Let's read the Bible together in the next year. Today our passages are Jeremiah 1:1–2:30; Philippians 4:1-23; Psalm 75:1-10; and Proverbs 24:17-20. The readings are the Contemporary English Version.
Jeremiah 1-2:30 (Contemporary English Version)
Jeremiah 1
1My name is Jeremiah. I am a priest, and my father Hilkiah and everyone else in my family are from Anathoth in the territory of the Benjamin tribe. This book contains the things that the LORD told me to say. 2The LORD first spoke to me in the thirteenth year that Josiah a] was king of Judah, 3and he continued to speak to me during the rule of Josiah's son Jehoiakim. b] The last time the LORD spoke to me was in the fifth month c] of the eleventh year that Josiah's son Zedekiah d] was king. That was also when the people of Jerusalem were taken away as prisoners.
The LORD Chooses Jeremiah
4The LORD said: 5"Jeremiah, I am your Creator,
and before you were born,
I chose you to speak for me
to the nations."
6I replied, "I'm not a good speaker, LORD, and I'm too young."
7"Don't say you're too young," the LORD answered. "If I tell you to go and speak to someone, then go! And when I tell you what to say, don't leave out a word! 8I promise to be with you and keep you safe, so don't be afraid."
9The LORD reached out his hand, then he touched my mouth and said, "I am giving you the words to say, 10and I am sending you with authority to speak to the nations for me. You will tell them of doom and destruction, and of rising and rebuilding again."
11The LORD showed me something in a vision. Then he asked, "What do you see, Jeremiah?"
I answered, "A branch of almonds that ripen early."
12"That's right," the LORD replied, "and I always rise early e] to keep a promise." 13Then the LORD showed me something else and asked, "What do you see now?"
I answered, "I see a pot of boiling water in the north, and it's about to spill out toward us."
14The LORD said:
I will pour out destruction
all over the land.
15Just watch while I send
for the kings of the north.
They will attack and capture
Jerusalem and other towns,
then set up their thrones
at the gates of Jerusalem.
16I will punish my people,
because they are guilty
of turning from me
to worship idols.
17Jeremiah, get ready!
Go and tell the people
what I command you to say.
Don't be frightened by them,
or I will make you terrified
while they watch.
18My power will make you strong
like a fortress
or a column of iron
or a wall of bronze.
You will oppose all of Judah,
including its kings and leaders,
its priests and people.
19They will fight back,
but they won't win.
I, the LORD, give my word--
I won't let them harm you.
and before you were born,
I chose you to speak for me
to the nations."
6I replied, "I'm not a good speaker, LORD, and I'm too young."
7"Don't say you're too young," the LORD answered. "If I tell you to go and speak to someone, then go! And when I tell you what to say, don't leave out a word! 8I promise to be with you and keep you safe, so don't be afraid."
9The LORD reached out his hand, then he touched my mouth and said, "I am giving you the words to say, 10and I am sending you with authority to speak to the nations for me. You will tell them of doom and destruction, and of rising and rebuilding again."
11The LORD showed me something in a vision. Then he asked, "What do you see, Jeremiah?"
I answered, "A branch of almonds that ripen early."
12"That's right," the LORD replied, "and I always rise early e] to keep a promise." 13Then the LORD showed me something else and asked, "What do you see now?"
I answered, "I see a pot of boiling water in the north, and it's about to spill out toward us."
14The LORD said:
I will pour out destruction
all over the land.
15Just watch while I send
for the kings of the north.
They will attack and capture
Jerusalem and other towns,
then set up their thrones
at the gates of Jerusalem.
16I will punish my people,
because they are guilty
of turning from me
to worship idols.
17Jeremiah, get ready!
Go and tell the people
what I command you to say.
Don't be frightened by them,
or I will make you terrified
while they watch.
18My power will make you strong
like a fortress
or a column of iron
or a wall of bronze.
You will oppose all of Judah,
including its kings and leaders,
its priests and people.
19They will fight back,
but they won't win.
