Daily Office

Saturday

2007-12-01T04:36:00.000-05:00

Micah 7:11-20

[11] A day for the building of your walls!
In that day the boundary shall be far extended.
[12] In that day they will come to you,
from Assyria to Egypt,
and from Egypt to the River,
from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain.
[13] But the earth will be desolate
because of its inhabitants,
for the fruit of their doings.
[14] Shepherd thy people with thy staff,
the flock of thy inheritance,
who dwell alone in a forest
in the midst of a garden land;
let them feed in Bashan and Gilead
as in the days of old.
[15] As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt
I will show them marvelous things.
[16] The nations shall see and be ashamed
of all their might;
they shall lay their hands on their mouths;
their ears shall be deaf;
[17] they shall lick the dust like a serpent,
like the crawling things of the earth;
they shall come trembling out of their strongholds,
they shall turn in dread to the LORD our God,
and they shall fear because of thee.
[18] Who is a God like thee, pardoning iniquity
and passing over transgression
for the remnant of his inheritance?
He does not retain his anger for ever
because he delights in steadfast love.
[19] He will again have compassion upon us,
he will tread our iniquities under foot.
Thou wilt cast all our sins
into the depths of the sea.
[20] Thou wilt show faithfulness to Jacob
and steadfast love to Abraham,
as thou hast sworn to our fathers
from the days of old.

1 Peter 4:7-19

[7]

The end of all things is at hand; therefore keep sane and sober for your
prayers.

[8] Above all hold unfailing your love for one another, since love covers
a multitude of sins.
[9] Practice hospitality ungrudgingly to one another.
[10] As each has received a gift, employ it for one another, as good
stewards of God's varied grace:
[11] whoever speaks, as one who utters oracles of God; whoever renders
service, as one who renders it by the strength which God supplies; in
order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him
belong glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
[12]

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal which comes upon you to
prove you, as though something strange were happening to you.

[13] But rejoice in so far as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may
also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.
[14] If you are reproached for the name of Christ, you are blessed,
because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.
[15] But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or a wrongdoer,
or a mischief-maker;
[16] yet if one suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but under
that name let him glorify God.
[17] For the time has come for judgment to begin with the household of
God; and if it begins with us, what will be the end of those who do not
obey the gospel of God?
[18] And "If the righteous man is scarcely saved,
where will the impious and sinner appear?"
[19] Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will do right and
entrust their souls to a faithful Creator.

Matthew 20:29-34

[29]

And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him.

[30] And behold, two blind men sitting by the roadside, when they heard
that Jesus was passing by, cried out, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!"
[31] The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent; but they cried out
the more, "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!"
[32] And Jesus stopped and called them, saying, "What do you want me to do
for you?"
[33] They said to him, "Lord, let our eyes be opened."
[34] And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they received
their sight and followed him.

Friday

2007-11-30T04:46:00.000-05:00

Isaiah 24:14-23

[14] They lift up their voices, they sing for joy;
over the majesty of the LORD they shout from the west.
[15] Therefore in the east give glory to the LORD;
in the coastlands of the sea, to the name of the LORD, the God of
Israel.
[16] From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise,
of glory to the Righteous One.
But I say, "I pine away,
I pine away. Woe is me!
For the treacherous deal treacherously,
the treacherous deal very treacherously."
[17] Terror, and the pit, and the snare
are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth!
[18] He who flees at the sound of the terror
shall fall into the pit;
and he who climbs out of the pit
shall be caught in the snare.
For the windows of heaven are opened,
and the foundations of the earth tremble.
[19] The earth is utterly broken,
the earth is rent asunder,
the earth is violently shaken.
[20] The earth staggers like a drunken man,
it sways like a hut;
its transgression lies heavy upon it,
and it falls, and will not rise again.
[21] On that day the LORD will punish
the host of heaven, in heaven,
and the kings of the earth, on the earth.
[22] They will be gathered together
as prisoners in a pit;
they will be shut up in a prison,
and after many days they will be punished.
[23] Then the moon will be confounded,
and the sun ashamed;
for the LORD of hosts will reign
on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
and before his elders he will manifest his glory.

1 Peter 3:13-4:6

[13]

Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is right?

[14] But even if you do suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be
blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled,
[15] but in your hearts reverence Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to
make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in
you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence;
[16] and keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are abused, those
who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.
[17] For it is better to suffer for doing right, if that should be God's
will, than for doing wrong.
[18] For Christ also died for sins once for all, the righteous for the
unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the
flesh but made alive in the spirit;
[19] in which he went and preached to the spirits in prison,
[20] who formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of
Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight
persons, were saved through water.
[21] Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal
of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience,
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
[22] who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with
angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.
1Pet.4
[1]

Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same
thought, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,

[2] so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer by human
passions but by the will of God.
[3] Let the time that is past suffice for doing what the Gentiles like to
do, living in licentiousness, passions, drunkenness, revels, carousing,
and lawless idolatry.
[4] They are surprised that you do not now join them in the same wild
profligacy, and they abuse you;
[5] but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and
the dead.
[6] For this is why the gospel was preached even to the dead, that though
judged in the flesh like men, they might live in the spirit like God.

Matthew 20:17-28

[17]

And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples
aside, and on the way he said to them,

[18] "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man will be
delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to
death,
[19] and deliver him to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and
crucified, and he will be raised on the third day."
[20]

Then the mother of the sons of Zeb'edee came up to him, with her sons, and
kneeling before him she asked him for something.

[21] And he said to her, "What do you want?" She said to him, "Command
that these two sons of mine may sit, one at your right hand and one at
your left, in your kingdom."
[22] But Jesus answered, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you
able to drink the cup that I am to drink?" They said to him, "We are
able."
[23] He said to them, "You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand
and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has
been prepared by my Father."
[24] And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers.
[25] But Jesus called them to him and said, "You know that the rulers of
the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority
over them.
[26] It shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you
must be your servant,
[27] and whoever would be first among you must be your slave;
[28] even as the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to
give his life as a ransom for many."

Thursday

2007-11-29T03:24:00.000-05:00

Zephaniah 3:1-13

[1]

Woe to her that is rebellious and defiled,
the oppressing city!
[2] She listens to no voice,
she accepts no correction.
She does not trust in the LORD,
she does not draw near to her God.
[3] Her officials within her
are roaring lions;
her judges are evening wolves
that leave nothing till the morning.
[4] Her prophets are wanton,
faithless men;
her priests profane what is sacred,
they do violence to the law.
[5] The LORD within her is righteous,
he does no wrong;
every morning he shows forth his justice,
each dawn he does not fail;
but the unjust knows no shame.
[6] "I have cut off nations;
their battlements are in ruins;
I have laid waste their streets
so that none walks in them;
their cities have been made desolate,
without a man, without an inhabitant.
[7] I said, `Surely she will fear me,
she will accept correction;
she will not lose sight
of all that I have enjoined upon her.'
But all the more they were eager
to make all their deeds corrupt."
[8] "Therefore wait for me," says the LORD,
"for the day when I arise as a witness.
For my decision is to gather nations,
to assemble kingdoms,
to pour out upon them my indignation,
all the heat of my anger;
for in the fire of my jealous wrath
all the earth shall be consumed.
[9] "Yea, at that time I will change the speech of the peoples
to a pure speech,
that all of them may call on the name of the LORD
and serve him with one accord.
[10] From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia
my suppliants, the daughter of my dispersed ones,
shall bring my offering.
[11] "On that day you shall not be put to shame
because of the deeds by which you have rebelled against me;
for then I will remove from your midst
your proudly exultant ones,
and you shall no longer be haughty
in my holy mountain.
[12] For I will leave in the midst of you
a people humble and lowly.
They shall seek refuge in the name of the LORD,
[13] those who are left in Israel;
they shall do no wrong
and utter no lies,
nor shall there be found in their mouth
a deceitful tongue.
For they shall pasture and lie down,
and none shall make them afraid."

1 Peter 2:11-25

[11]

Beloved, I beseech you as aliens and exiles to abstain from the passions
of the flesh that wage war against your soul.

[12] Maintain good conduct among the Gentiles, so that in case they speak
against you as wrongdoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on
the day of visitation.
[13]

Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be
to the emperor as supreme,

[14] or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to
praise those who do right.
[15] For it is God's will that by doing right you should put to silence
the ignorance of foolish men.
[16] Live as free men, yet without using your freedom as a pretext for
evil; but live as servants of God.
[17] Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
[18]

Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to the
kind and gentle but also to the overbearing.

[19] For one is approved if, mindful of God, he endures pain while
suffering unjustly.
[20] For what credit is it, if when you do wrong and are beaten for it you
take it patiently? But if when you do right and suffer for it you take it
patiently, you have God's approval.
[21] For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for
you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
[22] He committed no sin; no guile was found on his lips.
[23] When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered,
he did not threaten; but he trusted to him who judges justly.
[24] He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die
to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
[25] For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the
Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.

Matthew 20:1-16

[1]

"For the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who went out early in the
morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.

[2] After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them
into his vineyard.
[3] And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the
market place;
[4] and to them he said, `You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is
right I will give you.' So they went.
[5] Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the
same.
[6] And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing; and
he said to them, `Why do you stand here idle all day?'
[7] They said to him, `Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, `You
go into the vineyard too.'
[8] And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward,
`Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up
to the first.'
[9] And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them
received a denarius.
[10] Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but
each of them also received a denarius.
[11] And on receiving it they grumbled at the householder,
[12] saying, `These last worked only one hour, and you have made them
equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.'
[13] But he replied to one of them, `Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did
you not agree with me for a denarius?
[14] Take what belongs to you, and go; I choose to give to this last as I
give to you.
[15] Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do
you begrudge my generosity?'
[16] So the last will be first, and the first last."

Wednesday

2007-11-28T03:06:00.000-05:00

Obadiah 15-21

[15] For the day of the LORD is near upon all the nations.
As you have done, it shall be done to you,
your deeds shall return on your own head.
[16] For as you have drunk upon my holy mountain,
all the nations round about shall drink;
they shall drink, and stagger,
and shall be as though they had not been.
[17] But in Mount Zion there shall be those that escape,
and it shall be holy;
and the house of Jacob shall possess their own possessions.
[18] The house of Jacob shall be a fire,
and the house of Joseph a flame,
and the house of Esau stubble;
they shall burn them and consume them,
and there shall be no survivor to the house of Esau;
for the LORD has spoken.
[19] Those of the Negeb shall possess Mount Esau,
and those of the Shephe'lah the land of the Philistines;
they shall possess the land of E'phraim and the land of Sama'ria
and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.
[20] The exiles in Halah who are of the people of Israel
shall possess Phoenicia as far as Zar'ephath;
and the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sephar'ad
shall possess the cities of the Negeb.
[21] Saviors shall go up to Mount Zion
to rule Mount Esau;
and the kingdom shall be the LORD's.

1 Peter 2:1-10

[1]

So put away all malice and all guile and insincerity and envy and all
slander.

[2] Like newborn babes, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you
may grow up to salvation;
[3] for you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.
[4]

Come to him, to that living stone, rejected by men but in God's sight
chosen and precious;

[5] and like living stones be yourselves built into a spiritual house, to
be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God
through Jesus Christ.
[6] For it stands in scripture: "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a
cornerstone chosen and
precious,
and he who believes in him will not be put to shame."
[7] To you therefore who believe, he is precious, but for those who do not
believe, "The very stone which the builders rejected
has become the head of the corner,"
[8] and "A stone that will make men stumble,
a rock that will make them fall";
for they stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to
do.
[9]

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own
people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called you out
of darkness into his marvelous light.

