Bible Readings for July 27 - August 2, 2026

Let’s read the Bible together during the next year. For the week of Monday July 27 through Sunday, August 2, the daily readings are below.

• Monday, July 27, 2026 - 2 Chr. 19:1–20:37, Rom. 10:14–11:12, Psalm 21:1-13, Prov. 20:4-6
• Tuesday, July 28, 2026 - 2 Chr. 21:1–23:21, Rom. 11:13-36, Psalm 22:1-18, Prov. 20:7
• Wednesday, July 29, 2026 - 2 Chr. 24:1–25:28, Rom. 12:1-21, Psalm 22:19-31, Prov. 20:8-10
• Thursday, July 30, 2026 - 2 Chr. 26:1–28:27, Rom. 13:1-14, Psalm 23:1-6, Prov. 20:11
• Friday, July 31, 2026 - 2 Chr. 29:1-36, Rom. 14:1-23, Psalm 24:1-10, Prov. 20:12
• Saturday, August 1, 2026 - 2 Chr. 30:1–31:21, Rom. 15:1-22, Psalm 25:1-15, Prov. 20:13-15
• Sunday, August 2, 2026 - 2 Chr. 32:1–33:13, Rom. 15:23–16:7, Psalm 25:16-22, Prov. 20:16-18

Bible Readings for July 23, 2026

Let's read the Bible together in the next year. Today, our passages are 2 Chronicles 8:11–10:19; Romans 8:9-21; Psalm 18:16-36; and Proverbs 19:26. The readings are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson.

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2 Chronicles 8:11-10:19 (The Message)

 ¹¹ Solomon brought Pharaoh's daughter from the City of David to a house built especially for her, "Because," he said, "my wife cannot live in the house of David king of Israel, for the areas in which the Chest of God has entered are sacred."
 ^12-13 Then Solomon offered Whole-Burnt-Offerings to God on the Altar of God that he had built in front of The Temple porch. He kept to the regular schedule of worship set down by Moses: Sabbaths, New Moons, and the three annual feasts of Unraised Bread (Passover), Weeks (Pentecost), and Booths.
 ^14-15 He followed the practice of his father David in setting up groups of priests carrying out the work of worship, with the Levites assigned to lead the sacred music for praising God and to assist the priests in the daily worship; he assigned security guards to be on duty at each gate—that's what David the man of God had ordered. The king's directions to the priests and Levites and financial stewards were kept right down to the fine print—no innovations—including the treasuries.
 ¹⁶ All that Solomon set out to do, from the groundbreaking of The Temple of God to its finish, was now complete.
 ^17-18 Then Solomon went to Ezion Geber and Elath on the coast of Edom. Hiram sent him ships and with them veteran sailors. Joined by Solomon's men they sailed to Ophir (in east Africa), loaded on fifteen tons of gold, and brought it back to King Solomon. 

2 Chronicles 9

 ^1-4 The queen of Sheba heard of Solomon's reputation and came to Jerusalem to put his reputation to the test, asking all the tough questions. She made a showy entrance—an impressive retinue of attendants and camels loaded with perfume and much gold and precious stones. She emptied her heart to Solomon, talking over everything she cared about. And Solomon answered everything she put to him—nothing stumped him. When the queen of Sheba experienced for herself Solomon's wisdom and saw with her own eyes the palace he had built, the meals that were served, the impressive array of court officials, the sharply dressed waiters, the cupbearers, and then the elaborate worship extravagant with Whole-Burnt-Offerings at The Temple of God, it all took her breath away.  ^5-8 She said to the king, "It's all true! Your reputation for accomplishment and wisdom that reached all the way to my country is confirmed. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it for myself; they didn't exaggerate! Such wisdom and elegance—far more than I could ever have imagined. Lucky the men and women who work for you, getting to be around you every day and hear your wise words firsthand! And blessed be your God who has taken such a liking to you, making you king. Clearly, God's love for Israel is behind this, making you king to keep a just order and nurture a God-pleasing people."
 ^9-11 She then gave the king four and a half tons of gold and sack after sack of spices and precious stones. There hasn't been a cargo of spices like the shipload the queen of Sheba brought to King Solomon. The ships of Hiram also imported gold from Ophir along with fragrant sandalwood and expensive gems. The king used the sandalwood for fine cabinetry in The Temple of God and the royal palace, and for making harps and dulcimers for the musicians. Nothing like that shipment of sandalwood has been seen since.
 ¹² King Solomon, for his part, gave the queen of Sheba all her heart's desire—everything she asked for. She took away more than she brought. Satisfied, she returned home with her train of servants.

