Gospels First Plan
Day 335 of 365
About 13 minutes · based on today's reading
New Heart English Bible (NHEB)Today's passages
Zechariah 13
1"In that day there will be a spring opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness.
2It will come to pass in that day, says the Lord of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they will be remembered no more. I will also cause the prophets and the spirit of impurity to pass out of the land.
3It will happen that, when anyone still prophesies, then his father and his mother who bore him will tell him, 'You must die, because you speak lies in the name of the Lord;' and his father and his mother who bore him will stab him when he prophesies.
4It will happen in that day, that the prophets will each be ashamed of his vision, when he prophesies; neither will they wear a hairy mantle to deceive:
5but he will say, 'I am no prophet, I am a tiller of the ground; for I have been made a bondservant from my youth.'
6One will say to him, 'What are these wounds between your hands?' Then he will answer, 'Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.'
7"Awake, sword, against my shepherd, and against the man who is close to me," says the Lord of hosts. "Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered; and I will turn my hand against the little ones.
8It shall happen that in all the land," says the Lord, "two parts in it will be cut off and die; but the third will be left in it.
9I will bring the third part into the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will test them like gold is tested. They will call on my name, and I will hear them. I will say, 'It is my people;' and they will say, 'The Lord is my God.'"
Zechariah 14
1Behold, a day of the Lord comes, when your spoil will be divided in your midst.
2For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city will be taken, the houses rifled, and the women ravished. Half of the city will go out into captivity, and the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city.
3Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
4His feet will stand in that day on the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in two, from east to west, making a very great valley. Half of the mountain will move toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
5You shall flee by the valley of my mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azel; yes, you shall flee, just like you fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. The Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with you.
6It will happen in that day, that there will not be light, cold, or frost.
7It will be a unique day which is known to the Lord; not day, and not night; but it will come to pass, that at evening time there will be light.
8It will happen in that day, that living waters will go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the eastern sea, and half of them toward the western sea; in summer and in winter will it be.
9The Lord will be King over all the earth. In that day the Lord will be one, and his name one.
10All the land will be made like the Arabah, from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem; and she will be lifted up, and will dwell in her place, from Benjamin's gate to the place of the first gate, to the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananel to the king's winepresses.
11Men will dwell therein, and there will be no more curse; but Jerusalem will dwell safely.
12This will be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the peoples who have warred against Jerusalem: their flesh will consume away while they stand on their feet, and their eyes will consume away in their sockets, and their tongue will consume away in their mouth.
13It will happen in that day, that a great panic from the Lord will be among them; and they will lay hold everyone on the hand of his neighbor, and his hand will rise up against the hand of his neighbor.
14Judah also will fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the surrounding nations will be gathered together: gold, and silver, and clothing, in great abundance.
15So will be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the donkey, and of all the animals that will be in those camps, as that plague.
16It will happen that everyone who is left of all the nations that came against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of booths.
17It will be, that whoever of all the families of the earth doesn't go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, on them there will be no rain.
18If the family of Egypt doesn't go up, and doesn't come, neither will it rain on them. This will be the plague with which the Lord will strike the nations that do not go up to keep the feast of booths.
19This will be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all the nations that do not go up to keep the feast of booths.
20In that day there will be on the bells of the horses, "HOLY TO THE Lord;" and the pots in the Lord's house will be like the bowls before the altar.
21Yes, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah will be holy to the Lord of hosts; and all those who sacrifice will come and take of them, and cook in them. In that day there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts.
Malachi 1
1An oracle: the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi.
2"I have loved you," says the Lord. Yet you say, "How have you loved us?" "Wasn't Esau Jacob's brother?" says the Lord, "Yet I loved Jacob;
3but Esau I hated, and made his mountains a desolation, and gave his heritage to the jackals of the wilderness."
4Whereas Edom says, "We are beaten down, but we will return and build the waste places;" thus says the Lord of hosts, "They shall build, but I will throw down; and men will call them 'The Wicked Land,' even the people against whom the Lord shows wrath forever."
5Your eyes will see, and you will say, "The Lord is great-even beyond the border of Israel!"
6"A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If I am a father, then where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is the respect due me? Says the Lord of hosts to you, priests, who despise my name. You say, 'How have we despised your name?'
7You offer polluted bread on my altar. You say, 'How have we polluted you?' In that you say, 'The Lord's table contemptible.'
8When you offer the blind for sacrifice, isn't that evil? And when you offer the lame and sick, isn't that evil? Present it now to your governor! Will he be pleased with you? Or will he accept your person?" says the Lord of hosts.
9"Now, please entreat the favor of God, that he may be gracious to us. With this, will he accept any of you?" says the Lord of hosts.
10"Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you," says the Lord of hosts, "neither will I accept an offering at your hand.
11For from the rising of the sun even to the going down of the same, my name is great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering: for my name is great among the nations," says the Lord of hosts.