[10] Once you were no people but now you are God's people; once you had
not received mercy but now you have received mercy.

Matthew 19:23-30

[23]

And Jesus said to his disciples, "Truly, I say to you, it will be hard for
a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.

[24] Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a
needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
[25] When the disciples heard this they were greatly astonished, saying,
"Who then can be saved?"
[26] But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is
impossible, but with God all things are possible."
[27] Then Peter said in reply, "Lo, we have left everything and followed
you. What then shall we have?"
[28] Jesus said to them, "Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the
Son of man shall sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will
also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
[29] And every one who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or
mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a
hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.
[30] But many that are first will be last, and the last first.

Tuesday

2007-11-27T02:58:00.000-05:00

Nahum 1:1-13

[1] An oracle concerning Nin'eveh. The book of the vision of Nahum of
Elkosh.
[2] The LORD is a jealous God and avenging,
the LORD is avenging and wrathful;
the LORD takes vengeance on his adversaries
and keeps wrath for his enemies.
[3] The LORD is slow to anger and of great might,
and the LORD will by no means clear the guilty.
His way is in whirlwind and storm,
and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
[4] He rebukes the sea and makes it dry,
he dries up all the rivers;
Bashan and Carmel wither,
the bloom of Lebanon fades.
[5] The mountains quake before him,
the hills melt;
the earth is laid waste before him,
the world and all that dwell therein.
[6] Who can stand before his indignation?
Who can endure the heat of his anger?
His wrath is poured out like fire,
and the rocks are broken asunder by him.
[7] The LORD is good,
a stronghold in the day of trouble;
he knows those who take refuge in him.
[8] But with an overflowing flood
he will make a full end of his adversaries,
and will pursue his enemies into darkness.
[9] What do you plot against the LORD?
He will make a full end;
he will not take vengeance twice on his foes.
[10] Like entangled thorns they are consumed,
like dry stubble.
[11] Did one not come out from you,
who plotted evil against the LORD,
and counseled villainy?
[12] Thus says the LORD,
"Though they be strong and many,
they will be cut off and pass away.
Though I have afflicted you,
I will afflict you no more.
[13] And now I will break his yoke from off you
and will burst your bonds asunder."

1 Peter 1:13-25

[13]

Therefore gird up your minds, be sober, set your hope fully upon the grace
that is coming to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

[14] As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your
former ignorance,
[15] but as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your
conduct;
[16] since it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy."
[17] And if you invoke as Father him who judges each one impartially
according to his deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time
of your exile.
[18] You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from
your fathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold,
[19] but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without
blemish or spot.
[20] He was destined before the foundation of the world but was made
manifest at the end of the times for your sake.
[21] Through him you have confidence in God, who raised him from the dead
and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
[22]

Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere
love of the brethren, love one another earnestly from the heart.

[23] You have been born anew, not of perishable seed but of imperishable,
through the living and abiding word of God;
[24] for "All flesh is like grass
and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers, and the flower falls,
[25] but the word of the Lord abides for ever."
That word is the good news which was preached to you.

Matthew 19:13-22

[13]

Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and
pray. The disciples rebuked the people;

[14] but Jesus said, "Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them;
for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven."
[15] And he laid his hands on them and went away.
[16]

And behold, one came up to him, saying, "Teacher, what good deed must I
do, to have eternal life?"

[17] And he said to him, "Why do you ask me about what is good? One there
is who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments."
[18] He said to him, "Which?" And Jesus said, "You shall not kill, You
shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false
witness,
[19] Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as
yourself."
[20] The young man said to him, "All these I have observed; what do I
still lack?"
[21] Jesus said to him, "If you would be perfect, go, sell what you
possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and
come, follow me."
[22] When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful; for he had
great possessions.

Monday and a note

2007-11-26T02:48:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone,

This week will mark a full third cycle (six years) of sending out the
daily office. I have to say I really never thought it would go on this
long. Hopefully, many, if not all of us were able to read pieces of all
the different books of the bible. Perhaps, our views and understanding of
this book, nay library, have evolved. For me, I am increasingly aware of
the number of people who site the bible but appear not to have read it or
at least have only read it selectively.

Anyway, I want to thank you for being such good partners and participants.

May the lord bless you and keep you safe.

In faith,

Michael

Joel 3:1-2, 9-17

[1]

"For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes
of Judah and Jerusalem,

[2] I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley of
Jehosh'aphat, and I will enter into judgment with them there, on account
of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them
among the nations, and have divided up my land,
[3] and have cast lots for my people, and have given a boy for a harlot,
and have sold a girl for wine, and have drunk it.
[4]

"What are you to me, O Tyre and Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia?
Are you paying me back for something? If you are paying me back, I will
requite your deed upon your own head swiftly and speedily.

[5] For you have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried my rich
treasures into your temples.
[6] You have sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks,
removing them far from their own border.
[7] But now I will stir them up from the place to which you have sold
them, and I will requite your deed upon your own head.
[8] I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the sons of
Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabe'ans, to a nation far off; for
the LORD has spoken."
[9] Proclaim this among the nations:
Prepare war,
stir up the mighty men.
Let all the men of war draw near,
let them come up.
[10] Beat your plowshares into swords,
and your pruning hooks into spears;
let the weak say, "I am a warrior."
[11] Hasten and come,
all you nations round about,
gather yourselves there.
Bring down thy warriors, O LORD.
[12] Let the nations bestir themselves,
and come up to the valley of Jehosh'aphat;
for there I will sit to judge
all the nations round about.
[13] Put in the sickle,
for the harvest is ripe.
Go in, tread,
for the wine press is full.
The vats overflow,
for their wickedness is great.
[14] Multitudes, multitudes,
in the valley of decision!
For the day of the LORD is near
in the valley of decision.
[15] The sun and the moon are darkened,
and the stars withdraw their shining.
[16] And the LORD roars from Zion,
and utters his voice from Jerusalem,
and the heavens and the earth shake.
But the LORD is a refuge to his people,
a stronghold to the people of Israel.
[17] "So you shall know that I am the LORD your God,
who dwell in Zion, my holy mountain.
And Jerusalem shall be holy
and strangers shall never again pass through it.

1 Peter 1:1-12

[1] Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the exiles of the Dispersion in
Pontus, Galatia, Cappado'cia, Asia, and Bithyn'ia,
[2] chosen and destined by God the Father and sanctified by the Spirit for
obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and
peace be multiplied to you.
[3]

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy
we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus
Christ from the dead,

[4] and to an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading,
kept in heaven for you,
[5] who by God's power are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to
be revealed in the last time.
[6] In this you rejoice, though now for a little while you may have to
suffer various trials,
[7] so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold which
though perishable is tested by fire, may redound to praise and glory and
honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
[8] Without having seen him you love him; though you do not now see him
you believe in him and rejoice with unutterable and exalted joy.
[9] As the outcome of your faith you obtain the salvation of your souls.
[10]

The prophets who prophesied of the grace that was to be yours searched and
inquired about this salvation;

[11] they inquired what person or time was indicated by the Spirit of
Christ within them when predicting the sufferings of Christ and the
subsequent glory.
[12] It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but
you, in the things which have now been announced to you by those who
preached the good news to you through the Holy Spirit sent from heaven,
things into which angels long to look.

Matthew 19:1-12

[1]

Now when Jesus had finished these sayings, he went away from Galilee and
entered the region of Judea beyond the Jordan;

[2] and large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.
[3]

And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, "Is it lawful to
divorce one's wife for any cause?"

[4] He answered, "Have you not read that he who made them from the
beginning made them male and female,
[5] and said, `For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and
be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'?
[6] So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined
together, let not man put asunder."
[7] They said to him, "Why then did Moses command one to give a
certificate of divorce, and to put her away?"
[8] He said to them, "For your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to
divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.
[9] And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for unchastity,
and marries another, commits adultery."
[10]

The disciples said to him, "If such is the case of a man with his wife, it
is not expedient to marry."

[11] But he said to them, "Not all men can receive this saying, but only
those to whom it is given.
[12] For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are
eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have
made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is
able to receive this, let him receive it."

Saturday

2007-11-24T04:23:00.000-05:00

Isaiah 65:17-25

[17] "For behold, I create new heavens
and a new earth;
and the former things shall not be remembered
or come into mind.
[18] But be glad and rejoice for ever
in that which I create;
for behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing,
and her people a joy.
[19] I will rejoice in Jerusalem,
and be glad in my people;
no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping
and the cry of distress.
[20] No more shall there be in it
an infant that lives but a few days,
or an old man who does not fill out his days,
for the child shall die a hundred years old,
and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed.
[21] They shall build houses and inhabit them;
they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
[22] They shall not build and another inhabit;
they shall not plant and another eat;
for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be,
and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
[23] They shall not labor in vain,
or bear children for calamity;
for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the LORD,
and their children with them.
[24] Before they call I will answer,
while they are yet speaking I will hear.
[25] The wolf and the lamb shall feed together,
the lion shall eat straw like the ox;
and dust shall be the serpent's food.
They shall not hurt or destroy
in all my holy mountain, says the LORD."

Revelation 22:14-21

[14]

Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to
the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.

[15] Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and fornicators and murderers and
idolaters, and every one who loves and practices falsehood.
[16]

"I Jesus have sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I
am the root and the offspring of David, the bright morning star."

[17]

The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come." And let him who hears say, "Come."
And let him who is thirsty come, let him who desires take the water of
life without price.

[18]

I warn every one who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if any
one adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book,

[19] and if any one takes away from the words of the book of this
prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy
city, which are described in this book.
[20]

He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon." Amen.
Come, Lord Jesus!

[21]

Matthew 18:21-35

[21]

Then Peter came up and said to him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin
against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?"

[22] Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy
times seven.
[23]

"Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to
settle accounts with his servants.

[24] When he began the reckoning, one was brought to him who owed him ten
thousand talents;
[25] and as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, with his
wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made.
[26] So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, `Lord, have patience
with me, and I will pay you everything.'
[27] And out of pity for him the lord of that servant released him and
forgave him the debt.
[28] But that same servant, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow
servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat he
said, `Pay what you owe.'
[29] So his fellow servant fell down and besought him, `Have patience with
me, and I will pay you.'
[30] He refused and went and put him in prison till he should pay the
debt.
[31] When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly
distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken
place.
[32] Then his lord summoned him and said to him, `You wicked servant! I
forgave you all that debt because you besought me;
[33] and should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had
mercy on you?'
[34] And in anger his lord delivered him to the jailers, till he should
pay all his debt.
[35] So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not
forgive your brother from your heart."

Friday

2007-11-23T05:11:00.000-05:00

1 Maccabees 4:36-59

[36]

Then said Judas and his brothers, "Behold, our enemies are crushed; let us
go up to cleanse the sanctuary and dedicate it."

