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Bible Reading Plan
Daily Bible Reading
September 29 - Straight Thru the Bible
niv
Joel 2:18-3:21
Chapter 2
18 Then the
Lord
was jealous(bg) for his land
and took pity(bh) on his people.
19 The Lord replied[a] to them:
"I am sending you grain, new wine(bi) and olive oil,(bj)
enough to satisfy you fully;(bk)
never again will I make you
an object of scorn(bl) to the nations.
20 "I will drive the northern horde(bm) far from you,
pushing it into a parched and barren land;
its eastern ranks will drown in the Dead Sea
and its western ranks in the Mediterranean Sea.
And its stench(bn) will go up;
its smell will rise."
Surely he has done great things!
21
Do not be afraid,(bo) land of Judah;
be glad and rejoice.(bp)
Surely the
Lord
has done great things!(bq)
22
Do not be afraid, you wild animals,
for the pastures in the wilderness are becoming green.(br)
The trees are bearing their fruit;
the fig tree(bs) and the vine(bt) yield their riches.(bu)
23 Be glad, people of Zion,
rejoice(bv) in the
Lord
your God,
for he has given you the autumn rains
because he is faithful.(bw)
He sends you abundant showers,(bx)
both autumn(by) and spring rains,(bz) as before.
24 The threshing floors will be filled with grain;
the vats will overflow(ca) with new wine(cb) and oil.
25 "I will repay you for the years the locusts(cc) have eaten(cd)—
the great locust and the young locust,
the other locusts and the locust swarm[b]—
my great army(ce) that I sent among you.
26 You will have plenty to eat, until you are full,(cf)
and you will praise(cg) the name of the
Lord
your God,
who has worked wonders(ch) for you;
never again will my people be shamed.(ci)
27 Then you will know(cj) that I am in Israel,
that I am the
Lord
(ck) your God,
and that there is no other;
never again will my people be shamed.(cl)
The Day of the Lord
28 "And afterward,
I will pour out my Spirit(cm) on all people.(cn)
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,(co)
your old men will dream dreams,(cp)
your young men will see visions.
29 Even on my servants,(cq) both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days.(cr)
30 I will show wonders in the heavens(cs)
and on the earth,(ct)
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
31 The sun will be turned to darkness(cu)
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the
Lord
.(cv)
32 And everyone who calls
on the name of the
Lord
(cw) will be saved;(cx)
for on Mount Zion(cy) and in Jerusalem
there will be deliverance,(cz)
as the
Lord
has said,
even among the survivors(da)
whom the
Lord
calls.[c](db)
Chapter 3
The Nations Judged
1 [a]"In those days and at that time,
when I restore the fortunes(a) of Judah(b) and Jerusalem,
2 I will gather(c) all nations
and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.[b](d)
There I will put them on trial(e)
for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel,
because they scattered(f) my people among the nations
and divided up my land.
3 They cast lots(g) for my people
and traded boys for prostitutes;
they sold girls for wine(h) to drink.
4 "Now what have you against me, Tyre and Sidon(i) and all you regions of Philistia?(j) Are you repaying me for something I have done? If you are paying me back, I will swiftly and speedily return on your own heads what you have done.(k) 5 For you took my silver and my gold and carried off my finest treasures to your temples.[c](l) 6 You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks,(m) that you might send them far from their homeland.
7 "See, I am going to rouse them out of the places to which you sold them,(n) and I will return(o) on your own heads what you have done. 8 I will sell your sons(p) and daughters to the people of Judah,(q) and they will sell them to the Sabeans,(r) a nation far away." The Lord has spoken.(s)
9 Proclaim this among the nations:
Prepare for war!(t)
Rouse the warriors!(u)
Let all the fighting men draw near and attack.
10 Beat your plowshares into swords
and your pruning hooks(v) into spears.(w)
Let the weakling(x) say,
"I am strong!"(y)
11 Come quickly, all you nations from every side,
and assemble(z) there.
Bring down your warriors,(aa) Lord !
12 "Let the nations be roused;
let them advance into the Valley of Jehoshaphat,(ab)
for there I will sit
to judge(ac) all the nations on every side.
13 Swing the sickle,(ad)
for the harvest(ae) is ripe.
Come, trample the grapes,(af)
for the winepress(ag) is full
and the vats overflow—
so great is their wickedness!"
14 Multitudes,(ah) multitudes
in the valley(ai) of decision!
For the day of the
Lord
(aj) is near
in the valley of decision.(ak)
15 The sun and moon will be darkened,
and the stars no longer shine.(al)
16 The
Lord
will roar(am) from Zion
and thunder from Jerusalem;(an)
the earth and the heavens will tremble.(ao)
But the
Lord
will be a refuge(ap) for his people,
a stronghold(aq) for the people of Israel.
