One Year Bible.

Ascribe Glory to the LORD

¹A Psalm of David.

Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings,

ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.

²Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name;

worship the LORD in the splendor of His holiness.

³The voice of the LORD is over the waters;

the God of glory thunders;

the LORD is heard over many waters.

⁴The voice of the LORD is powerful;

the voice of the LORD is majestic.

⁵The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;

the LORD shatters the cedars of Lebanon.

⁶He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,

and Sirion like a young wild ox.

⁷The voice of the LORD

strikes with flames of fire.

⁸The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness;

the LORD shakes the Wilderness of Kadesh.

⁹The voice of the LORD twists the oaks

and strips the forests bare.

And in His temple all cry, “Glory!”

¹⁰The LORD sits enthroned over the flood;

the LORD is enthroned as King forever.

¹¹The LORD gives His people strength;

the LORD blesses His people with peace.

The Parable of the Sower

¹Once again Jesus began to teach beside the sea, and such a large crowd gathered around Him that He got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people crowded along the shore.

²And He taught them many things in parables, and in His teaching He said, ³“Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. ⁴And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.

⁵Some fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow. ⁶But when the sun rose, the seedlings were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.

⁷Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the seedlings, and they yielded no crop.

⁸Still other seed fell on good soil, where it sprouted, grew up, and produced a crop — one bearing thirtyfold, another sixtyfold, and another a hundredfold.”

⁹Then Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

The Purpose of Jesus’ Parables

¹⁰As soon as Jesus was alone with the Twelve and those around Him, they asked Him about the parable.

¹¹He replied, “The mystery of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to those on the outside everything is expressed in parables, ¹²so that,

‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,

and ever hearing but never understanding;

otherwise they might turn

and be forgiven.’”

The Parable of the Sower Explained

¹³Then Jesus said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand any of the parables?

¹⁴The farmer sows the word. ¹⁵Some are like the seeds along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.

¹⁶Some are like the seeds sown on rocky ground. They hear the word and at once receive it with joy. ¹⁷But they themselves have no root, and they remain for only a season. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.

¹⁸Others are like the seeds sown among the thorns. They hear the word, ¹⁹but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

²⁰Still others are like the seeds sown on good soil. They hear the word, receive it, and produce a crop — thirtyfold, sixtyfold, or a hundredfold.”

The Lesson of the Lamp

²¹Jesus also said to them, “Does anyone bring in a lamp to put it under a basket or under a bed? Doesn’t he set it on a stand? ²²For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be brought to light.

²³If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”

²⁴He went on to say, “Pay attention to what you hear. With the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and even more will be added to you. ²⁵For whoever has will be given more. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”

The Seed Growing Secretly

²⁶Jesus also said, “The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed on the ground. ²⁷Night and day he sleeps and wakes, and the seed sprouts and grows, though he knows not how. ²⁸All by itself the earth produces a crop— first the stalk, then the head, then grain that ripens within. ²⁹And as soon as the grain is ripe, he swings the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

³⁰Then He asked, “To what can we compare the kingdom of God? With what parable shall we present it? ³¹It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds sown upon the earth. ³²But after it is planted, it grows to be the largest of all garden plants and puts forth great branches, so that the birds of the air nest in its shade.”

³³With many such parables Jesus spoke the word to them, to the extent that they could understand. ³⁴He did not tell them anything without using a parable. But privately He explained everything to His own disciples.

Jesus Calms the Storm

³⁵When that evening came, He said to His disciples, “Let us cross to the other side.” ³⁶After they had dismissed the crowd, they took Jesus with them, since He was already in the boat. And there were other boats with Him.

³⁷Soon a violent windstorm came up, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was being swamped. ³⁸But Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. So they woke Him and said, “Teacher, don’t You care that we are perishing?”

³⁹Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the sea. “Silence!” He commanded. “Be still!” And the wind died down, and it was perfectly calm.

⁴⁰“Why are you so afraid?” He asked. “Do you still have no faith?”

⁴¹Overwhelmed with fear, they asked one another, “Who is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”

The Parable of Two Eagles and a Vine

¹Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ²“Son of man, pose a riddle; speak a parable to the house of Israel ³and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says:

‘A great eagle with great wings and long pinions,

full of feathers of many colors,

came to Lebanon

and took away the top of the cedar.

⁴He plucked off its topmost shoot,

carried it to the land of merchants,

and planted it in a city of traders.

⁵He took some of the seed of the land

and planted it in fertile soil;

he placed it by abundant waters

and set it out like a willow.

⁶It sprouted and became a spreading vine,

low in height, with branches turned toward him;

yet its roots remained where it stood.

So it became a vine and yielded branches

and sent out shoots.

⁷But there was another great eagle

with great wings and many feathers.

And behold, this vine bent its roots toward him.

It stretched out its branches to him from its planting bed,

so that he might water it.

⁸It had been planted in good soil

by abundant waters

in order to yield branches and bear fruit

and become a splendid vine.’

⁹So you are to tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says:

‘Will it flourish?

Will it not be uprooted and stripped of its fruit

so that it shrivels?

All its foliage will wither!

It will not take a strong arm or many people

to pull it up by its roots.

¹⁰Even if it is transplanted,

will it flourish?

Will it not completely wither when the east wind strikes?

It will wither on the bed where it sprouted.’”

The Parable Explained

¹¹Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ¹²“Now say to this rebellious house: ‘Do you not know what these things mean?’

