Day 330 The Bible in a Year (Orthodox canon)

Jeremiah 19

1 Then said the Lord to me, Go and get an earthen bottle, the work of the potter, and thou shalt bring [some] of the elders of the people, and of the priests; 2 and thou shalt go forth to the burial-place of the sons of their children, which is at the entrance of the gate of Charsith; and do thou read there all these words which I shall speak to thee: 3 and thou shalt say to them, Hear ye the word of the Lord, ye kings of Juda, and men of Juda, and the dwellers in Jerusalem, and they that enter in by these gates; thus saith the Lord God of Israel; Behold, I [will] bring evil upon this place, so that the ears of every one that hears it shall tingle. 4 Because they forsook me, and profaned this place, and burnt incense in it to strange gods, which they and their fathers knew not; and the kings of Juda have filled this place with innocent blood, 5 and built high places for Baal, to burn their children in the fire, which things I commanded not, neither did I design [them] in my heart: 6 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when this place shall no more be called, The fall and burial-place of the son of Ennom, but, The burial-place of slaughter. 7 And I will destroy the counsel of Juda and the counsel of Jerusalem in this place; and I will cast them down with the sword before their enemies, and by the hands of them that seek their lives: and I will give their dead bodies for food to the birds of the sky and to the wild beasts of the earth. 8 And I will bring this city to desolation and [make it] a hissing; every one that passes by it shall scowl, and hiss because of all her plague. 9 And they shall eat the flesh of their sons, and the flesh of their daughters; and they shall eat every one the flesh of his neighbour in the blockade, and in the siege wherewith their enemies shall besiege them. 10 And thou shalt break the bottle in the sight of the men that go forth with thee, 11 and thou shalt say, Thus saith the Lord, Thus will I break in pieces this people, and this city, even as an earthen vessel is broken in pieces which cannot be mended again. 12 Thus will I do, saith the Lord, to this place, and to the inhabitants of it, that this city may be given up, as one that is falling to ruin. 13 And the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses of the kings of Juda shall be as a ruinous place, because of their uncleannesses in all the houses, wherein they burnt incense upon their roofs to all the host of heaven, and poured drink-offerings to strange gods. 14 And Jeremias came from [the place] of the Fall, whither the Lord had sent him to prophesy; and he stood in the court of the Lord's house; and said to all the people, Thus saith the Lord; 15 Behold, I bring upon this city, and upon all the cities belonging to it, and upon the villages of it, all the evils which I have spoken against it, because they have hardened their neck, [that they might not] hearken to my commands.

Jeremiah 20

1 Now Paschor the son of Emmer, the priest, who also had been appointed chief of the house of the Lord, heard Jeremias prophesying these words. 2 And he smote him, and cast him into the dungeon which was by the gate of the upper house that was set apart, which was by the house of the Lord. 3 And Paschor brought Jeremias out of the dungeon: and Jeremias said to him, [The Lord] has not called thy name Paschor, but Exile. 4 For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I [will] give thee up to captivity with all thy friends: and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies, and thine eyes shall see [it]: and I will give thee and all Juda into the hands of the king of Babylon, and they shall carry them captives, and cut them in pieces with swords. 5 And I will give all the strength of this city, and all the labours of it, and all the treasures of the king of Juda, into the hands of his enemies, and they shall bring them to Babylon. 6 And thou and all the dwellers in thine house shall go into captivity: and thou shalt die in Babylon, and there thou and all thy friends shall be buried, to whom thou hast prophesied lies. 7 Thou hast deceived me, O Lord, and I have been deceived: thou hast been strong, and hast prevailed: I am become a laughing-stock, I am continually mocked every day. 8 For I will laugh with my bitter speech, I will call upon rebellion and misery: for the word of the Lord is become a reproach to me and a mockery all my days. 9 Then I said, I will by no means name the name of the Lord, and I will no more at all speak in his name. But it was as burning fire flaming in my bones, and I am utterly weakened on all sides, and cannot bear [up]. 10 For I have heard the reproach of many gathering round, [saying], Conspire ye, and let us conspire together against him, [even] all his friends: watch his intentions, if perhaps he shall be deceived, and we shall prevail against him, and we shall be avenged on him. 11 But the Lord was with me as a mighty man of war: therefore they persecuted [me], but could not perceive [anything against me]; they were greatly confounded, for they perceived not their disgrace, which shall never be forgotten. 12 O Lord, that provest just [deeds], understanding the reins and hearts, let me see thy vengeance upon them: for to thee I have revealed my cause. 13 Sing ye to the Lord, sing praise to him: for he has rescued the soul of the poor from the hand of evil-doers. 14 Cursed be the day wherein I was born: the day wherein my mother brought me forth, let it not be blessed. 15 Cursed be the man who brought the glad tidings to my father, saying, A male child is born to thee. 16 Let that man rejoice as the cities which the Lord overthrew in wrath, and repented not: let him hear crying in the morning, and loud lamentation at noon; 17 because he slew me not in the womb, and my mother became not my tomb, and her womb always great with me. 18 Why is it that I came forth of the womb to see troubles and distresses, and my days are spent in shame?

