Daily Bible CEV December 11 Scroll

Children and Parents

Ephesians 6 Children, you belong to the Lord, and you do the right thing when you obey your parents. The first commandment with a promise says, ²"Obey your father and your mother, ³and you will have a long and happy life."

⁴Parents, don't be hard on your children. Raise them properly. Teach them and instruct them about the Lord.

Slaves and Masters

⁵Slaves, you must obey your earthly masters. Show them great respect and be as loyal to them as you are to Christ. ⁶Try to please them at all times, and not just when you think they are watching. You are slaves of Christ, so with your whole heart you must do what God wants you to do. ⁷Gladly serve your masters, as though they were the Lord himself, and not simply people. ⁸You know that you will be rewarded for any good things you do, whether you are slaves or free.

⁹Slave owners, you must treat your slaves with this same respect. Don't threaten them. They have the same Master in heaven that you do, and he doesn't have any favorites.

The Fight against Evil

¹⁰Finally, let the mighty strength of the Lord make you strong. ¹¹Put on all the armor that God gives, so you can defend yourself against the devil's tricks. ¹²We are not fighting against humans. We are fighting against forces and authorities and against rulers of darkness and powers in the spiritual world. ¹³So put on all the armor that God gives. Then when that evil day comes, you will be able to defend yourself. And when the battle is over, you will still be standing firm.

¹⁴Be ready! Let the truth be like a belt around your waist, and let God's justice protect you like armor. ¹⁵Your desire to tell the good news about peace should be like shoes on your feet. ¹⁶Let your faith be like a shield, and you will be able to stop all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷Let God's saving power be like a helmet, and for a sword use God's message that comes from the Spirit.

¹⁸Never stop praying, especially for others. Always pray by the power of the Spirit. Stay alert and keep praying for God's people. ¹⁹Pray that I will be given the message to speak and that I may fearlessly explain the mystery about the good news. ²⁰I was sent to do this work, and that's the reason I am in jail. So pray that I will be brave and will speak as I should.

Final Greetings

^21-22I want you to know how I am getting along and what I am doing. That's why I am sending Tychicus to you. He is a dear friend, as well as a faithful servant of the Lord. He will tell you how I am doing, and he will cheer you up.

²³I pray that God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ will give peace, love, and faith to every follower! ²⁴May God be kind to everyone who keeps on loving our Lord Jesus Christ.

A Story about Two Eagles and a Vine

Ezekiel 17 The LORD said:

²Ezekiel, son of man, tell the people of Israel the following story, ³so they will understand what I am saying to them:

A large eagle with strong wings and beautiful feathers once flew to Lebanon. It broke the top branch off a cedar tree, ⁴then carried it to a nation of merchants and left it in one of their cities. ⁵The eagle also took seed from Israel and planted it in a fertile field with plenty of water, like a willow tree beside a stream. ⁶The seed sprouted and grew into a grapevine that spread over the ground. It had lots of leaves and strong, deep roots, and its branches grew upward toward the eagle.

⁷There was another eagle with strong wings and thick feathers. The roots and branches of the grapevine soon turned toward this eagle, hoping it would bring water for the soil. ⁸But the vine was already growing in fertile soil, where there was plenty of water to produce healthy leaves and large grapes.

⁹Now tell me, Ezekiel, do you think this grapevine will live? Or will the first eagle pull it up by its roots and pluck off the grapes and let its new leaves die? The eagle could easily kill it without the help of a large and powerful army. ¹⁰The grapevine is strong and healthy, but as soon as the scorching desert wind blows, it will quickly wither.

The LORD Explains the Story

¹¹The LORD said:

¹²Ezekiel, ask the rebellious people of Israel if they know what this story means.

Tell them that the king of Babylonia came to Jerusalem, then he captured the king of Judah and his officials, and took them back to Babylon as prisoners. ¹³He chose someone from the family of Judah's king and signed a treaty with him, then made him swear to be loyal. He also led away other important citizens, ¹⁴so that the rest of the people of Judah would obey only him and never gain control of their own country again.

¹⁵But this new king of Judah later rebelled against Babylonia and sent officials to Egypt to get horses and troops. Will this king be successful in breaking the treaty with Babylonia? Or will he be punished for what he's done?

¹⁶As surely as I am the living LORD God, I swear that the king of Judah will die in Babylon, because he broke the treaty with the king of Babylonia, who appointed him king. ¹⁷Even the king of Egypt and his powerful army will be useless to Judah when the Babylonians attack and build dirt ramps to invade the cities of Judah and kill its people. ¹⁸The king of Judah broke his own promises and ignored the treaty with Babylonia. And so he will be punished!

¹⁹He made a promise in my name and swore to honor the treaty. And now that he has broken that promise, my name is disgraced. He must pay for what he's done. ²⁰I will spread out a net to trap him. Then I will drag him to Babylon and see that he is punished for his unfaithfulness to me. ²¹His best troops will be killed in battle, and the survivors will be scattered in every direction. I, the LORD, have spoken.

^*22Someday, I, the LORD, will cut a tender twig

from the top of a cedar tree,

then plant it on the peak of Israel's tallest mountain,

where it will grow strong branches

and produce large fruit.

²³All kinds of birds will find shelter under the tree,

and they will rest in the shade of its branches.

²⁴Every tree in the forest will know that I, the LORD,

can bring down tall trees and help short ones grow.

I dry up green trees and make dry ones green.

I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will keep my word.

Babylonia's Gods Are Helpless

The LORD said:
Isaiah 46 The gods Bel and Nebo are down on their knees,

as wooden images of them are carried away

on weary animals.

²They are down on their knees to rescue the heavy load,

but the images are still taken to a foreign country.

³You survivors in Israel, listen to me, the LORD.

Since the day you were born,

I have carried you along.

⁴I will still be the same when you are old and gray,

and I will take care of you.

I created you. I will carry you

and always keep you safe.

⁵Can anyone compare with me? Is anyone my equal?

⁶Some people hire a goldsmith and give silver and gold

to be formed into an idol for them to worship.

⁷They carry the idol on their shoulders,

then put it on a stand, but it cannot move.

They call out to the idol when they are in trouble,

but it doesn't answer, and it cannot help.

⁸Now keep this in mind, you sinful people.

And don't ever forget it.

The LORD Alone Is God

⁹I alone am God! There are no other gods;

no one is like me.

Think about what happened many years ago.

¹⁰From the very beginning, I told what would happen

long before it took place.

I kept my word ¹¹and brought someone from a distant land

to do what I wanted.

He attacked from the east, like a hawk swooping down.

Now I will keep my promise

and do what I planned.

¹²You people are stubborn and far from being safe,

so listen to me.

¹³I will soon come to save you. I am not far away

and will waste no time;

I take pride in Israel and will save Jerusalem.

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.