Daily Bible CEV November 25 Scroll

The Lord Will Return

2 Peter 3 My dear friends, this is the second letter I have written to encourage you to do some honest thinking. I don't want you to forget ²what God's prophets said would happen. You must never forget what the holy prophets taught in the past. And you must remember what the apostles told you our Lord and Savior has commanded us to do.

³But first you must realize that in the last days some people won't think about anything except their own selfish desires. They will make fun of you ⁴and say, "Didn't your Lord promise to come back? Yet the first leaders have already died, and the world hasn't changed a bit."

⁵They will say this because they want to forget that long ago the heavens and the earth were made at God's command. The earth came out of water and was made from water. ⁶Later it was destroyed by the waters of a mighty flood. ⁷But God has commanded the present heavens and earth to remain until the day of judgment. Then they will be set on fire, and ungodly people will be destroyed.

⁸Dear friends, don't forget that for the Lord one day is the same as a thousand years, and a thousand years is the same as one day. ⁹The Lord isn't slow about keeping his promises, as some people think he is. In fact, God is patient, because he wants everyone to turn from sin and no one to be lost.

¹⁰The day of the Lord's return will surprise us like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a loud noise, and the heat will melt the whole universe. Then the earth and everything on it will be seen for what they are.

¹¹Everything will be destroyed. So you should serve and honor God by the way you live. ¹²You should look forward to the day when God judges everyone, and you should try to make it come soon. On that day the heavens will be destroyed by fire, and everything else will melt in the heat. ¹³But God has promised us a new heaven and a new earth, where justice will rule. We are really looking forward to that!

¹⁴My friends, while you are waiting, you should make certain that the Lord finds you pure, spotless, and living at peace. ¹⁵Don't forget that the Lord is patient because he wants people to be saved. This is also what our dear friend Paul said when he wrote you with the wisdom that God had given him. ¹⁶Paul talks about these same things in all his letters, but part of what he says is hard to understand. Some ignorant and unsteady people even destroy themselves by twisting what he said. They do the same thing with other Scriptures too.

¹⁷My dear friends, you have been warned ahead of time! So don't let the errors of evil people lead you down the wrong path and make you lose your balance. ¹⁸Let the wonderful kindness and the understanding that come from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ help you to keep on growing. Praise Jesus now and forever! Amen.

The LORD Will Not Let Baruch Be Killed

Jeremiah 45 In the fourth year that Jehoiakim was king of Judah, Baruch wrote down everything I had told him. ²Then later, the LORD God of Israel told me to say to Baruch:

³You are moaning and blaming me, the LORD, for your troubles and sorrow, and for being so tired that you can't even rest. ⁴But all over the earth I am tearing down what I built and pulling up what I planted. ⁵I am bringing disaster everywhere, so don't even think about making any big plans for yourself. However, I promise that wherever you go, I will at least protect you from death. I, the LORD, have spoken.

The LORD Speaks about the Nations

Jeremiah 46 The LORD often told me what to say about the different nations of the world.

What the LORD Says about Egypt

²In the fourth year that Jehoiakim was king of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia defeated King Neco of Egypt in a battle at the city of Carchemish near the Euphrates River. And here is what the LORD told me to say about the Egyptian army:

³It's time to go into battle! So grab your shields,

⁴

saddle your horses, and polish your spears.

Put on your helmets and armor,

then take your positions.

⁵I can see the battle now--

you are defeated and running away,

never once looking back.

Terror is all around.

⁶You are strong and run fast, but you can't escape.

You fall in battle near the Euphrates River.

⁷What nation is this, that rises

like the Nile River overflowing its banks?

⁸It is Egypt, rising with a roar like a raging river

and saying, "I'll flood the earth, destroying cities,

and killing everyone in them."

⁹Go ahead, Egypt. Tell your chariots and cavalry

to attack and fight hard.

Order your troops to march out,

with Ethiopians and Libyans carrying shields,

and the Lydians armed with bows and arrows.

¹⁰But the LORD All-Powerful will win this battle

and take revenge on his enemies.

His sword will eat them and drink their blood

until it is full.

They will be killed in the north near the Euphrates River,

as a sacrifice to the LORD.

¹¹Egypt, no medicine can heal you,

not even the soothing lotion from Gilead.

¹²All nations have heard you weep;

you are disgraced, and they know it.

Your troops fall to the ground,

stumbling over each other.

A Warning for Egypt

^13-14When King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia was on his way to attack Egypt, the LORD sent me with a warning for every Egyptian town, but especially for Migdol, Memphis, and Tahpanhes. He said to tell them:

Prepare to defend yourselves!

Everywhere in your nation, people are dying in war.

¹⁵I have struck down your mighty god Apis

and chased him away.

¹⁶Your soldiers stumble over each other and say,

"Get up! The enemy will kill us,

unless we can escape to our own land."

¹⁷Give the king of Egypt this new name,

"Talks-Big-Does-Nothing."

¹⁸Egypt, I am the true king, the LORD All-Powerful,

and as surely as I live,

those enemies who attack will tower over you

like Mount Tabor among the hills

or Mount Carmel by the sea.

¹⁹You will be led away captive,

so pack a few things to bring with you.

Your capital, Memphis, will lie empty and in ruins.

²⁰An enemy from the north will attack you, beautiful Egypt,

like a fly biting a cow.

²¹The foreign soldiers you hired will turn and run.

But they are doomed, like well-fed calves

being led to the butcher.

^*22The enemy army will go forward like a swarm of locusts.

Your troops will feel helpless, like a snake in a forest

²³

when men with axes start chopping down trees.

It can only hiss and try to escape.

²⁴Your people will be disgraced

and captured by the enemy from the north.

²⁵I am the LORD All-Powerful, the God of Israel. Soon I will punish the god Amon of Thebes and the other Egyptian gods, the Egyptian kings, the people of Egypt, and everyone who trusts in the Egyptian power. ²⁶I will hand them over to King Nebuchadnezzar and his army. But I also promise that Egypt will someday have people living here again, just as it had before. I, the LORD, have spoken.

The LORD Will Bring Israel Home

The LORD said:

²⁷Israel, don't be afraid. Someday I will bring you home

from foreign lands.

You and your descendants will live in peace and safety,

with nothing to fear.

²⁸So don't be afraid,

even though now you deserve to be punished

and have been scattered among other nations.

But when I destroy them, I will protect you.

I, the LORD, have spoken.

Psalm 141
[A psalm by David.]
A Prayer for the LORD's Protection

¹I pray to you, LORD!

Please listen when I pray and hurry to help me.

²Think of my prayer as sweet-smelling incense,

and think of my lifted hands as an evening sacrifice.

³Help me to guard my words whenever I say something.

⁴Don't let me want to do evil

or waste my time doing wrong with wicked people.

Don't let me even taste the good things they offer.

⁵Let your faithful people correct and punish me.

My prayers condemn the deeds of those who do wrong,

so don't let me be friends with any of them.

⁶Everyone will admit that I was right

when their rulers are thrown down a rocky cliff,

⁷and their bones lie scattered

like broken rocks on top of a grave.

⁸You are my LORD and God, and I look to you for safety.

Don't let me be harmed.

⁹Protect me from the traps of those violent people,

¹⁰and make them fall into their own traps

while you help me escape.

These daily Bible readings from the Contemporary English Version (CEV) are published by BibleNetUSA. The web site and BibleCard® designs are by iCreative. BibleCard® images copyright iCreative. All rights reserved.