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Bible Reading Plan
Daily Bible Reading
March 29 - Bible-in-a-Year
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Numbers 23:27-24:25
Chapter 23
27 Then Balak said to Balaam, "Please come, I will take you to another place; perhaps it will be (F1)agreeable with God that you curse them for me from there."28 So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, which overlooks the (F1)desert.29 And Balaam said to Balak, "Build seven altars for me here and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me here."30 Balak did just as Balaam had said, and offered up a bull and a ram on each altar.
Chapter 24
The Prophecy from Peor
1 When Balaam saw that it (F1)pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he did not go as at other times to (F2)seek (C1)omens, rather he turned his (F3)attention toward the (C2)wilderness.2 And Balaam raised his eyes and saw Israel (F1)camping tribe by tribe; and (C1)the Spirit of God came upon him.3 Then he took up his discourse and said, "(C1)The declaration of Balaam the son of Beor,
And the declaration of the man whose eye is opened;
4 The declaration of him who (C1)hears the (F1)words of God,
Who sees the (C2)vision of (F2)the Almighty,
Falling down, yet having his eyes uncovered,
5 How pleasant are your tents, Jacob,
Your dwelling places, Israel!
6 "Like (F1)valleys that stretch out,
Like gardens beside a river,
Like (C1)aloes planted by the LORD,
Like (C2)cedars beside the waters.
7 "Water will flow from his buckets,
And his seed will be by many waters,
And his king shall be higher than (C1)Agag,
(C2)And his kingdom shall be exalted.
8 "(C1)God brings him out of Egypt,
He is for him like the horns of the wild ox.
(C2)He will devour the nations who are his adversaries,
And will crush their bones,
And smash them with his (C3)arrows.
9 "(C1)He (F1)crouches, he lies down like a lion,
And like a lioness, who (F2)dares to rouse him?
(C2)Blessed is everyone who blesses you,
And cursed is everyone who curses you."
10 Then Balak's anger burned against Balaam, and he struck his (F1)hands together; and Balak said to Balaam, "I called you to curse my enemies, but behold, you have persisted in blessing them these three times!11 "So (F1)flee to your place now. I said I would honor you greatly, but behold, the LORD has held you back from honor."12 And Balaam said to Balak, "(C1)Did I not in fact tell your messengers whom you had sent to me, saying,13 'If Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not do anything contrary to the (F1)command of the LORD, either good or bad, (C1)of my own (F2)accord. (C2)What the LORD speaks, I will (F3)speak'?14 "So now, behold, (C1)I am going to my people; come, and I will advise you of what this people will do to your people in the (F1)days to come."
15 Then he took up his discourse and said, "(C1)The declaration of Balaam the son of Beor,
And the declaration of the man whose eye is opened,
16 The declaration of him who hears the (F1)words of God,
And knows the knowledge of the (F2)Most High,
Who sees the vision of (F3)the Almighty,
Falling down, yet having his eyes uncovered:
17 I see him, but not now;
I look at him, but not near;
A star shall appear from Jacob,
(C1)A scepter shall rise from Israel,
(C2)And shall smash the (F1)forehead of Moab,
And overcome all the sons of Sheth.
18 "(C1)And Edom shall be a possession,
(C2)Seir, its enemies, also will be a possession,
While Israel performs valiantly.
19 "One from Jacob shall rule,
And will eliminate the survivors from the city."
20 And he looked at Amalek and took up his discourse and said, "Amalek was the first of the nations,
(C1)But his end shall be (F1)destruction."
21 And he looked at the (C1)Kenite, and took up his discourse and said, "Your dwelling place is enduring,
And your nest is set in the cliff.
22 "Nevertheless Kain will suffer devastation;
How long will (C1)Asshur (F1)keep you captive?"
23 Then he took up his discourse and said, "Oh, who can live unless God has ordained it?
24 "But ships shall come from the coast of (C1)Kittim,
And they shall oppress Asshur and oppress (C2)Eber;
(C3)So they also will come to destruction."
25 Then Balaam arose, and he departed and returned to (C1)his place, and Balak also went on his way.
Song of Solomon 5:2-6:3
Chapter 5
2 "I was asleep but my heart was awake.
A voice! My beloved was knocking:
'Open to me, (C1)my sister, my darling,
(C2)My dove, my perfect one!
For my head is (F1)drenched with dew,
My (C3)locks with the dew drops of the night.'
3 "I have (C1)taken off my dress,
How can I put it on again?
I have (C2)washed my feet,
How can I dirty them again?
