Daily Bible GNT December 17 Scroll

Instructions

Philippians 4 So then, my friends, how dear you are to me and how I miss you! How happy you make me, and how proud I am of you!--this, dear friends, is how you should stand firm in your life in the Lord.

²Euodia and Syntyche, please, I beg you, try to agree as sisters in the Lord. ³And you too, my faithful partner, I want you to help these women; for they have worked hard with me to spread the gospel, together with Clement and all my other fellow workers, whose names are in God's book of the living.

⁴May you always be joyful in your union with the Lord. I say it again: rejoice!

⁵Show a gentle attitude toward everyone. The Lord is coming soon. ⁶Don't worry about anything, but in all your prayers ask God for what you need, always asking him with a thankful heart. ⁷And God's peace, which is far beyond human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with Christ Jesus.

⁸In conclusion, my friends, fill your minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable. ⁹Put into practice what you learned and received from me, both from my words and from my actions. And the God who gives us peace will be with you.

Thanks for the Gift

¹⁰In my life in union with the Lord it is a great joy to me that after so long a time you once more had the chance of showing that you care for me. I don't mean that you had stopped caring for me--you just had no chance to show it. ¹¹And I am not saying this because I feel neglected, for I have learned to be satisfied with what I have. ¹²I know what it is to be in need and what it is to have more than enough. I have learned this secret, so that anywhere, at any time, I am content, whether I am full or hungry, whether I have too much or too little. ¹³I have the strength to face all conditions by the power that Christ gives me.

¹⁴But it was very good of you to help me in my troubles. ¹⁵You Philippians know very well that when I left Macedonia in the early days of preaching the Good News, you were the only church to help me; you were the only ones who shared my profits and losses. ¹⁶More than once when I needed help in Thessalonica, you sent it to me. ¹⁷It is not that I just want to receive gifts; rather, I want to see profit added to your account. ¹⁸Here, then, is my receipt for everything you have given me--and it has been more than enough! I have all I need now that Epaphroditus has brought me all your gifts. They are like a sweet-smelling offering to God, a sacrifice which is acceptable and pleasing to him. ¹⁹And with all his abundant wealth through Christ Jesus, my God will supply all your needs. ²⁰To our God and Father be the glory forever and ever! Amen.

Final Greetings

²¹Greetings to each one of God's people who belong to Christ Jesus. The believers here with me send you their greetings. ²²All God's people here send greetings, especially those who belong to the Emperor's palace.

²³May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

The Corroded Cooking Pot

Ezekiel 24 On the tenth day of the tenth month of the ninth year of our exile, the LORD spoke to me. ²"Mortal man," he said, "write down today's date, because this is the day that the king of Babylonia is beginning the siege of Jerusalem. ³Tell my rebellious people this parable that I, the Sovereign LORD, have for them:

Set the pot on the fire

and fill it up with water.

⁴Put in the best pieces of meat--

the shoulders and the legs--

fill it with choice bony pieces too.

⁵Use the meat of the finest sheep;

pile the wood under the pot.

Let the water boil;

boil the bones and the meat."

⁶This is what the Sovereign LORD is saying: "The city of murderers is doomed! It is like a corroded pot that is never cleaned. Piece after piece of meat is taken out, and not one is left. ⁷There was murder in the city, but the blood was not spilled on the ground where the dust could hide it; it was spilled on a bare rock. ⁸I have left the blood there, where it cannot be hidden, where it demands angry revenge."

⁹This is what the Sovereign LORD is saying: "The city of murderers is doomed! I myself will pile up the firewood. ¹⁰Bring more wood! Fan the flames! Cook the meat! Boil away the broth! Burn up the bones! ¹¹Now set the empty bronze pot on the coals and let it get red-hot. Then the pot will be ritually pure again after the corrosion is burned off, ¹²although all that corrosion will not disappear in the flames. ¹³Jerusalem, your immoral actions have defiled you. Although I tried to purify you, you remained defiled. You will not be pure again until you have felt the full force of my anger. ¹⁴I, the LORD, have spoken. The time has come for me to act. I will not ignore your sins or show pity or be merciful. You will be punished for what you have done." The Sovereign LORD has spoken.

