One Year Bible.

I Cry Out before You

¹A song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. For the choirmaster. According to Mahalath Leannoth. A Maskil of Heman the Ezrahite.

O LORD, the God of my salvation,

day and night I cry out before You.

²May my prayer come before You;

incline Your ear to my cry.

³For my soul is full of troubles,

and my life draws near to Sheol.

⁴I am counted among those descending to the Pit.

I am like a man without strength.

⁵I am forsaken among the dead,

like the slain who lie in the grave,

whom You remember no more,

who are cut off from Your care.

⁶You have laid me in the lowest Pit,

in the darkest of the depths.

⁷Your wrath weighs heavily upon me;

all Your waves have submerged me.

Selah

⁸You have removed my friends from me;

You have made me repulsive to them;

I am confined and cannot escape.

⁹My eyes grow dim with grief.

I call to You daily, O LORD;

I spread out my hands to You.

¹⁰Do You work wonders for the dead?

Do departed spirits rise up to praise You?

Selah

¹¹Can Your loving devotion be proclaimed in the grave,

Your faithfulness in Abaddon?

¹²Will Your wonders be known in the darkness,

or Your righteousness in the land of oblivion?

¹³But to You, O LORD, I cry for help;

in the morning my prayer comes before You.

¹⁴Why, O LORD, do You reject me?

Why do You hide Your face from me?

¹⁵From my youth I was afflicted and near death.

I have borne Your terrors; I am in despair.

¹⁶Your wrath has swept over me;

Your terrors have destroyed me.

¹⁷All day long they engulf me like water;

they enclose me on every side.

¹⁸You have removed my beloved and my friend;

darkness is my closest companion.

The Poor Widow’s Offering

¹Then Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, ²and He saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins.

³“Truly I tell you,” He said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. ⁴For they all contributed out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.”

Temple Destruction and Other Signs

⁵As some of the disciples were remarking how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and consecrated gifts, Jesus said, ⁶“As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

⁷“Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?”

⁸Jesus answered, “See to it that you are not deceived. For many will come in My name, claiming, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them. ⁹When you hear of wars and rebellions, do not be alarmed. These things must happen first, but the end is not imminent.”

Witnessing to All Nations

¹⁰Then He told them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. ¹¹There will be great earthquakes, famines, and pestilences in various places, along with fearful sights and great signs from heaven.

¹²But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. On account of My name they will deliver you to the synagogues and prisons, and they will bring you before kings and governors. ¹³This will be your opportunity to serve as witnesses. ¹⁴So make up your mind not to worry beforehand how to defend yourselves. ¹⁵For I will give you speech and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.

¹⁶You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you will be put to death. ¹⁷And you will be hated by everyone because of My name. ¹⁸Yet not even a hair of your head will perish. ¹⁹By your patient endurance you will gain your souls.

The Destruction of Jerusalem

²⁰But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, you will know that her desolation is near. ²¹Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country stay out of the city. ²²For these are the days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written.

²³How miserable those days will be for pregnant and nursing mothers! For there will be great distress upon the land and wrath against this people. ²⁴They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive into all the nations. And Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

The Return of the Son of Man

²⁵There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among the nations, bewildered by the roaring of the sea and the surging of the waves. ²⁶Men will faint from fear and anxiety over what is coming upon the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ²⁷At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. ²⁸When these things begin to happen, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

²⁹Then Jesus told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees. ³⁰When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. ³¹So also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near. ³²Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have happened. ³³Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.

Be Watchful for the Day

³⁴But watch yourselves, or your hearts will be weighed down by dissipation, drunkenness, and the worries of life — and that day will spring upon you suddenly like a snare. ³⁵For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of all the earth. ³⁶So keep watch at all times, and pray that you may have the strength to escape all that is about to happen and to stand before the Son of Man.”

³⁷Every day Jesus taught at the temple, but every evening He went out to spend the night on the Mount of Olives. ³⁸And early in the morning all the people would come to hear Him at the temple.

