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Daily Bible Reading
November 10 - Old & New Testament
niv
2 Chronicles 36
Chapter 36
1 1 And the people(a) of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah and made him king in Jerusalem in place of his father.
Jehoahaz King of Judah(b)
2 Jehoahaz[a] was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. 3 The king of Egypt dethroned him in Jerusalem and imposed on Judah a levy of a hundred talents[b] of silver and a talent[c] of gold. 4 The king of Egypt made Eliakim, a brother of Jehoahaz, king over Judah and Jerusalem and changed Eliakim's name to Jehoiakim. But Necho(c) took Eliakim's brother Jehoahaz and carried him off to Egypt.(d)
Jehoiakim King of Judah(e)
5 Jehoiakim(f) was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord his God. 6 Nebuchadnezzar(g) king of Babylon attacked him and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon.(h) 7 Nebuchadnezzar also took to Babylon articles from the temple of the Lord and put them in his temple[d] there.(i)
8 The other events of Jehoiakim's reign, the detestable things he did and all that was found against him, are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. And Jehoiachin his son succeeded him as king.
Jehoiachin King of Judah(j)
9 Jehoiachin(k) was eighteen[e] years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months and ten days. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord . 10 In the spring, King Nebuchadnezzar sent for him and brought him to Babylon,(l) together with articles of value from the temple of the Lord , and he made Jehoiachin's uncle,[f] Zedekiah, king over Judah and Jerusalem.
Zedekiah King of Judah(m)
11 Zedekiah(n) was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. 12 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord (o) his God and did not humble(p) himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke the word of the Lord . 13 He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him take an oath(q) in God's name. He became stiff-necked(r) and hardened his heart and would not turn to the Lord , the God of Israel. 14 Furthermore, all the leaders of the priests and the people became more and more unfaithful,(s) following all the detestable practices of the nations and defiling the temple of the Lord , which he had consecrated in Jerusalem.
The Fall of Jerusalem(t)(u)
15 The Lord , the God of their ancestors, sent word to them through his messengers(v) again and again,(w) because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place. 16 But they mocked God's messengers, despised his words and scoffed(x) at his prophets until the wrath(y) of the Lord was aroused against his people and there was no remedy.(z) 17 He brought up against them the king of the Babylonians,[g](aa) who killed their young men with the sword in the sanctuary, and did not spare young men(ab) or young women, the elderly or the infirm.(ac) God gave them all into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar.(ad) 18 He carried to Babylon all the articles(ae) from the temple of God, both large and small, and the treasures of the Lord 's temple and the treasures of the king and his officials. 19 They set fire(af) to God's temple(ag) and broke down the wall(ah) of Jerusalem; they burned all the palaces and destroyed(ai) everything of value there.(aj)
20 He carried into exile(ak) to Babylon the remnant, who escaped from the sword, and they became servants(al) to him and his successors until the kingdom of Persia came to power. 21 The land enjoyed its sabbath rests;(am) all the time of its desolation it rested,(an) until the seventy years(ao) were completed in fulfillment of the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah.
22 In the first year of Cyrus(ap) king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing:
23 "This is what Cyrus king of Persia says:
"‘The Lord , the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed(aq) me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of his people among you may go up, and may the Lord their God be with them.'"
Daniel 1,2
Daniel's Training in Babylon
1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim(a) king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar(b) king of Babylon(c) came to Jerusalem and besieged it.(d) 2 And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried(e) off to the temple of his god in Babylonia[a] and put in the treasure house of his god.(f)
3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king's service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility(g)— 4 young men without any physical defect, handsome,(h) showing aptitude for every kind of learning,(i) well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king's palace. He was to teach them the language(j) and literature of the Babylonians.[b] 5 The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine(k) from the king's table.(l) They were to be trained for three years,(m) and after that they were to enter the king's service.(n)
6 Among those who were chosen were some from Judah: Daniel,(o) Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.(p) 7 The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar;(q) to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.(r)
8 But Daniel resolved not to defile(s) himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. 9 Now God had caused the official to show favor(t) and compassion(u) to Daniel, 10 but the official told Daniel, "I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your[c] food and drink.(v) Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you."
11 Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, 12 "Please test(w) your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see."(x) 14 So he agreed to this and tested(y) them for ten days.
15 At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food.(z) 16 So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.(aa)
17 To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding(ab) of all kinds of literature and learning.(ac) And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.(ad)
18 At the end of the time(ae) set by the king to bring them into his service, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. 19 The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king's service.(af) 20 In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians(ag) and enchanters in his whole kingdom.(ah)
21 And Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.(ai)
Nebuchadnezzar's Dream
1 In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams;(a) his mind was troubled(b) and he could not sleep.(c) 2 So the king summoned the magicians,(d) enchanters, sorcerers(e) and astrologers[a](f) to tell him what he had dreamed.(g) When they came in and stood before the king, 3 he said to them, "I have had a dream that troubles(h) me and I want to know what it means.[b]"
4 Then the astrologers answered the king,[c](i) "May the king live forever!(j) Tell your servants the dream, and we will interpret it."
5 The king replied to the astrologers, "This is what I have firmly decided:(k) If you do not tell me what my dream was and interpret it, I will have you cut into pieces(l) and your houses turned into piles of rubble.(m) 6 But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor.(n) So tell me the dream and interpret it for me."
