the Fifth Week after Easter
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Bible Reading Plan
Daily Bible Reading
December 5 - Old & New Testament
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Ezra 1,2
Cyrus' Proclamation
1 (C1)Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he (C2)sent a proclamation throughout his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying:
2 "This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: 'The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and (C1)He has appointed me to rebuild for Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.3 'Whoever there is among you of all His people, may his God be with him! (F1)Go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah and rebuild the house of the LORD, the God of Israel; (C1)He is the God who is in Jerusalem.4 'And every survivor, at whatever place he may (F1)live, the people of (F2)that place are to support him with silver and gold, with equipment and cattle, together with a (F3)voluntary offering for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.'"
Holy Vessels Restored
5 Then the heads of fathers' households of Judah and Benjamin and the priests and the Levites rose up, (C1)everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up to rebuild the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem.6 And all of those around them (F1)(C1)encouraged them with articles of silver, with gold, with equipment, cattle, and with valuables, aside from everything that was given as a (F2)voluntary offering.7 (C1)Also King Cyrus brought out the articles of the house of the LORD, (C2)which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and put in the house of his gods;8 and Cyrus, king of Persia, had them brought out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and he counted them out to (C1)Sheshbazzar, the leader of Judah.9 Now this was their number: thirty (C1)gold dishes, a thousand silver dishes, twenty nine (F1)duplicates;10 thirty gold bowls, 410 silver bowls of a second kind, and a thousand other articles.11 All the articles of gold and silver totaled 5,400. Sheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem.
Number of Those Returning
1 (C1)Now these are the (F1)people of the province who came up out of the captivity of the exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had taken into exile to Babylon, and they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his city.
2 (F1)These came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, (F2)Seraiah, (F3)Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, (F4)Mispar, Bigvai, (F5)Rehum, and Baanah.
Priests Returning
36 (C1)The priests: the sons of Jedaiah of the house of Jeshua, 973;37 the sons of (C1)Immer, 1,052;38 (C1)the sons of Pashhur, 1,247;39 the sons of (C1)Harim, 1,017.
Levites Returning
40 The Levites: the sons of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the sons of (F1)Hodaviah, 74.41 The singers: the sons of Asaph, 128.42 The sons of the gatekeepers: the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, and the sons of Shobai, 139 in all.
43 The (C1)temple servants: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth,44 the sons of Keros, the sons of (F1)Siaha, the sons of Padon,45 the sons of Lebanah, the sons of Hagabah, the sons of Akkub,46 the sons of Hagab, the sons of Shalmai, the sons of Hanan,47 the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar, the sons of Reaiah,48 the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekoda, the sons of Gazzam,49 the sons of Uzza, the sons of Paseah, the sons of Besai,50 the sons of Asnah, the sons of Meunim, the sons of (F1)Nephisim,51 the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of Harhur,52 the sons of (F1)Bazluth, the sons of Mehida, the sons of Harsha,53 the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Temah,54 the sons of Neziah, and the sons of Hatipha.
55 The sons of (C1)Solomon's servants: the sons of Sotai, the sons of (F1)Hassophereth, the sons of (F2)Peruda,56 the sons of Jaalah, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Giddel,57 the sons of Shephatiah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of Pochereth-hazzebaim, and the sons of (F1)Ami.
58 All the (C1)temple servants and the sons of (C2)Solomon's servants totaled 392.
59 Now these were the ones who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, (F1)Addan, and Immer, but they were not able to (F2)provide evidence of their fathers' households and their (F3)descendants, whether they were of Israel:60 the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, and the sons of Nekoda, 652.
Priests Removed
61 Of the sons of the priests: the sons of Hobaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, the sons of (C1)Barzillai, who took a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and he was called by their name.62 These searched among their genealogical registration but they could not be located; (C1)so they were considered defiled and excluded from the priesthood.63 The (F1)governor said to them (C1)that they were not to eat from the most holy things until a priest stood up with (C2)Urim and Thummim.64 The whole assembly together totaled 42,360,65 besides their male and female slaves (F1)who totaled 7,337; and they had two hundred (C1)singing men and women.66 Their horses numbered 736; their mules, 245;67 their camels, 435; their donkeys, 6,720.
68 Some of the heads of fathers' households, when they arrived at the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem, offered willingly for the house of God to erect it on its site.69 According to their ability they gave (C1)to the treasury for the work sixty-one thousand gold drachmas, five thousand silver minas, and a hundred priestly (F1)garments.
70 (C1)Now the priests and the Levites, some of the people, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants lived in their cities, and all Israel in their cities.
1 John 4
Chapter 4
Testing the Spirits
1 (C1)Beloved, do not believe every (C2)spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because (C3)many false prophets have gone out into the world.2 By this you know the Spirit of God: (C1)every spirit that (C2)confesses that (C3)Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God;3 and every spirit that (C1)does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the (C2)antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and (C3)now it is already in the world.4 You are from God, (C1)little children, and (C2)have overcome them; because (C3)greater is He who is in you than (C4)he who is in the world.5 (C1)They are from the world, therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them.6 (C1)We are from God. (C2)The one who knows God listens to us; (C3)the one who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know (C4)the spirit of truth and (C5)the spirit of error.
God Is Love
7 (C1)Beloved, let's (C2)love one another; for love is from God, and (C3)everyone who loves has been (C4)born of God and (C5)knows God.8 The one who does not love does not know God, because (C1)God is love.9 By this the love of God was revealed (F1)(C1)in us, that (C2)God has sent His only Son into the world so that we may live through Him.10 In this is love, (C1)not that we loved God, but that (C2)He loved us and sent His Son to be (C3)the (F1)propitiation for our sins.11 (C1)Beloved, if God so loved us, (C2)we also ought to love one another.12 (C1)No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God remains in us, and His (C2)love is perfected in us.13 (C1)By this we know that we remain in Him and He in us, because He has given to us of His Spirit.14 We have seen and (C1)testify that the Father has (C2)sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.
15 (C1)Whoever confesses that (C2)Jesus is the Son of God, God (C3)remains in him, and he in God.16 (C1)We have come to know and have believed the love which God has (F1)(C2)for us. (C3)God is love, and the one who (C4)remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.17 By this, (C1)love is perfected with us, so that we may have (C2)confidence in (C3)the day of judgment; because (C4)as He is, we also are in this world.18 There is no fear in love, but (C1)perfect love drives out fear, because fear (F1)involves punishment, and the one who fears is not (C2)perfected in love.19 (C1)We love, because He first loved us.20 (C1)If someone says, "I love God," and yet he (C2)hates his brother or sister, he is a (C3)liar; for (C4)the one who does not love his brother and sister whom he has seen, (C5)cannot love God, whom he has not seen.21 And (C1)this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God (C2)must also love his brother and sister.
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