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Daily Readings for December 12
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Job 14
1."Man, who is born of a woman, is of few days, and full of trouble. 2.He comes forth like a flower, and is cut down. He also flees like a shadow, and doesn't continue. 3.Do you open your eyes on such a one, and bring me into judgment with you? 4.Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one. 5.Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months is with you, and you have appointed his bounds that he can't pass; 6.Look away from him, that he may rest, until he shall accomplish, as a hireling, his day.
7."For there is hope for a tree, If it is cut down, that it will sprout again, that the tender branch of it will not cease. 8.Though its root grows old in the earth, and its stock dies in the ground, 9.yet through the scent of water it will bud, and put forth boughs like a plant. 10.But man dies, and is laid low. Yes, man gives up the spirit, and where is he? 11.As the waters fail from the sea, and the river wastes and dries up, 12.so man lies down and doesn't rise. Until the heavens are no more, they shall not awake, nor be roused out of their sleep.
13."Oh that you would hide me in Sheol5, that you would keep me secret, until your wrath is past, that you would appoint me a set time, and remember me! 14.If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my warfare would I wait, until my release should come. 15.You would call, and I would answer you. You would have a desire to the work of your hands. 16.But now you number my steps. Don't you watch over my sin? 17.My disobedience is sealed up in a bag. You fasten up my iniquity.
18."But the mountain falling comes to nothing. The rock is removed out of its place; 19.The waters wear the stones. The torrents of it wash away the dust of the earth. So you destroy the hope of man. 20.You forever prevail against him, and he departs. You change his face, and send him away. 21.His sons come to honor, and he doesn't know it. They are brought low, but he doesn't perceive it of them. 22.But his flesh on him has pain, and his soul within him mourns."
Habakkuk 1
1.The oracle which Habakkuk the prophet saw. 2.Yahweh,1 how long will I cry, and you will not hear? I cry out to you "Violence!" and will you not save? 3.Why do you show me iniquity, and look at perversity? For destruction and violence are before me. There is strife, and contention rises up. 4.Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth; for the wicked surround the righteous; therefore justice goes forth perverted.
5."Look among the nations, watch, and wonder marvelously; for I am working a work in your days, which you will not believe though it is told you. 6.For, behold, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, that march through the breadth of the earth, to possess dwelling places that are not theirs. 7.They are feared and dreaded. Their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves. 8.Their horses also are swifter than leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves. Their horsemen press proudly on. Yes, their horsemen come from afar. They fly as an eagle that hurries to devour. 9.All of them come for violence. Their hordes face the desert. He gathers prisoners like sand. 10.Yes, he scoffs at kings, and princes are a derision to him. He laughs at every stronghold, for he builds up an earthen ramp, and takes it. 11.Then he sweeps by like the wind, and goes on. He is indeed guilty, whose strength is his god."
12.Aren't you from everlasting, Yahweh my God2, my Holy One? We will not die. Yahweh, you have appointed him for judgment. You, Rock, have established him to punish. 13.You who have purer eyes than to see evil, and who cannot look on perversity, why do you tolerate those who deal treacherously, and keep silent when the wicked swallows up the man who is more righteous than he, 14.and make men like the fish of the sea, like the creeping things, that have no ruler over them? 15.He takes up all of them with the hook. He catches them in his net, and gathers them in his dragnet. Therefore he rejoices and is glad. 16.Therefore he sacrifices to his net, and burns incense to his dragnet, because by them his life is luxurious, and his food is good. 17.Will he therefore continually empty his net, and kill the nations without mercy?
1Peter 2
1.Putting away therefore all wickedness, all deceit, hypocrisies, envies, and all evil speaking, 2.as newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the Word, that you may grow thereby, 3.if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious: 4.coming to him, a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God, precious. 5.You also, as living stones, are built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6.Because it is contained in Scripture, "Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, chosen, and precious: He who believes in him will not be disappointed."4
7.For you who believe therefore is the honor, but for those who are disobedient, "The stone which the builders rejected, has become the chief cornerstone,"5
8.and, "a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense."6
For they stumble at the word, being disobedient, to which also they were appointed. 9.But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that you may proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light: 10.who in time past were no people, but now are God's people, who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. 11.Beloved, I beg you as foreigners and pilgrims, to abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; 12.having good behavior among the nations, so in that of which they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they see, glorify God in the day of visitation. 13.Therefore subject yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether to the king, as supreme; 14.or to governors, as sent by him for vengeance on evildoers and for praise to those who do well. 15.For this is the will of God, that by well-doing you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: 16.as free, and not using your freedom for a cloak of wickedness, but as bondservants of God.
17.Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king. 18.Servants, be in subjection to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the wicked. 19.For it is commendable if someone endures pain, suffering unjustly, because of conscience toward God. 20.For what glory is it if, when you sin, you patiently endure beating? But if, when you do well, you patiently endure suffering, this is commendable with God. 21.For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving you7 an example, that you should follow his steps, 22.who did not sin, "neither was deceit found in his mouth."8 23.Who, when he was cursed, didn't curse back. When he suffered, didn't threaten, but committed himself to him who judges righteously; 24.who his own self bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live to righteousness; by whose stripes you were healed. 25.For you were going astray like sheep; but now have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer9 of your souls.