the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
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Daily Bible Reading
October 17 - Old & New Testament
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2 Chronicles 35
Chapter 35
Josiah's Passover Observance
1 Josiah observed the Lord 's Passover(a) and slaughtered the Passover lambs on the fourteenth day of the first month.(b) 2 He appointed the priests to their responsibilities and encouraged them to serve in the Lord 's temple.(c) 3 He said to the Levites who taught all Israel(d) the holy things of the Lord , "Put the holy ark in the temple built by Solomon son of David king of Israel. Since you do not have to carry it on your shoulders,(e) now serve Yahweh your God and His people Israel.
4 "Organize your ancestral houses by your divisions(f) according to the written instruction of David king of Israel and that of his son Solomon.(g) 5 Serve in the holy place by the divisions of the ancestral houses for your brothers, the lay people,[a] and the distribution of the tribal household of the Levites.(h) 6 Slaughter the Passover lambs,(i) consecrate yourselves,(j) and make preparations for your brothers to carry out the word of the Lord through Moses."
7 Then Josiah donated 30,000 sheep, lambs, and young goats, plus 3,000 bulls from his own possessions, for the Passover sacrifices for all the lay people[b] who were present.
8 His officials also donated willingly for the people, the priests, and the Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, chief officials of God's temple, gave 2,600 Passover sacrifices and 300 bulls for the priests. 9 Conaniah(k) and his brothers Shemaiah and Nethanel, and Hashabiah, Jeiel, and Jozabad, officers of the Levites, donated 5,000 Passover sacrifices for the Levites, plus 500 bulls.
10 So the service was established; the priests stood at their posts and the Levites in their divisions according to the king's command.(l) 11 Then they slaughtered the Passover lambs, and while the Levites were skinning the animals,(m) the priests sprinkled the blood[c] they had been given.[d] 12 They removed the burnt offerings so that they might be given to the divisions of the ancestral houses of the lay people[e] to offer to the Lord , according to what is written in the book of Moses; they did the same with the bulls. 13 They roasted the Passover lambs with fire according to regulation.(n) They boiled the holy sacrifices in pots, kettles, and bowls; and they quickly brought them to the lay people.[f] 14 Afterward, they made preparations for themselves and for the priests, since the priests, the descendants of Aaron, were busy offering up burnt offerings and fat until night. So the Levites made preparations for themselves and for the priests, the descendants of Aaron.
15 The singers, the descendants of Asaph, were at their stations according to the command of David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king's seer.(o) Also, the gatekeepers were at each gate.(p) None of them left their tasks because their Levite brothers had made preparations for them.
16 So all the service of the Lord was established that day for observing the Passover and for offering burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord , according to the command of King Josiah. 17 The Israelites who were present in Judah also observed the Passover at that time and the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days.(q) 18 No Passover had been observed(r) like it in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet. None of the kings of Israel ever observed a Passover like the one that Josiah observed with the priests, the Levites, all Judah, the Israelites who were present in Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 19 In the eighteenth year of Josiah's reign, this Passover was observed.
Josiah's Last Deeds and Death
20 After all this(s) that Josiah had prepared for the temple, Neco king of Egypt(t) marched up to fight at Carchemish(u) by the Euphrates, and Josiah went out to confront him. 21 But Neco sent messengers to him, saying, "What is the issue between you and me, king of Judah?(v) I have not come against you today[g] but I am fighting another dynasty.[h] God told me to hurry. Stop opposing God who is with me; don't make Him destroy you!"
22 But Josiah did not turn away from him; instead, in order to fight with him he disguised himself.[i](w) He did not listen to Neco's words from the mouth of God, but went to the Valley of Megiddo(x) to fight. 23 The archers shot King Josiah, and he said to his servants, "Take me away, for I am severely wounded!"(y) 24 So his servants took him out of the war chariot, carried him in his second chariot, and brought him to Jerusalem. Then he died, and they buried him in the tomb of his fathers. All Judah and Jerusalem mourned(z) for Josiah. 25 Jeremiah chanted a dirge(aa) over Josiah, and all the singing men and singing women still speak of Josiah in their dirges to this very day. They established them as a statute for Israel, and indeed they are written in the Dirges.
26 The rest of the events(ab) of Josiah's reign, along with his deeds of faithful love according to what is written in the law of the Lord , 27 and his words, from beginning to end, are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.
Habakkuk 1,2,3
1 The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet saw.(a)
Habakkuk's First Prayer
2 How long,(b)
Lord
, must I call for help(c)
and You do not listen
or cry out to You about violence
and You do not save?
3 Why do You force me to look at injustice?(d)
Why do You tolerate[a] wrongdoing?
Oppression and violence are right in front of me.
Strife is ongoing, and conflict escalates.
4 This is why the law is ineffective
and justice never emerges.
For the wicked restrict(e) the righteous;
therefore, justice(f) comes out perverted.
God's First Answer
5 Look at the nations[b](g) and observe(h)—
be utterly astounded!(i)
For something is taking place in your days
that you will not believe(j)
when you hear about it.(k)
6 Look! I am raising up(l) the Chaldeans,[c]
that bitter,(m) impetuous nation
that marches across the earth's open spaces
to seize territories not its own.
