Day 307 of 365

Jer 52:1–34

1 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.

2 He did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.

3 For through the anger of the Lord it happened in Jerusalem and Judah, until he had cast them out from his presence. Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

4 It happened in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and encamped against it; and they built forts against it round about.

5 So the city was besieged to the eleventh year of king Zedekiah.

6 In the fourth month, in the ninth day of the month, the famine was severe in the city, so that there was no bread for the people of the land.

7 Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war fled, and went forth out of the city by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, which was by the king's garden; (now the Chaldeans were against the city all around;) and they went toward the Arabah.

8 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after the king, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho; and all his army was scattered from him.

9 Then they took the king, and carried him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath; and he gave judgment on him.

10 The king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes: he killed also all the princes of Judah in Riblah.

11 He put out the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him in fetters, and carried him to Babylon, and put him in prison until the day of his death.

12 Now in the fifth month, in the tenth day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, who stood before the king of Babylon, into Jerusalem:

13 and he burned the house of the Lord, and the king's house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, even every great house, burned he with fire.

14 All the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, broke down all the walls of Jerusalem all around.

15 Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the poorest of the people, and the residue of the people who were left in the city, and those who fell away, who fell to the king of Babylon, and the residue of the multitude.

16 But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left of the poorest of the land to be vineyard keepers and farmers.

17 The Chaldeans broke the pillars of brass that were in the house of the Lord, and the bases and the bronze sea that were in the house of the Lord in pieces, and carried all their bronze to Babylon.

18 They also took away the pots, the shovels, the snuffers, the basins, the spoons, and all the vessels of brass with which they ministered.

19 The captain of the guard took away the cups, the fire pans, the basins, the pots, the lampstands, the spoons, and the bowls; that which was of gold, in gold, and that which was of silver, in silver.

20 They took the two pillars, the one sea, and the twelve bronze bulls that were under the bases, which king Solomon had made for the house of the Lord. The brass of all these vessels was without weight.

21 As for the pillars, the height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits; and a line of twelve cubits encircled it; and its thickness was four fingers. It was hollow.

22 A capital of brass was on it; and the height of the one capital was five cubits, with network and pomegranates on the capital all around, all of brass: and the second pillar also had like these, and pomegranates.

23 There were ninety-six pomegranates on the sides; all the pomegranates were one hundred on the network all around.

24 The captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the threshold:

25 and out of the city he took an officer who was set over the men of war; and seven men of those who saw the king's face, who were found in the city; and the scribe of the captain of the army, who mustered the people of the land; and sixty men of the people of the land, who were found in the midst of the city.

26 Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them, and brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblah.

27 The king of Babylon struck them, and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was carried away captive out of his land.

28 This is the people whom Nebuchadnezzar carried away captive: in the seventh year three thousand twenty-three Jews;

29 in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar he carried away captive from Jerusalem eight hundred thirty-two persons;

30 in the three and twentieth year of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the Jews seven hundred forty-five persons: all the persons were four thousand and six hundred.

31 It happened in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, in the five and twentieth day of the month, that Evilmerodach king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah, and brought him forth out of prison;

32 and he spoke kindly to him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings who were with him in Babylon,

33 and changed his prison garments. Jehoiachin ate bread before him continually all the days of his life:

34 and for his allowance, there was a continual allowance given him by the king of Babylon, every day a portion until the day of his death, all the days of his life.

Lam 1:1–22

1 ALEPH How the city sits solitary, that was full of people! She has become as a widow, who was great among the nations! She who was a princess among the provinces has become a forced laborer!

2 She weeps bitterly in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks; among all her lovers she has none to comfort her. All her friends have dealt treacherously with her; they have become her enemies.

3 Judah has gone into exile because of affliction and harsh servitude; she dwells among the nations, she finds no rest: all her persecutors overtook her in the midst of her distress.

4 The roads to Zion mourn, because no one comes to the solemn assembly; all her gates are desolate, her priests groan: her virgins are afflicted, and she herself is in bitterness.

5 Her adversaries have become the head, her enemies prosper; for the Lord has afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions: her young children have gone into captivity before the adversary.

6 All majesty has departed from the daughter of Zion: her leaders have become like deer that find no pasture, they fled exhausted before the pursuer.

7 Jerusalem remembers in the days of her affliction and wandering all her precious things that were from the days of old: when her people fell into the hand of the adversary, and no one helped her. The adversaries saw her, they mocked at her desolations.

