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Bible Reading Plan
Daily Bible Reading
September 12 - Bible-in-a-Year
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2 Chronicles 21:2-22:12
Chapter 21
2 He had brothers, sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah, Michael, and Shephatiah; all these were the sons of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah.[b] 3 Their father had given them many gifts of silver, gold, and valuable things, along with fortified cities(b) in Judah, but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram because he was the firstborn. 4 When Jehoram had established himself over his father's kingdom, he strengthened his position by killing with the sword all his brothers as well as some of the princes of Israel.
Judah's King Jehoram
5 Jehoram(c) was 32 years old when he became king and reigned eight years in Jerusalem. 6 He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done,(d) for Ahab's daughter was his wife.(e) He did what was evil in the Lord 's sight, 7 but because of the covenant the Lord had made with David, He was unwilling to destroy the house of David since the Lord had promised(f) to give a lamp(g) to David and to his sons forever.
8 During Jehoram's reign, Edom rebelled against Judah's domination and appointed their own king. 9 So Jehoram crossed into Edom with his commanders and all his chariots. Then at night he set out to attack the Edomites who had surrounded him and the chariot commanders. 10 And now Edom is still in rebellion against Judah's domination today. Libnah also rebelled at that time against his domination because he had abandoned Yahweh, the God of his ancestors. 11 Jehoram also built high places(h) in the hills[c] of Judah, and he caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves,(i) and he led Judah astray.
Elijah's Letter to Jehoram
12 Then a letter came to Jehoram from Elijah the prophet, saying:
This is what Yahweh, the God of your ancestor David says: "Because you have not walked in the ways of your father Jehoshaphat(j) or in the ways of Asa king of Judah(k) 13 but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel,(l) have caused Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves like the house of Ahab(m) prostituted itself, and also have killed your brothers,(n) your father's family, who were better than you, 14 Yahweh is now about to strike your people, your sons, your wives, and all your possessions with a horrible affliction. 15 You yourself will be struck with many illnesses, including a disease of the intestines, until your intestines come out day after day because of the disease."(o)
Jehoram's Last Days
16 The Lord put it into the mind of the Philistines and the Arabs(p) who live near the Cushites to attack Jehoram.(q) 17 So they went to war against Judah and invaded it. They carried off all the possessions found in the king's palace and also his sons and wives; not a son was left to him except Jehoahaz,[d](r) his youngest son.
18 After all these things, the Lord afflicted him in his intestines with an incurable disease. 19 This continued day after day until two full years passed. Then his intestines came out because of his disease, and he died from severe[e] illnesses. But his people did not hold a fire in his honor like the fire in honor of his fathers.(s)
20 Jehoram(t) was 32 years old when he became king; he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. He died to no one's regret[f](u) and was buried in the city of David but not in the tombs of the kings.(v)
Chapter 22
Judah's King Ahaziah
1 Then the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, his youngest son, king in his place, because the troops that had come with the Arabs(a) to the camp had killed all the older sons.[a] So Ahaziah son of Jehoram became king of Judah. 2 Ahaziah(b) was 22[b] years old when he became king and reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Athaliah, granddaughter[c] of Omri.
3 He walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother gave him evil advice. 4 So he did what was evil in the Lord 's sight like the house of Ahab, for they were his advisers after the death of his father, to his destruction. 5 He also followed their advice and went with Joram[d] son of Israel's King Ahab to fight against Hazael, king of Aram, in Ramoth-gilead. The Arameans[e] wounded Joram, 6 so he returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds they inflicted on him in Ramoth-gilead[f] when he fought against Aram's King Hazael. Then Judah's King Ahaziah[g] son of Jehoram went down to Jezreel to visit Joram son of Ahab since Joram was ill.
7 Ahaziah's downfall came from God when he went to Joram.(c) When Ahaziah arrived, he went out with Joram to meet Jehu son of Nimshi,(d) whom the Lord had anointed to destroy the house of Ahab.(e) 8 So when Jehu executed judgment on the house of Ahab,(f) he found the rulers of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah's brothers who were serving Ahaziah, and he killed them. 9 Then Jehu looked for Ahaziah,(g) and Jehu's soldiers captured him (he was hiding in Samaria). So they brought Ahaziah to Jehu, and they killed him. The soldiers buried him, for they said, "He is the grandson of Jehoshaphat who sought the Lord with all his heart."(h) So no one from the house of Ahaziah had the strength to rule the kingdom.
