August 13

Luke 17:11-19

[11] On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. [12] And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance [13] and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” [14] When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. [15] Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; [16] and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. [17] Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? [18] Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” [19] And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

2 Timothy 2:1-13

[1] You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, [2] and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. [3] Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. [4] No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. [5] An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. [6] It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. [7] Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.

[8] Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, [9] for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! [10] Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. [11] The saying is trustworthy, for: 

    If we have died with him, we will also live with him; 

    [12] if we endure, we will also reign with him;

    if we deny him, he also will deny us; 

    [13] if we are faithless, he remains faithful—

    for he cannot deny himself. 

Proverbs 11:16-31

    [16] 

    A gracious woman gets honor,

        and violent men get riches. 

    [17] 

    A man who is kind benefits himself,

        but a cruel man hurts himself. 

    [18] 

    The wicked earns deceptive wages,

        but one who sows righteousness gets a sure reward. 

    [19] 

    Whoever is steadfast in righteousness will live,

        but he who pursues evil will die. 

    [20] 

    Those of crooked heart are an abomination to the LORD,

        but those of blameless ways are his delight. 

    [21] 

    Be assured, an evil person will not go unpunished,

        but the offspring of the righteous will be delivered. 

    [22] 

    Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout

        is a beautiful woman without discretion. 

    [23] 

    The desire of the righteous ends only in good,

        the expectation of the wicked in wrath. 

    [24] 

    One gives freely, yet grows all the richer;

        another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. 

    [25] 

    Whoever brings blessing will be enriched,

        and one who waters will himself be watered. 

    [26] 

    The people curse him who holds back grain,

        but a blessing is on the head of him who sells it. 

    [27] 

    Whoever diligently seeks good seeks favor,

        but evil comes to him who searches for it. 

    [28] 

    Whoever trusts in his riches will fall,

        but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf. 

    [29] 

    Whoever troubles his own household will inherit the wind,

        and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart. 

    [30] 

    The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,

        and whoever captures souls is wise. 

    [31] 

    If the righteous is repaid on earth,

        how much more the wicked and the sinner!

Nehemiah 7

[1] Now when the wall had been built and I had set up the doors, and the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed, [2] I gave my brother Hanani and Hananiah the governor of the castle charge over Jerusalem, for he was a more faithful and God-fearing man than many. [3] And I said to them, “Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot. And while they are still standing guard, let them shut and bar the doors. Appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, some at their guard posts and some in front of their own homes.” [4] The city was wide and large, but the people within it were few, and no houses had been rebuilt.

[5] Then my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles and the officials and the people to be enrolled by genealogy. And I found the book of the genealogy of those who came up at the first, and I found written in it:

[6] These were the people of the province who came up out of the captivity of those exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried into exile. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his town. [7] They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, Baanah. 

The number of the men of the people of Israel:  [8] the sons of Parosh, 2,172. [9] The sons of Shephatiah, 372. [10] The sons of Arah, 652. [11] The sons of Pahath-moab, namely the sons of Jeshua and Joab, 2,818. [12] The sons of Elam, 1,254. [13] The sons of Zattu, 845. [14] The sons of Zaccai, 760. [15] The sons of Binnui, 648. [16] The sons of Bebai, 628. [17] The sons of Azgad, 2,322. [18] The sons of Adonikam, 667. [19] The sons of Bigvai, 2,067. [20] The sons of Adin, 655. [21] The sons of Ater, namely of Hezekiah, 98. [22] The sons of Hashum, 328. [23] The sons of Bezai, 324. [24] The sons of Hariph, 112. [25] The sons of Gibeon, 95. [26] The men of Bethlehem and Netophah, 188. [27] The men of Anathoth, 128. [28] The men of Beth-azmaveth, 42. [29] The men of Kiriath-jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, 743. [30] The men of Ramah and Geba, 621. [31] The men of Michmas, 122. [32] The men of Bethel and Ai, 123. [33] The men of the other Nebo, 52. [34] The sons of the other Elam, 1,254. [35] The sons of Harim, 320. [36] The sons of Jericho, 345. [37] The sons of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, 721. [38] The sons of Senaah, 3,930.

