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Bible Reading Plan
Daily Bible Reading
September 21 - Old & New Testament
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Isaiah 28,29
Ephraim's Captivity Predicted
1 Woe to the proud crown of the (C1)habitually drunk of (C2)Ephraim,
And to the fading flower of its glorious beauty,
Which is at the head of the (F1)fertile valley
Of those who are (F2)overcome with wine!
2 Behold, the Lord has a strong and (C1)mighty agent;
As a storm of (C2)hail, a tempest of destruction,
Like a storm of (C3)mighty overflowing waters,
He has thrown it down to the earth with His hand.
3 The splendid crown of the habitually drunk of Ephraim is (C1)trampled underfoot.
4 And the fading flower of its glorious beauty,
Which is at the head of the (F1)fertile valley,
Will be like the (C1)first-ripe fig prior to the summer,
Which (F2)one sees,
And (F3)as soon as it is in his (F4)hand,
He swallows it.
5 On that day the (C1)LORD of armies will become a beautiful (C2)crown
And a glorious wreath to the remnant of His people;
6 A (C1)spirit of justice for him who sits in judgment,
A (C2)strength to those who repel the (F1)onslaught at the gate.
7 And these also (C1)reel with wine and stagger from intoxicating drink:
(C2)The priest and (C3)the prophet reel with intoxicating drink,
They are confused by wine, they stagger from (C4)intoxicating drink;
They reel while (F1)having (C5)visions,
They stagger when rendering a verdict.
8 For all the tables are full of filthy (C1)vomit, without a single clean place.
9 "To (C1)whom would He teach knowledge,
And to whom would He interpret the message?
Those just (C2)weaned from milk?
Those just taken from the breast?
10 "For He says,
'(F1)(C1)Order on order, order on order,
Line on line, line on line,
A little here, a little there.'"
11 Indeed, He will speak to this people
Through (C1)stammering lips and a foreign tongue,
12 He who said to them, "This is the (C1)place of quiet, give rest to the weary,"
And, "This is the resting place," but they would not listen.
13 So the word of the LORD to them will be,
"(F1)Order on order, order on order,
Line on line, line on line,
A little here, a little there,"
That they may go and (C1)stumble backward, be broken, snared, and taken captive.
Judah Is Warned
14 Therefore, (C1)hear the word of the LORD, you (C2)scoffers,
Who rule this people who are in Jerusalem,
15 Because you have said, "We have made a (C1)covenant with death,
And with (F1)Sheol we have made a (F2)pact.
(C2)The (F3)gushing flood will not reach us when it passes by,
Because we have made (C3)falsehood our refuge and we have (C4)concealed ourselves with deception."
"(C1)Behold, I am laying a stone in Zion, a tested (C2)stone,
A precious cornerstone for the foundation, (F2)firmly placed.
The one who believes in it will not be (F3)disturbed.
17 "I will make (C1)justice the measuring line
And righteousness the level;
Then (C2)hail will sweep away the refuge of lies,
And the waters will overflow the secret place.
18 "Your (C1)covenant with death will be (F1)(C2)canceled,
And your pact with Sheol will not stand;
When the (F2)(C1)gushing flood passes through,
Then you will become its (C3)trampling ground.
19 "As (C1)often as it passes through, it will (F1)seize you;
For (C2)morning after morning it will pass through, anytime during the day or night,
And it will be (F2)sheer (C3)terror to understand (F3)what it means."
20 The bed is too short on which to stretch out,
And the (C1)blanket is too (F1)small to wrap oneself in.
21 For the LORD will rise up as at Mount (C1)Perazim,
He will be stirred up as in the Valley of (C2)Gibeon,
To do His (C3)task, His (F1)(C4)unusual task,
And to work His work, His (F2)extraordinary work.
22 And now do not carry on as (C1)scoffers,
Or your shackles will be made stronger;
For I have heard from the Lord (F1)GOD of armies
Of decisive (C2)destruction on all the earth.
23 Listen and hear my voice,
Pay attention and hear my words.