Athaliah Usurps the Throne
10 When(i) Athaliah, Ahaziah's mother, saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to annihilate all the royal heirs[h] of the house of Judah. 11 Jehoshabeath,[i] the king's daughter, rescued Joash son of Ahaziah from the king's sons who were being killed and put him and the one who nursed him in a bedroom. Now Jehoshabeath was the daughter of King Jehoram and the wife of Jehoiada the priest. Since she was Ahaziah's sister, she hid Joash from Athaliah so that she did not kill him. 12 While Athaliah ruled over the land, he was hiding with them in God's temple six years.
Psalms 79
Chapter 79
Psalm 79
Faith amid Confusion
A psalm of Asaph.(a)
1 God, the nations have invaded Your inheritance,
desecrated Your holy temple,
and turned Jerusalem into ruins.(b)
2 They gave the corpses of Your servants
to the birds of the sky for food,
the flesh of Your godly ones
to the beasts of the earth.(c)
3 They poured out their blood
like water all around Jerusalem,
and there was no one to bury them.(d)
4 We have become an object of reproach
to our neighbors,
a source of mockery and ridicule
to those around us.(e)
5 How long, Yahweh? Will You be angry forever?
Will Your jealousy keep burning like fire?(f)
6 Pour out Your wrath on the nations
that don't acknowledge You,
on the kingdoms that don't call on Your name,(g)
7 for they have devoured Jacob
and devastated his homeland.(h)
8 Do not hold past sins[a] against us;
let Your compassion come to us quickly,
for we have become weak.(i)
9 God of our salvation, help us(j)—
for the glory of Your name.
Deliver us and atone for[b] our sins,
because of Your name.(k)
10 Why should the nations ask,
"Where is their God?"(l)
Before our eyes,
let vengeance for the shed blood of Your servants
be known among the nations.(m)
11 Let the groans of the prisoners reach You;
according to Your great power,
preserve those condemned to die.(n)
12 Pay back sevenfold to our neighbors(o)
the reproach they have hurled at You, Lord.(p)
13 Then we, Your people, the sheep of Your pasture,(q)
will thank You forever;
we will declare Your praise
to generation after generation.(r)
John 14:15-31
Chapter 14
15 "If you love Me, you will keep[h] My commands. (y) 16 And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor(z) to be with you forever. 17 He is the Spirit(aa) of truth.(ab) The world is unable to receive Him because it doesn't see Him or know Him. But you do know Him, because He remains with you and will be[i] in you.(ac) 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you.
The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
19 "In a little while the world will see Me no longer,(ad) but you will see Me.(ae) Because I live, you will live(af) too. 20 In that day you will know that I am in My Father,(ag) you are in Me, and I am in you. 21 The one who has My commands and keeps them is the one who loves Me.(ah) And the one who loves Me will be loved by My Father.(ai) I also will love him and will reveal Myself to him."
22 Judas(aj) (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, how is it You're going to reveal Yourself to us and not to the world?"(ak)
23 Jesus answered, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.(al) 24 The one who doesn't love Me will not keep My words. The word that you hear is not Mine but is from the Father who sent Me. (am)
25 "I have spoken these things to you while I remain with you. 26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit(an)—the Father will send(ao) Him in My name—will teach you all things(ap) and remind you of everything I have told you. (aq)
Jesus' Gift of Peace
27 "Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Your heart must not be troubled or fearful.(ar) 28 You have heard Me tell you, ‘I am going away(as) and I am coming to you.' If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced that I am going to the Father,(at) because the Father is greater than I.(au) 29 I have told you now before it happens(av) so that when it does happen you may believe. 30 I will not talk with you much longer, because the ruler of the world(aw) is coming. He has no power over Me. [j](ax) 31 On the contrary, I am going away[k] so that the world may know that I love the Father. Just as the Father commanded Me, so I do.
"Get up; let's leave this place.
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