the Third Week after Easter
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Bible Reading Plan
Daily Bible Reading
December 19 - Bible-in-a-Year
niv
Ezekiel 27-28
Chapter 27
A Lament Over Tyre
1 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 "Son of man, take up a lament(a) concerning Tyre. 3 Say to Tyre,(b) situated at the gateway to the sea,(c) merchant of peoples on many coasts, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
"‘You say, Tyre,
"I am perfect in beauty.(d)"
4 Your domain was on the high seas;
your builders brought your beauty to perfection.(e)
5 They made all your timbers
of juniper from Senir[a];(f)
they took a cedar from Lebanon(g)
to make a mast for you.
6 Of oaks(h) from Bashan
they made your oars;
of cypress wood[b] from the coasts of Cyprus(i)
they made your deck, adorned with ivory.
7 Fine embroidered linen(j) from Egypt was your sail
and served as your banner;
your awnings were of blue and purple(k)
from the coasts of Elishah.(l)
8 Men of Sidon and Arvad(m) were your oarsmen;
your skilled men, Tyre, were aboard as your sailors.(n)
9 Veteran craftsmen of Byblos(o) were on board
as shipwrights to caulk your seams.
All the ships of the sea(p) and their sailors
came alongside to trade for your wares.
10 "‘Men of Persia,(q) Lydia(r) and Put(s)
served as soldiers in your army.
They hung their shields(t) and helmets on your walls,
bringing you splendor.
11 Men of Arvad and Helek
guarded your walls on every side;
men of Gammad
were in your towers.
They hung their shields around your walls;
they brought your beauty to perfection.(u)
12 "‘Tarshish(v) did business with you because of your great wealth of goods;(w) they exchanged silver, iron, tin and lead for your merchandise.
13 "‘Greece,(x) Tubal and Meshek(y) did business with you; they traded human beings(z) and articles of bronze for your wares.
14 "‘Men of Beth Togarmah(aa) exchanged chariot horses, cavalry horses and mules for your merchandise.
15 "‘The men of Rhodes[c](ab) traded with you, and many coastlands(ac) were your customers; they paid you with ivory(ad) tusks and ebony.
16 "‘Aram[d](ae) did business with you because of your many products; they exchanged turquoise,(af) purple fabric, embroidered work, fine linen,(ag) coral(ah) and rubies for your merchandise.
17 "‘Judah and Israel traded with you; they exchanged wheat(ai) from Minnith(aj) and confections,[e] honey, olive oil and balm(ak) for your wares.(al)
18 "‘Damascus(am) did business with you because of your many products and great wealth of goods.(an) They offered wine from Helbon, wool from Zahar 19 and casks of wine from Izal(ao) in exchange for your wares: wrought iron, cassia(ap) and calamus.
20 "‘Dedan(aq) traded in saddle blankets with you.
21 "‘Arabia(ar) and all the princes of Kedar(as) were your customers; they did business with you in lambs, rams and goats.
22 "‘The merchants of Sheba(at) and Raamah traded with you; for your merchandise they exchanged the finest of all kinds of spices(au) and precious stones, and gold.(av)
23 "‘Harran,(aw) Kanneh and Eden(ax) and merchants of Sheba, Ashur(ay) and Kilmad traded with you. 24 In your marketplace they traded with you beautiful garments, blue fabric, embroidered work and multicolored rugs with cords twisted and tightly knotted.
25 "‘The ships of Tarshish(az) serve
as carriers for your wares.
You are filled with heavy cargo
as you sail the sea.(ba)
26 Your oarsmen take you
out to the high seas.
But the east wind(bb) will break you to pieces
far out at sea.
27 Your wealth,(bc) merchandise and wares,
your mariners, sailors and shipwrights,
your merchants and all your soldiers,
and everyone else on board
will sink into the heart of the sea(bd)
on the day of your shipwreck.
28 The shorelands will quake(be)
when your sailors cry out.
29 All who handle the oars
will abandon their ships;
the mariners and all the sailors
will stand on the shore.
30 They will raise their voice
and cry bitterly over you;
they will sprinkle dust(bf) on their heads
and roll(bg) in ashes.(bh)
31 They will shave their heads(bi) because of you
and will put on sackcloth.
They will weep(bj) over you with anguish of soul
and with bitter mourning.(bk)
32 As they wail and mourn over you,
they will take up a lament(bl) concerning you:
"Who was ever silenced like Tyre,
surrounded by the sea?(bm)"
33 When your merchandise went out on the seas,(bn)
you satisfied many nations;
with your great wealth(bo) and your wares
you enriched the kings of the earth.