[39] The priests: the sons of Jedaiah, namely the house of Jeshua, 973. [40] The sons of Immer, 1,052. [41] The sons of Pashhur, 1,247. [42] The sons of Harim, 1,017.

[43] The Levites: the sons of Jeshua, namely of Kadmiel of the sons of Hodevah, 74. [44] The singers: the sons of Asaph, 148. [45] The gatekeepers: the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, the sons of Shobai, 138.

[46] The temple servants: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth, [47] the sons of Keros, the sons of Sia, the sons of Padon, [48] the sons of Lebana, the sons of Hagaba, the sons of Shalmai, [49] the sons of Hanan, the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar, [50] the sons of Reaiah, the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekoda, [51] the sons of Gazzam, the sons of Uzza, the sons of Paseah, [52] the sons of Besai, the sons of Meunim, the sons of Nephushesim, [53] the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of Harhur, [54] the sons of Bazlith, the sons of Mehida, the sons of Harsha, [55] the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Temah, [56] the sons of Neziah, the sons of Hatipha.

[57] The sons of Solomon’s servants: the sons of Sotai, the sons of Sophereth, the sons of Perida, [58] the sons of Jaala, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Giddel, [59] the sons of Shephatiah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of Pochereth-hazzebaim, the sons of Amon.

[60] All the temple servants and the sons of Solomon’s servants were 392.

[61] The following were those who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer, but they could not prove their fathers’ houses nor their descent, whether they belonged to Israel: [62] the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, the sons of Nekoda, 642. [63] Also, of the priests: the sons of Hobaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, the sons of Barzillai (who had taken a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by their name). [64] These sought their registration among those enrolled in the genealogies, but it was not found there, so they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. [65] The governor told them that they were not to partake of the most holy food until a priest with Urim and Thummim should arise.

[66] The whole assembly together was 42,360, [67] besides their male and female servants, of whom there were 7,337. And they had 245 singers, male and female. [68] Their horses were 736, their mules 245, [69] their camels 435, and their donkeys 6,720.

[70] Now some of the heads of fathers’ houses gave to the work. The governor gave to the treasury 1,000 darics of gold, 50 basins, 30 priests’ garments and 500 minas of silver. [71] And some of the heads of fathers’ houses gave into the treasury of the work 20,000 darics of gold and 2,200 minas of silver. [72] And what the rest of the people gave was 20,000 darics of gold, 2,000 minas of silver, and 67 priests’ garments.

[73] So the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the temple servants, and all Israel, lived in their towns. 

And when the seventh month had come, the people of Israel were in their towns. 

Who or What are You Living For?

PRAY OVER THIS

“And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” 1 John 2:17

 

PONDER THIS

If we’re living for the world, we’re painting the decks of a sinking ship. This world is passing away and the fashion thereof, and soon the mossy fingers and the foul breath of decay are going to take away all those toys and prized possessions we have. Satan sails a sinking ship. He rules a doomed domain. Long after this world is passed away, and long after this world as we know it is turned to rust and dust and mold and corruption, all those things that people have dreamed for and schemed for and sold their souls for will be junk, if they exist at all. But those who know the Lord will be sitting in the Kingdom, praising Him.

Are there things of this world you value too highly?

How might you move your focus from the temporal things of the world to the eternal things of Christ?

PRACTICE THIS

Take inventory of the things you give most of your time toward. Consider whether those things point you toward temporal or eternal realities.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

My Soul Thirsts for God

As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? (Psalm 42:1–2)

What makes this so beautiful and so crucial for us is that he is not thirsting mainly for relief from his threatening circumstances. He is not thirsting mainly for escape from his enemies or for their destruction.

It’s not wrong to want relief, and to pray for it. It is sometimes right to pray for the defeat of enemies. But more important than any of that is God himself.

When we think and feel with God in the Psalms, this is the main result: We come to love God, and we want to see God and be with God and be satisfied in admiring and exulting in God.