[37] So all the army assembled and they went up to Mount Zion.
[38] And they saw the sanctuary desolate, the altar profaned, and the
gates burned. In the courts they saw bushes sprung up as in a thicket, or
as on one of the mountains. They saw also the chambers of the priests in
ruins.
[39] Then they rent their clothes, and mourned with great lamentation, and
sprinkled themselves with ashes.
[40] They fell face down on the ground, and sounded the signal on the
trumpets, and cried out to Heaven.
[41] Then Judas detailed men to fight against those in the citadel until
he had cleansed the sanctuary.
[42]

He chose blameless priests devoted to the law,

[43] and they cleansed the sanctuary and removed the defiled stones to an
unclean place.
[44] They deliberated what to do about the altar of burnt offering, which
had been profaned.
[45] And they thought it best to tear it down, lest it bring reproach upon
them, for the Gentiles had defiled it. So they tore down the altar,
[46] and stored the stones in a convenient place on the temple hill until
there should come a prophet to tell what to do with them.
[47] Then they took unhewn stones, as the law directs, and built a new
altar like the former one.
[48] They also rebuilt the sanctuary and the interior of the temple, and
consecrated the courts.
[49] They made new holy vessels, and brought the lampstand, the altar of
incense, and the table into the temple.
[50] Then they burned incense on the altar and lighted the lamps on the
lampstand, and these gave light in the temple.
[51] They placed the bread on the table and hung up the curtains. Thus
they finished all the work they had undertaken.
[52]

Early in the morning on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month, which is
the month of Chislev, in the one hundred and forty-eighth year,

[53] they rose and offered sacrifice, as the law directs, on the new altar
of burnt offering which they had built.
[54] At the very season and on the very day that the Gentiles had profaned
it, it was dedicated with songs and harps and lutes and cymbals.
[55] All the people fell on their faces and worshiped and blessed Heaven,
who had prospered them.
[56] So they celebrated the dedication of the altar for eight days, and
offered burnt offerings with gladness; they offered a sacrifice of
deliverance and praise.
[57] They decorated the front of the temple with golden crowns and small
shields; they restored the gates and the chambers for the priests, and
furnished them with doors.
[58] There was very great gladness among the people, and the reproach of
the Gentiles was removed.
[59]

Then Judas and his brothers and all the assembly of Israel determined that
every year at that season the days of dedication of the altar should be
observed with gladness and joy for eight days, beginning with the
twenty-fifth day of the month of Chislev.

Revelation 22:6-13

[6]

And he said to me, "These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord,
the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his
servants what must soon take place.

[7] And behold, I am coming soon."

Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.

[8]

I John am he who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw
them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to
me;

[9] but he said to me, "You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with
you and your brethren the prophets, and with those who keep the words of
this book. Worship God."
[10]

And he said to me, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book,
for the time is near.

[11] Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and
the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy."
[12]

"Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense, to repay every one for
what he has done.

[13] I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning
and the end."

Matthew 18:10-20

[10]

"See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that
in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in
heaven.

[12] What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has
gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in
search of the one that went astray?
[13] And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more
than over the ninety-nine that never went astray.
[14] So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these
little ones should perish.
[15]

"If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you
and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.

[16] But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you,
that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three
witnesses.
[17] If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he
refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a
tax collector.
[18] Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in
heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
[19] Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they
ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.
[20] For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the
midst of them."

--
What does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love
kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Micah 6:8

Thanksgiving

2007-11-22T02:54:00.000-05:00

Deuteronomy 26:1-11

[1]

"When you come into the land which the LORD your God gives you for an
inheritance, and have taken possession of it, and live in it,

[2] you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which
you harvest from your land that the LORD your God gives you, and you shall
put it in a basket, and you shall go to the place which the LORD your God
will choose, to make his name to dwell there.
[3] And you shall go to the priest who is in office at that time, and say
to him, `I declare this day to the LORD your God that I have come into the
land which the LORD swore to our fathers to give us.'
[4] Then the priest shall take the basket from your hand, and set it down
before the altar of the LORD your God.
[5]

"And you shall make response before the LORD your God, `A wandering
Aramean was my father; and he went down into Egypt and sojourned there,
few in number; and there he became a nation, great, mighty, and populous.

[6] And the Egyptians treated us harshly, and afflicted us, and laid upon
us hard bondage.
[7] Then we cried to the LORD the God of our fathers, and the LORD heard
our voice, and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression;
[8] and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an
outstretched arm, with great terror, with signs and wonders;
[9] and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land
flowing with milk and honey.
[10] And behold, now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground, which
thou, O LORD, hast given me.' And you shall set it down before the LORD
your God, and worship before the LORD your God;
[11] and you shall rejoice in all the good which the LORD your God has
given to you and to your house, you, and the Levite, and the sojourner who
is among you.

1 Thessalonians 5:12-24

[12]

But we beseech you, brethren, to respect those who labor among you and are
over you in the Lord and admonish you,

[13] and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at
peace among yourselves.
[14] And we exhort you, brethren, admonish the idlers, encourage the
fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.
[15] See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good
to one another and to all.
[16] Rejoice always,
[17] pray constantly,
[18] give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in
Christ Jesus for you.
[19] Do not quench the Spirit,
[20] do not despise prophesying,
[21] but test everything; hold fast what is good,
[22] abstain from every form of evil.
[23]

May the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and
soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ.

[24] He who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.

John 6:26-35

[26] Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek me, not
because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.
[27] Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which
endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give to you; for on him
has God the Father set his seal."
[28] Then they said to him, "What must we do, to be doing the works of
God?"
[29] Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in
him whom he has sent."
[30] So they said to him, "Then what sign do you do, that we may see, and
believe you? What work do you perform?
[31] Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, `He
gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"
[32] Jesus then said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not
Moses who gave you the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true
bread from heaven.
[33] For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven, and gives
life to the world."
[34] They said to him, "Lord, give us this bread always."
[35]

Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not
hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst.

Tuesday

2007-11-20T02:28:00.000-05:00

1 Maccebees 3:25-41

[25] Then Judas and his brothers began to be feared, and terror fell upon
the Gentiles round about them.
[26] His fame reached the king, and the Gentiles talked of the battles of
Judas.
[27]

When king Antiochus heard these reports, he was greatly angered; and he
sent and gathered all the forces of his kingdom, a very strong army.

[28] And he opened his coffers and gave a year's pay to his forces, and
ordered them to be ready for any need.
[29] Then he saw that the money in the treasury was exhausted, and that
the revenues from the country were small because of the dissension and
disaster which he had caused in the land by abolishing the laws that had
existed from the earliest days.
[30] He feared that he might not have such funds as he had before for his
expenses and for the gifts which he used to give more lavishly than
preceding kings.
[31] He was greatly perplexed in mind, and determined to go to Persia and
collect the revenues from those regions and raise a large fund.
[32]

He left Lysias, a distinguished man of royal lineage, in charge of the
king's affairs from the river Euphrates to the borders of Egypt.

[33] Lysias was also to take care of Antiochus his son until he returned.
[34] And he turned over to Lysias half of his troops and the elephants,
and gave him orders about all that he wanted done. As for the residents of
Judea and Jerusalem,
[35] Lysias was to send a force against them to wipe out and destroy the
strength of Israel and the remnant of Jerusalem; he was to banish the
memory of them from the place,
[36] settle aliens in all their territory, and distribute their land.
[37] Then the king took the remaining half of his troops and departed from
Antioch his capital in the one hundred and forty-seventh year. He crossed
the Euphrates river and went through the upper provinces.
[38]

Lysias chose Ptolemy the son of Dorymenes, and Nicanor and Gorgias, mighty
men among the friends of the king,

[39] and sent with them forty thousand infantry and seven thousand cavalry
to go into the land of Judah and destroy it, as the king had commanded.
[40] so they departed with their entire force, and when they arrived they
encamped near Emmaus in the plain.
[41] When the traders of the region heard what was said to them, they took
silver and gold in immense amounts, and fetters, and went to the camp to
get the sons of Israel for slaves. And forces from Syria and the land of
the Philistines joined with them.

Revelation 21:1-8

[1]

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the
first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.

[2] And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from
God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband;
[3] and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling
of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people,
and God himself will be with them;
[4] he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no
more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for
the former things have passed away."
[5]

And he who sat upon the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." Also
he said, "Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true."

[6] And he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the
beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the fountain of the
water of life without payment.
[7] He who conquers shall have this heritage, and I will be his God and he
shall be my son.
[8] But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, as for
murderers, fornicators, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their lot
shall be in the lake that burns with fire and sulphur, which is the second
death."

Matthew 17:14-21

[14]

And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and kneeling before
him said,

[15] "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and he suffers
terribly; for often he falls into the fire, and often into the water.
[16] And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him."
[17] And Jesus answered, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long am
I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me."
[18] And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was
cured instantly.
[19] Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we
not cast it out?"
[20] He said to them, "Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to
you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this
mountain, `Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be
impossible to you."
[22]

As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of man is
to be delivered into the hands of men,

Monday

2007-11-19T02:23:00.000-05:00

1 Maccabees 3:1-24

[1]

Then Judas his son, who was called Maccabeus, took command in his place.

[2] All his brothers and all who had joined his father helped him; they
gladly fought for Israel.
[3] He extended the glory of his people.
Like a giant he put on his breastplate;
he girded on his armor of war and waged battles,
protecting the host by his sword.
[4] He was like a lion in his deeds,
like a lion's cub roaring for prey.
[5] He searched out and pursued the lawless;
he burned those who troubled his people.
[6] Lawless men shrank back for fear of him;
all the evildoers were confounded;
and deliverance prospered by his hand.
[7] He embittered many kings,
but he made Jacob glad by his deeds,
and his memory is blessed for ever.
[8] He went through the cities of Judah;
he destroyed the ungodly out of the land;
thus he turned away wrath from Israel.
[9] He was renowned to the ends of the earth;
he gathered in those who were perishing.
[10]

But Apollonius gathered together Gentiles and a large force from Samaria
to fight against Israel.

[11] When Judas learned of it, he went out to meet him, and he defeated
and killed him. Many were wounded and fell, and the rest fled.
[12] Then they seized their spoils; and Judas took the sword of
Apollonius, and used it in battle the rest of his life.
[13]

Now when Seron, the commander of the Syrian army, heard that Judas had
gathered a large company, including a body of faithful men who stayed with
him and went out to battle,

[14] he said, "I will make a name for myself and win honor in the kingdom.
I will make war on Judas and his companions, who scorn the king's
command."
[15] And again a strong army of ungodly men went up with him to help him,
to take vengeance on the sons of Israel.
[16]

When he approached the ascent of Beth-horon, Judas went out to meet him
with a small company.

[17] But when they saw the army coming to meet them, they said to Judas,
"How can we, few as we are, fight against so great and strong a multitude?
And we are faint, for we have eaten nothing today."
[18] Judas replied, "It is easy for many to be hemmed in by few, for in
the sight of Heaven there is no difference between saving by many or by
few.
[19] It is not on the size of the army that victory in battle depends, but
strength comes from Heaven.
[20] They come against us in great pride and lawlessness to destroy us and
our wives and our children, and to despoil us;
[21] but we fight for our lives and our laws.
[22] He himself will crush them before us; as for you, do not be afraid of
them."
[23]

When he finished speaking, he rushed suddenly against Seron and his army,
and they were crushed before him.

[24] They pursued them down the descent of Beth-horon to the plain; eight
hundred of them fell, and the rest fled into the land of the Philistines.

Revelation 20:7-15

[7]

And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be loosed from his
prison

[8] and will come out to deceive the nations which are at the four corners
of the earth, that is, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their
number is like the sand of the sea.
[9] And they marched up over the broad earth and surrounded the camp of
the saints and the beloved city; but fire came down from heaven and
consumed them,
[10] and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire
and sulphur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be
tormented day and night for ever and ever.
[11]

Then I saw a great white throne and him who sat upon it; from his presence
earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them.

[12] And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and
books were opened. Also another book was opened, which is the book of
life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, by what
they had done.
[13] And the sea gave up the dead in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead
in them, and all were judged by what they had done.
[14] Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the
second death, the lake of fire;
[15] and if any one's name was not found written in the book of life, he
was thrown into the lake of fire.

Matthew 17:1-13

[1]

And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John his
brother, and led them up a high mountain apart.

