Wednesday, December 23, 2020
Isaiah 21:1–17
1An oracle concerning the Desert by the Sea:
Like whirlwinds
sweeping through the southland, an invader comes from the desert, from a land
of terror.
2A dire vision has been shown to me: The traitor
betrays, the looter takes loot. Elam, attack! Media, lay siege! I will bring to
an end all the groaning she caused.
3At this my body is racked with pain, pangs seize me,
like those of a woman in labor; I am staggered by what I hear, I am bewildered
by what I see. 4My heart falters, fear makes me tremble; the
twilight I longed for has become a horror to me.
5They set the tables, they spread the rugs, they eat,
they drink! Get up, you officers, oil the shields!
6This is what the Lord says to me:
"Go, post a
lookout and have him report what he sees. 7When he sees chariots
with teams of horses, riders on donkeys or riders on camels, let him be alert,
fully alert."
8And the lookout shouted,
"Day after day,
my lord, I stand on the watchtower; every night I stay at my post. 9Look,
here comes a man in a chariot with a team of horses. And he gives back the
answer: 'Babylon has fallen, has fallen! All the images of its gods lie
shattered on the ground!' "
10O my people, crushed on the threshing floor, I tell
you what I have heard from the LORD Almighty, from the God of Israel.
11An oracle concerning Dumah:
Someone calls to me
from Seir, "Watchman, what is left of the night? Watchman, what is left of
the night?" 12The watchman replies, "Morning is coming,
but also the night. If you would ask, then ask; and come back yet again."
13An oracle concerning Arabia:
You caravans of
Dedanites, who camp in the thickets of Arabia, 14bring water for the
thirsty; you who live in Tema, bring food for the fugitives. 15They
flee from the sword, from the drawn sword, from the bent bow and from the heat
of battle.
16This is what the Lord says to me: "Within one
year, as a servant bound by contract would count it, all the pomp of Kedar will
come to an end. 17The survivors of the bowmen, the warriors of
Kedar, will be few." The LORD, the God of Israel, has spoken.
Psalm
145
1A psalm of
praise. Of David. I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name
for ever and ever. 2Every day I will praise you and extol your name
for ever and ever. 3Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his
greatness no one can fathom. 4One generation will commend your works
to another; they will tell of your mighty acts. 5They will speak of
the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful
works. 6They will tell of the power of your awesome works, and I
will proclaim your great deeds. 7They will celebrate your abundant
goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness. 8The LORD is
gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. 9The
LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. 10All you
have made will praise you, O LORD; your saints will extol you. 11They
will tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might, 12so
that all men may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your
kingdom. 13Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion
endures through all generations. The LORD is faithful to all his promises and
loving toward all he has made. 14The LORD upholds all those who fall
and lifts up all who are bowed down. 15The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food at the proper time. 16You open your
hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. 17The LORD is
righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made. 18The
LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. 19He
fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them. 20The
LORD watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. 21My
mouth will speak in praise of the LORD. Let every creature praise his holy name
for ever and ever.
2
Corinthians 11:1–15
1I hope you will put up with a little of my
foolishness; but you are already doing that. 2I am jealous for you
with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I
might present you as a pure virgin to him. 3But I am afraid that
just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be
led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4For if
someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or
if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different
gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough. 5But
I do not think I am in the least inferior to those "super-apostles." 6I
may not be a trained speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have made this
perfectly clear to you in every way.
7Was it a sin for me to lower myself in order to elevate
you by preaching the gospel of God to you free of charge? 8I robbed
other churches by receiving support from them so as to serve you. 9And
when I was with you and needed something, I was not a burden to anyone, for the
brothers who came from Macedonia supplied what I needed. I have kept myself
from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so. 10As
surely as the truth of Christ is in me, nobody in the regions of Achaia will
stop this boasting of mine. 11Why? Because I do not love you? God
knows I do! 12And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to
cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal
with us in the things they boast about.
13For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen,
masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14And no wonder, for Satan
himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15It is not surprising,
then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will
be what their actions deserve.
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