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Bible Reading Plan
Daily Bible Reading
December 27 - Old & New Testament
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Nehemiah 7,8,9
Census of First Returned Exiles
1 Now when (C1)the wall was rebuilt and I had installed the doors, and the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites were appointed,2 then I put (C1)Hanani my brother, and (C2)Hananiah the commander of (C3)the citadel, in charge of Jerusalem, for he was (C4)a faithful man and feared God more than many.3 Then I said to them, "The gates of Jerusalem are not to be opened until the sun is hot, and while they are standing guard, the gatekeepers are to (F1)keep the doors shut and bolted. Also appoint guards from the inhabitants of Jerusalem, each at his post, and each in front of his own house."4 Now the city was large and spacious, but the people in it were few and the houses were not built.
5 (C1)Then my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials, and the other people to be enrolled by genealogies. Then I found the book of the genealogy of those who came up first, (F1)in which I found the following record:
6 (C1)These are the (F1)people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had taken into exile, and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his city,
7 who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, (F1)Azariah, (F2)Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, (F3)Mispereth, Bigvai, (F4)Nehum, and Baanah.
39 The priests: the sons of Jedaiah of the house of Jeshua, 973;40 the sons of Immer, 1,052;41 the sons of Pashhur, 1,247;42 the sons of Harim, 1,017.
43 The Levites: the sons of Jeshua, of Kadmiel, of the sons of (F1)Hodevah, 74.44 The singers: the sons of Asaph, 148.45 The gatekeepers: the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, the sons of Shobai, 138.
46 The temple servants: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth,47 the sons of Keros, the sons of (F1)Sia, the sons of Padon,48 the sons of Lebana, the sons of Hagaba, the sons of Shalmai,49 the sons of Hanan, the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar,50 the sons of Reaiah, the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekoda,51 the sons of Gazzam, the sons of Uzza, the sons of Paseah,52 the sons of Besai, the sons of Meunim, the sons of (F1)Nephushesim,53 the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of Harhur,54 the sons of (F1)Bazlith, the sons of Mehida, the sons of Harsha,55 the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Temah,56 the sons of Neziah, the sons of Hatipha.
57 The sons of Solomon's servants: the sons of Sotai, the sons of (F1)Sophereth, the sons of (F2)Perida,58 the sons of Jaala, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Giddel,59 the sons of Shephatiah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of Pochereth-hazzebaim, and the sons of (F1)Amon.
60 All the temple servants and the sons of Solomon's servants totaled 392.
61 These were the ones who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, (F1)Addon, and Immer; but they could not provide evidence for their fathers' households or their (F2)descendants, whether they were of Israel:62 the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, the sons of Nekoda, 642.63 And of the priests: the sons of Hobaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, the sons of Barzillai, who took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai, the Gileadite, and was named after them.64 These searched among their ancestral registration, but it could not be located; therefore they were considered unclean and disqualified from the priesthood.65 And (C1)the (F1)governor said to them that they were not to eat from the most holy things until a priest arose with (C2)Urim and Thummim.
Total of People and Gifts
66 The whole assembly together totaled 42,360,67 besides their male slaves and their female slaves, (F1)of whom there were 7,337; and they had 245 male and female singers.68 (F1)(C1)Their horses were 736; their mules, 245;69 their camels, 435; their donkeys, 6,720.
70 Some of the heads of fathers' households gave to the work. The (F1)(C1)governor gave to the treasury a thousand gold drachmas, fifty basins, and 530 priests' garments.71 And some of the heads of fathers' households gave to the treasury for the work twenty thousand gold drachmas and 2,200 silver minas.72 What the rest of the people gave was twenty thousand gold drachmas, two thousand silver minas, and sixty-seven priests' garments.
73 Now (C1)the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the temple servants, and all Israel lived in their cities.
Ezra Reads the Law
1 And all the people gathered as one person at the public square which was in front of (C1)the Water Gate, and they (F1)asked (C2)Ezra the scribe to bring (C3)the Book of the Law of Moses which the LORD had (F2)given to Israel.2 Then (C1)Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men, women, and all who could listen with understanding, on (C2)the first day of the seventh month.3 And he read from it before the public square which was in front of (C1)the Water Gate, from (F1)early morning until midday, in the presence of men and women, those who could understand; and (F2)all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.4 Ezra the scribe stood at a wooden podium which they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right; and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam on his left.5 Then Ezra opened (C1)the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people (C2)stood up.6 Then Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, "(C1)Amen, Amen!" with the raising of their hands; then (C2)they kneeled down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.7 Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites explained the Law to the people while the people remained in their place.8 They read from the book, from the Law of God, (F1)translating to give the sense so that they understood the reading.