[2] And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun,
and his garments became white as light.
[3] And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Eli'jah, talking with
him.
[4] And Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is well that we are here; if you
wish, I will make three booths here, one for you and one for Moses and one
for Eli'jah."
[5] He was still speaking, when lo, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and
a voice from the cloud said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well
pleased; listen to him."
[6] When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces, and were
filled with awe.
[7] But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Rise, and have no fear."
[8] And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.
[9]

And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, "Tell no
one the vision, until the Son of man is raised from the dead."

[10] And the disciples asked him, "Then why do the scribes say that first
Eli'jah must come?"
[11] He replied, "Eli'jah does come, and he is to restore all things;
[12] but I tell you that Eli'jah has already come, and they did not know
him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of man will
suffer at their hands."
[13] Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John
the Baptist.

Friday

2007-11-16T03:13:00.000-05:00

1 Maccabeees 1:41-63

[41]

Then the king wrote to his whole kingdom that all should be one people,

[42] and that each should give up his customs.
[43] All the Gentiles accepted the command of the king. Many even from
Israel gladly adopted his religion; they sacrificed to idols and profaned
the sabbath.
[44] And the king sent letters by messengers to Jerusalem and the cities
of Judah; he directed them to follow customs strange to the land,
[45] to forbid burnt offerings and sacrifices and drink offerings in the
sanctuary, to profane sabbaths and feasts,
[46] to defile the sanctuary and the priests,
[47] to build altars and sacred precincts and shrines for idols, to
sacrifice swine and unclean animals,
[48] and to leave their sons uncircumcised. They were to make themselves
abominable by everything unclean and profane,
[49] so that they should forget the law and change all the ordinances.
[50] "And whoever does not obey the command of the king shall die."
[51]

In such words he wrote to his whole kingdom. And he appointed inspectors
over all the people and commanded the cities of Judah to offer sacrifice,
city by city.

[52] Many of the people, every one who forsook the law, joined them, and
they did evil in the land;
[53] they drove Israel into hiding in every place of refuge they had.
[54]

Now on the fifteenth day of Chislev, in the one hundred and forty-fifth
year, they erected a desolating sacrilege upon the altar of burnt
offering. They also built altars in the surrounding cities of Judah,

[55] and burned incense at the doors of the houses and in the streets.
[56] The books of the law which they found they tore to pieces and burned
with fire.
[57] Where the book of the covenant was found in the possession of any
one, or if any one adhered to the law, the decree of the king condemned
him to death.
[58] They kept using violence against Israel, against those found month
after month in the cities.
[59] And on the twenty-fifth day of the month they offered sacrifice on
the altar which was upon the altar of burnt offering.
[60] According to the decree, they put to death the women who had their
children circumcised,
[61] and their families and those who circumcised them; and they hung the
infants from their mothers' necks.
[62]

But many in Israel stood firm and were resolved in their hearts not to eat
unclean food.

[63] They chose to die rather than to be defiled by food or to profane the
holy covenant; and they did die.

Revelation 19:11-16

[11]

Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! He who sat upon it is
called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.

[12] His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems;
and he has a name inscribed which no one knows but himself.
[13] He is clad in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is
called is The Word of God.
[14] And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure,
followed him on white horses.
[15] From his mouth issues a sharp sword with which to smite the nations,
and he will rule them with a rod of iron; he will tread the wine press of
the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.
[16] On his robe and on his thigh he has a name inscribed, King of kings
and Lord of lords.

Matthew 16:13-20

[13]

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesare'a Philip'pi, he asked his
disciples, "Who do men say that the Son of man is?"

[14] And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Eli'jah, and
others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
[15] He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
[16] Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
[17] And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh
and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
[18] And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my
church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it.
[19] I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you
bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth
shall be loosed in heaven."
[20] Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the
Christ.

Thursday

2007-11-15T04:00:00.000-05:00

1 Maccabees 1:1-28

[1] After Alexander son of Philip, the Macedonian, who came from the land
of Kittim, had defeated Darius, king of the Persians and the Medes, he
succeeded him as king. (He had previously become king of Greece.)
[2] He fought many battles, conquered strongholds, and put to death the
kings of the earth.
[3] He advanced to the ends of the earth, and plundered many nations. When
the earth became quiet before him, he was exalted, and his heart was
lifted up.
[4] He gathered a very strong army and ruled over countries, nations, and
princes, and they became tributary to him.
[5]

After this he fell sick and perceived that he was dying.

[6] So he summoned his most honored officers, who had been brought up with
him from youth, and divided his kingdom among them while he was still
alive.
[7] And after Alexander had reigned twelve years, he died.
[8]

Then his officers began to rule, each in his own place.

[9] They all put on crowns after his death, and so did their sons after
them for many years; and they caused many evils on the earth.
[10]

From them came forth a sinful root, Antiochus Epiphanes, son of Antiochus
the king; he had been a hostage in Rome. He began to reign in the one
hundred and thirty-seventh year of the kingdom of the Greeks.

[11]

In those days lawless men came forth from Israel, and misled many, saying,
"Let us go and make a covenant with the Gentiles round about us, for since
we separated from them many evils have come upon us."

[12] This proposal pleased them,
[13] and some of the people eagerly went to the king. He authorized them
to observe the ordinances of the Gentiles.
[14] So they built a gymnasium in Jerusalem, according to Gentile custom,
[15] and removed the marks of circumcision, and abandoned the holy
covenant. They joined with the Gentiles and sold themselves to do evil.
[16]

When Antiochus saw that his kingdom was established, he determined to
become king of the land of Egypt, that he might reign over both kingdoms.

[17] So he invaded Egypt with a strong force, with chariots and elephants
and cavalry and with a large fleet.
[18] He engaged Ptolemy king of Egypt in battle, and Ptolemy turned and
fled before him, and many were wounded and fell.
[19] And they captured the fortified cities in the land of Egypt, and he
plundered the land of Egypt.
[20]

After subduing Egypt, Antiochus returned in the one hundred and
forty-third year. He went up against Israel and came to Jerusalem with a
strong force.

[21] He arrogantly entered the sanctuary and took the golden altar, the
lampstand for the light, and all its utensils.
[22] He took also the table for the bread of the Presence, the cups for
drink offerings, the bowls, the golden censers, the curtain, the crowns,
and the gold decoration on the front of the temple; he stripped it all
off.
[23] He took the silver and the gold, and the costly vessels; he took also
the hidden treasures which he found.
[24] Taking them all, he departed to his own land. He committed deeds of
murder,
and spoke with great arrogance.
[25] Israel mourned deeply in every community,
[26] rulers and elders groaned,
maidens and young men became faint,
the beauty of women faded.
[27] Every bridegroom took up the lament;
she who sat in the bridal chamber was mourning.
[28] Even the land shook for its inhabitants,
and all the house of Jacob was clothed with shame.

Revelation 19:1-10

[1]

After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude
in heaven, crying,
"Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
[2] for his judgments are true and just;
he has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her
fornication,
and he has avenged on her the blood of his servants."
[3] Once more they cried, "Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up for ever
and ever."
[4] And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and
worshiped God who is seated on the throne, saying, "Amen. Hallelujah!"
[5] And from the throne came a voice crying, "Praise our God, all you his
servants,
you who fear him, small and great."
[6] Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like
the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty thunderpeals,
crying, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.
[7] Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his Bride has made herself ready;
[8] it was granted her to be clothed with fine linen, bright and
pure" --
for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
[9]

And the angel said to me, "Write this: Blessed are those who are invited
to the marriage supper of the Lamb." And he said to me, "These are true
words of God."

[10] Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, "You
must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brethren who
hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God." For the testimony of Jesus is
the spirit of prophecy.

Matthew 16:1-12

[1]

And the Pharisees and Sad'ducees came, and to test him they asked him to
show them a sign from heaven.

[2] He answered them, "When it is evening, you say, `It will be fair
weather; for the sky is red.'
[3] And in the morning, `It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and
threatening.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you
cannot interpret the signs of the times.
[4] An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign shall
be given to it except the sign of Jonah." So he left them and departed.
[5]

When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any
bread.

[6] Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the
Pharisees and Sad'ducees."
[7] And they discussed it among themselves, saying, "We brought no bread."
[8] But Jesus, aware of this, said, "O men of little faith, why do you
discuss among yourselves the fact that you have no bread?
[9] Do you not yet perceive? Do you not remember the five loaves of the
five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered?
[10] Or the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets you
gathered?
[11] How is it that you fail to perceive that I did not speak about bread?
Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sad'ducees."
[12] Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the
leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sad'ducees.

Wednesday

2007-11-14T03:04:00.000-05:00

Nehemiah 7:73-8:3, 5-18

[73]

So the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the
people, the temple servants, and all Israel, lived in their towns.

And when the seventh month had come, the children of Israel were in their
towns.

Neh.8
[1] And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the
Water Gate; and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of
Moses which the LORD had given to Israel.
[2] And Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly, both men and
women and all who could hear with understanding, on the first day of the
seventh month.
[3] And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early
morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those
who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the
book of the law.
[4] And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden pulpit which they had made for
the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithi'ah, Shema, Anai'ah, Uri'ah,
Hilki'ah, and Ma-asei'ah on his right hand; and Pedai'ah, Mish'a-el,
Malchi'jah, Hashum, Hash-bad'danah, Zechari'ah, and Meshul'lam on his left
hand.
[5] And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was
above all the people; and when he opened it all the people stood.
[6] And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God; and all the people answered,
"Amen, Amen," lifting up their hands; and they bowed their heads and
worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.
[7] Also Jesh'ua, Bani, Sherebi'ah, Jamin, Akkub, Shab'bethai, Hodi'ah,
Ma-asei'ah, Keli'ta, Azari'ah, Jo'zabad, Hanan, Pelai'ah, the Levites,
helped the people to understand the law, while the people remained in
their places.
[8] And they read from the book, from the law of God, clearly; and they
gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.
[9]

And Nehemi'ah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and
the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, "This day is
holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn or weep." For all the people wept
when they heard the words of the law.

[10] Then he said to them, "Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine
and send portions to him for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is
holy to our Lord; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your
strength."
[11] So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, "Be quiet, for this
day is holy; do not be grieved."
[12] And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send
portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the
words that were declared to them.
[13]

On the second day the heads of fathers' houses of all the people, with the
priests and the Levites, came together to Ezra the scribe in order to
study the words of the law.

[14] And they found it written in the law that the LORD had commanded by
Moses that the people of Israel should dwell in booths during the feast of
the seventh month,
[15] and that they should publish and proclaim in all their towns and in
Jerusalem, "Go out to the hills and bring branches of olive, wild olive,
myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees to make booths, as it is written."
[16] So the people went out and brought them and made booths for
themselves, each on his roof, and in their courts and in the courts of the
house of God, and in the square at the Water Gate and in the square at the
Gate of E'phraim.
[17] And all the assembly of those who had returned from the captivity
made booths and dwelt in the booths; for from the days of Jeshua the son
of Nun to that day the people of Israel had not done so. And there was
very great rejoicing.
[18] And day by day, from the first day to the last day, he read from the
book of the law of God. They kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth
day there was a solemn assembly, according to the ordinance.

Revelation 18:21-24

[21]

Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it
into the sea, saying,
"So shall Babylon the great city be thrown down with violence,
and shall be found no more;
[22] and the sound of harpers and minstrels, of flute players and
trumpeters,
shall be heard in thee no more;
and a craftsman of any craft
shall be found in thee no more;
and the sound of the millstone
shall be heard in thee no more;
[23] and the light of a lamp
shall shine in thee no more;
and the voice of bridegroom and bride
shall be heard in thee no more;
for thy merchants were the great men of the earth,
and all nations were deceived by thy sorcery.
[24] And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints,
and of all who have been slain on earth."

