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Daily Readings for September 21
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1Chronicles 4
1.The sons of Judah: Perez, Hezron, and Carmi, and Hur, and Shobal. 2.Reaiah the son of Shobal became the father of Jahath; and Jahath became the father of Ahumai and Lahad. These are the families of the Zorathites. 3.These were the sons of the father of Etam: Jezreel, and Ishma, and Idbash; and the name of their sister was Hazzelelponi; 4.and Penuel the father of Gedor, and Ezer the father of Hushah. These are the sons of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah, the father of Bethlehem. 5.Ashhur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah. 6.Naarah bore him Ahuzzam, and Hepher, and Temeni, and Haahashtari. These were the sons of Naarah. 7.The sons of Helah were Zereth, Izhar, and Ethnan. 8.Hakkoz became the father of Anub, and Zobebah, and the families of Aharhel the son of Harum. 9.Jabez was more honorable than his brothers: and his mother named him Jabez, saying, "Because I bore him with sorrow."
10.Jabez called on the God2 of Israel, saying, "Oh that you would bless me indeed, and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from evil, that it not be to my sorrow!"
God granted him that which he requested. 11.Chelub the brother of Shuhah became the father of Mehir, who was the father of Eshton. 12.Eshton became the father of Beth Rapha, and Paseah, and Tehinnah the father of Ir Nahash. These are the men of Recah. 13.The sons of Kenaz: Othniel, and Seraiah. The sons of Othniel: Hathath. 14.Meonothai became the father of Ophrah: and Seraiah became the father of Joab the father of Ge Harashim; for they were craftsmen. 15.The sons of Caleb the son of Jephunneh: Iru, Elah, and Naam; and the sons of Elah; and Kenaz. 16.The sons of Jehallelel: Ziph, and Ziphah, Tiria, and Asarel. 17.The sons of Ezrah: Jether, and Mered, and Epher, and Jalon; and she bore Miriam, and Shammai, and Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa. 18.His wife the Jewess bore Jered the father of Gedor, and Heber the father of Soco, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah. These are the sons of Bithiah the daughter of Pharaoh, whom Mered took. 19.The sons of the wife of Hodiah, the sister of Naham, were the father of Keilah the Garmite, and Eshtemoa the Maacathite. 20.The sons of Shimon: Amnon, and Rinnah, Ben Hanan, and Tilon. The sons of Ishi: Zoheth, and Ben Zoheth. 21.The sons of Shelah the son of Judah: Er the father of Lecah, and Laadah the father of Mareshah, and the families of the house of those who worked fine linen, of the house of Ashbea; 22.and Jokim, and the men of Cozeba, and Joash, and Saraph, who had dominion in Moab, and Jashubilehem. The records are ancient. 23.These were the potters, and the inhabitants of Netaim and Gederah: there they lived with the king for his work. 24.The sons of Simeon: Nemuel, and Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, Shaul; 25.Shallum his son, Mibsam his son, Mishma his son. 26.The sons of Mishma: Hammuel his son, Zaccur his son, Shimei his son. 27.Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters; but his brothers didn't have many children, neither did all their family multiply like the children of Judah. 28.They lived at Beersheba, and Moladah, and Hazarshual, 29.and at Bilhah, and at Ezem, and at Tolad, 30.and at Bethuel, and at Hormah, and at Ziklag, 31.and at Beth Marcaboth, and Hazar Susim, and at Beth Biri, and at Shaaraim. These were their cities to the reign of David. 32.Their villages were Etam, and Ain, Rimmon, and Tochen, and Ashan, five cities; 33.and all their villages that were around the same cities, to Baal. These were their habitations, and they have their genealogy. 34.Meshobab, and Jamlech, and Joshah the son of Amaziah, 35.and Joel, and Jehu the son of Joshibiah, the son of Seraiah, the son of Asiel, 36.and Elioenai, and Jaakobah, and Jeshohaiah, and Asaiah, and Adiel, and Jesimiel, and Benaiah, 37.and Ziza the son of Shiphi, the son of Allon, the son of Jedaiah, the son of Shimri, the son of Shemaiah-- 38.these mentioned by name were princes in their families: and their fathers' houses increased greatly. 39.They went to the entrance of Gedor, even to the east side of the valley, to seek pasture for their flocks. 40.They found fat pasture and good, and the land was wide, and quiet, and peaceable; for those who lived there before were of Ham. 41.These written by name came in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and struck their tents, and the Meunim who were found there, and destroyed them utterly to this day, and lived in their place; because there was pasture there for their flocks. 42.Some of them, even of the sons of Simeon, five hundred men, went to Mount Seir, having for their captains Pelatiah, and Neariah, and Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi. 43.They struck the remnant of the Amalekites who escaped, and have lived there to this day.
