August 3

Luke 13:22-35

The Narrow Door

[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.”

Lament over Jerusalem

[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

Pray for All People

[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 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.

Proverbs 3

Trust in the LORD with All Your Heart

    [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

        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

        and refreshment 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.

    Blessed Is the One Who Finds Wisdom

    [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 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,

        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. 

    [35] The wise will inherit honor,

        but fools get disgrace.

Ezra 4

Adversaries Oppose the Rebuilding

[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.

The Letter to King Artaxerxes

[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. [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 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.”

The King Orders the Work to Cease

[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.

Ezra 5

Rebuilding Begins Anew

[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: “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.

Tattenai’s Letter to King Darius

[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. [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.”

God Created a Thirst in You

PRAY OVER THIS

“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” 1 Corinthians 15:10

 

PONDER THIS

If there’d been some other way for you to be saved apart from the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, do you think God would have taken it? Be reasonable. Are you going to tell me that God allowed His precious Son to die the most humiliating, agonizing death a man has ever known, when there was some other way for us to be saved?

The beautiful thing about the Gospel is that God thought it and Jesus bought it. God planned it out; it didn’t originate with Man. And Jesus bought it with His own precious blood. The only reason you seek the Lord is because He first sought you. Don’t get the idea that you thought it up by yourself.

Romans 3:11 says, “There is none who seeks after God.” You may ask, “But why then do I have this hunger? Why do I have this thirst for God?” Because He gave it to you. Let’s think about a natural thirst. We all get thirsty for liquid. Why do we get thirsty? Because God created us where we would have a thirst. Had God not created us with thirst, we would never get thirsty. The thirst for God in you is a gift of God. It pleased God to do this. So, the grace that saved you is from the God who loves you and is seeking for you.

Why is it important for us to remember that salvation is God’s idea?

When was a time you were thirsty for God?

PRACTICE THIS

Pray and ask God to grow your thirst for Him.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Afraid of Death No More

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. (Hebrews 2:14–15)

How does Christ deliver us from the fear of death and set us free to live with the kind of loving abandon that can “let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also”?

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood . . .

The term “children” is taken from the previous verse and refers to the spiritual offspring of Christ, the Messiah. These are also the “children of God.” In other words, in sending Christ, God has the salvation of his “children” especially in view. “Since the children share in flesh and blood . . . ”

he himself likewise partook of the same [flesh and blood] . . .

The Son of God, who existed before the incarnation as the eternal Word (John 1:1), took on flesh and blood, and clothed his deity with humanity. He became fully man and remained fully God.

that through death . . .

The reason Christ became human was to die. As preincarnate God, he could not die for sinners. But united to flesh and blood, he could. His aim was to die. Therefore, he had to be born human, mortal.

that he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil . . .

In dying, Christ defanged the devil. How? By covering all our sin (Hebrews 10:12). This means that Satan has no legitimate grounds to accuse us before God. “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies” (Romans 8:33). On what grounds does he justify? Through the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 9:14; Romans 5:9).

Satan’s ultimate weapon against us is our own sin. If the death of Jesus takes it away, the chief weapon the devil has is taken out of his hand. In that sense, he is rendered powerless.

and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.

So, we are free from the fear of death. God has justified us. There is only future grace in front of us. Satan cannot overturn that decree. And God means for our ultimate safety to have an immediate effect on our lives. He means for the happy ending to take away the slavery and fear of the present.

John Piper 

August 2

Luke 13:10-21

A Woman with a Disabling Spirit

[10] Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. [11] And behold, there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. [12] When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.” [13] And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God. [14] But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, “There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” [15] Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? [16] And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” [17] As he said these things, all his adversaries were put to shame, and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.

The Mustard Seed and the Leaven

[18] He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? [19] It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.”

[20] And again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? [21] It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.”

1 Timothy 1:12-20

Christ Jesus Came to Save Sinners

[12] I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, [13] though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, [14] and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. [15] The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. [16] But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. [17] To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

[18] This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, [19] holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, [20] among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.

Proverbs 2

The Value of Wisdom

    [1] My son, if you receive my words

        and treasure up my commandments with you, 

    [2] making your ear attentive to wisdom

        and inclining your heart to understanding; 

    [3] yes, if you call out for insight

        and raise your voice for understanding, 

    [4] if you seek it like silver

        and search for it as for hidden treasures, 

    [5] then you will understand the fear of the LORD

        and find the knowledge of God. 