Israel’s Only Savior

¹But now, this is what the LORD says—

He who created you, O Jacob,

and He who formed you, O Israel:

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;

I have called you by your name; you are Mine!

²When you pass through the waters,

I will be with you;

and when you go through the rivers,

they will not overwhelm you.

When you walk through the fire,

you will not be scorched;

the flames will not set you ablaze.

³For I am the LORD your God,

the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;

I give Egypt for your ransom,

Cush and Seba in your place.

⁴Because you are precious and honored in My sight,

and because I love you,

I will give men in exchange for you

and nations in place of your life.

⁵Do not be afraid, for I am with you;

I will bring your offspring from the east

and gather you from the west.

⁶I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’

and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back!’

Bring My sons from afar,

and My daughters from the ends of the earth—

⁷everyone called by My name and created for My glory,

whom I have indeed formed and made.”

⁸Bring out a people who have eyes but are blind,

and who have ears but are deaf.

⁹All the nations gather together

and the peoples assemble.

Who among them can declare this,

and proclaim to us the former things?

Let them present their witnesses to vindicate them,

so that others may hear and say, “It is true.”

¹⁰“You are My witnesses,” declares the LORD,

“and My servant whom I have chosen,

so that you may consider and believe Me

and understand that I am He.

Before Me no god was formed,

and after Me none will come.

¹¹I, yes I, am the LORD,

and there is no Savior but Me.

¹²I alone decreed and saved and proclaimed—

I, and not some foreign god among you.

So you are My witnesses,” declares the LORD,

“that I am God.

¹³Even from eternity I am He,

and none can deliver out of My hand.

When I act, who can reverse it?”

A Way in the Wilderness

¹⁴Thus says the LORD your Redeemer,

the Holy One of Israel:

“For your sake, I will send to Babylon

and bring them all as fugitives,

even the Chaldeans,

in the ships in which they rejoice.

¹⁵I am the LORD, your Holy One,

the Creator of Israel, and your King.”

¹⁶Thus says the LORD, who makes a way in the sea

and a path through the surging waters,

¹⁷who brings out the chariots and horses,

the armies and warriors together,

to lie down, never to rise again;

to be extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:

¹⁸“Do not call to mind the former things;

pay no attention to the things of old.

¹⁹Behold, I am about to do something new;

even now it is coming. Do you not see it?

Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness

and streams in the desert.

²⁰The beasts of the field will honor Me,

the jackals and the ostriches,

because I provide water in the wilderness

and rivers in the desert,

to give drink to My chosen people.

²¹The people I formed for Myself

will declare My praise.

Israel’s Unfaithfulness

²²But you have not called on Me, O Jacob,

because you have grown weary of Me, O Israel.

²³You have not brought Me sheep for burnt offerings,

nor honored Me with your sacrifices.

I have not burdened you with offerings,

nor wearied you with frankincense.

²⁴You have not bought Me sweet cane with your silver,

nor satisfied Me with the fat of your sacrifices.

But you have burdened Me with your sins;

you have wearied Me with your iniquities.

²⁵I, yes I, am He

who blots out your transgressions for My own sake

and remembers your sins no more.

²⁶Remind Me, let us argue the matter together.

State your case, so that you may be vindicated.

²⁷Your first father sinned,

and your spokesmen rebelled against Me.

²⁸So I will disgrace the princes of your sanctuary,

and I will devote Jacob to destruction and Israel to reproach.”

The LORD Has Chosen Israel

¹But now listen, O Jacob My servant,

Israel, whom I have chosen.

²This is the word of the LORD, your Maker,

who formed you from the womb and who will help you:

“Do not be afraid, O Jacob My servant,

Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.

³For I will pour water on the thirsty land,

and currents on the dry ground.

I will pour out My Spirit on your descendants,

and My blessing on your offspring.

