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Daily Readings for August 18
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1Kings 13
1.Behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of Yahweh to Beth El: and Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn incense. 2.He cried against the altar by the word of Yahweh, and said, "Altar, altar, thus says Yahweh: 'Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name. On you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and they will burn men's bones on you.'" 3.He gave a sign the same day, saying, "This is the sign which Yahweh has spoken: Behold, the altar will be split apart, and the ashes that are on it will be poured out."
4.It happened, when the king heard the saying of the man of God, which he cried against the altar in Bethel, that Jeroboam put out his hand from the altar, saying, "Seize him!" His hand, which he put out against him, dried up, so that he could not draw it back again to himself. 5.The altar also was split apart, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of Yahweh. 6.The king answered the man of God, "Now entreat the favor of Yahweh your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again."
The man of God entreated Yahweh, and the king's hand was restored him again, and became as it was before.
7.The king said to the man of God, "Come home with me, and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward."
8.The man of God said to the king, "Even if you gave me half of your house, I would not go in with you, neither would I eat bread nor drink water in this place; 9.for so was it commanded me by the word of Yahweh, saying, 'You shall eat no bread, nor drink water, neither return by the way that you came.'" 10.So he went another way, and didn't return by the way that he came to Bethel.
11.Now there lived an old prophet in Bethel; and one of his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel. They also told their father the words which he had spoken to the king.
12.Their father said to them, "Which way did he go?" Now his sons had seen which way the man of God went, who came from Judah. 13.He said to his sons, "Saddle the donkey for me." So they saddled the donkey for him; and he rode on it. 14.He went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak. He said to him, "Are you the man of God who came from Judah?"
He said, "I am." 15.Then he said to him, "Come home with me, and eat bread."
16.He said, "I may not return with you, nor go in with you; neither will I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place. 17.For it was said to me by the word of Yahweh, 'You shall eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that you came.'"
18.He said to him, "I also am a prophet as you are; and an angel spoke to me by the word of Yahweh, saying, 'Bring him back with you into your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.'" He lied to him.
19.So he went back with him, and ate bread in his house, and drank water. 20.It happened, as they sat at the table, that the word of Yahweh came to the prophet who brought him back; 21.and he cried to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, "Thus says Yahweh, 'Because you have been disobedient to the mouth of Yahweh, and have not kept the commandment which Yahweh your God commanded you, 22.but came back, and have eaten bread and drunk water in the place of which he said to you, "Eat no bread, and drink no water;" your body shall not come to the tomb of your fathers.'"
23.It happened, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled the donkey for the prophet whom he had brought back. 24.When he had gone, a lion met him by the way, and killed him. His body was cast in the way, and the donkey stood by it. The lion also stood by the body. 25.Behold, men passed by, and saw the body cast in the way, and the lion standing by the body; and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet lived. 26.When the prophet who brought him back from the way heard of it, he said, "It is the man of God who was disobedient to the mouth of Yahweh. Therefore Yahweh has delivered him to the lion, which has mauled him and slain him, according to the word of Yahweh, which he spoke to him." 27.He spoke to his sons, saying, "Saddle the donkey for me." They saddled it. 28.He went and found his body cast in the way, and the donkey and the lion standing by the body. The lion had not eaten the body, nor mauled the donkey. 29.The prophet took up the body of the man of God, and laid it on the donkey, and brought it back. He came to the city of the old prophet to mourn, and to bury him. 30.He laid his body in his own grave; and they mourned over him, saying, "Alas, my brother!"
31.It happened, after he had buried him, that he spoke to his sons, saying, "When I am dead, then bury me in the tomb in which the man of God is buried. Lay my bones beside his bones. 32.For the saying which he cried by the word of Yahweh against the altar in Bethel, and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, will surely happen."
33.After this thing Jeroboam didn't return from his evil way, but again made priests of the high places from among all the people. Whoever wanted to, he consecrated him, that there might be priests of the high places. 34.This thing became sin to the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the surface of the earth.
