the Week of Proper 19 / Ordinary 24
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Bible Reading Plan
Daily Bible Reading
December 30 - Bible-in-a-Year
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Ezekiel 46-47
Chapter 46
Sacrifices at Appointed Times
1 "This is what the Lord God says: The gate of the inner court that faces east must be closed during the six days of work, but it will be opened on the Sabbath day(a) and opened on the day of the New Moon. 2 The prince should enter from the outside by way of the gate's portico and stand at the doorpost of the gate while the priests sacrifice his burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. He will bow in worship at the threshold of the gate and then depart, but the gate must not be closed until evening. 3 The people of the land will also bow in worship before the Lord at the entrance of that gate on the Sabbaths and New Moons.
4 "The burnt offering that the prince presents to the Lord (b) on the Sabbath day is to be six unblemished lambs(c) and an unblemished ram. 5 The grain offering will be half a bushel[a] with the ram,(d) and the grain offering with the lambs will be whatever he wants to give, as well as a gallon[b] of oil for every half bushel. 6 On the day of the New Moon, the burnt offering is to be a young, unblemished bull, as well as six lambs and a ram without blemish. 7 He will provide a grain offering of half a bushel[c] with the bull, half a bushel with the ram, and whatever he can afford with the lambs, together with a gallon[d] of oil for every half bushel. 8 When the prince enters,(e) he must go in by way of the gate's portico and go out the same way.
9 "When the people of the land come before the Lord at the appointed times,[e](f) whoever enters by way of the north gate to worship must go out by way of the south gate, and whoever enters by way of the south gate must go out by way of the north gate. No one must return through the gate by which he entered, but must go out by the opposite gate. 10 When the people enter, the prince will enter with them, and when they leave, he will leave. 11 At the festivals and appointed times, the grain offering will be half a bushel[f] with the bull, half a bushel with the ram, and whatever he wants to give with the lambs, along with a gallon[g] of oil for every half bushel.
12 "When the prince makes a freewill offering, whether a burnt offering or a fellowship offering as a freewill offering to the Lord ,(g) the gate that faces east must be opened for him. He is to offer his burnt offering or fellowship offering just as he does on the Sabbath day. Then he will go out, and the gate must be closed after he leaves.
13 "You must offer an unblemished year-old male lamb as a daily burnt offering to the Lord ; you will offer it every morning.(h) 14 You must also prepare a grain offering every morning along with it: three quarts,[h] with one-third of a gallon[i] of oil to moisten the fine flour—a grain offering to the Lord . This is a permanent statute to be observed regularly. 15 They will offer the lamb, the grain offering, and the oil every morning as a regular burnt offering.
Transfer of Royal Lands
16 "This is what the Lord God says: If the prince gives a gift to each of his sons as their inheritance, it will belong to his sons. It will become their property by inheritance. 17 But if he gives a gift from his inheritance to one of his servants, it will belong to that servant until the year of freedom,(i) when it will revert to the prince. His inheritance belongs only to his sons; it is theirs. 18 The prince must not take any of the people's inheritance, evicting them from their property.(j) He is to provide an inheritance for his sons from his own property, so that none of My people will be displaced from his own property."
The Temple Kitchens
19 Then he brought me through the entrance(k) that was at the side of the gate, into the priests' holy chambers, which faced north. I saw a place there at the far western end. 20 He said to me, "This is the place where the priests will boil the restitution offering and the sin offering,(l) and where they will bake the grain offering,(m) so that they do not bring them into the outer court and transmit holiness to the people." 21 Next he brought me into the outer court and led me past its four corners. There was a separate court in each of its corners. 22 In the four corners of the outer court there were enclosed[j] courts, 70 feet[k] long by 52½ feet[l] wide. All four corner areas had the same dimensions. 23 There was a stone wall[m] around the inside of them, around the four of them, with ovens built at the base of the walls on all sides. 24 He said to me: "These are the kitchens where those who minister at the temple will cook the people's sacrifices."
