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Bible Reading Plan
Daily Bible Reading
July 28 - Chronological Order
niv
2 Kings 18:9-19:37
Chapter 18
9 In King Hezekiah's fourth year,(q) which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Shalmaneser king of Assyria marched against Samaria and laid siege to it. 10 At the end of three years the Assyrians took it. So Samaria was captured in Hezekiah's sixth year, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel. 11 The king(r) of Assyria deported Israel to Assyria and settled them in Halah, in Gozan on the Habor River and in towns of the Medes.(s) 12 This happened because they had not obeyed the Lord their God, but had violated his covenant(t)—all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded.(u) They neither listened to the commands(v) nor carried them out.
13 In the fourteenth year(w) of King Hezekiah's reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah(x) and captured them. 14 So Hezekiah king of Judah sent this message to the king of Assyria at Lachish:(y) "I have done wrong.(z) Withdraw from me, and I will pay whatever you demand of me." The king of Assyria exacted from Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents[c] of silver and thirty talents[d] of gold. 15 So Hezekiah gave(aa) him all the silver that was found in the temple of the Lord and in the treasuries of the royal palace.
16 At this time Hezekiah king of Judah stripped off the gold with which he had covered the doors(ab) and doorposts of the temple of the Lord , and gave it to the king of Assyria.
Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem(ac)(ad)
17 The king of Assyria sent his supreme commander,(ae) his chief officer and his field commander with a large army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. They came up to Jerusalem and stopped at the aqueduct of the Upper Pool,(af) on the road to the Washerman's Field. 18 They called for the king; and Eliakim(ag) son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna(ah) the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder went out to them.
19 The field commander said to them, "Tell Hezekiah:
"‘This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: On what are you basing this confidence(ai) of yours? 20 You say you have the counsel and the might for war—but you speak only empty words. On whom are you depending, that you rebel against me? 21 Look, I know you are depending on Egypt,(aj) that splintered reed of a staff,(ak) which pierces the hand of anyone who leans on it! Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who depend on him. 22 But if you say to me, "We are depending on the Lord our God"—isn't he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, "You must worship before this altar in Jerusalem"?
23 "‘Come now, make a bargain with my master, the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses—if you can put riders on them! 24 How can you repulse one officer(al) of the least of my master's officials, even though you are depending on Egypt for chariots and horsemen[e]? 25 Furthermore, have I come to attack and destroy this place without word from the Lord ?(am) The Lord himself told me to march against this country and destroy it.'"
26 Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, and Shebna and Joah said to the field commander, "Please speak to your servants in Aramaic,(an) since we understand it. Don't speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people on the wall."
27 But the commander replied, "Was it only to your master and you that my master sent me to say these things, and not to the people sitting on the wall—who, like you, will have to eat their own excrement and drink their own urine?"
28 Then the commander stood and called out in Hebrew, "Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria! 29 This is what the king says: Do not let Hezekiah deceive(ao) you. He cannot deliver you from my hand. 30 Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the Lord when he says, ‘The Lord will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.'
31 "Do not listen to Hezekiah. This is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come out to me. Then each of you will eat fruit from your own vine and fig tree(ap) and drink water from your own cistern,(aq) 32 until I come and take you to a land like your own—a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey. Choose life(ar) and not death!
"Do not listen to Hezekiah, for he is misleading you when he says, ‘The Lord will deliver us.' 33 Has the god(as) of any nation ever delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? 34 Where are the gods of Hamath(at) and Arpad?(au) Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah? Have they rescued Samaria from my hand? 35 Who of all the gods of these countries has been able to save his land from me? How then can the Lord deliver Jerusalem from my hand?"(av)
36 But the people remained silent and said nothing in reply, because the king had commanded, "Do not answer him."
37 Then Eliakim(aw) son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder went to Hezekiah, with their clothes torn,(ax) and told him what the field commander had said.
Chapter 19
Jerusalem's Deliverance Foretold(a)
1 When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore(b) his clothes and put on sackcloth and went into the temple of the Lord . 2 He sent Eliakim(c) the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary and the leading priests,(d) all wearing sackcloth,(e) to the prophet Isaiah(f) son of Amoz. 3 They told him, "This is what Hezekiah says: This day is a day of distress and rebuke and disgrace, as when children come to the moment(g) of birth and there is no strength to deliver them. 4 It may be that the Lord your God will hear all the words of the field commander, whom his master, the king of Assyria, has sent to ridicule(h) the living God, and that he will rebuke(i) him for the words the Lord your God has heard. Therefore pray for the remnant(j) that still survives."