I, the LORD, give my word--
I won't let them harm you.
Jeremiah 2
Israel's Unfaithfulness
1The LORD told me 2to go to Jerusalem and tell everyone that he had said: When you were my young bride,
you loved me
and followed me
through the barren desert.
3You belonged to me alone,
like the first part of the harvest,
and I severely punished
those who mistreated you.
4Listen, people of Israel, f] 5and I, the LORD, will speak.
I was never unfair
to your ancestors,
but they left me
and became worthless
by following worthless idols.
6Your ancestors refused
to ask for my help,
though I had rescued them
from Egypt
and led them through
a treacherous, barren desert,
where no one lives
or dares to travel.
7I brought you here to my land,
where food is abundant,
but you made my land filthy
with your sins.
8The priests who teach my laws
don't care to know me.
Your leaders rebel against me;
your prophets
give messages from Baal
and worship false gods.
you loved me
and followed me
through the barren desert.
3You belonged to me alone,
like the first part of the harvest,
and I severely punished
those who mistreated you.
4Listen, people of Israel, f] 5and I, the LORD, will speak.
I was never unfair
to your ancestors,
but they left me
and became worthless
by following worthless idols.
6Your ancestors refused
to ask for my help,
though I had rescued them
from Egypt
and led them through
a treacherous, barren desert,
where no one lives
or dares to travel.
7I brought you here to my land,
where food is abundant,
but you made my land filthy
with your sins.
8The priests who teach my laws
don't care to know me.
Your leaders rebel against me;
your prophets
give messages from Baal
and worship false gods.
The LORD Accuses His People
9I will take you to court and accuse you
and your descendants
10of a crime that no nation
has ever committed before.
Just ask anyone, anywhere,
from the eastern deserts
to the islands in the west.
11You will find that no nation
has ever abandoned its gods
even though they were false.
I am the true and glorious God,
but you have rejected me
to worship idols.
12Tell the heavens
to tremble with fear!
13You, my people, have sinned
in two ways--
you have rejected me,
the source
of life-giving water,
and you've tried to collect water
in cracked and leaking pits
dug in the ground.
14People of Israel,
you weren't born slaves;
you were captured in war.
15Enemies roared like lions
and destroyed your land;
towns lie burned and empty.
16Soldiers from the Egyptian towns
of Memphis and Tahpanhes
have cracked your skulls.
17It's all your own fault!
You stopped following me,
the LORD your God,
18and you trusted the power
of Egypt and Assyria. g] 19Your own sins will punish you,
because it was a bitter mistake
for you to reject me
without fear of punishment.
I, the LORD All-Powerful,
have spoken.
20Long ago you left me
and broke all ties between us,
refusing to be my servant.
Now you worship other gods
by having sex
on hilltops or in the shade
of large trees. h] 21You were a choice grapevine,
but now you produce nothing
but small, rotten grapes.
and your descendants
10of a crime that no nation
has ever committed before.
Just ask anyone, anywhere,
from the eastern deserts
to the islands in the west.
11You will find that no nation
has ever abandoned its gods
even though they were false.
I am the true and glorious God,
but you have rejected me
to worship idols.
12Tell the heavens
to tremble with fear!
13You, my people, have sinned
in two ways--
you have rejected me,
the source
of life-giving water,
and you've tried to collect water
in cracked and leaking pits
dug in the ground.
14People of Israel,
you weren't born slaves;
you were captured in war.
15Enemies roared like lions
and destroyed your land;
towns lie burned and empty.
16Soldiers from the Egyptian towns
of Memphis and Tahpanhes
have cracked your skulls.
17It's all your own fault!
You stopped following me,
the LORD your God,
18and you trusted the power
of Egypt and Assyria. g] 19Your own sins will punish you,
because it was a bitter mistake
for you to reject me
without fear of punishment.
I, the LORD All-Powerful,
have spoken.
20Long ago you left me
and broke all ties between us,
refusing to be my servant.
