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Bible Reading Plan
Daily Bible Reading
September 29 - Bible-in-a-Year
csb
Ezra 7-8
Chapter 7
Ezra's Arrival
1 After these events, during the reign of King Artaxerxes(a) of Persia, Ezra—
Seraiah's(b) son, Azariah's son,
Hilkiah's(c) son,
2 Shallum's son,
Zadok's(d) son, Ahitub's son,
3 Amariah's son, Azariah's son,
Meraioth's son,
4 Zerahiah's son,
Uzzi's son, Bukki's son,
5 Abishua's son, Phinehas's son,
Eleazar's son, Aaron the chief priest's son(e)
6 —came up from Babylon. He was a scribe skilled in the law of Moses,(f) which Yahweh, the God of Israel, had given. The king had granted him everything he requested(g) because the hand of Yahweh his God was on him.(h) 7 Some of the Israelites, priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, and temple servants(i) accompanied him to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes.
8 Ezra[a] came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, during the seventh year of the king. 9 He began the journey from Babylon on the first day of the first month(j) and arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month(k) since the gracious hand of his God was on him.(l) 10 Now Ezra had determined in his heart to study the law of the Lord , obey it, and teach(m) its statutes and ordinances in Israel.
Letter from Artaxerxes
11 This is the text of the letter King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest and scribe, an expert in matters of the Lord 's commands and statutes for Israel:[b]
12 Artaxerxes, king of kings,(n) to Ezra the priest, an expert in the law of the God of heaven:
Greetings.
13 I issue a decree that any of the Israelites in my kingdom, including their priests and Levites, who want to go to Jerusalem, may go with you.(o) 14 You are sent by the king and his seven counselors(p) to evaluate Judah and Jerusalem according to the law of your God, which is in your possession. 15 You are also to bring the silver and gold the king and his counselors have willingly given to the God of Israel,(q) whose dwelling is in Jerusalem,(r) 16 and all the silver and gold you receive throughout the province of Babylon, together with the freewill offerings given by the people and the priests to the house of their God in Jerusalem.(s) 17 Then you are to buy with this money as many bulls, rams, and lambs as needed, along with their grain and drink offerings, and offer them on the altar at the house of your God in Jerusalem.(t) 18 You may do whatever seems best to you and your brothers with the rest of the silver and gold, according to the will of your God. 19 You must deliver to the God of Jerusalem all the articles given to you for the service of the house of your God.(u) 20 You may use the royal treasury to pay for anything else needed for the house of your God.(v)
21 I, King Artaxerxes, issue a decree to all the treasurers in the region west of the Euphrates River:(w)
Whatever Ezra the priest, an expert in the law of the God of heaven, asks of you must be provided promptly,(x) 22 up to 7,500 pounds[c] of silver, 500 bushels[d] of wheat, 550 gallons[e] of wine, 550 gallons[f] of oil, and salt without limit.[g] 23 Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven must be done diligently for the house of the God of heaven, so that wrath will not fall on the realm of the king and his sons.(y) 24 Be advised that tribute, duty, and land tax must not be imposed on any priests, Levites, singers, doorkeepers, temple servants, or other servants of this house of God.