24 Does the (F1)farmer plow (F2)continually to plant seed?
Does he continually (F3)turn and break up his ground?
25 Does he not level its surface
And sow dill and scatter (C1)cumin
And (F1)plant (C2)wheat in rows,
Barley in its place and rye within its (F2)area?
26 For his God instructs and teaches him properly.
27 For dill is not threshed with a (C1)threshing sledge,
Nor is the cartwheel (F1)driven over cumin;
But dill is beaten out with a rod, and cumin with a club.
28 Grain for bread is crushed,
Indeed, he does not continue to thresh it forever.
Because the wheel of his cart and his horses eventually (F1)damage it,
He does not thresh it longer.
29 This also comes from the LORD of armies,
Who has made His counsel (C1)wonderful and His wisdom (C2)great.
Jerusalem Is Warned
1 Woe, (F1)Ariel, (F1)Ariel the city where David once (C1)camped!
Add year to year, (F2)(C2)keep your feasts on schedule.
2 I will bring distress to Ariel,
And she will be a city of grieving and (C1)mourning;
And she will be like an (F1)Ariel to me.
3 I will (C1)camp against you (F1)encircling you,
And I will set up siegeworks against you,
And I will raise up battle towers against you.
4 Then you will (C1)be brought low;
From the earth you will speak,
And from the dust where you are prostrate
Your words will come.
Your voice will also be like that of a (F1)spirit from the ground,
And your speech will whisper from the dust.
5 But the multitude of your (F1)enemies will become like fine (C1)dust,
And the multitude of the (C2)ruthless ones like the chaff which (F2)blows away;
And it will happen (C3)instantly, suddenly.
6 From the LORD of armies you will be (C1)punished with (C2)thunder and earthquake and loud noise,
With whirlwind and tempest and the flame of a consuming fire.
7 And the (C1)multitude of all the nations who wage war against (F1)Ariel,
Even all who wage war against her and her stronghold, and who distress her,
Will be like a dream, a (C2)vision of the night.
8 It will be as when a hungry person dreams—
And behold, he is eating;
But when he awakens, his (F1)hunger is not satisfied,
Or as when a thirsty person dreams—
And behold, he is drinking,
But when he awakens, behold, he is faint
And his (F1)thirst is not quenched.
(C1)So will the multitude of all the nations be
Who wage war against Mount Zion.
9 (C1)Be delayed and horrified,
Blind yourselves and be blind;
They (C2)become drunk, but not with wine,
They stagger, but not with intoxicating drink.
10 For the LORD has poured over you a spirit of deep (C1)sleep,
He has (C2)shut your eyes—the prophets;
And He has covered your heads—the seers.
13 Then the Lord said, "Because (C1)this people approaches Me with their (F1)words
And honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is far away from Me,
And their (F2)reverence for Me (F3)consists of the commandment of men that is taught;
14 Therefore behold, I will once again deal (C1)marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous;
And (C2)the wisdom of their wise men will perish,
And the understanding of their men who have understanding will be concealed."
15 Woe to those who deeply (C1)hide their (F1)plans from the LORD,
And whose (C2)deeds are done in a dark place,
And they say, "(C3)Who sees us?" or "Who knows us?"
16 You turn things around!
Shall the potter be considered (F1)as equal with the clay,
That (C1)what is made would say to its maker, "He did not make me";
Or what is formed say to him who formed it, "He has no understanding"?
Blessing after Discipline
17 Is it not yet just a little while
(F1)Before Lebanon will be turned into a (C1)fertile field,
And the fertile field will be considered as a forest?
18 On that day those who are (C1)deaf will hear (C2)words of a book,
And out of their gloom and darkness the (C3)eyes of those who are blind will see.
19 The (C1)afflicted also will increase their joy in the LORD,
And the (C2)needy of mankind will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
20 For the (C1)ruthless will come to an end and the (C2)scorner will be finished,
Indeed (C3)all who (F1)are intent on doing evil will be eliminated,
21 Who (F1)cause a person to be indicted by a word,
And (C1)set a trap for the arbitrator at the gate,
And (F2)(C2)defraud the one in the right with (F3)meaningless arguments.
