the Week of Proper 19 / Ordinary 24
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Bible Reading Plan
Daily Bible Reading
June 28 - Old & New Testament
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Ecclesiastes 1,2,3
Everything is Futile
1 The words of the Teacher,[a](a) son of David, king in Jerusalem.(b)
2 "Absolute futility," says the Teacher.
"Absolute futility. Everything is futile."(c)
3 What does a man gain for all his efforts
that he labors at under the sun?(d)
4 A generation goes and a generation comes,
but the earth remains forever.(e)
5 The sun rises and the sun sets;
panting, it returns to its place(f)
where it rises.
6 Gusting to the south,
turning to the north,
turning, turning, goes the wind,(g)
and the wind returns in its cycles.
7 All the streams flow to the sea,
yet the sea is never full.
The streams are flowing to the place,
and they flow there again.
8 All things[b] are wearisome;
man is unable to speak.
The eye is not satisfied by seeing(h)
or the ear filled with hearing.
9 What has been is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done;
there is nothing new under the sun.
10 Can one say about anything,
"Look, this is new"?
It has already existed in the ages before us.
11 There is no remembrance of those who[c] came before;(i)
and of those who[d] will come after
there will also be no remembrance
by those who follow them.
The Limitations of Wisdom
12 I, the Teacher,(j) have been[e] king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 I applied my mind to seek(k) and explore through wisdom all that is done under heaven.(l) God has given people this miserable task to keep them occupied.(m) 14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun and have found everything to be futile, a pursuit of the wind.[f](n)
15 What is crooked cannot be straightened;(o)
what is lacking cannot be counted.
16 I said to myself,[g] "Look, I have amassed wisdom far beyond all those who were over Jerusalem before me,(p) and my mind has thoroughly grasped[h] wisdom and knowledge." 17 I applied my mind to know wisdom and knowledge,(q) madness and folly;(r) I learned that this too is a pursuit of the wind.[i](s)
18 For with much wisdom is much sorrow;(t)
as knowledge increases, grief increases.
The Emptiness of Pleasure
1 I said to myself, "Go ahead, I will test you with pleasure;(a) enjoy what is good." But it turned out to be futile. 2 I said about laughter,(b) "It is madness," and about pleasure, "What does this accomplish?" 3 I explored with my mind how to let my body enjoy life[a] with wine(c) and how to grasp folly(d)—my mind still guiding me with wisdom—until I could see what is good for people to do under heaven[b] during the few days of their lives.(e)
The Emptiness of Possessions
4 I increased my achievements. I built houses(f) and planted vineyards(g) for myself. 5 I made gardens(h) and parks for myself and planted every kind of fruit tree in them. 6 I constructed reservoirs of water for myself from which to irrigate a grove of flourishing trees.(i) 7 I acquired male and female servants and had slaves who were born in my house.(j) I also owned many herds of cattle and flocks, more than all who were before me in Jerusalem.(k) 8 I also amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces.(l) I gathered male and female singers for myself,(m) and many concubines, the delights of men.[c][d] 9 So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem;(n) my wisdom also remained with me. 10 All that my eyes desired, I did not deny them.(o) I did not refuse myself any pleasure, for I took pleasure in all my struggles. This was my reward for all my struggles.(p) 11 When I considered all that I had accomplished[e] and what I had labored to achieve, I found everything to be futile and a pursuit of the wind.(q) There was nothing to be gained under the sun.(r)
The Relative Value of Wisdom
12 Then I turned to consider wisdom,(s) madness, and folly, for what will the man be like who comes after the king? He[f] will do what has already been done.(t) 13 And I realized that there is an advantage to wisdom over folly, like the advantage of light over darkness.(u)
14 The wise man has eyes in his head,
but the fool walks in darkness.(v)
Yet I also knew that one fate comes to them both.(w) 15 So I said to myself, "What happens to the fool will also happen to me. Why then have I been overly wise?"(x) And I said to myself that this is also futile. 16 For, just like the fool, there is no lasting remembrance of the wise man,(y) since in the days to come both will be forgotten. How is it that the wise man dies just like the fool? 17 Therefore, I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me. For everything is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
The Emptiness of Work
18 I hated all my work that I labored at under the sun(z) because I must leave it to the man who comes after me.(aa) 19 And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool?(ab) Yet he will take over all my work that I labored at skillfully under the sun. This too is futile. 20 So I began to give myself over[g] to despair concerning all my work that I had labored at under the sun. 21 When there is a man whose work was done with wisdom, knowledge, and skill,(ac) and he must give his portion to a man who has not worked for it, this too is futile and a great wrong. 22 For what does a man get with all his work and all his efforts(ad) that he labors at under the sun? 23 For all his days are filled with grief, and his occupation is sorrowful;(ae) even at night, his mind does not rest.(af) This too is futile.
