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Bible Reading Plan
Daily Bible Reading
October 22 - Old & New Testament
niv
Jeremiah 9,10,14
1 [a]1 Oh, that my head were a spring of water
and my eyes a fountain of tears!(a)
I would weep(b) day and night
for the slain of my people.(c)
2 Oh, that I had in the desert(d)
a lodging place for travelers,
so that I might leave my people
and go away from them;
for they are all adulterers,(e)
a crowd of unfaithful(f) people.
3 "They make ready their tongue
like a bow, to shoot lies;(g)
it is not by truth
that they triumph[b] in the land.
They go from one sin to another;
they do not acknowledge(h) me,"
declares the
Lord
.
4 "Beware of your friends;(i)
do not trust anyone in your clan.(j)
For every one of them is a deceiver,[c](k)
and every friend a slanderer.(l)
5 Friend deceives friend,(m)
and no one speaks the truth.(n)
They have taught their tongues to lie;(o)
they weary themselves with sinning.
6 You[d] live in the midst of deception;(p)
in their deceit they refuse to acknowledge me,"
declares the
Lord
.
7 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says:
"See, I will refine(q) and test(r) them,
for what else can I do
because of the sin of my people?
8 Their tongue(s) is a deadly arrow;
it speaks deceitfully.
With their mouths they all speak cordially to their neighbors,(t)
but in their hearts they set traps(u) for them.(v)
9 Should I not punish them for this?"
declares the
Lord
.
"Should I not avenge(w) myself
on such a nation as this?"
10 I will weep and wail for the mountains
and take up a lament concerning the wilderness grasslands.(x)
They are desolate and untraveled,
and the lowing of cattle is not heard.
The birds(y) have all fled
and the animals are gone.
11 "I will make Jerusalem a heap(z) of ruins,
a haunt of jackals;(aa)
and I will lay waste the towns of Judah(ab)
so no one can live there."(ac)
12 Who is wise(ad) enough to understand this? Who has been instructed by the Lord and can explain it? Why has the land been ruined and laid waste like a desert that no one can cross?
13 The Lord said, "It is because they have forsaken my law, which I set before them; they have not obeyed me or followed my law.(ae) 14 Instead, they have followed(af) the stubbornness of their hearts;(ag) they have followed the Baals, as their ancestors taught them." 15 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: "See, I will make this people eat bitter food(ah) and drink poisoned water.(ai) 16 I will scatter them among nations(aj) that neither they nor their ancestors have known,(ak) and I will pursue them with the sword(al) until I have made an end of them."(am)
17 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
"Consider now! Call for the wailing women(an) to come;
send for the most skillful of them.
18 Let them come quickly
and wail over us
till our eyes overflow with tears
and water streams from our eyelids.(ao)
19 The sound of wailing is heard from Zion:
‘How ruined(ap) we are!
How great is our shame!
We must leave our land
because our houses are in ruins.'"
20 Now, you women, hear the word of the
Lord
;
open your ears to the words of his mouth.(aq)
Teach your daughters how to wail;
teach one another a lament.(ar)
21 Death has climbed in through our windows(as)
and has entered our fortresses;
it has removed the children from the streets
and the young men(at) from the public squares.
22 Say, "This is what the Lord declares:
"‘Dead bodies will lie
like dung(au) on the open field,
like cut grain behind the reaper,
with no one to gather them.'"
23 This is what the Lord says:
"Let not the wise boast of their wisdom(av)
or the strong boast of their strength(aw)
or the rich boast of their riches,(ax)
24 but let the one who boasts boast(ay) about this:
that they have the understanding to know(az) me,
that I am the
Lord
,(ba) who exercises kindness,(bb)
justice and righteousness(bc) on earth,
for in these I delight,"
declares the
Lord
.
