November 3

John 8:1-11

[1] but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. [2] Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. [3] The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst [4] they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. [5] Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” [6] This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. [7] And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” [8] And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. [9] But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. [10] Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” [11] She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”]]

2 Peter 2:1-9

False Prophets and Teachers

[1] But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. [2] And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. [3] And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

[4] For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; [5] if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; [6] if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; [7] and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked [8] (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); [9] then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment,

Job 3

Job Laments His Birth

[1] After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. [2] And Job said:

    [3] “Let the day perish on which I was born,

        and the night that said,

        ‘A man is conceived.’ 

    [4] Let that day be darkness!

        May God above not seek it,

        nor light shine upon it. 

    [5] Let gloom and deep darkness claim it.

        Let clouds dwell upon it;

        let the blackness of the day terrify it. 

    [6] That night—let thick darkness seize it!

        Let it not rejoice among the days of the year;

        let it not come into the number of the months. 

    [7] Behold, let that night be barren;

        let no joyful cry enter it. 

    [8] Let those curse it who curse the day,

        who are ready to rouse up Leviathan. 

    [9] Let the stars of its dawn be dark;

        let it hope for light, but have none,

        nor see the eyelids of the morning, 

    [10] because it did not shut the doors of my mother’s womb,

        nor hide trouble from my eyes.

    [11] “Why did I not die at birth,

        come out from the womb and expire? 

    [12] Why did the knees receive me?

        Or why the breasts, that I should nurse? 

    [13] For then I would have lain down and been quiet;

        I would have slept; then I would have been at rest, 

    [14] with kings and counselors of the earth

        who rebuilt ruins for themselves, 

    [15] or with princes who had gold,

        who filled their houses with silver. 

    [16] Or why was I not as a hidden stillborn child,

        as infants who never see the light? 

    [17] There the wicked cease from troubling,

        and there the weary are at rest. 

    [18] There the prisoners are at ease together;

        they hear not the voice of the taskmaster. 

    [19] The small and the great are there,

        and the slave is free from his master.

    [20] “Why is light given to him who is in misery,

        and life to the bitter in soul, 

    [21] who long for death, but it comes not,

        and dig for it more than for hidden treasures, 

    [22] who rejoice exceedingly

        and are glad when they find the grave? 

    [23] Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden,

        whom God has hedged in? 

    [24] For my sighing comes instead of my bread,

        and my groanings are poured out like water. 

    [25] For the thing that I fear comes upon me,

        and what I dread befalls me. 

    [26] I am not at ease, nor am I quiet;

        I have no rest, but trouble comes.”

Ezekiel 9

Idolaters Killed

[1] Then he cried in my ears with a loud voice, saying, “Bring near the executioners of the city, each with his destroying weapon in his hand.” [2] And behold, six men came from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with his weapon for slaughter in his hand, and with them was a man clothed in linen, with a writing case at his waist. And they went in and stood beside the bronze altar.

[3] Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub on which it rested to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed in linen, who had the writing case at his waist. [4] And the LORD said to him, “Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it.” [5] And to the others he said in my hearing, “Pass through the city after him, and strike. Your eye shall not spare, and you shall show no pity. [6] Kill old men outright, young men and maidens, little children and women, but touch no one on whom is the mark. And begin at my sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were before the house. [7] Then he said to them, “Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain. Go out.” So they went out and struck in the city. [8] And while they were striking, and I was left alone, I fell upon my face, and cried, “Ah, Lord GOD! Will you destroy all the remnant of Israel in the outpouring of your wrath on Jerusalem?”

[9] Then he said to me, “The guilt of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great. The land is full of blood, and the city full of injustice. For they say, ‘The LORD has forsaken the land, and the LORD does not see.’ [10] As for me, my eye will not spare, nor will I have pity; I will bring their deeds upon their heads.”

[11] And behold, the man clothed in linen, with the writing case at his waist, brought back word, saying, “I have done as you commanded me.”