Chapter 47
The Life-Giving River
1 Then he brought me back to the entrance of the temple and there was water flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the temple faced east. The water was coming down from under the south side of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar.(a) 2 Next he brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate that faced east; there the water was trickling from the south side. 3 As the man went out east with a measuring line in his hand,(b) he measured off a third of a mile[a] and led me through the water. It came up to my ankles. 4 Then he measured off a third of a mile[b] and led me through the water. It came up to my knees. He measured off another third of a mile[c] and led me through the water. It came up to my waist. 5 Again he measured off a third of a mile[d], and it was a river that I could not cross on foot. For the water had risen; it was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be crossed on foot.
6 He asked me, "Do you see this, son of man?" Then he led me back to the bank of the river. 7 When I had returned, I saw a very large number of trees along both sides of the riverbank.(c) 8 He said to me, "This water flows out to the eastern region and goes down to the Arabah. When it enters the sea, the sea of foul water,[e][f] the water of the sea becomes fresh.(d) 9 Every kind of living creature that swarms will live wherever the river flows,[g] and there will be a huge number of fish because this water goes there. Since the water will become fresh, there will be life everywhere the river goes. 10 Fishermen will stand beside it from En-gedi to En-eglaim.[h] These will become places where nets are spread out to dry. Their fish will consist of many different kinds, like the fish of the Mediterranean Sea.(e) 11 Yet its swamps and marshes will not be healed; they will be left for salt. 12 All kinds of trees providing food will grow along both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail.(f) Each month they will bear fresh fruit because the water comes from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be used for food and their leaves for medicine."(g)
The Borders of the Land
13 This is what the Lord God says: "This is[i] the border you will use to divide the land(h) as an inheritance for the 12 tribes of Israel. Joseph will receive two shares.(i) 14 You will inherit it in equal portions, since I swore[j] to give it to your ancestors.(j) So this land will fall to you as an inheritance.
15 "This is to be the border of the land:
On the north side(k) it will extend from the Mediterranean Sea by way of Hethlon and Lebo-hamath to Zedad,[k] 16 Berothah, and Sibraim (which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath), as far as Hazer-hatticon, which is on the border of Hauran. 17 So the border will run from the sea to Hazar-enon at the border(l) of Damascus, with the territory of Hamath to the north. This will be the northern side.
18 On the east side it will run between Hauran and Damascus, along the Jordan between Gilead and the land of Israel; you will measure from the northern border to the eastern sea.[l] This will be the eastern side.
19 On the south side it will run from Tamar to the waters of Meribath-kadesh,[m] and on to the Brook of Egypt(m) as far as the Mediterranean Sea.(n) This will be the southern side.
20 On the west side the Mediterranean Sea will be the border, from the southern border up to a point opposite Lebo-hamath. This will be the western side.
21 "You are to divide this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel.(o) 22 You will allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the foreigners living among you,(p) who have fathered children among you. You will treat them[n] like native-born Israelites; along with you, they will be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. 23 In whatever tribe the foreigner lives, you will assign his inheritance there." This is the declaration of the Lord God .
Isaiah 65
Chapter 65
The Lord's Response
1 "I was sought by those who did not ask;[a]
I was found by those who did not seek Me.
I said: Here I am, here I am,
to a nation that was not called by[b] My name.(a)
2 I spread out My hands all day long
to a rebellious people(b)
who walk in the wrong path,
following their own thoughts.
3 These people continually provoke Me
to My face,
sacrificing in gardens,(c)
burning incense on bricks,
4 sitting among the graves,
spending nights in secret places,
eating the meat of pigs,(d)
and putting polluted broth in their bowls.[c]
5 They say, ‘Keep to yourself,
don't come near me, for I am too holy for you!'
These practices are smoke in My nostrils,
a fire that burns all day long.
6 It is written before Me:
I will not keep silent,(e) but I will repay;(f)
I will repay them fully[d]
7 for your iniquities and the iniquities(g)
of your[e] fathers together,"
says the
Lord
.
"Because they burned incense on the mountains
and reproached Me on the hills,(h)
I will reward them fully[f]
for their former deeds."