Matthew 15:29-39

[29]

And Jesus went on from there and passed along the Sea of Galilee. And he
went up on the mountain, and sat down there.

[30] And great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the
maimed, the blind, the dumb, and many others, and they put them at his
feet, and he healed them,
[31] so that the throng wondered, when they saw the dumb speaking, the
maimed whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified
the God of Israel.
[32]

Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "I have compassion on the
crowd, because they have been with me now three days, and have nothing to
eat; and I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the
way."

[33] And the disciples said to him, "Where are we to get bread enough in
the desert to feed so great a crowd?"
[34] And Jesus said to them, "How many loaves have you?" They said,
"Seven, and a few small fish."
[35] And commanding the crowd to sit down on the ground,
[36] he took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks he
broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to
the crowds.
[37] And they all ate and were satisfied; and they took up seven baskets
full of the broken pieces left over.
[38] Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.
[39] And sending away the crowds, he got into the boat and went to the
region of Mag'adan.

Tuesday

2007-11-13T03:28:00.000-05:00

Nehemiah 9:26-38

[26]

"Nevertheless they were disobedient and rebelled against thee and cast thy
law behind their back and killed thy prophets, who had warned them in
order to turn them back to thee, and they committed great blasphemies.

[27] Therefore thou didst give them into the hand of their enemies, who
made them suffer; and in the time of their suffering they cried to thee
and thou didst hear them from heaven; and according to thy great mercies
thou didst give them saviors who saved them from the hand of their
enemies.
[28] But after they had rest they did evil again before thee, and thou
didst abandon them to the hand of their enemies, so that they had dominion
over them; yet when they turned and cried to thee thou didst hear from
heaven, and many times thou didst deliver them according to thy mercies.
[29] And thou didst warn them in order to turn them back to thy law. Yet
they acted presumptuously and did not obey thy commandments, but sinned
against thy ordinances, by the observance of which a man shall live, and
turned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck and would not obey.
[30] Many years thou didst bear with them, and didst warn them by thy
Spirit through thy prophets; yet they would not give ear. Therefore thou
didst give them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.
[31] Nevertheless in thy great mercies thou didst not make an end of them
or forsake them; for thou art a gracious and merciful God.
[32]

"Now therefore, our God, the great and mighty and terrible God, who
keepest covenant and steadfast love, let not all the hardship seem little
to thee that has come upon us, upon our kings, our princes, our priests,
our prophets, our fathers, and all thy people, since the time of the kings
of Assyria until this day.

[33] Yet thou hast been just in all that has come upon us, for thou hast
dealt faithfully and we have acted wickedly;
[34] our kings, our princes, our priests, and our fathers have not kept
thy law or heeded thy commandments and thy warnings which thou didst give
them.
[35] They did not serve thee in their kingdom, and in thy great goodness
which thou gavest them, and in the large and rich land which thou didst
set before them; and they did not turn from their wicked works.
[36] Behold, we are slaves this day; in the land that thou gavest to our
fathers to enjoy its fruit and its good gifts, behold, we are slaves.
[37] And its rich yield goes to the kings whom thou hast set over us
because of our sins; they have power also over our bodies and over our
cattle at their pleasure, and we are in great distress."
[38]

Because of all this we make a firm covenant and write it, and our princes,
our Levites, and our priests set their seal to it.

Revelation 18:9-20

[9]

And the kings of the earth, who committed fornication and were wanton with
her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning;

[10] they will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say, "Alas!
alas! thou great city,
thou mighty city, Babylon!
In one hour has thy judgment come."
[11]

And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys
their cargo any more,

[12] cargo of gold, silver, jewels and pearls, fine linen, purple, silk
and scarlet, all kinds of scented wood, all articles of ivory, all
articles of costly wood, bronze, iron and marble,
[13] cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour
and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and slaves, that is,
human souls.
[14] "The fruit for which thy soul longed has gone from thee,
and all thy dainties and thy splendor are lost to thee, never to
be found again!"
[15]

The merchants of these wares, who gained wealth from her, will stand far
off, in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud,

[16] "Alas, alas, for the great city
that was clothed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet,
bedecked with gold, with jewels, and with pearls!
[17] In one hour all this wealth has been laid waste."

And all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on
the sea, stood far off

[18] and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning, "What city was
like the great city?"
[19] And they threw dust on their heads, as they wept and mourned, crying
out, "Alas, alas, for the great city
where all who had ships at sea grew rich by her wealth!
In one hour she has been laid waste.
[20] Rejoice over her, O heaven,
O saints and apostles and prophets,
for God has given judgment for you against her!"

Matthew 15:21-28

[21]

And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and
Sidon.

[22] And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and cried,
"Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely possessed
by a demon."
[23] But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged
him, saying, "Send her away, for she is crying after us."
[24] He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of
Israel."
[25] But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me."
[26] And he answered, "It is not fair to take the children's bread and
throw it to the dogs."
[27] She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from
their masters' table."
[28] Then Jesus answered her, "O woman, great is your faith! Be it done
for you as you desire." And her daughter was healed instantly.

Monday

2007-11-12T02:19:00.000-05:00

Nehemiah 9:1-15

[1]

Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the people of Israel were
assembled with fasting and in sackcloth, and with earth upon their heads.

[2] And the Israelites separated themselves from all foreigners, and stood
and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.
[3] And they stood up in their place and read from the book of the law of
the LORD their God for a fourth of the day; for another fourth of it they
made confession and worshiped the LORD their God.
[4] Upon the stairs of the Levites stood Jeshua, Bani, Kad'mi-el,
Shebani'ah, Bunni, Sherebi'ah, Bani, and Chena'ni; and they cried with a
loud voice to the LORD their God.
[5] Then the Levites, Jeshua, Kad'mi-el, Bani, Hashabnei'ah, Sherebi'ah,
Hodi'ah, Shebani'ah, and Pethahi'ah, said, "Stand up and bless the LORD
your God from everlasting to everlasting. Blessed be thy glorious name
which is exalted above all blessing and praise."
[6]

And Ezra said: "Thou art the LORD, thou alone; thou hast made heaven, the
heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it,
the seas and all that is in them; and thou preservest all of them; and the
host of heaven worships thee.

[7] Thou art the LORD, the God who didst choose Abram and bring him forth
out of Ur of the Chalde'ans and give him the name Abraham;
[8] and thou didst find his heart faithful before thee, and didst make
with him the covenant to give to his descendants the land of the
Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Per'izzite, the Jeb'usite, and
the Gir'gashite; and thou hast fulfilled thy promise, for thou art
righteous.
[9]

"And thou didst see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt and hear their
cry at the Red Sea,

[10] and didst perform signs and wonders against Pharaoh and all his
servants and all the people of his land, for thou knewest that they acted
insolently against our fathers; and thou didst get thee a name, as it is
to this day.
[11] And thou didst divide the sea before them, so that they went through
the midst of the sea on dry land; and thou didst cast their pursuers into
the depths, as a stone into mighty waters.
[12] By a pillar of cloud thou didst lead them in the day, and by a pillar
of fire in the night to light for them the way in which they should go.
[13] Thou didst come down upon Mount Sinai, and speak with them from
heaven and give them right ordinances and true laws, good statutes and
commandments,
[14] and thou didst make known to them thy holy sabbath and command them
commandments and statutes and a law by Moses thy servant.
[15] Thou didst give them bread from heaven for their hunger and bring
forth water for them from the rock for their thirst, and thou didst tell
them to go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them.

Revelation 18:1-8

[1]

After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great
authority; and the earth was made bright with his splendor.

[2] And he called out with a mighty voice, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the
great!
It has become a dwelling place of demons,
a haunt of every foul spirit,
a haunt of every foul and hateful bird;
[3] for all nations have drunk the wine of her impure passion,
and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her,
and the merchants of the earth have grown rich with the wealth of
her wantonness."
[4]

Then I heard another voice from heaven saying,
"Come out of her, my people,
lest you take part in her sins,
lest you share in her plagues;
[5] for her sins are heaped high as heaven,
and God has remembered her iniquities.
[6] Render to her as she herself has rendered,
and repay her double for her deeds;
mix a double draught for her in the cup she mixed.
[7] As she glorified herself and played the wanton,
so give her a like measure of torment and mourning.
Since in her heart she says, `A queen I sit,
I am no widow, mourning I shall never see,'
[8] so shall her plagues come in a single day,
pestilence and mourning and famine,
and she shall be burned with fire;
for mighty is the Lord God who judges her."

Matthew 15:1-20

[1]

Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said,

[2] "Why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For
they do not wash their hands when they eat."
[3] He answered them, "And why do you transgress the commandment of God
for the sake of your tradition?
[4] For God commanded, `Honor your father and your mother,' and, `He who
speaks evil of father or mother, let him surely die.'
[5] But you say, `If any one tells his father or his mother, What you
would have gained from me is given to God, he need not honor his father.'
[6] So, for the sake of your tradition, you have made void the word of
God.
[7] You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:
[8] `This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me;
[9] in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.'"
[10]

And he called the people to him and said to them, "Hear and understand:

[11] not what goes into the mouth defiles a man, but what comes out of the
mouth, this defiles a man."
[12] Then the disciples came and said to him, "Do you know that the
Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?"
[13] He answered, "Every plant which my heavenly Father has not planted
will be rooted up.
[14] Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if a blind man leads a
blind man, both will fall into a pit."
[15] But Peter said to him, "Explain the parable to us."
[16] And he said, "Are you also still without understanding?
[17] Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the
stomach, and so passes on?
[18] But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this
defiles a man.
[19] For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery,
fornication, theft, false witness, slander.
[20] These are what defile a man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not
defile a man."

Friday

2007-11-09T04:05:00.000-05:00

Ezra 7:27-28; 8:21-36

[27]

Blessed be the LORD, the God of our fathers, who put such a thing as this
into the heart of the king, to beautify the house of the LORD which is in
Jerusalem,

[28] and who extended to me his steadfast love before the king and his
counselors, and before all the king's mighty officers. I took courage, for
the hand of the LORD my God was upon me, and I gathered leading men from
Israel to go up with me.

[21]

Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Aha'va, that we might humble
ourselves before our God, to seek from him a straight way for ourselves,
our children, and all our goods.

[22] For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen
to protect us against the enemy on our way; since we had told the king,
"The hand of our God is for good upon all that seek him, and the power of
his wrath is against all that forsake him."
[23] So we fasted and besought our God for this, and he listened to our
entreaty.
[24]

Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests: Sherebi'ah, Hashabi'ah,
and ten of their kinsmen with them.

[25] And I weighed out to them the silver and the gold and the vessels,
the offering for the house of our God which the king and his counselors
and his lords and all Israel there present had offered;
[26] I weighed out into their hand six hundred and fifty talents of
silver, and silver vessels worth a hundred talents, and a hundred talents
of gold,
[27] twenty bowls of gold worth a thousand darics, and two vessels of fine
bright bronze as precious as gold.
[28] And I said to them, "You are holy to the LORD, and the vessels are
holy; and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering to the LORD, the
God of your fathers.
[29] Guard them and keep them until you weigh them before the chief
priests and the Levites and the heads of fathers' houses in Israel at
Jerusalem, within the chambers of the house of the LORD."
[30] So the priests and the Levites took over the weight of the silver and
the gold and the vessels, to bring them to Jerusalem, to the house of our
God.
[31]

Then we departed from the river Aha'va on the twelfth day of the first
month, to go to Jerusalem; the hand of our God was upon us, and he
delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambushes by the way.