This Day Is Holy
9 Then Nehemiah, who was the (F1)(C1)governor, and Ezra (C2)the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, "(C3)This day is holy to the LORD your God; (C4)do not mourn or weep." For all the people were weeping when they heard the words of the Law.10 Then he said to them, "Go, eat the festival foods, drink the sweet drinks, and (C1)send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your (F1)refuge."11 So the Levites silenced all the people, saying, "Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved."12 Then all the people went away to eat, drink, (C1)to send portions, and to (F1)celebrate a great feast, (C2)because they understood the words which had been made known to them.
Feast of Booths Restored
13 Then on the second day the heads of fathers' households of all the people, the priests, and the Levites were gathered to Ezra the scribe so that they might gain insight into the words of the Law.14 And they found written in the Law how the LORD had commanded through Moses that the sons of Israel (C1)were to live in (F1)booths during the feast of the seventh month.15 (C1)And that they were to proclaim and circulate a proclamation in all their cities and (C2)in Jerusalem, saying, "(C3)Go out to the hills, and bring olive branches and (F1)wild olive branches, myrtle branches, palm branches, and branches of other trees with thick branches, to make booths, as it is written."16 So the people went out and brought them and made booths for themselves, each (C1)on his roof, and in their courtyards and in the courtyards of the house of God, and in the public square at (C2)the Water Gate, and in the square at (C3)the Gate of Ephraim.17 The entire assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in the booths. Indeed, the sons of Israel (C1)had not done so since the days of Joshua the son of Nun to that day. And (C2)there was very great rejoicing.18 (C1)He read from the Book of the Law of God daily, from the first day to the last day. And they (C2)celebrated the feast seven days, and on (C3)the eighth day there was a festive assembly in accordance with the ordinance.
The People Confess Their Sin
1 Now on the twenty-fourth day of (C1)this month the sons of Israel assembled (C2)with fasting, in sackcloth and with (C3)dirt upon them.2 The (F1)(C1)descendants of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners, and they stood and (C2)confessed their sins and the wrongdoings of their fathers.3 While (C1)they stood in their place, they read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshiped the LORD their God.4 (C1)Now on the Levites' platform stood Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani, and they cried out with a loud voice to the LORD their God.
5 Then the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah said, "Arise, bless the LORD your God forever and ever! May Your glorious name be blessed
And exalted above all blessing and praise!
6 "(C1)You alone are the LORD.
(C2)You have made the heavens,
The heaven of heavens with all their (F1)lights,
The earth and everything that is on it,
The seas and everything that is in them.
(C3)You give life to all of them,
And the heavenly (F1)lights bow down before You.
7 "You are the LORD God,
(C1)Who chose Abram
And brought him out from (C2)Ur of the Chaldees,
And (C3)gave him the name Abraham.
8 "You found (C1)his heart faithful before You,
And made a covenant with him
To give him the land of the Canaanite,
Of the Hittite and the Amorite,
Of the Perizzite, the Jebusite, and the Girgashite—
To give it to his (F1)descendants.
And You (C2)have fulfilled Your (F2)promise,
Because You are righteous.
9 "(C1)You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt,
And (C2)heard their cry by the (F1)Red Sea.
10 "Then You performed (C1)signs and wonders against Pharaoh,
Against all his servants and all the people of his land;
For You knew that (C2)they acted arrogantly toward them,
And You (C3)made a name for Yourself as it is this day.
11 "(C1)You divided the sea before them,
So they passed through the midst of the sea on dry ground;
And You hurled (C2)their pursuers into the depths,
Like a stone into (F1)raging waters.
12 "And with a pillar of cloud (C1)You led them by day,
And with a pillar of fire by night
To light for them the way
In which they were to go.
13 "Then (C1)You came down on Mount Sinai,
And (C2)spoke with them from heaven;
You gave them (C3)just ordinances and true laws,
Good statutes and commandments.
