the Week of Proper 19 / Ordinary 24
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Bible Reading Plan
Daily Bible Reading
November 15 - Bible-in-a-Year
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Jeremiah 25-26
Chapter 25
The Seventy-Year Exile
1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim(a) son of Josiah, king of Judah (which was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon). 2 The prophet Jeremiah spoke concerning all the people of Judah and all the residents of Jerusalem as follows: 3 "From the thirteenth year of Josiah son of Amon,(b) king of Judah, until this very day—23 years—the word of the Lord has come to me, and I have spoken to you time and time again,[a](c) but you have not obeyed. 4 The Lord sent all His servants the prophets to you time and time again,[b] but you have not obeyed or even paid attention.[c](d) 5 He announced, ‘Turn, each of you, from your[d] evil way of life and from your evil deeds.(e) Live in the land the Lord gave to you and your ancestors long ago and forever. 6 Do not follow other gods to serve them and to worship them,(f) and do not provoke Me to anger by the work of your hands.(g) Then I will do you no harm.
7 "‘But you would not obey Me'—this is the Lord 's declaration—‘in order that you might provoke Me to anger by the work of your hands and bring disaster on yourselves.'
8 "Therefore, this is what the Lord of Hosts says: ‘Because you have not obeyed My words, 9 I am going to send for all the families of the north'(h)—this is the Lord 's declaration—‘and send for My servant(i) Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and I will bring them against this land, against its residents, and against all these surrounding nations, and I will completely destroy them and make them a desolation,(j) a derision, and ruins forever. 10 I will eliminate the sound of joy and gladness from them—the voice of the groom and the bride,(k) the sound of the millstones and the light of the lamp. 11 This whole land will become a desolate ruin, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon for 70 years.(l) 12 When the 70 years are completed, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation'—this is the Lord 's declaration—‘the land of the Chaldeans, for their guilt, and I will make it a ruin forever.(m) 13 I will bring on that land all My words I have spoken against it, all that is written in this book that Jeremiah prophesied against all the nations. 14 For many nations and great kings will enslave them, and I will repay them according to their deeds(n) and the work of their hands.'"
The Cup of God's Wrath
15 This is what the Lord , the God of Israel, said to me: "Take this cup of the wine of wrath from My hand and make all the nations I am sending you to, drink from it.(o) 16 They will drink, stagger,[e] and go out of their minds because of the sword I am sending among them."
17 So I took the cup from the Lord 's hand and made all the nations drink from it, everyone the Lord sent me to. 18 These included:
Jerusalem and the other cities of Judah, its kings and its officials, to make them a desolate ruin, an object of scorn and cursing—as it is today;
19 Pharaoh king of Egypt, his officers, his leaders, all his people,
20 and all the mixed peoples;
all the kings of the land of Uz;
all the kings of the land of the Philistines—Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod;
21 Edom, Moab, and the Ammonites;
22 all the kings of Tyre,
all the kings of Sidon,
and the kings of the coastlands across the sea;
23 Dedan, Tema, Buz, and all those who shave their temples;[f](p)
24 all the kings of Arabia,
and all the kings of the mixed peoples who have settled in the desert;
25 all the kings of Zimri,
all the kings of Elam,
and all the kings of Media;
26 all the kings of the north, both near and far from one another;
that is, all the kingdoms of the world which are on the face of the earth.
Finally, the king of Sheshach[g] will drink after them.
27 "Then you are to say to them: This is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: Drink,(q) get drunk, and vomit. Fall down and never get up again, as a result of the sword I am sending among you. 28 If[h] they refuse to take the cup from you and drink, you are to say to them: This is what the Lord of Hosts says: You must drink! 29 For I am already bringing disaster on the city that bears My name,(r) so how could you possibly go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for I am summoning a sword against all the inhabitants of the earth"—this is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts.(s)
Judgment on the Whole World
30 "As for you, you are to prophesy all these things to them, and say to them:
The
Lord
roars from heaven;
He raises His voice from His holy dwelling.(t)
He roars loudly over His grazing land;
He calls out with a shout, like those who tread grapes,
against all the inhabitants of the earth.
31 The tumult reaches to the ends of the earth
because the
Lord
brings a case against(u) the nations.
He enters into judgment with all flesh.
As for the wicked, He hands them over to the sword—
this is the
Lord
's declaration.
32 "This is what the Lord of Hosts says:
Pay attention! Disaster spreads
from nation to nation.
A great storm is stirred up
from the ends of the earth."(v)
33 Those slain by the Lord (w) on that day will be spread from one end of the earth to the other. They will not be mourned,(x) gathered, or buried. They will be like manure on the surface of the ground.
34 Wail, you shepherds, and cry out.
Roll in the dust,[i](y) you leaders of the flock.
Because the days of your slaughter have come,
you will fall and become shattered like a precious vase.
35 Flight will be impossible for the shepherds,
and escape, for the leaders of the flock.
36 Hear the sound of the shepherds' cry,
the wail of the leaders of the flock,
for the
Lord
is destroying their pasture.
37 Peaceful grazing land will become lifeless
because of the
Lord
's burning anger.(z)
38 He has left His den like a lion,
for their land has become a desolation
because of the sword[j] of the oppressor,(aa)
because of His burning anger.
