Day 345 reading

Wisdom·Proverbs 25:9–17

⁹Argue your case with your neighbor without betraying another’s confidence, ¹⁰lest the one who hears may disgrace you, and your infamy never go away. ¹¹A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. ¹²Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold is a wise man’s rebuke to a listening ear. ¹³Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest is a trustworthy messenger to those who send him; he refreshes the soul of his masters. ¹⁴Like clouds and wind without rain is the man who boasts of gifts never given. ¹⁵Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone. ¹⁶If you find honey, eat just what you need, lest you have too much and vomit it up. ¹⁷Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house, lest he grow weary and hate you.

New Testament·2 John 1; 3 John 1

¹The elder, To the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in the truth—and not I alone, but also all who know the truth— ²because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever: ³Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, will be with us in truth and love. ⁴I was overjoyed to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father has commanded us. ⁵And now I urge you, dear lady—not as a new commandment to you, but one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another. ⁶And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the very commandment you have heard from the beginning, that you must walk in love. ⁷For many deceivers have gone out into the world, refusing to confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. ⁸Watch yourselves, so that you do not lose what we have worked for, but that you may be fully rewarded. ⁹Anyone who runs ahead without remaining in the teaching of Christ does not have God. Whoever remains in His teaching has both the Father and the Son. ¹⁰If anyone comes to you but does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your home or even greet him. ¹¹Whoever greets such a person shares in his evil deeds. ¹²I have many things to write to you, but I would prefer not to do so with paper and ink. Instead, I hope to come and speak with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete. ¹³The children of your elect sister send you greetings.

1The elder, To the beloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth: ²Beloved, I pray that in every way you may prosper and enjoy good health, as your soul also prospers. ³For I was overjoyed when the brothers came and testified about your devotion to the truth, in which you continue to walk. ⁴I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. ⁵Beloved, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers, and especially since they are strangers to you. ⁶They have testified to the church about your love. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. ⁷For they went out on behalf of the Name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. ⁸Therefore we ought to support such men, so that we may be fellow workers for the truth. ⁹I have written to the church about this, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not accept our instruction. ¹⁰So if I come, I will call attention to his malicious slander against us. And unsatisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers and forbids those who want to do so, even putting them out of the church. ¹¹Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God. ¹²Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself. We also testify for him, and you know that our testimony is true. ¹³I have many things to write to you, but I would prefer not to do so with pen and ink. ¹⁴Instead, I hope to see you soon and speak with you face to face. Peace to you. The friends here send you greetings. Greet each of our friends there by name.

Old Testament·Daniel 10–11

¹In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, a message was revealed to Daniel, who was called Belteshazzar. The message was true, and it concerned a great conflict. And the understanding of the message was given to him in a vision. ²In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three full weeks. ³I ate no rich food, no meat or wine entered my mouth, and I did not anoint myself with oil until the three weeks were completed. ⁴On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river, the Tigris, ⁵I lifted up my eyes, and behold, there was a certain man dressed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. ⁶His body was like beryl, his face like the brilliance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of polished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude. ⁷Only I, Daniel, saw the vision; the men with me did not see it, but a great terror fell upon them, and they ran and hid themselves. ⁸So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision. No strength remained in me; my face grew deathly pale, and I was powerless. ⁹I heard the sound of his words, and as I listened, I fell into a deep sleep, with my face to the ground. ¹⁰Suddenly, a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. ¹¹He said to me, “Daniel, you are a man who is highly precious. Consider carefully the words that I am about to say to you. Stand up, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he had said this to me, I stood up trembling. ¹²“Do not be afraid, Daniel,” he said, “for from the first day that you purposed to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. ¹³However, the prince of the kingdom of Persia opposed me for twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia. ¹⁴Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision concerns those days.” ¹⁵While he was speaking these words to me, I set my face toward the ground and became speechless. ¹⁶And suddenly one with the likeness of a man touched my lips, and I opened my mouth and said to the one standing before me, “My lord, because of the vision, I am overcome with anguish, and I have no strength. ¹⁷How can I, your servant, speak with you, my lord? Now I have no strength, nor is any breath left in me.” ¹⁸Again the one with the likeness of a man touched me and strengthened me. ¹⁹“Do not be afraid, you who are highly precious,” he said. “Peace be with you! Be strong now; be very strong!” As he spoke with me, I was strengthened and said, “Speak, my lord, for you have strengthened me.” ²⁰“Do you know why I have come to you?” he said. “I must return at once to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I have gone forth, behold, the prince of Greece will come. ²¹But first I will tell you what is inscribed in the Book of Truth. Yet no one has the courage to support me against these, except Michael your prince.