Blessings for God's People
17 "Then you will know(ar) that I, the
Lord
your God,(as)
dwell in Zion,(at) my holy hill.(au)
Jerusalem will be holy;(av)
never again will foreigners invade her.(aw)
18 "In that day the mountains will drip new wine,(ax)
and the hills will flow with milk;(ay)
all the ravines of Judah will run with water.(az)
A fountain will flow out of the
Lord
's house(ba)
and will water the valley of acacias.[d](bb)
19 But Egypt(bc) will be desolate,
Edom(bd) a desert waste,
because of violence(be) done to the people of Judah,
in whose land they shed innocent blood.
20 Judah will be inhabited forever(bf)
and Jerusalem through all generations.
21 Shall I leave their innocent blood unavenged?(bg)
No, I will not.(bh)"
The Lord dwells in Zion!(bi)
Amos 1-4
Chapter 1
1 The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa(a)—the vision he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake,(b) when Uzziah(c) was king of Judah and Jeroboam(d) son of Jehoash[a] was king of Israel.(e)
2 He said:
"The
Lord
roars(f) from Zion
and thunders(g) from Jerusalem;(h)
the pastures of the shepherds dry up,
and the top of Carmel(i) withers."(j)
Judgment on Israel's Neighbors
3 This is what the Lord says:
"For three sins of Damascus,(k)
even for four, I will not relent.(l)
Because she threshed Gilead
with sledges having iron teeth,
4 I will send fire(m) on the house of Hazael(n)
that will consume the fortresses(o) of Ben-Hadad.(p)
5 I will break down the gate(q) of Damascus;
I will destroy the king who is in[b] the Valley of Aven[c]
and the one who holds the scepter in Beth Eden.(r)
The people of Aram will go into exile to Kir,(s)"
says the
Lord
.(t)
6 This is what the Lord says:
"For three sins of Gaza,(u)
even for four, I will not relent.(v)
Because she took captive whole communities
and sold them to Edom,(w)
7 I will send fire on the walls of Gaza
that will consume her fortresses.
8 I will destroy the king[d] of Ashdod(x)
and the one who holds the scepter in Ashkelon.
I will turn my hand(y) against Ekron,
till the last of the Philistines(z) are dead,"(aa)
says the Sovereign
Lord
.(ab)
9 This is what the Lord says:
"For three sins of Tyre,(ac)
even for four, I will not relent.(ad)
Because she sold whole communities of captives to Edom,
disregarding a treaty of brotherhood,(ae)
10 I will send fire on the walls of Tyre
that will consume her fortresses.(af)"
11 This is what the Lord says:
"For three sins of Edom,(ag)
even for four, I will not relent.
Because he pursued his brother with a sword(ah)
and slaughtered the women of the land,
because his anger raged continually
and his fury flamed unchecked,(ai)
12 I will send fire on Teman(aj)
that will consume the fortresses of Bozrah.(ak)"
13 This is what the Lord says:
"For three sins of Ammon,(al)
even for four, I will not relent.
Because he ripped open the pregnant women(am) of Gilead
in order to extend his borders,
14 I will set fire to the walls of Rabbah(an)
that will consume(ao) her fortresses
amid war cries(ap) on the day of battle,
amid violent winds(aq) on a stormy day.
15 Her king[e] will go into exile,
he and his officials together,(ar)"
says the
Lord
.(as)
Chapter 2
1 This is what the Lord says:
"For three sins of Moab,(a)
even for four, I will not relent.
Because he burned to ashes(b)
the bones of Edom's king,
2 I will send fire on Moab
that will consume the fortresses of Kerioth.[a](c)
Moab will go down in great tumult
amid war cries(d) and the blast of the trumpet.(e)
3 I will destroy her ruler(f)
and kill all her officials with him,"(g)
says the
Lord
.(h)
4 This is what the Lord says:
"For three sins of Judah,(i)
even for four, I will not relent.
Because they have rejected the law(j) of the
Lord
and have not kept his decrees,(k)
because they have been led astray(l) by false gods,[b](m)
the gods[c] their ancestors followed,(n)
5 I will send fire(o) on Judah
that will consume the fortresses(p) of Jerusalem.(q)"
Judgment on Israel
6 This is what the Lord says:
"For three sins of Israel,
even for four, I will not relent.(r)
They sell the innocent for silver,
and the needy for a pair of sandals.(s)
7 They trample on the heads of the poor
as on the dust of the ground
and deny justice to the oppressed.
Father and son use the same girl
and so profane my holy name.(t)
8 They lie down beside every altar
on garments taken in pledge.(u)
In the house of their god
they drink wine(v) taken as fines.(w)
9 "Yet I destroyed the Amorites(x) before them,
though they were tall(y) as the cedars
and strong as the oaks.(z)
I destroyed their fruit above
and their roots(aa) below.
10 I brought you up out of Egypt(ab)
and led(ac) you forty years in the wilderness(ad)
to give you the land of the Amorites.(ae)
11 "I also raised up prophets(af) from among your children
and Nazirites(ag) from among your youths.
Is this not true, people of Israel?"
declares the
Lord
.