14 "So You made known to them (C1)Your holy Sabbath,
And gave them commandments, statutes, and law,
Through Your servant Moses.
15 "You (C1)provided bread from heaven for them for their hunger,
You (C2)brought out water from a rock for them for their thirst,
And You (C3)told them to enter in order to take possession of
The land which You (F1)swore to give them.
16 "But they, our fathers, (C1)acted arrogantly;
They (F1)(C2)became stubborn and would not listen to Your commandments.
17 "They refused to listen,
And (C1)did not remember Your wondrous deeds which You performed among them;
So they became stubborn and (C2)appointed a leader to return to their slavery in (F1)Egypt.
But You are a God (C3)of forgiveness,
Gracious and compassionate,
Slow to anger and abounding in (F2)mercy;
And You did not abandon them.
18 "Even when they (C1)made for themselves
A calf of cast metal
And said, 'This is your (F1)god
Who brought you up from Egypt,'
And committed great blasphemies,
19 (C1)You, in Your great compassion,
Did not abandon them in the wilderness;
(C2)The pillar of cloud did not leave them by day,
To guide them on their way,
Nor the pillar of fire by night, to light for them the way in which they were to go.
20 "Instead, (C1)You gave Your good Spirit to instruct them,
You did not withhold Your manna from their mouth,
And You gave them water for their thirst.
21 "Indeed, for (C1)forty years You provided for them in the wilderness and they were not lacking;
Their clothes did not wear out, nor did their feet swell up.
22 "You also gave them kingdoms and peoples,
And allotted them to them as a (F1)boundary.
(C1)They took possession of the land of Sihon (F2)the king of Heshbon
And the land of Og the king of Bashan.
23 "You made their sons as numerous as (C1)the stars of heaven,
And You brought them into the land
Which You had told their fathers to enter and possess.
24 "(C1)So their sons entered and took possession of the land.
And (C2)You subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites,
And You handed them over to them, with their kings and the peoples of the land,
To do with them (F1)as they desired.
25 "(C1)They captured fortified cities and a (F1)(C2)fertile land.
They took possession of (C3)houses full of every good thing,
Carved out cisterns, vineyards, olive groves,
Fruit trees in abundance.
So they ate, were filled and (C4)put on fat,
And (C5)lived luxuriously in Your great goodness.
26 "(C1)But they became rebellious and revolted against You,
And (C2)threw Your Law behind their backs
And (C3)killed Your prophets who had (C4)admonished them
In order to bring them back to You,
And (C5)they committed great blasphemies.
27 "Therefore You (C1)handed them over to their enemies who oppressed them,
But when they cried out to You (C2)in the time of their distress,
You heard from heaven, and according to Your great compassion
You (C3)gave them (F1)people who saved them from the hand of their enemies.
28 "But (C1)as soon as they had rest, they did evil again before You;
Therefore You abandoned them to the hand of their enemies, so that they ruled over them.
When they cried out again to You, You heard from heaven,
And (C2)many times You rescued them according to Your compassion,
29 And (C1)admonished them in order to turn them back to Your Law.
Yet (C2)they acted arrogantly and did not listen to Your commandments but sinned against Your ordinances,
(C3)Which, if a person (F1)follows them, then he will live by them.
And they (F2)(C4)turned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck, and would not listen.
30 "(C1)However, You remained patient with them for many years,
And (C2)admonished them by (C3)Your Spirit through Your prophets,
Yet they would not listen.
Therefore You handed them over to the peoples of the lands.
31 "Nevertheless, in Your great compassion You (C1)did not make an end of them or abandon them,
For You are (C2)a gracious and compassionate God.
32 "Now then, our God, (C1)the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps His covenant and faithfulness,
Do not let all the hardship seem insignificant before You,
Which has happened to us, our kings, our leaders, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and to all Your people,
(C2)From the days of the kings of Assyria to this day.
33 "However, (C1)You are righteous in everything that has happened to us;
For You have dealt faithfully, but we have acted wickedly.
34 "For our kings, our leaders, our priests, and our fathers have not kept Your Law
Or paid attention to Your commandments and Your (F1)admonitions with which You have (F2)admonished them.
35 "But (C1)they, in their own kingdom,
(C2)With Your great goodness which You gave them,
With the broad and rich land which You placed before them,
Did not serve You or turn from their evil deeds.