24 There is nothing better for man than to eat, drink, and enjoy[h][i] his work.(ag) I have seen that even this is from God's hand,(ah) 25 because who can eat and who can enjoy life[j] apart from Him?[k] 26 For to the man who is pleasing in His sight, He gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy,(ai) but to the sinner He gives the task of gathering and accumulating in order to give to the one who is pleasing in God's sight.(aj) This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.(ak)
The Mystery of Time
1 There is an occasion for everything,
and a time for every activity under heaven:(a)
2 a time to give birth and a time to die;(b)
a time to plant and a time to uproot;[a]
3 a time to kill and a time to heal;
a time to tear down and a time to build;
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh;(c)
a time to mourn and a time to dance;(d)
5 a time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;(e)
a time to embrace and a time to avoid embracing;(f)
6 a time to search and a time to count as lost;
a time to keep and a time to throw away;
7 a time to tear and a time to sew;
a time to be silent and a time to speak;(g)
8 a time to love and a time to hate;
a time for war and a time for peace.(h)
9 What does the worker gain from his struggles?(i) 10 I have seen the task that God has given people to keep them occupied.(j) 11 He has made everything appropriate[b] in its time.(k) He has also put eternity in their hearts,[c] but man cannot discover the work God has done from beginning to end.(l) 12 I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and enjoy the[d] good life. 13 It is also the gift of God whenever anyone eats, drinks, and enjoys all his efforts.(m) 14 I know that all God does will last forever; there is no adding to it or taking from it.(n) God works so that people will be in awe of Him.(o) 15 Whatever is, has already been,(p) and whatever will be, already is. God repeats what has passed.[e]
The Mystery of Injustice and Death
16 I also observed under the sun: there is wickedness at the place of judgment and there is wickedness at the place of righteousness.(q) 17 I said to myself, "God will judge the righteous and the wicked,(r) since there is a time for every activity and every work."(s) 18 I said to myself, "This happens concerning people, so that God may test them and they may see for themselves that they are like animals."(t) 19 For the fate of people and the fate of animals is the same.(u) As one dies, so dies the other; they all have the same breath. People have no advantage over animals since everything is futile. 20 All are going to the same place; all come from dust, and all return to dust.(v) 21 Who knows if the spirit of people rises upward and the spirit of animals goes downward to the earth? 22 I have seen that there is nothing better than for a person to enjoy his activities(w) because that is his reward. For who can enable him to see what will happen after he dies?[f](x)
Acts 9:1-22
Chapter 9
The Damascus Road
1 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing threats and murder against the disciples(a) of the Lord. He went to the high priest(b) 2 and requested letters(c) from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any men or women who belonged to the Way,(d) he might bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3 As(e) he traveled and was nearing Damascus, a light from heaven suddenly flashed around him. 4 Falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?"
5 "Who are You, Lord?" he said.
"I am Jesus, the One you are persecuting," He replied. 6 "But get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."
7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the sound but seeing no one.(f) 8 Then Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing. So they took him by the hand and led him into Damascus. 9 He was unable to see for three days and did not eat or drink.
Saul's Baptism
10 There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. And the Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias!"
"Here I am, Lord!" he said.(g)
11 "Get up and go to the street called Straight," the Lord said to him, "to the house of Judas, and ask for a man from Tarsus(h) named Saul, since he is praying there. 12 In a vision[a] he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and placing his hands on him so he can regain his sight." (i)
13 "Lord," Ananias answered, "I have heard from many people about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem.(j) 14 And he has authority here from the chief priests to arrest all who call on Your name."(k)
15 But the Lord said to him, "Go! For this man is My chosen instrument(l) to take My name to Gentiles,(m) kings, and the Israelites.(n) 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for My name!" (o)
17 So Ananias left and entered the house. Then he placed his hands on him and said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road you were traveling, has sent me so that you can regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit."(p)
18 At once something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized. 19 And after taking some food, he regained his strength.(q)
Saul Proclaiming the Messiah
Saul was with the disciples in Damascus for some days. 20 Immediately he began proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues: "He is the Son of God."(r)
21 But all who heard him were astounded and said, "Isn't this the man who, in Jerusalem, was destroying those who called on this name and then came here for the purpose of taking them as prisoners to the chief priests?"(s)
22 But Saul grew more capable and kept confounding the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that this One is the Messiah.
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