A likely translation of the end of verse 2 is, “When will I come and see the face of God?” The final answer to that question was given in John 14:9 and 2 Corinthians 4:4. Jesus said, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” And Paul said that when we are converted to Christ we see “the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

When we see the face of Christ, we see the face of God. And we see the glory of the face of Christ, Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:4 and 6, when we hear the story of the gospel of his death and resurrection. He calls it “the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” Or (verse 6): “the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

May the Lord increase your hunger and your thirst to see the face of God. And may he grant your desire, even today, through the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

John Piper 

August 12

Luke 17:1-10

[1] And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! [2] It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. [3] Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, [4] and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

[5] The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” [6] And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

[7] “Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? [8] Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? [9] Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? [10] So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’”

2 Timothy 1:8-18

[8] Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, [9] who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, [10] and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, [11] for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, [12] which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me. [13] Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. [14] By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.

[15] You are aware that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. [16] May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains, [17] but when he arrived in Rome he searched for me earnestly and found me—[18] may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that day!—and you well know all the service he rendered at Ephesus.

Proverbs 11:1-15

    [1] A false balance is an abomination to the LORD,

        but a just weight is his delight. 

    [2] 

    When pride comes, then comes disgrace,

        but with the humble is wisdom. 

    [3] 

    The integrity of the upright guides them,

        but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them. 

    [4] 

    Riches do not profit in the day of wrath,

        but righteousness delivers from death. 

    [5] 

    The righteousness of the blameless keeps his way straight,

        but the wicked falls by his own wickedness. 

    [6] 

    The righteousness of the upright delivers them,

        but the treacherous are taken captive by their lust. 

    [7] 

    When the wicked dies, his hope will perish,

        and the expectation of wealth perishes too. 

    [8] 

    The righteous is delivered from trouble,

        and the wicked walks into it instead. 

    [9] 

    With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor,

        but by knowledge the righteous are delivered. 

    [10] 

    When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices,

        and when the wicked perish there are shouts of gladness. 

    [11] 

    By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,

        but by the mouth of the wicked it is overthrown. 

    [12] 

    Whoever belittles his neighbor lacks sense,

        but a man of understanding remains silent. 

    [13] 

    Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets,

        but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered. 

    [14] 

    Where there is no guidance, a people falls,

        but in an abundance of counselors there is safety. 

    [15] 

    Whoever puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer harm,

        but he who hates striking hands in pledge is secure.

Nehemiah 6

[1] Now when Sanballat and Tobiah and Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies heard that I had built the wall and that there was no breach left in it (although up to that time I had not set up the doors in the gates), [2] Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come and let us meet together at Hakkephirim in the plain of Ono.” But they intended to do me harm. [3] And I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” [4] And they sent to me four times in this way, and I answered them in the same manner. [5] In the same way Sanballat for the fifth time sent his servant to me with an open letter in his hand. [6] In it was written, “It is reported among the nations, and Geshem also says it, that you and the Jews intend to rebel; that is why you are building the wall. And according to these reports you wish to become their king. [7] And you have also set up prophets to proclaim concerning you in Jerusalem, ‘There is a king in Judah.’ And now the king will hear of these reports. So now come and let us take counsel together.” [8] Then I sent to him, saying, “No such things as you say have been done, for you are inventing them out of your own mind.” [9] For they all wanted to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will drop from the work, and it will not be done.” But now, O God, strengthen my hands.

[10] Now when I went into the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, who was confined to his home, he said, “Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple. Let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you. They are coming to kill you by night.” [11] But I said, “Should such a man as I run away? And what man such as I could go into the temple and live? I will not go in.” [12] And I understood and saw that God had not sent him, but he had pronounced the prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. [13] For this purpose he was hired, that I should be afraid and act in this way and sin, and so they could give me a bad name in order to taunt me. [14] Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God, according to these things that they did, and also the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who wanted to make me afraid.

[15] So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. [16] And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God. [17] Moreover, in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters came to them. [18] For many in Judah were bound by oath to him, because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah the son of Arah: and his son Jehohanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah as his wife. [19] Also they spoke of his good deeds in my presence and reported my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to make me afraid.