Ezekiel 10

The Glory of the LORD Leaves the Temple

[1] Then I looked, and behold, on the expanse that was over the heads of the cherubim there appeared above them something like a sapphire, in appearance like a throne. [2] And he said to the man clothed in linen, “Go in among the whirling wheels underneath the cherubim. Fill your hands with burning coals from between the cherubim, and scatter them over the city.” 

And he went in before my eyes.  [3] Now the cherubim were standing on the south side of the house, when the man went in, and a cloud filled the inner court. [4] And the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub to the threshold of the house, and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was filled with the brightness of the glory of the LORD. [5] And the sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard as far as the outer court, like the voice of God Almighty when he speaks.

[6] And when he commanded the man clothed in linen, “Take fire from between the whirling wheels, from between the cherubim,” he went in and stood beside a wheel. [7] And a cherub stretched out his hand from between the cherubim to the fire that was between the cherubim, and took some of it and put it into the hands of the man clothed in linen, who took it and went out. [8] The cherubim appeared to have the form of a human hand under their wings.

[9] And I looked, and behold, there were four wheels beside the cherubim, one beside each cherub, and the appearance of the wheels was like sparkling beryl. [10] And as for their appearance, the four had the same likeness, as if a wheel were within a wheel. [11] When they went, they went in any of their four directions without turning as they went, but in whatever direction the front wheel faced, the others followed without turning as they went. [12] And their whole body, their rims, and their spokes, their wings, and the wheels were full of eyes all around—the wheels that the four of them had. [13] As for the wheels, they were called in my hearing “the whirling wheels.” [14] And every one had four faces: the first face was the face of the cherub, and the second face was a human face, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.

[15] And the cherubim mounted up. These were the living creatures that I saw by the Chebar canal. [16] And when the cherubim went, the wheels went beside them. And when the cherubim lifted up their wings to mount up from the earth, the wheels did not turn from beside them. [17] When they stood still, these stood still, and when they mounted up, these mounted up with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in them.

[18] Then the glory of the LORD went out from the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubim. [19] And the cherubim lifted up their wings and mounted up from the earth before my eyes as they went out, with the wheels beside them. And they stood at the entrance of the east gate of the house of the LORD, and the glory of the God of Israel was over them.

[20] These were the living creatures that I saw underneath the God of Israel by the Chebar canal; and I knew that they were cherubim. [21] Each had four faces, and each four wings, and underneath their wings the likeness of human hands. [22] And as for the likeness of their faces, they were the same faces whose appearance I had seen by the Chebar canal. Each one of them went straight forward.

Ezekiel 11

Judgment on Wicked Counselors

[1] The Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the east gate of the house of the LORD, which faces east. And behold, at the entrance of the gateway there were twenty-five men. And I saw among them Jaazaniah the son of Azzur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people. [2] And he said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who devise iniquity and who give wicked counsel in this city; [3] who say, ‘The time is not near to build houses. This city is the cauldron, and we are the meat.’ [4] Therefore prophesy against them; prophesy, O son of man.”

[5] And the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me, and he said to me, “Say, Thus says the LORD: So you think, O house of Israel. For I know the things that come into your mind. [6] You have multiplied your slain in this city and have filled its streets with the slain. [7] Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Your slain whom you have laid in the midst of it, they are the meat, and this city is the cauldron, but you shall be brought out of the midst of it. [8] You have feared the sword, and I will bring the sword upon you, declares the Lord GOD. [9] And I will bring you out of the midst of it, and give you into the hands of foreigners, and execute judgments upon you. [10] You shall fall by the sword. I will judge you at the border of Israel, and you shall know that I am the LORD. [11] This city shall not be your cauldron, nor shall you be the meat in the midst of it. I will judge you at the border of Israel, [12] and you shall know that I am the LORD. For you have not walked in my statutes, nor obeyed my rules, but have acted according to the rules of the nations that are around you.”

[13] And it came to pass, while I was prophesying, that Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then I fell down on my face and cried out with a loud voice and said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Will you make a full end of the remnant of Israel?”