Tell them, ‘Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, carried off its king and officials, and brought them back with him to Babylon. ¹³He took a member of the royal family and made a covenant with him, putting him under oath. Then he carried away the leading men of the land, ¹⁴so that the kingdom would be brought low, unable to lift itself up, surviving only by keeping his covenant.

¹⁵But this king rebelled against Babylon by sending his envoys to Egypt to ask for horses and a large army. Will he flourish? Will the one who does such things escape? Can he break a covenant and yet escape?’

¹⁶‘As surely as I live,’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘he will die in Babylon, in the land of the king who enthroned him, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke. ¹⁷Pharaoh with his mighty army and vast horde will not help him in battle, when ramps are built and siege walls constructed to destroy many lives. ¹⁸He despised the oath by breaking the covenant. Seeing that he gave his hand in pledge yet did all these things, he will not escape!’

¹⁹Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘As surely as I live, I will bring down upon his head My oath that he despised and My covenant that he broke. ²⁰I will spread My net over him and catch him in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon and execute judgment upon him there for the treason he committed against Me. ²¹All his choice troops will fall by the sword, and those who survive will be scattered to every wind. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken.’

²²This is what the Lord GOD says:

‘I will take a shoot from the lofty top of the cedar,

and I will set it out.

I will pluck a tender sprig from its topmost shoots,

and I will plant it on a high and lofty mountain.

²³I will plant it on the mountain heights of Israel

so that it will bear branches;

it will yield fruit

and become a majestic cedar.

Birds of every kind will nest under it,

taking shelter in the shade of its branches.

²⁴Then all the trees of the field will know

that I am the LORD.

I bring the tall tree down

and make the low tree tall.

I dry up the green tree

and make the withered tree flourish.

I, the LORD, have spoken,

and I have done it.’”

The Soul Who Sins Will Die

¹Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ²“What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel:

‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes,

and the teeth of the children are set on edge’?

³As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, you will no longer quote this proverb in Israel. ⁴Behold, every soul belongs to Me; both father and son are Mine. The soul who sins is the one who will die.

⁵Now suppose a man is righteous and does what is just and right:

⁶He does not eat at the mountain

or look to the idols of the house of Israel.

He does not defile his neighbor’s wife

or approach a woman during her period.

⁷He does not oppress another,

but restores the pledge to the debtor.

He does not commit robbery,

but gives his bread to the hungry

and covers the naked with clothing.

⁸He does not engage in usury

or take excess interest,

but he withholds his hand from iniquity

and executes true justice between men.

⁹He follows My statutes

and faithfully keeps My ordinances.

That man is righteous;

surely he will live,

declares the Lord GOD.

¹⁰Now suppose that man has a violent son, who sheds blood or does any of these things, ¹¹though the father has done none of them:

Indeed, the son eats at the mountain

and defiles his neighbor’s wife.

¹²He oppresses the poor and needy;

he commits robbery

and does not restore a pledge.

He lifts his eyes to idols;

he commits abominations.

¹³He engages in usury

and takes excess interest.

Will this son live? He will not! Since he has committed all these abominations, he will surely die; his blood will be on his own head.

¹⁴Now suppose this son has a son who sees all the sins his father has committed, considers them, and does not do likewise:

¹⁵He does not eat at the mountain

or look to the idols of the house of Israel.

He does not defile his neighbor’s wife.

¹⁶He does not oppress another,

or retain a pledge, or commit robbery.

He gives his bread to the hungry

and covers the naked with clothing.

¹⁷He withholds his hand from harming the poor

and takes no interest or usury.

He keeps My ordinances

and follows My statutes.

Such a man will not die for his father’s iniquity. He will surely live.

¹⁸As for his father, he will die for his own iniquity, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother, and did what was wrong among his people.

¹⁹Yet you may ask, ‘Why shouldn’t the son bear the iniquity of his father?’

Since the son has done what is just and right, carefully observing all My statutes, he will surely live.

²⁰The soul who sins is the one who will die. A son will not bear the iniquity of his father, and a father will not bear the iniquity of his son. The righteousness of the righteous man will fall upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked man will fall upon him.

²¹But if the wicked man turns from all the sins he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is just and right, he will surely live; he will not die. ²²None of the transgressions he has committed will be held against him. Because of the righteousness he has practiced, he will live. ²³Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Lord GOD. Wouldn’t I prefer that he turn from his ways and live?

²⁴But if a righteous man turns from his righteousness and practices iniquity, committing the same abominations as the wicked, will he live? None of the righteous acts he did will be remembered. Because of the unfaithfulness and sin he has committed, he will die.

²⁵Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’

Hear now, O house of Israel: Is it My way that is unjust? Is it not your ways that are unjust?

²⁶If a righteous man turns from his righteousness and practices iniquity, he will die for this. He will die because of the iniquity he has committed.

²⁷But if a wicked man turns from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he will save his life. ²⁸Because he considered and turned from all the transgressions he had committed, he will surely live; he will not die.

²⁹Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’

Are My ways unjust, O house of Israel? Is it not your ways that are unjust?

³⁰Therefore, O house of Israel, I will judge you, each according to his ways, declares the Lord GOD. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, so that your iniquity will not become your downfall. ³¹Cast away from yourselves all the transgressions you have committed, and fashion for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why should you die, O house of Israel?

³²For I take no pleasure in anyone’s death, declares the Lord GOD. So repent and live![’’]