the Week of Proper 19 / Ordinary 24
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Daily Bible Reading
September 18 - Bible-in-a-Year
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2 Chronicles 29
Chapter 29
Judah's King Hezekiah
1 Hezekiah was 25 years old(a) when he became king and reigned 29 years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abijah[a] daughter of Zechariah. 2 He did what was right in the Lord 's sight(b) just as his ancestor David had done.
3 In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the Lord 's temple and repaired them.(c) 4 Then he brought in the priests and Levites and gathered them in the eastern public square.(d) 5 He said to them, "Hear me, Levites. Consecrate yourselves(e) now and consecrate the temple of Yahweh, the God of your ancestors. Remove everything impure from the holy place. 6 For our fathers were unfaithful and did what is evil in the sight of the Lord our God. They abandoned Him, turned their faces away from the Lord 's tabernacle, and turned their backs on Him.[b](f) 7 They also closed the doors of the portico, extinguished the lamps, did not burn incense, and did not offer burnt offerings in the holy place of the God of Israel. 8 Therefore, the wrath of the Lord was on Judah and Jerusalem, and He made them an object of terror, horror, and mockery,[c](g) as you see with your own eyes. 9 Our fathers fell by the sword, and our sons, our daughters, and our wives are in captivity because of this.(h) 10 It is in my heart now to make a covenant with Yahweh, the God of Israel(i) so that His burning anger may turn away from us. 11 My sons, don't be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen you to stand in His presence, to serve Him, and to be His ministers and burners of incense."(j)
Cleansing the Temple
12 Then the Levites stood up:
Mahath(k) son of Amasai and Joel son of Azariah from the Kohathites;
Kish son of Abdi and Azariah son of Jehallelel from the Merarites;(l)
Joah son of Zimmah and Eden son of Joah from the Gershonites;
13 Shimri and Jeuel from the Elizaphanites;
Zechariah and Mattaniah from the Asaphites;
14 Jehiel[d] and Shimei from the Hemanites;
Shemaiah and Uzziel from the Jeduthunites.
15 They gathered their brothers together, consecrated themselves,(m) and went according to the king's command by the words of the Lord (n) to cleanse the Lord 's temple.(o)
16 The priests went to the entrance of the Lord 's temple to cleanse it. They took all the unclean things they found in the Lord 's sanctuary to the courtyard of the Lord 's temple. Then the Levites received them and took them outside to the Kidron Valley.(p) 17 They began the consecration on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they came to the portico of the Lord 's temple. They consecrated the Lord 's temple for eight days, and on the sixteenth day of the first month they finished.
18 Then they went inside to King Hezekiah and said, "We have cleansed the whole temple of the Lord , the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the table for the rows of the bread of the Presence and all its utensils. 19 We have set up and consecrated all the utensils that King Ahaz rejected during his reign(q) when he became unfaithful. They are in front of the altar of the Lord ."
Renewal of Temple Worship
20 King Hezekiah got up early, gathered the city officials, and went to the Lord 's temple. 21 They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats as a sin offering for the kingdom, for the sanctuary, and for Judah. Then he told the descendants of Aaron, the priests, to offer them on the altar of the Lord . 22 So they slaughtered the bulls, and the priests received the blood and sprinkled it on the altar.(r) They slaughtered the rams and sprinkled the blood on the altar. They slaughtered the lambs and sprinkled the blood on the altar. 23 Then they brought the goats for the sin offering right into the presence of the king and the congregation, who laid their hands on them.(s) 24 The priests slaughtered the goats and put their blood on the altar for a sin offering, to make atonement for all Israel,(t) for the king said that the burnt offering and sin offering were for all Israel.
25 Hezekiah stationed the Levites in the Lord 's temple with cymbals, harps, and lyres(u) according to the command of David,(v) Gad the king's seer,(w) and Nathan the prophet.(x) For the command was from the Lord through His prophets. 26 The Levites stood with the instruments of David,(y) and the priests with the trumpets.(z)
27 Then Hezekiah ordered that the burnt offering be offered on the altar. When the burnt offerings began, the song of the Lord and the trumpets began, accompanied by the instruments of David king of Israel. 28 The whole assembly was worshiping, singing the song, and blowing the trumpets—all of this continued until the burnt offering was completed. 29 When the burnt offerings were completed, the king and all those present with him bowed down and worshiped.(aa) 30 Then King Hezekiah and the officials told the Levites to sing praise to the Lord in the words of David and of Asaph the seer. So they sang praises with rejoicing and bowed down and worshiped.