Jeremiah 21

1 The Word that came from the Lord to Jeremias, when King Sedekias sent to him Paschor the Son of Melchias, and Sophonias Son of Basæas, the Priest, saying, 2 Enquire of the Lord for us; for the king of Babylon has risen up against us; if the Lord will do according to all his wonderful works, and [the king] shall depart from us. 3 And Jeremias said to them, Thus shall ye say to Sedekias king of Juda, 4 Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I [will] turn back the weapons of war wherewith ye fight against the Chaldeans that have besieged you from outside the wall, and I will gather them into the midst of this city. 5 And I will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, with wrath and great anger. 6 And I will smite all the dwellers in this city, [both] men and cattle, with grievous pestilence: and they shall die. 7 And after this, thus saith the Lord; I will give Sedekias king of Juda, and his servants, and the people that is left in this city from the pestilence, and from the famine, and from the sword, into the hands of their enemies, that seek their lives: and they shall cut them in pieces with the edge of the sword: I will not spare them, and I will not have compassion upon them. 8 And thou shalt say to this people, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I have set before you the way of life, and the way of death. 9 He that remains in this city shall die by the sword, and by famine: but he that goes forth to advance to the Chaldeans that have besieged you, shall live, and his life shall be to him for a spoil, and he shall live. 10 For I have set my face against this city for evil, and not for good: it shall be delivered into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he shall consume it with fire. 11 O house of the king of Juda, hear ye the word of the Lord. 12 O house of David, thus saith the Lord; Judge judgment in the morning, and act rightly, and rescue the spoiled one from the hand of him that wrongs him, lest mine anger be kindled like fire, and it burn, and there be none to quench [it]. 13 Behold, I am against thee that dwellest in the valley of Sor; in the plain country, [even against] them that say, Who shall alarm us? or who shall enter into our habitation? 14 And I will kindle a fire in the forest thereof, and it shall devour all things round about it.

Hebrews 11

1 Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, proof of things not seen. 2 For by this, the elders obtained approval. 3 By faith we understand that the universe has been framed by the word of God, so that what is seen has not been made out of things which are visible. 4 By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he had testimony given to him that he was righteous, God testifying with respect to his gifts; and through it he, being dead, still speaks. 5 By faith Enoch was taken away, so that he wouldn’t see death, and he was not found, because God translated him. For he has had testimony given to him that before his translation he had been well pleasing to God. 6 Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to him, for he who comes to God must believe that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him. 7 By faith Noah, being warned about things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared a ship for the saving of his house, through which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. 8 By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed to go out to the place which he was to receive for an inheritance. He went out, not knowing where he went. 9 By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a land not his own, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. 11 By faith even Sarah herself received power to conceive, and she bore a child when she was past age, since she counted him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore as many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as innumerable as the sand which is by the sea shore, were fathered by one man, and him as good as dead. 13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them and embraced them from afar, and having confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. 15 If indeed they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had enough time to return. 16 But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. 17 By faith, Abraham, being tested, offered up Isaac. Yes, he who had gladly received the promises was offering up his only born son, 18 to whom it was said, “Your offspring will be accounted as from Isaac,” 19 concluding that God is able to raise up even from the dead. Figuratively speaking, he also did receive him back from the dead. 20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even concerning things to come. 21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff. 22 By faith Joseph, when his end was near, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions concerning his bones. 23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s commandment. 24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to share ill treatment with God’s people than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a time, 26 considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he looked to the reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, that the destroyer of the firstborn should not touch them. 29 By faith they passed through the Red Sea as on dry land. When the Egyptians tried to do so, they were swallowed up. 30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. 31 By faith Rahab the prostitute didn’t perish with those who were disobedient, having received the spies in peace. 32 What more shall I say? For the time would fail me if I told of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets— 33 who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked out righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, grew mighty in war, and caused foreign armies to flee. 35 Women received their dead by resurrection. Others were tortured, not accepting their deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. 36 Others were tried by mocking and scourging, yes, moreover by bonds and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned. They were sawn apart. They were tempted. They were slain with the sword. They went around in sheep skins and in goat skins; being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated— 38 of whom the world was not worthy—wandering in deserts, mountains, caves, and the holes of the earth. 39 These all, having been commended for their faith, didn’t receive the promise, 40 God having provided some better thing concerning us, so that apart from us they should not be made perfect.