Tuesday, December 7, 2021

Bible Readings for December 7, 2021

Let's read the Bible together in the next year. Today our passages are Hosea 6:1–9:17; 3 John 1-14; Psalm 126:1-6; and Proverbs 29:12-14. The readings are the Contemporary English Version.  


Hosea 6-9:17 (Contemporary English Version)


Hosea 6

The LORD's People Speak

 1Let's return to the LORD.   He has torn us to shreds,
   but he will bandage our wounds
   and make us well.
    2In two or three days
   he will heal us
   and restore our strength
   that we may live with him.
    3Let's do our best
   to know the LORD.
   His coming is as certain
   as the morning sun;
   he will refresh us like rain
   renewing the earth
   in the springtime.   

The LORD Speaks to Israel and Judah

 4People of Israel and Judah,   what can I do with you?
   Your love for me disappears
   more quickly
   than mist
   or dew at sunrise.
    5That's why I slaughtered you
   with the words
   of my prophets.
   That's why my judgments blazed
   like the dawning sun. a] 6I'd rather for you to be faithful
   and to know me
   than to offer sacrifices.
    7At a place named Adam,
   you b] betrayed me by breaking our agreement.
    8Everyone in Gilead is evil;
   your hands are stained
   with the blood of victims. c] 9You priests are like a gang
   of robbers in ambush. d] On the road to Shechem e] you murder
   and commit
   other horrible crimes.
    10I have seen a terrible thing
   in Israel--
   you are unfaithful
   and unfit to worship me.
    11People of Judah,
   your time is coming too.
   I, the LORD, would like to make
   my nation prosper again
   

Hosea 7

The LORD Wants To Help Israel

 1and to heal its wounds.   But then I see the crimes
   in Israel f] and Samaria. Everyone is deceitful;
   robbers roam the streets.
    2No one realizes
   that I have seen their sins
   surround them
   like a flood.
    3The king and his officials
   take great pleasure
   in their sin and deceit.
    4Everyone burns with desire--
   they are like coals in an oven,
   ready to burst into flames.
    5On the day their king
   was crowned,
   his officials got him drunk,
   and he joined
   in their foolishness. g] 6Their anger is a fire
   that smolders all night,
   then flares up at dawn.
    7They are flames
   destroying their leaders.
   And their kings are powerless;
   none of them trust me.
    8The people of Israel h] have mixed with foreigners;
   they are a thin piece of bread
   scorched on one side.
    9They don't seem to realize
   how weak and feeble they are;
   their hair has turned gray,
   while foreigners rule.
    10I am the LORD, their God,
   but in all of their troubles
   their pride keeps them
   from returning to me.   

No Help from Foreign Nations
The LORD said:

 11Israel i] is a senseless bird, fluttering back and forth   between Egypt and Assyria.
    12But I will catch them in a net
   as hunters trap birds;
   I threatened to punish them,
   and indeed I will. j] 13Trouble and destruction
   will be their reward
   for rejecting me.
   I would have rescued them,
   but they told me lies.
    14They don't really pray to me;
   they just howl in their beds.
   They have rejected me for Baal
   and slashed themselves, k] in the hope that Baal
   will bless their crops.
    15I taught them what they know,
   and I made them strong.
   Now they plot against me
    16and refuse to obey. l] They are more useless
   than a crooked arrow.
   Their leaders will die in war
   for saying foolish things.
   Egyptians will laugh at them.
   

Hosea 8

Israel Rejects the LORD
The LORD said:

 1Sound a warning!   Israel, you broke our agreement
   and ignored my teaching.
   Now an eagle is swooping down
   to attack my land.
    2Israel, you say, " We claim you,
   the LORD, as our God."
    3But your enemies
   will chase you
   for rejecting
   our good agreement. m] 4You chose kings and leaders
   without consulting me;
   you made silver and gold idols
   that led to your downfall.
    5City of Samaria, I'm angry
   because of your idol
   in the shape of a calf.
   When will you ever
   be innocent again?
    6Someone from Israel built
   that idol for you,
   but only I am God.
   And so it will be smashed
   to pieces. n] 7If you scatter wind
   instead of wheat,
   you will harvest a whirlwind
   and have no wheat.
   Even if you harvest grain,
   enemies will steal it all.
    8Israel, you are ruined,
   and now the nations
   consider you worthless.
    9You are like a wild donkey
   that goes its own way.
   You've run off to Assyria
   and hired them as allies.
    10You can bargain with nations,
   but I'll catch you anyway.
   Soon you will suffer abuse
   by kings and rulers.
    11Israel, you have built
   many altars
   where you offer
   sacrifices for sin.
   But these altars have become
   places for sin.
    12My instructions for sacrifices
   were written in detail,
   but you ignored them.
    13You sacrifice your best animals
   and eat the sacrificial meals, o] but I, the LORD,
   refuse your offerings.
   I will remember your sins
   and punish you.
   Then you will return to Egypt. p] 14Israel, I created you,
   but you forgot me.
   You and Judah built palaces
   and many strong cities. q] Now I will send fire to destroy
   your towns and fortresses.
   