25 And you, Ezra, according to[h] God's wisdom that you possess, appoint magistrates and judges to judge all the people in the region west of the Euphrates who know the laws of your God and to teach anyone who does not know them.(z) 26 Anyone who does not keep the law of your God and the law of the king, let a fair judgment be executed against him, whether death, banishment, confiscation of property, or imprisonment.(aa)
27 Praise Yahweh the God of our fathers, who has put it into the king's mind(ab) to glorify the house of the Lord in Jerusalem,(ac) 28 and who has shown favor to me before the king,(ad) his counselors, and all his powerful officers. So I took courage because I was strengthened by Yahweh my God,[i](ae) and I gathered Israelite leaders to return with me.(af)
Chapter 8
Those Returning with Ezra
1 These are the family leaders and the genealogical records of those who returned with me from Babylon during the reign of King Artaxerxes:(a)
2 Gershom, from Phinehas's descendants;
Daniel, from Ithamar's descendants;
Hattush, from David's descendants,
3 who was of Shecaniah's descendants;(b)
Zechariah, from Parosh's(c) descendants,
and 150 men[a] with him who were registered by genealogy;
4 Eliehoenai son of Zerahiah
from Pahath-moab's descendants,(d)
and 200 men with him;
5 Shecaniah[b] son of Jahaziel
from Zattu's descendants,
and 300 men with him;
6 Ebed son of Jonathan
from Adin's descendants,(e)
and 50 men with him;
7 Jeshaiah son of Athaliah
from Elam's descendants,
and 70 men with him;
8 Zebadiah son of Michael
from Shephatiah's descendants,
and 80 men with him;
9 Obadiah son of Jehiel
from Joab's descendants,
and 218 men with him;
10 Shelomith[c] son of Josiphiah
from Bani's descendants,
and 160 men with him;
11 Zechariah son of Bebai
from Bebai's descendants,
and 28 men with him;
12 Johanan son of Hakkatan
from Azgad's descendants,
and 110 men with him;
13 these are the last ones, from Adonikam's descendants,(f)
and their names are:
Eliphelet, Jeuel, and Shemaiah,
and 60 men with them;
14 Uthai and Zaccur[d]
from Bigvai's descendants,
and 70 men with them.
15 I gathered them at the river[e] that flows to Ahava,(g) and we camped there for three days. I searched among the people and priests, but found no Levites(h) there. 16 Then I summoned the leaders: Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam,(i) as well as the teachers Joiarib and Elnathan. 17 I sent them to Iddo, the leader at Casiphia, with a message for[f] him and his brothers, the temple servants(j) at Casiphia, that they should bring us ministers for the house of our God. 18 Since the gracious hand of our God was on us,(k) they brought us Sherebiah(l)—a man of insight from the descendants of Mahli, a descendant of Levi son of Israel—along with his sons and brothers, 18 men, 19 plus Hashabiah,(m) along with Jeshaiah, from the descendants of Merari, and his brothers and their sons, 20 men. 20 There were also 220 of the temple servants,(n) who had been appointed by David and the leaders for the work of the Levites. All were identified by name.
Preparing to Return
21 I proclaimed a fast(o) by the Ahava River,[g] so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask Him for a safe journey for us, our children, and all our possessions. 22 I did this because I was ashamed to ask the king for infantry and cavalry to protect us from enemies during the journey, since we had told him, "The hand of our God is gracious to all who seek Him, but His great anger is against all who abandon Him."(p) 23 So we fasted and pleaded with our God about this, and He granted our request.
24 I selected 12 of the leading priests, along with Sherebiah,(q) Hashabiah, and 10 of their brothers. 25 I weighed out to them the silver, the gold, and the articles—the contribution for the house of our God that the king, his counselors, his leaders, and all the Israelites who were present had offered. 26 I weighed out to them 24 tons[h] of silver, silver articles weighing 7,500 pounds,[i] 7,500 pounds[j] of gold, 27 20 gold bowls worth 1,000 gold coins,[k] and two articles of fine gleaming bronze, as valuable as gold.(r) 28 Then I said to them, "You are holy to the Lord , and the articles are holy. The silver and gold are a freewill offering(s) to the Lord God of your fathers. 29 Guard them carefully until you weigh them out in the chambers of the Lord 's house before the leading priests, Levites, and heads of the Israelite families in Jerusalem." 30 So the priests and Levites took charge of the silver, the gold, and the articles that had been weighed out, to bring them to the house of our God in Jerusalem.(t)
Arrival in Jerusalem
31 We set out from the Ahava River[l] on the twelfth day of the first month to go to Jerusalem. We were strengthened by our God,[m](u) and He protected us from the power of the enemy and from ambush along the way.(v) 32 So we arrived at Jerusalem and rested there for three days.(w) 33 On the fourth day the silver, the gold, and the articles were weighed out in the house of our God into the care of Meremoth the priest, son of Uriah. Eleazar son of Phinehas was with him. The Levites Jozabad(x) son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui were also with them. 34 Everything was verified by number and weight, and the total weight was recorded at that time.
