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Thursday, May 2nd, 2024
the Fifth Week after Easter

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Bible Reading Plan

Daily Bible Reading

September 17 - Old & New Testament
niv

Jump to: Isaiah 17,18,19 • Ephesians 4

Isaiah 17,18,19

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A Prophecy Against Damascus

¹ A prophecy^(a) against Damascus:^(b)

"See, Damascus will no longer be a city
     but will become a heap of ruins.^(c)
² The cities of Aroer^(d) will be deserted
     and left to flocks,^(e) which will lie down,^(f)
     with no one to make them afraid.^(g)
³ The fortified^(h) city will disappear from Ephraim,
     and royal power from Damascus;
the remnant of Aram will be
     like the glory⁽ⁱ⁾ of the Israelites,"^(j)
declares the Lord Almighty.

⁴ "In that day^(k) the glory^(l) of Jacob will fade;
     the fat of his body will waste^(m) away.
⁵ It will be as when reapers harvest the standing grain,
     gathering⁽ⁿ⁾ the grain in their arms—
as when someone gleans heads of grain^(o)
     in the Valley of Rephaim.^(p)
⁶ Yet some gleanings will remain,^(q)
     as when an olive tree is beaten,^(r)
leaving two or three olives on the topmost branches,
     four or five on the fruitful boughs,"
declares the Lord , the God of Israel.

⁷ In that day^(s) people will look^(t) to their Maker^(u)
     and turn their eyes to the Holy One^(v) of Israel.
⁸ They will not look to the altars,^(w)
     the work of their hands,^(x)
and they will have no regard for the Asherah poles^[a]^(y)
     and the incense altars their fingers^(z) have made.

⁹ In that day their strong cities, which they left because of the Israelites, will be like places abandoned to thickets and undergrowth.^(aa) And all will be desolation.

¹⁰ You have forgotten^(ab) God your Savior;^(ac)
     you have not remembered the Rock,^(ad) your fortress.^(ae)
Therefore, though you set out the finest plants
     and plant imported vines,^(af)
¹¹ though on the day you set them out, you make them grow,
     and on the morning^(ag) when you plant them, you bring them to bud,
yet the harvest^(ah) will be as nothing^(ai)
     in the day of disease and incurable^(aj) pain.^(ak)

¹² Woe to the many nations that rage^(al)—
     they rage like the raging sea!^(am)
Woe to the peoples who roar^(an)—
     they roar like the roaring of great waters!^(ao)
¹³ Although the peoples roar^(ap) like the roar of surging waters,
     when he rebukes^(aq) them they flee^(ar) far away,
driven before the wind like chaff^(as) on the hills,
     like tumbleweed before a gale.^(at)
¹⁴ In the evening, sudden^(au) terror!^(av)
     Before the morning, they are gone!^(aw)
This is the portion of those who loot us,
     the lot of those who plunder us.

A Prophecy Against Cush

¹ Woe^(a) to the land of whirring wings^[a]
along the rivers of Cush,^[b]^(b)
² which sends envoys^(c) by sea
in papyrus^(d) boats over the water.

Go, swift messengers,
to a people tall and smooth-skinned,^(e)
to a people feared far and wide,
an aggressive^(f) nation of strange speech,
whose land is divided by rivers.^(g)

³ All you people of the world,^(h)
     you who live on the earth,
when a banner⁽ⁱ⁾ is raised on the mountains,
     you will see it,
and when a trumpet^(j) sounds,
     you will hear it.
⁴ This is what the Lord says to me:
     "I will remain quiet^(k) and will look on from my dwelling place,^(l)
like shimmering heat in the sunshine,^(m)
     like a cloud of dew⁽ⁿ⁾ in the heat of harvest."
⁵ For, before the harvest, when the blossom is gone
     and the flower becomes a ripening grape,
he will cut off^(o) the shoots with pruning knives,
     and cut down and take away the spreading branches.^(p)
⁶ They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey^(q)
     and to the wild animals;^(r)
the birds will feed on them all summer,
     the wild animals all winter.

⁷ At that time gifts^(s) will be brought to the Lord Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned,^(t)
from a people feared^(u) far and wide,
an aggressive nation of strange speech,
whose land is divided by rivers^(v)—

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion, the place of the Name of the Lord Almighty.^(w)

A Prophecy Against Egypt

¹ A prophecy^(a) against Egypt:^(b)

See, the Lord rides on a swift cloud^(c)
and is coming to Egypt.
The idols of Egypt tremble before him,
and the hearts of the Egyptians melt^(d) with fear.

² "I will stir up Egyptian against Egyptian—
     brother will fight against brother,^(e)
     neighbor against neighbor,
     city against city,
     kingdom against kingdom.^(f)
³ The Egyptians will lose heart,^(g)
     and I will bring their plans^(h) to nothing;⁽ⁱ⁾
they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead,
     the mediums and the spiritists.^(j)
⁴ I will hand the Egyptians over
     to the power of a cruel master,
and a fierce king^(k) will rule over them,"
     declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.

⁵ The waters of the river will dry up,^(l)
     and the riverbed will be parched and dry.^(m)
⁶ The canals will stink;⁽ⁿ⁾
     the streams of Egypt will dwindle and dry up.^(o)
The reeds^(p) and rushes will wither,^(q)
⁷      also the plants^(r) along the Nile,
     at the mouth of the river.
Every sown field^(s) along the Nile
     will become parched, will blow away and be no more.^(t)
⁸ The fishermen^(u) will groan and lament,
     all who cast hooks^(v) into the Nile;
those who throw nets on the water
     will pine away.
⁹ Those who work with combed flax^(w) will despair,
     the weavers of fine linen^(x) will lose hope.
¹⁰ The workers in cloth will be dejected,
     and all the wage earners will be sick at heart.

