Saturday, January 30, 2016

Daily Bible Readings January 30, 2016

Luke 4:21-30Common English Bible (CEB)

²¹He began to explain to them, “Today, this scripture has been fulfilled just as you heard it.”

²²Everyone was raving about Jesus, so impressed were they by the gracious words flowing from his lips. They said, “This is Joseph’s son, isn’t it?”

²³Then Jesus said to them, “Undoubtedly, you will quote this saying to me: ‘Doctor, heal yourself. Do here in your hometown what we’ve heard you did in Capernaum.’” ²⁴He said, “I assure you that no prophet is welcome in the prophet’s hometown. ²⁵ And I can assure you that there were many widows in Israel during Elijah’s time, when it didn’t rain for three and a half years and there was a great food shortage in the land. ²⁶ Yet Elijah was sent to none of them but only to a widow in the city of Zarephath in the region of Sidon. ²⁷There were also many persons with skin diseases in Israel during the time of the prophet Elisha, but none of them were cleansed. Instead, Naaman the Syrian was cleansed.”

²⁸When they heard this, everyone in the synagogue was filled with anger.²⁹They rose up and ran him out of town. They led him to the crest of the hill on which their town had been built so that they could throw him off the cliff. ³⁰But he passed through the crowd and went on his way.

Common English Bible (CEB)

Thursday, January 28, 2016

Daily Bible Readings January 28, 2016

1 Corinthians 12:12-31Common English Bible (CEB)

¹²Christ is just like the human body—a body is a unit and has many parts; and all the parts of the body are one body, even though there are many. ¹³We were all baptized by one Spirit into one body, whether Jew or Greek, or slave or free, and we all were given one Spirit to drink. ¹⁴Certainly the body isn’t one part but many. ¹⁵If the foot says, “I’m not part of the body because I’m not a hand,” does that mean it’s not part of the body? ¹⁶If the ear says, “I’m not part of the body because I’m not an eye,” does that mean it’s not part of the body?¹⁷If the whole body were an eye, what would happen to the hearing? And if the whole body were an ear, what would happen to the sense of smell? ¹⁸But as it is, God has placed each one of the parts in the body just like he wanted. ¹⁹If all were one and the same body part, what would happen to the body? ²⁰But as it is, there are many parts but one body. ²¹So the eye can’t say to the hand, “I don’t need you,” or in turn, the head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”²²Instead, the parts of the body that people think are the weakest are the most necessary. ²³The parts of the body that we think are less honorable are the ones we honor the most. The private parts of our body that aren’t presentable are the ones that are given the most dignity. ²⁴The parts of our body that are presentable don’t need this. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the part with less honor ²⁵so that there won’t be division in the body and so the parts might have mutual concern for each other. ²⁶If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part gets the glory, all the parts celebrate with it. ²⁷You are the body of Christ and parts of each other. ²⁸In the church, God has appointed first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, the ability to help others, leadership skills, different kinds of tongues. ²⁹All aren’t apostles, are they? All aren’t prophets, are they? All aren’t teachers, are they? All don’t perform miracles, do they?³⁰All don’t have gifts of healing, do they? All don’t speak in different tongues, do they? All don’t interpret, do they? ³¹Use your ambition to try to get the greater gifts. And I’m going to show you an even better way.

Common English Bible (CEB), used with permission

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Daily Bible Readings January 27, 2016

Psalm 19

For the music leader. A psalm of David.

19 Heaven is declaring God’s glory;
    the sky is proclaiming his handiwork.
2 One day gushes the news to the next,
    and one night informs another what needs to be known.
3 Of course, there’s no speech, no words—
        their voices can’t be heard—
4     but their sound[a] extends throughout the world;
        their words reach the ends of the earth.

God has made a tent in heaven for the sun.
5 The sun is like a groom
    coming out of his honeymoon suite;
    like a warrior, it thrills at running its course.
6 It rises in one end of the sky;
    its circuit is complete at the other.
        Nothing escapes its heat.

7 The Lord’s Instruction is perfect,
    reviving one’s very being.[b]
The Lord’s laws are faithful,
    making naive people wise.
8 The Lord’s regulations are right,
    gladdening the heart.
The Lord’s commands are pure,
    giving light to the eyes.
9 Honoring the Lord is correct,
    lasting forever.
The Lord’s judgments are true.
    All of these are righteous!
10 They are more desirable than gold—
        than tons of pure gold!
    They are sweeter than honey—
        even dripping off the honeycomb!
11 No doubt about it:
    your servant is enlightened by them;
    there is great reward in keeping them.
12 But can anyone know
    what they’ve accidentally done wrong?
    Clear me of any unknown sin

        Don’t let them rule me.
Then I’ll be completely blameless;
    I’ll be innocent of great wrongdoing.

14 Let the words of my mouth
    and the meditations of my heart
    be pleasing to you,
    Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Footnotes:

Psalm 19:4 LXX, Vulg, Sym; MT line or string
Psalm 19:7 Or soul

Common English Bible (CEB), used with permission

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Daily Bible Readings January 26, 2016

Nehemiah 8:1-3Common English Bible (CEB)

Ezra reads the Instruction aloud

8 When the seventh month[a] came and the people of Israel were settled in their towns, all the people gathered together in the area in front of the Water Gate. They asked Ezra the scribe to bring out the Instruction[b] scroll from Moses, according to which the Lord had instructed Israel.

2 So on the first day of the seventh month, Ezra the priest brought the Instruction before the assembly. This assembly was made up of both men and women and anyone who could understand what they heard. 3 Facing the area in front of the Water Gate, he read it aloud, from early morning until the middle of the day. He read it in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand, and everyone listened attentively to the Instruction scroll.

Footnotes:

Nehemiah 8:1 September–October, Tishrei
Nehemiah 8:1 Heb Torah

Common English Bible (CEB)

Nehemiah 8:5-6

Nehemiah 8:5-6Common English Bible (CEB)

5 Standing above all of the people, Ezra the scribe opened the scroll in the sight of all of the people. And as he opened it, all of the people stood up. 6 Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all of the people answered, “Amen! Amen!” while raising their hands. Then they bowed down and worshipped theLord with their faces to the ground.

Nehemiah 8:8-10Common English Bible (CEB)

8 They read aloud from the scroll, the Instruction from God, explaining and interpreting it so the people could understand what they heard.

9 Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all of the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God. Don’t mourn or weep.” They said this[a] because all the people wept when they heard the words of the Instruction.

10 “Go, eat rich food, and drink something sweet,” he said to them, “and send portions of this to any who have nothing ready! This day is holy to our Lord. Don’t be sad, because the joy from the Lord is your strength!”

Footnotes:

Nehemiah 8:9 Heb lacks They said this.

Common English Bible (CEB), used with permission