35 The exiles who had returned from the captivity(y) offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel: 12 bulls for all Israel, 96 rams, and 77 lambs, along with 12 male goats as a sin offering. All this was a burnt offering for the Lord .(z) 36 They also delivered the king's edicts to the royal satraps and governors of the region west of the Euphrates,(aa) so that they would support the people and the house of God.(ab)
Psalms 94
Chapter 94
Psalm 94
The Just Judge
1
Lord
, God of vengeance—
God of vengeance, appear.(a)
2 Rise up, Judge of the earth;
repay the proud what they deserve.(b)
3
Lord
, how long will the wicked—
how long will the wicked gloat?(c)
4 They pour out arrogant words;
all the evildoers boast.(d)
5
Lord
, they crush Your people;
they afflict Your heritage.(e)
6 They kill the widow and the foreigner
and murder the fatherless.(f)
7 They say, "The
Lord
doesn't see it.
The God of Jacob doesn't pay attention."(g)
8 Pay attention, you stupid people!
Fools, when will you be wise?(h)
9 Can the One who shaped the ear not hear,
the One who formed the eye not see?(i)
10 The One who instructs nations,
the One who teaches man knowledge—
does He not discipline?(j)
11 The
Lord
knows man's thoughts;
they are meaningless.(k)
12
Lord
, happy is the man You discipline
and teach from Your law(l)
13 to give him relief from troubled times
until a pit is dug for the wicked.(m)
14 The
Lord
will not forsake His people
or abandon His heritage,(n)
15 for justice will again be righteous,
and all the upright in heart will follow[a] it.(o)
16 Who stands up for me against the wicked?
Who takes a stand for me against evildoers?(p)
17 If the
Lord
had not been my helper,
I would soon rest in the silence of death.(q)
18 If I say, "My foot is slipping,"
Your faithful love will support me,
Lord
.(r)
19 When I am filled with cares,
Your comfort brings me joy.(s)
20 Can a corrupt throne—
one that creates trouble by law—
become Your ally?(t)
21 They band together against the life of the righteous
and condemn the innocent to death.(u)
22 But the
Lord
is my refuge;
my God is the rock of my protection.(v)
23 He will pay them back for their sins
and destroy them for their evil.
The
Lord
our God will destroy them.(w)
3 John 1
Chapter 1
Greeting
The Elder:(a)
To my dear friend[a] Gaius: I love you in the truth.(b)
2 Dear friend,[b] I pray that you may prosper in every way and be in good health physically(c) just as you are spiritually.[c] 3 For I was very glad when some brothers came and testified(d) to your faithfulness to the truth—how you are walking in the truth.(e) 4 I have no greater joy(f) than this: to hear that my children(g) are walking in the truth.
Gaius Commended
5 Dear friend,[d] you are showing faithfulness[e] by whatever you do for the brothers, especially when they are strangers. 6 They have testified to your love in front of the church.(h) You will do well to send them on their journey(i) in a manner worthy of God,(j) 7 since they set out for the sake of the Name,(k) accepting nothing from pagans.(l) 8 Therefore, we ought to support such men so that we can be coworkers with[f] the truth.
Diotrephes and Demetrius
9 I wrote something to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have first place among them,(m) does not receive us.(n) 10 This is why, if I come, I will remind him of the works he is doing, slandering(o) us with malicious words. And he is not satisfied with that! He not only refuses to welcome the brothers himself, but he even stops those who want to do so and expels them from the church.
11 Dear friend,[g] do not imitate what is evil,(p) but what is good. The one who does good is of God;(q) the one who does evil has not seen God.(r) 12 Demetrius has a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself. And we also testify for him, and you know(s) that our testimony is true.(t)
Farewell
13 I have many things to write you, but I don't want to write to you with pen and ink. 14 I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face.[h]
Peace be with you. The friends send you greetings. Greet the friends by name.
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