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Bible Reading Plan
Daily Bible Reading
December 9 - Bible-in-a-Year
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Ezekiel 14-15
Chapter 14
Idolatrous Elders Punished
1 Some of the elders of Israel came(a) to me and sat down in front of me.(b) 2 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 3 "Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and have put sinful stumbling blocks before their faces.(c) Should I be consulted by them at all?(d)
4 "Therefore, speak to them and tell them: This is what the Lord God says: When anyone from the house of Israel sets up idols in his heart, puts a sinful stumbling block before his face, and then comes to the prophet, I, Yahweh, will answer him appropriately.[a] I will answer him according to his many idols, 5 so that I may take hold of the house of Israel by their hearts. They are all estranged from Me because of their idols.
6 "Therefore, say to the house of Israel: This is what the Lord God says: Repent and turn away(e) from your idols; turn your faces away from all your detestable things. 7 For when anyone from the house of Israel or from the foreigners who reside in Israel separates himself from Me, setting up idols in his heart and putting a sinful stumbling block before his face, and then comes to the prophet to inquire of Me,[b] I, Yahweh, will answer him Myself. 8 I will turn against that one and make him a sign and a proverb; I will cut him off from among My people.(f) Then you will know that I am Yahweh.
9 "But if the prophet is deceived and speaks a message, it was I, Yahweh, who deceived that prophet.(g) I will stretch out My hand against him and destroy him from among My people Israel.(h) 10 They will bear their punishment—the punishment of the one who inquires will be the same as that of the prophet— 11 in order that the house of Israel may no longer stray from following Me and no longer defile themselves(i) with all their transgressions. Then they will be My people and I will be their God."(j) This is the declaration of the Lord God .
Four Devastating Judgments
12 The word of the Lord came to me: 13 "Son of man, if a land sins against Me by acting faithlessly, and I stretch out My hand against it to cut off its supply of bread,(k) to send famine through it, and to wipe out both man and animal from it, 14 even if these three men(l)—Noah,(m) Daniel,(n) and Job(o)—were in it, they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness." This is the declaration of the Lord God .
15 "If I allow dangerous animals(p) to pass through the land and depopulate it so that it becomes desolate, with no one passing through it for fear of the animals, 16 even if these three men were in it, as I live"—the declaration of the Lord God —"they could not deliver their sons or daughters. They alone would be delivered, but the land would be desolate.(q)
17 "Or if I bring a sword(r) against that land and say: Let a sword pass through it, so that I wipe out both man and animal from it,(s) 18 even if these three men were in it, as I live"—the declaration of the Lord God —"they could not deliver their sons or daughters, but they alone would be delivered.
19 "Or if I send a plague into that land(t) and pour out My wrath on it with bloodshed to wipe out both man and animal from it, 20 even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live"—the declaration of the Lord God —"they could not deliver their son or daughter. They would deliver only themselves by their righteousness.
21 "For this is what the Lord God says: How much worse will it be when I send My four(u) devastating judgments against Jerusalem—sword, famine, dangerous animals, and plague—in order to wipe out both man and animal from it! 22 Even so, there will be survivors left in it, sons and daughters who will be brought out. Indeed, they will come out to you, and you will observe their conduct and actions.(v) Then you will be consoled about the devastation I have brought on Jerusalem, about all I have brought on it. 23 They will bring you consolation when you see their conduct and actions, and you will know that it was not without cause that I have done what I did to it."(w) This is the declaration of the Lord God .
Chapter 15
Parable of the Useless Vine
1 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 2 "Son of man, how does the wood of the vine,(a) that branch among the trees of the forest, compare to any other wood? 3 Can wood be taken from it to make something useful? Or can anyone make a peg from it to hang things on? 4 In fact, it is put into the fire as fuel.(b) The fire devours both of its ends, and the middle is charred. Can it be useful for anything? 5 Even when it was whole it could not be made into a useful object. How much less can it ever be made into anything useful when the fire has devoured it and it is charred!
6 "Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: Like the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire as fuel, so I will give up the residents of Jerusalem. 7 I will turn against them.(c) They may have escaped from the fire, but it will still consume them.(d) And you will know that I am Yahweh when I turn against them. 8 I will make the land desolate because they have acted unfaithfully." This is the declaration of the Lord God .
Isaiah 44
Chapter 44
Spiritual Blessing
1 "And now listen, Jacob My servant,
Israel whom I have chosen.(a)
2 This is the word of the
Lord
your Maker who formed you from the womb;
He[a] will help you:
Do not fear; Jacob is My servant;
I have chosen Jeshurun.[b](b)
3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land
and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out My Spirit(c) on your descendants
and My blessing on your offspring.
4 They will sprout among[c] the grass
like poplars by flowing streams.
5 This one will say, ‘I am the
Lord
's';
another will call himself by the name of Jacob;
still another will write on his hand, ‘The
Lord
's,'
and name himself by the name of Israel."
No God Other Than Yahweh
6 This is what the Lord , the King of Israel and its Redeemer,(d) the Lord of Hosts, says:
I am the first and I am the last.(e)
There is no God but Me.(f)
7 Who, like Me, can announce the future?
Let him say so and make a case before Me,(g)
since I have established an ancient people.