12"But you profane it, in that you say, 'The Lord's table is polluted, and its fruit, even its food, is contemptible.'
13You say also, 'Behold, what a weariness it is!' and you have sniffed at it," says the Lord of hosts; "and you have brought that which was taken by violence, the lame, and the sick; thus you bring the offering. Should I accept this at your hand?" says the Lord.
14"But the deceiver is cursed, who has in his flock a male, and vows, and sacrifices to the Lord a blemished thing; for I am a great King," says the Lord of hosts, "and my name is awesome among the nations."
Psalms 35
1Contend, Lord, with those who contend with me. Fight against those who fight against me.
2Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for my help.
3Brandish the spear and block those who pursue me. Tell my soul, "I am your salvation."
4Let those who seek after my soul be disappointed and brought to dishonor. Let those who plot my ruin be turned back and confounded.
5Let them be as chaff before the wind, The Lord's angel driving them on.
6Let their way be dark and slippery, The Lord's angel pursuing them.
7For without cause they have hidden their net in a pit for me. Without cause they have dug a pit for my soul.
8Let destruction come on him unawares. Let his net that he has hidden catch himself. Let him fall into that destruction.
9My soul shall be joyful in the Lord. It shall rejoice in his salvation.
10All my bones shall say, "Lord, who is like you, who delivers the poor from him who is too strong for him; yes, the poor and the needy from him who robs him?"
11Unrighteous witnesses rise up. They ask me about things that I do not know about.
12They reward me evil for good, to the bereaving of my soul.
13But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth. I afflicted my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into my own bosom.
14I behaved myself as though it had been my friend or my brother. I bowed down mourning, as one who mourns his mother.
15But in my adversity, they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together. The attackers gathered themselves together against me, and I did not know it. They tore at me, and did not cease.
16Like the profane mockers in feasts, they gnashed their teeth at me.
17Lord, how long will you look on? Rescue my soul from their destruction, my precious life from the lions.
18I will give you thanks in the great assembly. I will praise you among many people.
19Do not let those who are my enemies wrongfully rejoice over me; neither let those who hate me without a cause and wink their eyes.
20For they do not speak peace, but they devise deceitful words against those who are quiet in the land.
21Yes, they opened their mouth wide against me. They said, "Aha! Aha! Our eye has seen it!"
22You have seen it, Lord. Do not keep silent. Lord, do not be far from me.
23Wake up! Rise up to defend me, my God! My Lord, contend for me!
24Vindicate me, Lord my God, according to your righteousness. Do not let them gloat over me.
25Do not let them say in their heart, "Aha! That's the way we want it!" Do not let them say, "We have swallowed him up!"
26Let them be disappointed and confounded together who rejoice at my calamity. Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor who magnify themselves against me.
27Let them shout for joy and be glad, who favor my righteous cause. Yes, let them say continually, "The Lord be magnified, who has pleasure in the prosperity of his servant!"
28My tongue shall talk about your righteousness and about your praise all day long.
Proverbs 25
1These also are proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out.
2It is the glory of God to conceal a thing, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter.
3As the heavens for height, and the earth for depth, so the hearts of kings are unsearchable.
4Take away the dross from the silver, and material comes out for the refiner;
5Take away the wicked from the king's presence, and his throne will be established in righteousness.
6Do not exalt yourself in the presence of the king, or claim a place among great men;
7for it is better that it be said to you, "Come up here," than that you should be put lower in the presence of the prince, whom your eyes have seen.
8Do not be hasty in bringing charges to court. What will you do in the end when your neighbor shames you?
9Debate your case with your neighbor, and do not betray the confidence of another;
10lest one who hears it put you to shame, and your bad reputation never depart.
11A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.
12As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover to an obedient ear.
13As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to those who send him; for he refreshes the soul of his masters.
14As clouds and wind without rain, so is he who boasts of gifts deceptively.
15By patience a ruler is persuaded. A soft tongue breaks the bone.
16Have you found honey? Eat as much as is sufficient for you, lest you eat too much, and vomit it.
17Let your foot be seldom in your neighbor's house, lest he be weary of you, and hate you.
18A man who gives false testimony against his neighbor is like a club, a sword, or a sharp arrow.
19Confidence in someone unfaithful in time of trouble is like a bad tooth, or a lame foot.
20As one who takes away a garment in cold weather, or vinegar on soda, so is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.
21If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat. If he is thirsty, give him water to drink:
22for you will heap coals of fire on his head, and the Lord will reward you.
23The north wind brings forth rain: so a backbiting tongue brings an angry face.
24It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop, than to share a house with a contentious woman.
25Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.
26Like a muddied spring, and a polluted well, so is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.
27It is not good to eat much honey; nor is it honorable to seek one's own honor.
28Like a city that is broken down and without walls is a man whose spirit is without restraint.