Day 240 of 365

Neh 2:1–3:32

2:1 It happened in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, when wine was before him, that I took up the wine, and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad before in his presence.

2:2 The king said to me, "Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing else but sorrow of heart." Then I was very much afraid.

2:3 I said to the king, "Let the king live forever! Why shouldn't my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' tombs, lies waste, and its gates have been consumed with fire?"

2:4 Then the king said to me, "For what do you make request?" So I prayed to the God of heaven.

2:5 I said to the king, "If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you would send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' tombs, that I may build it."

2:6 The king said to me (the queen was also sitting by him), "For how long shall your journey be? And when will you return?" So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.

2:7 Moreover I said to the king, "If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah;

2:8 and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple, for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into." The king granted my requests, because of the good hand of my God on me.

2:9 Then I came to the governors beyond the River, and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent with me captains of the army and horsemen.

2:10 When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly, because a man had come to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.

2:11 So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days.

2:12 I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my God put into my heart to do for Jerusalem; neither was there any animal with me, except the animal that I rode on.

2:13 I went out by night by the valley gate, even toward the jackal's well, and to the dung gate, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and its gates were consumed with fire.

2:14 Then I went on to the spring gate and to the king's pool: but there was no place for the animal that was under me to pass.

2:15 Then went I up in the night by the brook, and viewed the wall; and I turned back, and entered by the valley gate, and so returned.

2:16 The rulers did not know where I went, or what I did; neither had I as yet told it to the Jews, nor to the priests, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest who did the work.

2:17 Then I said to them, "You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come, let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we won't be disgraced."

2:18 I told them of the hand of my God which was good on me, as also of the king's words that he had spoken to me. They said, "Let's rise up and build." So they strengthened their hands for the good work.

2:19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they ridiculed us, and despised us, and said, "What is this thing that you are doing? Will you rebel against the king?"

2:20 Then answered I them, and said to them, "The God of heaven will prosper us. Therefore we, his servants, will arise and build; but you have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem."

3:1 Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brothers the priests, and they built the sheep gate; they sanctified it, and set up its doors; even to the tower of Hammeah they sanctified it, to the tower of Hananel.

3:2 Next to him built the men of Jericho. Next to them built Zaccur the son of Imri.

3:3 The sons of Hassenaah built the fish gate. They laid its beams, and set up its doors, its bolts, and its bars.

3:4 Next to them, Meremoth the son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz made repairs. Next to them, Meshullam the son of Berechiah, the son of Meshezabel made repairs. Next to them, Zadok the son of Baana made repairs.

3:5 Next to them, the Tekoites made repairs; but their nobles did not put their necks to the work of their lord.

3:6 Joiada the son of Paseah and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah repaired the old gate. They laid its beams, and set up its doors, and its bolts, and its bars.

3:7 Next to them, Melatiah the Gibeonite, and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon, and of Mizpah, repaired the residence of the governor beyond the River.

3:8 Next to him, Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, goldsmiths, made repairs. Next to him, Hananiah one of the perfumers made repairs, and they fortified Jerusalem even to the broad wall.

3:9 Next to them, Rephaiah the son of Hur, the ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, made repairs.

3:10 Next to them, Jedaiah the son of Harumaph made repairs across from his house. Next to him, Hattush the son of Hashabneiah made repairs.

3:11 Malchijah the son of Harim, and Hasshub the son of Pahathmoab, repaired another portion, and the tower of the furnaces.

3:12 Next to him, Shallum the son of Hallohesh, the ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, he and his daughters, made repairs.

3:13 Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired the valley gate. They built it, and set up its doors, its bolts, and its bars, and one thousand cubits of the wall to the dung gate.

3:14 Malchijah the son of Rechab, the ruler of the district of Beth Haccherem repaired the dung gate. He built it, and set up its doors, its bolts, and its bars.

3:15 Shallun the son of Colhozeh, the ruler of the district of Mizpah repaired the spring gate. He built it, and covered it, and set up its doors, its bolts, and its bars, and the wall of the pool of Shelah by the king's garden, even to the stairs that go down from the city of David.

3:16 After him, Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, the ruler of half the district of Beth Zur, made repairs to the place opposite the tombs of David, and to the pool that was made, and to the house of the mighty men.

3:17 After him, the Levites, Rehum the son of Bani made repairs. Next to him, Hashabiah, the ruler of half the district of Keilah, made repairs for his district.

3:18 After him, their brothers, Bavvai the son of Henadad, the ruler of half the district of Keilah made repairs.

