Today's Readings and Stuff -- Friday, 27 July 2018

VERY late and VERY brief.  It's been yet another of those days.  I thought that such were in the past, but I was wrong.  Again.  Sigh.


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Ezra 7

Ezra’s Arrival

1After these events, during the reign of King ArtaxerxesEzr 4:7; 6:14; Neh 2:1 of Persia, Ezra —

Seraiah’s2Kg 25:18-21; Jr 52:24-27 son, Azariah’s son,

Hilkiah’s2Kg 22:4; 23:4 son, 2Shallum’s son,

Zadok’s1Sm 8:17; 1Kg 1:7-8; 2:35 son, Ahitub’s son,

3Amariah’s son, Azariah’s son,

Meraioth’s son, 4Zerahiah’s son,

Uzzi’s son, Bukki’s son,

5Abishua’s son, Phinehas’s son,

Eleazar’s son, the chief priest Aaron’s son1Ch 6:3-15

6— came up from Babylon. He was a scribe skilled in the law of Moses,Ezr 7:11-12,21 which the Lord, the God of Israel, had given. The king had granted him everything he requestedNeh 2:4-8 because the hand of the Lord his God was on him.Ezr 7:28; 8:22; Neh 2:8,18 7Some of the Israelites, priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, and temple servantsEzr 2:1-58; Neh 7:6-60accompanied him to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes.

8Ezra7:8 LXX, Syr, Vg read They came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, during the seventh year of the king. 9He began the journey from Babylon on the first day of the first monthEzr 8:15,21,31 and arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth monthEzr 8:32 since the gracious hand of his God was on him.Ezr 7:28; 8:18,31; Neh 2:8,18 10Now Ezra had determined in his heart to study the law of the Lord, obey it, and teachNeh 8:1-8 its statutes and ordinances in Israel.

Letter from Artaxerxes

11This is the text of the letter King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest and scribe, an expert in matters of the Lord’s commands and statutes for Israel:7:11 Ezr 7:12-26 is written in Aramaic.

12Artaxerxes, king of kings,Ezk 26:7; Dn 2:37 to Ezra the priest, an expert in the law of the God of the heavens:

Greetings.

13I issue a decree that any of the Israelites in my kingdom, including their priests and Levites, who want to go to Jerusalem, may go with you.Ezr 1:3 14You are sent by the king and his seven counselorsEst 1:14 to evaluate Judah and Jerusalem according to the law of your God, which is in your possession. 15You are also to bring the silver and gold the king and his counselors have willingly given to the God of Israel,Hg 2:8 whose dwelling is in Jerusalem,Dt 12:5-6; 2Ch 6:2 16and all the silver and gold you receive throughout the province of Babylon, together with the freewill offerings given by the people and the priests to the house of their God in Jerusalem.Ex 3:22; Ezr 1:6 17Then you are to be diligent to buy with this money bulls, rams, and lambs, along with their grain and drink offerings, and offer them on the altar at the house of your God in Jerusalem.Nm 15:1-14; Ezr 6:9 18You may do whatever seems best to you and your brothers with the rest of the silver and gold, according to the will of your God. 19Deliver to the God of Jerusalem all the articles given to you for the service of the house of your God.Ezr 8:33 20You may use the royal treasury7:20 Lit the king’s house to pay for anything else needed for the house of your God.Ezr 6:4,8; 7:22-23

21I, King Artaxerxes, issue a decree to all the treasurers in the region west of the Euphrates River:Ezr 4:10; 7:25

Whatever Ezra the priest, an expert in the law of the God of the heavens, asks of you must be provided in full,Ezr 6:8 22up to 7,500 pounds7:22 Lit 100 talents of silver, 500 bushels7:22 Lit 100 cors of wheat, 550 gallons7:22 Lit 100 baths of wine, 550 gallons of oil, and salt without limit.7:22 Lit without instruction23Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven must be done diligently for the house of the God of the heavens, so that wrath will not fall on the realm of the king and his sons.Ezr 6:1024Be advised that you do not have authority to impose tribute, duty, and land tax on any priests, Levites, singers, doorkeepers, temple servants, or other servants of this house of God.

