Bible Readings for September 8, 2023

Let's read the Bible together in the next year. Today our passages are Isaiah 1:1–2:22; 2 Corinthians 10:1-18; Psalm 52:1-9; and Proverbs 22:26-27.  The readings are the Contemporary English Version. 

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Isaiah 1-2:22 (Contemporary English Version)

Isaiah 1

 ¹I am Isaiah, the son of Amoz.

   And this is the message ^[a] that I was given about Judah and Jerusalem when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were the kings of Judah: ^[b]

A Guilty Nation

 ²The LORD has said,

   "Listen, heaven and earth!

   The children I raised

   have turned against me.

    ³Oxen and donkeys know

   who owns and feeds them,

   but my people won't ever learn."

    ⁴Israel, you are a sinful nation

   loaded down with guilt.

   You are wicked and corrupt

   and have turned from the LORD,

   the holy God of Israel.

    ⁵Why be punished more?

   Why not give up your sin?

   Your head is badly bruised,

   and you are weak all over.

    ⁶From your head to your toes

   there isn't a healthy spot.

   Bruises, cuts, and open sores

   go without care

   or oil to ease the pain.   

A Country in Ruins

 ⁷Your country lies in ruins;

   your towns are in ashes.

   Foreigners and strangers

   take and destroy your land

   while you watch.

    ⁸Enemies surround Jerusalem,

   alone like a hut

   in a vineyard ^[c] or in a cucumber field.

    ⁹Zion would have disappeared

   like Sodom and Gomorrah, ^[d] if the LORD All-Powerful

   had not let a few

   of its people survive.   

Justice, Not Sacrifices

 ¹⁰You are no better

   than the leaders and people

   of Sodom and Gomorrah!

   So listen to the LORD God:

    ¹¹"Your sacrifices

   mean nothing to me.

   I am sick of your offerings

   of rams and choice cattle;

   I don't like the blood

   of bulls or lambs or goats.

    ¹²"Who asked you to bring all this

   when you come to worship me?

   Stay out of my temple!

    ¹³Your sacrifices are worthless,

   and incense is disgusting.

   I can't stand the evil you do

   on your New Moon Festivals

   or on your Sabbaths

   and other times of worship.

    ¹⁴I hate your New Moon Festivals

   and all others as well.

   They are a heavy burden

   I am tired of carrying.

    ¹⁵"No matter how much you pray,

   I won't listen.

   You are too violent.

    ¹⁶Wash yourselves clean!

   I am disgusted

   with your filthy deeds.

   Stop doing wrong

    ¹⁷and learn to live right.

   See that justice is done.

   Defend widows and orphans

   and help those in need." ^[e]

An Invitation from the LORD

 ¹⁸I, the LORD, invite you

   to come and talk it over.

   Your sins are scarlet red,

   but they will be whiter

   than snow or wool.

    ¹⁹If you willingly obey me,

   the best crops in the land

   will be yours.

    ²⁰But if you turn against me,

   your enemies will kill you.

   I, the LORD, have spoken.   

The LORD Condemns Jerusalem

 ²¹Jerusalem, you are like

   an unfaithful wife.

   Once your judges were honest

   and your people lived right;

   now you are a city

   full of murderers.

    ²²Your silver is fake,

   and your wine

   is watered down.

    ²³Your leaders have rejected me

   to become friends of crooks;

   your rulers are looking

   for gifts and bribes.

   Widows and orphans

   never get a fair trial.

    ²⁴I am the LORD All-Powerful,

   the mighty ruler of Israel,

   and I make you a promise:

   You are now my enemy,

   and I will show my anger

   by taking revenge on you.

    ²⁵I will punish you terribly

   and burn away everything

   that makes you unfit

   to worship me.

    ²⁶Jerusalem, I will choose

   judges and advisors

   like those you had before.

   Your new name will be

   "Justice and Faithfulness."   

The LORD Will Save Jerusalem

 ²⁷Jerusalem, you will be saved

   by showing justice; ^[f] Zion's people who turn to me

   will be saved

   by doing right.