[32] We came to Jerusalem, and there we remained three days.
[33] On the fourth day, within the house of our God, the silver and the
gold and the vessels were weighed into the hands of Mer'emoth the priest,
son of Uri'ah, and with him was Elea'zar the son of Phin'ehas, and with
them were the Levites, Jo'zabad the son of Jeshua and No-adi'ah the son of
Bin'nui.
[34] The whole was counted and weighed, and the weight of everything was
recorded.
[35]

At that time those who had come from captivity, the returned exiles,
offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel, twelve bulls for all Israel,
ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, and as a sin offering twelve
he-goats; all this was a burnt offering to the LORD.

[36] They also delivered the king's commissions to the king's satraps and
to the governors of the province Beyond the River; and they aided the
people and the house of God.

Revelation 15:1-8

[1]

Then I saw another portent in heaven, great and wonderful, seven angels
with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is
ended.

[2]

And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those
who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name,
standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands.

[3] And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of
the Lamb, saying, "Great and wonderful are thy deeds,
O Lord God the Almighty!
Just and true are thy ways,
O King of the ages!
[4] Who shall not fear and glorify thy name, O Lord?
For thou alone art holy.
All nations shall come and worship thee,
for thy judgments have been revealed."
[5]

After this I looked, and the temple of the tent of witness in heaven was
opened,

[6] and out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues,
robed in pure bright linen, and their breasts girded with golden girdles.
[7] And one of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven
golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives for ever and ever;
[8] and the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from
his power, and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of
the seven angels were ended.

Matthew 14:13-21

[13]

Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a lonely
place apart. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from
the towns.

[14] As he went ashore he saw a great throng; and he had compassion on
them, and healed their sick.
[15] When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a
lonely place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the
villages and buy food for themselves."
[16] Jesus said, "They need not go away; you give them something to eat."
[17] They said to him, "We have only five loaves here and two fish."
[18] And he said, "Bring them here to me."
[19] Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass; and taking the
five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and
broke and gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to
the crowds.
[20] And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets
full of the broken pieces left over.
[21] And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and
children.

Thursday

2007-11-08T03:21:00.000-05:00

Ezra 7:11-26

[11]

This is a copy of the letter which King Ar-ta-xerx'es gave to Ezra the
priest, the scribe, learned in matters of the commandments of the LORD and
his statutes for Israel:

[12] "Ar-ta-xerx'es, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the
law of the God of heaven. And now
[13] I make a decree that any one of the people of Israel or their priests
or Levites in my kingdom, who freely offers to go to Jerusalem, may go
with you.
[14] For you are sent by the king and his seven counselors to make
inquiries about Judah and Jerusalem according to the law of your God,
which is in your hand,
[15] and also to convey the silver and gold which the king and his
counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in
Jerusalem,
[16] with all the silver and gold which you shall find in the whole
province of Babylonia, and with the freewill offerings of the people and
the priests, vowed willingly for the house of their God which is in
Jerusalem.
[17] With this money, then, you shall with all diligence buy bulls, rams,
and lambs, with their cereal offerings and their drink offerings, and you
shall offer them upon the altar of the house of your God which is in
Jerusalem.
[18] Whatever seems good to you and your brethren to do with the rest of
the silver and gold, you may do, according to the will of your God.
[19] The vessels that have been given you for the service of the house of
your God, you shall deliver before the God of Jerusalem.
[20] And whatever else is required for the house of your God, which you
have occasion to provide, you may provide it out of the king's treasury.
[21]

"And I, Ar-ta-xerx'es the king, make a decree to all the treasurers in the
province Beyond the River: Whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law
of the God of heaven, requires of you, be it done with all diligence,

[22] up to a hundred talents of silver, a hundred cors of wheat, a hundred
baths of wine, a hundred baths of oil, and salt without prescribing how
much.
[23] Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be done in full
for the house of the God of heaven, lest his wrath be against the realm of
the king and his sons.
[24] We also notify you that it shall not be lawful to impose tribute,
custom, or toll upon any one of the priests, the Levites, the singers, the
doorkeepers, the temple servants, or other servants of this house of God.
[25]

"And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God which is in your hand,
appoint magistrates and judges who may judge all the people in the
province Beyond the River, all such as know the laws of your God; and
those who do not know them, you shall teach.

[26] Whoever will not obey the law of your God and the law of the king,
let judgment be strictly executed upon him, whether for death or for
banishment or for confiscation of his goods or for imprisonment."

Revelation 14:1-13

[1]

Then I looked, and lo, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him a
hundred and forty-four thousand who had his name and his Father's name
written on their foreheads.

[2] And I heard a voice from heaven like the sound of many waters and like
the sound of loud thunder; the voice I heard was like the sound of harpers
playing on their harps,
[3] and they sing a new song before the throne and before the four living
creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the
hundred and forty-four thousand who had been redeemed from the earth.
[4] It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are
chaste; it is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes; these have been
redeemed from mankind as first fruits for God and the Lamb,
[5] and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are spotless.
[6]

Then I saw another angel flying in midheaven, with an eternal gospel to
proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and tongue
and people;

[7] and he said with a loud voice, "Fear God and give him glory, for the
hour of his judgment has come; and worship him who made heaven and earth,
the sea and the fountains of water."
[8]

Another angel, a second, followed, saying, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the
great, she who made all nations drink the wine of her impure passion."

[9]

And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If
any one worships the beast and its image, and receives a mark on his
forehead or on his hand,

[10] he also shall drink the wine of God's wrath, poured unmixed into the
cup of his anger, and he shall be tormented with fire and sulphur in the
presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.
[11] And the smoke of their torment goes up for ever and ever; and they
have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image,
and whoever receives the mark of its name."
[12]

Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the
commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

[13]

And I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Write this: Blessed are the dead
who die in the Lord henceforth." "Blessed indeed," says the Spirit, "that
they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!"

Matthew 14:1-12

[1]

At that time Herod the tetrarch heard about the fame of Jesus;

[2] and he said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist, he has been
raised from the dead; that is why these powers are at work in him."
[3] For Herod had seized John and bound him and put him in prison, for the
sake of Hero'di-as, his brother Philip's wife;
[4] because John said to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her."
[5] And though he wanted to put him to death, he feared the people,
because they held him to be a prophet.
[6] But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Hero'di-as danced
before the company, and pleased Herod,
[7] so that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask.
[8] Prompted by her mother, she said, "Give me the head of John the
Baptist here on a platter."
[9] And the king was sorry; but because of his oaths and his guests he
commanded it to be given;
[10] he sent and had John beheaded in the prison,
[11] and his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she
brought it to her mother.
[12] And his disciples came and took the body and buried it; and they went
and told Jesus.

Wednesday

2007-11-07T02:53:00.000-05:00

Nehemiah 13:4-22

[4]

Now before this, Eli'ashib the priest, who was appointed over the chambers
of the house of our God, and who was connected with Tobi'ah,

[5] prepared for Tobi'ah a large chamber where they had previously put the
cereal offering, the frankincense, the vessels, and the tithes of grain,
wine, and oil, which were given by commandment to the Levites, singers,
and gatekeepers, and the contributions for the priests.
[6] While this was taking place I was not in Jerusalem, for in the
thirty-second year of Ar-ta-xerx'es king of Babylon I went to the king.
And after some time I asked leave of the king
[7] and came to Jerusalem, and I then discovered the evil that Eli'ashib
had done for Tobi'ah, preparing for him a chamber in the courts of the
house of God.
[8] And I was very angry, and I threw all the household furniture of
Tobi'ah out of the chamber.
[9] Then I gave orders and they cleansed the chambers; and I brought back
thither the vessels of the house of God, with the cereal offering and the
frankincense.
[10]

I also found out that the portions of the Levites had not been given to
them; so that the Levites and the singers, who did the work, had fled each
to his field.

[11] So I remonstrated with the officials and said, "Why is the house of
God forsaken?" And I gathered them together and set them in their
stations.
[12] Then all Judah brought the tithe of the grain, wine, and oil into the
storehouses.
[13] And I appointed as treasurers over the storehouses Shelemi'ah the
priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedai'ah of the Levites, and as their
assistant Hanan the son of Zaccur, son of Mattani'ah, for they were
counted faithful; and their duty was to distribute to their brethren.
[14] Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and wipe not out my good
deeds that I have done for the house of my God and for his service.
[15]

In those days I saw in Judah men treading wine presses on the sabbath, and
bringing in heaps of grain and loading them on asses; and also wine,
grapes, figs, and all kinds of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem
on the sabbath day; and I warned them on the day when they sold food.

[16] Men of Tyre also, who lived in the city, brought in fish and all
kinds of wares and sold them on the sabbath to the people of Judah, and in
Jerusalem.
[17] Then I remonstrated with the nobles of Judah and said to them, "What
is this evil thing which you are doing, profaning the sabbath day?
[18] Did not your fathers act in this way, and did not our God bring all
this evil on us and on this city? Yet you bring more wrath upon Israel by
profaning the sabbath."
[19]

When it began to be dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the sabbath, I
commanded that the doors should be shut and gave orders that they should
not be opened until after the sabbath. And I set some of my servants over
the gates, that no burden might be brought in on the sabbath day.

[20] Then the merchants and sellers of all kinds of wares lodged outside
Jerusalem once or twice.
[21] But I warned them and said to them, "Why do you lodge before the
wall? If you do so again I will lay hands on you." From that time on they
did not come on the sabbath.
[22] And I commanded the Levites that they should purify themselves and
come and guard the gates, to keep the sabbath day holy. Remember this also
in my favor, O my God, and spare me according to the greatness of thy
steadfast love.

Revelation 12:1-12

[1]

And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with
the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars;

[2] she was with child and she cried out in her pangs of birth, in anguish
for delivery.
[3] And another portent appeared in heaven; behold, a great red dragon,
with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems upon his heads.
[4] His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven, and cast them to
the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a
child, that he might devour her child when she brought it forth;
[5] she brought forth a male child, one who is to rule all the nations
with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne,
[6] and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared
by God, in which to be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty
days.
[7]

Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the
dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought,

[8] but they were defeated and there was no longer any place for them in
heaven.
[9] And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is
called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world -- he was
thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
[10] And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation and
the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have
come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, who accuses
them day and night before our God.
[11] And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word
of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.
[12] Rejoice then, O heaven and you that dwell therein! But woe to you, O
earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because
he knows that his time is short!"

Matthew 13:53-58

[53]

And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there,

[54] and coming to his own country he taught them in their synagogue, so
that they were astonished, and said, "Where did this man get this wisdom
and these mighty works?
[55] Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And
are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?
[56] And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all
this?"
[57] And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is
not without honor except in his own country and in his own house."
[58] And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.

Tuesday

2007-11-06T02:32:00.000-05:00

Nehemiah 12:27-31, 42-47

[27]

And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites in
all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication
with gladness, with thanksgivings and with singing, with cymbals, harps,
and lyres.