^13-14 Solomon received twenty-five tons of gold annually. This was above and beyond the taxes and profit on trade with merchants and traders. All kings of Arabia and various and assorted governors also brought silver and gold to Solomon.
 ^15-16 King Solomon crafted two hundred body-length shields of hammered gold—about fifteen pounds of gold to each shield—and about three hundred small shields about half that size. He stored the shields in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.
 ^17-19 The king made a massive throne of ivory with a veneer of gold. The throne had six steps leading up to it with an attached footstool of gold. The armrests on each side were flanked by lions. Lions, twelve of them, were placed at either end of the six steps. There was no throne like it in any other kingdom.
 ²⁰ King Solomon's chalices and tankards were made of gold, and all the dinnerware and serving utensils in the House of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Nothing was made of silver; silver was considered common and cheap in the time of Solomon.
 ²¹ The king's ships, manned by Hiram's sailors, made a round trip to Tarshish every three years, returning with a cargo of gold, silver, and ivory, apes and peacocks.
 ^22-24 King Solomon was richer and wiser than all the kings of the earth—he surpassed them all. Kings came from all over the world to be with Solomon and get in on the wisdom God had given him. Everyone who came brought gifts—artifacts of gold and silver, fashionable robes and gowns, the latest in weapons, exotic spices, horses, and mules—parades of visitors, year after year.
 ^25-28 Solomon collected horses and chariots. He had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen in barracks in the chariot-cities and in Jerusalem. He ruled over all the kings from the River Euphrates in the east, throughout the Philistine country, and as far west as the border of Egypt. The king made silver as common as rocks and cedar as common as the fig trees in the lowland hills. He carried on a brisk horse-trading business with Egypt and other places.

^29-31 The rest of Solomon's life and rule, from start to finish, one can read in the records of Nathan the prophet, the prophecy of Ahijah of Shiloh, and in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam son of Nebat. Solomon ruled in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years. Solomon died and was buried in the City of David his father. His son Rehoboam was the next king. 

2 Chronicles 10

King Rehoboam

 ^1-2 Rehoboam traveled to Shechem where all Israel had gathered to inaugurate him as king. Jeroboam was then in Egypt, where he had taken asylum from King Solomon; when he got the report of Solomon's death, he came back.  ^3-4Summoned by Israel, Jeroboam and all Israel went to Rehoboam and said, "Your father made life hard for us—worked our fingers to the bone. Give us a break; lighten up on us and we'll willingly serve you."
 ⁵ "Give me," said Rehoboam, "three days to think it over; then come back." So the people left.
 ⁶ King Rehoboam talked it over with the elders who had advised his father when he was alive: "What's your counsel? How do you suggest that I answer the people?"
 ⁷ They said, "If you will be a servant to this people, be considerate of their needs and respond with compassion, work things out with them, they'll end up doing anything for you."
 ^8-9 But he rejected the counsel of the elders and asked the young men he'd grown up with who were now currying his favor, "What do you think? What should I say to these people who are saying, 'Give us a break from your father's harsh ways—lighten up on us'?"
 ^10-11 The young turks he'd grown up with said, "These people who complain, 'Your father was too hard on us; lighten up'—well, tell them this: 'My little finger is thicker than my father's waist. If you think life under my father was hard, you haven't seen the half of it. My father thrashed you with whips; I'll beat you bloody with chains!'"
 ^12-14 Three days later Jeroboam and the people showed up, just as Rehoboam had directed when he said, "Give me three days to think it over; then come back." The king's answer was harsh and rude. He spurned the counsel of the elders and went with the advice of the younger set: "If you think life under my father was hard, you haven't seen the half of it: my father thrashed you with whips; I'll beat you bloody with chains!"
 ¹⁵ Rehoboam turned a deaf ear to the people. God was behind all this, confirming the message that he had given to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah of Shiloh.
 ^16-17 When all Israel realized that the king hadn't listened to a word they'd said, they stood up to him and said,
   Get lost, David! We've had it with you, son of Jesse! Let's get out of here, Israel, and fast! From now on, David, mind your own business.
    And with that they left. Rehoboam continued to rule only those who lived in the towns of Judah.
 ^18-19 When King Rehoboam next sent out Adoniram, head of the workforce, the Israelites ganged up on him, pelted him with stones, and killed him. King Rehoboam jumped in his chariot and escaped to Jerusalem as fast as he could. Israel has been in rebellion against the Davidic dynasty ever since.

