the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
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Bible Reading Plan
Daily Bible Reading
September 8 - Bible-in-a-Year
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2 Chronicles 16-17
Chapter 16
Asa's Treaty with Aram
1 In the thirty-sixth year of Asa,(a) Israel's King Baasha went to war against Judah. He built Ramah in order to deny access to anyone—going or coming—to Judah's King Asa. 2 So Asa brought out the silver and gold from the treasuries of the Lord 's temple and the royal palace and sent it to Aram's King Ben-hadad, who lived in Damascus, saying, 3 "There's a treaty between me and you, between my father and your father. Look, I have sent you silver and gold. Go break your treaty with Israel's King Baasha so that he will withdraw from me."
4 Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies to the cities of Israel. They attacked Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim,[a] and all the storage cities[b] of Naphtali. 5 When Baasha heard about it, he quit building Ramah and stopped his work. 6 Then King Asa brought all Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and the timbers Baasha had built it with. Then he built Geba and Mizpah with them.
Hanani's Rebuke of Asa
7 At that time, Hanani(b) the seer came to King Asa of Judah and said to him, "Because you depended on the king of Aram and have not depended on the Lord your God,(c) the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand. 8 Were not the Cushites and Libyans a vast army with many chariots and horsemen?(d) When you depended on Yahweh, He handed them over to you.(e) 9 For the eyes of Yahweh roam throughout the earth(f) to show Himself strong for those whose hearts are completely His.(g) You have been foolish in this matter. Therefore, you will have wars from now on." 10 Asa was angry with the seer and put him in prison[c] because of his anger over this. And Asa mistreated some of the people at that time.
Asa's Death
11 Note that the events(h) of Asa's reign, from beginning to end, are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 12 In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa developed a disease in his feet, and his disease became increasingly severe. Yet even in his disease he didn't seek the Lord but only the physicians. 13 Asa died in the forty-first year of his reign and rested with his fathers. 14 He was buried in his own tomb that he had made for himself in the city of David. They laid him out in a coffin that was full of spices and various mixtures of prepared ointments;(i) then they made a great fire in his honor.(j)
Chapter 17
Judah's King Jehoshaphat
1 His son Jehoshaphat became king in his place(a) and strengthened himself against Israel. 2 He stationed troops in every fortified city of Judah(b) and set garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim that his father Asa had captured.(c)
3 Now the Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he walked in the former ways of his father David.[a] He did not seek the Baals 4 but sought the God of his father and walked by His commands, not according to the practices of Israel.(d) 5 So the Lord established the kingdom in his hand. Then all Judah brought him tribute, and he had riches and honor in abundance.(e) 6 His mind rejoiced in the Lord 's ways, and he again(f) removed the high places and Asherah poles from Judah.(g)
Jehoshaphat's Educational Plan
7 In the third year of his reign, Jehoshaphat sent his officials—Ben-hail,[b] Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah—to teach in the cities of Judah.(h) 8 The Levites with them were Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah,[c] Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tob-adonijah; the priests, Elishama and Jehoram, were with these Levites. 9 They taught throughout Judah, having the book of the Lord 's instruction with them.(i) They went throughout the towns of Judah and taught the people.
10 The terror of the Lord was on all the kingdoms of the lands that surrounded Judah,(j) so they didn't fight against Jehoshaphat. 11 Some of the Philistines also brought gifts and silver as tribute to Jehoshaphat, and the Arabs brought him flocks: 7,700 rams and 7,700 male goats.(k)
Jehoshaphat's Military Might
12 Jehoshaphat grew stronger and stronger. He built fortresses(l) and storage cities in Judah 13 and carried out great works in the towns of Judah. He had fighting men, brave warriors, in Jerusalem. 14 These are their numbers according to their ancestral families. For Judah, the commanders of thousands:
Adnah the commander and 300,000 brave warriors with him;
15 next to him, Jehohanan the commander and 280,000 with him;
16 next to him, Amasiah son of Zichri, the volunteer(m) of the
Lord
, and 200,000 brave warriors with him;
17 from Benjamin, Eliada, a brave warrior, and 200,000 with him armed with bow and shield;
18 next to him, Jehozabad and 180,000 with him equipped for war.
