the Week of Proper 2 / Ordinary 7
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Bible Reading Plan
Daily Bible Reading
November 29 - Bible-in-a-Year
niv
Lamentations 1-2
Chapter 1
1 [a]How deserted(a) lies the city,
once so full of people!(b)
How like a widow(c) is she,
who once was great(d) among the nations!
She who was queen among the provinces
has now become a slave.(e)
2 Bitterly she weeps(f) at night,
tears are on her cheeks.
Among all her lovers(g)
there is no one to comfort her.
All her friends have betrayed(h) her;
they have become her enemies.(i)
3 After affliction and harsh labor,
Judah has gone into exile.(j)
She dwells among the nations;
she finds no resting place.(k)
All who pursue her have overtaken her(l)
in the midst of her distress.
4 The roads to Zion mourn,(m)
for no one comes to her appointed festivals.
All her gateways are desolate,(n)
her priests groan,
her young women grieve,
and she is in bitter anguish.(o)
5 Her foes have become her masters;
her enemies are at ease.
The
Lord
has brought her grief(p)
because of her many sins.(q)
Her children have gone into exile,(r)
captive before the foe.(s)
6 All the splendor has departed
from Daughter Zion.(t)
Her princes are like deer
that find no pasture;
in weakness they have fled(u)
before the pursuer.
7 In the days of her affliction and wandering
Jerusalem remembers all the treasures
that were hers in days of old.
When her people fell into enemy hands,
there was no one to help her.(v)
Her enemies looked at her
and laughed(w) at her destruction.
8 Jerusalem has sinned(x) greatly
and so has become unclean.(y)
All who honored her despise her,
for they have all seen her naked;(z)
she herself groans(aa)
and turns away.
9 Her filthiness clung to her skirts;
she did not consider her future.(ab)
Her fall(ac) was astounding;
there was none to comfort(ad) her.
"Look,
Lord
, on my affliction,(ae)
for the enemy has triumphed."
10 The enemy laid hands
on all her treasures;(af)
she saw pagan nations
enter her sanctuary(ag)—
those you had forbidden(ah)
to enter your assembly.
11 All her people groan(ai)
as they search for bread;(aj)
they barter their treasures for food
to keep themselves alive.
"Look,
Lord
, and consider,
for I am despised."
12 "Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by?(ak)
Look around and see.
Is any suffering like my suffering(al)
that was inflicted on me,
that the
Lord
brought on me
in the day of his fierce anger?(am)
13 "From on high he sent fire,
sent it down into my bones.(an)
He spread a net(ao) for my feet
and turned me back.
He made me desolate,(ap)
faint(aq) all the day long.
14 "My sins have been bound into a yoke[b];(ar)
by his hands they were woven together.
They have been hung on my neck,
and the Lord has sapped my strength.
He has given me into the hands(as)
of those I cannot withstand.
15 "The Lord has rejected
all the warriors in my midst;(at)
he has summoned an army(au) against me
to[c] crush my young men.(av)
In his winepress(aw) the Lord has trampled(ax)
Virgin Daughter(ay) Judah.
16 "This is why I weep
and my eyes overflow with tears.(az)
No one is near to comfort(ba) me,
no one to restore my spirit.
My children are destitute
because the enemy has prevailed."(bb)
17 Zion stretches out her hands,(bc)
but there is no one to comfort her.
The
Lord
has decreed for Jacob
that his neighbors become his foes;(bd)
Jerusalem has become
an unclean(be) thing(bf) among them.
18 "The
Lord
is righteous,(bg)
yet I rebelled(bh) against his command.
Listen, all you peoples;
look on my suffering.(bi)
My young men and young women
have gone into exile.(bj)
19 "I called to my allies(bk)
but they betrayed me.
My priests and my elders
perished(bl) in the city
while they searched for food
to keep themselves alive.
20 "See,
Lord
, how distressed(bm) I am!
I am in torment(bn) within,
and in my heart I am disturbed,(bo)
for I have been most rebellious.(bp)
Outside, the sword bereaves;
inside, there is only death.(bq)
21 "People have heard my groaning,(br)
but there is no one to comfort me.(bs)
All my enemies have heard of my distress;
they rejoice(bt) at what you have done.
May you bring the day(bu) you have announced
so they may become like me.
22 "Let all their wickedness come before you;
deal with them
as you have dealt with me
because of all my sins.(bv)
My groans(bw) are many
and my heart is faint."