8 Jerusalem has grievously sinned; therefore she has become as an unclean thing; all who honored her despise her, because they have seen her nakedness: yes, she groans, and turns away.

9 Her filthiness was in her skirts; she did not remember her latter end; therefore her fall was astonishing; she has no comforter. "Look, Lord, on my affliction, for the enemy has magnified himself."

10 The adversary has spread out his hand on all her precious things: for she has seen that the nations have entered into her sanctuary, concerning whom you commanded that they should not enter into your assembly.

11 All her people sigh, they seek bread; they have given their precious things for food to refresh the soul. "Look, Lord, and see, for I am despised."

12 Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Look, and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow, which is brought on me, with which the Lord has afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger.

13 From on high he has sent fire into my bones, and it overcame them. He has spread a net for my feet, he has turned me back. He has made me desolate and faint all the day.

14 My transgressions are bound into a yoke; by his hand they are fastened together, they are set upon my neck; he has made my strength to fail. The Lord has delivered me into their hands, against whom I am not able to stand.

15 The Lord has rejected all my mighty men in my midst; he has called a solemn assembly against me to crush my young men. The Lord has trodden as in a winepress the virgin daughter of Judah.

16 For these things I weep; my eyes, my eyes flow with tears; because the comforter who should refresh my soul is far from me. My children are desolate, because the enemy has prevailed.

17 Zion spreads forth her hands; there is none to comfort her. The Lord has commanded concerning Jacob, that those who are around him should be his adversaries. Jerusalem is among them as an unclean thing.

18 The Lord is righteous, for I have rebelled against his commandment. Please listen all you people, and see my suffering. My virgins and my young men have gone into captivity.

19 I called for my lovers, but they deceived me. My priests and my elders perished in the city, while they searched for food to refresh their souls.

20 See, Lord, for I am in distress; my stomach churns; my heart is turned within me; for I have grievously rebelled. Outside the sword bereaves, inside there is death.

21 They have heard that I groan; there is none to comfort me. All my enemies have heard of my trouble; they are glad that you have done it. Bring the day that you have proclaimed, so that they shall end up like me.

22 Let all their wickedness come before you. Do to them, as you have done to me for all my transgressions. For my groans are many, and my heart is faint.

Col 2:1–23

1 For I desire to have you know how greatly I struggle for you, and for those at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh;

2 that their hearts may be comforted, they being knit together in love, and gaining all riches of the full assurance of understanding, that they may know the mystery of God, which is Christ,

3 in whom are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge hidden.

4 Now this I say that no one may delude you with persuasiveness of speech.

5 For though I am absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, rejoicing and seeing your order, and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.

6 As therefore you received Christ Jesus, the Lord, walk in him,

7 rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, even as you were taught, abounding in it in thanksgiving.

8 Be careful that you do not let anyone rob you through his philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the elements of the world, and not after Christ.

9 For in him all the fullness of God's nature dwells bodily,

10 and in him you are made full, who is the head of all principality and power;

11 in whom you were also circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, in the putting off of the body of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ;

12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.

13 You were dead through your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh. He made you alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,

14 wiping out the handwriting in ordinances which was against us; and he has taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross;

15 having stripped the principalities and the powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

16 Let no man therefore judge you in eating, or in drinking, or with respect to a feast day or a new moon or a Sabbath day,

17 which are a shadow of the things to come; but the body is Christ's.

18 Let no one rob you of your prize by a voluntary humility and worshipping of the angels, dwelling in the things which he has seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,

19 and not holding firmly to the Head, from whom all the body, being supplied and knit together through the joints and ligaments, grows with God's growth.

20 If you died with Christ from the elements of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to ordinances,

21 "Do not handle, nor taste, nor touch"

22 (all of which perish with use), according to the precepts and doctrines of men?

23 Which things indeed appear like wisdom in self-imposed worship, and humility, and severity to the body; but are not of any value against the indulgence of the flesh.

Job 28:20–28

20 Whence then comes wisdom? Where is the place of understanding?

21 Seeing it is hidden from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the birds of the sky.

22 Destruction and Death say, 'We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.'

23 "God understands its way, and he knows its place.

24 For he looks to the ends of the earth, and sees under the whole sky.

25 He establishes the force of the wind. Yes, he measures out the waters by measure.

26 When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder;

27 then he saw it, and declared it. He established it, yes, and searched it out.

28 To man he said, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom. To depart from evil is understanding.'"