the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
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Bible Reading Plan
Daily Bible Reading
December 27 - Old & New Testament
csb
Nehemiah 7,8,9
1 1 all the people gathered together(a) at the square in front of the Water Gate.(b) They asked Ezra the scribe(c) to bring the book of the law of Moses(d) that the Lord had given Israel. 2 On the first day of the seventh month,(e) Ezra the priest(f) brought the law(g) before the assembly of men, women, and all who could listen with understanding. 3 While he was facing the square in front of the Water Gate,(h) he read out of it from daybreak until noon before the men, the women, and those who could understand. All the people listened attentively[a] to the book of the law.(i) 4 Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden platform(j) made for this purpose. Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah stood beside him on his right; to his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hash-baddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam. 5 Ezra opened the book in full view of all the people, since he was elevated above everyone. As he opened it, all the people stood up. 6 Ezra praised the Lord , the great God, and with their hands uplifted(k) all the people said, "Amen, Amen!"(l) Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.(m)
7 Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah,(n) who were Levites,[b](o) explained the law(p) to the people as they stood in their places. 8 They read out of the book of the law of God, translating and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was read. 9 Nehemiah the governor,(q) Ezra the priest and scribe,(r) and the Levites who were instructing the people said to all of them, "This day(s) is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep."(t) For all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the law. 10 Then he said to them, "Go and eat what is rich, drink what is sweet, and send portions to those who have nothing prepared,(u) since today(v) is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, because the joy of the Lord is your stronghold."(w) 11 And the Levites quieted all the people, saying, "Be still,(x) since today(y) is holy. Do not grieve." 12 Then all the people began to eat and drink, send portions, and have a great celebration,(z) because they had understood the words that were explained to them.
Festival of Booths Observed
13 On the second day, the family leaders of all the people, along with the priests and Levites,(aa) assembled before Ezra the scribe(ab) to study the words of the law. 14 They found written in the law how the Lord had commanded through Moses that the Israelites should dwell in booths during the festival of the seventh month.(ac) 15 So they proclaimed and spread this news throughout their towns and in Jerusalem, saying, "Go out to the hill country and bring back branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees to make booths, just as it is written."(ad) 16 The people went out, brought back branches, and made booths for themselves on each of their rooftops,(ae) and courtyards, the court of the house of God, the square by the Water Gate,(af) and the square by the Gate of Ephraim.(ag) 17 The whole community that had returned from exile(ah) made booths and lived in them. They had not celebrated like this from the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day.(ai) And there was tremendous joy.(aj) 18 Ezra[c] read out of the book of the law of God(ak) every day, from the first day to the last. The Israelites celebrated the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day there was an assembly, according to the ordinance.(al)
National Confession of Sin
1 On the twenty-fourth day of this month(a) the Israelites assembled; they were fasting, wearing sackcloth, and had put dust on their heads.(b) 2 Those of Israelite descent separated themselves from all foreigners,(c) and they stood(d) and confessed their sins and the guilt of their fathers.(e) 3 While they stood in their places,(f) they read from the book of the law of the Lord their God for a fourth of the day and spent another fourth of the day(g) in confession(h) and worship of the Lord their God. 4 Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani stood on the raised platform built for the Levites(i) and cried out loudly to the Lord their God. 5 Then the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah(j)—said, "Stand up. Praise Yahweh your God from everlasting to everlasting."(k)
Praise Your glorious name,(l)
and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise.
6 You[a] alone are Yahweh.(m)
You created the heavens,
the highest heavens with all their host,
the earth and all that is on it,
the seas and all that is in them.
You give life to all of them,(n)
and the heavenly host worships You.(o)
7 You are Yahweh,
the God who chose Abram
and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans,(p)
and changed his name to Abraham.(q)
8 You found his heart faithful in Your sight,(r)
and made a covenant with him
to give the land of the Canaanites,
Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites,
Jebusites, and Girgashites—
to give it to his descendants.(s)
You have kept Your promise,
for You are righteous.
9 You saw the oppression of our ancestors in Egypt(t)
and heard their cry at the Red Sea.
10 You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh,
all his officials, and all the people of his land,(u)
for You knew how arrogantly they treated our ancestors.
You made a name for Yourself
that endures to this day.