11“And I, in the first year of Darius the Mede, stood up to strengthen and protect him. ²Now then, I will tell you the truth: Three more kings will arise in Persia, and then a fourth, who will be far richer than all the others. By the power of his wealth, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece. ³Then a mighty king will arise, who will rule with great authority and do as he pleases. ⁴But as soon as he is established, his kingdom will be broken up and parceled out toward the four winds of heaven. It will not go to his descendants, nor will it have the authority with which he ruled, because his kingdom will be uprooted and given to others. ⁵The king of the South will grow strong, but one of his commanders will grow even stronger and will rule his own kingdom with great authority. ⁶After some years they will form an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the South will go to the king of the North to seal the agreement. But his daughter will not retain her position of power, nor will his strength endure. At that time she will be given up, along with her royal escort and her father and the one who supported her. ⁷But one from her family line will rise up in his place, come against the army of the king of the North, and enter his fortress, fighting and prevailing. ⁸He will take even their gods captive to Egypt, with their metal images and their precious vessels of silver and gold. For some years he will stay away from the king of the North, ⁹who will invade the realm of the king of the South and then return to his own land. ¹⁰But his sons will stir up strife and assemble a great army, which will advance forcefully, sweeping through like a flood, and will again carry the battle as far as his fortress. ¹¹In a rage, the king of the South will march out to fight the king of the North, who will raise a large army, but it will be delivered into the hand of his enemy. ¹²When the army is carried off, the king of the South will be proud in heart and will cast down tens of thousands, but he will not triumph. ¹³For the king of the North will raise another army, larger than the first, and after some years he will advance with a great army and many supplies. ¹⁴In those times many will rise up against the king of the South. Violent ones among your own people will exalt themselves in fulfillment of the vision, but they will fail. ¹⁵Then the king of the North will come, build up a siege ramp, and capture a fortified city. The forces of the South will not stand; even their best troops will not be able to resist. ¹⁶The invader will do as he pleases, and no one will stand against him. He will establish himself in the Beautiful Land, with destruction in his hand. ¹⁷He will resolve to come with the strength of his whole kingdom, and will reach an agreement with the king of the South. He will give him a daughter in marriage in order to overthrow the kingdom, but his plan will not succeed or help him. ¹⁸Then he will turn his face to the coastlands and capture many of them. But a commander will put an end to his reproach and will turn it back upon him. ¹⁹After this, he will turn back toward the fortresses of his own land, but he will stumble and fall and be no more. ²⁰In his place one will arise who will send out a tax collector for the glory of the kingdom; but within a few days he will be destroyed, though not in anger or in battle. ²¹In his place a despicable person will arise; royal honors will not be given to him, but he will come in a time of peace and seize the kingdom by intrigue. ²²Then a flood of forces will be swept away before him and destroyed, along with a prince of the covenant. ²³After an alliance is made with him, he will act deceitfully; for he will rise to power with only a few people. ²⁴In a time of peace, he will invade the richest provinces and do what his fathers and forefathers never did. He will lavish plunder, loot, and wealth on his followers, and he will plot against the strongholds—but only for a time. ²⁵And with a large army he will stir up his power and his courage against the king of the South, who will mobilize a very large and powerful army but will not withstand the plots devised against him. ²⁶Those who eat from his provisions will seek to destroy him; his army will be swept away, and many will fall slain. ²⁷And the two kings, with their hearts bent on evil, will speak lies at the same table, but to no avail, for still the end will come at the appointed time. ²⁸The king of the North will return to his land with great wealth, but his heart will be set against the holy covenant; so he will do damage and return to his own land. ²⁹At the appointed time he will invade the South again, but this time will not be like the first. ³⁰Ships of Kittim will come against him, and he will lose heart. Then he will turn back and rage against the holy covenant and do damage. So he will return and show favor to those who forsake the holy covenant. ³¹His forces will rise up and desecrate the temple fortress. They will abolish the daily sacrifice and set up the abomination of desolation. ³²With flattery he will corrupt those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist him. ³³Those with insight will instruct many, though for a time they will fall by sword or flame, or be captured or plundered. ³⁴Now when they fall, they will be granted a little help, but many will join them insincerely. ³⁵Some of the wise will fall, so that they may be refined, purified, and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time. ³⁶Then the king will do as he pleases and will exalt and magnify himself above every god, and he will speak monstrous things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been decreed must be accomplished. ³⁷He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers, nor for the one desired by women, nor for any other god, because he will magnify himself above them all. ³⁸And in their place, he will honor a god of fortresses—a god his fathers did not know—with gold, silver, precious stones, and riches. ³⁹He will attack the strongest fortresses with the help of a foreign god and will greatly honor those who acknowledge him, making them rulers over many and distributing the land for a price. ⁴⁰At the time of the end, the king of the South will engage him in battle, but the king of the North will storm out against him with chariots, horsemen, and many ships, invading many countries and sweeping through them like a flood. ⁴¹He will also invade the Beautiful Land, and many countries will fall. But these will be delivered from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the leaders of the Ammonites. ⁴²He will extend his power over many countries, and not even the land of Egypt will escape. ⁴³He will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver and over all the riches of Egypt, and the Libyans and Cushites will also submit to him. ⁴⁴But news from the east and the north will alarm him, and he will go out with great fury to destroy many and devote them to destruction. ⁴⁵He will pitch his royal tents between the sea and the beautiful holy mountain, but he will meet his end with no one to help him.