Daily Readings for October 3

Daily Readings for October 3
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1Chronicles 17

1.It happened, when David lived in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, "Behold, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of Yahweh is under curtains."

2.Nathan said to David, "Do all that is in your heart; for God is with you."

3.It happened the same night, that the word of God came to Nathan, saying, 4."Go and tell David my servant, 'Thus says Yahweh, "You shall not build me a house to dwell in; 5.for I have not lived in a house since the day that I brought up Israel, to this day, but have gone from tent to tent, and from one tent to another. 6.In all places in which I have walked with all Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to be shepherd of my people, saying, 'Why have you not built me a house of cedar?'"'

7."Now therefore, you shall tell my servant David, 'Thus says Yahweh of Armies, "I took you from the sheep pen, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel. 8.I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have cut off all your enemies from before you. I will make you a name, like the name of the great ones who are in the earth. 9.I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place, and be moved no more; neither shall the children of wickedness waste them any more, as at the first, 10.and from the day that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel; and I will subdue all your enemies. Moreover I tell you that Yahweh will build you a house. 11.It shall happen, when your days are fulfilled that you must go to be with your fathers, that I will set up your seed after you, who shall be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom. 12.He shall build me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. 13.I will be his father, and he shall be my son. I will not take my loving kindness away from him, as I took it from him that was before you; 14.but I will settle him in my house and in my kingdom forever. His throne shall be established forever."'" 15.According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.

16.Then David the king went in, and sat before Yahweh; and he said, "Who am I, Yahweh God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? 17.This was a small thing in your eyes, God; but you have spoken of your servant's house for a great while to come, and have respected me according to the estate of a man of high degree, Yahweh God. 18.What can David say yet more to you concerning the honor which is done to your servant? For you know your servant. 19.Yahweh, for your servant's sake, and according to your own heart, you have worked all this greatness, to make known all these great things. 20.Yahweh, there is none like you, neither is there any God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 21.What one nation in the earth is like your people Israel, whom God went to redeem to himself for a people, to make you a name by great and awesome things, in driving out nations from before your people, whom you redeem out of Egypt? 22.For your people Israel you made your own people forever; and you, Yahweh, became their God. 23.Now, Yahweh, let the word that you have spoken concerning your servant, and concerning his house, be established forever, and do as you have spoken. 24.Let your name be established and magnified forever, saying, 'Yahweh of Armies is the God of Israel, even a God to Israel. The house of David your servant is established before you.' 25.For you, my God, have revealed to your servant that you will build him a house. Therefore your servant has found courage to pray before you. 26.Now, Yahweh, you are God, and have promised this good thing to your servant. 27.Now it has pleased you to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever before you; for you, Yahweh, have blessed, and it is blessed forever."

Ezekiel 29

1.In the tenth year, in the tenth month, on the twelfth day of the month, the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2."Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him and against all Egypt. 3.Speak and say, 'Thus says the Lord Yahweh: "Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great monster that lies in the midst of his rivers, that has said, 'My river is my own, and I have made it for myself.' 4.I will put hooks in your jaws, and I will make the fish of your rivers stick to your scales; and I will bring you up out of the midst of your rivers, with all the fish of your rivers which stick to your scales. 5.I'll cast you forth into the wilderness, you and all the fish of your rivers. You'll fall on the open field. You won't be brought together, nor gathered. I have given you for food to the animals of the earth and to the birds of the sky. 6.All the inhabitants of Egypt will know that I am Yahweh, because they have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel. 7.When they took hold of you by your hand, you broke, and tore all their shoulders; and when they leaned on you, you broke, and paralyzed all of their thighs." 8.Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: "Behold, I will bring a sword on you, and will cut off man and animal from you. 9.The land of Egypt shall be a desolation and a waste; and they shall know that I am Yahweh. Because he has said, 'The river is mine, and I have made it;' 10.therefore, behold, I am against you, and against your rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt an utter waste and desolation, from the tower of Seveneh even to the border of Ethiopia. 11.No foot of man shall pass through it, nor foot of animal shall pass through it, neither shall it be inhabited forty years. 12.I will make the land of Egypt a desolation in the midst of the countries that are desolate; and her cities among the cities that are laid waste shall be a desolation forty years; and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries." 13.For thus says the Lord Yahweh: "At the end of forty years will I gather the Egyptians from the peoples where they were scattered; 14.and I will bring back the captivity of Egypt, and will cause them to return into the land of Pathros, into the land of their birth; and they shall be there a base kingdom. 15.It shall be the base of the kingdoms; neither shall it any more lift itself up above the nations: and I will diminish them, that they shall no more rule over the nations. 16.It shall be no more the confidence of the house of Israel, bringing iniquity to memory, when they turn to look after them: and they shall know that I am the Lord Yahweh."'" 17.It came to pass in the seven and twentieth year, in the first [month], in the first [day] of the month, the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 18.Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon caused his army to serve a great service against Tyre: every head was made bald, and every shoulder was worn; yet had he no wages, nor his army, from Tyre, for the service that he had served against it. 19.Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: Behold, I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and he shall carry off her multitude, and take her spoil, and take her prey; and it shall be the wages for his army. 20.I have given him the land of Egypt as his recompense for which he served, because they worked for me, says the Lord Yahweh. 21.In that day will I cause a horn to bud forth to the house of Israel, and I will give you the opening of the mouth in their midst; and they shall know that I am Yahweh.

