ESV: Daily Reading Bible

October 10: Isaiah 37-38, Psalm 93, Acts 17

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:01:00 -0400

Isaiah 37-38 (Listen)

Hezekiah Seeks Isaiah's Help

37:1 As soon as King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes and covered himself with sackcloth and went into the house of the LORD. And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and the senior priests, covered with sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz. They said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah, ‘This day is a day of distress, of rebuke, and of disgrace; children have come to the point of birth, and there is no strength to bring them forth. It may be that the LORD your God will hear the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to mock the living God, and will rebuke the words that the LORD your God has heard; therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.’”

When the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah, Isaiah said to them, “Say to your master, ‘Thus says the LORD: Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the young men of the king of Assyria have reviled me. Behold, I will put a spirit in him, so that he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land, and I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.’”

The Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah, for he had heard that the king had left Lachish. Now the king heard concerning Tirhakah king of Cush, “He has set out to fight against you.” And when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus shall you speak to Hezekiah king of Judah: ‘Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you by promising that Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, devoting them to destruction. And shall you be delivered? Have the gods of the nations delivered them, the nations that my fathers destroyed, Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar? Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, the king of Hena, or the king of Ivvah?’”

Hezekiah's Prayer for Deliverance

Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD. And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD: “O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. Incline your ear, O LORD, and hear; open your eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands, and have cast their gods into the fire. For they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed. So now, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the LORD.”

Sennacherib's Fall

Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Because you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria, this is the word that the LORD has spoken concerning him:

“‘She despises you, she scorns you—
the virgin daughter of Zion;
she wags her head behind you—
the daughter of Jerusalem.

“‘Whom have you mocked and reviled?
  Against whom have you raised your voice
and lifted your eyes to the heights?
  Against the Holy One of Israel!
By your servants you have mocked the Lord,
  and you have said, With my many chariots
I have gone up the heights of the mountains,
  to the far recesses of Lebanon,
to cut down its tallest cedars,
  its choicest cypresses,
to come to its remotest height,
  its most fruitful forest.
I dug wells
  and drank waters,
to dry up with the sole of my foot
  all the streams of Egypt.

“‘Have you not heard
  that I determined it long ago?
I planned from days of old
  what now I bring to pass,
that you should make fortified cities
  crash into heaps of ruins,
while their inhabitants, shorn of strength,
  are dismayed and confounded,
and have become like plants of the field
  and like tender grass,
like grass on the housetops,
  blighted before it is grown.

“‘I know your sitting down
  and your going out and coming in,
  and your raging against me.
Because you have raged against me
  and your complacency has come to my ears,
I will put my hook in your nose
  and my bit in your mouth,
and I will turn you back on the way
  by which you came.’

“And this shall be the sign for you: this year you shall eat what grows of itself, and in the second year what springs from that. Then in the third year sow and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat their fruit. And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward. For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

“Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come into this city or shoot an arrow there or come before it with a shield or cast up a siege mound against it. By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall not come into this city, declares the LORD. For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.”

And the angel of the LORD went out and struck down a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. Then Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and returned home and lived at Nineveh. And as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons, struck him down with the sword. And after they escaped into the land of Ararat, Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place.

Hezekiah's Sickness and Recovery

38:1 In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, “Thus says the LORD: Set your house in order, for you shall die, you shall not recover.” Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, and said, “Please, O LORD, remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

Then the word of the LORD came to Isaiah: “Go and say to Hezekiah, Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will add fifteen years to your life. I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and will defend this city.

“This shall be the sign to you from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing that he has promised: Behold, I will make the shadow cast by the declining sun on the dial of Ahaz turn back ten steps.” So the sun turned back on the dial the ten steps by which it had declined.

A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, after he had been sick and had recovered from his sickness:

I said, In the middle of my days
  I must depart;
I am consigned to the gates of Sheol
  for the rest of my years.
I said, I shall not see the LORD,
  the LORD in the land of the living;
I shall look on man no more
  among the inhabitants of the world.
My dwelling is plucked up and removed from me
  like a shepherd's tent;
like a weaver I have rolled up my life;
  he cuts me off from the loom;
from day to night you bring me to an end;
  I calmed myself until morning;
like a lion he breaks all my bones;
  from day to night you bring me to an end.

