
but devastation[g] will be on the threshold,
for He will expose the cedar work.[h]
15 This is the self-assured(l) city
that lives in security,
that thinks to herself:
I exist, and there is no one else.
What a desolation she has become,
a place for wild animals to lie down!
Everyone who passes by her
jeers[i] and shakes his fist.
Chapter 3
Woe to Oppressive Jerusalem
1 Woe to the city that is rebellious[a](a) and defiled,(b)
the oppressive city!
2 She has not obeyed;(c)
she has not accepted discipline.(d)
She has not trusted(e) in Yahweh;
she has not drawn near to her God.
3 The[b] princes within her are roaring lions;(f)
her judges are wolves of the night,(g)
which leave nothing for[c] the morning.
4 Her prophets are reckless(h)—
treacherous men.
Her priests profane the sanctuary;
they do violence to instruction.(i)
5 The righteous
Lord
is in her;(j)
He does no wrong.(k)
He applies His justice morning by morning;
He does not fail at dawn,
yet the one who does wrong knows no shame.(l)
6 I have cut off nations;
their corner towers(m) are destroyed.
I have laid waste their streets,
with no one to pass through.
Their cities lie devastated,
without a person, without an inhabitant.(n)
7 I thought: You will certainly fear Me
and accept correction.
Then her dwelling place[d]
would not be cut off
based on all that I had allocated to her.
However, they became more corrupt
in all their actions.
8 Therefore, wait for Me(o)—
this is the
Lord
's declaration—
until the day I rise up for plunder.[e]
For My decision is to gather nations,
to assemble kingdoms,
in order to pour out My indignation(p) on them,
all My burning anger;
for the whole earth will be consumed
by the fire of My jealousy.(q)
Final Restoration Promised
9 For I will then restore
pure(r) speech to the peoples
so that all of them may call
on the name of Yahweh
and serve Him with a single purpose.[f]
10 From beyond the rivers of Cush(s)
My supplicants, My dispersed people,
will bring an offering to Me.
11 On that day you[g] will not be put to shame(t)
because of everything you have done
in rebelling(u) against Me.
For then I will remove
your proud,(v) arrogant people from among you,
and you will never again be haughty
on My holy mountain.(w)
12 I will leave
a meek and humble people(x) among you,
and they will take refuge in the name of Yahweh.
13 The remnant(y) of Israel will no longer
do wrong or tell lies;
a deceitful tongue will not be found
in their mouths.
But they will pasture and lie down,
with nothing to make them afraid.(z)
14 Sing for joy, Daughter Zion;
shout loudly, Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
Daughter Jerusalem!
15 The
Lord
has removed your punishment;
He has turned back your enemy.
The King of Israel, Yahweh, is among you;
you need no longer fear harm.
16 On that day it will be said to Jerusalem:
"Do not fear;
Zion, do not let your hands grow weak.(aa)
17 Yahweh your God is among you,
a warrior(ab) who saves.
He will rejoice over you(ac) with gladness.
He will bring you quietness[h] with His love.
He will delight in you with shouts of joy."(ad)
18 I will gather those who have been driven(ae)
from the appointed festivals;
they will be a tribute from you[i]
and a reproach on her.[j]
19 Yes, at that time
I will deal with all who afflict you.
I will save the lame(af) and gather the scattered;(ag)
I will make those who were disgraced
throughout the earth
receive praise and fame.
20 At that time I will bring you[k] back,
yes, at the time I will gather you.
I will give you fame and praise
among all the peoples of the earth,
when I restore your fortunes(ah) before your eyes.
Yahweh has spoken.
Haggai 1-2
Chapter 1
Command to Rebuild the Temple
1 In the second year of King Darius,[a](a) on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the Lord came through Haggai(b) the prophet to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,(c) the governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest:(d)
2 "The Lord of Hosts says this: These people say: The time has not come for the house of the Lord to be rebuilt."(e)
3 The word of the Lord came through Haggai the prophet: 4 "Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses,(f) while this house[b] lies in ruins?" 5 Now, the Lord of Hosts says this: "Think carefully(g) about[c] your ways:
6 You have planted much
but harvested little.