    [6] For the LORD gives wisdom;

        from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; 

    [7] he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;

        he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, 

    [8] guarding the paths of justice

        and watching over the way of his saints. 

    [9] Then you will understand righteousness and justice

        and equity, every good path; 

    [10] for wisdom will come into your heart,

        and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; 

    [11] discretion will watch over you,

        understanding will guard you, 

    [12] delivering you from the way of evil,

        from men of perverted speech, 

    [13] who forsake the paths of uprightness

        to walk in the ways of darkness, 

    [14] who rejoice in doing evil

        and delight in the perverseness of evil, 

    [15] men whose paths are crooked,

        and who are devious in their ways.

    [16] So you will be delivered from the forbidden woman,

        from the adulteress with her smooth words, 

    [17] who forsakes the companion of her youth

        and forgets the covenant of her God; 

    [18] for her house sinks down to death,

        and her paths to the departed; 

    [19] none who go to her come back,

        nor do they regain the paths of life.

    [20] So you will walk in the way of the good

        and keep to the paths of the righteous. 

    [21] For the upright will inhabit the land,

        and those with integrity will remain in it, 

    [22] but the wicked will be cut off from the land,

        and the treacherous will be rooted out of it.

Ezra 3

Rebuilding the Altar

[1] When the seventh month came, and the children of Israel were in the towns, the people gathered as one man to Jerusalem. [2] Then arose Jeshua the son of Jozadak, with his fellow priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel with his kinsmen, and they built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God. [3] They set the altar in its place, for fear was on them because of the peoples of the lands, and they offered burnt offerings on it to the LORD, burnt offerings morning and evening. [4] And they kept the Feast of Booths, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number according to the rule, as each day required, [5] and after that the regular burnt offerings, the offerings at the new moon and at all the appointed feasts of the LORD, and the offerings of everyone who made a freewill offering to the LORD. [6] From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the LORD. But the foundation of the temple of the LORD was not yet laid. [7] So they gave money to the masons and the carpenters, and food, drink, and oil to the Sidonians and the Tyrians to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea, to Joppa, according to the grant that they had from Cyrus king of Persia.

Rebuilding the Temple

[8] Now in the second year after their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak made a beginning, together with the rest of their kinsmen, the priests and the Levites and all who had come to Jerusalem from the captivity. They appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to supervise the work of the house of the LORD. [9] And Jeshua with his sons and his brothers, and Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together supervised the workmen in the house of God, along with the sons of Henadad and the Levites, their sons and brothers.

[10] And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests in their vestments came forward with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the LORD, according to the directions of David king of Israel. [11] And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the LORD, 

    “For he is good,

        for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel.”

    And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.  [12] But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy, [13] so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people’s weeping, for the people shouted with a great shout, and the sound was heard far away.

Is Jesus Real to You?

PRAY OVER THIS

“I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.” Galatians 1:6-9

 

PONDER THIS

Many churches are filled with people who’ve never been born again because they have never had a personal confrontation, a faith encounter with Jesus Christ. They’ve met a creed, but not Christ; they’ve met a cause, but not Christ; they’ve met a code, but not Christ; they’ve met a church, but not Christ.

Do you know Jesus Christ? When I tell you I am a Christian, I want you to know Jesus Christ is real to me. I put my faith in Him. We believe in the Gospel that not only brings Christ in but also centers in Him. It doesn’t simply mention Him or give lip service to Him. Back when Paul wrote this, the surrounding culture worshiped many gods. In fact, if you go to Rome, you can still visit the Pantheon. That means many gods. It’s a beautiful building where they had niches in the walls for all the gods and you could worship any of them. That made everybody happy.

Rome was not a destroyer of religions; it would bring them all together and join them. But here is the thing, you can’t do that with Jesus Christ. It’s not “Jesus and”; it’s not “Jesus or”; it’s “Jesus only.”

What are some things that threaten to take your attention away from Jesus?

What does it look like to have a personal relationship with Jesus? How can you grow in your relationship with Him?

PRACTICE THIS

Share with another person how Jesus is personal to you.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Our Weakness Reveals His Worth

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

God’s design for suffering is that it should magnify Christ’s worth and power. This is grace, because the greatest joy of Christians is to experience Christ magnified in our lives.