Like a swallow or a crane I chirp;
  I moan like a dove.
My eyes are weary with looking upward.
  O Lord, I am oppressed; be my pledge of safety!
What shall I say? For he has spoken to me,
  and he himself has done it.
I walk slowly all my years
  because of the bitterness of my soul.

O Lord, by these things men live,
  and in all these is the life of my spirit.
  Oh restore me to health and make me live!
Behold, it was for my welfare
  that I had great bitterness;
but in love you have delivered my life
  from the pit of destruction,
for you have cast all my sins
  behind your back.
For Sheol does not thank you;
  death does not praise you;
those who go down to the pit do not hope
  for your faithfulness.
The living, the living, he thanks you,
  as I do this day;
the father makes known to the children
  your faithfulness.

The LORD will save me,
and we will play my music on stringed instruments
all the days of our lives,
at the house of the LORD.

Now Isaiah had said, “Let them take a cake of figs and apply it to the boil, that he may recover.” Hezekiah also had said, “What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the LORD?”

Psalm 93 (Listen)

The LORD Reigns

93:1 The LORD reigns; he is robed in majesty;
the LORD is robed; he has put on strength as his belt.
Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.
Your throne is established from of old;
you are from everlasting.

The floods have lifted up, O LORD,
  the floods have lifted up their voice;
  the floods lift up their roaring.
Mightier than the thunders of many waters,
  mightier than the waves of the sea,
  the LORD on high is mighty!

Your decrees are very trustworthy;
holiness befits your house,
O LORD, forevermore.

Acts 17 (Listen)

Paul and Silas in Thessalonica

17:1 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.” And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” And the people and the city authorities were disturbed when they heard these things. And when they had taken money as security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.

Paul and Silas in Berea

The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men. But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Berea also, they came there too, agitating and stirring up the crowds. Then the brothers immediately sent Paul off on his way to the sea, but Silas and Timothy remained there. Those who conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens, and after receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they departed.

Paul in Athens

Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him. And some said, “What does this babbler wish to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities”—because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection. And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? For you bring some strange things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what these things mean.” Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new.

Paul Addresses the Areopagus

So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for

“‘In him we live and move and have our being’;

as even some of your own poets have said,

“‘For we are indeed his offspring.’

Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.” So Paul went out from their midst. But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them. (ESV)

Footnotes

[1] 37:9 Probably Nubia
[2] 37:27 Some Hebrew manuscripts and 2 Kings 19:26; most Hebrew manuscripts like a field
[3] 38:1 Or live; also verses 9, 21
[4] 38:5 Hebrew to your days
[5] 38:8 The meaning of the Hebrew verse is uncertain
[6] 38:10 Or In the quiet
[7] 38:13 Or (with Targum) I cried for help
[8] 17:10 Or brothers and sisters; also verse 14
[9] 17:24 Greek made by hands
[10] 17:28 Probably from Epimenides of Crete
[11] 17:28 From Aratus's poem “Phainomena”

This reading plan is from the ESV Daily Reading Bible.

October 9: Isaiah 34-36, Psalm 92, Acts 16

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:01:00 -0400

Isaiah 34-36 (Listen)

Judgment on the Nations

34:1 Draw near, O nations, to hear,
  and give attention, O peoples!
Let the earth hear, and all that fills it;
  the world, and all that comes from it.
For the LORD is enraged against all the nations,
  and furious against all their host;
  he has devoted them to destruction, has given them over for slaughter.
Their slain shall be cast out,
  and the stench of their corpses shall rise;
  the mountains shall flow with their blood.
All the host of heaven shall rot away,
  and the skies roll up like a scroll.
All their host shall fall,
  as leaves fall from the vine,
  like leaves falling from the fig tree.

For my sword has drunk its fill in the heavens;
  behold, it descends for judgment upon Edom,
  upon the people I have devoted to destruction.
The LORD has a sword; it is sated with blood;
  it is gorged with fat,
  with the blood of lambs and goats,
  with the fat of the kidneys of rams.
For the LORD has a sacrifice in Bozrah,
  a great slaughter in the land of Edom.
Wild oxen shall fall with them,
  and young steers with the mighty bulls.
Their land shall drink its fill of blood,
  and their soil shall be gorged with fat.