Let these gods declare[d] the coming things,
and what will take place.
8 Do not be startled or afraid.
Have I not told you and declared it long ago?
You are my witnesses!(h)
Is there any God but Me?(i)
There is no other Rock;(j) I do not know any.
9 All who make idols are nothing,
and what they treasure does not profit.
Their witnesses do not see or know anything,
so they will be put to shame.(k)
10 Who makes a god or casts a metal image
for no profit?(l)
11 Look, all its worshipers will be put to shame,
and the craftsmen are humans.
They all will assemble and stand;
they all will be startled and put to shame.
12 The ironworker labors over the coals,
shapes the idol with hammers,
and works it with his strong arm.
Also he grows hungry and his strength fails;
he doesn't drink water and is faint.
13 The woodworker stretches out a measuring line,
he outlines it with a stylus;
he shapes it with chisels
and outlines it with a compass.
He makes it according to a human likeness,(m)
like a beautiful person,
to dwell in a temple.
14 He cuts down[e] cedars for his use,
or he takes a cypress or an oak.
He lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest.
He plants a laurel, and the rain makes it grow.
15 It serves as fuel for man.
He takes some of it and warms himself;
also he kindles a fire and bakes bread;
he even makes it into a god and worships it;
he makes an idol from it and bows down to it.
16 He burns half of it in a fire,
and he roasts meat on that half.
He eats the roast and is satisfied.
He warms himself and says, "Ah!
I am warm, I see the blaze."
17 He makes a god or his idol with the rest of it.
He bows down to it and worships;
He prays to it,(n) "Save me, for you are my god."
18 Such people[f] do not comprehend
and cannot understand,
for He has shut their eyes[g] so they cannot see,
and their minds so they cannot understand.
19 No one reflects,
no one has the perception or insight to say,
"I burned half of it in the fire,
I also baked bread on its coals,
I roasted meat and ate.
I will make something detestable(o) with the rest of it,
and I will bow down to a block of wood."
20 He feeds on[h] ashes.
His deceived mind has led him astray,
and he cannot deliver himself,
or say, "Isn't there a lie in my right hand?"(p)
21 Remember these things, Jacob,
and Israel, for you are My servant;
I formed you, you are My servant;
Israel, you will never be forgotten by Me.[i](q)
22 I have swept away your transgressions like a cloud,(r)
and your sins like a mist.
Return to Me,(s)
for I have redeemed you.(t)
23 Rejoice, heavens,(u) for the
Lord
has acted;
shout, depths of the earth.
Break out into singing, mountains,
forest, and every tree in it.
For the
Lord
has redeemed Jacob,
and glorifies Himself through Israel.(v)
Restoration of Israel through Cyrus
24 This is what the Lord , your Redeemer(w) who formed you from the womb,(x) says:
I am Yahweh, who made everything;
who stretched out the heavens by Myself;(y)
who alone spread out the earth;
25 who destroys the omens of the false prophets
and makes fools of diviners;
who confounds the wise
and makes their knowledge foolishness;(z)
26 who confirms the message of His servant
and fulfills the counsel of His messengers;
who says to Jerusalem, "She will be inhabited,"
and to the cities of Judah, "They will be rebuilt,"
and I will restore her ruins;
27 who says to the depths of the sea, "Be dry,"
and I will dry up your rivers;
28 who says to Cyrus,(aa) "My shepherd,
he will fulfill all My pleasure"(ab)
and says to Jerusalem, "She will be rebuilt,"(ac)
and of the temple, "Its foundation will be laid."
Ephesians 5:1-20
Chapter 5
1 Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children. 2 And walk in love, as the Messiah also loved us and gave Himself for us,(a) a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God. 3 But sexual immorality(b) and any impurity(c) or greed(d) should not even be heard of[a] among you, as is proper for saints. 4 Coarse and foolish talking or crude joking are not suitable, but rather giving thanks. 5 For know and recognize this: Every sexually immoral(e) or impure(f) or greedy(g) person, who is an idolater, does not have an inheritance in the kingdom(h) of the Messiah and of God.
Light versus Darkness
6 Let no one deceive you with empty arguments, for God's wrath(i) is coming on the disobedient because of these things.[b] 7 Therefore, do not become their partners. 8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light(j) in the Lord. Walk as children of light(k)— 9 for the fruit of the light[c] results in all goodness, righteousness, and truth(l)— 10 discerning(m) what is pleasing(n) to the Lord. 11 Don't participate in the fruitless(o) works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to mention what is done by them in secret. 13 Everything exposed by the light is made clear,(p) 14 for what makes everything clear is light. Therefore it is said:
Get up, sleeper,(q) and rise up from the dead,(r)
and the Messiah will shine on you.[d](s)
Consistency in the Christian Life
15 Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise— 16 making the most of the time,[e](t) because the days are evil. 17 So don't be foolish, but understand(u) what the Lord's will(v) is. 18 And don't get drunk(w) with wine,(x) which leads to reckless actions, but be filled by the Spirit:(y)
19 speaking to one another
in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs,
singing and making music
from your heart to the Lord,
20 giving thanks always for everything
to God the Father
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
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