36 "Behold, (C1)we are slaves today,
And as for the land which You gave to our fathers to eat its fruit and its bounty,
Behold, we are slaves on it.
37 "And (C1)its abundant produce is for the kings
Whom You have set over us because of our sins;
They also rule over our bodies
And over our cattle as they please,
So we are in great distress.
A Covenant Results
38 "(F1)Now because of all this
(C1)We are making an agreement in writing;
And on the (C2)sealed document are the names of our leaders, our Levites, and our priests."
Revelation 18
Chapter 18
Babylon Is Fallen
1 After these things I saw another (C1)angel (C2)coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was (C3)illuminated from his glory.2 And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, "(F1)(C1)Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She (C2)has become a dwelling place of demons and a (F2)prison of every (C3)unclean spirit, and a (F2)prison of every unclean and hateful bird.3 "For all the nations have fallen because of the (C1)wine of the passion of her sexual immorality, and (C2)the kings of the earth have committed acts of sexual immorality with her, and the (C3)merchants of the earth have become rich from the (F1)excessive wealth of her (F2)(C4)luxury."
4 I heard another voice from heaven, saying, "(C1)Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive any of her plagues;5 for her sins have (F1)(C1)piled up as high as heaven, and God has (C2)remembered her offenses.6 "(C1)Pay her back even as she has paid, and (F1)give back to her double according to her deeds; in the (C2)cup which she has mixed, mix twice as much for her.7 "(C1)To the extent that she glorified herself and (C2)lived luxuriously, to the same extent give her torment and mourning; for she says in her heart, '(C3)I sit as a queen and I am not a widow, and will never see mourning.'8 "For this reason (C1)in one day her plagues will come, (F1)plague and mourning and famine, and she will be (C2)burned up with fire; for the Lord God who judges her (C3)is strong.
Grief over Babylon
9 "And (C1)the kings of the earth, who committed acts of sexual immorality and (C2)lived luxuriously with her, will (C3)weep and mourn over her when they (C4)see the smoke of her burning,10 (C1)standing at a distance because of the fear of her torment, saying, '(C2)Woe, woe, (C3)the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For in (C4)one hour your judgment has come.'
11 "And the (C1)merchants of the earth (C2)weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargo any more—12 cargo of (C1)gold, silver, precious (F1)stones, and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet; every kind of citron wood, every article of ivory, and every article made from very valuable wood, (F2)bronze, iron, and marble;13 cinnamon, (F1)spice, incense, perfume, frankincense, wine, olive oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle, sheep, and cargo of horses, carriages, (F2)slaves, and (C1)human lives.14 "The fruit (F1)you long for has left you, and all things that were luxurious and splendid have passed away from you and people will no longer find them.15 "The (C1)merchants of (C2)these things, who became rich from her, will (C3)stand at a distance because of the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning,16 saying, '(C1)Woe, woe, (C2)the great city, she who (C3)was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and (F1)adorned with gold, precious (F2)stones, and pearls;17 for in (C1)one hour such great wealth has been laid (C2)waste!' And (C3)every shipmaster and every (F1)passenger and sailor, and all who (F2)make their living by the sea, (C1)stood at a distance,18 and were (C1)crying out as they (C2)saw the smoke of her burning, saying, '(C3)What city is like (C4)the great city?'19 "And they threw (C1)dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying, '(C2)Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had ships at sea (C3)became rich from her prosperity, for in (C2)one hour she has been laid (C4)waste!'20 "(C1)Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you (F1)saints and (C2)apostles and prophets, because (C3)God has (F2)pronounced judgment for you against her."
21 Then (F1)a (C1)strong angel (C2)picked up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, "So will Babylon, (C3)the great city, be thrown down with violence, and (C4)will never be found again.22 "And (C1)the sound of harpists, musicians, flute players, and trumpeters will never be heard in you again; and no craftsman of any craft will ever be found in you again; and the (C2)sound of a mill will never be heard in you again;23 and the light of a lamp will never shine in you again; and the (C1)voice of the groom and bride will never be heard in you again; for your (C2)merchants were the powerful people of the earth, because all the nations were deceived (C3)by your witchcraft.24 "And in her was found the (C1)blood of prophets and of (F1)saints, and of (C2)all who have been slaughtered on the earth."
Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995,2020 by The Lockman Foundation