7 They are fierce(n) and terrifying;
their views of justice and sovereignty
stem from themselves.
8 Their horses are swifter(o) than leopards(p)
and more fierce[d] than wolves of the night.
Their horsemen charge ahead;
their horsemen come from distant lands.
They fly like an eagle, swooping to devour.(q)
9 All of them come to do violence;
their faces(r) are set in determination.[e]
They gather(s) prisoners like sand.(t)
10 They mock(u) kings,
and rulers are a joke to them.
They laugh(v) at every fortress
and build siege ramps to capture(w) it.
11 Then they sweep(x) by like the wind
and pass through.
They are guilty;[f] their strength is their god.
Habakkuk's Second Prayer
12 Are You not from eternity, Yahweh my God?
My Holy One,(y) You[g] will not die.
Lord
, You appointed them to execute judgment;
my Rock,(z) You destined them to punish us.
13 Your eyes(aa) are too pure(ab) to look on evil,
and You cannot tolerate wrongdoing.
So why do You tolerate those who are treacherous?(ac)
Why are You silent
while one[h] who is wicked swallows up
one[i] who is more righteous than himself?
14 You have made mankind
like the fish of the sea,(ad)
like marine creatures that have no ruler.
15 The Chaldeans pull them all up with a hook,
catch them in their dragnet,(ae)
and gather them in their fishing net;
that is why they are glad and rejoice.
16 That is why they sacrifice to their dragnet
and burn incense to their fishing net,
for by these things their portion is rich
and their food plentiful.(af)
17 Will they therefore empty their net[j]
and continually slaughter nations without mercy?
Habakkuk Waits for God's Response
1 I will stand at my guard post
and station myself on the lookout tower.(a)
I will watch to see what He will say to me(b)
and what I should[a] reply about my complaint.
God's Second Answer
2 The Lord answered me:
Write down this vision;(c)
clearly inscribe it on tablets
so one may easily read it.[b]
3 For the vision is yet for the appointed time;
it testifies about the end and will not lie.
Though it delays, wait for it,
since it will certainly come and not be late.(d)
4 Look, his ego is inflated;[c]
he is without integrity.
But the righteous one will live by his faith.[d](e)
5 Moreover, wine[e] betrays;
an arrogant man is never at rest.[f]
He enlarges his appetite like Sheol,
and like Death he is never satisfied.(f)
He gathers all the nations to himself;
he collects all the peoples for himself.
The Five Woe Oracles
6 Won't all of these take up a taunt against him,
with mockery and riddles about him?
They will say:
Woe to him who amasses what is not his—
how much longer?—
and loads himself with goods taken in pledge.(g)
7 Won't your creditors suddenly arise,
and those who disturb you wake up?
Then you will become spoil for them.(h)
8 Since you have plundered many nations,
all the peoples who remain will plunder you—
because of human bloodshed
and violence against lands, cities,
and all who live in them.(i)
9 Woe to him who dishonestly makes
wealth for his house[g]
to place his nest on high,
to escape from the reach of disaster!(j)
10 You have planned shame for your house
by wiping out many peoples
and sinning against your own self.
11 For the stones will cry out(k) from the wall,
and the rafters will answer them
from the woodwork.
12 Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed
and founds a town with injustice!(l)
13 Is it not from the
Lord
of Hosts
that the peoples labor only to fuel the fire
and countries exhaust themselves for nothing?(m)
14 For the earth will be filled
with the knowledge of the
Lord
's glory,
as the waters cover the sea.(n)
15 Woe to him who gives his neighbors drink,
pouring out your wrath[h]
and even making them drunk,
in order to look at their nakedness!
16 You will be filled with disgrace instead of glory.
You also—drink,
and expose your uncircumcision![i]
The cup in the
Lord
's right hand
will come around to you,
and utter disgrace will cover your glory.(o)
17 For your violence against Lebanon
will overwhelm you;
the destruction of animals will terrify you[j]
because of your human bloodshed and violence
against lands, cities, and all who live in them.
18 What use is a carved idol
after its craftsman carves it?
It is only a cast image, a teacher of lies.
For the one who crafts its shape trusts in it
and makes idols that cannot speak.
19 Woe to him who says to wood: Wake up!
or to mute stone: Come alive!
Can it teach?
Look! It may be plated with gold and silver,
yet there is no breath in it at all.
20 But the
Lord
is in His holy temple;
let everyone on earth
be silent in His presence.(p)
Habakkuk's Third Prayer
1 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet. According to Shigionoth.[a](a)
2
Lord
, I have heard the report about You;
Lord
, I stand in awe of Your deeds.
Revive Your work in these years;
make it known in these years.
In Your wrath remember mercy!
3 God comes from Teman,
the Holy One from Mount Paran.(b)
His splendor covers the heavens,
and the earth is full of His praise.(c)
4 His brilliance is like light;
rays are flashing from His hand.
This is where His power is hidden.
