Daily Readings for September 15
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2Kings 21

 

1.Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign; and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Hephzibah. 2.He did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, after the abominations of the nations whom Yahweh cast out before the children of Israel. 3.For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he reared up altars for Baal, and made an Asherah, as did Ahab king of Israel, and worshiped all the army of the sky, and served them. 4.He built altars in the house of Yahweh, of which Yahweh said, "I will put my name in Jerusalem." 5.He built altars for all the army of the sky in the two courts of the house of Yahweh. 6.He made his son to pass through the fire, and practiced sorcery, and used enchantments, and dealt with those who had familiar spirits, and with wizards: he worked much evil in the sight of Yahweh, to provoke him to anger. 7.He set the engraved image of Asherah, that he had made, in the house of which Yahweh said to David and to Solomon his son, "In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, will I put my name forever; 8.neither will I cause the feet of Israel to wander any more out of the land which I gave their fathers, if only they will observe to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the law that my servant Moses commanded them." 9.But they didn't listen: and Manasseh seduced them to do that which is evil more than the nations did whom Yahweh destroyed before the children of Israel. 10.Yahweh spoke by his servants the prophets, saying, 11."Because Manasseh king of Judah has done these abominations, and has done wickedly above all that the Amorites did, who were before him, and has made Judah also to sin with his idols; 12.therefore thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, 'Behold, I bring such evil on Jerusalem and Judah, that whoever hears of it, both his ears shall tingle. 13.I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab; and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. 14.I will cast off the remnant of my inheritance, and deliver them into the hand of their enemies. They will become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies; 15.because they have done that which is evil in my sight, and have provoked me to anger, since the day their fathers came forth out of Egypt, even to this day.'"

16.Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, until he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; besides his sin with which he made Judah to sin, in doing that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh. 17.Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and all that he did, and his sin that he sinned, aren't they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 18.Manasseh slept with his fathers, and was buried in the garden of his own house, in the garden of Uzza: and Amon his son reigned in his place. 19.Amon was twenty-two years old when he began to reign; and he reigned two years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Meshullemeth the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah. 20.He did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, as Manasseh his father did. 21.He walked in all the way that his father walked in, and served the idols that his father served, and worshiped them: 22.and he forsook Yahweh, the God of his fathers, and didn't walk in the way of Yahweh. 23.The servants of Amon conspired against him, and put the king to death in his own house. 24.But the people of the land killed all those who had conspired against king Amon; and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his place. 25.Now the rest of the acts of Amon which he did, aren't they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 26.He was buried in his tomb in the garden of Uzza: and Josiah his son reigned in his place.

 

Ezekiel 11

 

1.Moreover the Spirit lifted me up, and brought me to the east gate of Yahweh's house, which looks eastward: and see, at the door of the gate twenty-five men; and I saw in their midst Jaazaniah the son of Azzur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people. 2.He said to me, Son of man, these are the men who devise iniquity, and who give wicked counsel in this city; 3.who say, [The time] is not near to build houses: this [city] is the caldron, and we are the flesh. 4.Therefore prophesy against them, prophesy, son of man. 5.The Spirit of Yahweh fell on me, and he said to me, Speak, Thus says Yahweh: Thus you have said, house of Israel; for I know the things that come into your mind. 6.You have multiplied your slain in this city, and you have filled its streets with the slain. 7.Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: Your slain whom you have laid in its midst, they are the flesh, and this [city] is the caldron; but you shall be brought out of its midst. 8.You have feared the sword; and I will bring the sword on you, says the Lord Yahweh. 9.I will bring you forth out of its midst, and deliver you into the hands of strangers, and will execute judgments among you. 10.You shall fall by the sword; I will judge you in the border of Israel; and you shall know that I am Yahweh. 11.This [city] shall not be your caldron, neither shall you be the flesh in its midst; I will judge you in the border of Israel; 12.and you shall know that I am Yahweh: for you have not walked in my statutes, neither have you executed my ordinances, but have done after the ordinances of the nations that are around you. 13.It happened, when I prophesied, that Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then fell I down on my face, and cried with a loud voice, and said, Ah Lord Yahweh! will you make a full end of the remnant of Israel? 14.The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 15.Son of man, your brothers, even your brothers, the men of your relatives, and all the house of Israel, all of them, [are they] to whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, Go far away from Yahweh. This land has been given to us for a possession. 16.Therefore say, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Whereas I have removed them far off among the nations, and whereas I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them a sanctuary for a little while in the countries where they have come. 17.Therefore say, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: I will gather you from the peoples, and assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel. 18.They shall come there, and they shall take away all the detestable things of it and all its abominations from there. 19.I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh; 20.that they may walk in my statutes, and keep my ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God. 21.But as for them whose heart walks after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations, I will bring their way on their own heads, says the Lord Yahweh. 22.Then the cherubim lifted up their wings, and the wheels were beside them; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above. 23.The glory of Yahweh went up from the midst of the city, and stood on the mountain which is on the east side of the city. 24.The Spirit lifted me up, and brought me in the vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea, to them of the captivity. So the vision that I had seen went up from me. 25.Then I spoke to them of the captivity all the things that Yahweh had shown me.