12 "But you made the Nazirites drink wine
and commanded the prophets not to prophesy.(ah)
13 "Now then, I will crush you
as a cart crushes when loaded with grain.(ai)
14 The swift will not escape,(aj)
the strong(ak) will not muster their strength,
and the warrior will not save his life.(al)
15 The archer(am) will not stand his ground,
the fleet-footed soldier will not get away,
and the horseman(an) will not save his life.(ao)
16 Even the bravest warriors(ap)
will flee naked on that day,"
declares the
Lord
.
Chapter 3
Witnesses Summoned Against Israel
1 Hear this word, people of Israel, the word the Lord has spoken against you(a)—against the whole family I brought up out of Egypt:(b)
2 "You only have I chosen(c)
of all the families of the earth;
therefore I will punish(d) you
for all your sins.(e)"
3 Do two walk together
unless they have agreed to do so?
4 Does a lion roar(f) in the thicket
when it has no prey?(g)
Does it growl in its den
when it has caught nothing?
5 Does a bird swoop down to a trap on the ground
when no bait(h) is there?
Does a trap spring up from the ground
if it has not caught anything?
6 When a trumpet(i) sounds in a city,
do not the people tremble?
When disaster(j) comes to a city,
has not the
Lord
caused it?(k)
7 Surely the Sovereign
Lord
does nothing
without revealing his plan(l)
to his servants the prophets.(m)
8 The lion(n) has roared(o)—
who will not fear?
The Sovereign
Lord
has spoken—
who can but prophesy?(p)
9 Proclaim to the fortresses of Ashdod(q)
and to the fortresses of Egypt:
"Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria;(r)
see the great unrest within her
and the oppression among her people."
10 "They do not know how to do right,(s)" declares the
Lord
,
"who store up in their fortresses(t)
what they have plundered(u) and looted."
11 Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
"An enemy will overrun your land,
pull down your strongholds
and plunder your fortresses.(v)"
12 This is what the Lord says:
"As a shepherd rescues from the lion's(w) mouth
only two leg bones or a piece of an ear,
so will the Israelites living in Samaria be rescued,
with only the head of a bed
and a piece of fabric[a] from a couch.[b](x)"
13 "Hear this and testify(y) against the descendants of Jacob," declares the Lord, the Lord God Almighty.
14 "On the day I punish(z) Israel for her sins,
I will destroy the altars of Bethel;(aa)
the horns(ab) of the altar will be cut off
and fall to the ground.
15 I will tear down the winter house(ac)
along with the summer house;(ad)
the houses adorned with ivory(ae) will be destroyed
and the mansions(af) will be demolished,(ag)"
declares the
Lord
.(ah)
Chapter 4
Israel Has Not Returned to God
1 Hear this word, you cows of Bashan(a) on Mount Samaria,(b)
you women who oppress the poor(c) and crush the needy(d)
and say to your husbands,(e) "Bring us some drinks!(f)"
2 The Sovereign
Lord
has sworn by his holiness:
"The time(g) will surely come
when you will be taken away(h) with hooks,(i)
the last of you with fishhooks.[a]
3 You will each go straight out
through breaches in the wall,(j)
and you will be cast out toward Harmon,[b]"
declares the
Lord
.
4 "Go to Bethel(k) and sin;
go to Gilgal(l) and sin yet more.
Bring your sacrifices every morning,(m)
your tithes(n) every three years.[c](o)
5 Burn leavened bread(p) as a thank offering
and brag about your freewill offerings(q)—
boast about them, you Israelites,
for this is what you love to do,"
declares the Sovereign
Lord
.
6 "I gave you empty stomachs in every city
and lack of bread in every town,
yet you have not returned to me,"
declares the
Lord
.(r)
7 "I also withheld(s) rain from you
when the harvest was still three months away.
I sent rain on one town,
but withheld it from another.(t)
One field had rain;
another had none and dried up.
8 People staggered from town to town for water(u)
but did not get enough(v) to drink,
yet you have not returned(w) to me,"
declares the
Lord
.(x)
9 "Many times I struck your gardens and vineyards,
destroying them with blight and mildew.(y)
Locusts(z) devoured your fig and olive trees,(aa)
yet you have not returned(ab) to me,"
declares the
Lord
.
10 "I sent plagues(ac) among you
as I did to Egypt.(ad)
I killed your young men(ae) with the sword,
along with your captured horses.
I filled your nostrils with the stench(af) of your camps,
yet you have not returned to me,"(ag)
declares the
Lord
.(ah)
11 "I overthrew some of you
as I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.(ai)
You were like a burning stick(aj) snatched from the fire,
yet you have not returned to me,"
declares the
Lord
.(ak)
12 "Therefore this is what I will do to you, Israel,
and because I will do this to you, Israel,
prepare to meet your God."
13 He who forms the mountains,(al)
who creates the wind,(am)
and who reveals his thoughts(an) to mankind,
who turns dawn to darkness,
and treads on the heights of the earth(ao)—
the
Lord
God Almighty is his name.(ap)
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