25 "The days are coming," declares the Lord , "when I will punish all who are circumcised only in the flesh(bd)— 26 Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab and all who live in the wilderness in distant places.[e](be) For all these nations are really uncircumcised,(bf) and even the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.(bg)"
God and Idols(a)
1 Hear what the Lord says to you, people of Israel. 2 This is what the Lord says:
"Do not learn the ways of the nations(b)
or be terrified by signs(c) in the heavens,
though the nations are terrified by them.
3 For the practices of the peoples are worthless;
they cut a tree out of the forest,
and a craftsman(d) shapes it with his chisel.(e)
4 They adorn it with silver(f) and gold;
they fasten it with hammer and nails
so it will not totter.(g)
5 Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field,
their idols cannot speak;(h)
they must be carried
because they cannot walk.(i)
Do not fear them;
they can do no harm(j)
nor can they do any good."(k)
6 No one is like you,(l)
Lord
;
you are great,(m)
and your name is mighty in power.
7 Who should not fear(n) you,
King of the nations?(o)
This is your due.
Among all the wise leaders of the nations
and in all their kingdoms,
there is no one like you.
8 They are all senseless(p) and foolish;(q)
they are taught by worthless wooden idols.(r)
9 Hammered silver is brought from Tarshish(s)
and gold from Uphaz.
What the craftsman and goldsmith have made(t)
is then dressed in blue and purple—
all made by skilled workers.
10 But the
Lord
is the true God;
he is the living God,(u) the eternal King.(v)
When he is angry,(w) the earth trembles;(x)
the nations cannot endure his wrath.(y)
11 "Tell them this: ‘These gods, who did not make the heavens and the earth, will perish(z) from the earth and from under the heavens.'"[a]
12 But God made(aa) the earth(ab) by his power;
he founded the world by his wisdom(ac)
and stretched out the heavens(ad) by his understanding.
13 When he thunders,(ae) the waters in the heavens roar;
he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth.
He sends lightning(af) with the rain(ag)
and brings out the wind from his storehouses.(ah)
14 Everyone is senseless and without knowledge;
every goldsmith is shamed(ai) by his idols.
The images he makes are a fraud;(aj)
they have no breath in them.
15 They are worthless,(ak) the objects of mockery;
when their judgment comes, they will perish.
16 He who is the Portion(al) of Jacob is not like these,
for he is the Maker of all things,(am)
including Israel, the people of his inheritance(an)—
the
Lord
Almighty is his name.(ao)
Coming Destruction
17 Gather up your belongings(ap) to leave the land,
you who live under siege.
18 For this is what the
Lord
says:
"At this time I will hurl(aq) out
those who live in this land;
I will bring distress(ar) on them
so that they may be captured."
19 Woe to me because of my injury!
My wound(as) is incurable!
Yet I said to myself,
"This is my sickness, and I must endure(at) it."
20 My tent(au) is destroyed;
all its ropes are snapped.
My children are gone from me and are no more;(av)
no one is left now to pitch my tent
or to set up my shelter.
21 The shepherds(aw) are senseless(ax)
and do not inquire of the
Lord
;(ay)
so they do not prosper(az)
and all their flock is scattered.(ba)
22 Listen! The report is coming—
a great commotion from the land of the north!(bb)
It will make the towns of Judah desolate,(bc)
a haunt of jackals.(bd)
Jeremiah's Prayer
23
Lord
, I know that people's lives are not their own;
it is not for them to direct their steps.(be)
24 Discipline me,
Lord
, but only in due measure—
not in your anger,(bf)
or you will reduce me to nothing.(bg)
25 Pour out your wrath on the nations(bh)
that do not acknowledge you,
on the peoples who do not call on your name.(bi)
For they have devoured(bj) Jacob;
they have devoured him completely
and destroyed his homeland.(bk)
The Covenant Is Broken
1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord : 2 "Listen to the terms of this covenant(a) and tell them to the people of Judah and to those who live in Jerusalem. 3 Tell them that this is what the Lord , the God of Israel, says: ‘Cursed(b) is the one who does not obey the terms of this covenant— 4 the terms I commanded your ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt,(c) out of the iron-smelting furnace.(d)' I said, ‘Obey(e) me and do everything I command you, and you will be my people,(f) and I will be your God. 5 Then I will fulfill the oath I swore(g) to your ancestors, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey'(h)—the land you possess today."