4 "My beloved extended his hand through the opening,
And my (C1)feelings were stirred for him.
5 "I arose to open to my beloved;
And my hands (C1)dripped with myrrh,
And my fingers with drops of myrrh,
On the handles of the bolt.
6 "I opened to my beloved,
But my beloved had (C1)turned away and had gone!
My (F1)heart went out to him as he (C2)spoke.
I (C3)searched for him but I did not find him;
I (C4)called him but he did not answer me.
7 "The (C1)watchmen who make the rounds in the city found me,
They struck me and wounded me;
The guards of the walls took my shawl away from me.
8 "(C1)Swear to me, you daughters of Jerusalem,
If you find my beloved,
As to what you will tell him:
For (C2)I am lovesick."
The Chorus
9 "(F1)What kind of beloved is your beloved,
O (C1)most beautiful among women?
(F1)What kind of beloved is your beloved,
That you make us swear in this way?"
Admiration by the Bride
The Bride
10 "My beloved is dazzling and (F1)(C1)reddish,
(C2)Outstanding among ten thousand.
11 "His head is like gold, pure gold;
His (C1)locks are like clusters of dates
And black as a raven.
12 "His (C1)eyes are like doves
Beside streams of water,
Bathed in milk,
And perched in their (C2)setting.
13 "His cheeks are like a (C1)bed of balsam,
(F1)Banks of herbal spices;
His lips are (C2)lilies
(C3)Dripping with drops of myrrh.
14 "His hands are rods of gold
Set with (C1)topaz;
His abdomen is panels of ivory
Covered with (F1)(C2)sapphires.
15 "His thighs are pillars of alabaster
Set on pedestals of pure gold;
His appearance is like (C1)Lebanon,
Choice as the (C2)cedars.
16 "His (F1)(C1)mouth is full of sweetness.
And he is wholly (C2)desirable.
This is my beloved and this is my friend,
You daughters of Jerusalem."
Chapter 6
Mutual Delight in Each Other
The Chorus
1 "(C1)Where has your beloved gone,
O (C2)most beautiful among women?
Where has your beloved turned,
That we may seek him with you?"
The Bride
2 "My beloved has gone down to his (C1)garden,
To the (C2)beds of balsam,
To (C3)pasture his flock in the gardens
And gather (C4)lilies.
3 "(C1)I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine,
He who (C2)pastures his flock among the lilies."<
Matthew 23:13-39
Chapter 23
13 "(C1)But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, (C2)because you shut the kingdom of heaven in front of people; for you do not enter it yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.(F1)
15 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one (F1)(C1)proselyte; and when he becomes one, you (F2)make him twice as much a son of (F3)(C2)hell as yourselves.
16 "Woe to you, (C1)blind guides, who say, '(C2)Whoever swears by the (F1)temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the (F1)temple is obligated.'17 "You fools and blind men! (C1)Which is (F1)more important, the gold or the (F2)temple that sanctified the gold?18 "And you say, 'Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the (F1)offering that is on it is obligated.'19 "You blind men, (C1)which is (F1)more important, the (F2)offering or the altar that sanctifies the (F2)offering?20 "Therefore, the one who swears by the altar, swears both by (F1)the altar and by everything on it.21 "And the one who swears by the (F1)temple, swears both by (F2)the temple and by Him who (C1)dwells in it.22 "And the one who swears by (F1)heaven, (C1)swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.
23 "(C1)Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and (F1)cumin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the Law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.24 "You (C1)blind guides, who (F1)strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!
25 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For (C1)you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full (F1)of robbery and self-indulgence.26 "You blind Pharisee, first (C1)clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the (F1)outside of it may also become clean.
27 "(C1)Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.28 "So you too, outwardly appear righteous to people, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
29 "(C1)Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous,30 and you say, 'If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.'31 "So you testify against yourselves, that you (C1)are (F1)sons of those who murdered the prophets.32 "(F1)Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers.33 "You snakes, (C1)you (F1)offspring of vipers, how (F2)will you escape the (F3)sentence of (F4)(C2)hell?
34 "(C1)Therefore, behold, (C2)I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will (C3)flog in your synagogues, and (C4)persecute from city to city,35 so that upon you will fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous (C1)Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the (C2)son of Berechiah, whom (C3)you murdered between the (F1)temple and the altar.36 "Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon (C1)this generation.
Grieving over Jerusalem
37 "(C1)Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who (C2)kills the prophets and stones those who have been sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, (C3)the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.38 "Behold, (C1)your house is being left to you desolate!39 "For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, '(C1)BLESSED IS THE ONE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!'"
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