Day 289 of 365

Jer 21:1–22:30

21:1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, when king Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur the son of Malchijah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, saying,

21:2 "Please inquire of the Lord for us; for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon makes war against us: perhaps the Lord will deal with us according to all his wondrous works, that he may go up from us."

21:3 Then Jeremiah said to them, "You shall tell Zedekiah:

21:4 'Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, "Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, with which you fight against the king of Babylon, and against the Chaldeans who besiege you, without the walls; and I will gather them into the midst of this city.

21:5 I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation.

21:6 I will strike the inhabitants of this city, both man and animal: they shall die of a great pestilence.

21:7 Afterward," says the Lord, "I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, and his servants, and the people, even such as are left in this city from the pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those who seek their life: and he shall strike them with the edge of the sword; he shall not spare them, neither have pity, nor have mercy."'

21:8 To this people you shall say, "Thus says the Lord: 'Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.

21:9 He who remains in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence; but he who goes out, and passes over to the Chaldeans who besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be to him for a prey.

21:10 For I have set my face on this city for evil, and not for good,' says the Lord: 'it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.'

21:11 Touching the house of the king of Judah, hear the word of the Lord:

21:12 'House of David, thus says the Lord, "Execute justice in the morning, and deliver him who is robbed out of the hand of the oppressor, lest my wrath go forth like fire, and burn so that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.

21:13 Behold, I am against you, O inhabitant of the valley, and of the rock of the plain," says the Lord; "you that say, 'Who shall come down against us? Or who shall enter into our habitations?'

21:14 I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings," says the Lord; "and I will kindle a fire in her forest, and it shall devour all that is around her."'"

22:1 Thus said the Lord: "Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word,

22:2 Say, 'Hear the word of the Lord, king of Judah, who sits on the throne of David, you, and your servants, and your people who enter in by these gates.

22:3 Thus says the Lord: "Execute justice and righteousness, and deliver him who is robbed out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence, to the foreigner, the fatherless, nor the widow; neither shed innocent blood in this place.

22:4 For if you do this thing indeed, then shall there enter in by the gates of this house kings sitting on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, he, and his servants, and his people.

22:5 But if you will not hear these words, I swear by myself, says the Lord, that this house shall become a desolation."

22:6 For thus says the Lord concerning the house of the king of Judah: "You are Gilead to me, the head of Lebanon. Yet surely I will make you a wilderness, cities which are not inhabited.

22:7 I will prepare destroyers against you, everyone with his weapons; and they shall cut down your choice cedars, and cast them into the fire.

22:8 Many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall say every man to his neighbor, 'Why has the Lord done thus to this great city?'

22:9 Then they shall answer, 'Because they forsook the covenant of the Lord their God, and worshiped other gods, and served them.'

22:10 Do not weep for the dead, neither bemoan him; but weep bitterly for him who goes away; for he shall return no more, nor see his native country."

22:11 For thus says the Lord touching Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who reigned instead of Josiah his father, and who went forth out of this place: "He shall not return there any more.

22:12 But in the place where they have led him captive, there shall he die, and he shall see this land no more."

22:13 Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, and his rooms by injustice; who uses his neighbor's service without wages, and doesn't give him his hire;

22:14 who says, "I will build me a wide house and spacious rooms," and cuts him out windows; and it is ceiling with cedar, and painted with vermilion.

22:15 Shall you reign, because you strive to excel in cedar? Did not your father eat and drink, and do justice and righteousness? Then it was well with him.

22:16 He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well. Wasn't this to know me?' says the Lord.

22:17 ''But your eyes and your heart are not but for your covetousness, and for shedding innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do it.

22:18 Therefore thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: "they shall not lament for him, saying, 'Ah my brother! or, Ah sister!' They shall not lament for him, saying, 'Ah lord!' or, 'Ah his glory!'

22:19 He shall be buried with the burial of a donkey, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem.

22:20 Go up to Lebanon, and cry; and lift up your voice in Bashan, and cry from Abarim; for all your lovers are destroyed.

22:21 I spoke to you in your prosperity; but you said, 'I will not hear.' This has been your way from your youth, that you did not obey my voice.

22:22 The wind shall feed all your shepherds, and your lovers shall go into captivity: surely then you will be ashamed and confounded for all your wickedness.

22:23 Inhabitant of Lebanon, who makes your nest in the cedars, how greatly to be pitied you will be when pangs come on you, the pain as of a woman in travail!

22:24 As I live," says the Lord, "though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet on my right hand, yet would I pluck you there;

22:25 and I will give you into the hand of those who seek your life, and into the hand of them of whom you are afraid, even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans.

22:26 I will cast you out, and your mother who bore you, into another country, where you were not born; and there you will die.

22:27 But to the land whereunto their soul longs to return, there shall they not return."

22:28 Is this man Coniah a despised broken vessel? Is he a vessel in which none delights? Why are they cast out, he and his seed, and are cast into the land which they do not know?

22:29 O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord.

22:30 Thus says the Lord, "Write this man childless, a man who shall not prosper in his days; for no more shall a man of his seed prosper, sitting on the throne of David, and ruling in Judah.

Gal 1:1–24

1 Paul, an apostle (not from men, neither through man, but through Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead),

2 and all the brothers who are with me, to the churches of Galatia:

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

4 who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us out of this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father-

5 to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

6 I marvel that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different "good news";

7 and there is not another "good news." Only there are some who trouble you, and want to pervert the Good News of Christ.

8 But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should proclaim to you any "good news" other than that which we preached to you, let him be cursed.

9 As we have said before, so I now say again: if any man preaches to you any "good news" other than that which you received, let him be cursed.

10 For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? For if I were still pleasing men, I would not be a servant of Christ.

11 But I make known to you, brothers, concerning the Good News which was preached by me, that it is not according to man.

12 For neither did I receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came to me through revelation of Jesus Christ.

13 For you have heard of my way of living in time past in Judaism, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and ravaged it.

14 I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my countrymen, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers.

15 But when it was the good pleasure of God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me through his grace,

16 to reveal his Son in me, that I might proclaim him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood,

17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia. Then I returned to Damascus.

18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas, and stayed with him fifteen days.

19 But of the other apostles I saw no one, except Jacob, the Lord's brother.

20 Now about the things which I write to you, behold, before God, I'm not lying.

21 Then I came to the regions of Syria and Cilicia.

22 I was still unknown by face to the churches of Judea which were in Christ,

23 but they only heard: "He who once persecuted us now preaches the faith that he once tried to destroy."

24 And they glorified God because of me.

Ps 120:1–7

1 In my distress, I cried to the Lord. He answered me.

2 Deliver my soul, Lord, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue.

3 What will be given to you, and what will be done more to you, you deceitful tongue?

4 Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper.

5 Woe is me, that I live in Meshech, that I dwell among the tents of Kedar!

6 My soul has had her dwelling too long with him who hates peace.

7 I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war.