I answered, "Amen,(i) Lord ."
6 The Lord said to me, "Proclaim(j) all these words in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: ‘Listen to the terms of this covenant and follow(k) them. 7 From the time I brought your ancestors up from Egypt until today, I warned them again and again,(l) saying, "Obey me." 8 But they did not listen or pay attention;(m) instead, they followed the stubbornness of their evil hearts.(n) So I brought on them all the curses(o) of the covenant I had commanded them to follow but that they did not keep.(p)'"
9 Then the Lord said to me, "There is a conspiracy(q) among the people of Judah and those who live in Jerusalem. 10 They have returned to the sins of their ancestors,(r) who refused to listen to my words.(s) They have followed other gods(t) to serve them.(u) Both Israel and Judah have broken the covenant(v) I made with their ancestors. 11 Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘I will bring on them a disaster(w) they cannot escape.(x) Although they cry(y) out to me, I will not listen(z) to them. 12 The towns of Judah and the people of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to whom they burn incense,(aa) but they will not help them at all when disaster(ab) strikes. 13 You, Judah, have as many gods(ac) as you have towns;(ad) and the altars you have set up to burn incense(ae) to that shameful(af) god Baal are as many as the streets of Jerusalem.'
14 "Do not pray(ag) for this people or offer any plea or petition for them, because I will not listen(ah) when they call to me in the time of their distress.
15 "What is my beloved doing in my temple
as she, with many others, works out her evil schemes?
Can consecrated meat(ai) avert your punishment?(aj)
When you engage in your wickedness,
then you rejoice.[a]"
16 The
Lord
called you a thriving olive tree(ak)
with fruit beautiful in form.
But with the roar of a mighty storm
he will set it on fire,(al)
and its branches will be broken.(am)
17 The Lord Almighty, who planted(an) you, has decreed disaster(ao) for you, because the people of both Israel and Judah have done evil and aroused(ap) my anger by burning incense to Baal.(aq)
Plot Against Jeremiah
18 Because the Lord revealed their plot to me, I knew it, for at that time he showed me what they were doing. 19 I had been like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter;(ar) I did not realize that they had plotted(as) against me, saying,
"Let us destroy the tree and its fruit;
let us cut him off from the land of the living,(at)
that his name be remembered(au) no more."
20 But you,
Lord
Almighty, who judge righteously(av)
and test the heart(aw) and mind,(ax)
let me see your vengeance(ay) on them,
for to you I have committed my cause.
21 Therefore this is what the Lord says about the people of Anathoth(az) who are threatening to kill you,(ba) saying, "Do not prophesy(bb) in the name of the Lord or you will die(bc) by our hands"— 22 therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says: "I will punish them. Their young men(bd) will die by the sword, their sons and daughters by famine. 23 Not even a remnant(be) will be left to them, because I will bring disaster on the people of Anathoth in the year of their punishment.(bf)"
Jeremiah's Complaint
1 You are always righteous,(a)
Lord
,
when I bring a case(b) before you.
Yet I would speak with you about your justice:(c)
Why does the way of the wicked prosper?(d)
Why do all the faithless live at ease?
2 You have planted(e) them, and they have taken root;
they grow and bear fruit.(f)
You are always on their lips
but far from their hearts.(g)
3 Yet you know me,
Lord
;
you see me and test(h) my thoughts about you.
Drag them off like sheep(i) to be butchered!
Set them apart for the day of slaughter!(j)
4 How long will the land lie parched(k)
and the grass in every field be withered?(l)
Because those who live in it are wicked,
the animals and birds have perished.(m)
Moreover, the people are saying,
"He will not see what happens to us."