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Romans 8:9-21 (The Message)

 ^9-11But if God himself has taken up residence in your life, you can hardly be thinking more of yourself than of him. Anyone, of course, who has not welcomed this invisible but clearly present God, the Spirit of Christ, won't know what we're talking about. But for you who welcome him, in whom he dwells—even though you still experience all the limitations of sin—you yourself experience life on God's terms. It stands to reason, doesn't it, that if the alive-and-present God who raised Jesus from the dead moves into your life, he'll do the same thing in you that he did in Jesus, bringing you alive to himself? When God lives and breathes in you (and he does, as surely as he did in Jesus), you are delivered from that dead life. With his Spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ's!
 ^12-14So don't you see that we don't owe this old do-it-yourself life one red cent. There's nothing in it for us, nothing at all. The best thing to do is give it a decent burial and get on with your new life. God's Spirit beckons. There are things to do and places to go!
 ^15-17This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It's adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike "What's next, Papa?" God's Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what's coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we're certainly going to go through the good times with him!
 ^18-21That's why I don't think there's any comparison between the present hard times and the coming good times. The created world itself can hardly wait for what's coming next. Everything in creation is being more or less held back. God reins it in until both creation and all the creatures are ready and can be released at the same moment into the glorious times ahead. Meanwhile, the joyful anticipation deepens.

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Psalm 18:16-36 (The Message)

 ^16-19 But me he caught—reached all the way
      from sky to sea; he pulled me out
   Of that ocean of hate, that enemy chaos,
      the void in which I was drowning.
   They hit me when I was down,
      but God stuck by me.
   He stood me up on a wide-open field;
      I stood there saved—surprised to be loved!

 ^20-24 God made my life complete
      when I placed all the pieces before him.
   When I got my act together,
      he gave me a fresh start.
   Now I'm alert to God's ways;
      I don't take God for granted.
   Every day I review the ways he works;
      I try not to miss a trick.
   I feel put back together,
      and I'm watching my step.
   God rewrote the text of my life
      when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes.

 ^25-27 The good people taste your goodness,
   The whole people taste your health,
   The true people taste your truth,
   The bad ones can't figure you out.
   You take the side of the down-and-out,
   But the stuck-up you take down a peg.

 ^28-29 Suddenly, God, you floodlight my life;
      I'm blazing with glory, God's glory!
   I smash the bands of marauders,
      I vault the highest fences.

 ³⁰ What a God! His road
      stretches straight and smooth.
   Every God-direction is road-tested.
      Everyone who runs toward him
   Makes it.

 ^31-42 Is there any god like God?
      Are we not at bedrock?
   Is not this the God who armed me,
      then aimed me in the right direction?
   Now I run like a deer;
      I'm king of the mountain.
   He shows me how to fight;
      I can bend a bronze bow!
   You protect me with salvation-armor;
      you hold me up with a firm hand,
      caress me with your gentle ways.
   You cleared the ground under me
      so my footing was firm.
   When I chased my enemies I caught them;
      I didn't let go till they were dead men.
   I nailed them; they were down for good;
      then I walked all over them.
   You armed me well for this fight,
      you smashed the upstarts.
   You made my enemies turn tail,
      and I wiped out the haters.
   They cried "uncle"
      but Uncle didn't come;
   They yelled for God
      and got no for an answer.
   I ground them to dust; they gusted in the wind.
      I threw them out, like garbage in the gutter.

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Proverbs 19:26 (The Message)

 ²⁶ Kids who lash out against their parents
   are an embarrassment and disgrace.

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Thought for the Day

“But Jesus said, 'Let the children come to me, and don't try to stop them! People who are like these children belong to God's kingdom.'” (Matthew 19:14 - Contemporary English Version) The Kingdom of God belongs to those whom the kingdom of the world values least. While the world idolizes wealth and power, Jesus invited children to come.