You eat
but never have enough to be satisfied.
You drink
but never have enough to become drunk.
You put on clothes
but never have enough to get warm.
The wage earner puts his wages
into a bag with a hole in it."(h)
7 The Lord of Hosts says this: "Think carefully about[d] your ways. 8 Go up into the hills, bring down lumber, and build the house. Then I will be pleased with it and be glorified," says the Lord . 9 "You expected much, but then it amounted to little. When you brought the harvest to your house, I ruined[e] it. Why?" This is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts. "Because My house still lies in ruins, while each of you is busy with his own house.
10 So on your account,[f]
the skies have withheld the dew
and the land its crops.(i)
11 I have summoned a drought
on the fields and the hills,
on the grain, new wine, olive oil,
and whatever the ground yields,
on man and beast,
and on all that your hands produce."
The People's Response
12 Then Zerubbabel(j) son of Shealtiel, the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak, and the entire remnant of the people(k) obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the words of the prophet Haggai, because the Lord their God had sent him. So the people feared the Lord .(l)
13 Haggai, the Lord 's messenger, delivered the Lord 's message to the people, "I am with you"(m)—this is the Lord 's declaration.
14 The Lord stirred up the spirit(n) of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, the spirit of the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people. They began work on the house of Yahweh of Hosts, their God, 15 on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month, in the second year of King Darius.
Chapter 2
Encouragement and Promise
1 On the twenty-first day of the seventh month,(a) the word of the Lord came through Haggai the prophet: 2 "Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak, and to the remnant of the people: 3 Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Doesn't it seem like nothing to you?[a](b) 4 Even so, be strong, Zerubbabel"—this is the Lord 's declaration.(c) "Be strong, Joshua son of Jehozadak, high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land"—this is the Lord 's declaration. "Work! For I am with you"(d)—the declaration of the Lord of Hosts. 5 "This is the promise I made to you when you came out of Egypt,(e) and My Spirit is present among you; don't be afraid."
6 For the Lord of Hosts says this: "Once more, in a little while, I am going to shake the heavens and the earth,(f) the sea and the dry land.(g) 7 I will shake all the nations so that the treasures of all the nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,"(h) says the Lord of Hosts. 8 "The silver and gold belong to Me"—this is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts. 9 "The final glory of this house[b] will be greater than the first,"(i) says the Lord of Hosts. "I will provide peace in this place"(j)—this is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts.
From Deprivation to Blessing
10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Haggai the prophet: 11 "This is what the Lord of Hosts says: Ask the priests for a ruling.(k) 12 If a man is carrying consecrated meat in the fold of his garment, and it touches bread, stew, wine, oil, or any other food, does it become holy?"(l)
The priests answered, "No."
13 Then Haggai asked, "If someone defiled by contact with a corpse touches any of these, does it become defiled?"(m)
The priests answered, "It becomes defiled."
14 Then Haggai replied, "So is this people, and so is this nation before Me"—this is the Lord 's declaration. "And so is every work of their hands; even what they offer there is defiled.
15 "Now, reflect back from this day: Before one stone was placed on another in the Lord 's temple, 16 what state were you in?[c] When someone came to a grain heap of 20 measures, it only amounted to 10; when one came to the winepress to dip 50 measures from the vat, it only amounted to 20. 17 I struck you—all the work of your hands—with blight, mildew,(n) and hail,(o) but you didn't turn to Me"—this is the Lord 's declaration. 18 "Consider carefully(p) from this day forward; from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day the foundation of the Lord 's temple was laid; consider it carefully. 19 Is there still seed left in the granary? The vine, the fig, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yet produced. But from this day on I will bless you."(q)
Promise to Zerubbabel
20 The word of the Lord came to Haggai a second time on the twenty-fourth day of the month: 21 "Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah: I am going to shake the heavens and the earth.(r) 22 I will overturn royal thrones and destroy the power of the Gentile kingdoms.(s) I will overturn chariots and their riders. Horses and their riders will fall, each by his brother's sword. 23 On that day"—this is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts—"I will take you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, My servant"—this is the Lord 's declaration—"and make you like My signet ring,(t) for I have chosen you."(u) This is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts.
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