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Daily Readings for September 25
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1Chronicles 8
1.Benjamin became the father of Bela his firstborn, Ashbel the second, and Aharah the third, 2.Nohah the fourth, and Rapha the fifth. 3.Bela had sons: Addar, and Gera, and Abihud, 4.and Abishua, and Naaman, and Ahoah, 5.and Gera, and Shephuphan, and Huram. 6.These are the sons of Ehud: these are the heads of fathers' households of the inhabitants of Geba, and they carried them captive to Manahath: 7.and Naaman, and Ahijah, and Gera, he carried them captive: and he became the father of Uzza and Ahihud. 8.Shaharaim became the father of children in the field of Moab, after he had sent them away; Hushim and Baara were his wives. 9.He became the father of Hodesh his wife, Jobab, and Zibia, and Mesha, and Malcam, 10.and Jeuz, and Shachia, and Mirmah. These were his sons, heads of fathers' households. 11.Of Hushim he became the father of Abitub and Elpaal. 12.The sons of Elpaal: Eber, and Misham, and Shemed, who built Ono and Lod, with its towns; 13.and Beriah, and Shema, who were heads of fathers' households of the inhabitants of Aijalon, who put to flight the inhabitants of Gath; 14.and Ahio, Shashak, and Jeremoth, 15.and Zebadiah, and Arad, and Eder, 16.and Michael, and Ishpah, and Joha, the sons of Beriah, 17.and Zebadiah, and Meshullam, and Hizki, and Heber, 18.and Ishmerai, and Izliah, and Jobab, the sons of Elpaal, 19.and Jakim, and Zichri, and Zabdi, 20.and Elienai, and Zillethai, and Eliel, 21.and Adaiah, and Beraiah, and Shimrath, the sons of Shimei, 22.and Ishpan, and Eber, and Eliel, 23.and Abdon, and Zichri, and Hanan, 24.and Hananiah, and Elam, and Anthothijah, 25.and Iphdeiah, and Penuel, the sons of Shashak, 26.and Shamsherai, and Shehariah, and Athaliah, 27.and Jaareshiah, and Elijah, and Zichri, the sons of Jeroham. 28.These were heads of fathers' households throughout their generations, chief men: these lived in Jerusalem. 29.In Gibeon there lived the father of Gibeon, whose wife's name was Maacah; 30.and his firstborn son Abdon, and Zur, and Kish, and Baal, and Nadab, 31.and Gedor, and Ahio, and Zecher. 32.Mikloth became the father of Shimeah. They also lived with their brothers in Jerusalem, over against their brothers. 33.Ner became the father of Kish; and Kish became the father of Saul; and Saul became the father of Jonathan, and Malchishua, and Abinadab, and Eshbaal. 34.The son of Jonathan was Merib Baal; and Merib Baal became the father of Micah. 35.The sons of Micah: Pithon, and Melech, and Tarea, and Ahaz. 36.Ahaz became the father of Jehoaddah; and Jehoaddah became the father of Alemeth, and Azmaveth, and Zimri; and Zimri became the father of Moza. 37.Moza became the father of Binea; Raphah was his son, Eleasah his son, Azel his son. 38.Azel had six sons, whose names are these: Azrikam, Bocheru, and Ishmael, and Sheariah, and Obadiah, and Hanan. All these were the sons of Azel. 39.The sons of Eshek his brother: Ulam his firstborn, Jeush the second, and Eliphelet the third. 40.The sons of Ulam were mighty men of valor, archers, and had many sons, and sons' sons, one hundred fifty. All these were of the sons of Benjamin.
Ezekiel 21
1.The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2.Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem, and drop [your word] toward the sanctuaries, and prophesy against the land of Israel; 3.and tell the land of Israel, Thus says Yahweh: Behold, I am against you, and will draw forth my sword out of its sheath, and will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked. 4.Seeing then that I will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall my sword go forth out of its sheath against all flesh from the south to the north: 5.and all flesh shall know that I, Yahweh, have drawn forth my sword out of its sheath; it shall not return any more. 6.Sigh therefore, you son of man; with the breaking of your thighs and with bitterness you will sigh before their eyes. 7.It shall be, when they tell you, Why do you sigh? that you shall say, Because of the news, for it comes; and every heart shall melt, and all hands shall be feeble, and every spirit shall faint, and all knees shall be weak as water: behold, it comes, and it shall be done, says the Lord Yahweh. 8.The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 9.Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus says Yahweh: Say, A sword, a sword, it is sharpened, and also furbished; 10.it is sharpened that it may make a slaughter; it is furbished that it may be as lightning: shall we then make mirth? the rod of my son, it condemns every tree. 11.It is given to be furbished, that it may be handled: the sword, it is sharpened, yes, it is furbished, to give it into the hand of the killer. 12.Cry and wail, son of man; for it is on my people, it is on all the princes of Israel: they are delivered over to the sword with my people; strike therefore on your thigh. 13.For there is a trial; and what if even the rod that condemns shall be no more? says the Lord Yahweh. 14.You therefore, son of man, prophesy, and strike your hands together; and let the sword be doubled the third time, the sword of the deadly wounded: it is the sword of the great one who is deadly wounded, which enters into their rooms. 15.I have set the threatening sword against all their gates, that their heart may melt, and their stumblings be multiplied: ah! it is made as lightning, it is pointed for slaughter. 16.Gather yourselves together, go to the right, set yourselves in array, go to the left, wherever your face is set. 17.I will also strike my hands together, and I will cause my wrath to rest: I, Yahweh, have spoken it. 18.The word of Yahweh came to me again, saying, 19.Also, you son of man, appoint two ways, that the sword of the king of Babylon may come; they both shall come forth out of one land: and mark out a place, mark it out at the head of the way to the city. 20.You shall appoint a way for the sword to come to Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and to Judah in Jerusalem the fortified. 21.For the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination: he shook the arrows back and forth, he consulted the teraphim, he looked in the liver. 