19 These were the ones who served the king, besides those he stationed in the fortified cities throughout all Judah.(n)
Psalms 78:1-20
Chapter 78
Psalm 78
Lessons from Israel's Past
A Maskil of Asaph.(a)
1 My people, hear my instruction;
listen to what I say.(b)
2 I will declare wise sayings;
I will speak mysteries from the past(c)—
3 things we have heard and known
and that our fathers have passed down to us.(d)
4 We must not hide them from their children,
but must tell a future generation
the praises of the
Lord
,
His might, and the wonderful works
He has performed.(e)
5 He established a testimony in Jacob
and set up a law in Israel,
which He commanded our fathers
to teach to their children(f)
6 so that a future generation—
children yet to be born—might know.
They were to rise and tell their children(g)
7 so that they might put their confidence in God
and not forget God's works,
but keep His commands.(h)
8 Then they would not be like their fathers,
a stubborn and rebellious generation,
a generation whose heart was not loyal
and whose spirit was not faithful to God.(i)
9 The Ephraimite archers turned back
on the day of battle.(j)
10 They did not keep God's covenant
and refused to live by His law.(k)
11 They forgot what He had done,
the wonderful works He had shown them.(l)
12 He worked wonders in the sight of their fathers
in the land of Egypt, the region of Zoan.(m)
13 He split the sea and brought them across;
the water stood firm like a wall.(n)
14 He led them with a cloud by day
and with a fiery light throughout the night.(o)
15 He split rocks in the wilderness
and gave them drink as abundant as the depths.(p)
16 He brought streams out of the stone
and made water flow down like rivers.(q)
17 But they continued to sin against Him,
rebelling in the desert against the Most High.(r)
18 They deliberately[a] tested God,
demanding the food they craved.(s)
19 They spoke against God, saying,
"Is God able to provide food in the wilderness?
20 Look! He struck the rock and water gushed out;
torrents overflowed.(t)
But can He also provide bread
or furnish meat for His people?"(u)
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John 12:27-50
Chapter 12
27 "Now My soul is troubled. What should I say—Father, save Me(ak) from this hour? But that is why I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify Your name!" [h](al)
Then a voice(am) came from heaven:(an) "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again!"(ao)
29 The crowd standing there heard it and said it was thunder. Others said that an angel had spoken to Him.
30 Jesus responded, "This voice came, not for Me, but for you.(ap) 31 Now is the judgment of this world.(aq) Now the ruler of this world(ar) will be cast out.(as) 32 As for Me, if I am lifted up[i] from the earth I will draw all people to Myself." (at) 33 He said this to signify what kind of death He was about to die.(au)
34 Then the crowd replied to Him, "We have heard from the scripture that the Messiah will remain forever.(av) So how can You say, ‘The Son of Man(aw) must be lifted up' ?[j] Who is this Son of Man?"
35 Jesus answered, "The light will be with you only a little longer.(ax) Walk while you have the light(ay) so that darkness doesn't overtake you.(az) The one who walks in darkness doesn't know where he's going.(ba) 36 While you have the light,(bb) believe in the light so that you may become sons of light." Jesus said this, then went away and hid from them.(bc)
Isaiah's Prophecies Fulfilled
37 Even though He had performed so many signs in their presence, they did not believe in Him. 38 But this was to fulfill(bd) the word of Isaiah(be) the prophet, who said:[k]
Lord, who has believed our message?
And who has the arm
(bf)
of the Lord
been revealed to?
(bg)[l]
39 This is why they were unable to believe, because Isaiah also said:
40
He has blinded
(bh)
their eyes
and hardened their hearts,
(bi)
so that they would not see with their eyes
or understand with their hearts,
and be converted,
(bj)
and I would heal them.
(bk)[m]
41 Isaiah said these things because[n] he saw His glory(bl) and spoke about Him.
42 Nevertheless, many did believe in Him even among the rulers,(bm) but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, so they would not be banned from the synagogue. 43 For they loved praise from men(bn) more than praise from God.[o](bo)
A Summary of Jesus' Mission
44 Then Jesus cried out, "The one who believes in Me(bp) believes not in Me, but in Him who sent Me. 45 And the one who sees Me sees Him(bq) who sent Me. 46 I have come as a light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me would not remain in darkness. 47 If anyone hears My words and doesn't keep(br) them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world(bs) but to save the world.(bt) 48 The one who rejects Me(bu) and doesn't accept My sayings has this as his judge:[p] The word I have spoken will judge him on the last day.(bv) 49 For I have not spoken on My own, but the Father(bw) Himself who sent Me has given Me a command as to what I should say and what I should speak. 50 I know that His command is eternal life.(bx) So the things that I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me." (by)
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