[28] And the sons of the singers gathered together from the circuit round
Jerusalem and from the villages of the Netoph'athites;
[29] also from Beth-gilgal and from the region of Geba and Az'maveth; for
the singers had built for themselves villages around Jerusalem.
[30] And the priests and the Levites purified themselves; and they
purified the people and the gates and the wall.
[31]

Then I brought up the princes of Judah upon the wall, and appointed two
great companies which gave thanks and went in procession. One went to the
right upon the wall to the Dung Gate;

[32] and after them went Hoshai'ah and half of the princes of Judah,
[33] and Azari'ah, Ezra, Meshul'lam,
[34] Judah, Benjamin, Shemai'ah, and Jeremiah,
[35] and certain of the priests' sons with trumpets: Zechari'ah the son of
Jonathan, son of Shemai'ah, son of Mattani'ah, son of Micai'ah, son of
Zaccur, son of Asaph;
[36] and his kinsmen, Shemai'ah, Az'arel, Mil'alai, Gil'alai, Ma'ai,
Nethan'el, Judah, and Hana'ni, with the musical instruments of David the
man of God; and Ezra the scribe went before them.
[37] At the Fountain Gate they went up straight before them by the stairs
of the city of David, at the ascent of the wall, above the house of David,
to the Water Gate on the east.
[38]

The other company of those who gave thanks went to the left, and I
followed them with half of the people, upon the wall, above the Tower of
the Ovens, to the Broad Wall,

[39] and above the Gate of E'phraim, and by the Old Gate, and by the Fish
Gate and the Tower of Hanan'el and the Tower of the Hundred, to the Sheep
Gate; and they came to a halt at the Gate of the Guard.
[40] So both companies of those who gave thanks stood in the house of God,
and I and half of the officials with me;
[41] and the priests Eli'akim, Ma-asei'ah, Mini'amin, Micai'ah,
Eli-o-e'nai, Zechari'ah, and Hanani'ah, with trumpets;
[42] and Ma-asei'ah, Shemai'ah, Elea'zar, Uzzi, Jehoha'nan, Malchi'jah,
Elam, and Ezer. And the singers sang with Jezrahi'ah as their leader.
[43] And they offered great sacrifices that day and rejoiced, for God had
made them rejoice with great joy; the women and children also rejoiced.
And the joy of Jerusalem was heard afar off.
[44]

On that day men were appointed over the chambers for the stores, the
contributions, the first fruits, and the tithes, to gather into them the
portions required by the law for the priests and for the Levites according
to the fields of the towns; for Judah rejoiced over the priests and the
Levites who ministered.

[45] And they performed the service of their God and the service of
purification, as did the singers and the gatekeepers, according to the
command of David and his son Solomon.
[46] For in the days of David and Asaph of old there was a chief of the
singers, and there were songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.
[47] And all Israel in the days of Zerub'babel and in the days of
Nehemi'ah gave the daily portions for the singers and the gatekeepers; and
they set apart that which was for the Levites; and the Levites set apart
that which was for the sons of Aaron.

Revelation 11:1-19

[1]

Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told: "Rise and
measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there,

[2] but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for
it is given over to the nations, and they will trample over the holy city
for forty-two months.
[3] And I will grant my two witnesses power to prophesy for one thousand
two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth."
[4]

These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands which stand before
the Lord of the earth.

[5] And if any one would harm them, fire pours out from their mouth and
consumes their foes; if any one would harm them, thus he is doomed to be
killed.
[6] They have power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days
of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them
into blood, and to smite the earth with every plague, as often as they
desire.
[7] And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that ascends
from the bottomless pit will make war upon them and conquer them and kill
them,
[8] and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which
is allegorically called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified.
[9] For three days and a half men from the peoples and tribes and tongues
and nations gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in
a tomb,
[10] and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make
merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment
to those who dwell on the earth.
[11] But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered
them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who
saw them.
[12] Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up
hither!" And in the sight of their foes they went up to heaven in a cloud.
[13] And at that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the
city fell; seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the
rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.
[14]

The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is soon to come.

[15]

Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in
heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our
Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever."

[16] And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell
on their faces and worshiped God,
[17] saying, "We give thanks to thee, Lord God Almighty, who art and who
wast,
that thou hast taken thy great power and begun to reign.
[18] The nations raged, but thy wrath came,
and the time for the dead to be judged,
for rewarding thy servants, the prophets and saints,
and those who fear thy name, both small and great,
and for destroying the destroyers of the earth."
[19]

Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was
seen within his temple; and there were flashes of lightning, voices, peals
of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.

Matthew 13:44-52

[44]

"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man
found and covered up; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has
and buys that field.

[45]

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls,

[46] who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he
had and bought it.
[47]

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea
and gathered fish of every kind;

[48] when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good
into vessels but threw away the bad.
[49] So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and
separate the evil from the righteous,
[50] and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and
gnash their teeth.
[51]

"Have you understood all this?" They said to him, "Yes."

[52] And he said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for
the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure
what is new and what is old."

Monday

2007-11-05T04:24:00.000-05:00

Nehemiah 6:1-19

[1]

Now when it was reported to Sanbal'lat and Tobi'ah and to Geshem the Arab
and to the rest of our enemies that I had built the wall and that there
was no breach left in it (although up to that time I had not set up the
doors in the gates),

[2] Sanbal'lat and Geshem sent to me, saying, "Come and let us meet
together in one of the villages in the plain of Ono." But they intended to
do me harm.
[3] And I sent messengers to them, saying, "I am doing a great work and I
cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down
to you?"
[4] And they sent to me four times in this way and I answered them in the
same manner.
[5] In the same way Sanbal'lat for the fifth time sent his servant to me
with an open letter in his hand.
[6] In it was written, "It is reported among the nations, and Geshem also
says it, that you and the Jews intend to rebel; that is why you are
building the wall; and you wish to become their king, according to this
report.
[7] And you have also set up prophets to proclaim concerning you in
Jerusalem, `There is a king in Judah.' And now it will be reported to the
king according to these words. So now come, and let us take counsel
together."
[8] Then I sent to him, saying, "No such things as you say have been done,
for you are inventing them out of your own mind."
[9] For they all wanted to frighten us, thinking, "Their hands will drop
from the work, and it will not be done." But now, O God, strengthen thou
my hands.
[10]

Now when I went into the house of Shemai'ah the son of Delai'ah, son of
Mehet'abel, who was shut up, he said, "Let us meet together in the house
of God, within the temple, and let us close the doors of the temple; for
they are coming to kill you, at night they are coming to kill you."

[11] But I said, "Should such a man as I flee? And what man such as I
could go into the temple and live? I will not go in."
[12] And I understood, and saw that God had not sent him, but he had
pronounced the prophecy against me because Tobi'ah and Sanbal'lat had
hired him.
[13] For this purpose he was hired, that I should be afraid and act in
this way and sin, and so they could give me an evil name, in order to
taunt me.
[14] Remember Tobi'ah and Sanbal'lat, O my God, according to these things
that they did, and also the prophetess No-adi'ah and the rest of the
prophets who wanted to make me afraid.
[15]

So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in
fifty-two days.

[16] And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations round about us
were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem; for they perceived that
this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.
[17] Moreover in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to
Tobi'ah, and Tobi'ah's letters came to them.
[18] For many in Judah were bound by oath to him, because he was the
son-in-law of Shecani'ah the son of Arah: and his son Jehoha'nan had taken
the daughter of Meshul'lam the son of Berechi'ah as his wife.
[19] Also they spoke of his good deeds in my presence, and reported my
words to him. And Tobi'ah sent letters to make me afraid.

Revelations 10:1-11

[1]

Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a
cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and
his legs like pillars of fire.

[2] He had a little scroll open in his hand. And he set his right foot on
the sea, and his left foot on the land,
[3] and called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring; when he called
out, the seven thunders sounded.
[4] And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I
heard a voice from heaven saying, "Seal up what the seven thunders have
said, and do not write it down."
[5] And the angel whom I saw standing on sea and land lifted up his right
hand to heaven
[6] and swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created heaven and
what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it,
that there should be no more delay,
[7] but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh
angel, the mystery of God, as he announced to his servants the prophets,
should be fulfilled.
[8]

Then the voice which I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying,
"Go, take the scroll which is open in the hand of the angel who is
standing on the sea and on the land."

[9] So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll; and
he said to me, "Take it and eat; it will be bitter to your stomach, but
sweet as honey in your mouth."
[10] And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it;
it was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was
made bitter.
[11] And I was told, "You must again prophesy about many peoples and
nations and tongues and kings."

Matthew 13:36-43

[36]

Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to
him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field."

[37] He answered, "He who sows the good seed is the Son of man;
[38] the field is the world, and the good seed means the sons of the
kingdom; the weeds are the sons of the evil one,
[39] and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the close
of the age, and the reapers are angels.
[40] Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at
the close of the age.
[41] The Son of man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his
kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers,
[42] and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and
gnash their teeth.
[43] Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their
Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

Saturday

2007-11-03T02:22:00.000-04:00

Nehemiah 4:1-23

[1]

Now when Sanbal'lat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and
greatly enraged, and he ridiculed the Jews.

[2] And he said in the presence of his brethren and of the army of
Sama'ria, "What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore things?
Will they sacrifice? Will they finish up in a day? Will they revive the
stones out of the heaps of rubbish, and burned ones at that?"
[3] Tobi'ah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, "Yes, what they are
building -- if a fox goes up on it he will break down their stone wall!
[4] Hear, O our God, for we are despised; turn back their taunt upon their
own heads, and give them up to be plundered in a land where they are
captives.
[5] Do not cover their guilt, and let not their sin be blotted out from
thy sight; for they have provoked thee to anger before the builders.
[6]

So we built the wall; and all the wall was joined together to half its
height. For the people had a mind to work.

[7]

But when Sanbal'lat and Tobi'ah and the Arabs and the Ammonites and the
Ash'dodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem was going
forward and that the breaches were beginning to be closed, they were very
angry;

[8] and they all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and
to cause confusion in it.
[9] And we prayed to our God, and set a guard as a protection against them
day and night.
[10]

But Judah said, "The strength of the burden-bearers is failing, and there
is much rubbish; we are not able to work on the wall."

[11] And our enemies said, "They will not know or see till we come into
the midst of them and kill them and stop the work."
[12] When the Jews who lived by them came they said to us ten times, "From
all the places where they live they will come up against us."
[13] So in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in open places,
I stationed the people according to their families, with their swords,
their spears, and their bows.
[14] And I looked, and arose, and said to the nobles and to the officials
and to the rest of the people, "Do not be afraid of them. Remember the
Lord, who is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons,
your daughters, your wives, and your homes."
[15]

When our enemies heard that it was known to us and that God had frustrated
their plan, we all returned to the wall, each to his work.

[16] From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction, and
half held the spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail; and the leaders
stood behind all the house of Judah,
[17] who were building on the wall. Those who carried burdens were laden
in such a way that each with one hand labored on the work and with the
other held his weapon.
[18] And each of the builders had his sword girded at his side while he
built. The man who sounded the trumpet was beside me.
[19] And I said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the
people, "The work is great and widely spread, and we are separated on the
wall, far from one another.
[20] In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us
there. Our God will fight for us."
[21]

So we labored at the work, and half of them held the spears from the break
of dawn till the stars came out.

[22] I also said to the people at that time, "Let every man and his
servant pass the night within Jerusalem, that they may be a guard for us
by night and may labor by day."
[23] So neither I nor my brethren nor my servants nor the men of the guard
who followed me, none of us took off our clothes; each kept his weapon in
his hand.

Revelation 7:9:17

[9]

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no man could
number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and tongues,
standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes,
with palm branches in their hands,

[10] and crying out with a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God who
sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb!"
[11] And all the angels stood round the throne and round the elders and
the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne
and worshiped God,
[12] saying, "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and
honor and power and might be to our God for ever and ever! Amen."
[13]

Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these, clothed in
white robes, and whence have they come?"