11 You divided the sea before them,
and they crossed through it on dry ground.(v)
You hurled their pursuers into the depths
like a stone into churning waters.(w)
12 You led them with a pillar of cloud by day,
and with a pillar of fire by night,
to illuminate the way they should go.(x)
13 You came down on Mount Sinai,(y)
and spoke to them from heaven.
You gave them impartial ordinances, reliable instructions,
and good statutes and commands.
14 You revealed Your holy Sabbath to them,
and gave them commands, statutes, and instruction
through Your servant Moses.(z)
15 You provided bread from heaven(aa) for their hunger;
You brought them water from the rock(ab) for their thirst.
You told them to go in and possess the land
You had sworn[b] to give them.(ac)
16 But our ancestors acted arrogantly;
they became stiff-necked and did not listen to Your commands.
17 They refused to listen
and did not remember Your wonders
You performed among them.(ad)
They became stiff-necked and appointed a leader
to return to their slavery in Egypt.[c](ae)
But You are a forgiving God,
gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in faithful love,(af)
and You did not abandon them.
18 Even after they had cast an image of a calf
for themselves and said,
"This is your God who brought you out of Egypt,"(ag)
and they had committed terrible blasphemies,
19 You did not abandon them in the wilderness
because of Your great compassion.
During the day the pillar of cloud
never turned away from them,
guiding them on their journey.
And during the night the pillar of fire
illuminated the way they should go.(ah)
20 You sent Your good Spirit(ai) to instruct them.
You did not withhold Your manna(aj) from their mouths,
and You gave them water for their thirst.(ak)
21 You provided for them in the wilderness 40 years(al)
and they lacked nothing.
Their clothes did not wear out,
and their feet did not swell.(am)
22 You gave them kingdoms and peoples
and assigned them to be a boundary.
They took possession
of the land of Sihon[d] king of Heshbon
and of the land of Og king of Bashan.(an)
23 You multiplied their descendants
like the stars of heaven(ao)
and brought them to the land
You told their ancestors to go in and take possession of it.
24 So their descendants went in and possessed the land:
You subdued the Canaanites who inhabited the land before them
and handed their kings and the surrounding peoples over to them,(ap)
to do as they pleased with them.
25 They captured fortified cities and fertile land
and took possession of well-supplied houses,
cisterns cut out of rock, vineyards,
olive groves, and fruit trees in abundance.(aq)
They ate, were filled,
became prosperous, and delighted in Your great goodness.
26 But they were disobedient and rebelled against You.
They flung Your law behind their backs(ar)
and killed Your prophets(as)
who warned them
in order to turn them back to You.
They committed terrible blasphemies.
27 So You handed them over to their enemies,
who oppressed them.
In their time of distress, they cried out to You,
and You heard from heaven.
In Your abundant compassion
You gave them deliverers, who rescued them
from the power of their enemies.
28 But as soon as they had relief,
they again did what was evil in Your sight.
So You abandoned them to the power of their enemies,
who dominated them.
When they cried out to You again,
You heard from heaven and rescued them
many times in Your compassion.(at)
29 You warned them to turn back to Your law,
but they acted arrogantly
and would not obey Your commands.
They sinned against Your ordinances,
which a person will live by if he does them.(au)
They stubbornly resisted,[e]
stiffened their necks, and would not obey.
30 You were patient with them for many years,
and Your Spirit warned them through Your prophets,(av)
but they would not listen.
Therefore, You handed them over to the surrounding peoples.(aw)
31 However, in Your abundant compassion,
You did not destroy them or abandon them,(ax)
for You are a gracious and compassionate God.(ay)
32 So now, our God—the great, mighty,
and awe-inspiring God who keeps His gracious covenant(az)—
do not view lightly all the hardships that have afflicted us,
our kings and leaders,
our priests and prophets,
our ancestors and all Your people,
from the days of the Assyrian kings(ba) until today.
33 You are righteous concerning all that has come on us,
because You have acted faithfully,
while we have acted wickedly.(bb)
34 Our kings, leaders, priests, and ancestors
did not obey Your law
or listen to Your commands
and warnings You gave them.
35 When they were in their kingdom,
with Your abundant goodness that You gave them,
and in the spacious and fertile land You set before them,(bc)
they would not serve You or turn from their wicked ways.