Hosea 9

Israel Will Be Punished

 1Israel, don't celebrate   or make noisy shouts r] like other nations.
   You have been unfaithful
   to your God.
   Wherever grain is threshed,
   you behave like prostitutes
   because you enjoy
   the money you receive. s] 2But you will run short
   of grain and wine,
    3and you will have to leave
   the land of the LORD.
   Some of you will go to Egypt;
   others will go to Assyria
   and eat unclean food.
    4You won't be able to offer
   sacrifices of wine
   to the LORD.
   None of your sacrifices
   will please him--
   they will be unclean
   like food offered to the dead.
   Your food will only be used
   to satisfy your hunger;
   none of it will be brought
   to the LORD's temple.
    5You will no longer be able
   to celebrate the festival
   of the LORD. t] 6Even if you escape alive,
   you will end up in Egypt
   and be buried in Memphis. u] Your silver treasures
   will be lost among weeds; v] thorns will sprout in your tents.
    7Israel, the time has come.
   You will get what you deserve,
   and you will know it.
   " Prophets are fools," you say.
   " And God's messengers
   are crazy."
   Your terrible guilt
   has filled you with hatred.
    8Israel, the LORD sent me
   to look after you. w] But you trap his prophets
   and flood his temple
   with your hatred.
    9You are brutal and corrupt,
   as were the men of Gibeah. x] But God remembers your sin,
   and you will be punished.  

Sin's Terrible Results

 10Israel, when I, the LORD,   found you long ago
   it was like finding
   grapes in a barren desert
   or tender young figs.
   Then you worshiped Baal Peor,
   that disgusting idol,
   and you became as disgusting
   as the idol you loved.
    11And so, Israel, your glory
   will fly away like birds--
   your women will no longer
   be able to give birth.
    12Even if you do have children,
   I will take them all
   and leave you to mourn.
   I will turn away,
   and you will sink down
   in deep trouble.
    13Israel, when I first met you,
   I thought of you as palm trees
   growing in fertile ground. y] Now you lead your people out,
   only to be slaughtered.  

Hosea's Advice

 14Our LORD, do just one thing   for your people--
   make their women unable
   to have children
   or to nurse their babies.  

The LORD's Judgment on Israel

 15Israel, I first began   to hate you
   because
   you did evil at Gilgal. z] Now I will chase you
   out of my house.
   No longer will I love you;
   your leaders betrayed me.
    16Israel, you are a vine
   with dried-up roots
   and fruitless branches.
   Even if you had more children
   and loved them dearly,
   I would slaughter them all.   

Hosea Warns Israel

 17Israel, you disobeyed my God.   Now he will force you to roam
   from nation to nation. 
Footnotes:
  1. Hosea 6:5 That's why my. . . sun: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  2. Hosea 6:7 At. . . you: Or " Like Adam, you" or " Each one of you."
  3. Hosea 6:8 your hands. . . victims: This may refer to child sacrifice.
  4. Hosea 6:9 You. . . ambush: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  5. Hosea 6:9 Shechem: This was one of the towns where people could run for safety, if they had accidentally killed someone (see Joshua 20.1-9).
  6. Hosea 7:1 Israel: See the note at 4.17. Samaria was the capital city of Israel.
  7. Hosea 7:5 foolishness: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 5.
  8. Hosea 7:8 Israel: Hebrew " Ephraim" (see the note at 4.17).
  9. Hosea 7:11 Israel: Hebrew " Ephraim" (see the note at 4.17).
  10. Hosea 7:12 I threatened. . . will: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  11. Hosea 7:14 slashed themselves: One ancient translation and some Hebrew manuscripts; other Hebrew manuscripts " gather together." Slashing themselves was one way of worshiping Baal (see 1 Kings 18.28).
  12. Hosea 7:16 and. . . obey: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  13. Hosea 8:3 our good agreement: Or " me, the Good One" (referring to God).
  14. Hosea 8:6 smashed to pieces: Or " destroyed by fire."
  15. Hosea 8:13 sacrifice. . . sacrificial meals: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. Two kinds of sacrifices are referred to: Those in which the whole animal is burned on the altar (" whole burnt offerings" in traditional translations) and those in which part is eaten by the worshipers (" fellowship offerings" in traditional translations).
  16. Hosea 8:13 return to Egypt: Either as slaves or to find help against Assyria.
  17. Hosea 8:14 built palaces. . . cities: They did this because they no longer trusted the LORD to protect them. " Palaces" may also mean " temples."
  18. Hosea 9:1 or. . . shouts: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  19. Hosea 9:1 Wherever. . . receive: Grain was threshed on hills or other places where the wind could blow away the husks. People also met at these places to worship Baal, the god they thought had given them the grain harvest.
  20. Hosea 9:5 festival of the LORD: Probably the Festival of Shelters.
  21. Hosea 9:6 Memphis: An Egyptian city with a famous cemetery.
  22. Hosea 9:6 Your silver. . . weeds: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  23. Hosea 9:8 Israel. . . you: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  24. Hosea 9:9 the men of Gibeah: They raped and murdered a woman (see Judges 19).
  25. Hosea 9:13 Israel, when. . . ground: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  26. Hosea 9:15 Gilgal: See 4.15.



