the Third Week after Easter
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Bible Reading Plan
Daily Bible Reading
September 4 - Bible-in-a-Year
niv
2 Chronicles 9
Chapter 9
The Queen of Sheba Visits Solomon(a)
1 When the queen of Sheba(b) heard of Solomon's fame, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions. Arriving with a very great caravan—with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones—she came to Solomon and talked with him about all she had on her mind. 2 Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for him to explain to her. 3 When the queen of Sheba saw the wisdom of Solomon,(c) as well as the palace he had built, 4 the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, the cupbearers in their robes and the burnt offerings he made at[a] the temple of the Lord , she was overwhelmed.
5 She said to the king, "The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. 6 But I did not believe what they said until I came(d) and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half the greatness of your wisdom was told me; you have far exceeded the report I heard. 7 How happy your people must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! 8 Praise be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on his throne(e) as king to rule for the Lord your God. Because of the love of your God for Israel and his desire to uphold them forever, he has made you king(f) over them, to maintain justice and righteousness."
9 Then she gave the king 120 talents[b] of gold,(g) large quantities of spices, and precious stones. There had never been such spices as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
10 (The servants of Hiram and the servants of Solomon brought gold from Ophir;(h) they also brought algumwood[c] and precious stones. 11 The king used the algumwood to make steps for the temple of the Lord and for the royal palace, and to make harps and lyres for the musicians. Nothing like them had ever been seen in Judah.)
12 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired and asked for; he gave her more than she had brought to him. Then she left and returned with her retinue to her own country.
Solomon's Splendor(i)
13 The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents,[d] 14 not including the revenues brought in by merchants and traders. Also all the kings of Arabia(j) and the governors of the territories brought gold and silver to Solomon.
15 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels[e] of hammered gold went into each shield. 16 He also made three hundred small shields(k) of hammered gold, with three hundred shekels[f] of gold in each shield. The king put them in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.(l)
17 Then the king made a great throne covered with ivory(m) and overlaid with pure gold. 18 The throne had six steps, and a footstool of gold was attached to it. On both sides of the seat were armrests, with a lion standing beside each of them. 19 Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like it had ever been made for any other kingdom. 20 All King Solomon's goblets were gold, and all the household articles in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon's day. 21 The king had a fleet of trading ships[g] manned by Hiram's[h] servants. Once every three years it returned, carrying gold, silver and ivory, and apes and baboons.
22 King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth.(n) 23 All the kings(o) of the earth sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart. 24 Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift(p)—articles of silver and gold, and robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules.
25 Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots,(q) and twelve thousand horses,[i] which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem. 26 He ruled(r) over all the kings from the Euphrates River(s) to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt.(t) 27 The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills. 28 Solomon's horses were imported from Egypt and from all other countries.
Solomon's Death(u)
29 As for the other events of Solomon's reign, from beginning to end, are they not written in the records of Nathan(v) the prophet, in the prophecy of Ahijah(w) the Shilonite and in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam(x) son of Nebat? 30 Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years. 31 Then he rested with his ancestors and was buried in the city of David(y) his father. And Rehoboam his son succeeded him as king.
Psalms 74
Chapter 74
Psalm 74
A maskil[a] of Asaph.
1 O God, why have you rejected(a) us forever?(b)
Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?(c)
2 Remember the nation you purchased(d) long ago,(e)
the people of your inheritance,(f) whom you redeemed(g)—
Mount Zion,(h) where you dwelt.(i)
3 Turn your steps toward these everlasting ruins,(j)
all this destruction the enemy has brought on the sanctuary.
4 Your foes roared(k) in the place where you met with us;
they set up their standards(l) as signs.
5 They behaved like men wielding axes
to cut through a thicket of trees.(m)
6 They smashed all the carved(n) paneling
with their axes and hatchets.
7 They burned your sanctuary to the ground;
they defiled(o) the dwelling place(p) of your Name.(q)
8 They said in their hearts, "We will crush(r) them completely!"
They burned(s) every place where God was worshiped in the land.
9 We are given no signs from God;(t)
no prophets(u) are left,
and none of us knows how long this will be.
10 How long(v) will the enemy mock(w) you, God?
Will the foe revile(x) your name forever?
11 Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand?(y)
Take it from the folds of your garment(z) and destroy them!
12 But God is my King(aa) from long ago;
he brings salvation(ab) on the earth.
13 It was you who split open the sea(ac) by your power;
you broke the heads of the monster(ad) in the waters.
14 It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan(ae)
and gave it as food to the creatures of the desert.(af)
15 It was you who opened up springs(ag) and streams;
you dried up(ah) the ever-flowing rivers.
16 The day is yours, and yours also the night;
you established the sun and moon.(ai)
17 It was you who set all the boundaries(aj) of the earth;
you made both summer and winter.(ak)
18 Remember how the enemy has mocked you,
Lord
,
how foolish people(al) have reviled your name.
19 Do not hand over the life of your dove(am) to wild beasts;
do not forget the lives of your afflicted(an) people forever.
20 Have regard for your covenant,(ao)
because haunts of violence fill the dark places(ap) of the land.
21 Do not let the oppressed(aq) retreat in disgrace;
may the poor and needy(ar) praise your name.
22 Rise up,(as) O God, and defend your cause;
remember how fools(at) mock you all day long.
23 Do not ignore the clamor(au) of your adversaries,(av)
the uproar(aw) of your enemies,(ax) which rises continually.
John 10:22-42
Chapter 10
22 Then came the Festival of Dedication[b] at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon's Colonnade.(ag) 24 The Jews(ah) who were there gathered around him, saying, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly."(ai)
25 Jesus answered, "I did tell you,(aj) but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father's name testify about me,(ak) 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep.(al) 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them,(am) and they follow me.(an) 28 I give them eternal life,(ao) and they shall never perish;(ap) no one will snatch them out of my hand.(aq) 29 My Father, who has given them to me,(ar) is greater than all[c];(as) no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one."(at)
31 Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him,(au) 32 but Jesus said to them, "I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?"
33 "We are not stoning you for any good work," they replied, "but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God."(av)
34 Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your Law,(aw) ‘I have said you are "gods"'[d]?(ax) 35 If he called them ‘gods,' to whom the word of God(ay) came—and Scripture cannot be set aside(az)— 36 what about the one whom the Father set apart(ba) as his very own(bb) and sent into the world?(bc) Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God's Son'?(bd) 37 Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father.(be) 38 But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father."(bf) 39 Again they tried to seize him,(bg) but he escaped their grasp.(bh)
40 Then Jesus went back across the Jordan(bi) to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. There he stayed, 41 and many people came to him. They said, "Though John never performed a sign,(bj) all that John said about this man was true."(bk) 42 And in that place many believed in Jesus.(bl)
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