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Daily Bible Reading
October 17 - Old & New Testament
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2 Chronicles 35
Chapter 35
The Passover Held Again
1 Then Josiah (C1)celebrated the Passover to the LORD in Jerusalem, and (C2)they slaughtered the Passover animals on the fourteenth day of the first month.2 He appointed the priests to their offices and (C1)encouraged them in the service of the house of the LORD.3 He also said to (C1)the Levites who taught all Israel and who were holy to the LORD, "Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel built; (C2)it will not be a burden on your shoulders. Now serve the LORD your God and His people Israel.4 "(C1)Prepare yourselves by your fathers' households in your divisions, according to the writing of David king of Israel and (C2)according to the writing of his son Solomon.5 "Furthermore, (C1)stand in the holy place according to the sections of the fathers' households of your countrymen, the (F1)lay people, and according to the Levites, by division of a father's household.6 "Now (C1)slaughter the Passover animals, (C2)keep one another consecrated, and prepare for your countrymen to act in accordance with the word of the LORD by Moses."
7 Josiah contributed to the lay people, to all who were present, flocks of lambs and young goats, all for the Passover offerings, numbering thirty thousand, plus three thousand bulls; these were from the king's property.8 His officers also contributed a (F1)voluntary offering to the people, the priests, and the Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, (C1)the officials of the house of God, gave the priests 2,600 from the flocks and three hundred bulls, for the Passover offerings.9 (C1)Conaniah also, and his brothers Shemaiah and Nethanel, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, the officers of the Levites, contributed five thousand from the flocks and five hundred bulls to the Levites for the Passover offerings.
10 So the service was prepared, and (C1)the priests stood at their positions and the Levites by their divisions according to the king's command.11 (F1)(C1)They slaughtered the Passover animals, and while (C2)the priests (F2)sprinkled the blood received from their hand, (C3)the Levites skinned the animals.12 Then they removed the burnt offerings so that they might give them to the sections of the fathers' households of the lay people to present to the LORD, as it is written in the Book of Moses. They did this with the bulls as well.13 So (C1)they roasted the Passover animals on the fire according to the ordinance, and they boiled (C2)the holy things in pots, in kettles, and in pans and carried them quickly to all the lay people.14 Afterward they prepared for themselves and for the priests, because the priests, the sons of Aaron, were offering the burnt offerings and the fat until night; so the Levites prepared for themselves and for the priests, the sons of Aaron.15 The singers, the sons of Asaph, were also at their positions (C1)according to the command of David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king's seer; and (C2)the gatekeepers at each gate did not have to leave their service, because their kinsmen the Levites prepared for them.
16 So all the service of the LORD was prepared on that day to celebrate the Passover, and to offer burnt offerings on the altar of the LORD according to the command of King Josiah.17 And (C1)the sons of Israel who were present celebrated the Passover at that time, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days.18 (C1)There had not been a Passover celebrated like it in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet; nor had any of the kings of Israel celebrated such a Passover as Josiah did with the priests, the Levites, all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.19 In the eighteenth year of Josiah's reign this Passover was celebrated.
Josiah Dies in Battle
20 (C1)After all this, when Josiah had set the (F1)temple in order, Neco king of Egypt came up to wage war at (C2)Carchemish on the Euphrates, and Josiah went out to engage him.21 But (F1)Neco sent messengers to him, saying, "(F2)(C1)What business do you have with me, King of Judah? I am not coming against you today, but against the house with which I am at war, and God has told me to hurry. For your own sake, stop interfering with God who is with me, so that He does not destroy you."22 However, Josiah would not turn (F1)away from him, but (C1)disguised himself in order to fight against him; nor did he listen to the words of Neco (C2)from the mouth of God, but he came to wage war on the plain of (C3)Megiddo.23 The archers shot King Josiah, and the king said to his servants, "Take me away, for I am badly wounded."24 So his servants took him out of the chariot and carried him on the second chariot which he had, and brought him to Jerusalem (F1)where he died and was buried in the tombs of his fathers. (C1)All Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.25 Then (C1)Jeremiah chanted a song of mourning for Josiah. And all the male and female singers speak about Josiah in their songs of mourning to this day. And they made them an ordinance in Israel; behold, they are also written in the Lamentations.26 Now the rest of the acts of Josiah and his deeds of devotion as written in the Law of the LORD,27 and his acts, the first to the last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.