 

Luke 7

 

1.After he had finished speaking in the hearing of the people, he entered into Capernaum. 2.A certain centurion's servant, who was dear to him, was sick and at the point of death. 3.When he heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and save his servant. 4.When they came to Jesus, they begged him earnestly, saying, "He is worthy for you to do this for him, 5.for he loves our nation, and he built our synagogue for us." 6.Jesus went with them. When he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying to him, "Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I am not worthy for you to come under my roof. 7.Therefore I didn't even think myself worthy to come to you; but say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8.For I also am a man placed under authority, having under myself soldiers. I tell this one, 'Go!' and he goes; and to another, 'Come!' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."

9.When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turned and said to the multitude who followed him, "I tell you, I have not found such great faith, no, not in Israel." 10.Those who were sent, returning to the house, found that the servant who had been sick was well.

11.It happened soon afterwards, that he went to a city called Nain. Many of his disciples, along with a great multitude, went with him. 12.Now when he drew near to the gate of the city, behold, one who was dead was carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. Many people of the city were with her. 13.When the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said to her, "Don't cry." 14.He came near and touched the coffin, and the bearers stood still. He said, "Young man, I tell you, arise!" 15.He who was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he gave him to his mother.

16.Fear took hold of all, and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has arisen among us!" and, "God has visited his people!" 17.This report went out concerning him in the whole of Judea, and in all the surrounding region.

18.The disciples of John told him about all these things. 19.John, calling to himself two of his disciples, sent them to Jesus, saying, "Are you the one who is coming, or should we look for another?" 20.When the men had come to him, they said, "John the Baptizer has sent us to you, saying, 'Are you he who comes, or should we look for another?'"

21.In that hour he cured many of diseases and plagues and evil spirits; and to many who were blind he gave sight. 22.Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John the things which you have seen and heard: that the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. 23.Blessed is he who finds no occasion for stumbling in me."

24.When John's messengers had departed, he began to tell the multitudes about John, "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 25.But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft clothing? Behold, those who are gorgeously dressed, and live delicately, are in kings' courts. 26.But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and much more than a prophet. 27.This is he of whom it is written, 'Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.'¹⁶

28."For I tell you, among those who are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptizer, yet he who is least in the Kingdom of God is greater than he."

29.When all the people and the tax collectors heard this, they declared God to be just, having been baptized with John's baptism. 30.But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the counsel of God, not being baptized by him themselves.

31.¹⁷"To what then will I liken the people of this generation? What are they like? 32.They are like children who sit in the marketplace, and call one to another, saying, 'We piped to you, and you didn't dance. We mourned, and you didn't weep.' 33.For John the Baptizer came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.' 34.The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Behold, a gluttonous man, and a drunkard; a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' 35.Wisdom is justified by all her children."

36.One of the Pharisees invited him to eat with him. He entered into the Pharisee's house, and sat at the table. 37.Behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that he was reclining in the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of ointment. 38.Standing behind at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears, and she wiped them with the hair of her head, kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. 39.Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, "This man, if he were a prophet, would have perceived who and what kind of woman this is who touches him, that she is a sinner."

40.Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you."

He said, "Teacher, say on."

41."A certain lender had two debtors. The one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42.When they couldn't pay, he forgave them both. Which of them therefore will love him most?"

43.Simon answered, "He, I suppose, to whom he forgave the most."

He said to him, "You have judged correctly." 44.Turning to the woman, he said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered into your house, and you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head. 45.You gave me no kiss, but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss my feet. 46.You didn't anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. 47.Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little." 48.He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."

49.Those who sat at the table with him began to say to themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"

50.He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you. Go in peace."

 

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