25And you, Ezra, according to7:25 Lit to your God’s wisdom that you possess, appoint magistrates and judges to judge all the people in the region west of the Euphrates who know the laws of your God and to teach anyone who does not know them.Ezr 7:10; Neh 8:1-3,826Anyone who does not keep the law of your God and the law of the king, let the appropriate judgment be executed against him, whether death, banishment, confiscation of property, or imprisonment.Ezr 6:11

27Blessed be the Lord, the God of our fathers, who has put it into the king’s mindEzr 6:22 to glorify the house of the Lord in Jerusalem,Is 60:7,13 28and who has shown favor to me before the king,Ezr 9:9 his counselors, and all his powerful officers. So I took courage because I was strengthened by the hand of the Lord my God,7:28 Lit because the hand of the Lord my God was on meEzr 7:6; 8:18 and I gathered Israelite leaders to return with me.

Ezra 8

Those Returning with Ezra

1These are the family heads and the genealogical records of those who returned with me from Babylon during the reign of King Artaxerxes:Ezr 7:7

2Gershom, from Phinehas’s descendants;

Daniel, from Ithamar’s descendants;

Hattush, from David’s descendants,

3who was of Shecaniah’s descendants;1Ch 3:22

Zechariah, from Parosh’sEzr 2:3; 10:25 descendants,

and 150 men8:3 Or males; also in vv. 4-14 with him who were registered by genealogy;

4Eliehoenai son of Zerahiah

from Pahath-moab’s descendants,Ezr 2:6

and 200 men with him;

5Shecaniah8:5 LXX, 1 Esdras 8:32; MT reads the descendants of Shecaniah son of Jahaziel

from Zattu’s descendants,

and 300 men with him;

6Ebed son of Jonathan

from Adin’s descendants,Ezr 2:15; Neh 7:20

and 50 men with him;

7Jeshaiah son of Athaliah

from Elam’s descendants,

and 70 men with him;

8Zebadiah son of Michael from Shephatiah’s descendants, and 80 men with him;

9Obadiah son of Jehiel from Joab’s descendants,  and 218 men with him;

10Shelomith8:10 Some LXX mss, 1 Esdras 8:36; MT reads the descendants of Shelomith son of Josiphiah from Bani’s descendants, and 160 men with him;

11Zechariah son of Bebai from Bebai’s descendants,

and 28 men with him;

12Johanan son of Hakkatan

from Azgad’s descendants,

and 110 men with him;

13these are the last ones, from Adonikam’s descendants,Ezr 2:13

and their names are

Eliphelet, Jeuel, and Shemaiah,

and 60 men with them;

14Uthai and Zaccur8:14 Alt Hb tradition, some LXX mss read Zabud

from Bigvai’s descendants,

and 70 men with them.

15I gathered them at the river8:15 Or canal that flows to Ahava,Ezr 8:21,31 and we camped there for three days. I searched among the people and priests, but found no LevitesEzr 2:40; 7:7 there. 16Then I summoned the leaders: Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam,Ezr 10:15 as well as the teachers Joiarib and Elnathan. 17I sent them to Iddo, the leader at Casiphia, with a message for8:17 Lit Casiphia, and I put in their mouth the words to speak to him and his brothers, the temple servantsEzr 2:43; Neh 7:46 at Casiphia, that they should bring us ministers for the house of our God. 18Since the gracious hand of our God was on us,Ezr 7:6 they brought us SherebiahEzr 8:24; Neh 8:7  — a man of insight from the descendants of Mahli, a descendant of Levi son of Israel — along with his sons and brothers, 18 men, 19plus Hashabiah,Neh 12:24 along with Jeshaiah, from the descendants of Merari, and his brothers and their sons, 20 men. 20There were also 220 of the temple servants,Ezr 2:43; 7:7 who had been appointed by David and the leaders for the work of the Levites. All were identified by name.