    ²⁸But those rebellious sinners

   who turn against me, the LORD,

   will all disappear.

    ²⁹You will be made ashamed

   of those groves of trees

   where you worshiped idols.

    ³⁰You will be like a grove of trees

   dying in a drought.

    ³¹Your strongest leaders

   will be like dry wood

   set on fire by their idols. ^[g] No one will be able to help,

   as they all go up in flames.

   

Isaiah 2

Peace That Lasts Forever

 ¹This is the message ^[h] that I was given about Judah and Jerusalem: ²In the future, the mountain

   with the LORD's temple

   will be the highest of all.

   It will reach above the hills;

   every nation will rush to it.

    ³Many people will come and say,

   "Let's go to the mountain

   of the LORD God of Jacob

   and worship in his temple."

   The LORD will teach us his Law

   from Jerusalem,

   and we will obey him.

    ⁴He will settle arguments

   between nations.

   They will pound their swords

   and their spears

   into rakes and shovels;

   they will never make war

   or attack one another.

    ⁵People of Israel, let's live

   by the light of the LORD.   

Following Sinful Customs

 ⁶Our LORD, you have deserted

   your people, Israel,

   because they follow customs

   of nations from the east.

   They worship Philistine gods

   and are close friends

   of foreigners. ^[i] ⁷They have endless treasures

   of silver and gold;

   they have countless horses

   and war chariots.

    ⁸Everywhere in the country

   they worship the idols

   they have made.

    ⁹And so, all of them

   will be ashamed and disgraced.

   Don't help them!   

A Day of Judgment

 ¹⁰Every one of you,

   go hide among the rocks

   and in the ground,

   because the LORD is fearsome,

   marvelous, and glorious.

    ¹¹When the LORD comes,

   everyone who is proud

   will be made humble,

   and the LORD alone

   will be honored.

    ¹²The LORD All-Powerful

   has chosen a day

   when those who are proud

   and conceited

   will be put down.

    ¹³The tall and towering

   cedars of Lebanon

   will be destroyed.

   So will the oak trees of Bashan,

    ¹⁴all high mountains and hills,

    ¹⁵every strong fortress,

    ¹⁶all the seagoing ships, ^[j] and every beautiful boat.

    ¹⁷When that day comes,

   everyone who is proud

   will be put down.

   Only the LORD will be honored.

    ¹⁸Idols will be gone for good.

    ¹⁹You had better hide

   in caves and holes--

   the LORD will be fearsome,

   marvelous, and glorious

   when he comes to terrify

   people on earth.

    ²⁰On that day everyone will throw

   to the rats and bats

   their idols of silver and gold

   they made to worship.

    ²¹The LORD will be fearsome,

   marvelous, and glorious

   when he comes to terrify

   people on earth--

   they will hide in caves

   and in the hills.

    ²²Stop trusting the power

   of humans.

   They are all going to die,

   so how can they help?

   

Footnotes:

1. Isaiah 1:1 message: Or "vision."
2. Isaiah 1:1 kings of Judah: Uzziah (783-742 B.C.); Jotham (742-735 B.C.); Ahaz (735-715 B.C.); Hezekiah (715-687 B.C.).
3. Isaiah 1:8 a hut in a vineyard: When it was almost time for grapes to ripen, farmers would put up a temporary shelter or hut in the field or vineyard and stay there to keep thieves and wild animals away.
4. Isaiah 1:9 Sodom and Gomorrah: Two ancient cities of Palestine that God destroyed because the people were so wicked (see Genesis 19.1-29).
5. Isaiah 1:17 and help those in need: Or "and punish cruel people."
6. Isaiah 1:27 by showing justice: Or "by my saving power."
7. Isaiah 1:31 Your. . . idols: Or "Your wealth will be like dry wood, set on fire by its owners."
8. Isaiah 2:1 message: See the note at 1.1.
9. Isaiah 2:6 because. . . foreigners: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
10. Isaiah 2:16 seagoing ships: The Hebrew text has "ships of Tarshish," which may have been a Phoenician city in Spain. "Ships of Tarshish" probably means large, seagoing ships.

