Daily Bible CEV December 26 Scroll

Luke 2 ²¹Eight days later Jesus' parents did for him what the Law of Moses commands. And they named him Jesus, just as the angel had told Mary when he promised she would have a baby.

Simeon Praises the Lord

²²The time came for Mary and Joseph to do what the Law of Moses says a mother is supposed to do after her baby is born.

They took Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem and presented him to the Lord, ²³just as the Law of the Lord says, "Each first-born baby boy belongs to the Lord." ²⁴The Law of the Lord also says that parents have to offer a sacrifice, giving at least a pair of doves or two young pigeons. So that is what Mary and Joseph did.

²⁵At this time a man named Simeon was living in Jerusalem. Simeon was a good man. He loved God and was waiting for God to save the people of Israel. God's Spirit came to him ²⁶and told him that he would not die until he had seen Christ the Lord.

²⁷When Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple to do what the Law of Moses says should be done for a new baby, the Spirit told Simeon to go into the temple. ²⁸Simeon took the baby Jesus in his arms and praised God,

²⁹"Lord, I am your servant,

and now I can die in peace,

because you have kept your promise to me.

³⁰With my own eyes I have seen

what you have done to save your people,

³¹

and foreign nations will also see this.

³²Your mighty power is a light for all nations,

and it will bring honor to your people Israel."

³³Jesus' parents were surprised at what Simeon had said. ³⁴Then he blessed them and told Mary, "This child of yours will cause many people in Israel to fall and others to stand. The child will be like a warning sign. Many people will reject him, ³⁵and you, Mary, will suffer as though you had been stabbed by a dagger. But all this will show what people are really thinking."

Anna Speaks about the Child Jesus

³⁶The prophet Anna was also there in the temple. She was the daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher, and she was very old. In her youth she had been married for seven years, but her husband died. ³⁷And now she was eighty-four years old. Night and day she served God in the temple by praying and often going without eating.

³⁸At that time Anna came in and praised God. She spoke about the child Jesus to everyone who hoped for Jerusalem to be set free.

The Return to Nazareth

³⁹After Joseph and Mary had done everything that the Law of the Lord commands, they returned home to Nazareth in Galilee. ⁴⁰The child Jesus grew. He became strong and wise, and God blessed him.

The Boy Jesus in the Temple

⁴¹Every year Jesus' parents went to Jerusalem for Passover. ⁴²And when Jesus was twelve years old, they all went there as usual for the celebration. ⁴³After Passover his parents left, but they did not know that Jesus had stayed on in the city. ⁴⁴They thought he was traveling with some other people, and they went a whole day before they started looking for him. ⁴⁵When they could not find him with their relatives and friends, they went back to Jerusalem and started looking for him there.

⁴⁶Three days later they found Jesus sitting in the temple, listening to the teachers and asking them questions. ⁴⁷Everyone who heard him was surprised at how much he knew and at the answers he gave.

⁴⁸When his parents found him, they were amazed. His mother said, "Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been very worried, and we have been searching for you!"

⁴⁹Jesus answered, "Why did you have to look for me? Didn't you know that I would be in my Father's house?" ⁵⁰But they did not understand what he meant.

⁵¹Jesus went back to Nazareth with his parents and obeyed them. His mother kept on thinking about all that had happened.

⁵²Jesus became wise, and he grew strong. God was pleased with him and so were the people.

Gog Invades Israel

Ezekiel 38 The LORD said:

²Ezekiel, son of man, condemn Gog, that wicked ruler of the kingdoms of Meshech and Tubal in the land of Magog. Tell him:

³I, the LORD God, am your enemy, ⁴and I will make you powerless! I will put a hook in your jaw and drag away both you and your large army. You command cavalry troops that wear heavy armor and carry shields and swords. ⁵Your army includes soldiers from Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya, ⁶as well as from Gomer and Beth-Togarmah in the north. Your army is enormous!

⁷So keep your troops prepared to fight, ⁸because in a few years, I will command you to invade Israel, a country that was ruined by war. It was deserted for a long time, but its people have returned from the foreign nations where they once lived. The Israelites now live in peace in the mountains of their own land. ⁹But you and your army will attack them like a fierce thunderstorm and surround them like a cloud.

¹⁰When that day comes, I know that you will have an evil plan ¹¹to take advantage of Israel, that weak and peaceful country where people live safely inside towns that have no walls or gates or locks. ¹²You will rob the people in towns that were once a pile of rubble. These people lived as prisoners in foreign nations, but they have returned to Israel, the most important place in the world, and they own livestock and property. ¹³The people of Sheba and Dedan, along with merchants from villages in southern Spain, will be your allies. They will want some of the silver and gold, as well as the livestock and property that your army takes from Israel.

¹⁴I, the LORD God, know that when you see my people Israel living in peace, ¹⁵you will lead your powerful cavalry from your kingdom in the north. ¹⁶You will attack my people like a storm-cloud that covers their land. I will let you invade my country Israel, so that every nation on earth will know that I, the LORD, am holy.