Preparing to Return

21I proclaimed a fastIs 58:3-8 by the Ahava River,8:21 Or Canal, also in v. 31 so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us, our dependents, and all our possessions. 22I did this because I was ashamed to ask the king for infantry and cavalry to protect us from enemies during the journey, since we had told him, “The hand of our God is gracious to all who seek him, but his fierce anger is against all who abandon him.”Dt 31:6,17 23So we fasted and pleaded with our God about this, and he was receptive to our prayer.

24I selected twelve of the leading priests, along with Sherebiah,Neh 10:9,11 Hashabiah, and ten of their brothers. 25I weighed out to them the silver, the gold, and the articles — the contribution for the house of our God that the king, his counselors, his leaders, and all the Israelites who were present had offered. 26I weighed out to them 24 tons8:26 Lit 650 talents of silver, silver articles weighing 7,500 pounds,8:26 Lit 100 talents7,500 pounds of gold, 27twenty gold bowls worth a thousand gold coins,8:27 Or 1,000 drachmas, or 1,000 darics and two articles of fine gleaming bronze, as valuable as gold.Ezr 7:15-20 28Then I said to them, “You are holy to the Lord, and the articles are holy. The silver and gold are a freewill offeringEzr 1:4; 2:68-69 to the Lord God of your fathers. 29Guard them carefully until you weigh them out in the chambers of the Lord’s house before the leading priests, Levites, and heads of the Israelite families in Jerusalem.” 30So the priests and Levites took charge of the silver, the gold, and the articles that had been weighed out, to bring them to the house of our God in Jerusalem.Neh 13:4-5,9

Arrival in Jerusalem

31We set out from the Ahava River on the twelfth day of the first month to go to Jerusalem. We were strengthened by our God,8:31 Lit The hand of our God was on usEzr 7:9; Neh 2:18and he kept us from the grasp of the enemy and from ambush along the way.Ezr 8:21-22 32So we arrived at Jerusalem and rested there for three days.Neh 2:11 33On the fourth day the silver, the gold, and the articles were weighed out in the house of our God into the care of the priest Meremoth son of Uriah. Eleazar son of Phinehas was with him. The Levites JozabadNeh 11:16 son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui were also with them. 34Everything was verified by number and weight, and the total weight was recorded at that time.

35The exiles who had returned from the captivityEzr 2:1; 6:16 offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel: twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, and seventy-seven lambs, along with twelve male goats as a sin offering. All this was a burnt offering for the Lord.Lv 1:3-15; 2Ch 29:24,27,31-35 36They also delivered the king’s edicts to the royal satraps and governors of the region west of the Euphrates,Ezr 7:21,25 so that they would support the people and the house of God.

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Psalm 129

Psalm 129

Protection of the Oppressed

A song of ascents.

1Since my youth they have often attacked me —

let Israel say —

2Since my youth they have often attacked me, but they have not prevailed against me.

Jr 1:19; 20:11

3Plowmen plowed over my back;  they made their furrows long.

Mc 3:12

4The Lord is righteous; he has cut the ropes of the wicked.

Ps 2:3

5Let all who hate Zion be driven back in disgrace.

Ps 35:4; 70:3; 71:13

6Let them be like grass on the rooftops, which withers before it grows up

129:6 Or it can be pulled out2Kg 19:26; Is 37:27

7and can’t even fill the hands of the reaper or the arms of the one who binds sheaves.

Ps 79:12

8Then none who pass by will say, “May the Lord’s blessing be on you.  We bless you in the name of the Lord.”

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2nd Corinthians 1

Greeting

1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will,1Co 1:1; Eph 1:1; Col 1:1; 2Tm 1:1 and Timothy 1Th 3:2; 1Tm 1:2our1:1 Lit the brother:

To the church of God at Corinth,1Co 1:2 with all the saints who are throughout Achaia.Ac 18:12; Php 1:1

2Grace to you and peaceLk 12:51; Rm 1:7; 2Tm 1:2; 3Jn 14 from God our FatherMt 5:16; 11:27; Lk 11:13; Jn 8:42; Eph 5:20 and the Lord Jesus Christ.

