One Year Bible.

The LORD Is My Strength

¹Of David.

To You, O LORD, I call;

be not deaf to me, O my Rock.

For if You remain silent,

I will be like those descending to the Pit.

²Hear my cry for mercy

when I call to You for help,

when I lift up my hands

toward Your holy sanctuary.

³Do not drag me away with the wicked,

and with the workers of iniquity,

who speak peace to their neighbors

while malice is in their hearts.

⁴Repay them according to their deeds

and for their works of evil.

Repay them for what their hands have done;

bring back on them what they deserve.

⁵Since they show no regard for the works of the LORD

or what His hands have done,

He will tear them down

and never rebuild them.

⁶Blessed be the LORD,

for He has heard my cry for mercy.

⁷The LORD is my strength and my shield;

my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped.

Therefore my heart rejoices,

and I give thanks to Him with my song.

⁸The LORD is the strength of His people,

a stronghold of salvation for His anointed.

⁹Save Your people and bless Your inheritance;

shepherd them and carry them forever.

The Demons and the Pigs

¹On the other side of the sea, they arrived in the region of the Gerasenes. ²As soon as Jesus got out of the boat, He was met by a man with an unclean spirit, who was coming from the tombs. ³This man had been living in the tombs and could no longer be restrained, even with chains. ⁴Though he was often bound with chains and shackles, he had broken the chains and shattered the shackles. Now there was no one with the strength to subdue him. ⁵Night and day in the tombs and in the mountains he kept crying out and cutting himself with stones.

⁶When the man saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees before Him. ⁷And he shouted in a loud voice, “What do You want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You before God not to torture me!” ⁸For Jesus had already declared, “Come out of this man, you unclean spirit!”

⁹“What is your name?” Jesus asked.

“My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” ¹⁰And he begged Jesus repeatedly not to send them out of that region.

¹¹There on the nearby hillside a large herd of pigs was feeding. ¹²So the demons begged Jesus, “Send us to the pigs, so that we may enter them.”

¹³He gave them permission, and the unclean spirits came out and went into the pigs, and the herd of about two thousand rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the water.

¹⁴Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. ¹⁵When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons sitting there, clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.

¹⁶Those who had seen it described what had happened to the demon-possessed man and also to the pigs. ¹⁷And the people began to beg Jesus to leave their region.

¹⁸As He was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed by the demons begged to go with Him. ¹⁹But Jesus would not allow him. “Go home to your own people,” He said, “and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and what mercy He has shown you.”

²⁰So the man went away and began to proclaim throughout the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And everyone was amazed.

The Healing Touch of Jesus

²¹When Jesus had again crossed by boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around Him beside the sea. ²²A synagogue leader named Jairus arrived, and seeing Jesus, he fell at His feet ²³and pleaded with Him urgently, “My little daughter is near death. Please come and place Your hands on her, so that she will be healed and live.”

²⁴So Jesus went with him, and a large crowd followed and pressed around Him. ²⁵And a woman was there who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years. ²⁶She had borne much agony under the care of many physicians and had spent all she had, but to no avail. Instead, her condition had only grown worse.

²⁷When the woman heard about Jesus, she came up through the crowd behind Him and touched His cloak. ²⁸For she kept saying, “If only I touch His garments, I will be healed.” ²⁹Immediately her bleeding stopped, and she sensed in her body that she was healed of her affliction.

³⁰At once Jesus was aware that power had gone out from Him. Turning to the crowd, He asked, “Who touched My garments?”

³¹His disciples answered, “You can see the crowd pressing in on You, and yet You ask, ‘Who touched Me?’”

³²But He kept looking around to see who had done this. ³³Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him trembling in fear, and she told Him the whole truth.

³⁴“Daughter,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be free of your affliction.”

³⁵While He was still speaking, messengers from the house of Jairus arrived and said, “Your daughter is dead; why bother the Teacher anymore?”

³⁶But Jesus overheard their conversation and said to Jairus, “Do not be afraid; just believe.” ³⁷And He did not allow anyone to accompany Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James.

³⁸When they arrived at the house of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw the commotion and the people weeping and wailing loudly. ³⁹He went inside and asked, “Why all this commotion and weeping? The child is not dead, but asleep.” ⁴⁰And they laughed at Him.

After He had put them all outside, He took the child’s father and mother and His own companions, and went in to see the child. ⁴¹Taking her by the hand, Jesus said, “Talitha koum!” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!” ⁴²Immediately the girl got up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). And at once they were utterly astounded. ⁴³Then Jesus gave strict orders that no one should know about this, and He told them to give her something to eat.

Israel’s Rebellion in Egypt

¹In the seventh year, on the tenth day of the fifth month, some of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the LORD, and they sat down before me.

²Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ³“Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: Have you come to inquire of Me? As surely as I live, I will not be consulted by you, declares the Lord GOD.

⁴Will you judge them, will you judge them, son of man? Confront them with the abominations of their fathers ⁵and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: On the day I chose Israel, I swore an oath to the descendants of the house of Jacob and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt. With an uplifted hand I said to them, ‘I am the LORD your God.’

⁶On that day I swore to bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the glory of all lands. ⁷And I said to them: ‘Each of you must throw away the abominations before his eyes, and you must not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.’

⁸But they rebelled against Me and refused to listen. None of them cast away the abominations before their eyes, and they did not forsake the idols of Egypt. So I resolved to pour out My wrath upon them and vent My anger against them in the land of Egypt. ⁹But I acted for the sake of My name, that it should not be profaned in the eyes of the nations among whom they were living, in whose sight I had revealed Myself to Israel by bringing them out of the land of Egypt.

Israel’s Rebellion in the Wilderness

¹⁰So I brought them out of the land of Egypt and led them into the wilderness. ¹¹And I gave them My statutes and made known to them My ordinances— for the man who does these things will live by them. ¹²I also gave them My Sabbaths as a sign between us, so that they would know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them.

¹³Yet the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness. They did not follow My statutes and they rejected My ordinances— though the man who does these things will live by them — and they utterly profaned My Sabbaths. Then I resolved to pour out My wrath upon them and put an end to them in the wilderness. ¹⁴But I acted for the sake of My name, so that it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out.

¹⁵Moreover, with an uplifted hand I swore to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them into the land that I had given them— a land flowing with milk and honey, the glory of all lands — ¹⁶because they kept rejecting My ordinances, refusing to walk in My statutes, and profaning My Sabbaths; for their hearts continually went after their idols. ¹⁷Yet I looked on them with pity and did not destroy them or bring them to an end in the wilderness.

¹⁸In the wilderness I said to their children: ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers or keep their ordinances or defile yourselves with their idols. ¹⁹I am the LORD your God; walk in My statutes, keep My ordinances, and practice them. ²⁰Keep My Sabbaths holy, that they may be a sign between us, so that you may know that I am the LORD your God.’

²¹But the children rebelled against Me. They did not walk in My statutes or carefully observe My ordinances — though the man who does these things will live by them — and they profaned My Sabbaths. So I resolved to pour out My wrath upon them and vent My anger against them in the wilderness. ²²But I withheld My hand and acted for the sake of My name, so that it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out.

²³However, with an uplifted hand I swore to them in the wilderness that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them throughout the lands. ²⁴For they did not practice My ordinances, but they rejected My statutes and profaned My Sabbaths, fixing their eyes on the idols of their fathers.

²⁵I also gave them over to statutes that were not good and ordinances by which they could not live. ²⁶And I pronounced them unclean through their gifts — the sacrifice of every firstborn in the fire — so that I might devastate them, in order that they would know that I am the LORD.

Israel’s Rebellion in the Land

²⁷Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel, and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: In this way also your fathers blasphemed Me by their unfaithfulness against Me. ²⁸When I brought them into the land that I swore to give them and they saw any high hill or leafy tree, there they offered their sacrifices, presented offerings that provoked Me, sent up their fragrant incense, and poured out their drink offerings. ²⁹So I asked them: ‘What is this high place to which you go?’

(And to this day it is called Bamah.)

³⁰Therefore tell the house of Israel that this is what the Lord GOD says: Will you defile yourselves the way your fathers did, prostituting yourselves with their abominations? ³¹When you offer your gifts, sacrificing your sons in the fire, you continue to defile yourselves with all your idols to this day. So should I be consulted by you, O house of Israel? As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, I will not be consulted by you!

³²When you say, ‘Let us be like the nations, like the peoples of the lands, serving wood and stone,’ what you have in mind will never come to pass.

Judgment and Restoration

³³As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, with a strong hand, an outstretched arm, and outpoured wrath I will rule over you. ³⁴With a strong hand, an outstretched arm, and outpoured wrath I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands to which you have been scattered. ³⁵And I will bring you into the wilderness of the nations, where I will enter into judgment with you face to face.

³⁶Just as I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you, declares the Lord GOD. ³⁷I will make you pass under the rod and will bring you into the bond of the covenant. ³⁸And I will purge you of those who rebel and transgress against Me. I will bring them out of the land in which they dwell, but they will not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

³⁹And as for you, O house of Israel, this is what the Lord GOD says: Go and serve your idols, every one of you. But afterward, you will surely listen to Me, and you will no longer defile My holy name with your gifts and idols.

⁴⁰For on My holy mountain, the high mountain of Israel, declares the Lord GOD, there the whole house of Israel, all of them, will serve Me in the land. There I will accept them and will require your offerings and choice gifts, along with all your holy sacrifices.

⁴¹When I bring you from the peoples and gather you from the lands to which you have been scattered, I will accept you as a pleasing aroma. And I will show My holiness through you in the sight of the nations. ⁴²Then you will know that I am the LORD, when I bring you into the land of Israel, the land that I swore to give your fathers.

⁴³There you will remember your ways and all the deeds with which you have defiled yourselves, and you will loathe yourselves for all the evils you have done. ⁴⁴Then you will know, O house of Israel, that I am the LORD, when I have dealt with you for the sake of My name and not according to your wicked ways and corrupt acts, declares the Lord GOD.”

A Prophecy against the South

⁴⁵Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ⁴⁶“Son of man, set your face toward the south, preach against it, and prophesy against the forest of the Negev. ⁴⁷Say to the forest of the Negev: Hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Lord GOD says: I am about to ignite in you a fire, and it will devour all your trees, both green and dry. The blazing flame will not be quenched, and by it every face from south to north will be scorched. ⁴⁸Then all people will see that I, the LORD, have kindled it; it will not be quenched.”

⁴⁹Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD, they are saying of me, ‘Is he not just telling parables?’”

God’s Sword of Judgment

¹And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ²“Son of man, set your face against Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuaries. Prophesy against the land of Israel ³and tell her that this is what the LORD says: ‘I am against you, and I will draw My sword from its sheath and cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked. ⁴Because I will cut off both the righteous and the wicked, My sword will be unsheathed against everyone from south to north. ⁵Then all flesh will know that I, the LORD, have taken My sword from its sheath, not to return it again.’

⁶But you, son of man, groan! Groan before their eyes with a broken heart and bitter grief. ⁷And when they ask, ‘Why are you groaning?’ you are to say, ‘Because of the news that is coming. Every heart will melt, and every hand will go limp. Every spirit will faint, and every knee will turn to water.’ Yes, it is coming and it will surely happen, declares the Lord GOD.”

⁸Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ⁹“Son of man, prophesy and tell them that this is what the Lord says:

‘A sword, a sword,

sharpened and polished —

¹⁰it is sharpened for the slaughter,

polished to flash like lightning!

Should we rejoice in the scepter of My son?

The sword despises every such stick.

¹¹The sword is appointed to be polished,

to be grasped in the hand.

It is sharpened and polished,

to be placed in the hand of the slayer.

¹²Cry out and wail,

O son of man,

for the sword is wielded against My people;

it is against all the princes of Israel!

They are tossed to the sword with My people;

therefore strike your thigh.

¹³Surely testing will come!

And what if even the scepter,

which the sword despises,

does not continue?’

declares the Lord GOD.

¹⁴‘So then, son of man,

prophesy and strike your hands together.

Let the sword strike two times,

even three.

It is a sword that slays,

a sword of great slaughter

closing in on every side!

¹⁵So that their hearts may melt

and many may stumble,

I have appointed at all their gates

a sword for slaughter.

Yes, it is ready to flash like lightning;

it is drawn for slaughter.

¹⁶Slash to the right;

set your blade to the left—

wherever your blade is directed.

¹⁷I too will strike My hands together,

and I will satisfy My wrath.’

I, the LORD, have spoken.”

¹⁸Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ¹⁹“Now you, son of man, mark out two roads for the sword of the king of Babylon to take, both starting from the same land. And make a signpost where the road branches off to each city. ²⁰Mark out one road for the sword to come against Rabbah of the Ammonites, and another against Judah into fortified Jerusalem.

²¹For the king of Babylon stands at the fork in the road, at the junction of the two roads, to seek an omen: He shakes the arrows, he consults the idols, he examines the liver.

²²In his right hand appears the portent for Jerusalem, where he is to set up battering rams, to call for the slaughter, to lift a battle cry, to direct the battering rams against the gates, to build a ramp, and to erect a siege wall. ²³It will seem like a false omen to the eyes of those who have sworn allegiance to him, but it will draw attention to their guilt and take them captive.

²⁴Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because you have drawn attention to your guilt, exposing your transgressions, so that your sins are revealed in all your deeds — because you have come to remembrance — you shall be taken in hand.

²⁵And you, O profane and wicked prince of Israel,

the day has come for your final punishment.’

²⁶This is what the Lord GOD says:

‘Remove the turban,

and take off the crown.

Things will not remain as they are:

Exalt the lowly

and bring low the exalted.

²⁷A ruin, a ruin,

I will make it a ruin!

And it will not be restored

until the arrival of Him to whom it belongs,

to whom I have assigned the right of judgment.’

²⁸Now prophesy, son of man, and declare that this is what the Lord GOD says concerning the Ammonites and their contempt:

‘A sword! A sword

is drawn for slaughter,

polished to consume,

to flash like lightning—

²⁹while they offer false visions for you

and lying divinations about you—

to be placed on the necks

of the wicked who are slain,

whose day has come,

the time of their final punishment.

³⁰Return the sword to its sheath!

In the place where you were created,

in the land of your origin,

I will judge you.

³¹I will pour out My anger upon you;

I will breathe the fire of My fury against you;

I will hand you over to brutal men,

skilled in destruction.

³²You will be fuel for the fire.

Your blood will stain your own land.

You will not be remembered,

for I, the LORD, have spoken.’”