¹¹ The officials of Zoan^(y) are nothing but fools;
     the wise counselors^(z) of Pharaoh give senseless advice.^(aa)
How can you say to Pharaoh,
     "I am one of the wise men,^(ab)
     a disciple of the ancient kings"?

¹² Where are your wise men^(ac) now?
     Let them show you and make known
what the Lord Almighty
     has planned^(ad) against Egypt.
¹³ The officials of Zoan^(ae) have become fools,
     the leaders of Memphis^(af) are deceived;
the cornerstones^(ag) of her peoples
     have led Egypt astray.
¹⁴ The Lord has poured into them
     a spirit of dizziness;^(ah)
they make Egypt stagger in all that she does,
     as a drunkard staggers^(ai) around in his vomit.
¹⁵ There is nothing Egypt can do—
     head or tail, palm branch or reed.^(aj)

¹⁶ In that day^(ak) the Egyptians will become weaklings.^(al) They will shudder with fear^(am) at the uplifted hand^(an) that the Lord Almighty raises against them. ¹⁷ And the land of Judah will bring terror to the Egyptians; everyone to whom Judah is mentioned will be terrified,^(ao) because of what the Lord Almighty is planning^(ap) against them.

¹⁸ In that day^(aq) five cities^(ar) in Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance^(as) to the Lord Almighty. One of them will be called the City of the Sun.^[a]^(at)

¹⁹ In that day^(au) there will be an altar^(av) to the Lord in the heart of Egypt,^(aw) and a monument^(ax) to the Lord at its border. ²⁰ It will be a sign and witness^(ay) to the Lord Almighty in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to the Lord because of their oppressors, he will send them a savior^(az) and defender, and he will rescue^(ba) them. ²¹ So the Lord will make himself known to the Egyptians, and in that day they will acknowledge^(bb) the Lord . They will worship^(bc) with sacrifices and grain offerings; they will make vows to the Lord and keep them.^(bd) ²² The Lord will strike^(be) Egypt with a plague;^(bf) he will strike them and heal them. They will turn^(bg) to the Lord , and he will respond to their pleas and heal^(bh) them.

²³ In that day^(bi) there will be a highway^(bj) from Egypt to Assyria.^(bk) The Assyrians will go to Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship^(bl) together. ²⁴ In that day^(bm) Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria,^(bn) a blessing^[b]^(bo) on the earth. ²⁵ The Lord Almighty will bless^(bp) them, saying, "Blessed be Egypt my people,^(bq) Assyria my handiwork,^(br) and Israel my inheritance.^(bs)"

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Ephesians 4

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Chapter 4 Unity and Maturity in the Body of Christ

¹ As a prisoner^(a) for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy^(b) of the calling^(c) you have received. ² Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another^(d) in love.^(e) ³ Make every effort to keep the unity^(f) of the Spirit through the bond of peace.^(g) ⁴ There is one body^(h) and one Spirit,⁽ⁱ⁾ just as you were called to one hope when you were called^(j); ⁵ one Lord,^(k) one faith, one baptism; ⁶ one God and Father of all,^(l) who is over all and through all and in all.^(m)

⁷ But to each one of us⁽ⁿ⁾ grace^(o) has been given^(p) as Christ apportioned it. ⁸ This is why it^[a] says:

"When he ascended on high,
he took many captives^(q)
and gave gifts to his people."^[b]^(r)

⁹ (What does "he ascended" mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions^[c]? ¹⁰ He who descended is the very one who ascended^(s) higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)^(t) ¹¹ So Christ himself gave^(u) the apostles,^(v) the prophets,^(w) the evangelists,^(x) the pastors and teachers,^(y) ¹² to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ^(z) may be built up^(aa) ¹³ until we all reach unity^(ab) in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God^(ac) and become mature,^(ad) attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.^(ae)

¹⁴ Then we will no longer be infants,^(af) tossed back and forth by the waves,^(ag) and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.^(ah) ¹⁵ Instead, speaking the truth in love,^(ai) we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head,^(aj) that is, Christ. ¹⁶ From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows^(ak) and builds itself up^(al) in love,^(am) as each part does its work.

Instructions for Christian Living

¹⁷ So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer^(an) live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.^(ao) ¹⁸ They are darkened in their understanding^(ap) and separated from the life of God^(aq) because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.^(ar) ¹⁹ Having lost all sensitivity,^(as) they have given themselves over^(at) to sensuality^(au) so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.

²⁰ That, however, is not the way of life you learned ²¹ when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. ²² You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off^(av) your old self,^(aw) which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;^(ax) ²³ to be made new in the attitude of your minds;^(ay) ²⁴ and to put on^(az) the new self,^(ba) created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.^(bb)

²⁵ Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully^(bc) to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.^(bd) ²⁶ "In your anger do not sin"^[d]:^(be) Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, ²⁷ and do not give the devil a foothold.^(bf) ²⁸ Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work,^(bg) doing something useful with their own hands,^(bh) that they may have something to share with those in need.^(bi)

²⁹ Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths,^(bj) but only what is helpful for building others up^(bk) according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. ³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God,^(bl) with whom you were sealed^(bm) for the day of redemption.^(bn) ³¹ Get rid of^(bo) all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.^(bp) ³² Be kind and compassionate to one another,^(bq) forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.^(br)