Judgment on Gog

¹⁷The LORD said to Gog:

Long ago, I had my prophets warn the people of Israel that someday I would send an enemy to attack them. You, Gog, are that enemy, and that day is coming. ¹⁸When you invade Israel, I will become furious, ¹⁹and in my anger I will send a terrible earthquake to shake Israel. ²⁰Every living thing on earth will tremble in fear of me--every fish and bird, every wild animal and reptile, and every human. Mountains will crumble, cliffs will fall, and cities will collapse. ²¹I, the LORD, will make the mountains of Israel turn against you. Your troops will be so terrified that they will attack each other. ²²I will strike you with diseases and punish you with death. You and your army will be pounded with rainstorms, hailstones, and burning sulfur. ²³I will do these things to show the world that I, the LORD, am holy.

Gog Is Defeated

The LORD said:
Ezekiel 39 Ezekiel, son of man, condemn Gog and tell him:

You are the ruler of Meshech and Tubal, but I, the LORD, am your enemy! ²I will turn you around and drag you from the north until you reach the mountains of Israel. ³I will knock the bow out of your left hand and the arrows out of your right hand, ⁴and you and your army will die on those mountains. Then birds and wild animals will eat the flesh ⁵of your dead bodies left lying in open fields. I, the LORD, have spoken.

⁶I will set fire to the land of Magog and to those nations along the seacoast that think they are so secure, and they will know that I am the LORD.

⁷My people Israel will know me, and they will no longer disgrace my holy name. Everyone on earth will know that I am the holy LORD God of Israel. ⁸The day is coming when these things will happen, just as I have promised.

⁹When that day comes, the people in the towns of Israel will collect the weapons of their dead enemies. They will use these shields, bows and arrows, spears, and clubs as firewood, and there will be enough to last for seven years. ¹⁰They will burn these weapons instead of gathering sticks or chopping down trees. That's how the Israelites will take revenge on those who robbed and abused them. I, the LORD, have spoken.

The Burial of Gog

The LORD said:

¹¹After Gog has been destroyed, I will bury him and his army in Israel, in Travelers' Valley, east of the Dead Sea. That graveyard will be so large that it will block the way of anyone who tries to walk through the valley, which will then be known as "The Valley of Gog's Army." ¹²The Israelites will spend seven months burying dead bodies and cleaning up their land. ¹³Everyone will help with the burial, and they will be honored for this on the day the brightness of my glory is seen. ¹⁴After those seven months, the people will appoint a group of men to look for any dead bodies left unburied. This must be done for seven months to make sure that the land is no longer unclean. ¹⁵Whenever they find a human bone, they will set up a marker next to it. Then the gravediggers will bury it in "The Valley of Gog's Army" ¹⁶near the town of "Gog's Army." After that, the land will be pure again.

¹⁷Ezekiel, son of man, I am going to hold a feast on Israel's mountains and offer sacrifices there. So invite all the birds and wild animals to come from every direction and eat the meat of sacrifices and drink the blood. The birds and animals ¹⁸will feast on the bodies of warriors and foreign rulers that I will sacrifice like sheep, goats, and bulls. ¹⁹I want the birds and animals to eat until they are full and drink until they are drunk. ²⁰They will come to my table and stuff themselves with the flesh of horses and warriors of every kind. I, the LORD God, have spoken.

Israel Will Be Restored

The LORD said:

²¹When I punish the nations of the earth, they will see the brightness of my glory. ²²The people of Israel will know from then on that I am the LORD their God. ²³Foreign nations will realize that the Israelites were forced to leave their own land because they sinned against me. I turned my back on my people and let enemies attack and kill them. ²⁴Their lives were wicked and corrupt, and they deserved to be punished.

²⁵Now I will show mercy to the people of Israel and bring them back from the nations where they are living. They are Jacob's descendants, so I will bless them and show that I am holy. ²⁶They will live safely in their own land, but will be ashamed when they remember their evil ways and how they disgraced me. ²⁷Foreign nations will watch as I take the Israelites from enemy lands and bring them back home, and those nations will see that I am holy.

²⁸My people will realize that I, the LORD their God, sent them away as prisoners and now will bring them back to their own land. ²⁹Never again will I turn my back on the people of Israel, and my Spirit will live in them. I, the LORD, have spoken.

The Good News of Victory

Isaiah 61 The Spirit of the LORD God has taken control of me!

The LORD has chosen and sent me

to tell the oppressed the good news,

to heal the brokenhearted,

and to announce freedom for prisoners and captives.

²This is the year when the LORD God

will show kindness to us and punish our enemies.

The LORD has sent me to comfort those who mourn,

especially in Jerusalem.

He sent me to give them

flowers in place of their sorrow,

olive oil in place of tears,

and joyous praise in place of broken hearts.

They will be called "Trees of Justice,"

planted by the LORD to honor his name.

⁴Then they will rebuild cities that have been in ruins

for many generations.

⁵They will hire foreigners to take care of their sheep

and their vineyards.

⁶But they themselves will be priests and servants

of the LORD our God.

The treasures of the nations will belong to them,

and they will be famous.

⁷They were terribly insulted and horribly mistreated;

now they will be greatly blessed and joyful forever.

The LORD Loves Justice

⁸I, the LORD, love justice!

But I hate robbery and injustice.

My people, I solemnly promise to reward you

with an eternal agreement.

⁹Your descendants will be known in every nation.

All who see them will realize

that they have been blessed, by me, the LORD.

Celebrate and Shout

¹⁰I celebrate and shout because of my LORD God.

His saving power and justice

are the very clothes I wear.

They are more beautiful than the jewelry worn

by a bride or a groom.

¹¹The LORD will bring about justice and praise

in every nation on earth,

like flowers blooming in a garden.

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.