Chapter 2
1 [a]How the Lord has covered Daughter Zion
with the cloud of his anger[b]!(a)
He has hurled down the splendor of Israel
from heaven to earth;
he has not remembered his footstool(b)
in the day of his anger.(c)
2 Without pity(d) the Lord has swallowed(e) up
all the dwellings of Jacob;
in his wrath he has torn down
the strongholds(f) of Daughter Judah.
He has brought her kingdom and its princes
down to the ground(g) in dishonor.
3 In fierce anger he has cut off
every horn[c][d](h) of Israel.
He has withdrawn his right hand(i)
at the approach of the enemy.
He has burned in Jacob like a flaming fire
that consumes everything around it.(j)
4 Like an enemy he has strung his bow;(k)
his right hand is ready.
Like a foe he has slain
all who were pleasing to the eye;(l)
he has poured out his wrath(m) like fire(n)
on the tent(o) of Daughter Zion.
5 The Lord is like an enemy;(p)
he has swallowed up Israel.
He has swallowed up all her palaces
and destroyed her strongholds.(q)
He has multiplied mourning and lamentation(r)
for Daughter Judah.(s)
6 He has laid waste his dwelling like a garden;
he has destroyed(t) his place of meeting.(u)
The
Lord
has made Zion forget
her appointed festivals and her Sabbaths;(v)
in his fierce anger he has spurned
both king and priest.(w)
7 The Lord has rejected his altar
and abandoned his sanctuary.(x)
He has given the walls of her palaces(y)
into the hands of the enemy;
they have raised a shout in the house of the
Lord
as on the day of an appointed festival.(z)
8 The
Lord
determined to tear down
the wall around Daughter Zion.(aa)
He stretched out a measuring line(ab)
and did not withhold his hand from destroying.
He made ramparts(ac) and walls lament;
together they wasted away.(ad)
9 Her gates(ae) have sunk into the ground;
their bars(af) he has broken and destroyed.
Her king and her princes are exiled(ag) among the nations,
the law(ah) is no more,
and her prophets(ai) no longer find
visions(aj) from the
Lord
.
10 The elders of Daughter Zion
sit on the ground in silence;(ak)
they have sprinkled dust(al) on their heads(am)
and put on sackcloth.(an)
The young women of Jerusalem
have bowed their heads to the ground.(ao)
11 My eyes fail from weeping,(ap)
I am in torment within(aq);
my heart(ar) is poured out(as) on the ground
because my people are destroyed,(at)
because children and infants faint(au)
in the streets of the city.
12 They say to their mothers,
"Where is bread and wine?"(av)
as they faint like the wounded
in the streets of the city,
as their lives ebb away(aw)
in their mothers' arms.(ax)
13 What can I say for you?(ay)
With what can I compare you,
Daughter(az) Jerusalem?
To what can I liken you,
that I may comfort you,
Virgin Daughter Zion?(ba)
Your wound is as deep as the sea.(bb)
Who can heal you?
14 The visions of your prophets
were false(bc) and worthless;
they did not expose your sin
to ward off your captivity.(bd)
The prophecies they gave you
were false and misleading.(be)
15 All who pass your way
clap their hands at you;(bf)
they scoff(bg) and shake their heads(bh)
at Daughter Jerusalem:(bi)
"Is this the city that was called
the perfection of beauty,(bj)
the joy of the whole earth?"(bk)
16 All your enemies open their mouths
wide against you;(bl)
they scoff and gnash their teeth(bm)
and say, "We have swallowed her up.(bn)
This is the day we have waited for;
we have lived to see it."(bo)
17 The
Lord
has done what he planned;
he has fulfilled(bp) his word,
which he decreed long ago.(bq)
He has overthrown you without pity,(br)
he has let the enemy gloat over you,(bs)
he has exalted the horn[e] of your foes.(bt)
18 The hearts of the people
cry out to the Lord.(bu)
You walls of Daughter Zion,(bv)
let your tears(bw) flow like a river
day and night;(bx)
give yourself no relief,
your eyes no rest.(by)
19 Arise, cry out in the night,
as the watches of the night begin;
pour out your heart(bz) like water
in the presence of the Lord.(ca)
Lift up your hands(cb) to him
for the lives of your children,
who faint(cc) from hunger
at every street corner.
20 "Look,
Lord
, and consider:
Whom have you ever treated like this?
Should women eat their offspring,(cd)
the children they have cared for?(ce)
Should priest and prophet be killed(cf)
in the sanctuary of the Lord?(cg)
21 "Young and old lie together
in the dust of the streets;
my young men and young women
have fallen by the sword.(ch)
You have slain them in the day of your anger;
you have slaughtered them without pity.(ci)
22 "As you summon to a feast day,
so you summoned against me terrors(cj) on every side.