Now you worship other gods
by having sex
on hilltops or in the shade
of large trees. h] 21You were a choice grapevine,
but now you produce nothing
but small, rotten grapes.
Israel Is Stained with Guilt
22The LORD said: People of Israel,
you are stained with guilt,
and no soap or bleach
can wash it away.
23You deny your sins
and say, "We aren't unclean.
We haven't worshiped Baal." i] But think about what you do
in Hinnom Valley. j] And you run back and forth
like young camels,
as you rush to worship one idol
after another.
24You are a female donkey
sniffing the desert air,
wanting to mate
with just anyone.
You are an easy catch!
25Your shoes are worn out,
and your throat is parched
from running here and there
to worship foreign gods.
"Stop!" I shouted,
but you replied, "No!
I love those gods too much."
26You and your leaders
are more disgraceful
than thieves--
you and your kings,
your priests and prophets
27worship stone idols
and sacred poles
as if they had created you
and had given you life.
You have rejected me,
but when you're in trouble,
you cry to me for help.
28Go cry to the gods you made!
There should be enough of them
to save you,
because Judah has as many gods
as it has towns.
you are stained with guilt,
and no soap or bleach
can wash it away.
23You deny your sins
and say, "We aren't unclean.
We haven't worshiped Baal." i] But think about what you do
in Hinnom Valley. j] And you run back and forth
like young camels,
as you rush to worship one idol
after another.
24You are a female donkey
sniffing the desert air,
wanting to mate
with just anyone.
You are an easy catch!
25Your shoes are worn out,
and your throat is parched
from running here and there
to worship foreign gods.
"Stop!" I shouted,
but you replied, "No!
I love those gods too much."
26You and your leaders
are more disgraceful
than thieves--
you and your kings,
your priests and prophets
27worship stone idols
and sacred poles
as if they had created you
and had given you life.
You have rejected me,
but when you're in trouble,
you cry to me for help.
28Go cry to the gods you made!
There should be enough of them
to save you,
because Judah has as many gods
as it has towns.
Israel Rebels against the LORD
29The LORD said to Israel: You accuse me of not saving you,
but I say you have rebelled.
30I tried punishing you,
but you refused
to come back to me,
and like fierce lions
you killed my prophets.
Footnotes:- Jeremiah 1:2 Josiah: Ruled 640-609 B.C.
- Jeremiah 1:3 Jehoiakim: Ruled 609-598 B.C.
- Jeremiah 1:3 fifth month: Ab, the fifth month of the Hebrew calendar, from about mid-July to mid-August.
- Jeremiah 1:3 Zedekiah: Ruled 598-586 B.C.
- Jeremiah 1:12 almonds. . . rise early: In Hebrew "almonds that ripen early" sounds like "always rise early."
- Jeremiah 2:4 Israel: After the nation was divided, the northern kingdom was called "Israel," and the southern kingdom was called "Judah" (see 1 Kings 12.1-20). In 722 B.C. the Assyrians conquered the northern kingdom, and Judah was all that was left. And so in the book of Jeremiah the name "Israel" is most often used of the southern kingdom.
- Jeremiah 2:18 trusted. . . Assyria: Hebrew "went to Egypt and drank from the Shihor River, and you went to Assyria and drank from the Euphrates River."
- Jeremiah 2:20 having sex. . . trees: In some Canaanite religions, worshipers had sex with temple prostitutes, who represented their gods; many of the Canaanite places of worship were on hilltops or under large trees.
- Jeremiah 2:23 Baal: The Hebrew text has "the Baals," probably because the god Baal was believed to be present in different forms at different places of worship.
- Jeremiah 2:23 Hinnom Valley: Hebrew "the valley" (see 7.31-32; 19.1-6).
but I say you have rebelled.
30I tried punishing you,
but you refused
to come back to me,
and like fierce lions
you killed my prophets.
Footnotes:
- Jeremiah 1:2 Josiah: Ruled 640-609 B.C.
- Jeremiah 1:3 Jehoiakim: Ruled 609-598 B.C.