For the LORD has a day of vengeance,
  a year of recompense for the cause of Zion.
And the streams of Edom shall be turned into pitch,
  and her soil into sulfur;
  her land shall become burning pitch.
Night and day it shall not be quenched;
  its smoke shall go up forever.
From generation to generation it shall lie waste;
  none shall pass through it forever and ever.
But the hawk and the porcupine shall possess it,
  the owl and the raven shall dwell in it.
He shall stretch the line of confusion over it,
  and the plumb line of emptiness.
Its nobles—there is no one there to call it a kingdom,
  and all its princes shall be nothing.

Thorns shall grow over its strongholds,
  nettles and thistles in its fortresses.
It shall be the haunt of jackals,
  an abode for ostriches.
And wild animals shall meet with hyenas;
  the wild goat shall cry to his fellow;
indeed, there the night bird settles
  and finds for herself a resting place.

There the owl nests and lays
  and hatches and gathers her young in her shadow;
indeed, there the hawks are gathered,
  each one with her mate.
Seek and read from the book of the LORD:
  Not one of these shall be missing;
  none shall be without her mate.
For the mouth of the LORD has commanded,
  and his Spirit has gathered them.
He has cast the lot for them;
  his hand has portioned it out to them with the line;
they shall possess it forever;
  from generation to generation they shall dwell in it.

The Ransomed Shall Return

35:1 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad;
  the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus;
it shall blossom abundantly
  and rejoice with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
  the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the LORD,
  the majesty of our God.

Strengthen the weak hands,
  and make firm the feeble knees.
Say to those who have an anxious heart,
  “Be strong; fear not!
Behold, your God
  will come with vengeance,
with the recompense of God.
  He will come and save you.”

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
  and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
then shall the lame man leap like a deer,
  and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.
For waters break forth in the wilderness,
  and streams in the desert;
the burning sand shall become a pool,
  and the thirsty ground springs of water;
in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down,
  the grass shall become reeds and rushes.

And a highway shall be there,
  and it shall be called the Way of Holiness;
the unclean shall not pass over it.
  It shall belong to those who walk on the way;
  even if they are fools, they shall not go astray.
No lion shall be there,
  nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it;
they shall not be found there,
  but the redeemed shall walk there.
And the ransomed of the LORD shall return
  and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
  they shall obtain gladness and joy,
  and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Sennacherib Invades Judah

36:1 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them. And the king of Assyria sent the Rabshakeh from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem, with a great army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Washer's Field. And there came out to him Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder.

And the Rabshakeh said to them, “Say to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: On what do you rest this trust of yours? Do you think that mere words are strategy and power for war? In whom do you now trust, that you have rebelled against me? Behold, you are trusting in Egypt, that broken reed of a staff, which will pierce the hand of any man who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him. But if you say to me, “We trust in the LORD our God,” is it not he whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and to Jerusalem, “You shall worship before this altar”? Come now, make a wager with my master the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders on them. How then can you repulse a single captain among the least of my master's servants, when you trust in Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? Moreover, is it without the LORD that I have come up against this land to destroy it? The LORD said to me, Go up against this land and destroy it.’”

Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it. Do not speak to us in the language of Judah within the hearing of the people who are on the wall.” But the Rabshakeh said, “Has my master sent me to speak these words to your master and to you, and not to the men sitting on the wall, who are doomed with you to eat their own dung and drink their own urine?”

Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out in a loud voice in the language of Judah: “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria! Thus says the king: ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you. Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD by saying, “The LORD will surely deliver us. This city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” Do not listen to Hezekiah. For thus says the king of Assyria: Make your peace with me and come out to me. Then each one of you will eat of his own vine, and each one of his own fig tree, and each one of you will drink the water of his own cistern, until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vineyards. Beware lest Hezekiah mislead you by saying, “The LORD will deliver us.” Has any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? Who among all the gods of these lands have delivered their lands out of my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?’”

But they were silent and answered him not a word, for the king's command was, “Do not answer him.” Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told him the words of the Rabshakeh.

Psalm 92 (Listen)

How Great Are Your Works

A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath.

92:1 It is good to give thanks to the LORD,
  to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
  and your faithfulness by night,
to the music of the lute and the harp,
  to the melody of the lyre.
For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work;
  at the works of your hands I sing for joy.

