the Week of Proper 18 / Ordinary 23
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Bible Reading Plan
Daily Bible Reading
September 10 - Old & New Testament
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2 Chronicles 27,28
Judah's King Jotham
1 Jotham was 25 years old(a) when he became king and reigned 16 years in Jerusalem.(b) His mother's name was Jerushah daughter of Zadok. 2 He did what was right in the Lord 's sight as his father Uzziah had done. In addition, he didn't enter the Lord 's sanctuary,(c) but the people still behaved corruptly.
3 Jotham built the Upper Gate of the Lord 's temple, and he built extensively on the wall of Ophel.(d) 4 He also built cities in the hill country of Judah and fortresses and towers in the forests.(e) 5 He waged war against the king of the Ammonites. He overpowered the Ammonites, and that year they gave him 7,500 pounds[a] of silver, 50,000 bushels[b] of wheat, and 50,000 bushels[c] of barley. They paid him the same in the second and third years. 6 So Jotham strengthened himself because he did not waver in obeying[d] the Lord his God.(f)
7 As for the rest of the events(g) of Jotham's reign, along with all his wars and his ways, note that they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. 8 He was 25 years old when he became king and reigned 16 years in Jerusalem. 9 Jotham rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of David. His son Ahaz became king in his place.
Judah's King Ahaz
1 Ahaz was 20 years old(a) when he became king and reigned 16 years in Jerusalem. He did not do what was right in the Lord 's sight(b) like his ancestor David, 2 for he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel(c) and made cast images of the Baals.(d) 3 He burned incense in the Valley of Hinnom(e) and burned his children in[a](f) the fire, imitating the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had dispossessed before the Israelites.(g) 4 He sacrificed and burned incense on the high places,(h) on the hills, and under every green tree.
5 So the Lord his God handed Ahaz over(i) to the king of Aram. He attacked him and took many captives to Damascus.
Ahaz was also handed over to the king of Israel, who struck him with great force: 6 Pekah son of Remaliah killed 120,000 in Judah in one day—all brave men—because they had abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors. 7 An Ephraimite warrior named Zichri killed the king's son Maaseiah, Azrikam governor of the palace, and Elkanah who was second to the king. 8 Then the Israelites took 200,000 captives from their brothers—women, sons, and daughters.(j) They also took a great deal of plunder from them and brought it to Samaria.
9 A prophet of the Lord named Oded was there. He went out to meet the army that came to Samaria and said to them, "Look, the Lord God of your ancestors handed them over to you because of His wrath against Judah,(k) but you slaughtered them in a rage that has reached heaven.(l) 10 Now you plan to reduce the people of Judah and Jerusalem, male and female, to slavery. Are you not also guilty before Yahweh your God? 11 Listen to me and return the captives you took from your brothers,(m) for the Lord 's burning anger is on you."
12 So some men who were leaders of the Ephraimites—Azariah son of Jehohanan, Berechiah son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai—stood in opposition to those coming from the war. 13 They said to them, "You must not bring the captives here, for you plan to bring guilt on us from the Lord to add to our sins and our guilt. For we have much guilt, and burning anger is on Israel."
14 The army left the captives and the plunder in the presence of the officers and the congregation. 15 Then the men who were designated by name(n) took charge of the captives and provided clothes for their naked ones from the plunder. They clothed them, gave them sandals, food and drink,(o) dressed their wounds, and provided donkeys for all the feeble. The Israelites brought them to Jericho, the City of Palms,(p) among their brothers. Then they returned to Samaria.
16 At that time King Ahaz asked the king of Assyria for help.(q) 17 The Edomites came again, attacked Judah, and took captives.(r) 18 The Philistines also raided the cities of the Judean foothills[b] and the Negev of Judah(s) and captured Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco and its villages, Timnah and its villages, Gimzo and its villages, and they lived there. 19 For the Lord humbled Judah because of King Ahaz of Judah,[c] who threw off restraint in Judah and was unfaithful to the Lord . 20 Then Tiglath-pileser[d](t) king of Assyria came against Ahaz; he oppressed him and did not give him support.(u) 21 Although Ahaz plundered the Lord 's temple and the palace of the king and of the rulers and gave the plunder to the king of Assyria, it did not help him.
22 At the time of his distress, King Ahaz himself became more unfaithful to the Lord . 23 He sacrificed to the gods of Damascus which had defeated him; he said, "Since the gods of the kings of Aram are helping them, I will sacrifice to them so that they will help me."(v) But they were the downfall of him and of all Israel.
24 Then Ahaz gathered up the utensils of God's temple, cut them into pieces,(w) shut the doors of the Lord 's temple,(x) and made himself altars on every street corner in Jerusalem.(y) 25 He made high places in every city of Judah to offer incense to other gods, and he provoked the Lord , the God of his ancestors.
Ahaz's Death
26 As for the rest of his deeds(z) and all his ways, from beginning to end, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 27 Ahaz rested with his fathers and was buried in the city, in Jerusalem, but they did not bring him into the tombs of the kings of Israel. His son Hezekiah became king in his place.
Acts 19:1-20
Chapter 19
Twelve Disciples of John the Baptist
1 While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior regions and came to Ephesus. He found some disciples(a) 2 and asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?"
"No," they told him, "we haven't even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."(b)
3 "Then what baptism were you baptized with?" he asked them.
"With John's baptism," they replied.
4 Paul said, "John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people that they should believe in the One who would come after him, that is, in Jesus."(c)
5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands on(d) them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began to speak in other languages and to prophesy.(e) 7 Now there were about 12 men in all.
In the Lecture Hall of Tyrannus
8 Then he entered the synagogue and spoke boldly over a period of three months, engaging in discussion and trying to persuade them about the things of the kingdom of God.(f) 9 But when some became hardened and would not believe, slandering the Way in front of the crowd, he withdrew from them and met separately with the disciples, conducting discussions every day in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.(g) 10 And this went on for two years, so that all the inhabitants of Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the message about the Lord.(h)
Demonism Defeated at Ephesus
11 God was performing extraordinary miracles by Paul's hands, 12 so that even facecloths or work aprons[a] that had touched his skin were brought to the sick, and the diseases left them, and the evil spirits came out of them.(i)
13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists attempted to pronounce the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, "I command you by the Jesus that Paul preaches!"(j) 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15 The evil spirit answered them, "I know Jesus, and I recognize Paul—but who are you?" 16 Then the man who had the evil spirit leaped on them, overpowered them all, and prevailed against them, so that they ran out of that house naked and wounded. 17 This became known to everyone who lived in Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. Then fear fell on all of them, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.(k) 18 And many who had become believers came confessing and disclosing their practices, 19 while many of those who had practiced magic collected their books and burned them in front of everyone. So they calculated their value and found it to be 50,000 pieces of silver. 20 In this way the Lord's message flourished and prevailed.(l)
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