Habakkuk 1,2,3
Chaldeans Used to Punish Judah
1 The (C1)pronouncement which Habakkuk the prophet saw:
2 (C1)How long, LORD, have I called for help,
And You do not hear?
I cry out to You, "Violence!"
Yet You do (C2)not save.
3 Why do You make me (C1)see disaster,
And make me look at destitution?
Yes, (C2)devastation and violence are before me;
(C3)Strife exists and contention arises.
4 Therefore the (C1)Law (F1)is ignored,
And justice (F2)is never upheld.
For the wicked (C2)surround the righteous;
Therefore justice comes out (C3)confused.
5 "(C1)Look among the nations! Watch!
Be horrified! (C2)Be frightened speechless!
For I am accomplishing (C3)a work in your days—
You would not believe it even if (F1)you were told!
6 "For behold, I am (C1)raising up the Chaldeans,
That (F1)grim and impetuous people
Who march (F2)throughout the earth,
To (C2)take possession of dwelling places that are not theirs.
7 "They are terrifying and (C1)feared;
Their (C2)justice and (F1)authority (F2)originate with themselves.
8 "Their (C1)horses are faster than leopards,
And quicker than (C2)wolves in the evening.
Their (F1)horsemen charge along,
Their (F1)horsemen come from afar;
They fly like an (C3)eagle (F2)swooping down to devour.
9 "All of them come for violence.
(F1)Their horde of (C1)faces moves forward.
They gather captives like sand.
10 "They (C1)make fun of kings,
And dignitaries are an object of laughter to them.
They (C2)laugh at every fortress,
Then (C3)heap up dirt and (F1)capture it.
11 "Then they fly along like the (C1)wind and pass on.
But they will be held (C2)guilty,
They whose (C3)strength is their god."
12 Are You not from (C1)time everlasting,
LORD, my God, my Holy One?
We will not die.
You, LORD, have (C2)appointed them to deliver judgment;
And You, O (C3)Rock, have destined them to punish.
13 Your eyes are too (C1)pure to look at evil,
And You cannot look at harm favorably.
Why do You (C2)look favorably
At those who deal (C3)treacherously?
Why are You (C4)silent when the wicked (C5)swallow up
Those more righteous than they?
14 Why have You made people like the fish of the sea,
Like crawling things that have no ruler over them?
15 The Chaldeans (C1)bring all of them up with a hook,
(C2)Drag them away with their net,
And gather them together in their fishing net.
Therefore they rejoice and are joyful.
16 Therefore they offer a sacrifice to their net
And (F1)burn incense to their fishing net,
Because through (C1)these things their (F2)catch is (F3)large,
And their food is (F4)plentiful.
17 Will they therefore empty their (C1)net,
And continually (C2)slay nations without sparing?
God Answers the Prophet
1 I will (C1)stand at my guard post
And station myself on the watchtower;
And I will (C2)keep watch to see (C3)what He will say to me,
And how I may reply (F1)when I am reprimanded.
2 Then the LORD answered me and said,
"(C1)Write down the vision
And inscribe it clearly on tablets,
So that one who (F1)reads it may run.
3 "For the vision is yet for the (C1)appointed time;
It (F1)hurries toward the goal and it will not (F2)fail.
Though it delays, (C2)wait for it;
For it will certainly come, it (C3)will not delay long.
4 "Behold, as for the (C1)impudent one,
His soul is not right within him;
But the (C2)righteous one will live by his (F1)faith.
5 "Furthermore, (C1)wine betrays an (C2)arrogant man,
So that he does not (C3)achieve his objective.
He (C4)enlarges his appetite like Sheol,
And he is like death, never satisfied.
He also gathers to himself all the nations
And collects to himself all the peoples.
6 "Will all of these not (C1)take up a song of ridicule against him,
Even a saying and insinuations against him
And say, '(C2)Woe to him who increases what is not his—
For how long—
And makes himself (F1)rich with debts!'
7 "Will (F1)your creditors not (C1)rise up suddenly,
And those who (F2)collect from you awaken?
Indeed, you will become plunder for them.
8 "Since you have (C1)looted many nations,
All the rest of the peoples will loot you—
Because of human bloodshed and violence (F1)done to the land,
To the town and all its inhabitants.