God's Answer
5 "If you have raced with men on foot
and they have worn you out,
how can you compete with horses?
If you stumble[a] in safe country,
how will you manage in the thickets(n) by[b] the Jordan?
6 Your relatives, members of your own family—
even they have betrayed you;
they have raised a loud cry against you.(o)
Do not trust them,
though they speak well of you.(p)
7 "I will forsake(q) my house,
abandon(r) my inheritance;
I will give the one I love(s)
into the hands of her enemies.(t)
8 My inheritance has become to me
like a lion(u) in the forest.
She roars at me;
therefore I hate her.(v)
9 Has not my inheritance become to me
like a speckled bird of prey
that other birds of prey surround and attack?
Go and gather all the wild beasts;
bring them to devour.(w)
10 Many shepherds(x) will ruin my vineyard
and trample down my field;
they will turn my pleasant field
into a desolate wasteland.(y)
11 It will be made a wasteland,(z)
parched and desolate before me;(aa)
the whole land will be laid waste
because there is no one who cares.
12 Over all the barren heights in the desert
destroyers will swarm,
for the sword(ab) of the
Lord
(ac) will devour(ad)
from one end of the land to the other;(ae)
no one will be safe.(af)
13 They will sow wheat but reap thorns;
they will wear themselves out but gain nothing.(ag)
They will bear the shame of their harvest
because of the
Lord
's fierce anger."(ah)
14 This is what the Lord says: "As for all my wicked neighbors who seize the inheritance(ai) I gave my people Israel, I will uproot(aj) them from their lands and I will uproot(ak) the people of Judah from among them. 15 But after I uproot them, I will again have compassion(al) and will bring(am) each of them back to their own inheritance and their own country. 16 And if they learn(an) well the ways of my people and swear by my name, saying, ‘As surely as the Lord lives'(ao)—even as they once taught my people to swear by Baal(ap)—then they will be established among my people.(aq) 17 But if any nation does not listen, I will completely uproot and destroy(ar) it," declares the Lord .
A Linen Belt
1 This is what the Lord said to me: "Go and buy a linen belt and put it around your waist, but do not let it touch water." 2 So I bought a belt, as the Lord directed, and put it around my waist.
3 Then the word of the Lord came to me a second time:(a) 4 "Take the belt you bought and are wearing around your waist, and go now to Perath[a](b) and hide it there in a crevice in the rocks." 5 So I went and hid it at Perath, as the Lord told me.(c)
6 Many days later the Lord said to me, "Go now to Perath and get the belt I told you to hide there." 7 So I went to Perath and dug up the belt and took it from the place where I had hidden it, but now it was ruined and completely useless.
8 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 9 "This is what the Lord says: ‘In the same way I will ruin the pride of Judah and the great pride(d) of Jerusalem. 10 These wicked people, who refuse to listen(e) to my words, who follow the stubbornness of their hearts(f) and go after other gods(g) to serve and worship them,(h) will be like this belt—completely useless!(i) 11 For as a belt is bound around the waist, so I bound all the people of Israel and all the people of Judah to me,' declares the Lord , ‘to be my people for my renown(j) and praise and honor.(k) But they have not listened.'(l)
Wineskins
12 "Say to them: ‘This is what the Lord , the God of Israel, says: Every wineskin should be filled with wine.' And if they say to you, ‘Don't we know that every wineskin should be filled with wine?' 13 then tell them, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am going to fill with drunkenness(m) all who live in this land, including the kings who sit on David's throne, the priests, the prophets and all those living in Jerusalem. 14 I will smash them one against the other, parents and children alike, declares the Lord . I will allow no pity(n) or mercy or compassion(o) to keep me from destroying(p) them.'"
Threat of Captivity
15 Hear and pay attention,
do not be arrogant,
for the
Lord
has spoken.(q)
16 Give glory(r) to the
Lord
your God
before he brings the darkness,
before your feet stumble(s)
on the darkening hills.