3:19 Next to him, Ezer the son of Jeshua, the ruler of Mizpah, repaired another portion, across from the ascent to the armory at the turning of the wall.

3:20 After him, Baruch the son of Zabbai earnestly repaired another portion, from the turning of the wall to the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest.

3:21 After him, Meremoth the son of Uriah the son of Hakkoz repaired another portion, from the door of the house of Eliashib even to the end of the house of Eliashib.

3:22 After him, the priests, the men of the Plain made repairs.

3:23 After them, Benjamin and Hasshub made repairs across from their house. After them, Azariah the son of Maaseiah the son of Ananiah made repairs beside his own house.

3:24 After him, Binnui the son of Henadad repaired another portion, from the house of Azariah to the turning of the wall, and to the corner.

3:25 Palal the son of Uzai made repairs opposite the turning of the wall, and the tower that stands out from the upper house of the king, which is by the court of the guard. After him Pedaiah the son of Parosh made repairs.

3:26 (Now the Nethinim lived in Ophel, to the place over against the water gate toward the east, and the tower that stands out.)

3:27 After him the Tekoites repaired another portion, over against the great tower that stands out, and to the wall of Ophel.

3:28 Above the horse gate, the priests made repairs, everyone across from his own house.

3:29 After them, Zadok the son of Immer made repairs across from his own house. After him, Shemaiah the son of Shecaniah, the keeper of the east gate made repairs.

3:30 After him, Hananiah the son of Shelemiah, and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph, repaired another portion. After him, Meshullam the son of Berechiah made repairs across from his room.

3:31 After him, Malchijah one of the goldsmiths to the house of the Nethinim, and of the merchants, made repairs over against the gate of Hammiphkad, and to the ascent of the corner.

3:32 Between the ascent of the corner and the sheep gate, the goldsmiths and the merchants made repairs.

Rom 3:1–14

1 Then what advantage does the Jew have? Or what is the profit of circumcision?

2 Much in every way! Because first of all, they were entrusted with the oracles of God.

3 For what if some were without faith? Will their lack of faith nullify the faithfulness of God?

4 May it never be! Yes, let God be found true, but every man a liar. As it is written, "That you might be justified in your words, and might prevail when you come into judgment."

5 But if our unrighteousness commends the righteousness of God, what will we say? Is God unrighteous who inflicts wrath? I speak like men do.

6 May it never be! For then how will God judge the world?

7 For if the truth of God through my lie abounded to his glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner?

8 Why not (as we are slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say), "Let us do evil, that good may come?" Those who say so are justly condemned.

9 What then? Are we better than they? No, in no way. For we previously warned both Jews and Greeks, that they are all under sin.

10 As it is written, "There is no one righteous; no, not one.

11 There is no one who understands. There is no one who seeks after God.

12 They have all turned aside. They have together become unprofitable. There is no one who does good, no, not, so much as one."

13 "Their throat is an open tomb. With their tongues they have used deceit." "The poison of vipers is under their lips;"

14 "Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness."

Job 8:1–22

1 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered,

2 "How long will you speak these things? Shall the words of your mouth be a mighty wind?

3 Does God pervert justice? Or does the Almighty pervert righteousness?

4 If your children have sinned against him, He has delivered them into the hand of their disobedience.

5 If you want to seek God diligently, make your supplication to the Almighty.

6 If you were pure and upright, surely now he would awaken for you, and make the habitation of your righteousness prosperous.

7 Though your beginning was small, yet your latter end would greatly increase.

8 "Please inquire of past generations. Find out about the learning of their fathers.

9 (For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, because our days on earth are a shadow.)

10 Shall they not teach you, tell you, and utter words out of their heart?

11 "Can the papyrus grow up without mire? Can the rushes grow without water?

12 While it is yet in its greenness, not cut down, it withers before any other reed.

13 So are the paths of all who forget God. The hope of the godless man shall perish,

14 Whose confidence shall break apart, Whose trust is a spider's web.

15 He shall lean on his house, but it shall not stand. He shall cling to it, but it shall not endure.

16 He is green before the sun. His shoots go forth over his garden.

17 His roots are wrapped around the rock pile. He sees the place of stones.

18 If he is destroyed from his place, then it shall deny him, saying, 'I have not seen you.'

19 Behold, this is the joy of his way: out of the earth, others shall spring.

20 "Behold, God will not cast away a blameless man, neither will he uphold the evildoers.

21 He will still fill your mouth with laughter, your lips with shouting.

22 Those who hate you shall be clothed with shame. The tent of the wicked shall be no more."