[14] I said to him, "Sir, you know." And he said to me, "These are they
who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes
and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
[15] Therefore are they before the throne of God,
and serve him day and night within his temple;
and he who sits upon the throne will shelter them with his
presence.
[16] They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more;
the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.
[17] For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of living water;
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

Matthew 13:31-35

[31]

Another parable he put before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like
a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field;

[32] it is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is the
greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come
and make nests in its branches."
[33]

He told them another parable. "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven which
a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all
leavened."

[34]

All this Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed he said nothing to
them without a parable.

[35] This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet: "I will open my
mouth in parables,
I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the
world."

Friday

2007-11-02T03:02:00.000-04:00

Nehemiah 2:1-20

[1] In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Ar-ta-xerx'es,
when wine was before him, I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now
I had not been sad in his presence.
[2] And the king said to me, "Why is your face sad, seeing you are not
sick? This is nothing else but sadness of the heart." Then I was very much
afraid.
[3] I said to the king, "Let the king live for ever! Why should not my
face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lies
waste, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?"
[4] Then the king said to me, "For what do you make request?" So I prayed
to the God of heaven.
[5] And I said to the king, "If it pleases the king, and if your servant
has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of
my fathers' sepulchres, that I may rebuild it."
[6] And the king said to me (the queen sitting beside him), "How long will
you be gone, and when will you return?" So it pleased the king to send me;
and I set him a time.
[7] And I said to the king, "If it pleases the king, let letters be given
me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may let me
pass through until I come to Judah;
[8] and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king's forest, that he may
give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple,
and for the wall of the city, and for the house which I shall occupy." And
the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me.
[9]

Then I came to the governors of the province Beyond the River, and gave
them the king's letters. Now the king had sent with me officers of the
army and horsemen.

[10] But when Sanbal'lat the Hor'onite and Tobi'ah the servant, the
Ammonite, heard this, it displeased them greatly that some one had come to
seek the welfare of the children of Israel.
[11]

So I came to Jerusalem and was there three days.

[12] Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me; and I told no one
what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem. There was no beast
with me but the beast on which I rode.
[13] I went out by night by the Valley Gate to the Jackal's Well and to
the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem which were broken
down and its gates which had been destroyed by fire.
[14] Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King's Pool; but there
was no place for the beast that was under me to pass.
[15] Then I went up in the night by the valley and inspected the wall; and
I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned.
[16] And the officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing;
and I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials,
and the rest that were to do the work.
[17]

Then I said to them, "You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in
ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem,
that we may no longer suffer disgrace."

[18] And I told them of the hand of my God which had been upon me for
good, and also of the words which the king had spoken to me. And they
said, "Let us rise up and build." So they strengthened their hands for the
good work.
[19] But when Sanbal'lat the Hor'onite and Tobi'ah the servant, the
Ammonite, and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they derided us and despised us
and said, "What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling
against the king?"
[20] Then I replied to them, "The God of heaven will make us prosper, and
we his servants will arise and build; but you have no portion or right or
memorial in Jerusalem."

Revelation 6:12-7:4

[12]

When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great
earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became
like blood,

[13] and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its
winter fruit when shaken by a gale;
[14] the sky vanished like a scroll that is rolled up, and every mountain
and island was removed from its place.
[15] Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the generals and
the rich and the strong, and every one, slave and free, hid in the caves
and among the rocks of the mountains,
[16] calling to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the
face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb;
[17] for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand before
it?"
Rev.7
[1]

After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth,
holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth
or sea or against any tree.

[2] Then I saw another angel ascend from the rising of the sun, with the
seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels
who had been given power to harm earth and sea,
[3] saying, "Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, till we have
sealed the servants of our God upon their foreheads."
[4] And I heard the number of the sealed, a hundred and forty-four
thousand sealed, out of every tribe of the sons of Israel,

Matthew 13:24-30

[24]

Another parable he put before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be
compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field;

[25] but while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the
wheat, and went away.
[26] So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared
also.
[27] And the servants of the householder came and said to him, `Sir, did
you not sow good seed in your field? How then has it weeds?'
[28] He said to them, `An enemy has done this.' The servants said to him,
`Then do you want us to go and gather them?'
[29] But he said, `No; lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat
along with them.
[30] Let both grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will
tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be
burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'"

Thursday

2007-11-01T03:28:00.000-04:00

Nehemiah 1:1-11

[1] The words of Nehemi'ah the son of Hacali'ah.

Now it happened in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was
in Susa the capital,

[2] that Hana'ni, one of my brethren, came with certain men out of Judah;
and I asked them concerning the Jews that survived, who had escaped exile,
and concerning Jerusalem.
[3] And they said to me, "The survivors there in the province who escaped
exile are in great trouble and shame; the wall of Jerusalem is broken
down, and its gates are destroyed by fire."
[4]

When I heard these words I sat down and wept, and mourned for days; and I
continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

[5] And I said, "O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God who
keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his
commandments;
[6] let thy ear be attentive, and thy eyes open, to hear the prayer of thy
servant which I now pray before thee day and night for the people of
Israel thy servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we
have sinned against thee. Yea, I and my father's house have sinned.
[7] We have acted very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the
commandments, the statutes, and the ordinances which thou didst command
thy servant Moses.
[8] Remember the word which thou didst command thy servant Moses, saying,
`If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples;
[9] but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though
your dispersed be under the farthest skies, I will gather them thence and
bring them to the place which I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.'
[10] They are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy
great power and by thy strong hand.
[11] O Lord, let thy ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to
the prayer of thy servants who delight to fear thy name; and give success
to thy servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man."

Now I was cupbearer to the king.

Revelation 5:11-6:11

[11] Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures
and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and
thousands of thousands,
[12] saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to
receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and
blessing!"
[13] And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth
and in the sea, and all therein, saying, "To him who sits upon the throne
and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might for ever and
ever!"
[14] And the four living creatures said, "Amen!" and the elders fell down
and worshiped.
Rev.6
[1]

Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of
the four living creatures say, as with a voice of thunder, "Come!"

[2] And I saw, and behold, a white horse, and its rider had a bow; and a
crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.
[3]

When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say,
"Come!"

[4] And out came another horse, bright red; its rider was permitted to
take peace from the earth, so that men should slay one another; and he was
given a great sword.
[5]

When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say,
"Come!" And I saw, and behold, a black horse, and its rider had a balance
in his hand;

[6] and I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living
creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of
barley for a denarius; but do not harm oil and wine!"
[7]

When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living
creature say, "Come!"

[8] And I saw, and behold, a pale horse, and its rider's name was Death,
and Hades followed him; and they were given power over a fourth of the
earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild
beasts of the earth.
[9]

When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those
who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne;

[10] they cried out with a loud voice, "O Sovereign Lord, holy and true,
how long before thou wilt judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell
upon the earth?"
[11] Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little
longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren
should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.

Matthew 13:18-23

[18]

"Hear then the parable of the sower.

[19] When any one hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand
it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in his heart; this
is what was sown along the path.
[20] As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is he who hears the word
and immediately receives it with joy;
[21] yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when
tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he
falls away.
[22] As for what was sown among thorns, this is he who hears the word, but
the cares of the world and the delight in riches choke the word, and it
proves unfruitful.
[23] As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the word and
understands it; he indeed bears fruit, and yields, in one case a
hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."

Wednesday

2007-10-31T03:55:00.000-04:00

Ezra 6:1-22

[1]

Then Darius the king made a decree, and search was made in Babylonia, in
the house of the archives where the documents were stored.

[2] And in Ecbat'ana, the capital which is in the province of Media, a
scroll was found on which this was written: "A record.
[3] In the first year of Cyrus the king, Cyrus the king issued a decree:
Concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, let the house be rebuilt, the
place where sacrifices are offered and burnt offerings are brought; its
height shall be sixty cubits and its breadth sixty cubits,
[4] with three courses of great stones and one course of timber; let the
cost be paid from the royal treasury.
[5] And also let the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which
Nebuchadnez'zar took out of the temple that is in Jerusalem and brought to
Babylon, be restored and brought back to the temple which is in Jerusalem,
each to its place; you shall put them in the house of God."
[6]

"Now therefore, Tat'tenai, governor of the province Beyond the River,
She'thar-boz'enai, and your associates the governors who are in the
province Beyond the River, keep away;

[7] let the work on this house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews
and the elders of the Jews rebuild this house of God on its site.
[8] Moreover I make a decree regarding what you shall do for these elders
of the Jews for the rebuilding of this house of God; the cost is to be
paid to these men in full and without delay from the royal revenue, the
tribute of the province from Beyond the River.
[9] And whatever is needed -- young bulls, rams, or sheep for burnt
offerings to the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, or oil, as the priests
at Jerusalem require -- let that be given to them day by day without fail,
[10] that they may offer pleasing sacrifices to the God of heaven, and
pray for the life of the king and his sons.
[11] Also I make a decree that if any one alters this edict, a beam shall
be pulled out of his house, and he shall be impaled upon it, and his house
shall be made a dunghill.
[12] May the God who has caused his name to dwell there overthrow any king
or people that shall put forth a hand to alter this, or to destroy this
house of God which is in Jerusalem. I Darius make a decree; let it be done
with all diligence."
[13]

Then, according to the word sent by Darius the king, Tat'tenai, the
governor of the province Beyond the River, She'thar-boz'enai, and their
associates did with all diligence what Darius the king had ordered.

[14] And the elders of the Jews built and prospered, through the
prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechari'ah the son of Iddo. They
finished their building by command of the God of Israel and by decree of
Cyrus and Darius and Ar-ta-xerx'es king of Persia;
[15] and this house was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, in
the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.
[16]

And the people of Israel, the priests and the Levites, and the rest of the
returned exiles, celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy.

[17] They offered at the dedication of this house of God one hundred
bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and as a sin offering for all
Israel twelve he-goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.
[18] And they set the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their
courses, for the service of God at Jerusalem, as it is written in the book
of Moses.
[19]

On the fourteenth day of the first month the returned exiles kept the
passover.

[20] For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together; all
of them were clean. So they killed the passover lamb for all the returned
exiles, for their fellow priests, and for themselves;
[21] it was eaten by the people of Israel who had returned from exile, and
also by every one who had joined them and separated himself from the
pollutions of the peoples of the land to worship the LORD, the God of
Israel.
[22] And they kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy; for
the LORD had made them joyful, and had turned the heart of the king of
Assyria to them, so that he aided them in the work of the house of God,
the God of Israel.

Revelation 5:1-10

[1]

And I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll
written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals;

[2] and I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy
to open the scroll and break its seals?"
[3] And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open
the scroll or to look into it,
[4] and I wept much that no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to
into into it.
[5] Then one of the elders said to me, "Weep not; lo, the Lion of the
tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the
scroll and its seven seals."
[6]

And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders,
I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and
with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the
earth;

[7] and he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was
seated on the throne.
[8] And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the
twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and
with golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints;
[9] and they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy art thou to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
for thou wast slain and by thy blood didst ransom men for God
from every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
[10] and hast made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on earth."

Matthew 13:10-17

[10]

Then the disciples came and said to him, "Why do you speak to them in
parables?"

[11] And he answered them, "To you it has been given to know the secrets
of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
[12] For to him who has will more be given, and he will have abundance;
but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
[13] This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not
see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
[14] With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which says: `You
shall indeed hear but never understand,
and you shall indeed see but never perceive.
[15] For this people's heart has grown dull,
and their ears are heavy of hearing,
and their eyes they have closed,
lest they should perceive with their eyes,
and hear with their ears,
and understand with their heart,
and turn for me to heal them.'
[16] But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they
hear.
[17] Truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see
what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not
hear it.