Jeremiah 39
1.It happened when Jerusalem was taken, (in the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army against Jerusalem, and besieged it; 2.in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, the ninth day of the month, a breach was made in the city), 3.that all the princes of the king of Babylon came in, and sat in the middle gate, [to wit], Nergal Sharezer, Samgarnebo, Sarsechim, Rabsaris, Nergal Sharezer, Rabmag, with all the rest of the princes of the king of Babylon. 4.It happened that, when Zedekiah the king of Judah and all the men of war saw them, then they fled, and went forth out of the city by night, by the way of the king's garden, through the gate between the two walls; and he went out toward the Arabah. 5.But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after them, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho: and when they had taken him, they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath; and he gave judgment on him. 6.Then the king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah in Riblah before his eyes: also the king of Babylon killed all the nobles of Judah. 7.Moreover he put out Zedekiah's eyes, and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon. 8.The Chaldeans burned the king's house, and the houses of the people, with fire, and broke down the walls of Jerusalem. 9.Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive into Babylon the residue of the people who remained in the city, the deserters also who fell away to him, and the residue of the people who remained. 10.But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left of the poor of the people, who had nothing, in the land of Judah, and gave them vineyards and fields at the same time. 11.Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon commanded Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard concerning Jeremiah, saying, 12.Take him, and look well to him, and do him no harm; but do to him even as he shall tell you. 13.So Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard sent, and Nebushazban, Rabsaris, and Nergal Sharezer, Rabmag, and all the chief officers of the king of Babylon; 14.they sent, and took Jeremiah out of the court of the guard, and committed him to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, that he should carry him home: so he lived among the people. 15.Now the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah, while he was shut up in the court of the guard, saying, 16.Go, and speak to Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, Thus says Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel: Behold, I will bring my words on this city for evil, and not for good; and they shall be accomplished before you in that day. 17.But I will deliver you in that day, says Yahweh; and you shall not be given into the hand of the men of whom you are afraid. 18.For I will surely save you, and you shall not fall by the sword, but your life shall be for a prey to you; because you have put your trust in me, says Yahweh.
Mark 13
1.As he went out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, "Teacher, see what kind of stones and what kind of buildings!"
2.Jesus said to him, "Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone on another, which will not be thrown down."
3.As he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, 4."Tell us, when will these things be? What is the sign that these things are all about to be fulfilled?"
5.Jesus, answering, began to tell them, "Be careful that no one leads you astray. 6.For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he!41' and will lead many astray.
7."When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, don't be troubled. For those must happen, but the end is not yet. 8.For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places. There will be famines and troubles. These things are the beginning of birth pains. 9.But watch yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils. You will be beaten in synagogues. You will stand before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony to them. 10.The Good News must first be preached to all the nations. 11.When they lead you away and deliver you up, don't be anxious beforehand, or premeditate what you will say, but say whatever will be given you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.
12."Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child. Children will rise up against parents, and cause them to be put to death. 13.You will be hated by all men for my name's sake, but he who endures to the end, the same will be saved. 14.But when you see the abomination of desolation,42 spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, 15.and let him who is on the housetop not go down, nor enter in, to take anything out of his house. 16.Let him who is in the field not return back to take his cloak. 17.But woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse babies in those days! 18.Pray that your flight won't be in the winter. 19.For in those days there will be oppression, such as there has not been the like from the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will be. 20.Unless the Lord had shortened the days, no flesh would have been saved; but for the sake of the chosen ones, whom he picked out, he shortened the days. 21.Then if anyone tells you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'Look, there!' don't believe it. 22.For there will arise false christs and false prophets, and will show signs and wonders, that they may lead astray, if possible, even the chosen ones. 23.But you watch.
"Behold, I have told you all things beforehand. 24.But in those days, after that oppression, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, 25.the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken.43 26.Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27.Then he will send out his angels, and will gather together his chosen ones from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the sky.
28."Now from the fig tree, learn this parable. When the branch has now become tender, and puts forth its leaves, you know that the summer is near; 29.even so you also, when you see these things coming to pass, know that it is near, at the doors. 30.Most certainly I say to you, this generation44 will not pass away until all these things happen. 31.Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. 32.But of that day or that hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33.Watch, keep alert, and pray; for you don't know when the time is.
34."It is like a man, traveling to another country, having left his house, and given authority to his servants, and to each one his work, and also commanded the doorkeeper to keep watch. 35.Watch therefore, for you don't know when the lord of the house is coming, whether at evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning; 36.lest coming suddenly he might find you sleeping. 37.What I tell you, I tell all: Watch."