How great are your works, O LORD!
  Your thoughts are very deep!
The stupid man cannot know;
  the fool cannot understand this:
that though the wicked sprout like grass
  and all evildoers flourish,
they are doomed to destruction forever;
  but you, O LORD, are on high forever.
For behold, your enemies, O LORD,
  for behold, your enemies shall perish;
  all evildoers shall be scattered.

But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox;
you have poured over me fresh oil.
My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies;
my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants.

The righteous flourish like the palm tree
  and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
They are planted in the house of the LORD;
  they flourish in the courts of our God.
They still bear fruit in old age;
  they are ever full of sap and green,
to declare that the LORD is upright;
  he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

Acts 16 (Listen)

Timothy Joins Paul and Silas

16:1 Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. He was well spoken of by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they increased in numbers daily.

The Macedonian Call

And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

The Conversion of Lydia

So, setting sail from Troas, we made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days. And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.

Paul and Silas in Prison

As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. She followed Paul and us, crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour.

But when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers. And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city. They advocate customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to accept or practice.” The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

The Philippian Jailer Converted

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were unfastened. When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.

But when it was day, the magistrates sent the police, saying, “Let those men go.” And the jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go. Therefore come out now and go in peace.” But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and do they now throw us out secretly? No! Let them come themselves and take us out.” The police reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens. So they came and apologized to them. And they took them out and asked them to leave the city. So they went out of the prison and visited Lydia. And when they had seen the brothers, they encouraged them and departed. (ESV)

Footnotes

[1] 34:2 That is, set apart (devoted) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction); also verse 5
[2] 34:9 Hebrew her streams
[3] 34:11 The identity of the animals rendered hawk and porcupine is uncertain
[4] 34:11 Hebrew formlessness
[5] 34:13 Or owls
[6] 34:14 Identity uncertain
[7] 35:8 Or if they are fools, they shall not wander in it
[8] 36:2 Rabshakeh is the title of a high-ranking Assyrian military officer
[9] 36:16 Hebrew Make a blessing with me
[10] 92:10 Compare Syriac; the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
[11] 16:1 Greek He
[12] 16:2 Or brothers and sisters; also verse 40
[13] 16:10 Greek he
[14] 16:12 Or that
[15] 16:17 Greek bondservants
[16] 16:29 Greek he

This reading plan is from the ESV Daily Reading Bible.

October 8: Isaiah 31-33, Psalm 91, Acts 15

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:01:00 -0400

Isaiah 31-33 (Listen)

Woe to Those Who Go Down to Egypt

31:1 Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help
  and rely on horses,
who trust in chariots because they are many
  and in horsemen because they are very strong,
but do not look to the Holy One of Israel
  or consult the LORD!
And yet he is wise and brings disaster;
  he does not call back his words,
but will arise against the house of the evildoers
  and against the helpers of those who work iniquity.
The Egyptians are man, and not God,
  and their horses are flesh, and not spirit.
When the LORD stretches out his hand,
  the helper will stumble, and he who is helped will fall,
  and they will all perish together.

For thus the LORD said to me,
“As a lion or a young lion growls over his prey,
  and when a band of shepherds is called out against him
he is not terrified by their shouting
  or daunted at their noise,
so the LORD of hosts will come down
  to fight on Mount Zion and on its hill.
Like birds hovering, so the LORD of hosts
  will protect Jerusalem;
he will protect and deliver it;
  he will spare and rescue it.”

Turn to him from whom people have deeply revolted, O children of Israel. For in that day everyone shall cast away his idols of silver and his idols of gold, which your hands have sinfully made for you.

“And the Assyrian shall fall by a sword, not of man;
  and a sword, not of man, shall devour him;
and he shall flee from the sword,
  and his young men shall be put to forced labor.
His rock shall pass away in terror,
  and his officers desert the standard in panic,”
declares the LORD, whose fire is in Zion,
  and whose furnace is in Jerusalem.