In the day of the
Lord
's anger
no one escaped(ck) or survived;
those I cared for and reared(cl)
my enemy has destroyed."
Psalms 145
Chapter 145
Psalm 145[a]
A psalm of praise. Of David.
1 I will exalt you,(a) my God the King;(b)
I will praise your name(c) for ever and ever.
2 Every day I will praise(d) you
and extol your name(e) for ever and ever.
3 Great(f) is the
Lord
and most worthy of praise;(g)
his greatness no one can fathom.(h)
4 One generation(i) commends your works to another;
they tell(j) of your mighty acts.(k)
5 They speak of the glorious splendor(l) of your majesty—
and I will meditate on your wonderful works.[b](m)
6 They tell(n) of the power of your awesome works—(o)
and I will proclaim(p) your great deeds.(q)
7 They celebrate your abundant goodness(r)
and joyfully sing(s) of your righteousness.(t)
8 The
Lord
is gracious and compassionate,(u)
slow to anger and rich in love.(v)
9 The
Lord
is good(w) to all;
he has compassion(x) on all he has made.
10 All your works praise you,(y)
Lord
;
your faithful people extol(z) you.(aa)
11 They tell of the glory of your kingdom(ab)
and speak of your might,(ac)
12 so that all people may know of your mighty acts(ad)
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.(ae)
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,(af)
and your dominion endures through all generations.
The
Lord
is trustworthy(ag) in all he promises(ah)
and faithful in all he does.[c]
14 The
Lord
upholds(ai) all who fall
and lifts up all(aj) who are bowed down.(ak)
15 The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food(al) at the proper time.
16 You open your hand
and satisfy the desires(am) of every living thing.
17 The
Lord
is righteous(an) in all his ways
and faithful in all he does.(ao)
18 The
Lord
is near(ap) to all who call on him,(aq)
to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desires(ar) of those who fear him;(as)
he hears their cry(at) and saves them.(au)
20 The
Lord
watches over(av) all who love him,(aw)
but all the wicked he will destroy.(ax)
21 My mouth will speak(ay) in praise of the
Lord
.
Let every creature(az) praise his holy name(ba)
for ever and ever.
Galatians 3:19-4:20
Chapter 3
19 Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions(ae) until the Seed(af) to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels(ag) and entrusted to a mediator.(ah) 20 A mediator,(ai) however, implies more than one party; but God is one.
21 Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not!(aj) For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law.(ak) 22 But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin,(al) so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.
Children of God
23 Before the coming of this faith,[j] we were held in custody(am) under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed.(an) 24 So the law was our guardian until Christ came(ao) that we might be justified by faith.(ap) 25 Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.(aq)
26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God(ar) through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ(as) have clothed yourselves with Christ.(at) 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free,(au) nor is there male and female,(av) for you are all one in Christ Jesus.(aw) 29 If you belong to Christ,(ax) then you are Abraham's seed,(ay) and heirs(az) according to the promise.(ba)
Chapter 4
1 What I am saying is that as long as an heir is underage, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. 2 The heir is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. 3 So also, when we were underage, we were in slavery(a) under the elemental spiritual forces[a] of the world.(b) 4 But when the set time had fully come,(c) God sent his Son,(d) born of a woman,(e) born under the law,(f) 5 to redeem(g) those under the law, that we might receive adoption(h) to sonship.[b](i) 6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son(j) into our hearts,(k) the Spirit who calls out, "Abba,[c] Father."(l) 7 So you are no longer a slave, but God's child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.(m)
Paul's Concern for the Galatians
8 Formerly, when you did not know God,(n) you were slaves(o) to those who by nature are not gods.(p) 9 But now that you know God—or rather are known by God(q)—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces[d]? Do you wish to be enslaved(r) by them all over again?(s) 10 You are observing special days and months and seasons and years!(t) 11 I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you.(u)
12 I plead with you, brothers and sisters,(v) become like me, for I became like you. You did me no wrong. 13 As you know, it was because of an illness(w) that I first preached the gospel to you, 14 and even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself.(x) 15 Where, then, is your blessing of me now? I can testify that, if you could have done so, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. 16 Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?(y)
17 Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate you from us, so that you may have zeal for them.(z) 18 It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always, not just when I am with you.(aa) 19 My dear children,(ab) for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you,(ac) 20 how I wish I could be with you now and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you!
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