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Quote for the Day

Japanese author who is considered to be one of the most prominent figures in modern Japanese literature, Jun'ichirō Tanizaki wrote, "Find beauty not only in the thing itself but in the pattern of the shadows, the light and dark which that thing provides."

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Joke for Today

Two elderly ladies meet at the launderette after not seeing one another for some time. After inquiring about each other's health, one asked how the other's husband was doing.

"Oh! Ted died last week. He went out to the garden to dig up a cabbage for dinner, had a heart attack and dropped down dead right there in the middle of the vegetable patch!"

"Oh dear! I'm so very sorry," replied her friend. "What did you do?"

"Opened a can of peas instead."

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A Prayer Request

As Christians, we can offer specific daily prayers for our community, nation and world. Below is the need that we're laying before God today.

That God would protect our servicemen and women both home and abroad.

Daily Lectionary Readings for July 23, 2026

Daily Lectionary Readings (Two-Year Cycle)

Lectionary Readings for Thursday, July 23, 2026

Morning Psalm 36 1   Transgression speaks to the wicked           deep in their hearts;      there is no fear of God           before their eyes. 2   For they flatter themselves in their own eyes           that their iniquity cannot be found out and hated. 3   The words of their mouths are mischief and deceit;           they have ceased to act wisely and do good. 4   They plot mischief while on their beds;           they are set on a way that is not good;           they do not reject evil. 5   Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens,           your faithfulness to the clouds. 6   Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,           your judgments are like the great deep;           you save humans and animals alike, O LORD. 7   How precious is your steadfast love, O God!           All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings. 8   They feast on the abundance of your house,           and you give them drink from the river of your delights. 9   For with you is the fountain of life;           in your light we see light. 10  O continue your steadfast love to those who know you,           and your salvation to the upright of heart! 11  Do not let the foot of the arrogant tread on me,           or the hand of the wicked drive me away. 12  There the evildoers lie prostrate;           they are thrust down, unable to rise. Morning Psalm 147:12-20 12  Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!           Praise your God, O Zion! 13  For he strengthens the bars of your gates;           he blesses your children within you. 14  He grants peace within your borders;           he fills you with the finest of wheat. 15  He sends out his command to the earth;           his word runs swiftly. 16  He gives snow like wool;           he scatters frost like ashes. 17  He hurls down hail like crumbs —           who can stand before his cold? 18  He sends out his word, and melts them;           he makes his wind blow, and the waters flow. 19  He declares his word to Jacob,           his statutes and ordinances to Israel. 20  He has not dealt thus with any other nation;           they do not know his ordinances.      Praise the Lord! First Reading Joshua 9:3-21 3But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai, 4they on their part acted with cunning: they went and prepared provisions, and took worn-out sacks for their donkeys, and wineskins, worn-out and torn and mended, 5with worn-out, patched sandals on their feet, and worn-out clothes; and all their provisions were dry and moldy. 6They went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal, and said to him and to the Israelites, "We have come from a far country; so now make a treaty with us." 7But the Israelites said to the Hivites, "Perhaps you live among us; then how can we make a treaty with you?" 8They said to Joshua, "We are your servants." And Joshua said to them, "Who are you? And where do you come from?" 9They said to him, "Your servants have come from a very far country, because of the name of the LORD your God; for we have heard a report of him, of all that he did in Egypt, 10and of all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, King Sihon of Heshbon, and King Og of Bashan who lived in Ashtaroth. 11So our elders and all the inhabitants of our country said to us, 'Take provisions in your hand for the journey; go to meet them, and say to them, "We are your servants; come now, make a treaty with us."' 12Here is our bread; it was still warm when we took it from our houses as our food for the journey, on the day we set out to come to you, but now, see, it is dry and moldy; 13these wineskins were new when we filled them, and see, they are burst; and these garments and sandals of ours are worn out from the very long journey." 14So the leaders partook of their provisions, and did not ask direction from the LORD. 15And Joshua made peace with them, guaranteeing their lives by a treaty; and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them. 16But when three days had passed after they had made a treaty with them, they heard that they were their neighbors and were living among them. 17So the Israelites set out and reached their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim. 18But the Israelites did not attack them, because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by the LORD, the God of Israel. Then all the congregation murmured against the leaders. 