36 Here we are today,
slaves in the land You gave our ancestors
so that they could enjoy its fruit and its goodness.
Here we are—slaves in it!(bd)
37 Its abundant harvest goes to the kings
You have set over us,
because of our sins.
They rule over our bodies
and our livestock as they please.(be)
We are in great distress.
Israel's Vow of Faithfulness
38 [f]In view of all this, we are making a binding agreement(bf) in writing on a sealed document containing the names of our leaders, Levites, and priests.(bg)
Revelation 18
Chapter 18
The Fall of Babylon the Great
1 After this I saw another angel with great authority coming down from heaven, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. 2 He cried in a mighty voice:
It has fallen,[a]
Babylon the Great has fallen!(a)
She has become a dwelling for demons,
a haunt for every unclean spirit,
a haunt for every unclean bird,
and a haunt[b] for every unclean and despicable beast.[c](b)
3 For all the nations have drunk[d]
the wine of her sexual immorality,
which brings wrath.(c)
The kings of the earth
have committed sexual immorality with her,
and the merchants of the earth
have grown wealthy from her excessive luxury.
4 Then I heard another voice from heaven:
Come out of her, My people,
so that you will not share in her sins(d)
or receive any of her plagues.
5 For her sins are piled up[e] to heaven,(e)
and God has remembered her crimes.
6 Pay her back the way she also paid,(f)
and double it according to her works.(g)
In the cup in which she mixed,(h)
mix a double portion for her.
7 As much as she glorified herself and lived luxuriously,
give her that much torment and grief,
for she says in her heart,
"I sit as a queen;
I am not a widow,
and I will never see grief."(i)
8 For this reason her plagues will come in one day[f]—
death and grief and famine.
She will be burned up with fire,
because the Lord God who judges her is mighty.
The World Mourns Babylon's Fall
9 The kings of the earth who have committed sexual immorality and lived luxuriously with her will weep and mourn over her when they see the smoke of her burning. 10 They will stand far off in fear of her torment, saying:
Woe, woe, the great city,
Babylon, the mighty city!
For in a single hour[g]
your judgment has come.
11 The merchants of the earth will also weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their merchandise any longer— 12 merchandise of gold, silver, precious stones, and pearls; fine fabrics of linen, purple, silk, and scarlet; all kinds of fragrant wood products; objects of ivory; objects of expensive wood, brass,[h] iron, and marble; 13 cinnamon, spice,[i][j] incense, myrrh,[k] and frankincense; wine, olive oil, fine wheat flour, and grain; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and slaves[l] and human lives.[m](j)
14 The fruit you craved has left you.
All your splendid and glamorous things are gone;
they will never find them again.
15 The merchants of these things, who became rich from her, will stand far off in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning, 16 saying:
Woe, woe, the great city,
dressed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet,
adorned with gold, precious stones, and pearls,
17 for in a single hour[n]
such fabulous wealth was destroyed!
And every shipmaster, seafarer, the sailors, and all who do business by sea, stood far off 18 as they watched the smoke from her burning and kept crying out: "Who is like the great city?"(k) 19 They threw dust on their heads and kept crying out, weeping, and mourning:(l)
Woe, woe, the great city,(m)
where all those who have ships on the sea
became rich from her wealth,
for in a single hour[o] she was destroyed.
20 Rejoice over her, heaven,
and you saints, apostles, and prophets,(n)
because God has executed your judgment on her![p]
The Finality of Babylon's Fall
21 Then a mighty angel(o) picked up a stone like a large millstone and threw it into the sea, saying:
In this way, Babylon the great city
will be thrown down violently(p)
and never be found again.(q)
22 The sound of harpists, musicians,
flutists, and trumpeters
will never be heard in you again;(r)
no craftsman of any trade
will ever be found in you again;
the sound of a mill
will never be heard in you again;
23 the light of a lamp
will never shine in you again;
and the voice of a groom and bride
will never be heard in you again.(s)
All this will happen
because your merchants
were the nobility of the earth,
because all the nations were deceived
by your sorcery,[q]
24 and the blood of prophets and saints,
and of all those slaughtered on earth,
was found in you.[r](t)
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.
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