You hope for light,
but he will turn it to utter darkness
and change it to deep gloom.(t)
17 If you do not listen,(u)
I will weep in secret
because of your pride;
my eyes will weep bitterly,
overflowing with tears,(v)
because the
Lord
's flock(w) will be taken captive.(x)
18 Say to the king(y) and to the queen mother,(z)
"Come down from your thrones,
for your glorious crowns(aa)
will fall from your heads."
19 The cities in the Negev will be shut up,
and there will be no one to open them.
All Judah(ab) will be carried into exile,
carried completely away.
20 Look up and see
those who are coming from the north.(ac)
Where is the flock(ad) that was entrusted to you,
the sheep of which you boasted?
21 What will you say when the
Lord
sets over you
those you cultivated as your special allies?(ae)
Will not pain grip you
like that of a woman in labor?(af)
22 And if you ask yourself,
"Why has this happened to me?"(ag)—
it is because of your many sins(ah)
that your skirts have been torn off(ai)
and your body mistreated.(aj)
23 Can an Ethiopian[b] change his skin
or a leopard its spots?
Neither can you do good
who are accustomed to doing evil.(ak)
24 "I will scatter you like chaff(al)
driven by the desert wind.(am)
25 This is your lot,
the portion(an) I have decreed for you,"
declares the
Lord
,
"because you have forgotten(ao) me
and trusted in false gods.(ap)
26 I will pull up your skirts over your face
that your shame may be seen(aq)—
27 your adulteries and lustful neighings,
your shameless prostitution!(ar)
I have seen your detestable acts
on the hills and in the fields.(as)
Woe to you, Jerusalem!
How long will you be unclean?"(at)
Drought, Famine, Sword
1 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought:(a)
2 "Judah mourns,(b)
her cities languish;
they wail for the land,
and a cry goes up from Jerusalem.
3 The nobles send their servants for water;
they go to the cisterns
but find no water.(c)
They return with their jars unfilled;
dismayed and despairing,
they cover their heads.(d)
4 The ground is cracked
because there is no rain in the land;(e)
the farmers are dismayed
and cover their heads.
5 Even the doe in the field
deserts her newborn fawn
because there is no grass.(f)
6 Wild donkeys stand on the barren heights(g)
and pant like jackals;
their eyes fail
for lack of food."(h)
7 Although our sins testify(i) against us,
do something,
Lord
, for the sake of your name.(j)
For we have often rebelled;(k)
we have sinned(l) against you.
8 You who are the hope(m) of Israel,
its Savior(n) in times of distress,(o)
why are you like a stranger in the land,
like a traveler who stays only a night?
9 Why are you like a man taken by surprise,
like a warrior powerless to save?(p)
You are among(q) us,
Lord
,
and we bear your name;(r)
do not forsake(s) us!
10 This is what the Lord says about this people:
"They greatly love to wander;
they do not restrain their feet.(t)
So the
Lord
does not accept(u) them;
he will now remember(v) their wickedness
and punish them for their sins."(w)
11 Then the Lord said to me, "Do not pray(x) for the well-being of this people. 12 Although they fast, I will not listen to their cry;(y) though they offer burnt offerings(z) and grain offerings,(aa) I will not accept(ab) them. Instead, I will destroy them with the sword,(ac) famine(ad) and plague."(ae)
13 But I said, "Alas, Sovereign Lord ! The prophets(af) keep telling them, ‘You will not see the sword or suffer famine.(ag) Indeed, I will give you lasting peace(ah) in this place.'"
