Day 257 of 365

Isa 9:1–10:34

9:1 But there shall be no more gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time, he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali; but in the latter time he has made it glorious, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.

9:2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Those who lived in the land of the shadow of death, on them the light has shined.

9:3 You have multiplied the nation. You have increased their joy. They rejoice before you according to the joy in harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.

9:4 For the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as in the day of Midian.

9:5 For all the armor of the armed man in the noisy battle, and the garments rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire.

9:6 For to us a child is born. To us a son is given; and the government will be on his shoulders. His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

9:7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end, on the throne of David, and on his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from that time on, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

9:8 The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it falls on Israel.

9:9 All the people will know, including Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria, who say in pride and in arrogance of heart,

9:10 "The bricks have fallen, but we will build with cut stone. The sycamore fig trees have been cut down, but we will put cedars in their place."

9:11 Therefore the Lord will set up on high against him the adversaries of Rezin, and will stir up his enemies,

9:12 The Syrians in front, and the Philistines behind; and they will devour Israel with open mouth. For all this, his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

9:13 Yet the people have not turned to him who struck them, neither have they sought the Lord of hosts.

9:14 Therefore the Lord will cut off from Israel head and tail, palm branch and reed, in one day.

9:15 The elder and the honorable man is the head, and the prophet who teaches lies is the tail.

9:16 For those who lead this people lead them astray; and those who are led by them are destroyed.

9:17 Therefore the Lord will not rejoice over their young men, neither will he have compassion on their fatherless and widows; for everyone is profane and an evildoer, and every mouth speaks folly. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

9:18 For wickedness burns like a fire. It devours the briers and thorns; yes, it kindles in the thickets of the forest, and they roll upward in a column of smoke.

9:19 Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts, the land is burnt up; and the people are the fuel for the fire. No one spares his brother.

9:20 One will devour on the right hand, and be hungry; and he will eat on the left hand, and they will not be satisfied. Everyone will eat the flesh of his own arm:

9:21 Manasseh, Ephraim; and Ephraim, Manasseh; and they together shall be against Judah. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

10:1 Woe to those who decree unrighteous decrees, and to the writers who write oppressive decrees;

10:2 to deprive the needy from justice, and to rob the poor among my people of their rights, that widows may be their spoil, and that they may make the fatherless their prey!

10:3 What will you do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help? Where will you leave your wealth?

10:4 They will only bow down under the prisoners, and will fall under the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

10:5 Alas Assyrian, the rod of my anger, the staff in whose hand is my indignation!

10:6 I will send him against a profane nation, and against the people who anger me will I give him a command to take the spoil and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.

10:7 However he doesn't mean so, neither does his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy, and to cut off not a few nations.

10:8 For he says, "Aren't all of my princes kings?

10:9 Isn't Calno like Carchemish? Isn't Hamath like Arpad? Isn't Samaria like Damascus?"

10:10 As my hand has found the kingdoms of the idols, whose engraved images exceeded those of Jerusalem and of Samaria;

10:11 shall I not, as I have done to Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols?

10:12 Therefore it will happen that, when the Lord has performed his whole work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the willful proud heart of the king of Assyria, and the insolence of his haughty looks.

10:13 For he has said, "By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom; for I have understanding: and I have removed the boundaries of the peoples, and have robbed their treasures. Like a valiant man I have brought down their rulers.

10:14 My hand has found the riches of the peoples like a nest, and like one gathers eggs that are abandoned, have I gathered all the earth. There was no one who moved their wing, or that opened their mouth, or chirped."

10:15 Should an axe brag against him who chops with it? Should a saw exalt itself above him who saws with it? As if a rod should lift those who lift it up, or as if a staff should lift up someone who is not wood.

10:16 Therefore the Lord, the Lord of hosts, will send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory a burning will be kindled like the burning of fire.

10:17 The light of Israel will be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame; and it will burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day.

10:18 He will consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body. It will be as when a standard bearer faints.

10:19 The remnant of the trees of his forest shall be few, so that a child could write their number.

10:20 It will come to pass in that day that the remnant of Israel, and those who have escaped from the house of Jacob will no more again lean on him who struck them, but shall lean on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.