5 When King Hezekiah's officials came to Isaiah, 6 Isaiah said to them, "Tell your master, ‘This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid(k) of what you have heard—those words with which the underlings of the king of Assyria have blasphemed(l) me. 7 Listen! When he hears a certain report,(m) I will make him want to return to his own country, and there I will have him cut down with the sword.(n)'"
8 When the field commander heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish,(o) he withdrew and found the king fighting against Libnah.(p)
9 Now Sennacherib received a report that Tirhakah, the king of Cush,[a] was marching out to fight against him. So he again sent messengers to Hezekiah with this word: 10 "Say to Hezekiah king of Judah: Do not let the god you depend(q) on deceive(r) you when he says, ‘Jerusalem will not be given into the hands of the king of Assyria.' 11 Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries, destroying them completely. And will you be delivered? 12 Did the gods of the nations that were destroyed by my predecessors deliver(s) them—the gods of Gozan,(t) Harran,(u) Rezeph and the people of Eden who were in Tel Assar? 13 Where is the king of Hamath or the king of Arpad? Where are the kings of Lair, Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah?"(v)
Hezekiah's Prayer(w)
14 Hezekiah received the letter(x) from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord . 15 And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord : " Lord , the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim,(y) you alone(z) are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 16 Give ear,(aa) Lord , and hear;(ab) open your eyes,(ac) Lord , and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God.
17 "It is true, Lord , that the Assyrian kings have laid waste these nations and their lands. 18 They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods(ad) but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands.(ae) 19 Now, Lord our God, deliver(af) us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms(ag) of the earth may know(ah) that you alone, Lord , are God."
Isaiah Prophesies Sennacherib's Fall(ai)(aj)
20 Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah: "This is what the Lord , the God of Israel, says: I have heard(ak) your prayer concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria. 21 This is the word that the Lord has spoken against(al) him:
"‘Virgin Daughter(am) Zion
despises(an) you and mocks(ao) you.
Daughter Jerusalem
tosses her head(ap) as you flee.
22 Who is it you have ridiculed and blasphemed?(aq)
Against whom have you raised your voice
and lifted your eyes in pride?
Against the Holy One(ar) of Israel!
23 By your messengers
you have ridiculed the Lord.
And you have said,(as)
"With my many chariots(at)
I have ascended the heights of the mountains,
the utmost heights of Lebanon.
I have cut down(au) its tallest cedars,
the choicest of its junipers.
I have reached its remotest parts,
the finest of its forests.
24 I have dug wells in foreign lands
and drunk the water there.
With the soles of my feet
I have dried up all the streams of Egypt."
25 "‘Have you not heard?(av)
Long ago I ordained it.
In days of old I planned(aw) it;
now I have brought it to pass,
that you have turned fortified cities
into piles of stone.(ax)
26 Their people, drained of power,(ay)
are dismayed(az) and put to shame.
They are like plants in the field,
like tender green shoots,(ba)
like grass sprouting on the roof,
scorched(bb) before it grows up.
27 "‘But I know(bc) where you are
and when you come and go
and how you rage against me.
28 Because you rage against me
and because your insolence has reached my ears,
I will put my hook(bd) in your nose
and my bit(be) in your mouth,
and I will make you return(bf)
by the way you came.'
29 "This will be the sign(bg) for you, Hezekiah:
"This year you will eat what grows by itself,(bh)
and the second year what springs from that.
But in the third year sow and reap,
plant vineyards(bi) and eat their fruit.
30 Once more a remnant(bj) of the kingdom of Judah
will take root(bk) below and bear fruit above.
31 For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant,(bl)
and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors.(bm)
"The zeal(bn) of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.
32 "Therefore this is what the Lord says concerning the king of Assyria:
"‘He will not enter this city
or shoot an arrow here.
He will not come before it with shield
or build a siege ramp against it.
33 By the way that he came he will return;(bo)
he will not enter this city,
declares the
Lord
.
34 I will defend(bp) this city and save it,
for my sake and for the sake of David(bq) my servant.'"
35 That night the angel of the Lord (br) went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies!(bs) 36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew.(bt) He returned to Nineveh(bu) and stayed there.
37 One day, while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisrok, his sons Adrammelek(bv) and Sharezer killed him with the sword,(bw) and they escaped to the land of Ararat.(bx) And Esarhaddon(by) his son succeeded him as king.
Psalms 46
Chapter 46
Psalm 46[a]
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. According to alamoth.[b] A song.
1 God is our refuge(a) and strength,(b)
an ever-present(c) help(d) in trouble.(e)
2 Therefore we will not fear,(f) though the earth give way(g)
and the mountains fall(h) into the heart of the sea,(i)
3 though its waters roar(j) and foam(k)
and the mountains quake(l) with their surging.[c]
4 There is a river(m) whose streams(n) make glad the city of God,(o)
the holy place where the Most High(p) dwells.(q)
5 God is within her,(r) she will not fall;(s)
God will help(t) her at break of day.