Ezekiel 17
1.The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2.Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable to the house of Israel; 3.and say, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: A great eagle with great wings and long feathers, full of feathers, which had various colors, came to Lebanon, and took the top of the cedar: 4.he cropped off the topmost of the young twigs of it, and carried it to a land of traffic; he set it in a city of merchants. 5.He took also of the seed of the land, and planted it in a fruitful soil; he placed it beside many waters; he set it as a willow tree. 6.It grew, and became a spreading vine of low stature, whose branches turned toward him, and its roots were under him: so it became a vine, and brought forth branches, and shot forth sprigs. 7.There was also another great eagle with great wings and many feathers: and behold, this vine bent its roots toward him, and shot forth its branches toward him, from the beds of its plantation, that he might water it. 8.It was planted in a good soil by many waters, that it might bring forth branches, and that it might bear fruit, that it might be a goodly vine. 9.Say, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Shall it prosper? shall he not pull up its roots, and cut off its fruit, that it may wither; that all its fresh springing leaves may wither? and not by a strong arm or many people can it be raised from its roots. 10.Yes, behold, being planted, shall it prosper? shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind touches it? it shall wither in the beds where it grew. 11.Moreover the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 12.Say now to the rebellious house, Don't you know what these things mean? tell them, Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, and took its king, and its princes, and brought them to him to Babylon: 13.and he took of the seed royal, and made a covenant with him; he also brought him under an oath, and took away the mighty of the land; 14.that the kingdom might be base, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping his covenant it might stand. 15.But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and many people. Shall he prosper? shall he escape who does such things? shall he break the covenant, and yet escape? 16.As I live, says the Lord Yahweh, surely in the place where the king dwells who made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he broke, even with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die. 17.Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company help him in the war, when they cast up mounds and build forts, to cut off many persons. 18.For he has despised the oath by breaking the covenant; and behold, he had given his hand, and yet has done all these things; he shall not escape. 19.Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: As I live, surely my oath that he has despised, and my covenant that he has broken, I will even bring it on his own head. 20.I will spread my net on him, and he shall be taken in my snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, and will enter into judgment with him there for his trespass that he has trespassed against me. 21.All his fugitives in all his bands shall fall by the sword, and those who remain shall be scattered toward every wind: and you shall know that I, Yahweh, have spoken it. 22.Thus says the Lord Yahweh: I will also take of the lofty top of the cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and I will plant it on a high and lofty mountain: 23.in the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it; and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar: and under it shall dwell all birds of every wing; in the shade of its branches shall they dwell. 24.All the trees of the field shall know that I, Yahweh, have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish; I, Yahweh, have spoken and have done it.
Luke 13
1.Now there were some present at the same time who told him about the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2.Jesus answered them, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered such things? 3.I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all perish in the same way. 4.Or those eighteen, on whom the tower in Siloam fell, and killed them; do you think that they were worse offenders than all the men who dwell in Jerusalem? 5.I tell you, no, but, unless you repent, you will all perish in the same way."
6.He spoke this parable. "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it, and found none. 7.He said to the vine dresser, 'Behold, these three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and found none. Cut it down. Why does it waste the soil?' 8.He answered, 'Lord, leave it alone this year also, until I dig around it, and fertilize it. 9.If it bears fruit, fine; but if not, after that, you can cut it down.'"
10.He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath day. 11.Behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and she was bent over, and could in no way straighten herself up. 12.When Jesus saw her, he called her, and said to her, "Woman, you are freed from your infirmity." 13.He laid his hands on her, and immediately she stood up straight, and glorified God.
14.The ruler of the synagogue, being indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the multitude, "There are six days in which men ought to work. Therefore come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day!"
