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Daily Readings for July 22
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2Samuel 7
1.It happened, when the king lived in his house, and Yahweh had given him rest from all his enemies all around, 2.that the king said to Nathan the prophet, "See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells within curtains."
3.Nathan said to the king, "Go, do all that is in your heart; for Yahweh is with you."
4.It happened the same night, that the word of Yahweh came to Nathan, saying, 5."Go and tell my servant David, 'Thus says Yahweh, "Shall you build me a house for me to dwell in? 6.For I have not lived in a house since the day that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have moved around in a tent and in a tabernacle. 7.In all places in which I have walked with all the children of Israel, did I say a word to any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to be shepherd of my people Israel, saying, 'Why have you not built me a house of cedar?'"' 8.Now therefore you shall tell my servant David this, 'Thus says Yahweh of Armies, "I took you from the sheep pen, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people, over Israel. 9.I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you. I will make you a great name, like the name of the great ones who are in the earth. 10.I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place, and be moved no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as at the first, 11.and as from the day that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel. I will cause you to rest from all your enemies. Moreover Yahweh tells you that Yahweh will make you a house. 12.When your days are fulfilled, and you shall sleep with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who shall proceed out of your bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. 13.He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14.I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men; 15.but my loving kindness shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before you. 16.Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever."'" 17.According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.
18.Then David the king went in, and sat before Yahweh; and he said, "Who am I, Lord3 Yahweh, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? 19.This was yet a small thing in your eyes, Lord Yahweh; but you have spoken also of your servant's house for a great while to come; and this after the way of men, Lord Yahweh! 20.What more can David say to you? For you know your servant, Lord Yahweh. 21.For your word's sake, and according to your own heart, you have worked all this greatness, to make your servant know it. 22.Therefore you are great, Yahweh God. For there is none like you, neither is there any God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 23.What one nation in the earth is like your people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem to himself for a people, and to make himself a name, and to do great things for you, and awesome things for your land, before your people, whom you redeem to yourself out of Egypt, from the nations and their gods? 24.You established for yourself your people Israel to be a people to you forever; and you, Yahweh, became their God. 25.Now, Yahweh God, the word that you have spoken concerning your servant, and concerning his house, confirm it forever, and do as you have spoken. 26.Let your name be magnified forever, saying, 'Yahweh of Armies is God over Israel; and the house of your servant David shall be established before you.' 27.For you, Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel, have revealed to your servant, saying, 'I will build you a house.' Therefore your servant has found in his heart to pray this prayer to you.
28."Now, O Lord Yahweh, you are God, and your words are truth, and you have promised this good thing to your servant. 29.Now therefore let it please you to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever before you; for you, Lord Yahweh, have spoken it. Let the house of your servant be blessed forever with your blessing."
Jeremiah 12
1.You are righteous, Yahweh, when I contend with you; yet I would reason the cause with you: why does the way of the wicked prosper? why are all they at ease who deal very treacherously? 2.You have planted them, yes, they have taken root; they grow, yes, they bring forth fruit: you are near in their mouth, and far from their heart. 3.But you, Yahweh, know me; you see me, and try my heart toward you: pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and prepare them for the day of slaughter. 4.How long shall the land mourn, and the herbs of the whole country wither? for the wickedness of those who dwell therein, the animals are consumed, and the birds; because they said, He shall not see our latter end. 5.If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, then how can you contend with horses? and though in a land of peace you are secure, yet how will you do in the pride of the Jordan? 6.For even your brothers, and the house of your father, even they have dealt treacherously with you; even they have cried aloud after you: don't believe them, though they speak beautiful words to you. 7.I have forsaken my house, I have cast off my heritage; I have given the dearly beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies. 8.My heritage has become to me as a lion in the forest: she has uttered her voice against me; therefore I have hated her. 9.Is my heritage to me as a speckled bird of prey? are the birds of prey against her all around? Go, assemble all the animals of the field, bring them to devour. 10.Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion under foot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness. 11.They have made it a desolation; it mourns to me, being desolate; the whole land is made desolate, because no man lays it to heart. 12.Destroyers have come on all the bare heights in the wilderness; for the sword of Yahweh devours from the one end of the land even to the other end of the land: no flesh has peace. 13.They have sown wheat, and have reaped thorns; they have put themselves to pain, and profit nothing: and you shall be ashamed of your fruits, because of the fierce anger of Yahweh. 14.Thus says Yahweh against all my evil neighbors, who touch the inheritance which I have caused my people Israel to inherit: behold, I will pluck them up from off their land, and will pluck up the house of Judah from among them. 15.It shall happen, after that I have plucked them up, I will return and have compassion on them; and I will bring them again, every man to his heritage, and every man to his land. 16.It shall happen, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people, to swear by my name, As Yahweh lives; even as they taught my people to swear by Baal; then shall they be built up in the midst of my people. 17.But if they will not hear, then will I pluck up that nation, plucking up and destroying it, says Yahweh.
Matthew 23
1.Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to his disciples, 2.saying, "The scribes and the Pharisees sat on Moses' seat. 3.All things therefore whatever they tell you to observe, observe and do, but don't do their works; for they say, and don't do. 4.For they bind heavy burdens that are grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not lift a finger to help them. 5.But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries107 broad, enlarge the fringes108 of their garments, 6.and love the place of honor at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, 7.the salutations in the marketplaces, and to be called 'Rabbi, Rabbi' by men. 8.But don't you be called 'Rabbi,' for one is your teacher, the Christ, and all of you are brothers. 9.Call no man on the earth your father, for one is your Father, he who is in heaven. 10.Neither be called masters, for one is your master, the Christ. 11.But he who is greatest among you will be your servant. 12.Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
13."Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows' houses, and as a pretense you make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.
14."But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men; for you don't enter in yourselves, neither do you allow those who are entering in to enter.109 15.Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel around by sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much of a son of Gehenna110 as yourselves.
16."Woe to you, you blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obligated.' 17.You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifies the gold? 18.'Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obligated?' 19.You blind fools! For which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifies the gift? 20.He therefore who swears by the altar, swears by it, and by everything on it. 21.He who swears by the temple, swears by it, and by him who was living111 in it. 22.He who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God, and by him who sits on it.
23."Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cumin,112 and have left undone the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faith. But you ought to have done these, and not to have left the other undone. 24.You blind guides, who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel!
25."Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and unrighteousness.113 26.You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the platter, that its outside may become clean also.
27."Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitened tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but inwardly are full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. 28.Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
29."Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and decorate the tombs of the righteous, 30.and say, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we wouldn't have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.' 31.Therefore you testify to yourselves that you are children of those who killed the prophets. 32.Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. 33.You serpents, you offspring of vipers, how will you escape the judgment of Gehenna114? 34.Therefore, behold, I send to you prophets, wise men, and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify; and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city; 35.that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zachariah son of Barachiah, whom you killed between the sanctuary and the altar. 36.Most certainly I tell you, all these things will come upon this generation.
37."Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets, and stones those who are sent to her! How often I would have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you would not! 38.Behold, your house is left to you desolate. 39.For I tell you, you will not see me from now on, until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!'"[115]