10:21 A remnant will return, even the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.

10:22 For though your people, Israel, are like the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will return. A destruction is determined, overflowing with righteousness.

10:23 For the Lord, the Lord of hosts, will make a full end, and that determined, in the midst of all the earth.

10:24 Therefore the Lord, the Lord of hosts, says "My people who dwell in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrian, though he strike you with the rod, and lift up his staff against you, as Egypt did.

10:25 For yet a very little while, and the indignation against you will be accomplished, and my anger will be directed to his destruction."

10:26 The Lord of hosts will stir up a scourge against him, as in the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb. His rod will be over the sea, and he will lift it up like he did against Egypt.

10:27 It will happen in that day, that his burden will depart from off your shoulder, and his yoke from off your neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing oil.

10:28 He has come to Aiath. He has passed through Migron. At Michmash he stores his baggage.

10:29 They have gone over the pass. They have taken up their lodging at Geba. Ramah trembles. Gibeah of Saul has fled.

10:30 Cry aloud with your voice, daughter of Gallim! Listen, Laishah! You poor Anathoth!

10:31 Madmenah is a fugitive. The inhabitants of Gebim flee for safety.

10:32 This very day he will halt at Nob. He shakes his hand at the mountain of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.

10:33 Behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, will lop the boughs with terror. The tall will be cut down, and the lofty will be brought low.

10:34 He will cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon will fall by the Mighty One.

1 Cor 1:1–31

1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,

2 to the church of God which is at Corinth; those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place, both theirs and ours:

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

4 I always thank my God concerning you, for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus;

5 that in everything you were enriched in him, in all speech and all knowledge;

6 even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you:

7 so that you come behind in no gift; waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ;

8 who will also confirm you until the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

9 God is faithful, through whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.

10 Now I beg you, brothers, through the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfected together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

11 For it has been reported to me concerning you, my brothers, by those who are from Chloe's household, that there are contentions among you.

12 Now I mean this, that each one of you says, "I follow Paul," "I follow Apollos," "I follow Cephas," and, "I follow Christ."

13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized into the name of Paul?

14 I thank God that I baptized none of you, except Crispus and Gaius,

15 so that no one should say that you had been baptized into my own name.

16 (I also baptized the household of Stephanas; besides them, I do not know whether I baptized any other.)

17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to proclaim the Good News-not in wisdom of words, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void.

18 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are dying, but to us who are saved it is the power of God.

19 For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, I will bring the discernment of the discerning to nothing."

20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the Law scholar of this world? Hasn't God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

21 For seeing that in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom did not know God, it was God's good pleasure through the foolishness of the proclaiming to save those who believe.

22 For Jews ask for signs, Greeks seek after wisdom,

23 but we proclaim Christ crucified; a stumbling block to Jews, and foolishness to Gentiles,

24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.

25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

26 For you see your calling, brothers, that not many are wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, and not many noble;

27 but God chose the foolish things of the world that he might put to shame those who are wise. God chose the weak things of the world, that he might put to shame the things that are strong;

28 and God chose the lowly things of the world, and the things that are despised, and the things that are not, that he might bring to nothing the things that are:

29 that no flesh should boast before God.

30 But of him, you are in Christ Jesus, who was made to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption:

31 that, according as it is written, "He who boasts, let him boast in the Lord."

Job 13:8–19

8 Will you show partiality to him? Will you contend for God?

9 Is it good that he should search you out? Or as one deceives a man, will you deceive him?

10 He will surely reprove you if you secretly show partiality.

11 Shall not his majesty make you afraid, And his dread fall on you?

12 Your memorable sayings are proverbs of ashes, Your defenses are defenses of clay.

13 "Be silent, leave me alone, that I may speak. Let come on me what will.

14 Why should I take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in my hand?

15 Behold, he will kill me. I have no hope. Nevertheless, I will maintain my ways before him.

16 This also shall be my salvation, that a godless man shall not come before him.

17 Hear diligently my speech. Let my declaration be in your ears.

18 See now, I have set my cause in order. I know that I am righteous.

19 Who is he who will contend with me? For then would I hold my peace and give up the spirit.