When Paul was told by the Lord Jesus that his “thorn in the flesh” would not be taken away, he supported Paul’s faith by explaining why. The Lord said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). God ordains that Paul be weak so that Christ might be seen as strong on Paul’s behalf.

If we feel and look self-sufficient, we will get the glory, not Christ. So, Christ chooses the weak things of the world “so that no human being might boast in the presence of God” (1 Corinthians 1:29). And sometimes he makes seemingly strong people weaker so that the divine power will be the more evident.

We know that Paul experienced this as grace because he rejoiced in it: “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9–10).

Living by faith in God’s grace means being satisfied with all that God is for us in Jesus. Therefore, faith will not shrink back from what reveals and magnifies all that God is for us in Jesus. That is what our own weakness and suffering are meant to do.

John Piper 

August 1

Luke 13:1-9

Repent or Perish

[1] There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. [2] And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? [3] No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. [4] Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? [5] No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree

[6] And he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. [7] And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?’ [8] And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. [9] Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’”

1 Timothy 1:1-11

Greeting

[1] Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,

[2] To Timothy, my true child in the faith: 

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

Warning Against False Teachers

[3] As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, [4] nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith. [5] The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. [6] Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, [7] desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.

[8] Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, [9] understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, [10] the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, [11] in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.

Proverbs 1

The Beginning of Knowledge

[1] The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:

    [2] To know wisdom and instruction,

        to understand words of insight, 

    [3] to receive instruction in wise dealing,

        in righteousness, justice, and equity; 

    [4] to give prudence to the simple,

        knowledge and discretion to the youth—

    [5] Let the wise hear and increase in learning,

        and the one who understands obtain guidance, 

    [6] to understand a proverb and a saying,

        the words of the wise and their riddles.

    [7] The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;

        fools despise wisdom and instruction.

    The Enticement of Sinners

    [8] Hear, my son, your father’s instruction,

        and forsake not your mother’s teaching, 

    [9] for they are a graceful garland for your head

        and pendants for your neck. 

    [10] My son, if sinners entice you,

        do not consent. 

    [11] If they say, “Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood;

        let us ambush the innocent without reason; 

    [12] like Sheol let us swallow them alive,

        and whole, like those who go down to the pit; 

    [13] we shall find all precious goods,

        we shall fill our houses with plunder; 

    [14] throw in your lot among us;

        we will all have one purse”—

    [15] my son, do not walk in the way with them;

        hold back your foot from their paths, 

    [16] for their feet run to evil,

        and they make haste to shed blood. 

    [17] For in vain is a net spread

        in the sight of any bird, 

    [18] but these men lie in wait for their own blood;

        they set an ambush for their own lives. 

    [19] Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain;

        it takes away the life of its possessors.

    The Call of Wisdom

    [20] Wisdom cries aloud in the street,

        in the markets she raises her voice; 

    [21] at the head of the noisy streets she cries out;

        at the entrance of the city gates she speaks: 

    [22] “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?

    How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing

        and fools hate knowledge? 

    [23] If you turn at my reproof,

    behold, I will pour out my spirit to you;

        I will make my words known to you. 

    [24] Because I have called and you refused to listen,

        have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded, 

    [25] because you have ignored all my counsel

        and would have none of my reproof, 

    [26] I also will laugh at your calamity;

        I will mock when terror strikes you, 

    [27] when terror strikes you like a storm

        and your calamity comes like a whirlwind,

        when distress and anguish come upon you. 

    [28] Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer;

        they will seek me diligently but will not find me. 

    [29] Because they hated knowledge

        and did not choose the fear of the LORD, 

    [30] would have none of my counsel

        and despised all my reproof, 

    [31] therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way,

        and have their fill of their own devices. 

    [32] For the simple are killed by their turning away,

        and the complacency of fools destroys them; 

    [33] but whoever listens to me will dwell secure

        and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.”

Ezra 1

The Proclamation of Cyrus

[1] In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing:

[2] “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. [3] Whoever is among you of all his people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the LORD, the God of Israel—he is the God who is in Jerusalem. [4] And let each survivor, in whatever place he sojourns, be assisted by the men of his place with silver and gold, with goods and with beasts, besides freewill offerings for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.”