The Battle Within You

PRAY OVER THIS

“For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.” 1 John 2:16

 

PONDER THIS

What is the lust of the flesh? What does that mean? That is Satan’s appeal to your old nature. When the Bible says: “the flesh” here, it doesn’t mean your hide, your hair, your skin, your nerves, your sinews, your bones. When the Bible says: “the flesh,” that means your old nature that is from Adam. The flesh is what we received from our first birth. Spirit is what we receive from our second birth. Galatians 5:17 says: “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.” When you get saved, a civil war begins on the inside. Have you felt it? There’s your new nature that wants to serve God, but there’s also your old nature that doesn’t want to lie down and be dead, so you’re going to have a battle on the inside. Jesus has promised to give us the power to fight this battle and the promise that His Spirit can overcome our flesh.

How have you experienced the battle between your flesh and the Spirit of God within you?

What can you do to feed the Spirit and starve the flesh daily?

PRACTICE THIS

Think back over the last week. Make a list of actions that resulted from following the Spirit and from following the flesh in your life. Consider how you might lean further into the Spirit’s work in your life.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

The Different Tenses of Grace

We always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:11–12)

Grace is not only God’s disposition to do good for us when we don’t deserve it — we call this “undeserved favor”; God’s grace is also a power from God that acts in our lives and makes good things happen in us and for us — which we also don’t deserve.

Paul said that we fulfill our resolves for good “by his power” (verse 11). And then he adds at the end of verse 12, “according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” The power that actually works in our lives to make Christ-exalting obedience possible is an exertion of the grace of God.

You can see this also in 1 Corinthians 15:10:

By the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.

So, grace is an active, present, transformative, obedience-enabling power.

Therefore, this grace, which moves in power from God to you at a point in time, is both past and future. It has already done something for you or in you and therefore is past. And it is about to do something in you and for you, and so it is future — both five seconds from now and five million years from now.

God’s grace is ever cascading over the waterfall of the present from the inexhaustible river of grace coming to us from the future into the ever-increasing reservoir of grace in the past. In the next five minutes, you will receive sustaining grace flowing to you from the future — in this you trust; and you will accumulate another five minutes’ worth of grace in the reservoir of the past — for this you give thanks.

John Piper 

August 11

Luke 16:19-31

[19] “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. [20] And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, [21] who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. [22] The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, [23] and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. [24] And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ [25] But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. [26] And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ [27] And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house—[28] for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ [29] But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ [30] And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ [31] He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”

2 Timothy 1:1-7

[1] Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus,

[2] To Timothy, my beloved child: 

Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 

[3] I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. [4] As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. [5] I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. [6] For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, [7] for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

Proverbs 10:17-32

    [17] Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life,

        but he who rejects reproof leads others astray. 

    [18] The one who conceals hatred has lying lips,

        and whoever utters slander is a fool. 

    [19] When words are many, transgression is not lacking,

        but whoever restrains his lips is prudent. 

    [20] The tongue of the righteous is choice silver;

        the heart of the wicked is of little worth. 

    [21] The lips of the righteous feed many,

        but fools die for lack of sense. 

    [22] The blessing of the LORD makes rich,

        and he adds no sorrow with it. 

    [23] Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool,

        but wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding. 

    [24] What the wicked dreads will come upon him,

        but the desire of the righteous will be granted. 

    [25] When the tempest passes, the wicked is no more,

        but the righteous is established forever. 

    [26] Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,

        so is the sluggard to those who send him. 

    [27] The fear of the LORD prolongs life,

        but the years of the wicked will be short. 

    [28] The hope of the righteous brings joy,

        but the expectation of the wicked will perish. 

    [29] The way of the LORD is a stronghold to the blameless,

        but destruction to evildoers. 

    [30] The righteous will never be removed,

        but the wicked will not dwell in the land. 

    [31] The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,

        but the perverse tongue will be cut off. 

    [32] The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable,

        but the mouth of the wicked, what is perverse.