3 John 1-14 (Contemporary English Version)

3 John 1


 1From the church leader. a] To my dear friend Gaius.   I love you because we follow the truth, 2dear friend, and I pray that all goes well for you. I hope that you are as strong in body, as I know you are in spirit. 3It makes me very happy when the Lord's followers come by and speak openly of how you obey the truth. 4Nothing brings me greater happiness than to hear that my children b] are obeying the truth.
Working Together
 5Dear friend, you have always been faithful in helping other followers of the Lord, even the ones you didn't know before. 6They have told the church about your love. They say you were good enough to welcome them and to send them on their mission in a way that God's servants deserve. 7When they left to tell others about the Lord, they decided not to accept help from anyone who wasn't a follower. 8We must support people like them, so that we can take part in what they are doing to spread the truth.    9I wrote to the church. But Diotrephes likes to be the number-one leader, and he won't pay any attention to us. 10So if I come, I will remind him of how he has been attacking us with gossip. Not only has he been doing this, but he refuses to welcome any of the Lord's followers who come by. And when other church members want to welcome them, he puts them out of the church.
    11Dear friend, don't copy the evil deeds of others! Follow the example of people who do kind deeds. They are God's children, but those who are always doing evil have never seen God.
    12Everyone speaks well of Demetrius, and so does the true message that he teaches. I also speak well of him, and you know what I say is true.   
Final Greetings
 13I have much more to say to you, but I don't want to write it with pen and ink. 14I hope to see you soon, and then we can talk in person.    15I pray that God will bless you with peace!
   Your friends send their greetings. Please give a personal greeting to each of our friends. 
Footnotes:
  1. 3 John 1:1 church leader: Or "elder" or "presbyter" or "priest."
  2. 3 John 1:4 children: Probably persons that the leader had led to be followers of the Lord.

Psalm 126:1-6 (Contemporary English Version)


Psalm 126

(A song for worship.)
Celebrating the Harvest

 1It seemed like a dream   when the LORD brought us back
   to the city of Zion. a] 2We celebrated with laughter
   and joyful songs.
   In foreign nations it was said,
   "The LORD has worked miracles
   for his people."
    3And so we celebrated
   because the LORD had indeed
   worked miracles for us.
    4Our LORD, we ask you to bless
   our people again,
   and let us be like streams
   in the Southern Desert.
    5We cried as we went out
   to plant our seeds.
   Now let us celebrate
   as we bring in the crops.
    6We cried on the way
   to plant our seeds,
   but we will celebrate and shout
   as we bring in the crops. 
Footnotes:
  1. Psalm 126:1 brought. . . Zion: Or " made the city of Zion prosperous again."


Proverbs 29:12-14 (Contemporary English Version)


12A ruler who listens to lies
   will have corrupt officials.
    13The poor and all who abuse them
   must each depend on God
   for light.
    14Kings who are fair to the poor
   will rule forever.






Thought for the Day
 

“Jesus then said, 'I am the one who raises the dead to life! Everyone who has faith in me will live, even if they die.'” (John 11:25 - Contemporary English Version) Through Jesus Christ, we have eternal life. And when we make the decision to trust that he's the one he claimed to be, we can experience some of that eternal life right now.


Quote for the Day


American politician and attorney, Bob Dole wrote, “Something is wrong with America. I wonder sometimes what people are thinking about or if they're thinking at all.”


Joke for Today

Victim (after burglary): They stole everything from my house but the soap and towels.

Policeman: Why, those dirty crooks!























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 loving families would be valued and protected by all authorities in this nation.

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