A King Will Reign in Righteousness

32:1 Behold, a king will reign in righteousness,
  and princes will rule in justice.
Each will be like a hiding place from the wind,
  a shelter from the storm,
like streams of water in a dry place,
  like the shade of a great rock in a weary land.
Then the eyes of those who see will not be closed,
  and the ears of those who hear will give attention.
The heart of the hasty will understand and know,
  and the tongue of the stammerers will hasten to speak distinctly.
The fool will no more be called noble,
  nor the scoundrel said to be honorable.
For the fool speaks folly,
  and his heart is busy with iniquity,
to practice ungodliness,
  to utter error concerning the LORD,
to leave the craving of the hungry unsatisfied,
  and to deprive the thirsty of drink.
As for the scoundrel—his devices are evil;
  he plans wicked schemes
to ruin the poor with lying words,
  even when the plea of the needy is right.
But he who is noble plans noble things,
  and on noble things he stands.

Complacent Women Warned of Disaster

Rise up, you women who are at ease, hear my voice;
  you complacent daughters, give ear to my speech.
In little more than a year
  you will shudder, you complacent women;
for the grape harvest fails,
  the fruit harvest will not come.
Tremble, you women who are at ease,
  shudder, you complacent ones;
strip, and make yourselves bare,
  and tie sackcloth around your waist.
Beat your breasts for the pleasant fields,
  for the fruitful vine,
for the soil of my people
  growing up in thorns and briers,
yes, for all the joyous houses
  in the exultant city.
For the palace is forsaken,
  the populous city deserted;
the hill and the watchtower
  will become dens forever,
a joy of wild donkeys,
  a pasture of flocks;
until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high,
  and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field,
  and the fruitful field is deemed a forest.
Then justice will dwell in the wilderness,
  and righteousness abide in the fruitful field.
And the effect of righteousness will be peace,
  and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever.
My people will abide in a peaceful habitation,
  in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.
And it will hail when the forest falls down,
  and the city will be utterly laid low.
Happy are you who sow beside all waters,
  who let the feet of the ox and the donkey range free.

O LORD, Be Gracious to Us

33:1 Ah, you destroyer,
  who yourself have not been destroyed,
you traitor,
  whom none has betrayed!
When you have ceased to destroy,
  you will be destroyed;
and when you have finished betraying,
  they will betray you.

O LORD, be gracious to us; we wait for you.
  Be our arm every morning,
  our salvation in the time of trouble.
At the tumultuous noise peoples flee;
  when you lift yourself up, nations are scattered,
and your spoil is gathered as the caterpillar gathers;
  as locusts leap, it is leapt upon.

The LORD is exalted, for he dwells on high;
  he will fill Zion with justice and righteousness,
and he will be the stability of your times,
  abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge;
  the fear of the LORD is Zion's treasure.

Behold, their heroes cry in the streets;
  the envoys of peace weep bitterly.
The highways lie waste;
  the traveler ceases.
Covenants are broken;
  cities are despised;
  there is no regard for man.
The land mourns and languishes;
  Lebanon is confounded and withers away;
Sharon is like a desert,
  and Bashan and Carmel shake off their leaves.

“Now I will arise,” says the LORD,
  “now I will lift myself up;
  now I will be exalted.
You conceive chaff; you give birth to stubble;
  your breath is a fire that will consume you.
And the peoples will be as if burned to lime,
  like thorns cut down, that are burned in the fire.”

Hear, you who are far off, what I have done;
  and you who are near, acknowledge my might.
The sinners in Zion are afraid;
  trembling has seized the godless:
“Who among us can dwell with the consuming fire?
  Who among us can dwell with everlasting burnings?”
He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly,
  who despises the gain of oppressions,
who shakes his hands, lest they hold a bribe,
  who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed
  and shuts his eyes from looking on evil,
he will dwell on the heights;
  his place of defense will be the fortresses of rocks;
  his bread will be given him; his water will be sure.

Your eyes will behold the king in his beauty;
  they will see a land that stretches afar.
Your heart will muse on the terror:
  “Where is he who counted, where is he who weighed the tribute?
  Where is he who counted the towers?”
You will see no more the insolent people,
  the people of an obscure speech that you cannot comprehend,
  stammering in a tongue that you cannot understand.
Behold Zion, the city of our appointed feasts!
  Your eyes will see Jerusalem,
  an untroubled habitation, an immovable tent,
whose stakes will never be plucked up,
  nor will any of its cords be broken.
But there the LORD in majesty will be for us
  a place of broad rivers and streams,
where no galley with oars can go,
  nor majestic ship can pass.
For the LORD is our judge; the LORD is our lawgiver;
  the LORD is our king; he will save us.

