August 5

Luke 14:15-24

[15] When one of those who reclined at table with him heard these things, he said to him, “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” [16] But he said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. [17] And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ [18] But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.’ [19] And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.’ [20] And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ [21] So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ [22] And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ [23] And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. [24] For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.’”

1 Timothy 3:11-16

[11] Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. [12] Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. [13] For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

[14] I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, [15] if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. [16] Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: 

    He was manifested in the flesh,

        vindicated by the Spirit,

    seen by angels,

    proclaimed among the nations,

        believed on in the world,

    taken up in glory.

Proverbs 5

    [1] My son, be attentive to my wisdom;

        incline your ear to my understanding, 

    [2] that you may keep discretion,

        and your lips may guard knowledge. 

    [3] For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey,

        and her speech is smoother than oil, 

    [4] but in the end she is bitter as wormwood,

        sharp as a two-edged sword. 

    [5] Her feet go down to death;

        her steps follow the path to Sheol; 

    [6] she does not ponder the path of life;

        her ways wander, and she does not know it.

    [7] And now, O sons, listen to me,

        and do not depart from the words of my mouth. 

    [8] Keep your way far from her,

        and do not go near the door of her house, 

    [9] lest you give your honor to others

        and your years to the merciless, 

    [10] lest strangers take their fill of your strength,

        and your labors go to the house of a foreigner, 

    [11] and at the end of your life you groan,

        when your flesh and body are consumed, 

    [12] and you say, “How I hated discipline,

        and my heart despised reproof! 

    [13] I did not listen to the voice of my teachers

        or incline my ear to my instructors. 

    [14] I am at the brink of utter ruin

        in the assembled congregation.”

    [15] Drink water from your own cistern,

        flowing water from your own well. 

    [16] Should your springs be scattered abroad,

        streams of water in the streets? 

    [17] Let them be for yourself alone,

        and not for strangers with you. 

    [18] Let your fountain be blessed,

        and rejoice in the wife of your youth, 

    [19]     a lovely deer, a graceful doe.

    Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight;

        be intoxicated always in her love. 

    [20] Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with a forbidden woman

        and embrace the bosom of an adulteress? 

    [21] For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the LORD,

        and he ponders all his paths. 

    [22] The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him,

        and he is held fast in the cords of his sin. 

    [23] He dies for lack of discipline,

        and because of his great folly he is led astray.

Ezra 7

[1] Now after this, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah, [2] son of Shallum, son of Zadok, son of Ahitub, [3] son of Amariah, son of Azariah, son of Meraioth, [4] son of Zerahiah, son of Uzzi, son of Bukki, [5] son of Abishua, son of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the chief priest—[6] this Ezra went up from Babylonia. He was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses that the LORD, the God of Israel, had given, and the king granted him all that he asked, for the hand of the LORD his God was on him.

[7] And there went up also to Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king, some of the people of Israel, and some of the priests and Levites, the singers and gatekeepers, and the temple servants. [8] And Ezra came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. [9] For on the first day of the first month he began to go up from Babylonia, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, for the good hand of his God was on him. [10] For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.

[11] This is a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, a man learned in matters of the commandments of the LORD and his statutes for Israel: [12] “Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven. Peace. And now [13] I make a decree that anyone of the people of Israel or their priests or Levites in my kingdom, who freely offers to go to Jerusalem, may go with you. [14] For you are sent by the king and his seven counselors to make inquiries about Judah and Jerusalem according to the Law of your God, which is in your hand, [15] and also to carry the silver and gold that the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem, [16] with all the silver and gold that you shall find in the whole province of Babylonia, and with the freewill offerings of the people and the priests, vowed willingly for the house of their God that is in Jerusalem. [17] With this money, then, you shall with all diligence buy bulls, rams, and lambs, with their grain offerings and their drink offerings, and you shall offer them on the altar of the house of your God that is in Jerusalem. [18] Whatever seems good to you and your brothers to do with the rest of the silver and gold, you may do, according to the will of your God. [19] The vessels that have been given you for the service of the house of your God, you shall deliver before the God of Jerusalem. [20] And whatever else is required for the house of your God, which it falls to you to provide, you may provide it out of the king’s treasury.

[21] “And I, Artaxerxes the king, make a decree to all the treasurers in the province Beyond the River: Whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, requires of you, let it be done with all diligence, [22] up to 100 talents of silver, 100 cors of wheat, 100 baths of wine, 100 baths of oil, and salt without prescribing how much. [23] Whatever is decreed by the God of heaven, let it be done in full for the house of the God of heaven, lest his wrath be against the realm of the king and his sons. [24] We also notify you that it shall not be lawful to impose tribute, custom, or toll on anyone of the priests, the Levites, the singers, the doorkeepers, the temple servants, or other servants of this house of God.