31 Hezekiah concluded, "Now you are consecrated[e] to the Lord . Come near and bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the Lord 's temple." So the congregation brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and all those with willing hearts(ab) brought burnt offerings. 32 The number of burnt offerings the congregation brought was 70 bulls, 100 rams, and 200 lambs; all these were for a burnt offering to the Lord . 33 Six hundred bulls and 3,000 sheep were consecrated.
34 However, since there were not enough priests, they weren't able to skin all the burnt offerings, so their Levite brothers helped them(ac) until the work was finished and until the priests consecrated themselves. For the Levites were more conscientious[f](ad) to consecrate themselves than the priests were.(ae) 35 Furthermore, the burnt offerings were abundant, along with the fat of the fellowship offerings(af) and with the drink offerings(ag) for the burnt offering.
So the service of the Lord 's temple was established. 36 Then Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced over how God had prepared the people, for it had come about suddenly.
Psalms 85
Chapter 85
Psalm 85
Restoration of Favor
For the choir director. A psalm of the sons of Korah.
1
Lord
, You showed favor to Your land;(a)
You restored Jacob's prosperity.[a](b)
2 You took away Your people's guilt;
You covered all their sin.(c)
3 You withdrew all Your fury;
You turned from Your burning anger.(d)
4 Return to us, God of our salvation,
and abandon Your displeasure with us.(e)
5 Will You be angry with us forever?
Will You prolong Your anger for all generations?(f)
6 Will You not revive us again
so that Your people may rejoice in You?(g)
7 Show us Your faithful love,
Lord
,
and give us Your salvation.(h)
8 I will listen to what God will say;
surely the
Lord
will declare peace
to His people, His godly ones,
and not let them go back to foolish ways.(i)
9 His salvation is very near those who fear Him,
so that glory may dwell in our land.(j)
10 Faithful love and truth will join together;
righteousness and peace will embrace.(k)
11 Truth will spring up from the earth,
and righteousness will look down from heaven.(l)
12 Also, the
Lord
will provide what is good,
and our land will yield its crops.(m)
13 Righteousness will go before Him
to prepare the way for His steps.(n)
John 18:38-19:16
Chapter 18
38 "What is truth?" said Pilate.
Jesus or Barabbas
After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, "I find no grounds(al) for charging Him. 39 You(am) have a custom that I release one prisoner to you at the Passover. So, do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?"
40 They shouted back, "Not this man, but Barabbas!"(an) Now Barabbas was a revolutionary.[g](ao)
Chapter 19
Jesus Flogged and Mocked
1 Then Pilate took Jesus and had Him flogged. 2 The soldiers also twisted together a crown(a) of thorns, put it on His head, and threw a purple robe around Him. 3 And they repeatedly came up to Him(b) and said, "Hail, King of the Jews!" and were slapping His face.
4 Pilate went outside again and said to them, "Look, I'm bringing Him outside to you to let you know I find no grounds(c) for charging Him."
Pilate Sentences Jesus to Death
5 Then Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe.(d) Pilate said to them, "Here is the man!"(e)
6 When the chief priests and the temple police saw Him, they shouted, "Crucify! Crucify!"
Pilate responded, "Take Him and crucify Him yourselves, for I find no grounds for charging Him."
7 "We have a law," the Jews replied to him, "and according to that law He must die,(f) because He made Himself[a] the Son of God."(g)
8 When Pilate heard this statement, he was more afraid than ever. 9 He went back into the headquarters(h) and asked Jesus, "Where are You from?" But Jesus did not give him an answer.(i) 10 So Pilate said to Him, "You're not talking to me? Don't You know that I have the authority to release You and the authority to crucify You?"
11 "You would have no authority over Me at all," Jesus answered him, "if it hadn't been given you from above. This is why the one who handed Me over to you has the greater sin." [b](j)
12 From that moment Pilate made every effort[c] to release Him. But the Jews shouted, "If you release this man, you are not Caesar's friend. Anyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar!"
13 When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside. He sat down on the judge's bench in a place called the Stone Pavement (but in Hebrew Gabbatha). 14 It was the preparation day for the Passover, and it was about six in the morning.[d] Then he told the Jews, "Here is your king!"
15 But they shouted, "Take Him away! Take Him away! Crucify Him!"
Pilate said to them, "Should I crucify your king?"
"We have no king but Caesar!" the chief priests answered.
16 So then, because of them, he handed Him over to be crucified.
The Crucifixion
Therefore they took Jesus away.[e]
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