Galatians 3

1.Foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you not to obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was openly set forth among you as crucified? 2.I just want to learn this from you. Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by hearing of faith? 3.Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now completed in the flesh? 4.Did you suffer so many things in vain, if it is indeed in vain? 5.He therefore who supplies the Spirit to you, and works miracles among you, does he do it by the works of the law, or by hearing of faith? 6.Even as Abraham "believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness." 7.Know therefore that those who are of faith, the same are children of Abraham. 8.The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the Good News beforehand to Abraham, saying, "In you all the nations will be blessed."² 9.So then, those who are of faith are blessed with the faithful Abraham. 10.For as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse. For it is written, "Cursed is everyone who doesn't continue in all things that are written in the book of the law, to do them."³ 11.Now that no man is justified by the law before God is evident, for, "The righteous will live by faith."⁴ 12.The law is not of faith, but, "The man who does them will live by them."⁵

13.Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us. For it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree,"⁶ 14.that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Christ Jesus; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. 15.Brothers, speaking of human terms, though it is only a man's covenant, yet when it has been confirmed, no one makes it void, or adds to it. 16.Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He doesn't say, "To seeds," as of many, but as of one, "To your seed,"⁷ which is Christ. 17.Now I say this. A covenant confirmed beforehand by God in Christ, the law, which came four hundred thirty years after, does not annul, so as to make the promise of no effect. 18.For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no more of promise; but God has granted it to Abraham by promise.

19.What then is the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the seed should come to whom the promise has been made. It was ordained through angels by the hand of a mediator. 20.Now a mediator is not between one, but God is one. 21.Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could make alive, most certainly righteousness would have been of the law. 22.But the Scriptures imprisoned all things under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23.But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, confined for the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 24.So that the law has become our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25.But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. 26.For you are all children of God, through faith in Christ Jesus. 27.For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28.There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29.If you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to promise.

Galatians 4

1.But I say that so long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a bondservant, though he is lord of all; 2.but is under guardians and stewards until the day appointed by the father. 3.So we also, when we were children, were held in bondage under the elemental principles of the world. 4.But when the fullness of the time came, God sent out his Son, born to a woman, born under the law, 5.that he might redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of children. 6.And because you are children, God sent out the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, "Abba,⁸ Father!" 7.So you are no longer a bondservant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. 8.However at that time, not knowing God, you were in bondage to those who by nature are not gods. 9.But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, why do you turn back again to the weak and miserable elemental principles, to which you desire to be in bondage all over again? 10.You observe days, months, seasons, and years. 11.I am afraid for you, that I might have wasted my labor for you. 12.I beg you, brothers, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong, 13.but you know that because of weakness of the flesh I preached the Good News to you the first time. 14.That which was a temptation to you in my flesh, you didn't despise nor reject; but you received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.

15.What was the blessing you enjoyed? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have plucked out your eyes and given them to me. 16.So then, have I become your enemy by telling you the truth? 17.They zealously seek you in no good way. No, they desire to alienate you, that you may seek them. 18.But it is always good to be zealous in a good cause, and not only when I am present with you.

19.My little children, of whom I am again in travail until Christ is formed in you-- 20.but I could wish to be present with you now, and to change my tone, for I am perplexed about you. 21.Tell me, you that desire to be under the law, don't you listen to the law? 22.For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the handmaid, and one by the free woman. 23.However, the son by the handmaid was born according to the flesh, but the son by the free woman was born through promise. 24.These things contain an allegory, for these are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children to bondage, which is Hagar. 25.For this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and answers to the Jerusalem that exists now, for she is in bondage with her children. 26.But the Jerusalem that is above is free, which is the mother of us all. 27.For it is written, "Rejoice, you barren who don't bear. Break forth and shout, you that don't travail. For more are the children of the desolate than of her who has a husband."⁹

28.Now we, brothers, as Isaac was, are children of promise. 29.But as then, he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now. 30.However what does the Scripture say? "Throw out the handmaid and her son, for the son of the handmaid will not inherit with the son of the free woman."¹⁰ 31.So then, brothers, we are not children of a handmaid, but of the free woman.