Your cords hang loose;
  they cannot hold the mast firm in its place
  or keep the sail spread out.
Then prey and spoil in abundance will be divided;
  even the lame will take the prey.
And no inhabitant will say, “I am sick”;
  the people who dwell there will be forgiven their iniquity.

Psalm 91 (Listen)

My Refuge and My Fortress

91:1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”

For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
  and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his pinions,
  and under his wings you will find refuge;
  his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
You will not fear the terror of the night,
  nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
  nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.

A thousand may fall at your side,
  ten thousand at your right hand,
  but it will not come near you.
You will only look with your eyes
  and see the recompense of the wicked.

Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place—
the Most High, who is my refuge—
no evil shall be allowed to befall you,
no plague come near your tent.

For he will command his angels concerning you
  to guard you in all your ways.
On their hands they will bear you up,
  lest you strike your foot against a stone.
You will tread on the lion and the adder;
  the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.

“Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;
  I will protect him, because he knows my name.
When he calls to me, I will answer him;
  I will be with him in trouble;
  I will rescue him and honor him.
With long life I will satisfy him
  and show him my salvation.”

Acts 15 (Listen)

The Jerusalem Council

15:1 But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers. When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them. But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.”

The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”

And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. After they finished speaking, James replied, “Brothers, listen to me. Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written,

“‘After this I will return,
and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen;
I will rebuild its ruins,
   and I will restore it,
that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord,
  and all the Gentiles who are called by my name,
   says the Lord, who makes these things 18 known from of old.’

Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.”

The Council's Letter to Gentile Believers

Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers, with the following letter: “The brothers, both the apostles and the elders, to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings. Since we have heard that some persons have gone out from us and troubled you with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions, it has seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.”

So when they were sent off, they went down to Antioch, and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. And Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many words. And after they had spent some time, they were sent off in peace by the brothers to those who had sent them. But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.

Paul and Barnabas Separate

And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches. (ESV)

Footnotes

[1] 31:4 The Hebrew words for hosts and to fight sound alike
[2] 31:6 Hebrew they
[3] 32:17 Or security
[4] 33:6 Hebrew his
[5] 33:8 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scroll witnesses
[6] 91:2 Septuagint He will say
[7] 91:9 Or For you, O Lord, are my refuge! You have made the Most High your dwelling place
[8] 15:3 Or brothers and sisters; also verse 22
[9] 15:17 Or rest
[10] 15:23 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 32, 33, 36
[11] 15:24 Some manuscripts some persons from us have troubled you
[12] 15:33 Some manuscripts insert verse 34: But it seemed good to Silas to remain there

This reading plan is from the ESV Daily Reading Bible.

October 7: Isaiah 29-30, Psalm 90, Acts 14

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:01:00 -0400

Isaiah 29-30 (Listen)

The Siege of Jerusalem

29:1 Ah, Ariel, Ariel,
  the city where David encamped!
Add year to year;
  let the feasts run their round.
Yet I will distress Ariel,
  and there shall be moaning and lamentation,
  and she shall be to me like an Ariel.
And I will encamp against you all around,
  and will besiege you with towers
  and I will raise siegeworks against you.
And you will be brought low; from the earth you shall speak,
  and from the dust your speech will be bowed down;
your voice shall come from the ground like the voice of a ghost,
  and from the dust your speech shall whisper.

But the multitude of your foreign foes shall be like small dust,
  and the multitude of the ruthless like passing chaff.
And in an instant, suddenly,
  you will be visited by the LORD of hosts
with thunder and with earthquake and great noise,
  with whirlwind and tempest, and the flame of a devouring fire.
And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel,
  all that fight against her and her stronghold and distress her,
  shall be like a dream, a vision of the night.
As when a hungry man dreams he is eating
  and awakes with his hunger not satisfied,
or as when a thirsty man dreams he is drinking
  and awakes faint, with his thirst not quenched,
so shall the multitude of all the nations be
  that fight against Mount Zion.

Astonish yourselves and be astonished;
  blind yourselves and be blind!
Be drunk, but not with wine;
  stagger, but not with strong drink!
For the LORD has poured out upon you
  a spirit of deep sleep,
and has closed your eyes (the prophets),
  and covered your heads (the seers).

