the Week of Proper 18 / Ordinary 23
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Bible Reading Plan
Daily Bible Reading
September 29 - Old & New Testament
csb
Isaiah 45,46
1 The
Lord
says this to Cyrus, His anointed,(a)
whose right hand I have grasped(b)
to subdue nations before him,
to disarm[a] kings,(c)
to open the doors before him
and the gates will not be shut:
2 "I will go before you
and level the uneven places;[b](d)
I will shatter the bronze doors
and cut the iron bars in two.(e)
3 I will give you the treasures of darkness
and riches from secret places,(f)
so that you may know that I, Yahweh,
the God of Israel call you by your name.(g)
4 I call you by your name,
because of Jacob My servant(h)
and Israel My chosen one.
I give a name to you,
though you do not know Me.
5 I am Yahweh, and there is no other;(i)
there is no God but Me.(j)
I will strengthen[c] you,
though you do not know Me,
6 so that all may know from the rising of the sun to its setting
that there is no one but Me.(k)
I am Yahweh, and there is no other.
7 I form light and create darkness,(l)
I make success and create disaster;(m)
I, Yahweh, do all these things.
8 "Heavens, sprinkle from above,
and let the skies shower righteousness.(n)
Let the earth open up
so that salvation will sprout
and righteousness will spring up with it.(o)
I, Yahweh, have created it.
9 "Woe to the one who argues with his Maker—
one clay pot among many.[d]
Does clay say to the one forming it,
‘What are you making?'(p)
Or does your work say,
‘He has no hands'?[e]
10 How absurd is the one who says to his father,
‘What are you fathering?'
or to his mother,
‘What are you giving birth to?'"
11 This is what the
Lord
,
the Holy One of Israel(q) and its Maker, says:
"Ask Me what is to happen to[f] My sons,(r)
and instruct Me about the work of My hands.(s)
12 I made the earth,
and created man on it.
It was My hands that stretched out the heavens,(t)
and I commanded all their host.
13 I have raised him up in righteousness,(u)
and will level all roads for him.
He will rebuild My city,(v)
and set My exiles free,(w)
not for a price or a bribe,"
says the
Lord
of Hosts.
God Alone is the Savior
14 This is what the Lord says:
The products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush
and the Sabeans, men of stature,(x)
will come over to you(y)
and will be yours;
they will follow you,
they will come over in chains
and bow down to you.
They will confess[g] to you:
God is indeed with you,(z) and there is no other;
there is no other God.
15 Yes, You are a God who hides Himself,(aa)
God of Israel, Savior.(ab)
16 All of them are put to shame, even humiliated;(ac)
the makers of idols go in humiliation together.
17 Israel will be saved by the
Lord
with an everlasting salvation;
you will not be put to shame or humiliated
for all eternity.(ad)
18 For this is what the
Lord
says—
God is the Creator of the heavens.
He formed the earth and made it.
He established it;
He did not create it to be empty,
but formed it to be inhabited(ae)—
"I am Yahweh,
and there is no other.
19 I have not spoken in secret,(af)
somewhere in a land of darkness.
I did not say to the descendants of Jacob:
Seek Me in a wasteland.(ag)
I, Yahweh, speak truthfully;(ah)
I say what is right.
20 "Come, gather together,
and draw near, you fugitives of the nations.
Those who carry their wooden idols,
and pray to a god who cannot save,(ai)
have no knowledge.(aj)
21 Speak up and present your case[h](ak)—
yes, let them take counsel together.
Who predicted this long ago?
Who announced it from ancient times?
Was it not I, Yahweh?
There is no other God but Me,
a righteous God and Savior;(al)
there is no one except Me.(am)
22 Turn to Me and be saved,
all the ends of the earth.
For I am God,
and there is no other.
23 By Myself I have sworn;(an)
Truth has gone from My mouth,(ao)
a word that will not be revoked:
Every knee will bow(ap) to Me,
every tongue will swear allegiance.
24 It will be said to Me: Righteousness and strength
is only in the
Lord
."
All who are enraged against Him
will come to Him and be put to shame.(aq)
25 All the descendants of Israel
will be justified and find glory through the
Lord
.
There is No One Like God
1 Bel crouches; Nebo cowers.(a)
Their idols are consigned to beasts and cattle.
The images you carry are loaded,
as a burden for the weary animal.
2 The gods cower; they crouch together;
they are not able to rescue the burden,
but they themselves go into captivity.(b)
3 "Listen to Me, house of Jacob,
all the remnant of the house of Israel,
who have been sustained from the womb,
carried along since birth.
4 I will be the same until your old age,(c)
and I will bear you up when you turn gray.
I have made you, and I will carry you;
I will bear and save you.
5 "Who will you compare Me or make Me equal to?
Who will you measure Me with,
so that we should be like each other?(d)
6 Those who pour out their bags of gold
and weigh out silver on scales—
they hire a goldsmith and he makes it into a god.
Then they kneel and bow down to it.(e)
7 They lift it to their shoulder and bear it along;(f)
they set it in its place, and there it stands;
it does not budge from its place.(g)
They cry out to it but it doesn't answer;
it saves no one from his trouble.
8 "Remember this and be brave;[a]
take it to heart, you transgressors!
9 Remember what happened long ago,(h)
for I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and no one is like Me.
10 I declare the end from the beginning,
and from long ago what is not yet done,
saying: My plan will take place,
and I will do all My will.(i)
11 I call a bird of prey[b] from the east,(j)
a man for My purpose from a far country.
Yes, I have spoken; so I will also bring it about.(k)
I have planned it; I will also do it.
12 Listen to me, you hardhearted,
far removed from justice:
13 I am bringing My justice near;(l)
it is not far away,
and My salvation will not delay.
I will put salvation in Zion,
My splendor in Israel.
Romans 8:22-39
Chapter 8
22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains(al) until now. 23 And not only that,(am) but we ourselves who have the Spirit as the firstfruits(an)—we also groan within ourselves,(ao) eagerly waiting for adoption,(ap) the redemption of our bodies.(aq) 24 Now in this hope(ar) we were saved, yet hope(as) that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see,(at) we eagerly wait for it with patience.
26 In the same way the Spirit also joins to help in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should,(au) but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us[l](av) with unspoken groanings. 27 And He who searches the hearts(aw) knows the Spirit's mind-set, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
28 We know that all things work together[m] for the good[n] of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.(ax) 29 For those He foreknew He also predestined(ay) to be conformed to the image of His Son,(az) so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers.(ba) 30 And those He predestined, He also called; and those He called, He also justified;(bb) and those He justified, He also glorified.(bc)
The Believer's Triumph
31 What then are we to say about these things?(bd)
If God is for us, who is against us?(be)
32 He did not even spare His own Son(bf)
but offered Him up for us all;(bg)
how will He not also with Him grant us everything?
33 Who can bring an accusation against God's elect?(bh)
God is the One who justifies.(bi)
34 Who is the one who condemns?(bj)
Christ Jesus is the One who died,(bk)
but even more, has been raised;(bl)
He also is at the right hand of God(bm)
and intercedes for us.(bn)
35 Who can separate us from the love of Christ?
Can affliction(bo) or anguish or persecution(bp)
or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
36 As it is written:
Because of You
we are being put to death all day long;
(bq)
we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered.
(br)[o]
37 No, in all these things we are more than victorious(bs)
through Him who loved us.(bt)
38 For I am persuaded that not even death or life,(bu)
angels or rulers,(bv)
things present or things to come,(bw) hostile powers,
39 height or depth, or any other created thing
will have the power to separate us
from the love of God(bx) that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!(by)
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