The Death of the Prophet's Wife

¹⁵The LORD spoke to me. ¹⁶"Mortal man," he said, "with one blow I am going to take away the person you love most. You are not to complain or cry or shed any tears. ¹⁷Don't let your sobbing be heard. Do not go bareheaded or barefoot as a sign of mourning. Don't cover your face or eat the food that mourners eat."

¹⁸Early in the day I was talking with the people. That evening my wife died, and the next day I did as I had been told. ¹⁹The people asked me, "Why are you acting like this?"

²⁰So I said to them, "The LORD spoke to me and told me ²¹to give you Israelites this message: You are proud of the strength of the Temple. You like to look at it and to visit it, but the LORD is going to profane it. And the younger members of your families who are left in Jerusalem will be killed in war. ²²Then you will do what I have done. You will not cover your faces or eat the food that mourners eat. ²³You will not go bareheaded or barefoot or mourn or cry. You will waste away because of your sins, and you will groan to one another. ²⁴Then I will be a sign to you; you will do everything I have done. The LORD says that when this happens, you will know that he is the Sovereign LORD."

²⁵The LORD said, "Now, mortal man, I will take away from them the strong Temple that was their pride and joy, which they liked to look at and to visit. And I will take away their sons and daughters. ²⁶On the day that I do this, some who escape the destruction will come and tell you about it. ²⁷That same day you will get back the power of speech which you had lost, and you will talk with them. In this way you will be a sign to the people, and they will know that I am the LORD."

God Will Rescue Jerusalem

Isaiah 52 Jerusalem, be strong and great again!

Holy city of God, clothe yourself with splendor!

The heathen will never enter your gates again.

²Shake yourself free, Jerusalem!

Rise from the dust and sit on your throne!

Undo the chains that bind you,

captive people of Zion!

³The Sovereign LORD says to his people, "When you became slaves, no money was paid for you; in the same way nothing will be paid to set you free. ⁴When you went to live in Egypt as foreigners, you did so of your own free will; Assyria, however, took you away by force and paid nothing for you. ⁵And now in Babylonia the same thing has happened: you are captives, and nothing was paid for you. Those who rule over you boast and brag and constantly show contempt for me. ⁶In time to come you will acknowledge that I am God and that I have spoken to you."

⁷How wonderful it is to see

a messenger coming across the mountains,

bringing good news, the news of peace!

He announces victory and says to Zion,

"Your God is king!"

⁸Those who guard the city are shouting,

shouting together for joy.

They can see with their own eyes

the return of the LORD to Zion.

⁹Break into shouts of joy,

you ruins of Jerusalem!

The LORD will rescue his city

and comfort his people.

¹⁰The LORD will use his holy power;

he will save his people,

and all the world will see it.

¹¹Be sure to leave Babylonia,

all you that carry the Temple equipment.

Touch no forbidden thing;

keep yourselves holy and leave.

¹²This time you will not have to leave in a hurry;

you will not be trying to escape.

The LORD your God will lead you

and protect you on every side.

The Suffering Servant

¹³The LORD says,

"My servant will succeed in his task;

he will be highly honored.

¹⁴Many people were shocked when they saw him;

he was so disfigured that he hardly looked human.

¹⁵But now many nations will marvel at him,

and kings will be speechless with amazement.

They will see and understand

something they had never known."

This reading is from The Holy Bible, Today's English Version, Second Edition copyright © American Bible Society, 1992;
Old Testament copyright © American Bible Society, 1976, 1992; New Testament © American Bible Society, 1966, 1971, 1976, 1992.

These daily Bible readings from the Good News Translation (GNT), formerly the Today's English Version (TEV), are published by BibleNetUSA. The web site and BibleCard® designs are by iCreative. All BibleCard® images are copyrighted by iCreative. All rights reserved.