22.In his right hand was the divination [for] Jerusalem, to set battering rams, to open the mouth in the slaughter, to lift up the voice with shouting, to set battering rams against the gates, to cast up mounds, to build forts. 23.It shall be to them as a false divination in their sight, who have sworn oaths to them; but he brings iniquity to memory, that they may be taken. 24.Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: Because you have made your iniquity to be remembered, in that your transgressions are uncovered, so that in all your doings your sins appear; because you have come to memory, you shall be taken with the hand. 25.You, deadly wounded wicked one, the prince of Israel, whose day has come, in the time of the iniquity of the end, 26.thus says the Lord Yahweh: Remove the turban, and take off the crown; this [shall be] no more the same; exalt that which is low, and abase that which is high. 27.I will overturn, overturn, overturn it: this also shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it [him]. 28.You, son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus says the Lord Yahweh concerning the children of Ammon, and concerning their reproach; and say, A sword, a sword is drawn, for the slaughter it is furbished, to cause it to devour, that it may be as lightning; 29.while they see for you false visions, while they divine lies to you, to lay you on the necks of the wicked who are deadly wounded, whose day has come in the time of the iniquity of the end. 30.Cause it to return into its sheath. In the place where you were created, in the land of your birth, will I judge you. 31.I will pour out my indignation on you; I will blow on you with the fire of my wrath; and I will deliver you into the hand of brutish men, skillful to destroy. 32.You shall be for fuel to the fire; your blood shall be in the midst of the land; you shall be remembered no more: for I, Yahweh, have spoken it.
Luke 18
1.He also spoke a parable to them that they must always pray, and not give up, 2.saying, "There was a judge in a certain city who didn't fear God, and didn't respect man. 3.A widow was in that city, and she often came to him, saying, 'Defend me from my adversary!' 4.He wouldn't for a while, but afterward he said to himself, 'Though I neither fear God, nor respect man, 5.yet because this widow bothers me, I will defend her, or else she will wear me out by her continual coming.'"
6.The Lord said, "Listen to what the unrighteous judge says. 7.Won't God avenge his chosen ones, who are crying out to him day and night, and yet he exercises patience with them? 8.I tell you that he will avenge them quickly. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"
9.He spoke also this parable to certain people who were convinced of their own righteousness, and who despised all others. 10."Two men went up into the temple to pray; one was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector. 11.The Pharisee stood and prayed to himself like this: 'God, I thank you, that I am not like the rest of men, extortioners, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12.I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I get.' 13.But the tax collector, standing far away, wouldn't even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' 14.I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted."
15.They were also bringing their babies to him, that he might touch them. But when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. 16.Jesus summoned them, saying, "Allow the little children to come to me, and don't hinder them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 17.Most certainly, I tell you, whoever doesn't receive the Kingdom of God like a little child, he will in no way enter into it."
18.A certain ruler asked him, saying, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"
19.Jesus asked him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good, except one--God. 20.You know the commandments: 'Don't commit adultery,' 'Don't murder,' 'Don't steal,' 'Don't give false testimony,' 'Honor your father and your mother.'"43
21.He said, "I have observed all these things from my youth up."
22.When Jesus heard these things, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have, and distribute it to the poor. You will have treasure in heaven. Come, follow me."
23.But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was very rich.
24.Jesus, seeing that he became very sad, said, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter into the Kingdom of God! 25.For it is easier for a camel to enter in through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God."
26.Those who heard it said, "Then who can be saved?"
27.But he said, "The things which are impossible with men are possible with God."
28.Peter said, "Look, we have left everything, and followed you."
29.He said to them, "Most certainly I tell you, there is no one who has left house, or wife, or brothers, or parents, or children, for the Kingdom of God's sake, 30.who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the world to come, eternal life."
31.He took the twelve aside, and said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all the things that are written through the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be completed. 32.For he will be delivered up to the Gentiles, will be mocked, treated shamefully, and spit on. 33.They will scourge and kill him. On the third day, he will rise again."
34.They understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they didn't understand the things that were said. 35.It happened, as he came near Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the road, begging. 36.Hearing a multitude going by, he asked what this meant. 37.They told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. 38.He cried out, "Jesus, you son of David, have mercy on me!" 39.Those who led the way rebuked him, that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more, "You son of David, have mercy on me!"
40.Standing still, Jesus commanded him to be brought to him. When he had come near, he asked him, 41."What do you want me to do?"
He said, "Lord, that I may see again."
42.Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight. Your faith has healed you."
43.Immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God. All the people, when they saw it, praised God.