[25] “And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God that is in your hand, appoint magistrates and judges who may judge all the people in the province Beyond the River, all such as know the laws of your God. And those who do not know them, you shall teach. [26] Whoever will not obey the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be strictly executed on him, whether for death or for banishment or for confiscation of his goods or for imprisonment.”

[27] Blessed be the LORD, the God of our fathers, who put such a thing as this into the heart of the king, to beautify the house of the LORD that is in Jerusalem, [28] and who extended to me his steadfast love before the king and his counselors, and before all the king’s mighty officers. I took courage, for the hand of the LORD my God was on me, and I gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me.

The Difference Between Conviction and Accusation

PRAY OVER THIS

“But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7

 

PONDER THIS

Many people do not know the difference between Holy Spirit conviction and satanic accusation. The devil is very clever. Before you sin, do you know what the devil tells you? The devil says, “Go ahead and do it. You can get away with it.” And after you sin, you know what the devil tells you? “You’ll never get away with it.” He will entice you to sin and then condemn you because you sinned.

When the Holy Spirit of God shines the light of conviction upon you, you will come under conviction as a child of God. If you will turn to the light and face up to the light, He will pull the veil of darkness from behind those lies that you’ve been telling others, telling yourself, and telling God. He will expose your sin and, as you respond in confession and repentance, He will restore you to Himself.

Think about times when you have recognized the difference between godly conviction and satanic accusation.

If you belong to Jesus, what response can you give to the devil when he accuses you?

PRACTICE THIS

Make a list of the differences between godly conviction and satanic accusation. Keep this list close to reflect on regularly.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

As Secure as God Is Faithful

Those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. (Romans 8:30)

Between eternity past in God’s predestination, and eternity future in God’s glorification, none is lost.

No one who is predestined for sonship fails to be called. And no one who is called fails to be justified. And no one who is justified fails to be glorified. This is an unbreakable steel chain of divine covenant faithfulness.

And so Paul says,

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6)

[He] will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:8–9)

These are the promises of our God who cannot lie. Those who are born again are as secure as God is faithful.

John Piper 

August 4

Luke 14:1-14

[1] One Sabbath, when he went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching him carefully. [2] And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy. [3] And Jesus responded to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” [4] But they remained silent. Then he took him and healed him and sent him away. [5] And he said to them, “Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?” [6] And they could not reply to these things.

[7] Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, [8] “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, [9] and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. [10] But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. [11] For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

[12] He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. [13] But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, [14] and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”

1 Timothy 3:1-10

[1] The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. [2] Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, [3] not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. [4] He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, [5] for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? [6] He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. [7] Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.

[8] Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. [9] They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. [10] And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless.

Proverbs 4

    [1] Hear, O sons, a father’s instruction,

        and be attentive, that you may gain insight, 

    [2] for I give you good precepts;

        do not forsake my teaching. 

    [3] When I was a son with my father,

        tender, the only one in the sight of my mother, 

    [4] he taught me and said to me,

    “Let your heart hold fast my words;

        keep my commandments, and live. 

    [5] Get wisdom; get insight;

        do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth. 

    [6] Do not forsake her, and she will keep you;

        love her, and she will guard you. 

    [7] The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom,

        and whatever you get, get insight. 

    [8] Prize her highly, and she will exalt you;

        she will honor you if you embrace her. 

    [9] She will place on your head a graceful garland;

        she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.”

    [10] Hear, my son, and accept my words,

        that the years of your life may be many. 

    [11] I have taught you the way of wisdom;

        I have led you in the paths of uprightness. 

    [12] When you walk, your step will not be hampered,

        and if you run, you will not stumble. 

    [13] Keep hold of instruction; do not let go;

        guard her, for she is your life. 

    [14] Do not enter the path of the wicked,

        and do not walk in the way of the evil. 

    [15] Avoid it; do not go on it;

        turn away from it and pass on. 

    [16] For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong;

        they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble. 

    [17] For they eat the bread of wickedness

        and drink the wine of violence. 

    [18] But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,

        which shines brighter and brighter until full day. 

    [19] The way of the wicked is like deep darkness;

        they do not know over what they stumble.

    [20] My son, be attentive to my words;

        incline your ear to my sayings. 