34 Now you are shattered by the sea
in the depths of the waters;
your wares and all your company
have gone down with you.(bp)
35 All who live in the coastlands(bq)
are appalled(br) at you;
their kings shudder with horror
and their faces are distorted with fear.(bs)
36 The merchants among the nations scoff at you;(bt)
you have come to a horrible end
and will be no more.(bu)'"
Chapter 28
A Prophecy Against the King of Tyre
1 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 "Son of man(a), say to the ruler of Tyre, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
"‘In the pride of your heart
you say, "I am a god;
I sit on the throne(b) of a god
in the heart of the seas."(c)
But you are a mere mortal and not a god,
though you think you are as wise as a god.(d)
3 Are you wiser than Daniel[a]?(e)
Is no secret hidden from you?
4 By your wisdom and understanding
you have gained wealth for yourself
and amassed gold and silver
in your treasuries.(f)
5 By your great skill in trading(g)
you have increased your wealth,(h)
and because of your wealth
your heart has grown proud.(i)
6 "‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
"‘Because you think you are wise,
as wise as a god,
7 I am going to bring foreigners against you,
the most ruthless of nations;(j)
they will draw their swords against your beauty and wisdom(k)
and pierce your shining splendor.(l)
8 They will bring you down to the pit,(m)
and you will die a violent death(n)
in the heart of the seas.(o)
9 Will you then say, "I am a god,"
in the presence of those who kill you?
You will be but a mortal, not a god,(p)
in the hands of those who slay you.(q)
10 You will die the death of the uncircumcised(r)
at the hands of foreigners.
I have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord .'"
11 The word of the Lord came to me: 12 "Son of man, take up a lament(s) concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
"‘You were the seal of perfection,
full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.(t)
13 You were in Eden,(u)
the garden of God;(v)
every precious stone(w) adorned you:
carnelian, chrysolite and emerald,
topaz, onyx and jasper,
lapis lazuli, turquoise(x) and beryl.[b]
Your settings and mountings[c] were made of gold;
on the day you were created they were prepared.(y)
14 You were anointed(z) as a guardian cherub,(aa)
for so I ordained you.
You were on the holy mount of God;
you walked among the fiery stones.
15 You were blameless in your ways
from the day you were created
till wickedness was found in you.
16 Through your widespread trade
you were filled with violence,(ab)
and you sinned.
So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God,
and I expelled you, guardian cherub,(ac)
from among the fiery stones.
17 Your heart became proud(ad)
on account of your beauty,
and you corrupted your wisdom
because of your splendor.
So I threw you to the earth;
I made a spectacle of you before kings.(ae)
18 By your many sins and dishonest trade
you have desecrated your sanctuaries.
So I made a fire(af) come out from you,
and it consumed you,
and I reduced you to ashes(ag) on the ground
in the sight of all who were watching.(ah)
19 All the nations who knew you
are appalled(ai) at you;
you have come to a horrible end
and will be no more.(aj)'"
A Prophecy Against Sidon
20 The word of the Lord came to me: 21 "Son of man, set your face against(ak) Sidon;(al) prophesy against her 22 and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
"‘I am against you, Sidon,
and among you I will display my glory.(am)
You will know that I am the
Lord
,
when I inflict punishment(an) on you
and within you am proved to be holy.(ao)
23 I will send a plague upon you
and make blood flow in your streets.
The slain will fall within you,
with the sword against you on every side.
Then you will know that I am the
Lord
.(ap)
24 "‘No longer will the people of Israel have malicious neighbors who are painful briers and sharp thorns.(aq) Then they will know that I am the Sovereign Lord .
25 "‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: When I gather(ar) the people of Israel from the nations where they have been scattered,(as) I will be proved holy(at) through them in the sight of the nations. Then they will live in their own land, which I gave to my servant Jacob.(au) 26 They will live there in safety(av) and will build houses and plant(aw) vineyards; they will live in safety when I inflict punishment(ax) on all their neighbors who maligned them. Then they will know that I am the Lord their God.(ay)'"
Isaiah 54
Chapter 54
The Future Glory of Zion
1 "Sing, barren woman,(a)
you who never bore a child;
burst into song, shout for joy,(b)
you who were never in labor;(c)
because more are the children(d) of the desolate(e) woman
than of her who has a husband,(f)"
says the
Lord
.
2 "Enlarge the place of your tent,(g)
stretch your tent curtains wide,
do not hold back;
lengthen your cords,
strengthen your stakes.(h)
3 For you will spread out to the right and to the left;
your descendants(i) will dispossess nations(j)
and settle in their desolate(k) cities.