And the vision of all this has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed. When men give it to one who can read, saying, “Read this,” he says, “I cannot, for it is sealed.” And when they give the book to one who cannot read, saying, “Read this,” he says, “I cannot read.”

And the Lord said:
“Because this people draw near with their mouth
  and honor me with their lips,
  while their hearts are far from me,
and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,
therefore, behold, I will again
  do wonderful things with this people,
  with wonder upon wonder;
and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish,
  and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.”

Ah, you who hide deep from the LORD your counsel,
  whose deeds are in the dark,
  and who say, “Who sees us? Who knows us?”
You turn things upside down!
Shall the potter be regarded as the clay,
that the thing made should say of its maker,
  “He did not make me”;
or the thing formed say of him who formed it,
  “He has no understanding”?

Is it not yet a very little while
  until Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field,
  and the fruitful field shall be regarded as a forest?
In that day the deaf shall hear
  the words of a book,
and out of their gloom and darkness
  the eyes of the blind shall see.
The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the LORD,
  and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel.
For the ruthless shall come to nothing
  and the scoffer cease,
  and all who watch to do evil shall be cut off,
who by a word make a man out to be an offender,
  and lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate,
  and with an empty plea turn aside him who is in the right.

Therefore thus says the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob:

“Jacob shall no more be ashamed,
  no more shall his face grow pale.
For when he sees his children,
  the work of my hands, in his midst,
  they will sanctify my name;
they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob
  and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.
And those who go astray in spirit will come to understanding,
  and those who murmur will accept instruction.”

Do Not Go Down to Egypt

30:1 “Ah, stubborn children,” declares the LORD,
“who carry out a plan, but not mine,
and who make an alliance, but not of my Spirit,
  that they may add sin to sin;
who set out to go down to Egypt,
  without asking for my direction,
to take refuge in the protection of Pharaoh
  and to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt!
Therefore shall the protection of Pharaoh turn to your shame,
  and the shelter in the shadow of Egypt to your humiliation.
For though his officials are at Zoan
  and his envoys reach Hanes,
everyone comes to shame
  through a people that cannot profit them,
that brings neither help nor profit,
  but shame and disgrace.”

An oracle on the beasts of the Negeb.

Through a land of trouble and anguish,
  from where come the lioness and the lion,
  the adder and the flying fiery serpent,
they carry their riches on the backs of donkeys,
  and their treasures on the humps of camels,
  to a people that cannot profit them.
Egypt's help is worthless and empty;
  therefore I have called her
  “Rahab who sits still.”

A Rebellious People

And now, go, write it before them on a tablet
  and inscribe it in a book,
that it may be for the time to come
  as a witness forever.
For they are a rebellious people,
  lying children,
children unwilling to hear
  the instruction of the LORD;
who say to the seers, “Do not see,”
  and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us what is right;
speak to us smooth things,
  prophesy illusions,
leave the way, turn aside from the path,
  let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.”
Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel,
“Because you despise this word
  and trust in oppression and perverseness
  and rely on them,
therefore this iniquity shall be to you
  like a breach in a high wall, bulging out, and about to collapse,
  whose breaking comes suddenly, in an instant;
and its breaking is like that of a potter's vessel
  that is smashed so ruthlessly
that among its fragments not a shard is found
  with which to take fire from the hearth,
  or to dip up water out of the cistern.”

For thus said the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel,
“In returning and rest you shall be saved;
  in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.”
But you were unwilling, 16 and you said,
“No! We will flee upon horses”;
  therefore you shall flee away;
and, “We will ride upon swift steeds”;
  therefore your pursuers shall be swift.
A thousand shall flee at the threat of one;
  at the threat of five you shall flee,
till you are left
  like a flagstaff on the top of a mountain,
  like a signal on a hill.

The LORD Will Be Gracious

Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you,
and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you.
For the LORD is a God of justice;
blessed are all those who wait for him.

For a people shall dwell in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you. And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. Then you will defile your carved idols overlaid with silver and your gold-plated metal images. You will scatter them as unclean things. You will say to them, “Be gone!”