Nehemiah 4

[1]  Now when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and greatly enraged, and he jeered at the Jews. [2] And he said in the presence of his brothers and of the army of Samaria, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore it for themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish up in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, and burned ones at that?” [3] Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “Yes, what they are building—if a fox goes up on it he will break down their stone wall!” [4] Hear, O our God, for we are despised. Turn back their taunt on their own heads and give them up to be plundered in a land where they are captives. [5] Do not cover their guilt, and let not their sin be blotted out from your sight, for they have provoked you to anger in the presence of the builders.

[6] So we built the wall. And all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.

[7]  But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and that the breaches were beginning to be closed, they were very angry. [8] And they all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it. [9] And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night.

[10] In Judah it was said, “The strength of those who bear the burdens is failing. There is too much rubble. By ourselves we will not be able to rebuild the wall.” [11] And our enemies said, “They will not know or see till we come among them and kill them and stop the work.” [12] At that time the Jews who lived near them came from all directions and said to us ten times, “You must return to us.” [13] So in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in open places, I stationed the people by their clans, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. [14] And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.”

[15] When our enemies heard that it was known to us and that God had frustrated their plan, we all returned to the wall, each to his work. [16] From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction, and half held the spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. And the leaders stood behind the whole house of Judah, [17] who were building on the wall. Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other. [18] And each of the builders had his sword strapped at his side while he built. The man who sounded the trumpet was beside me. [19] And I said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “The work is great and widely spread, and we are separated on the wall, far from one another. [20] In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.”

[21] So we labored at the work, and half of them held the spears from the break of dawn until the stars came out. [22] I also said to the people at that time, “Let every man and his servant pass the night within Jerusalem, that they may be a guard for us by night and may labor by day.” [23] So neither I nor my brothers nor my servants nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us took off our clothes; each kept his weapon at his right hand.

Nehemiah 5

[1] Now there arose a great outcry of the people and of their wives against their Jewish brothers. [2] For there were those who said, “With our sons and our daughters, we are many. So let us get grain, that we may eat and keep alive.” [3] There were also those who said, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our houses to get grain because of the famine.” [4] And there were those who said, “We have borrowed money for the king’s tax on our fields and our vineyards. [5] Now our flesh is as the flesh of our brothers, our children are as their children. Yet we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but it is not in our power to help it, for other men have our fields and our vineyards.”

[6] I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these words. [7] I took counsel with myself, and I brought charges against the nobles and the officials. I said to them, “You are exacting interest, each from his brother.” And I held a great assembly against them [8] and said to them, “We, as far as we are able, have bought back our Jewish brothers who have been sold to the nations, but you even sell your brothers that they may be sold to us!” They were silent and could not find a word to say. [9] So I said, “The thing that you are doing is not good. Ought you not to walk in the fear of our God to prevent the taunts of the nations our enemies? [10] Moreover, I and my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain. Let us abandon this exacting of interest. [11] Return to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive orchards, and their houses, and the percentage of money, grain, wine, and oil that you have been exacting from them.” [12] Then they said, “We will restore these and require nothing from them. We will do as you say.” And I called the priests and made them swear to do as they had promised. [13] I also shook out the fold of my garment and said, “So may God shake out every man from his house and from his labor who does not keep this promise. So may he be shaken out and emptied.” And all the assembly said “Amen” and praised the LORD. And the people did as they had promised.

[14] Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes the king, twelve years, neither I nor my brothers ate the food allowance of the governor. [15] The former governors who were before me laid heavy burdens on the people and took from them for their daily ration forty shekels of silver. Even their servants lorded it over the people. But I did not do so, because of the fear of God. [16] I also persevered in the work on this wall, and we acquired no land, and all my servants were gathered there for the work. [17] Moreover, there were at my table 150 men, Jews and officials, besides those who came to us from the nations that were around us. [18] Now what was prepared at my expense for each day was one ox and six choice sheep and birds, and every ten days all kinds of wine in abundance. Yet for all this I did not demand the food allowance of the governor, because the service was too heavy on this people. [19] Remember for my good, O my God, all that I have done for this people.