9 "Woe to him who makes (C1)evil profit for his household,
To (C2)put his nest on high,
To be saved from the hand of catastrophe!
10 "You have planned a (C1)shameful thing for your house
By bringing many peoples to an end;
So you are (C2)sinning against yourself.
11 "For the (C1)stone will cry out from the wall,
And the rafter will answer it from the (F1)framework.
12 "Woe to him who (C1)builds a city with bloodshed,
And founds a town with (F1)violence!
13 "Is it not indeed from the LORD of armies
That peoples (C1)labor merely for fire,
And nations become weary for nothing?
14 "For the earth will be (C1)filled
With the knowledge of the glory of the LORD,
As the waters cover the sea.
15 "Woe to him who makes his neighbor drink;
(F1)To you who mix in your venom even to make your neighbors drunk,
So as to look at their genitalia!
16 "You will be filled with disgrace rather than honor.
(C1)Drink, you yourself, and (F1)expose your own foreskin!
The (C2)cup in the LORD'S right hand will come around to you,
And (C3)utter disgrace will come upon your glory.
17 "For the (C1)violence (F1)done to Lebanon will (F2)overwhelm you,
And the devastation of its animals (F3)by which you terrified them,
(C2)Because of human bloodshed and (C3)violence (F4)done to the land,
To the town and all its inhabitants.
18 "What (C1)benefit is a carved image when its maker has carved it,
Or a cast metal image, a (C2)teacher of falsehood?
For its maker (C3)trusts in his own handiwork
When he fashions speechless idols.
19 "Woe to him who (C1)says to a piece of wood, '(C2)Awake!'
To a mute stone, 'Arise!'
That is your teacher?
Behold, it is overlaid with (C3)gold and silver,
Yet there is (C4)no breath at all inside it.
20 "But the (C1)LORD is in His holy temple.
(F1)Let all the earth (C2)be silent before Him."
God's People Saved
1 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to (F1)Shigionoth.
2 LORD, I have (C1)heard (F1)the report about You, and (F2)I was (C2)afraid.
LORD, (C3)revive (C4)Your work in the midst of the years,
In the midst of the years make it known.
In anger remember (F3)(C5)mercy.
3 God comes from (C1)Teman,
And the Holy One from Mount (C2)Paran. Selah
His (C3)splendor covers the heavens,
And the (C4)earth is full of His praise.
4 His (C1)radiance is like the sunlight;
He has rays flashing from His hand,
And the hiding of His (C2)might is there.
5 Before Him goes (C1)plague,
And (C2)plague comes forth (F1)after Him.
6 He stood and caused the earth to shudder;
He looked and (C1)caused the nations to jump.
Yes, the everlasting mountains were shattered,
The ancient hills (F1)collapsed.
His paths are (C2)everlasting.
7 I saw the tents of Cushan under (C1)distress,
The tent curtains of the land of (C2)Midian were trembling.
8 Did the LORD rage against the (C1)rivers,
Or was Your anger against the rivers,
Or was Your rage against the (C2)sea,
That You (C3)rode on Your horses,
On Your (C4)chariots of salvation?
9 You removed Your (C1)bow from its holder,
The arrows of Your word were (F1)sworn. Selah
You (C2)divided the earth with rivers.
10 The mountains saw You and quaked;
The downpour of waters swept by.
The deep (C1)raised its voice,
It lifted high its hands.
11 (C1)Sun and moon stood in their lofty places;
They went away at the (C2)light of Your arrows,
At the radiance of Your flashing spear.
12 In indignation You (C1)marched through the earth;
In anger You (F1)(C2)trampled the nations.
13 You went forth for the (C1)salvation of Your people,
For the salvation of Your (C2)anointed.
You smashed the (C3)head of the house of evil
To uncover him from (F1)foot to neck. Selah
14 You pierced with his (C1)own (F1)arrows
The head of his (F2)leaders.
They (C2)stormed in to scatter (F3)us;
Their arrogance was like those
Who (C3)devour the oppressed in secret.
15 You (C1)trampled on the sea with Your horses,
On the (C2)foam of many waters.
16 I heard, and my (F1)inner parts (C1)trembled;
At the sound, my lips quivered.
Decay enters my (C2)bones,
And in my place I tremble;
Because I (F2)must (C3)wait quietly for the day of distress,
(F3)For the (C4)people to arise who will attack us.