Israel’s New Heart and Spirit

[14] And the word of the LORD came to me: [15] “Son of man, your brothers, even your brothers, your kinsmen, the whole house of Israel, all of them, are those of whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, ‘Go far from the LORD; to us this land is given for a possession.’ [16] Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: Though I removed them far off among the nations, and though I scattered them among the countries, yet I have been a sanctuary to them for a while in the countries where they have gone.’ [17] Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.’ [18] And when they come there, they will remove from it all its detestable things and all its abominations. [19] And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, [20] that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. [21] But as for those whose heart goes after their detestable things and their abominations, I will bring their deeds upon their own heads, declares the Lord GOD.”

[22] Then the cherubim lifted up their wings, with the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel was over them. [23] And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city and stood on the mountain that is on the east side of the city. [24] And the Spirit lifted me up and brought me in the vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea, to the exiles. Then the vision that I had seen went up from me. [25] And I told the exiles all the things that the LORD had shown me.

Ezekiel 12

Judah’s Captivity Symbolized

[1] The word of the LORD came to me: [2] “Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, who have eyes to see, but see not, who have ears to hear, but hear not, for they are a rebellious house. [3] As for you, son of man, prepare for yourself an exile’s baggage, and go into exile by day in their sight. You shall go like an exile from your place to another place in their sight. Perhaps they will understand, though they are a rebellious house. [4] You shall bring out your baggage by day in their sight, as baggage for exile, and you shall go out yourself at evening in their sight, as those do who must go into exile. [5] In their sight dig through the wall, and bring your baggage out through it. [6] In their sight you shall lift the baggage upon your shoulder and carry it out at dusk. You shall cover your face that you may not see the land, for I have made you a sign for the house of Israel.”

[7] And I did as I was commanded. I brought out my baggage by day, as baggage for exile, and in the evening I dug through the wall with my own hands. I brought out my baggage at dusk, carrying it on my shoulder in their sight.

[8] In the morning the word of the LORD came to me: [9] “Son of man, has not the house of Israel, the rebellious house, said to you, ‘What are you doing?’ [10] Say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: This oracle concerns the prince in Jerusalem and all the house of Israel who are in it.’ [11] Say, ‘I am a sign for you: as I have done, so shall it be done to them. They shall go into exile, into captivity.’ [12] And the prince who is among them shall lift his baggage upon his shoulder at dusk, and shall go out. They shall dig through the wall to bring him out through it. He shall cover his face, that he may not see the land with his eyes. [13] And I will spread my net over him, and he shall be taken in my snare. And I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans, yet he shall not see it, and he shall die there. [14] And I will scatter toward every wind all who are around him, his helpers and all his troops, and I will unsheathe the sword after them. [15] And they shall know that I am the LORD, when I disperse them among the nations and scatter them among the countries. [16] But I will let a few of them escape from the sword, from famine and pestilence, that they may declare all their abominations among the nations where they go, and may know that I am the LORD.”

[17] And the word of the LORD came to me: [18] “Son of man, eat your bread with quaking, and drink water with trembling and with anxiety. [19] And say to the people of the land, Thus says the Lord GOD concerning the inhabitants of Jerusalem in the land of Israel: They shall eat their bread with anxiety, and drink water in dismay. In this way her land will be stripped of all it contains, on account of the violence of all those who dwell in it. [20] And the inhabited cities shall be laid waste, and the land shall become a desolation; and you shall know that I am the LORD.”

[21] And the word of the LORD came to me: [22] “Son of man, what is this proverb that you have about the land of Israel, saying, ‘The days grow long, and every vision comes to nothing’? [23] Tell them therefore, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: I will put an end to this proverb, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel.’ But say to them, The days are near, and the fulfillment of every vision. [24] For there shall be no more any false vision or flattering divination within the house of Israel. [25] For I am the LORD; I will speak the word that I will speak, and it will be performed. It will no longer be delayed, but in your days, O rebellious house, I will speak the word and perform it, declares the Lord GOD.”

[26] And the word of the LORD came to me: [27] “Son of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say, ‘The vision that he sees is for many days from now, and he prophesies of times far off.’ [28] Therefore say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: None of my words will be delayed any longer, but the word that I speak will be performed, declares the Lord GOD.”