- Jeremiah 1:3 fifth month: Ab, the fifth month of the Hebrew calendar, from about mid-July to mid-August.
- Jeremiah 1:3 Zedekiah: Ruled 598-586 B.C.
- Jeremiah 1:12 almonds. . . rise early: In Hebrew "almonds that ripen early" sounds like "always rise early."
- Jeremiah 2:4 Israel: After the nation was divided, the northern kingdom was called "Israel," and the southern kingdom was called "Judah" (see 1 Kings 12.1-20). In 722 B.C. the Assyrians conquered the northern kingdom, and Judah was all that was left. And so in the book of Jeremiah the name "Israel" is most often used of the southern kingdom.
- Jeremiah 2:18 trusted. . . Assyria: Hebrew "went to Egypt and drank from the Shihor River, and you went to Assyria and drank from the Euphrates River."
- Jeremiah 2:20 having sex. . . trees: In some Canaanite religions, worshipers had sex with temple prostitutes, who represented their gods; many of the Canaanite places of worship were on hilltops or under large trees.
- Jeremiah 2:23 Baal: The Hebrew text has "the Baals," probably because the god Baal was believed to be present in different forms at different places of worship.
- Jeremiah 2:23 Hinnom Valley: Hebrew "the valley" (see 7.31-32; 19.1-6).
Philippians 4:1-23 (Contemporary English Version)
Philippians 4
1Dear friends, I love you and long to see you. Please keep on being faithful to the Lord. You are my pride and joy.
Paul Encourages the Lord's Followers
2Euodia and Syntyche, you belong to the Lord, so I beg you to stop arguing with each other. 3And, my true partner, a] I ask you to help them. These women have worked together with me and with Clement and with the others in spreading the good news. Their names are now written in the book of life. b] 4Always be glad because of the Lord! I will say it again: Be glad. 5Always be gentle with others. The Lord will soon be here. 6Don't worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. 7Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel. 8Finally, my friends, keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper. Don't ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise. 9You know the teachings I gave you, and you know what you heard me say and saw me do. So follow my example. And God, who gives peace, will be with you.
Paul Gives Thanks for the Gifts He Was Given
10The Lord has made me very grateful that at last you have thought about me once again. Actually, you were thinking about me all along, but you didn't have any chance to show it. 11I am not complaining about having too little. I have learned to be satisfied with c] whatever I have. 12I know what it is to be poor or to have plenty, and I have lived under all kinds of conditions. I know what it means to be full or to be hungry, to have too much or too little.13Christ gives me the strength to face anything. 14It was good of you to help me when I was having such a hard time. 15My friends at Philippi, you remember what it was like when I started preaching the good news in Macedonia. d] After I left there, you were the only church that became my partner by giving blessings and by receiving them in return. 16Even when I was in Thessalonica, you helped me more than once. 17I am not trying to get something from you, but I want you to receive the blessings that come from giving. 18I have been paid back everything, and with interest. I am completely satisfied with the gifts that you had Epaphroditus bring me. They are like a sweet-smelling offering or like the right kind of sacrifice that pleases God. 19I pray that God will take care of all your needs with the wonderful blessings that come from Christ Jesus! 20May God our Father be praised forever and ever. Amen.
Final Greetings
21Give my greetings to all who are God's people because of Christ Jesus. The Lord's followers here with me send you their greetings.
22All of God's people send their greetings, especially those in the service of the Emperor.
23I pray that our Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you and will bless your life!
Footnotes:- Philippians 4:3 partner: Or "Syzygus," a person's name.
- Philippians 4:3 the book of life: A book in which the names of God's people are written.
- Philippians 4:11 be satisfied with: Or "get by on."
- Philippians 4:15 when I started preaching the good news in Macedonia: Paul is talking about his first visit to Philippi (see Acts 16.12-40).
22All of God's people send their greetings, especially those in the service of the Emperor.
23I pray that our Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you and will bless your life!
Footnotes:
- Philippians 4:3 partner: Or "Syzygus," a person's name.