And he will give rain for the seed with which you sow the ground, and bread, the produce of the ground, which will be rich and plenteous. In that day your livestock will graze in large pastures, and the oxen and the donkeys that work the ground will eat seasoned fodder, which has been winnowed with shovel and fork. And on every lofty mountain and every high hill there will be brooks running with water, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. Moreover, the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day when the LORD binds up the brokenness of his people, and heals the wounds inflicted by his blow.

Behold, the name of the LORD comes from afar,
  burning with his anger, and in thick rising smoke;
his lips are full of fury,
  and his tongue is like a devouring fire;
his breath is like an overflowing stream
  that reaches up to the neck;
to sift the nations with the sieve of destruction,
  and to place on the jaws of the peoples a bridle that leads astray.

You shall have a song as in the night when a holy feast is kept, and gladness of heart, as when one sets out to the sound of the flute to go to the mountain of the LORD, to the Rock of Israel. And the LORD will cause his majestic voice to be heard and the descending blow of his arm to be seen, in furious anger and a flame of devouring fire, with a cloudburst and storm and hailstones. The Assyrians will be terror-stricken at the voice of the LORD, when he strikes with his rod. And every stroke of the appointed staff that the LORD lays on them will be to the sound of tambourines and lyres. Battling with brandished arm, he will fight with them. For a burning place has long been prepared; indeed, for the king it is made ready, its pyre made deep and wide, with fire and wood in abundance; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of sulfur, kindles it.

Psalm 90 (Listen)

Book Four

From Everlasting to Everlasting

A Prayer of Moses, the man of God.

90:1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place
  in all generations.
Before the mountains were brought forth,
  or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
  from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

You return man to dust
  and say, “Return, O children of man!”
For a thousand years in your sight
  are but as yesterday when it is past,
  or as a watch in the night.

You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream,
like grass that is renewed in the morning:
in the morning it flourishes and is renewed;
in the evening it fades and withers.

For we are brought to an end by your anger;
by your wrath we are dismayed.
You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins in the light of your presence.

For all our days pass away under your wrath;
  we bring our years to an end like a sigh.
The years of our life are seventy,
  or even by reason of strength eighty;
yet their span is but toil and trouble;
  they are soon gone, and we fly away.
Who considers the power of your anger,
  and your wrath according to the fear of you?

So teach us to number our days
  that we may get a heart of wisdom.
Return, O LORD! How long?
  Have pity on your servants!
Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
  that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
  and for as many years as we have seen evil.
Let your work be shown to your servants,
  and your glorious power to their children.
Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
  and establish the work of our hands upon us;
  yes, establish the work of our hands!

Acts 14 (Listen)

Paul and Barnabas at Iconium

14:1 Now at Iconium they entered together into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed. But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands. But the people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews and some with the apostles. When an attempt was made by both Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to mistreat them and to stone them, they learned of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding country, and there they continued to preach the gospel.

Paul and Barnabas at Lystra

Now at Lystra there was a man sitting who could not use his feet. He was crippled from birth and had never walked. He listened to Paul speaking. And Paul, looking intently at him and seeing that he had faith to be made well, said in a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” And he sprang up and began walking. And when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in Lycaonian, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!” Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds. But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their garments and rushed out into the crowd, crying out, “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. In past generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways. Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.” Even with these words they scarcely restrained the people from offering sacrifice to them.

Paul Stoned at Lystra

But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe. When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

Paul and Barnabas Return to Antioch in Syria

Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. And when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia, and from there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled. And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. And they remained no little time with the disciples. (ESV)

Footnotes

[1] 29:2 Ariel could mean lion of God, or hero (2 Samuel 23:20), or altar hearth (Ezekiel 43:15-16)
[2] 29:9 Or Linger awhile
[3] 30:1 Hebrew who weave a web
[4] 30:8 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Syriac, Targum, Vulgate, and Greek versions; Masoretic Text forever and ever
[5] 30:15 Or repentance
[6] 30:27 Hebrew in weight of uplifted clouds
[7] 30:33 Or For Topheth
[8] 90:1 Some Hebrew manuscripts (compare Septuagint) our refuge
[9] 90:3 Or of Adam
[10] 90:10 Or pride
[11] 90:17 Or beauty
[12] 14:2 Or brothers and sisters
[13] 14:9 Or be saved

This reading plan is from the ESV Daily Reading Bible.