⁴They will sprout among the grass

like willows by flowing streams.

⁵One will say, ‘I belong to the LORD,’

another will call himself by the name of Jacob,

and still another will write on his hand, ‘The LORD’s,’

and will take the name of Israel.”

⁶Thus says the LORD,

the King and Redeemer of Israel, the LORD of Hosts:

“I am the first and I am the last,

and there is no God but Me.

⁷Who then is like Me?

Let him say so!

Let him declare his case before Me,

since I established an ancient people.

Let him foretell the things to come,

and what is to take place.

⁸Do not tremble or fear.

Have I not told you and declared it long ago?

You are My witnesses!

Is there any God but Me?

There is no other Rock;

I know not one.”

⁹All makers of idols are nothing,

and the things they treasure are worthless.

Their witnesses fail to see or comprehend,

so they are put to shame.

¹⁰Who fashions a god or casts an idol

which profits him nothing?

¹¹Behold, all his companions will be put to shame,

for the craftsmen themselves are only human.

Let them all assemble and take their stand;

they will all be brought to terror and shame.

¹²The blacksmith takes a tool

and labors over the coals;

he fashions an idol with hammers

and forges it with his strong arms.

Yet he grows hungry and loses his strength;

he fails to drink water and grows faint.

¹³The woodworker extends a measuring line;

he marks it out with a stylus;

he shapes it with chisels

and outlines it with a compass.

He fashions it in the likeness of man,

like man in all his glory,

that it may dwell in a shrine.

¹⁴He cuts down cedars

or retrieves a cypress or oak.

He lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest.

He plants a laurel, and the rain makes it grow.

¹⁵It serves as fuel for man.

He takes some of it to warm himself,

and he kindles a fire

and bakes his bread.

He also fashions it into a god and worships it;

he makes an idol and bows down to it.

¹⁶He burns half of it in the fire,

and he roasts meat on that half.

He eats the roast and is satisfied.

Indeed, he warms himself and says,

“Ah! I am warm; I see the fire.”

¹⁷From the rest he makes a god, his graven image.

He bows down to it and worships;

he prays to it and says,

“Save me, for you are my god.”

¹⁸They do not comprehend or discern,

for He has shut their eyes so they cannot see

and closed their minds so they cannot understand.

¹⁹And no one considers in his heart,

no one has the knowledge or insight to say,

“I burned half of it in the fire,

and I baked bread on its coals;

I roasted meat and I ate.

Shall I make something detestable with the rest of it?

Shall I bow down to a block of wood?”

²⁰He feeds on ashes.

His deluded heart has led him astray,

and he cannot deliver himself or say,

“Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?”

Jerusalem to Be Restored

²¹Remember these things, O Jacob,

for you are My servant, O Israel.

I have made you, and you are My servant;

O Israel, I will never forget you.

²²I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud,

and your sins like a mist.

Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.

²³Sing for joy, O heavens, for the LORD has done this;

shout aloud, O depths of the earth.

Break forth in song, O mountains,

you forests and all your trees.

For the LORD has redeemed Jacob,

and revealed His glory in Israel.

²⁴Thus says the LORD,

your Redeemer who formed you from the womb:

“I am the LORD,

who has made all things,

who alone stretched out the heavens,

who by Myself spread out the earth,

²⁵who foils the signs of false prophets

and makes fools of diviners,

who confounds the wise

and turns their knowledge into nonsense,

²⁶who confirms the message of His servant

and fulfills the counsel of His messengers,

who says of Jerusalem,

‘She will be inhabited,’

and of the cities of Judah,

‘They will be rebuilt, and I will restore their ruins,’

²⁷who says to the depths of the sea,

‘Be dry, and I will dry up your currents,’

²⁸who says of Cyrus,

‘My shepherd will fulfill all that I desire,’

who says of Jerusalem,

‘She will be rebuilt,’

and of the temple,

‘Let its foundation be laid.’”