4 "Do not be afraid;(l) you will not be put to shame.(m)
Do not fear disgrace;(n) you will not be humiliated.
You will forget the shame of your youth(o)
and remember no more the reproach(p) of your widowhood.(q)
5 For your Maker(r) is your husband(s)—
the
Lord
Almighty is his name—
the Holy One(t) of Israel is your Redeemer;(u)
he is called the God of all the earth.(v)
6 The
Lord
will call you back(w)
as if you were a wife deserted(x) and distressed in spirit—
a wife who married young,(y)
only to be rejected," says your God.
7 "For a brief moment(z) I abandoned(aa) you,
but with deep compassion(ab) I will bring you back.(ac)
8 In a surge of anger(ad)
I hid(ae) my face from you for a moment,
but with everlasting kindness(af)
I will have compassion(ag) on you,"
says the
Lord
your Redeemer.(ah)
9 "To me this is like the days of Noah,
when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth.(ai)
So now I have sworn(aj) not to be angry(ak) with you,
never to rebuke(al) you again.
10 Though the mountains be shaken(am)
and the hills be removed,
yet my unfailing love(an) for you will not be shaken(ao)
nor my covenant(ap) of peace(aq) be removed,"
says the
Lord
, who has compassion(ar) on you.
11 "Afflicted(as) city, lashed by storms(at) and not comforted,(au)
I will rebuild you with stones of turquoise,[a](av)
your foundations(aw) with lapis lazuli.(ax)
12 I will make your battlements of rubies,
your gates(ay) of sparkling jewels,
and all your walls of precious stones.
13 All your children will be taught by the
Lord
,(az)
and great will be their peace.(ba)
14 In righteousness(bb) you will be established:(bc)
Tyranny(bd) will be far from you;
you will have nothing to fear.(be)
Terror(bf) will be far removed;
it will not come near you.
15 If anyone does attack you, it will not be my doing;
whoever attacks you will surrender(bg) to you.
16 "See, it is I who created the blacksmith(bh)
who fans the coals into flame
and forges a weapon(bi) fit for its work.
And it is I who have created the destroyer(bj) to wreak havoc;
17
no weapon forged against you will prevail,(bk)
and you will refute(bl) every tongue that accuses you.
This is the heritage of the servants(bm) of the
Lord
,
and this is their vindication(bn) from me,"
declares the
Lord
.
Colossians 1:24-2:19
Chapter 1
24 Now I rejoice(bj) in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions,(bk) for the sake of his body, which is the church.(bl) 25 I have become its servant(bm) by the commission God gave me(bn) to present to you the word of God(bo) in its fullness— 26 the mystery(bp) that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord's people. 27 To them God has chosen to make known(bq) among the Gentiles the glorious riches(br) of this mystery, which is Christ in you,(bs) the hope of glory.
28 He is the one we proclaim, admonishing(bt) and teaching everyone with all wisdom,(bu) so that we may present everyone fully mature(bv) in Christ. 29 To this end I strenuously(bw) contend(bx) with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.(by)
Chapter 2
1 I want you to know how hard I am contending(a) for you and for those at Laodicea,(b) and for all who have not met me personally. 2 My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart(c) and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery(d) of God, namely, Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.(e) 4 I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.(f) 5 For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit(g) and delight to see how disciplined(h) you are and how firm(i) your faith in Christ(j) is.
Spiritual Fullness in Christ
6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord,(k) continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted(l) and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught,(m) and overflowing with thankfulness.
8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy,(n) which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces[a] of this world(o) rather than on Christ.
9 For in Christ all the fullness(p) of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head(q) over every power and authority.(r) 11 In him you were also circumcised(s) with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh[b](t) was put off when you were circumcised by[c] Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism,(u) in which you were also raised with him(v) through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.(w)
13 When you were dead in your sins(x) and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you[d] alive(y) with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,(z) 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness,(aa) which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.(ab) 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities,(ac) he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them(ad) by the cross.[e]
Freedom From Human Rules
16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you(ae) by what you eat or drink,(af) or with regard to a religious festival,(ag) a New Moon celebration(ah) or a Sabbath day.(ai) 17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come;(aj) the reality, however, is found in Christ. 18 Do not let anyone who delights in false humility(ak) and the worship of angels disqualify you.(al) Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind. 19 They have lost connection with the head,(am) from whom the whole body,(an) supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.(ao)
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