[5] Then rose up the heads of the fathers’ houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up to rebuild the house of the LORD that is in Jerusalem. [6] And all who were about them aided them with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, with beasts, and with costly wares, besides all that was freely offered. [7] Cyrus the king also brought out the vessels of the house of the LORD that Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and placed in the house of his gods. [8] Cyrus king of Persia brought these out in the charge of Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah. [9] And this was the number of them: 30 basins of gold, 1,000 basins of silver, 29 censers, [10] 30 bowls of gold, 410 bowls of silver, and 1,000 other vessels; [11] all the vessels of gold and of silver were 5,400. All these did Sheshbazzar bring up, when the exiles were brought up from Babylonia to Jerusalem.

Ezra 2

The Exiles Return

[1] Now 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 captive to Babylonia. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town. [2] They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah. 

The number of the men of the people of Israel:  [3] the sons of Parosh, 2,172. [4] The sons of Shephatiah, 372. [5] The sons of Arah, 775. [6] The sons of Pahath-moab, namely the sons of Jeshua and Joab, 2,812. [7] The sons of Elam, 1,254. [8] The sons of Zattu, 945. [9] The sons of Zaccai, 760. [10] The sons of Bani, 642. [11] The sons of Bebai, 623. [12] The sons of Azgad, 1,222. [13] The sons of Adonikam, 666. [14] The sons of Bigvai, 2,056. [15] The sons of Adin, 454. [16] The sons of Ater, namely of Hezekiah, 98. [17] The sons of Bezai, 323. [18] The sons of Jorah, 112. [19] The sons of Hashum, 223. [20] The sons of Gibbar, 95. [21] The sons of Bethlehem, 123. [22] The men of Netophah, 56. [23] The men of Anathoth, 128. [24] The sons of Azmaveth, 42. [25] The sons of Kiriath-arim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, 743. [26] The sons of Ramah and Geba, 621. [27] The men of Michmas, 122. [28] The men of Bethel and Ai, 223. [29] The sons of Nebo, 52. [30] The sons of Magbish, 156. [31] The sons of the other Elam, 1,254. [32] The sons of Harim, 320. [33] The sons of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, 725. [34] The sons of Jericho, 345. [35] The sons of Senaah, 3,630.

[36] The priests: the sons of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, 973. [37] The sons of Immer, 1,052. [38] The sons of Pashhur, 1,247. [39] The sons of Harim, 1,017.

[40] The Levites: the sons of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the sons of Hodaviah, 74. [41] The singers: the sons of Asaph, 128. [42] The sons of the gatekeepers: the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, and the sons of Shobai, in all 139.

[43] The temple servants: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth, [44] the sons of Keros, the sons of Siaha, the sons of Padon, [45] the sons of Lebanah, the sons of Hagabah, the sons of Akkub, [46] the sons of Hagab, the sons of Shamlai, the sons of Hanan, [47] the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar, the sons of Reaiah, [48] the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekoda, the sons of Gazzam, [49] the sons of Uzza, the sons of Paseah, the sons of Besai, [50] the sons of Asnah, the sons of Meunim, the sons of Nephisim, [51] the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of Harhur, [52] the sons of Bazluth, the sons of Mehida, the sons of Harsha, [53] the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Temah, [54] the sons of Neziah, and the sons of Hatipha.

[55] The sons of Solomon’s servants: the sons of Sotai, the sons of Hassophereth, the sons of Peruda, [56] the sons of Jaalah, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Giddel, [57] the sons of Shephatiah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of Pochereth-hazzebaim, and the sons of Ami.

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

[59] The following were those who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer, though they could not prove their fathers’ houses or their descent, whether they belonged to Israel: [60] the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, and the sons of Nekoda, 652. [61] Also, of the sons of the priests: the sons of Habaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, and the sons of Barzillai (who had taken a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called by their name). [62] These sought their registration among those enrolled in the genealogies, but they were not found there, and so they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. [63] The governor told them that they were not to partake of the most holy food, until there should be a priest to consult Urim and Thummim.

[64] The whole assembly together was 42,360, [65] besides their male and female servants, of whom there were 7,337, and they had 200 male and female singers. [66] Their horses were 736, their mules were 245, [67] their camels were 435, and their donkeys were 6,720.

[68] Some of the heads of families, when they came to the house of the LORD that is in Jerusalem, made freewill offerings for the house of God, to erect it on its site. [69] According to their ability they gave to the treasury of the work 61,000 darics of gold, 5,000 minas of silver, and 100 priests’ garments.

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