    [21] Let them not escape from your sight;

        keep them within your heart. 

    [22] For they are life to those who find them,

        and healing to all their flesh. 

    [23] Keep your heart with all vigilance,

        for from it flow the springs of life. 

    [24] Put away from you crooked speech,

        and put devious talk far from you. 

    [25] Let your eyes look directly forward,

        and your gaze be straight before you. 

    [26] Ponder the path of your feet;

        then all your ways will be sure. 

    [27] Do not swerve to the right or to the left;

        turn your foot away from evil.

Ezra 6

[1] Then Darius the king made a decree, and search was made in Babylonia, in the house of the archives where the documents were stored. [2] And in Ecbatana, the citadel that is in the province of Media, a scroll was found on which this was written: “A record. [3] In the first year of Cyrus the king, Cyrus the king issued a decree: Concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, let the house be rebuilt, the place where sacrifices were offered, and let its foundations be retained. Its height shall be sixty cubits and its breadth sixty cubits, [4] with three layers of great stones and one layer of timber. Let the cost be paid from the royal treasury. [5] And also let the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple that is in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, be restored and brought back to the temple that is in Jerusalem, each to its place. You shall put them in the house of God.”

[6] “Now therefore, Tattenai, governor of the province Beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and your associates the governors who are in the province Beyond the River, keep away. [7] Let the work on this house of God alone. Let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews rebuild this house of God on its site. [8] Moreover, I make a decree regarding what you shall do for these elders of the Jews for the rebuilding of this house of God. The cost is to be paid to these men in full and without delay from the royal revenue, the tribute of the province from Beyond the River. [9] And whatever is needed—bulls, rams, or sheep for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, or oil, as the priests at Jerusalem require—let that be given to them day by day without fail, [10] that they may offer pleasing sacrifices to the God of heaven and pray for the life of the king and his sons. [11] Also I make a decree that if anyone alters this edict, a beam shall be pulled out of his house, and he shall be impaled on it, and his house shall be made a dunghill. [12] May the God who has caused his name to dwell there overthrow any king or people who shall put out a hand to alter this, or to destroy this house of God that is in Jerusalem. I Darius make a decree; let it be done with all diligence.”

[13] Then, according to the word sent by Darius the king, Tattenai, the governor of the province Beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and their associates did with all diligence what Darius the king had ordered. [14] And the elders of the Jews built and prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. They finished their building by decree of the God of Israel and by decree of Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes king of Persia; [15] and this house was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.

[16] And the people of Israel, the priests and the Levites, and the rest of the returned exiles, celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy. [17] They offered at the dedication of this house of God 100 bulls, 200 rams, 400 lambs, and as a sin offering for all Israel 12 male goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel. [18] And they set the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their divisions, for the service of God at Jerusalem, as it is written in the Book of Moses.

[19] On the fourteenth day of the first month, the returned exiles kept the Passover. [20] For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together; all of them were clean. So they slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the returned exiles, for their fellow priests, and for themselves. [21] It was eaten by the people of Israel who had returned from exile, and also by every one who had joined them and separated himself from the uncleanness of the peoples of the land to worship the LORD, the God of Israel. [22] And they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy, for the LORD had made them joyful and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria to them, so that he aided them in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.

Do You Want Fellowship with God?

PRAY OVER THIS

“…that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.” 1 John 1:3

 

PONDER THIS

Jesus took humanity and became like we are that we might become like He is. He took the very nature of man that we might take the nature of God, and so we have fellowship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. As lowly as we are, we can walk and talk and fellowship with Him and can sing, “I come to the garden alone, when the dew is still on the roses and the voice I hear, falling on my ear, the Son of God discloses, and He walks with me, and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own.” That’s the fellowship we have with Him because of the incarnation, and that’s the reason John said, in effect, “Look, He’s a man, we saw Him, we touched Him, we hurt Him.” He took the nature of man that we might take the nature of God.

How often do you reflect on the fact that Jesus took on human flesh so that you could have fellowship with God?

How have you taken advantage of this divine privilege? In what ways have you neglected to do so?

PRACTICE THIS

Take time today for a walk or a period of reflection to recognize the fellowship you have with God and to talk with Him in that fellowship.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Why You Have a Body

For you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. (1 Corinthians 6:20)

God did not create the physical-material universe willy-nilly. He had a purpose, namely, to add to the ways his glory is externalized and made manifest. “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1).

Our bodies fit into that same category of physical things that God created for this reason. He is not going to back out on his plan to glorify himself through human beings and human bodies.

