Day 298 of 365

Jer 37:1–21

1 Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned as king, instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah.

2 But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, listened to the words of the Lord, which he spoke by the prophet Jeremiah.

3 Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, "Pray now to the Lord our God for us."

4 Now Jeremiah came in and went out among the people; for they had not put him into prison.

5 Pharaoh's army had come forth out of Egypt; and when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard news of them, they broke up from Jerusalem.

6 Then came the word of the Lord to the prophet Jeremiah, saying,

7 "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, 'You shall tell the king of Judah, who sent you to me to inquire of me: "Behold, Pharaoh's army, which has come forth to help you, shall return to Egypt into their own land.

8 The Chaldeans shall come again, and fight against this city; and they shall take it, and burn it with fire."

9 Thus says the Lord, "Do not deceive yourselves, saying, 'The Chaldeans shall surely depart from us'; for they shall not depart.

10 For though you had struck the whole army of the Chaldeans who fight against you, and there remained but wounded men among them, yes would they rise up every man in his tent, and burn this city with fire."'"

11 It happened that, when the army of the Chaldeans was broken up from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh's army,

12 then Jeremiah went forth out of Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin, to receive his portion there, in the midst of the people.

13 When he was in the gate of Benjamin, a captain of the guard was there, whose name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah; and he laid hold on Jeremiah the prophet, saying, "You are falling away to the Chaldeans."

14 Then Jeremiah said, "It is false; I am not falling away to the Chaldeans." But he did not listen to him; so Irijah laid hold on Jeremiah, and brought him to the princes.

15 The princes were angry with Jeremiah, and struck him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe; for they had made that the prison.

16 When Jeremiah had come into the dungeon house, and into the cells, and Jeremiah had remained there many days;

17 Then Zedekiah the king sent, and fetched him: and the king asked him secretly in his house, and said, "Is there any word from the Lord?" Jeremiah said, "There is." He said also, "You shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon."

18 Moreover Jeremiah said to king Zedekiah, "Wherein have I sinned against you, or against your servants, or against this people, that you have put me in prison?

19 Where now are your prophets who prophesied to you, saying, The king of Babylon shall not come against you, nor against this land?

20 Now please hear, my lord the king: please let my supplication be presented before you, that you not cause me to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there."

21 Then Zedekiah the king commanded, and they committed Jeremiah into the court of the guard; and they gave him daily a loaf of bread out of the bakers' street, until all the bread in the city was spent. Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.

Eph 4:1–32

1 I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called,

2 with all lowliness and humility, with patience, bearing with one another in love;

3 being eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as you also were called in one hope of your calling;

5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

6 one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in all.

7 But to each one of us was the grace given according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

8 Therefore he says, "When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men."

9 Now this, "He ascended," what is it but that he also descended into the lower parts of the earth?

10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.

11 He gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, shepherds and teachers;

12 for the perfecting of the saints, to the work of serving, to the building up of the body of Christ;

13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a full grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

14 that we may no longer be children, tossed back and forth and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error;

15 but speaking truth in love, we may grow up in all things into him, who is the head, Christ;

16 from whom all the body, being fitted and knit together through that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, makes the body increase to the building up of itself in love.

17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,

18 being darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardening of their hearts;

19 who having become callous gave themselves up to lust, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

20 But you did not learn Christ that way;

21 if indeed you heard him, and were taught in him, even as truth is in Jesus:

22 that you put away, as concerning your former way of life, the old man, that grows corrupt after the lusts of deceit;

23 and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind,

24 and put on the new man, who in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of truth.

25 Therefore, putting away falsehood, speak truth each one with his neighbor. For we are members of one another.

26 "Be angry, and do not sin." Do not let the sun go down on your wrath,

27 neither give place to the devil.

28 Let him who stole steal no more; but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing that is good, that he may have something to give to him who has need.

29 Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but such as is good for building up as the need may be, that it may give grace to those who hear.

30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, outcry, and slander, be put away from you, with all malice.

32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you.

Job 25:1–6

1 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered,

2 "Dominion and fear are with him. He makes peace in his high places.

3 Can his armies be counted? On whom does his light not arise?

4 How then can man be just with God? Or how can he who is born of a woman be clean?

5 Behold, even the moon has no brightness, and the stars are not pure in his sight;

6 How much less man, who is a worm, the son of man, who is a worm!"