- Philippians 4:3 the book of life: A book in which the names of God's people are written.
- Philippians 4:11 be satisfied with: Or "get by on."
- Philippians 4:15 when I started preaching the good news in Macedonia: Paul is talking about his first visit to Philippi (see Acts 16.12-40).
Psalm 75:1-10 (Contemporary English Version)
Psalm 75
(A psalm and a song by Asaph for the music leader. To the tune "Don't Destroy." (Psalm 75 Don't Destroy: See the note at Psalm 57.) )
Praise God for All He Has Done
1Our God, we thank you for being so near to us!
Everyone celebrates
your wonderful deeds.
2You have set a time
to judge with fairness.
3The earth trembles,
and its people shake;
you alone keep
its foundations firm.
4You tell every bragger,
"Stop bragging!"
And to the wicked you say,
"Don't boast of your power!
5Stop bragging! Quit telling me
how great you are."
6Our LORD and our God,
victory doesn't come
from the east or the west
or from the desert.
7You are the one who judges.
You can take away power
and give it to others.
8You hold in your hand
a cup filled with wine, a] strong and foaming.
You will pour out some
for every sinful person
on this earth,
and they will have to drink
until it is gone.
9But I will always tell about
you, the God of Jacob,
and I will sing your praise.
10Our Lord, you will destroy
the power of evil people,
but you will give strength
to those who are good.
Footnotes:- Psalm 75:8 a cup. . . wine: In the Old Testament " a cup filled with wine" sometimes stands for God's anger.
Everyone celebrates
your wonderful deeds.
2You have set a time
to judge with fairness.
3The earth trembles,
and its people shake;
you alone keep
its foundations firm.
4You tell every bragger,
"Stop bragging!"
And to the wicked you say,
"Don't boast of your power!
5Stop bragging! Quit telling me
how great you are."
6Our LORD and our God,
victory doesn't come
from the east or the west
or from the desert.
7You are the one who judges.
You can take away power
and give it to others.
8You hold in your hand
a cup filled with wine, a] strong and foaming.
You will pour out some
for every sinful person
on this earth,
and they will have to drink
until it is gone.
9But I will always tell about
you, the God of Jacob,
and I will sing your praise.
10Our Lord, you will destroy
the power of evil people,
but you will give strength
to those who are good.
Footnotes:
- Psalm 75:8 a cup. . . wine: In the Old Testament " a cup filled with wine" sometimes stands for God's anger.
Proverbs 24:17-20 (Contemporary English Version)
-28-
17 Don't be happy to see your enemies trip
and fall down.
18The LORD will find out
and be unhappy.
Then he will stop
being angry with them.
and fall down.
18The LORD will find out
and be unhappy.
Then he will stop
being angry with them.
-29-
19 Don't let evil people worry you
or make you jealous.
20They will soon be gone
like the flame of a lamp
that burns out.
or make you jealous.
20They will soon be gone
like the flame of a lamp
that burns out.
Thought for the Day
“Praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is so good, and by raising Jesus from death, he has given us new life and a hope that lives on.” (1 Peter 1:3 - Contemporary English Version) The resurrection offers us hope for the future. You see, because the tomb of Christ was empty, we can be confident that one day, ours will be too. 
Thought for the Day
Quote for the Day
British primatologist and anthropologist, Jane Goodall wrote, "Chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans have been living for hundreds of thousands of years in their forest, living fantastic lives, never overpopulating, never destroying the forest. I would say that they have been in a way more successful than us as far as being in harmony with the environment."
A Joke for Today
A Joke for Today
My 5-year-old nephew, Felix, wanted to caddy for my brother's golf game.
"You have to count my strokes," my brother told him. "How much is six plus nine plus eight?"
"Five," answered Felix.
"Okay," my brother said, "let's go."
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 put aside partisan differences so that we can address the problem of gun-violence.
A Prayer Request
That we put aside partisan differences so that we can address the problem of gun-violence.