The God of Comfort

3Blessed beMk 14:61 the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of merciesHeb 10:28 and the God of all comfort.Lk 2:25 4He comforts us in all our affliction,1:4 Or trouble, or tribulation, or trials, or oppression so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5For just as the sufferingsGl 5:24; Php 3:10 of ChristRm 8:17; 2Co 4:10; Gl 6:17; Php 3:10; Col 1:24overflow to us, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.Php 1:29 6If we are afflicted,Heb 11:37 it is for your comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings that we suffer.Php 1:29 7And our hope1Th 1:3 for you is firm, because we know that as you sharePhm 17 in the sufferings, so you will also share in the comfort.

8We don’t want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, of our affliction that took place in Asia.Ac 6:9 We were completely overwhelmed — beyond our strengthAc 8:10; 1Co 15:24; Eph 1:21; 1Pt 3:22  — so that we even despaired2Co 4:8 of life itself. 9Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death, so that we would not trust in ourselves but in GodPs 25:2; 26:1; Jr 17:5-7; Lk 18:9 who raisesMk 9:27; Jn 2:19 the dead. 10He has deliveredMt 27:43 us from such a terrible death,Mt 10:21; Jn 8:51; Php 3:10 and he will deliver us. We have put our hope in him that he will deliver us again 11while you join in helping us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our1:11 Other mss read your behalf for the gift that came to us through the prayers of many.

A Clear Conscience

12Indeed, this is our boast: The testimony1Tm 2:6 of our conscienceHeb 13:18is that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you, with godly sincerity and purity, not by human wisdomPr 3:19; 1Co 1:21 but by God’s grace.Ac 23:1; 2Co 4:2; 5:12; 1Th 2:10 13For we are writing nothing to you other than what you can read and also understand. I hope you will understand completely —  14just as you have partially understood us — that we are your reason for pride,Rm 2:17; Gl 6:4 just as you also are ours2Co 9:3; Php 2:16; 4:1; 1Th 2:19-20 in the day of our1:14 Other mss omit our Lord Jesus.Php 1:6

A Visit Postponed

15Because of this confidence, I planned to come to you first,Ac 18:1-18; 1Co 4:19 so that you could have a second benefit,1:15 Other mss read a second joy 16and to visit you on my way to Macedonia,Ac 16:9 and then come to you again from Macedonia and be helped by youAc 20:38 on my journeyAc 19:21; 1Co 16:5-7 to Judea.Lk 1:5 17Now when I planned this, was I of two minds? Or what I plan, do I plan in a purely human1:17 Or a worldly, or a fleshly, or a selfishPhp 3:3; Col 3:22 way so that I say “Yes, yes” and “No, no” at the same time? 18As God is faithful,Nm 23:19 our message to you is not “Yes and no.” 19For the Son of God,Jn 5:19; Heb 1:2 Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you — Silvanus,1:19 Or Silas; Ac 15:22-32; 16:19-40; 17:1-161Th 1:1 Timothy, and I — did not become “Yes and no.” On the contrary, in him it is always “Yes.”Heb 13:820For every one of God’s promisesGn 12:7 is “Yes” in him. Therefore, through him we also say “Amen”Ps 72:19; Rv 22:21 to the glory of God.Mk 10:37; Lk 9:32; Jn 17:24; 2Co 3:18; 2Pt 3:18 21Now it is God who strengthens us together with you in Christ, and who has anointedLk 4:18; 1Jn 2:20 us. 22He has also put his seal on us and given us the Spirit in our heartsJms 4:5 as a down payment.Eph 1:14

23I call on God as a witness,Rm 1:9; Php 1:8; Heb 12:1 on my life, that it was to spare you that I did not come to Corinth.1Co 4:21; 2Co 13:2,10 24I do not mean that we lord it over your faith, but we are workers with you for your joy, because you stand firm in yourPr 24:16 faith.