the Week of Proper 19 / Ordinary 24
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Bible Reading Plan
Daily Bible Reading
September 1 - Bible-in-a-Year
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2 Chronicles 6
Chapter 6
Solomon's Dedication of the Temple
1 Then Solomon said:(a)
The
Lord
said He would dwell in thick darkness,(b)
2 but I have built an exalted temple for You,
a place for Your residence forever.
3 Then the king turned and blessed the entire congregation of Israel while they were standing. 4 He said:
May the
Lord
God of Israel be praised!
He spoke directly to my father David,
and He has fulfilled the promise
by His power.
He said,
5 "Since the day I brought My people Israel
out of the land of Egypt,(c)
I have not chosen a city to build a temple in
among any of the tribes of Israel,
so that My name would be there,
and I have not chosen a man
to be ruler over My people Israel.
6 But I have chosen Jerusalem
so that My name will be there,(d)
and I have chosen David
to be over My people Israel."(e)
7 Now it was in the heart of my father David
to build a temple for the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel.(f)
8 However, Yahweh said to my father David,
"Since it was your desire to build a temple for My name,
you have done well to have this desire.
9 Yet, you are not the one to build the temple,
but your son, your own offspring,
will build the temple for My name."
10 So Yahweh has fulfilled what He promised.
I have taken the place of my father David
and I sit on the throne of Israel, as Yahweh promised.
I have built the temple for the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel.
11 I have put the ark there,
where Yahweh's covenant is
that He made with the Israelites.(g)
Solomon's Prayer
12 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the entire congregation of Israel and spread out his hands. 13 For Solomon had made a bronze platform 7½ feet[a] long, 7½ feet[b] wide, and 4½ feet[c] high and put it in the court. He stood on it,(h) knelt down in front of the entire congregation of Israel, and spread out his hands toward heaven.(i) 14 He said:
Lord
God of Israel,
there is no God like You
in heaven or on earth,(j)
keeping His gracious covenant
with Your servants who walk before You
with their whole heart.(k)
15 You have kept what You promised
to Your servant, my father David.
You spoke directly to him,
and You fulfilled Your promise by Your power,
as it is today.(l)
16 Therefore,
Lord
God of Israel,
keep what You promised
to Your servant, my father David:
"You will never fail to have a man
to sit before Me on the throne of Israel,(m)
if only your sons guard their way to walk in My Law
as you have walked before Me."
17 Now,
Lord
God of Israel, please confirm
what You promised to Your servant David.
18 But will God indeed live on earth with man?
Even heaven, the highest heaven, cannot contain You,(n)
much less this temple I have built.
19 Listen[d] to Your servant's prayer and his petition,
Lord
my God,
so that You may hear the cry and the prayer
that Your servant prays before You,
20 so that Your eyes watch over this temple
day and night,
toward the place where You said
You would put Your name;(o)
and so that You may hear the prayer
Your servant prays toward this place.
21 Hear the petitions of Your servant
and Your people Israel,
which they pray toward this place.
May You hear in Your dwelling place in heaven.
May You hear and forgive.
22 If a man sins against his neighbor
and is forced to take an oath[e]
and he comes to take an oath
before Your altar in this temple,
23 may You hear in heaven and act.
May You judge Your servants,
condemning the wicked man by bringing
what he has done on his own head
and providing justice for the righteous
by rewarding him according to his righteousness.
24 If Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy,
because they have sinned against You,
and they return to You and praise Your name,
and they pray and plead for mercy
before You in this temple,
25 may You hear in heaven
and forgive the sin of Your people Israel.
May You restore them to the land
You gave them and their ancestors.
26 When the skies are shut and there is no rain
because they have sinned against You,
and they pray toward this place
and praise Your name,
and they turn from their sins
because You are afflicting[f](p) them,
27 may You hear in heaven
and forgive the sin of Your servants
and Your people Israel,
so that You may teach them the good way
they should walk in.
May You send rain on Your land
that You gave Your people for an inheritance.
28 When there is famine on the earth,
when there is pestilence,
when there is blight, mildew, locust, or grasshopper,
when their enemies besiege them
in the region of their fortified cities,[g](q)
when there is any plague or illness,
29 whatever prayer or petition
anyone from your people Israel might have—
each man knowing his own affliction[h] and suffering,
and spreading out his hands toward this temple—
30 may You hear in heaven, Your dwelling place,
and may You forgive and repay the man
according to all his ways, since You know his heart,
for You alone know the human heart,(r)
31 so that they may fear You
and walk in Your ways
all the days they live on the land
You gave our ancestors.
32 Even for the foreigner who is not of Your people Israel
but has come from a distant land
because of Your great name
and Your mighty hand and outstretched arm:(s)
when he comes and prays toward this temple,
33 may You hear in heaven in Your dwelling place,
and do all the foreigner asks You.
Then all the peoples of the earth will know Your name,
to fear You as Your people Israel do
and know that this temple I have built
is called by Your name.(t)
34 When Your people go out to fight against their enemies,
wherever You send them,
and they pray to You
in the direction of this city You have chosen(u)
and the temple that I have built for Your name,
35 may You hear their prayer and petition in heaven
and uphold their cause.
36 When they sin against You—
for there is no one who does not sin(v)—
and You are angry with them
and hand them over to the enemy,
and their captors deport them
to a distant or nearby country,
37 and when they come to their senses
in the land where they were deported
and repent and petition You in their captors' land,
saying: "We have sinned and done wrong;
we have been wicked,"
38 and when they return to You with their whole mind and heart
in the land of their captivity where they were taken captive,
and when they pray in the direction of their land
that You gave their ancestors,
and the city You have chosen,
and toward the temple I have built for Your name,
39 may You hear their prayer and petitions in heaven,
Your dwelling place,
and uphold their cause.[i]
May You forgive Your people
who sinned against You.