19But all the leaders said to all the congregation, "We have sworn to them by the LORD, the God of Israel, and now we must not touch them. 20This is what we will do to them: We will let them live, so that wrath may not come upon us, because of the oath that we swore to them." 21The leaders said to them, "Let them live." So they became hewers of wood and drawers of water for all the congregation, as the leaders had decided concerning them. Second Reading Romans 15:1-13 1We who are strong ought to put up with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2Each of us must please our neighbor for the good purpose of building up the neighbor. 3For Christ did not please himself; but, as it is written, "The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me." 4For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope. 5May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, 6so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. 8For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of the truth of God in order that he might confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, "Therefore I will confess you among the Gentiles, and sing praises to your name"; 10and again he says, "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people"; 11and again, "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples praise him"; 12and again Isaiah says, "The root of Jesse shall come, the one who rises to rule the Gentiles; in him the Gentiles shall hope." 13May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Gospel Reading Matthew 26:69-75 69Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant-girl came to him and said, "You also were with Jesus the Galilean." 70But he denied it before all of them, saying, "I do not know what you are talking about." 71When he went out to the porch, another servant-girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, "This man was with Jesus of Nazareth." 72Again he denied it with an oath, "I do not know the man." 73After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, "Certainly you are also one of them, for your accent betrays you." 74Then he began to curse, and he swore an oath, "I do not know the man!" At that moment the cock crowed. 75Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said: "Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times." And he went out and wept bitterly. Evening Psalm 80 1   Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,           you who lead Joseph like a flock!      You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth 2        before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh.      Stir up your might,           and come to save us! 3   Restore us, O God;      let your face shine, that we may be saved. 4   O LORD God of hosts,           how long will you be angry with your people's prayers? 5   You have fed them with the bread of tears,           and given them tears to drink in full measure. 6   You make us the scorn of our neighbors;           our enemies laugh among themselves. 7   Restore us, O God of hosts;           let your face shine, that we may be saved. 8   You brought a vine out of Egypt;      you drove out the nations and planted it. 9   You cleared the ground for it;           it took deep root and filled the land. 10  The mountains were covered with its shade,           the mighty cedars with its branches; 11  it sent out its branches to the sea,           and its shoots to the River. 12  Why then have you broken down its walls,           so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit? 13  The boar from the forest ravages it,           and all that move in the field feed on it. 14  Turn again, O God of hosts;           look down from heaven, and see;      have regard for this vine, 15       the stock that your right hand planted. 16  They have burned it with fire, they have cut it down;           may they perish at the rebuke of your countenance. 17  But let your hand be upon the one at your right hand,           the one whom you made strong for yourself. 18  Then we will never turn back from you;           give us life, and we will call on your name. 19  Restore us, O LORD God of hosts;           let your face shine, that we may be saved. Evening Psalm 27 1   The LORD is my light and my salvation;           whom shall I fear?      The LORD is the stronghold of my life;           of whom shall I be afraid? 2   When evildoers assail me           to devour my flesh —      my adversaries and foes —           they shall stumble and fall. 3   Though an army encamp against me,           my heart shall not fear;      though war rise up against me,           yet I will be confident. 4   One thing I asked of the LORD,           that will I seek after:      to live in the house of the LORD           all the days of my life,      to behold the beauty of the LORD,           and to inquire in his temple. 5   For he will hide me in his shelter           in the day of trouble;      he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;           he will set me high on a rock. 6   Now my head is lifted up           above my enemies all around me,      and I will offer in his tent           sacrifices with shouts of joy;      I will sing and make melody to the LORD. 7   Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud,           be gracious to me and answer me! 8   “Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!”           Your face, LORD, do I seek. 9        Do not hide your face from me.      Do not turn your servant away in anger,           you who have been my help.      Do not cast me off, do not forsake me,           O God of my salvation! 10   If my father and mother forsake me,           the LORD will take me up. 11  Teach me your way, O LORD,           and lead me on a level path           because of my enemies. 12  Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries,           for false witnesses have risen against me,           and they are breathing out violence. 13  I believe that I shall see the goodness of the LORD           in the land of the living. 14   Wait for the LORD;           be strong, and let your heart take courage;           wait for the LORD!

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