6 Nations(u) are in uproar,(v) kingdoms(w) fall;
he lifts his voice,(x) the earth melts.(y)
7 The
Lord
Almighty(z) is with us;(aa)
the God of Jacob(ab) is our fortress.(ac)
8 Come and see what the
Lord
has done,(ad)
the desolations(ae) he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars(af) cease
to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow(ag) and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields[d] with fire.(ah)
10 He says, "Be still, and know that I am God;(ai)
I will be exalted(aj) among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."
11 The
Lord
Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob(ak) is our fortress.(al)
Psalms 80
Chapter 80
Psalm 80[a]
For the director of music. To the tune of "The Lilies of the Covenant." Of Asaph. A psalm.
1 Hear us, Shepherd of Israel,
you who lead Joseph like a flock.(a)
You who sit enthroned between the cherubim,(b)
shine forth
2 before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh.(c)
Awaken(d) your might;
come and save us.(e)
3 Restore(f) us,(g) O God;
make your face shine on us,
that we may be saved.(h)
4 How long,(i)
Lord
God Almighty,
will your anger smolder(j)
against the prayers of your people?
5 You have fed them with the bread of tears;(k)
you have made them drink tears by the bowlful.(l)
6 You have made us an object of derision[b] to our neighbors,
and our enemies mock us.(m)
7 Restore us, God Almighty;
make your face shine on us,
that we may be saved.(n)
8 You transplanted a vine(o) from Egypt;
you drove out(p) the nations and planted(q) it.
9 You cleared the ground for it,
and it took root and filled the land.
10 The mountains were covered with its shade,
the mighty cedars with its branches.
11 Its branches reached as far as the Sea,[c]
its shoots as far as the River.[d](r)
12 Why have you broken down its walls(s)
so that all who pass by pick its grapes?
13 Boars from the forest ravage(t) it,
and insects from the fields feed on it.
14 Return to us, God Almighty!
Look down from heaven and see!(u)
Watch over this vine,
15
the root your right hand has planted,
the son[e] you have raised up for yourself.
16 Your vine is cut down, it is burned with fire;(v)
at your rebuke(w) your people perish.
17 Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand,
the son of man(x) you have raised up for yourself.
18 Then we will not turn away from you;
revive(y) us, and we will call on your name.
19 Restore us,
Lord
God Almighty;
make your face shine on us,
that we may be saved.
Psalms 135
Chapter 135
Psalm 135(a)
1 Praise the Lord .[a]
Praise the name of the
Lord
;
praise him, you servants(b) of the
Lord
,
2 you who minister in the house(c) of the
Lord
,
in the courts(d) of the house of our God.
3 Praise the
Lord
, for the
Lord
is good;(e)
sing praise to his name,(f) for that is pleasant.(g)
4 For the
Lord
has chosen Jacob(h) to be his own,
Israel to be his treasured possession.(i)
5 I know that the
Lord
is great,(j)
that our Lord is greater than all gods.(k)
6 The
Lord
does whatever pleases him,(l)
in the heavens and on the earth,(m)
in the seas and all their depths.
7 He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth;
he sends lightning with the rain(n)
and brings out the wind(o) from his storehouses.(p)
8 He struck down the firstborn(q) of Egypt,
the firstborn of people and animals.
9 He sent his signs(r) and wonders into your midst, Egypt,
against Pharaoh and all his servants.(s)
10 He struck down many(t) nations
and killed mighty kings—
11 Sihon(u) king of the Amorites,(v)
Og king of Bashan,(w)
and all the kings of Canaan(x)—
12 and he gave their land as an inheritance,(y)
an inheritance to his people Israel.
13 Your name,
Lord
, endures forever,(z)
your renown,(aa)
Lord
, through all generations.
14 For the
Lord
will vindicate his people(ab)
and have compassion on his servants.(ac)
15 The idols of the nations(ad) are silver and gold,
made by human hands.(ae)
16 They have mouths, but cannot speak,(af)
eyes, but cannot see.
17 They have ears, but cannot hear,
nor is there breath(ag) in their mouths.
18 Those who make them will be like them,
and so will all who trust in them.
19 All you Israelites, praise the
Lord
;(ah)
house of Aaron, praise the
Lord
;
20 house of Levi, praise the
Lord
;
you who fear him, praise the
Lord
.
21 Praise be to the
Lord
from Zion,(ai)
to him who dwells in Jerusalem.(aj)
Praise the Lord .
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