22 Therefore this is what the LORD, who redeemed (C1)Abraham, says concerning the house of Jacob: "Jacob (C2)will not be ashamed now, nor will his face turn pale now;
23 But when (F1)he sees his (C1)children, the (C2)work of My hands, in his midst,
They will sanctify My name;
Indeed, they will (C3)sanctify the Holy One of Jacob,
And will stand in awe of the God of Israel.
24 "Those who (C1)err in (F1)mind will (C2)know (F2)the truth,
And those who (F3)criticize will (F4)(C3)accept instruction.
Romans 1
Chapter 1
The Gospel Exalted
1 Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, (F1)(C1)called as an apostle, (C2)set apart for (C3)the gospel of God,2 which He (C1)promised beforehand through His (C2)prophets in the holy Scriptures,3 concerning His Son, who was born (C1)of a (F1)descendant of David (C2)according to the flesh,4 who was declared (C1)the Son of God with power according to the (F1)Spirit of holiness (F2)by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,5 through whom we have received grace and (C1)apostleship (F1)to bring about the (C2)obedience of faith among (C3)all the Gentiles in behalf of His name,6 among whom you also are the (C1)called of Jesus Christ;
7 to all who are (C1)beloved of God in Rome, called as (F1)(C2)saints: (C3)Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
8 First, (C1)I thank my God through Jesus Christ (F1)for you all, because (C2)your faith is being proclaimed throughout the world.9 For (C1)God, whom I (C2)serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how unceasingly (C3)I make mention of you,10 always in my prayers requesting if perhaps now, at last by (C1)the will of God, I will succeed in coming to you.11 For (C1)I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be (F1)established;12 that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other's faith, both yours and mine.13 (C1)I do not want you to be unaware, (C2)brothers and sisters, that often I (C3)have planned to come to you (and have been prevented so far) so that I may obtain some (C4)fruit among you also just as among the rest of the Gentiles.14 (C1)I am (F1)under obligation both to Greeks and to the (F2)(C2)uncultured, both to the wise and to the foolish.15 So, for my part, I am eager to (C1)preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.
16 For I am not (C1)ashamed of the gospel, for (C2)it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the (C3)Jew first and also to (C4)the Greek.17 For in it (C1)the righteousness of God is revealed (F1)from faith to faith; as it is written: "(F2)(C2)BUT THE RIGHTEOUS ONE WILL LIVE BY FAITH."
Unbelief and Its Consequences
18 For (C1)the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who (C2)suppress the truth (F1)in unrighteousness,19 because (C1)that which is known about God is evident (F1)within them; for God made it evident to them.20 For (C1)since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, (C2)being understood by what has been made, so that they are without excuse.21 For even though they knew God, they did not (F1)honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became (C1)futile in their reasonings, and their senseless hearts were darkened.22 (C1)Claiming to be wise, they became fools,23 and they (C1)exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible mankind, of birds, four-footed animals, and (F1)crawling creatures.
24 Therefore (C1)God gave them up to vile impurity in the lusts of their hearts, so that their bodies would be (C2)dishonored among them.25 For they exchanged the truth of God for (F1)(C1)falsehood, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, (C2)who is blessed (F2)forever. Amen.
26 For this reason (C1)God gave them over to (C2)degrading passions; for their women exchanged natural relations for that which is contrary to nature,27 and likewise the men, too, abandoned natural relations (F1)with women and burned in their desire toward one another, (C1)males with males committing (F2)shameful acts and receiving in (F3)their own persons the due penalty of their error.
28 And just as they did not see fit (F1)to acknowledge God, (C1)God gave them up to a depraved mind, to do those things that are not proper,29 people having been filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, and evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice; they are (C1)gossips,30 slanderers, (F1)(C1)haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, (C2)disobedient to parents,31 without understanding, untrustworthy, (C1)unfeeling, and unmerciful;32 and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of (C1)death, they not only do the same, but also (C2)approve of those who practice them.
Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995,2020 by The Lockman Foundation