Why does God go to all the trouble to dirty his hands, as it were, with our decaying, sin-stained flesh, in order to reestablish it as a resurrection body and clothe it with glory and immortality? Answer: Because his Son paid the price of death so that the Father’s purpose for the material universe would be fulfilled, namely, that he would be glorified in it, including in our bodies, forever and ever.

That’s what the text says: “You were bought with a price [namely, the death of his Son]. So glorify God in your body.” God will not disregard or dishonor the work of his Son. God will honor the work of his Son by raising our bodies from the dead, and we will use our bodies to glorify him forever and ever.

That is why you have a body now. And that is why it will be raised to be like Christ’s glorious body.

John Piper 

August 3

Luke 13:22-35

[22] He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. [23] And someone said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them, [24] “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. [25] When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ [26] Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ [27] But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’ [28] In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out. [29] And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God. [30] And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”

[31] At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” [32] And he said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course. [33] Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.’ [34] O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! [35] Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’”

1 Timothy 2

[1] First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, [2] for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. [3] This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, [4] who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. [5] For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man(1) Christ Jesus, [6] who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. [7] For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

[8] I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; [9] likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, [10] but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works. [11] Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. [12] I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. [13] For Adam was formed first, then Eve; [14] and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. [15] Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.

Footnotes

(1) 2:5 *men* and *man* render the same Greek word that is translated *people* in verses 1 and 4

Proverbs 3

    [1] My son, do not forget my teaching,

        but let your heart keep my commandments, 

    [2] for length of days and years of life

        and peace they will add to you.

    [3] Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you;

        bind them around your neck;

        write them on the tablet of your heart. 

    [4] So you will find favor and good success(1)

        in the sight of God and man.

    [5] Trust in the LORD with all your heart,

        and do not lean on your own understanding. 

    [6] In all your ways acknowledge him,

        and he will make straight your paths. 

    [7] Be not wise in your own eyes;

        fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. 

    [8] It will be healing to your flesh(2)

        and refreshment(3) to your bones.

    [9] Honor the LORD with your wealth

        and with the firstfruits of all your produce; 

    [10] then your barns will be filled with plenty,

        and your vats will be bursting with wine.

    [11] My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline

        or be weary of his reproof, 

    [12] for the LORD reproves him whom he loves,

        as a father the son in whom he delights.

    [13] Blessed is the one who finds wisdom,

        and the one who gets understanding, 

    [14] for the gain from her is better than gain from silver

        and her profit better than gold. 

    [15] She is more precious than jewels,

        and nothing you desire can compare with her. 

    [16] Long life is in her right hand;

        in her left hand are riches and honor. 

    [17] Her ways are ways of pleasantness,

        and all her paths are peace. 

    [18] She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her;

        those who hold her fast are called blessed.

    [19] The LORD by wisdom founded the earth;

        by understanding he established the heavens; 

    [20] by his knowledge the deeps broke open,

        and the clouds drop down the dew.

    [21] My son, do not lose sight of these—

        keep sound wisdom and discretion, 

    [22] and they will be life for your soul

        and adornment for your neck. 

    [23] Then you will walk on your way securely,

        and your foot will not stumble. 

    [24] If you lie down, you will not be afraid;

        when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. 

    [25] Do not be afraid of sudden terror

        or of the ruin(4) of the wicked, when it comes, 

    [26] for the LORD will be your confidence

        and will keep your foot from being caught. 

    [27] Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,(5)

        when it is in your power to do it.

    [28] Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again,

        tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you. 

    [29] Do not plan evil against your neighbor,

        who dwells trustingly beside you. 

    [30] Do not contend with a man for no reason,

        when he has done you no harm. 

    [31] Do not envy a man of violence

        and do not choose any of his ways, 

    [32] for the devious person is an abomination to the LORD,

        but the upright are in his confidence. 

    [33] The LORD’s curse is on the house of the wicked,

        but he blesses the dwelling of the righteous. 

    [34] Toward the scorners he is scornful,

        but to the humble he gives favor.(6) 

    [35] The wise will inherit honor,

        but fools get(7) disgrace.

Footnotes

(1) 3:4 Or *repute*

(2) 3:8 Hebrew *navel*

(3) 3:8 Or *medicine*

(4) 3:25 Hebrew *storm*

(5) 3:27 Hebrew *Do not withhold good from its owners*

(6) 3:34 Or *grace*

(7) 3:35 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain

Ezra 4

[1] Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple to the LORD, the God of Israel, [2] they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers’ houses and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we worship your God as you do, and we have been sacrificing to him ever since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria who brought us here.” [3] But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers’ houses in Israel said to them, “You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God; but we alone will build to the LORD, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.”