40 Now, my God,
please let Your eyes be open
and Your ears attentive
to the prayer of this place.(w)
41 Now therefore:(x)
Arise,
Lord
God, come to Your resting place,
You and Your powerful ark.
May Your priests,
Lord
God, be clothed with salvation,
and may Your godly people rejoice in goodness.
42
Lord
God, do not reject Your anointed one;[j]
remember the loyalty of Your servant David.(y)
Malachi 2:17-3:18
Chapter 2
17 You have wearied the Lord (al) with your words.
Yet you ask, "How have we wearied Him?"
When you say, "Everyone who does what is evil is good in the Lord 's sight, and He is pleased with them,"(am) or "Where is the God of justice?"(an)
Chapter 3
1 "See, I am going to send My messenger,(a) and he will clear the way before Me.(b) Then the Lord you seek(c) will suddenly come to His temple,(d) the Messenger of the covenant you desire—see, He is coming," says the Lord of Hosts. 2 But who can endure the day of His coming? And who will be able to stand when He appears?(e) For He will be like a refiner's fire(f) and like cleansing lye.(g) 3 He will be like a refiner and purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver.(h) Then they will present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. 4 And the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will please the Lord as in days of old(i) and years gone by.
5 "I will come to you in judgment, and I will be ready to witness against sorcerers and adulterers; against those who swear falsely; against those who oppress the widow and the fatherless, and cheat the wage earner; and against those who deny justice to the foreigner.(j) They do not fear Me,"(k) says the Lord of Hosts. 6 "Because I, Yahweh, have not changed,(l) you descendants of Jacob have not been destroyed.(m)
Robbing God
7 "Since the days of your fathers, you have turned from My statutes; you have not kept them.(n) Return to Me,(o) and I will return to you,"(p) says the Lord of Hosts.
But you ask: "How can we return?"
8 "Will a man rob(q) God? Yet you are robbing Me!"
You ask: "How do we rob You?"
"By not making the payments of the tenth and the contributions.(r) 9 You are suffering under a curse, yet you—the whole nation—are still robbing Me. 10 Bring the full tenth into the storehouse(s) so that there may be food in My house.(t) Test Me in this way,"(u) says the Lord of Hosts. "See if I will not open the floodgates of heaven(v) and pour out a blessing for you without measure.(w) 11 I will rebuke the devourer[a](x) for you, so that it will not ruin the produce of your land and your vine in your field will not fail to produce fruit," says the Lord of Hosts. 12 "Then all the nations will consider you fortunate, for you will be a delightful land," says the Lord of Hosts.
The Righteous and the Wicked
13 "Your words against Me are harsh,"(y) says the Lord .
Yet you ask: "What have we spoken against You?"
14 You have said: "It is useless to serve God. What have we gained by keeping His requirements(z) and walking mournfully(aa) before the Lord of Hosts? 15 So now we consider the arrogant(ab) to be fortunate.(ac) Not only do those who commit wickedness prosper, they even test God(ad) and escape."(ae)
16 At that time those who feared the Lord spoke to one another. The Lord took notice and listened. So a book of remembrance(af) was written before Him for those who feared Yahweh and had high regard for His name. 17 "They will be Mine," says the Lord of Hosts,(ag) "a special possession on the day I am preparing. I will have compassion on them as a man has compassion on his son who serves him.(ah) 18 So you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.
John 9:1-23
Chapter 9
The Sixth Sign: Healing a Man Born Blind
1 As He was passing by, He saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples questioned Him: "Rabbi,(a) who sinned, this man(b) or his parents,(c) that he was born blind?"
3 "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," Jesus answered. "This came about so that God's works(d) might be displayed in him. 4 We[a] must do the works(e) of Him who sent Me[b] while it is day.(f) Night is coming when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." (g)
6 After He said these things He spit on the ground, made some mud(h) from the saliva, and spread the mud on his eyes. 7 "Go," He told him, "wash in the pool of Siloam" (i) (which means "Sent"). So he left, washed, and came back seeing.(j)
8 His neighbors and those who formerly had seen him as a beggar said, "Isn't this the man who sat begging?" 9 Some said, "He's the one." "No," others were saying, "but he looks like him."
He kept saying, "I'm the one!"
10 Therefore they asked him, "Then how were your eyes opened?"
11 He answered, "The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and told me, ‘Go to Siloam(k) and wash.' So when I went and washed I received my sight."(l)
12 "Where is He?" they asked.
"I don't know," he said.
The Healed Man's Testimony
13 They brought the man who used to be blind to the Pharisees.(m) 14 The day that Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes was a Sabbath.(n) 15 So again the Pharisees asked him how he received his sight.
"He put mud on my eyes," he told them. "I washed and I can see."
16 Therefore some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God,(o) for He doesn't keep the Sabbath!" But others were saying, "How can a sinful man(p) perform such signs?" And there was a division(q) among them.
17 Again they asked the blind man,[c] "What do you say about Him, since He opened your eyes?"
"He's a prophet,"(r) he said.
18 The Jews did not believe this about him—that he was blind and received sight—until they summoned the parents of the one who had received his sight.
19 They asked them, "Is this your son, the one you say was born blind? How then does he now see?"
20 "We know this is our son and that he was born blind," his parents answered. 21 "But we don't know how he now sees, and we don't know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he's of age. He will speak for himself." 22 His parents said these things because they were afraid of the Jews, since the Jews had already agreed that if anyone confessed Him as Messiah,(s) he would be banned from the synagogue. 23 This is why his parents said, "He's of age; ask him."
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