8 The Lord says this:
As the new wine is found in a bunch of grapes,
and one says, ‘Don't destroy it,
for there's some good[g] in it,'
so I will act because of My servants
and not destroy them all.
9 I will produce descendants from Jacob,(i)
and heirs to My mountains from Judah;
My chosen(j) ones will possess it,
and My servants will dwell there.(k)
10 Sharon will be a pasture for flocks,(l)
and the Valley of Achor a place for cattle to lie down,(m)
for My people who have sought Me.(n)
11 But you who abandon the
Lord
,
who forget My holy mountain,
who prepare a table for Fortune
and fill bowls of mixed wine for Destiny,[h]
12 I will destine you for the sword,
and all of you will kneel down to be slaughtered,
because I called and you did not answer,
I spoke and you did not hear;
you did what was evil in My sight
and chose what I did not delight in.(o)
13 Therefore, this is what the Lord God says:
My servants will eat,
but you will be hungry;
My servants will drink,
but you will be thirsty;
My servants will rejoice,
but you will be put to shame.
14 My servants will shout for joy from a glad heart,
but you will cry out from an anguished heart,
and you will lament out of a broken spirit.
15 You will leave your name behind
as a curse for My chosen ones,(p)
and the Lord
God
will kill you;
but He will give His servants another name.(q)
16 Whoever is blessed in the land
will be blessed by the God of truth,(r)
and whoever swears in the land
will swear by the God of truth.
For the former troubles will be forgotten
and hidden from My sight.
A New Creation
17 "For I will create a new heaven and a new earth;(s)
the past events will not be remembered or come to mind.
18 Then be glad and rejoice forever
in what I am creating;
for I will create Jerusalem to be a joy
and its people to be a delight.
19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem
and be glad in My people.
The sound of weeping and crying
will no longer be heard in her.(t)
20 In her, a nursing infant will no longer live
only a few days,[i]
or an old man not live out his days.
Indeed, the youth will die at a hundred years,
and the one who misses a hundred years will be cursed.(u)
21 People will build houses and live in them;
they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.(v)
22 They will not build and others live in them;
they will not plant and others eat.
For My people's lives will be
like the lifetime of a tree.(w)
My chosen ones will fully enjoy
the work of their hands.
23 They will not labor without success(x)
or bear children destined for disaster,
for they will be a people blessed by the
Lord
along with their descendants.(y)
24 Even before they call, I will answer;(z)
while they are still speaking, I will hear.
25 The wolf and the lamb will feed together,[j]
and the lion will eat straw like the ox,(aa)
but the serpent's food will be dust!(ab)
They will not do what is evil or destroy
on My entire holy mountain,"(ac)
says the
Lord
.
Luke 4:31-44
Chapter 4
31 Then He went down to Capernaum,(x) a town in Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbath. 32 They were astonished at His teaching because His message had authority.(y) 33 In the synagogue there was a man with an unclean demonic spirit who cried out with a loud voice,(z) 34 "Leave us alone![t] What do You have to do with us,[u] Jesus—Nazarene? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!"
35 But Jesus rebuked him(aa) and said, "Be quiet and come out of him!"
And throwing him down before them, the demon came out of him without hurting him at all. 36 Amazement came over them all, and they kept saying to one another, "What is this message? For He commands the unclean spirits with authority and power, and they come out!" 37 And news about Him began to go out to every place in the vicinity.
Healings at Capernaum
38 After He left the synagogue, He entered Simon's house.(ab) Simon's mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Him about her. 39 So He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up immediately and began to serve them.
40 When the sun was setting, all those who had anyone sick with various diseases brought them to Him. As He laid His hands on each one of them, He would heal them.(ac) 41 Also, demons were coming out of many, shouting and saying, "You are the Son of God!"(ad) But He rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew He was the Messiah.(ae)
Preaching in Galilee
42 When it was day, He went out and made His way to a deserted place.(af) But the crowds were searching for Him. They came to Him and tried to keep Him from leaving them. 43 But He said to them, "I must proclaim the good news about the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because I was sent for this purpose." 44 And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.[v](ag)
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