7 Once more they replied, "Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will interpret it."
8 Then the king answered, "I am certain that you are trying to gain time, because you realize that this is what I have firmly decided: 9 If you do not tell me the dream, there is only one penalty(o) for you. You have conspired to tell me misleading and wicked things, hoping the situation will change. So then, tell me the dream, and I will know that you can interpret it for me."(p)
10 The astrologers(q) answered the king, "There is no one on earth who can do what the king asks! No king, however great and mighty, has ever asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or astrologer.(r) 11 What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods,(s) and they do not live among humans."
12 This made the king so angry and furious(t) that he ordered the execution(u) of all the wise men of Babylon. 13 So the decree was issued to put the wise men to death, and men were sent to look for Daniel and his friends to put them to death.(v)
14 When Arioch, the commander of the king's guard, had gone out to put to death the wise men of Babylon, Daniel spoke to him with wisdom and tact. 15 He asked the king's officer, "Why did the king issue such a harsh decree?" Arioch then explained the matter to Daniel. 16 At this, Daniel went in to the king and asked for time, so that he might interpret the dream for him.
17 Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.(w) 18 He urged them to plead for mercy(x) from the God of heaven(y) concerning this mystery,(z) so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 During the night the mystery(aa) was revealed to Daniel in a vision.(ab) Then Daniel praised the God of heaven(ac) 20 and said:
"Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;(ad)
wisdom and power(ae) are his.
21 He changes times and seasons;(af)
he deposes(ag) kings and raises up others.(ah)
He gives wisdom(ai) to the wise
and knowledge to the discerning.(aj)
22 He reveals deep and hidden things;(ak)
he knows what lies in darkness,(al)
and light(am) dwells with him.
23 I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors:(an)
You have given me wisdom(ao) and power,
you have made known to me what we asked of you,
you have made known to us the dream of the king.(ap)"
Daniel Interprets the Dream
24 Then Daniel went to Arioch,(aq) whom the king had appointed to execute the wise men of Babylon, and said to him, "Do not execute the wise men of Babylon. Take me to the king, and I will interpret his dream for him."
25 Arioch took Daniel to the king at once and said, "I have found a man among the exiles(ar) from Judah(as) who can tell the king what his dream means."
26 The king asked Daniel (also called Belteshazzar),(at) "Are you able to tell me what I saw in my dream and interpret it?"
27 Daniel replied, "No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about,(au) 28 but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries.(av) He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come.(aw) Your dream and the visions that passed through your mind(ax) as you were lying in bed(ay) are these:(az)
29 "As Your Majesty was lying there, your mind turned to things to come, and the revealer of mysteries showed you what is going to happen.(ba) 30 As for me, this mystery has been revealed(bb) to me, not because I have greater wisdom than anyone else alive, but so that Your Majesty may know the interpretation and that you may understand what went through your mind.
31 "Your Majesty looked, and there before you stood a large statue—an enormous, dazzling statue,(bc) awesome(bd) in appearance. 32 The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay. 34 While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands.(be) It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed(bf) them.(bg) 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were all broken to pieces and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away(bh) without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain(bi) and filled the whole earth.(bj)
36 "This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king.(bk) 37 Your Majesty, you are the king of kings.(bl) The God of heaven has given you dominion(bm) and power and might and glory; 38 in your hands he has placed all mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds in the sky. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all.(bn) You are that head of gold.
39 "After you, another kingdom will arise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth.(bo) 40 Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron—for iron breaks and smashes everything—and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others.(bp) 41 Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. 42 As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. 43 And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay.
44 "In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush(bq) all those kingdoms(br) and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.(bs) 45 This is the meaning of the vision of the rock(bt) cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands(bu)—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces.
"The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future.(bv) The dream is true(bw) and its interpretation is trustworthy."
46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate(bx) before Daniel and paid him honor and ordered that an offering(by) and incense be presented to him. 47 The king said to Daniel, "Surely your God is the God of gods(bz) and the Lord of kings(ca) and a revealer of mysteries,(cb) for you were able to reveal this mystery.(cc)"
48 Then the king placed Daniel in a high(cd) position and lavished many gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men.(ce) 49 Moreover, at Daniel's request the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon,(cf) while Daniel himself remained at the royal court.(cg)
Titus 1
Chapter 1
1 Paul, a servant of God(a) and an apostle(b) of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth(c) that leads to godliness(d)— 2 in the hope of eternal life,(e) which God, who does not lie,(f) promised before the beginning of time,(g) 3 and which now at his appointed season(h) he has brought to light(i) through the preaching entrusted to me(j) by the command of God(k) our Savior,(l)
4 To Titus,(m) my true son(n) in our common faith:
Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.(o)
Appointing Elders Who Love What Is Good(p)
5 The reason I left you in Crete(q) was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint[a] elders(r) in every town, as I directed you. 6 An elder must be blameless,(s) faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe[b] and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. 7 Since an overseer(t) manages God's household,(u) he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain.(v) 8 Rather, he must be hospitable,(w) one who loves what is good,(x) who is self-controlled,(y) upright, holy and disciplined. 9 He must hold firmly(z) to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine(aa) and refute those who oppose it.
Rebuking Those Who Fail to Do Good
10 For there are many rebellious people, full of meaningless talk(ab) and deception, especially those of the circumcision group.(ac) 11 They must be silenced, because they are disrupting whole households(ad) by teaching things they ought not to teach—and that for the sake of dishonest gain. 12 One of Crete's own prophets(ae) has said it: "Cretans(af) are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons."[c] 13 This saying is true. Therefore rebuke(ag) them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith(ah) 14 and will pay no attention to Jewish myths(ai) or to the merely human commands(aj) of those who reject the truth.(ak) 15 To the pure, all things are pure,(al) but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure.(am) In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted.(an) 16 They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him.(ao) They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.(ap)
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