5 Plague goes before Him,
and pestilence follows in His steps.
6 He stands and shakes[b] the earth;
He looks and startles the nations.
The age-old mountains break apart;
the ancient hills sink down.
His pathways are ancient.
7 I see the tents of Cushan[c] in distress;
the tent curtains of the land of Midian tremble.
8 Are You angry at the rivers,
Lord
?
Is Your wrath against the rivers?
Or is Your rage against the sea
when You ride on Your horses,
Your victorious chariot?
9 You took the sheath from Your bow;
the arrows are ready[d] to be used with an oath.[e](d)
You split the earth with rivers.
10 The mountains see You and shudder;(e)
a downpour of water sweeps by.
The deep roars with its voice(f)
and lifts its waves[f] high.
11 Sun and moon stand still in their lofty residence,(g)
at the flash of Your flying arrows,
at the brightness of Your shining spear.
12 You march across the earth with indignation;
You trample down the nations in wrath.
13 You come out to save Your people,
to save Your anointed.[g]
You crush the leader of the house of the wicked
and strip him from foot[h] to neck.
14 You pierce his head
with his own spears;
his warriors storm out to scatter us,
gloating as if ready to secretly devour the weak.
15 You tread the sea with Your horses,
stirring up the great waters.(h)
Habakkuk's Confidence in God Expressed
16 I heard, and I trembled within;(i)
my lips quivered at the sound.
Rottenness entered my bones;
I trembled where I stood.
Now I must quietly wait for the day of distress
to come against the people invading us.
17 Though the fig tree does not bud
and there is no fruit on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
18 yet I will triumph in Yahweh;
I will rejoice in the God of my salvation!(j)
19 Yahweh my Lord is my strength;
He makes my feet like those of a deer(k)
and enables me to walk on mountain heights!(l)
For the choir director: on[i] stringed instruments.
Acts 25
Chapter 25
Appeal to Caesar
1 Three days after Festus arrived in the province, he went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea.(a) 2 Then the chief priests and the leaders of the Jews presented their case against Paul to him; and they appealed,(b) 3 asking him to do them a favor against Paul,[a] that he might summon him to Jerusalem. They were preparing an ambush along the road to kill him. 4 However, Festus answered that Paul should be kept at Caesarea, and that he himself was about to go there shortly.(c) 5 "Therefore," he said, "let the men of authority among you go down with me and accuse him, if there is any wrong in this man."
6 When he had spent not more than eight or 10 days among them, he went down to Caesarea. The next day, seated at the judge's bench, he commanded Paul to be brought in.(d) 7 When he arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him and brought many serious charges that they were not able to prove,(e) 8 while Paul made the defense that, "Neither against the Jewish law,(f) nor against the temple, nor against Caesar have I sinned at all."
9 Then Festus, wanting to do a favor for the Jews,(g) replied to Paul, "Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem, there to be tried before me on these charges?"
10 But Paul said: "I am standing at Caesar's tribunal, where I ought to be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as even you can see very well. 11 If then I am doing wrong, or have done anything deserving of death, I do not refuse to die, but if there is nothing to what these men accuse me of, no one can give me up to them. I appeal to Caesar!"(h)
12 After Festus conferred with his council, he replied, "You have appealed to Caesar; to Caesar you will go!"
King Agrippa and Bernice Visit Festus
13 After some days had passed, King Agrippa[b] and Bernice arrived in Caesarea and paid a courtesy call on Festus. 14 Since they stayed there many days, Festus presented Paul's case to the king, saying, "There's a man who was left as a prisoner by Felix. 15 When I was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews presented their case and asked for a judgment against him.(i) 16 I answered them that it's not the Romans' custom to give any man up[c] before the accused confronts the accusers face to face and has an opportunity to give a defense concerning the charges.(j) 17 Therefore, when they had assembled here, I did not delay. The next day I sat at the judge's bench and ordered the man to be brought in. 18 Concerning him, the accusers stood up and brought no charge of the sort I was expecting. 19 Instead they had some disagreements(k) with him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus, a dead man Paul claimed to be alive. 20 Since I was at a loss in a dispute over such things, I asked him if he wished to go to Jerusalem and be tried there concerning these matters. 21 But when Paul appealed to be held for trial by the Emperor, I ordered him to be kept in custody until I could send him to Caesar."
22 Then Agrippa said to Festus, "I would like to hear the man myself."
"Tomorrow you will hear him," he replied.(l)
Paul before Agrippa
23 So the next day, Agrippa and Bernice(m) came with great pomp and entered the auditorium with the commanders and prominent men of the city. When Festus gave the command, Paul was brought in. 24 Then Festus said: "King Agrippa and all men present with us, you see this man about whom the whole Jewish community has appealed to me, both in Jerusalem and here, shouting that he should not live any longer.(n) 25 Now I realized that he had not done anything deserving of death, but when he himself appealed to the Emperor, I decided to send him.(o) 26 I have nothing definite to write to my lord about him. Therefore, I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after this examination is over, I may have something to write. 27 For it seems unreasonable to me to send a prisoner and not to indicate the charges against him."
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