14 Then the Lord said to me, "The prophets are prophesying lies(ai) in my name. I have not sent(aj) them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions,(ak) divinations,(al) idolatries[a] and the delusions of their own minds. 15 Therefore this is what the Lord says about the prophets who are prophesying in my name: I did not send them, yet they are saying, ‘No sword or famine will touch this land.' Those same prophets will perish(am) by sword and famine.(an) 16 And the people they are prophesying to will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and sword. There will be no one to bury(ao) them, their wives, their sons and their daughters.(ap) I will pour out on them the calamity they deserve.(aq)
17 "Speak this word to them:
"‘Let my eyes overflow with tears(ar)
night and day without ceasing;
for the Virgin(as) Daughter, my people,
has suffered a grievous wound,
a crushing blow.(at)
18 If I go into the country,
I see those slain by the sword;
if I go into the city,
I see the ravages of famine.(au)
Both prophet and priest
have gone to a land they know not.(av)'"
19 Have you rejected Judah completely?(aw)
Do you despise Zion?
Why have you afflicted us
so that we cannot be healed?(ax)
We hoped for peace
but no good has come,
for a time of healing
but there is only terror.(ay)
20 We acknowledge(az) our wickedness,
Lord
,
and the guilt of our ancestors;(ba)
we have indeed sinned(bb) against you.
21 For the sake of your name(bc) do not despise us;
do not dishonor your glorious throne.(bd)
Remember your covenant(be) with us
and do not break it.
22 Do any of the worthless idols(bf) of the nations bring rain?(bg)
Do the skies themselves send down showers?
No, it is you,
Lord
our God.
Therefore our hope is in you,
for you are the one who does all this.(bh)
Colossians 1
Chapter 1
1 Paul, an apostle(a) of Christ Jesus by the will of God,(b) and Timothy(c) our brother,
2 To God's holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters[a] in Christ:
Grace(d) and peace to you from God our Father.[b](e)
Thanksgiving and Prayer
3 We always thank God,(f) the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love(g) you have for all God's people(h)— 5 the faith and love that spring from the hope(i) stored up for you in heaven(j) and about which you have already heard in the true message(k) of the gospel 6 that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit(l) and growing throughout the whole world(m)—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God's grace. 7 You learned it from Epaphras,(n) our dear fellow servant,[c] who is a faithful minister(o) of Christ on our[d] behalf, 8 and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.(p)
9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you,(q) we have not stopped praying for you.(r) We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will(s) through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,[e](t) 10 so that you may live a life worthy(u) of the Lord and please him(v) in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,(w) 11 being strengthened with all power(x) according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience,(y) 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father,(z) who has qualified you[f] to share in the inheritance(aa) of his holy people in the kingdom of light.(ab) 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness(ac) and brought us into the kingdom(ad) of the Son he loves,(ae) 14 in whom we have redemption,(af) the forgiveness of sins.(ag)
The Supremacy of the Son of God
15 The Son is the image(ah) of the invisible God,(ai) the firstborn(aj) over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created:(ak) things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities;(al) all things have been created through him and for him.(am) 17 He is before all things,(an) and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head(ao) of the body, the church;(ap) he is the beginning and the firstborn(aq) from among the dead,(ar) so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased(as) to have all his fullness(at) dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile(au) to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven,(av) by making peace(aw) through his blood,(ax) shed on the cross.
21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies(ay) in your minds(az) because of[g] your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled(ba) you by Christ's physical body(bb) through death to present you(bc) holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation(bd)— 23 if you continue(be) in your faith, established(bf) and firm, and do not move from the hope(bg) held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven,(bh) and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.(bi)
Paul's Labor for the Church
24 Now I rejoice(bj) in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions,(bk) for the sake of his body, which is the church.(bl) 25 I have become its servant(bm) by the commission God gave me(bn) to present to you the word of God(bo) in its fullness— 26 the mystery(bp) that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord's people. 27 To them God has chosen to make known(bq) among the Gentiles the glorious riches(br) of this mystery, which is Christ in you,(bs) the hope of glory.
28 He is the one we proclaim, admonishing(bt) and teaching everyone with all wisdom,(bu) so that we may present everyone fully mature(bv) in Christ. 29 To this end I strenuously(bw) contend(bx) with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.(by)
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