Sunday, July 25, 2021
Jeremiah 43
1When Jeremiah finished telling the people all the
words of the LORD their God--everything the LORD had sent him to tell them-- 2Azariah
son of Hoshaiah and Johanan son of Kareah and all the arrogant men said to
Jeremiah, "You are lying! The LORD our God has not sent you to say, 'You
must not go to Egypt to settle there.' 3But Baruch son of Neriah is
inciting you against us to hand us over to the Babylonians, so they may kill us
or carry us into exile to Babylon."
4So Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers
and all the people disobeyed the LORD's command to stay in the land of Judah. 5Instead,
Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers led away all the remnant of
Judah who had come back to live in the land of Judah from all the nations where
they had been scattered. 6They also led away all the men, women and
children and the king's daughters whom Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial
guard had left with Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, and Jeremiah
the prophet and Baruch son of Neriah. 7So they entered Egypt in
disobedience to the LORD and went as far as Tahpanhes.
8In Tahpanhes the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: 9"While
the Jews are watching, take some large stones with you and bury them in clay in
the brick pavement at the entrance to Pharaoh's palace in Tahpanhes. 10Then
say to them, 'This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I will
send for my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and I will set his throne
over these stones I have buried here; he will spread his royal canopy above
them. 11He will come and attack Egypt, bringing death to those
destined for death, captivity to those destined for captivity, and the sword to
those destined for the sword. 12He will set fire to the temples of
the gods of Egypt; he will burn their temples and take their gods captive. As a
shepherd wraps his garment around him, so will he wrap Egypt around himself and
depart from there unscathed. 13There in the temple of the sun in
Egypt he will demolish the sacred pillars and will burn down the temples of the
gods of Egypt.' "
Psalm
24
1Of David.
A psalm. The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who
live in it; 2for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon
the waters. 3Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in
his holy place? 4He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does
not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. 5He will
receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Savior. 6Such
is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob.
[Selah] 7Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient
doors, that the King of glory may come in. 8Who is this King of
glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. 9Lift
up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of
glory may come in. 10Who is he, this King of glory? The LORD
Almighty-- he is the King of glory. [Selah]
Acts
26:1–11
1Then Agrippa said to Paul, "You have permission
to speak for yourself."
So Paul motioned
with his hand and began his defense: 2"King Agrippa, I consider
myself fortunate to stand before you today as I make my defense against all the
accusations of the Jews, 3and especially so because you are well
acquainted with all the Jewish customs and controversies. Therefore, I beg you
to listen to me patiently.
4"The Jews all know the way I have lived ever
since I was a child, from the beginning of my life in my own country, and also
in Jerusalem. 5They have known me for a long time and can testify,
if they are willing, that according to the strictest sect of our religion, I
lived as a Pharisee. 6And now it is because of my hope in what God
has promised our fathers that I am on trial today. 7This is the
promise our twelve tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve
God day and night. O king, it is because of this hope that the Jews are
accusing me. 8Why should any of you consider it incredible that God
raises the dead?
9"I too was convinced that I ought to do all
that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10And
that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I
put many of the saints in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my
vote against them. 11Many a time I went from one synagogue to
another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. In my
obsession against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them.
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