15.Therefore the Lord answered him, "You hypocrites! Doesn't each one of you free his ox or his donkey from the stall on the Sabbath, and lead him away to water? 16.Ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan had bound eighteen long years, be freed from this bondage on the Sabbath day?"
17.As he said these things, all his adversaries were disappointed, and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.
18.He said, "What is the Kingdom of God like? To what shall I compare it? 19.It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and put in his own garden. It grew, and became a large tree, and the birds of the sky lodged in its branches."
20.Again he said, "To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God? 21.It is like yeast, which a woman took and hid in three measures33 of flour, until it was all leavened."
22.He went on his way through cities and villages, teaching, and traveling on to Jerusalem. 23.One said to him, "Lord, are they few who are saved?"
He said to them, 24."Strive to enter in by the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will seek to enter in, and will not be able. 25.When once the master of the house has risen up, and has shut the door, and you begin to stand outside, and to knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!' then he will answer and tell you, 'I don't know you or where you come from.' 26.Then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.' 27.He will say, 'I tell you, I don't know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity.' 28.There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets, in the Kingdom of God, and yourselves being thrown outside. 29.They will come from the east, west, north, and south, and will sit down in the Kingdom of God. 30.Behold, there are some who are last who will be first, and there are some who are first who will be last."
31.On that same day, some Pharisees came, saying to him, "Get out of here, and go away, for Herod wants to kill you."
32.He said to them, "Go and tell that fox, 'Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I complete my mission. 33.Nevertheless I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the next day, for it can't be that a prophet perish outside of Jerusalem.'
34."Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that kills the prophets, and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, like a hen gathers her own brood under her wings, and you refused! 35.Behold, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me, until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!'"34
Luke 14
1.It happened, when he went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees on a Sabbath to eat bread, that they were watching him. 2.Behold, a certain man who had dropsy was in front of him. 3.Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"
4.But they were silent.
He took him, and healed him, and let him go. 5.He answered them, "Which of you, if your son35 or an ox fell into a well, wouldn't immediately pull him out on a Sabbath day?"
6.They couldn't answer him regarding these things.
7.He spoke a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the best seats, and said to them, 8."When you are invited by anyone to a marriage feast, don't sit in the best seat, since perhaps someone more honorable than you might be invited by him, 9.and he who invited both of you would come and tell you, 'Make room for this person.' Then you would begin, with shame, to take the lowest place. 10.But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes, he may tell you, 'Friend, move up higher.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. 11.For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted."
12.He also said to the one who had invited him, "When you make a dinner or a supper, don't call your friends, nor your brothers, nor your kinsmen, nor rich neighbors, or perhaps they might also return the favor, and pay you back. 13.But when you make a feast, ask the poor, the maimed, the lame, or the blind; 14.and you will be blessed, because they don't have the resources to repay you. For you will be repaid in the resurrection of the righteous."
15.When one of those who sat at the table with him heard these things, he said to him, "Blessed is he who will feast in the Kingdom of God!"
16.But he said to him, "A certain man made a great supper, and he invited many people. 17.He sent out his servant at supper time to tell those who were invited, 'Come, for everything is ready now.' 18.They all as one began to make excuses.
"The first said to him, 'I have bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please have me excused.'
19."Another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I must go try them out. Please have me excused.'
20."Another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I can't come.'
21."That servant came, and told his lord these things. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor, maimed, blind, and lame.'
22."The servant said, 'Lord, it is done as you commanded, and there is still room.'
23."The lord said to the servant, 'Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. 24.For I tell you that none of those men who were invited will taste of my supper.'"
25.Now great multitudes were going with him. He turned and said to them, 26."If anyone comes to me, and doesn't disregard36 his own father, mother, wife, children, brothers, and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he can't be my disciple. 27.Whoever doesn't bear his own cross, and come after me, can't be my disciple. 28.For which of you, desiring to build a tower, doesn't first sit down and count the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it? 29.Or perhaps, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, everyone who sees begins to mock him, 30.saying, 'This man began to build, and wasn't able to finish.' 31.Or what king, as he goes to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32.Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends an envoy, and asks for conditions of peace. 33.So therefore whoever of you who doesn't renounce all that he has, he can't be my disciple. 34.Salt is good, but if the salt becomes flat and tasteless, with what do you season it? 35.It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile. It is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear."