The Bible Reading Plan

Leviticus Chapter 11

¹³"'you must detest these among the birds; they shall not be eaten [because] they are an abomination: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture, ¹⁴the red kite, any kind of black kite, ¹⁵any kind of raven, ¹⁶the horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, ¹⁷the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl, ¹⁸the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey, ¹⁹the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe, and the bat.

²⁰"'All flying insects that walk on all fours are an abomination to you. ²¹Yet you may eat these: of all winged creeping things that go on all fours, which have long, jointed legs for hopping on the earth. ²²Even of these you may eat: any kind of locust, any kind of katydid, any kind of cricket, and any kind of grasshopper. ²³But all winged creeping things which have four feet are an abomination to you.

²⁴"'By these you will become unclean: whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean until the evening. ²⁵Whoever carries any part of their carcass shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening.

²⁶"'Every animal which has a split hoof that isn't completely divided, or doesn't chew the cud, is unclean to you. Everyone who touches them shall be unclean. ²⁷Whatever goes on its paws, among all animals that go on all fours, they are unclean to you. Whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean until the evening. ²⁸He who carries their carcass shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening. They are unclean to you.

Isaiah Chapter 18

¹Ah, the land of the rustling of wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia; ²that sends ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of papyrus on the waters, saying, "Go, you swift messengers, to a nation tall and smooth, to a people awesome from their beginning onward, a nation that measures out and treads down, whose land the rivers divide!" ³All you inhabitants of the world, and you dwellers on the earth, when a banner is lifted up on the mountains, look! When the trumpet is blown, listen!

⁴For Yahweh said to me, "I will be still, and I will see in my dwelling place, like clear heat in sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest." ⁵For before the harvest, when the blossom is over, and the flower becomes a ripening grape, he will cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks, and he will cut down and take away the spreading branches. ⁶They will be left together for the ravenous birds of the mountains, and for the animals of the earth. The ravenous birds will summer on them, and all the animals of the earth will winter on them. ⁷In that time, a gift will be brought to Yahweh of Armies from a people tall and smooth, even from a people awesome from their beginning onward, a nation that measures out and treads down, whose land the rivers divide, to the place of the name of Yahweh of Armies, Mount Zion.

Isaiah Chapter 19

¹The burden of Egypt: "Behold, Yahweh rides on a swift cloud, and comes to Egypt. The idols of Egypt will tremble at his presence; and the heart of Egypt will melt in its midst. ²I will stir up the Egyptians against the Egyptians, and they will fight everyone against his brother, and everyone against his neighbor; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom. ³The spirit of Egypt will fail in its midst. I will destroy its counsel. They will seek the idols, the charmers, those who have familiar spirits, and the wizards. ⁴I will give over the Egyptians into the hand of a cruel lord. A fierce king will rule over them," says the Lord, Yahweh of Armies.

⁵The waters will fail from the sea, and the river will be wasted and become dry. ⁶The rivers will become foul. The streams of Egypt will be diminished and dried up. The reeds and flags will wither away. ⁷The meadows by the Nile, by the brink of the Nile, and all the sown fields of the Nile, will become dry, be driven away, and be no more. ⁸The fishermen will lament, and all those who fish in the Nile will mourn, and those who spread nets on the waters will languish. ⁹Moreover those who work in combed flax, and those who weave white cloth, will be confounded. ¹⁰The pillars will be broken in pieces. All those who work for hire will be grieved in soul.

¹¹The princes of Zoan are utterly foolish. The counsel of the wisest counselors of Pharaoh has become stupid. How do you say to Pharaoh, "I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings?" ¹²Where then are your wise men? Let them tell you now; and let them know what Yahweh of Armies has purposed concerning Egypt. ¹³The princes of Zoan have become fools. The princes of Memphis are deceived. They have caused Egypt to go astray, who are the cornerstone of her tribes. ¹⁴Yahweh has mixed a spirit of perverseness in the midst of her; and they have caused Egypt to go astray in all of its works, like a drunk man staggers in his vomit. ¹⁵There won't be any work in Egypt, which head or tail, palm branch or rush, may do. ¹⁶In that day the Egyptians will be like women. They will tremble and fear because of the shaking of the hand of Yahweh of Armies, which he shakes over them. ¹⁷The land of Judah will become a terror to Egypt. Everyone to whom mention is made of it will be afraid, because of the plans of Yahweh of Armies, which he determines against it. ¹⁸In that day, there will be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak the language of Canaan, and swear to Yahweh of Armies. One will be called "The city of destruction."

Job Chapter 35

¹Moreover Elihu answered,

²"Do you think this to be your right, or do you say, 'My righteousness is more than God's,' ³That you ask, 'What advantage will it be to you? What profit shall I have, more than if I had sinned?' ⁴I will answer you, and your companions with you. ⁵Look to the heavens, and see. See the skies, which are higher than you. ⁶If you have sinned, what effect do you have against him? If your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to him? ⁷If you are righteous, what do you give him? Or what does he receive from your hand? ⁸Your wickedness may hurt a man as you are, and your righteousness may profit a son of man.

⁹"By reason of the multitude of oppressions they cry out. They cry for help by reason of the arm of the mighty. ¹⁰But none says, 'Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night, ¹¹who teaches us more than the animals of the earth, and makes us wiser than the birds of the sky?' ¹²There they cry, but none gives answer, because of the pride of evil men. ¹³Surely God will not hear an empty cry, nor will the Almighty regard it. ¹⁴How much less when you say you don't see him. The cause is before him, and you wait for him! ¹⁵But now, because he has not visited in his anger, neither does he greatly regard arrogance. ¹⁶Therefore Job opens his mouth with empty talk, and he multiplies words without knowledge."

Job Chapter 36

¹Elihu also continued, and said,

²"Bear with me a little, and I will show you; for I still have something to say on God's behalf. ³I will get my knowledge from afar, and will ascribe righteousness to my Maker. ⁴For truly my words are not false. One who is perfect in knowledge is with you.

⁵"Behold, God is mighty, and doesn't despise anyone. He is mighty in strength of understanding. ⁶He doesn't preserve the life of the wicked, but gives to the afflicted their right. ⁷He doesn't withdraw his eyes from the righteous, but with kings on the throne, he sets them forever, and they are exalted. ⁸If they are bound in fetters, and are taken in the cords of afflictions, ⁹then he shows them their work, and their transgressions, that they have behaved themselves proudly. ¹⁰He also opens their ears to instruction, and commands that they return from iniquity. ¹¹If they listen and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures. ¹²But if they don't listen, they shall perish by the sword; they shall die without knowledge.

Acts Chapter 9

¹But Saul, still breathing threats and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest ²and asked for letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. ³As he traveled, he got close to Damascus, and suddenly a light from the sky shone around him. ⁴He fell on the earth, and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"

⁵He said, "Who are you, Lord?" The Lord said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. [*"It's hard for you to kick against the cattle-prods."] ⁶But rise up and enter into the city, then you will be told what you must do."

⁷The men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the sound, but seeing no one. ⁸Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened, he saw no one. They led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. ⁹He was without sight for three days, and neither ate nor drank.

¹⁰Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias!" He said, "Behold, it's me, Lord."

¹¹The Lord said to him, "Arise and go to the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judah for one named Saul, a man of Tarsus. For behold, he is praying, ¹²and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and laying his hands on him, that he might receive his sight."

¹³But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he did to your saints at Jerusalem. ¹⁴Here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name."

¹⁵But the Lord said to him, "Go your way, for he is my chosen vessel to bear my name before the nations and kings, and the sons of Israel. ¹⁶For I will show him how many things he must suffer for my name's sake."

¹⁷Ananias departed and entered into the house. Laying his hands on him, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord, who appeared to you on the road by which you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." ¹⁸Immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he received his sight. He arose and was baptized. ¹⁹He took food and was strengthened. Saul stayed several days with the disciples who were at Damascus. ²⁰Immediately in the synagogues he proclaimed AnointedOne, that he is the Son of God. ²¹All who heard him were amazed, and said, "Isn't this he who in Jerusalem made havoc of those who called on this name? And he had come here intending to bring them bound before the chief priests!"

²²But Saul increased more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived at Damascus, proving that this is AnointedOne.