17 Even if the (C1)fig tree does not blossom,
And there is no (F1)fruit on the vines,
If the yield of the (C2)olive fails,
And the fields produce no food,
Even if the (C3)flock disappears from the fold,
And there are (C4)no cattle in the stalls,
18 Yet I will (C1)triumph in the LORD,
I will (C2)rejoice in the (C3)God of my salvation.
19 The Lord (F1)GOD is my (C1)strength,
And (C2)He has made my feet like deer's feet,
And has me walk on my (C3)high places.
For the choir director, on my stringed instruments.
Acts 25
Chapter 25
Paul before Festus
1 Festus, then, after arriving in (C1)the province, went up to Jerusalem from (C2)Caesarea three days later.2 And the chief priests and the leading men of the Jews (C1)brought charges against Paul, and they were pleading with (F1)Festus,3 requesting a (F1)concession against (F2)Paul, that he might (F3)have him brought to Jerusalem (at the same time, (C1)setting an ambush to kill him on the way).4 Festus then (C1)answered that Paul (C2)was being kept in custody in (C3)Caesarea, and that he himself was about to leave shortly.5 "Therefore," he (*)said, "have the influential men among you (F1)go there with me, and if there is anything wrong (F2)about the man, have them bring charges against him."
6 After Festus had spent no more than eight or ten days among them, he went down to (C1)Caesarea, and on the next day he took his seat on (C2)the tribunal and ordered that Paul be brought.7 After Paul arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing (C1)many, and serious, charges against him (C2)which they could not prove,8 while Paul said in his own defense, "(C1)I have not done anything wrong either against the Law of the Jews, or against the temple, or against Caesar."9 But Festus, (C1)wanting to do the Jews a favor, replied to Paul and said, "(C2)Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and (F1)stand trial before me on these charges?"10 But Paul said, "I am standing before Caesar's (C1)tribunal, where I ought to be tried. I have done nothing wrong to the Jews, as you also very well know.11 "If, therefore, I am in the wrong and have committed something deserving death, I am not trying to avoid execution; but if there is nothing to the accusations which these men are bringing against me, no one can hand me over to them. I (C1)appeal to Caesar."12 Then when Festus had conferred with (F1)his council, he answered, "You have appealed to Caesar; to Caesar you shall go."
13 Now when several days had passed, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived in (C1)Caesarea, paying their respects to Festus.14 And while they were spending many days there, Festus presented Paul's case to the king, saying, "There is a man who was (C1)left as a prisoner by Felix;15 and when I was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews (C1)brought charges against him, asking for a sentence of condemnation against him.16 "I (C1)replied to them that it is not the custom of the Romans to hand over any person before (C2)the accused meets his accusers face to face, and has an opportunity to make his defense against the charges.17 "So after they had assembled here, I did not delay, but on the next day took my seat on (C1)the tribunal and ordered that the man be brought.18 "When the accusers stood up, they did not begin bringing any charges (F1)against him of crimes that I suspected,19 but they simply had some (C1)points of disagreement with him about their own (F1)(C2)religion and about a dead man, Jesus, whom Paul asserted to be alive.20 "And (C1)being at a loss how to investigate (F1)such matters, I (F2)asked whether he was willing to go to Jerusalem and stand trial there on these matters.21 "But when Paul (C1)appealed to be held in custody for (F1)the Emperor's decision, I ordered that he be kept in custody until I send him to Caesar."22 Then (C1)Agrippa said to Festus, "I also would like to hear the man myself." "Tomorrow," he (*)said, "you shall hear him."
Paul before Agrippa
23 So, on the next day when (C1)Agrippa and (C1)Bernice came amid great pomp and entered the auditorium, (F1)accompanied by the commanders and the prominent men of the city, at the command of Festus, Paul was brought before them.24 And Festus (*)said, "King Agrippa, and all you gentlemen present with us, you see this man about whom (C1)all the people of the Jews appealed to me, both in Jerusalem and here, shouting that (C2)he ought not to live any longer.25 "But I found that he had committed (C1)nothing deserving death; and since he himself (C2)appealed to (F1)the Emperor, I decided to send him.26 "(F1)Yet, I have nothing definite about him to write to my lord. Therefore, I have brought him before you all and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after the investigation has taken place, I may have something to write.27 "For it seems absurd to me in sending a prisoner, not to indicate the charges against him as well."
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