[4] Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build [5] and bribed counselors against them to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

[6] And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.

[7] In the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam and Mithredath and Tabeel and the rest of their associates wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia. The letter was written in Aramaic and translated.(1) [8] Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows: [9] Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates, the judges, the governors, the officials, the Persians, the men of Erech, the Babylonians, the men of Susa, that is, the Elamites, [10] and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnappar deported and settled in the cities of Samaria and in the rest of the province Beyond the River. [11] (This is a copy of the letter that they sent.) “To Artaxerxes the king: Your servants, the men of the province Beyond the River, send greeting. And now [12] be it known to the king that the Jews who came up from you to us have gone to Jerusalem. They are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. They are finishing the walls and repairing the foundations. [13] Now be it known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and the walls finished, they will not pay tribute, custom, or toll, and the royal revenue will be impaired. [14] Now because we eat the salt of the palace(2) and it is not fitting for us to witness the king’s dishonor, therefore we send and inform the king, [15] in order that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers. You will find in the book of the records and learn that this city is a rebellious city, hurtful to kings and provinces, and that sedition was stirred up in it from of old. That was why this city was laid waste. [16] We make known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls finished, you will then have no possession in the province Beyond the River.”

[17] The king sent an answer: “To Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe and the rest of their associates who live in Samaria and in the rest of the province Beyond the River, greeting. And now [18] the letter that you sent to us has been plainly read before me. [19] And I made a decree, and search has been made, and it has been found that this city from of old has risen against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made in it. [20] And mighty kings have been over Jerusalem, who ruled over the whole province Beyond the River, to whom tribute, custom, and toll were paid. [21] Therefore make a decree that these men be made to cease, and that this city be not rebuilt, until a decree is made by me. [22] And take care not to be slack in this matter. Why should damage grow to the hurt of the king?”

[23] Then, when the copy of King Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum and Shimshai the scribe and their associates, they went in haste to the Jews at Jerusalem and by force and power made them cease. [24] Then the work on the house of God that is in Jerusalem stopped, and it ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Footnotes

(1) 4:7 Hebrew *written in Aramaic and translated in Aramaic*, indicating that 4:8–6:18 is in Aramaic; another interpretation is *The letter was written in the Aramaic script and set forth in the Aramaic language*

Ezra 5

[1] Now the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel who was over them. [2] Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak arose and began to rebuild the house of God that is in Jerusalem, and the prophets of God were with them, supporting them.

[3] At the same time Tattenai the governor of the province Beyond the River and Shethar-bozenai and their associates came to them and spoke to them thus: “Who gave you a decree to build this house and to finish this structure?” [4] They also asked them this:(1) “What are the names of the men who are building this building?” [5] But the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, and they did not stop them until the report should reach Darius and then an answer be returned by letter concerning it.

[6] This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai the governor of the province Beyond the River and Shethar-bozenai and his associates, the governors who were in the province Beyond the River, sent to Darius the king. [7] They sent him a report, in which was written as follows: “To Darius the king, all peace. [8] Be it known to the king that we went to the province of Judah, to the house of the great God. It is being built with huge stones, and timber is laid in the walls. This work goes on diligently and prospers in their hands. [9] Then we asked those elders and spoke to them thus: ‘Who gave you a decree to build this house and to finish this structure?’ [10] We also asked them their names, for your information, that we might write down the names of their leaders.(2) [11] And this was their reply to us: ‘We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the house that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and finished. [12] But because our fathers had angered the God of heaven, he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this house and carried away the people to Babylonia. [13] However, in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, Cyrus the king made a decree that this house of God should be rebuilt. [14] And the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple that was in Jerusalem and brought into the temple of Babylon, these Cyrus the king took out of the temple of Babylon, and they were delivered to one whose name was Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor; [15] and he said to him, “Take these vessels, go and put them in the temple that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its site.” [16] Then this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the house of God that is in Jerusalem, and from that time until now it has been in building, and it is not yet finished.’ [17] Therefore, if it seems good to the king, let search be made in the royal archives there in Babylon, to see whether a decree was issued by Cyrus the king for the rebuilding of this house of God in Jerusalem. And let the king send us his pleasure in this matter.”

Footnotes

(1) 5:4 Septuagint, Syriac; Aramaic *We*

(2) 5:10 Aramaic *of the men at their heads*