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2 Corinthians 10:1-18 (Contemporary English Version)

2 Corinthians 10

Paul Defends His Work for Christ

 ¹Do you think I am a coward when I am with you and brave when I am far away? Well, I ask you to listen, because Christ himself was humble and gentle. ²Some people have said that we act like the people of this world. So when I arrive, I expect I will have to be firm and forceful in what I say to them. Please don't make me treat you that way. ³We live in this world, but we don't act like its people ⁴or fight our battles with the weapons of this world. Instead, we use God's power that can destroy fortresses. We destroy arguments ⁵and every bit of pride that keeps anyone from knowing God. We capture people's thoughts and make them obey Christ. ⁶And when you completely obey him, we will punish anyone who refuses to obey.

    ⁷You judge by appearances. ^[a] If any of you think you are the only ones who belong to Christ, then think again. We belong to Christ as much as you do. ⁸Maybe I brag a little too much about the authority that the Lord gave me to help you and not to hurt you. Yet I am not embarrassed to brag. ⁹And I am not trying to scare you with my letters. ¹⁰Some of you are saying, "Paul's letters are harsh and powerful. But in person, he is a weakling and has nothing worth saying." ¹¹Those people had better understand that when I am with you, I will do exactly what I say in my letters. ¹²We won't dare compare ourselves with those who think so much of themselves. But they are foolish to compare themselves with themselves. ¹³We won't brag about something we don't have a right to brag about. We will only brag about the work that God has sent us to do, and you are part of that work. ¹⁴We are not bragging more than we should. After all, we did bring the message about Christ to you.

    ¹⁵We don't brag about what others have done, as if we had done those things ourselves. But I hope that as you become stronger in your faith, we will be able to reach many more of the people around you. ^[b] That has always been our goal. ¹⁶Then we will be able to preach the good news in other lands where we cannot take credit for work someone else has already done. ¹⁷The Scriptures say, "If you want to brag, then brag about the Lord." ¹⁸You may brag about yourself, but the only approval that counts is the Lord's approval.

Footnotes:

1. 2 Corinthians 10:7 You judge by appearances: Or "Take a close look at yourselves."
2. 2 Corinthians 10:15 we will be able to reach many more of the people around you: Or "you will praise us even more because of our work among you."

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Psalm 52:1-9 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 52

(A special psalm by David for the music leader. He wrote this when Doeg from Edom went to Saul and said, "David has gone to Ahimelech's house.")

God Is in Control

 ¹You people may be strong

   and brag about your sins,

   but God can be trusted

   day after day.

    ²You plan brutal crimes,

   and your lying words cut

   like a sharp razor.

    ³You would rather do evil

   than good,

   and tell lies

   than speak the truth.

    ⁴You love to say cruel things,

   and your words are a trap.

    ⁵God will destroy you forever!

   He will grab you and drag you

   from your homes.

   You will be uprooted

   and left to die.

    ⁶When good people see

   this fearsome sight,

   they will laugh and say,

    ⁷"Just look at them now!

   Instead of trusting God,

   they trusted their wealth

   and their cruelty."

    ⁸But I am like an olive tree

   growing in God's house,

   and I can count on his love

   forever and ever.

    ⁹I will always thank God

   for what he has done;

   I will praise his good name

   when his people meet.

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Proverbs 22:26-27 (Contemporary English Version)

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 ²⁶ Don't guarantee to pay

   someone else's debt.

    ²⁷If you don't have the money,

   you might lose your bed.

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Thought for the Day

 

“You are my God. Show me what you want me to do, and let your gentle Spirit lead me in the right path.” (Psalm 143:10 - Contemporary English Version) If we pray for direction, I think God's answer is clear. You see, he tells us to love one another, and he surrounds us with men and women who desperately need our compassion and mercy.

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Quote for the Day

American actor on stage, screen and radio, John Barrymore wrote, "Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn't know you left open."

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A Joke for Today

"Did you tell her that what you said was in strict confidence?"

"No, I didn't want her to think it was important enough to repeat."

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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 we look past their differences and unite as a country.