Thursday, October 28, 2021
Ezra 7:1–10
1After these things, during the reign of Artaxerxes
king of Persia, Ezra son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, 2the
son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub, 3the son of
Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth, 4the son of
Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki, 5the son of Abishua,
the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest-- 6this
Ezra came up from Babylon. He was a teacher well versed in the Law of Moses,
which the LORD, the God of Israel, had given. The king had granted him
everything he asked, for the hand of the LORD his God was on him. 7Some
of the Israelites, including priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers and temple
servants, also came up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes.
8Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in the fifth month of the
seventh year of the king. 9He had begun his journey from Babylon on
the first day of the first month, and he arrived in Jerusalem on the first day
of the fifth month, for the gracious hand of his God was on him. 10For
Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the LORD,
and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.
Psalm
112
1Praise the
LORD. Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his
commands. 2His children will be mighty in the land; the generation
of the upright will be blessed. 3Wealth and riches are in his house,
and his righteousness endures forever. 4Even in darkness light dawns
for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man. 5Good
will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs
with justice. 6Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will
be remembered forever. 7He will have no fear of bad news; his heart
is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. 8His heart is secure, he will
have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes. 9He
has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever;
his horn will be lifted high in honor. 10The wicked man will see and
be vexed, he will gnash his teeth and waste away; the longings of the wicked
will come to nothing.
James
4
1What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't
they come from your desires that battle within you? 2You want
something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you
want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3When
you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may
spend what you get on your pleasures.
4You adulterous people, don't you know that
friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a
friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5Or do you think
Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies
intensely? 6But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
"God opposes
the proud but gives grace to the humble."
7Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil,
and he will flee from you. 8Come near to God and he will come near
to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you
double-minded. 9Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to
mourning and your joy to gloom. 10Humble yourselves before the Lord,
and he will lift you up.
11Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who
speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it.
When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. 12There
is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But
you--who are you to judge your neighbor?
13Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we
will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make
money." 14Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.
What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then
vanishes. 15Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's
will, we will live and do this or that." 16As it is, you boast
and brag. All such boasting is evil. 17Anyone, then, who knows the
good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.
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