Chapter 26
Jeremiah's Speech in the Temple
1 At the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim(a) son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came from the Lord : 2 "This is what the Lord says: Stand in the courtyard of the Lord 's temple and speak all the words I have commanded you to speak to all Judah's cities that are coming to worship there. Do not hold back a word.(b) 3 Perhaps they will listen and return—each from his evil way of life—so that I might relent(c) concerning the disaster that I plan to do to them because of the evil of their deeds. 4 You are to say to them: This is what the Lord says: If you do not listen to Me by living according to My instruction that I set before you(d) 5 and by listening to the words of My servants the prophets(e) I have been sending you time and time again,[a] though you did not listen, 6 I will make this temple like Shiloh.(f) I will make this city an object of cursing for all the nations of the earth."
Jeremiah Seized
7 The priests, the prophets, and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the temple of the Lord . 8 He finished the address the Lord had commanded him to deliver to all the people. Then the priests, the prophets, and all the people took hold of him, yelling, "You must surely die! 9 How dare you prophesy in the name of Yahweh, ‘This temple will become like Shiloh and this city will become an uninhabited ruin'!" Then all the people assembled against Jeremiah at the Lord 's temple.
10 When the officials of Judah heard these things, they went from the king's palace to the Lord 's temple and sat at the entrance of the New Gate.[b](g) 11 Then the priests and prophets said to the officials and all the people, "This man deserves the death sentence because he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your own ears."(h)
Jeremiah's Defense
12 Then Jeremiah said to all the officials and the people, "The Lord sent me to prophesy all the words that you have heard against this temple and city. 13 So now, correct your ways and deeds(i) and obey the voice of the Lord your God so that He might relent concerning the disaster that He warned about. 14 As for me, here I am in your hands; do to me what you think is good and right. 15 But know for certain that if you put me to death, you will bring innocent blood(j) on yourselves, on this city, and on its residents, for it is certain the Lord has sent me to speak all these things directly to you."
Jeremiah Released
16 Then the officials and all the people told the priests and prophets, "This man doesn't deserve the death sentence, for he has spoken to us in the name of Yahweh our God!"
17 Some of the elders of the land stood up(k) and said to all the assembled people, 18 "Micah the Moreshite(l) prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah(m) and said to all the people of Judah, ‘This is what the Lord of Hosts says:
Zion will be plowed like a field,
Jerusalem will become ruins,
and the temple mount a forested hill.'(n)
19 Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all the people of Judah put him to death? Did he not fear the Lord and plead for the Lord 's favor,[c](o) and did not the Lord relent concerning the disaster He had pronounced against them?(p) We are about to bring great harm on ourselves!"
The Prophet Uriah
20 Another man was also prophesying in the name of Yahweh—Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath-jearim.(q) He prophesied against this city and against this land in words like all those of Jeremiah. 21 King Jehoiakim, all his warriors, and all the officials heard his words, and the king tried to put him to death. When Uriah heard, he fled in fear and went to Egypt. 22 But King Jehoiakim sent men to Egypt: Elnathan son of Achbor(r) and certain other men with him went to Egypt. 23 They brought Uriah out of Egypt and took him to King Jehoiakim, who executed him with the sword and threw his corpse into the burial place of the common people.[d]
24 But Ahikam(s) son of Shaphan supported Jeremiah, so he was not handed over to the people to be put to death.
Psalms 131
Chapter 131
Psalm 131
A Childlike Spirit
A Davidic song of ascents.
1
Lord
, my heart is not proud;
my eyes are not haughty.(a)
I do not get involved with things
too great or too difficult for me.(b)
2 Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself
like a little weaned child with its mother;
I am like a little child.(c)
3 Israel, put your hope in the
Lord
,
both now and forever.(d)
James 3
Chapter 3
Controlling the Tongue
1 Not many should become teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive a stricter judgment,(a) 2 for we all stumble in many ways.(b) If anyone does not stumble in what he says,[a] he is a mature man who is also able to control his whole body.[b](c)
3 Now when we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us,(d) we also guide the whole animal.[c] 4 And consider ships: Though very large and driven by fierce winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So too, though the tongue is a small part of the body, it boasts great things.(e) Consider how large a forest a small fire ignites. 6 And the tongue is a fire. The tongue, a world of unrighteousness, is placed among the parts of our bodies. It pollutes the whole body,(f) sets the course of life on fire, and is set on fire by hell.
7 Every sea creature, reptile, bird, or animal is tamed and has been tamed by man, 8 but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.(g) 9 We praise our[d] Lord and Father with it, and we curse men who are made in God's likeness with it.(h) 10 Praising and cursing come out of the same mouth. My brothers, these things should not be this way. 11 Does a spring pour out sweet and bitter water from the same opening? 12 Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a saltwater spring yield fresh water.
The Wisdom from Above
13 Who is wise and has understanding among you? He should show his works by good conduct with wisdom's gentleness.(i) 14 But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your heart, don't brag and deny the truth.(j) 15 Such wisdom does not come from above but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.(k) 16 For where envy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every kind of evil. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without favoritism and hypocrisy.(l) 18 And the fruit of righteousness(m) is sown in peace by those who cultivate peace.
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