November 21  

Daily Bible in a Year

Daily Old and New Testaments, Psalms, and Proverbs

  •   Ezekiel 42-43
    Ezekiel 42-43

    The Temple's Chambers
    42 Then he led me out into the outer court, toward the north, and he brought me to the chambers that were opposite the separate yard and opposite the building on the north. 2 The length of the building whose door faced north was a hundred cubits,[a] and the breadth fifty cubits. 3 Facing the twenty cubits that belonged to the inner court, and facing the pavement that belonged to the outer court, was gallery[b] against gallery in three stories. 4 And before the chambers was a passage inward, ten cubits wide and a hundred cubits long,[c] and their doors were on the north. 5 Now the upper chambers were narrower, for the galleries took more away from them than from the lower and middle chambers of the building. 6 For they were in three stories, and they had no pillars like the pillars of the courts. Thus the upper chambers were set back from the ground more than the lower and the middle ones. 7 And there was a wall outside parallel to the chambers, toward the outer court, opposite the chambers, fifty cubits long. 8 For the chambers on the outer court were fifty cubits long, while those opposite the nave[d] were a hundred cubits long. 9 Below these chambers was an entrance on the east side, as one enters them from the outer court.
    10 In the thickness of the wall of the court, on the south[e] also, opposite the yard and opposite the building, there were chambers 11 with a passage in front of them. They were similar to the chambers on the north, of the same length and breadth, with the same exits[f] and arrangements and doors, 12 as were the entrances of the chambers on the south. There was an entrance at the beginning of the passage, the passage before the corresponding wall on the east as one enters them.[g]
    13 Then he said to me, “The north chambers and the south chambers opposite the yard are the holy chambers, where the priests who approach the Lord shall eat the most holy offerings. There they shall put the most holy offerings—the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering—for the place is holy. 14 When the priests enter the Holy Place, they shall not go out of it into the outer court without laying there the garments in which they minister, for these are holy. They shall put on other garments before they go near to that which is for the people.”
    15 Now when he had finished measuring the interior of the temple area, he led me out by the gate that faced east, and measured the temple area all around. 16 He measured the east side with the measuring reed, 500 cubits by the measuring reed all around. 17 He measured the north side, 500 cubits by the measuring reed all around. 18 He measured the south side, 500 cubits by the measuring reed. 19 Then he turned to the west side and measured, 500 cubits by the measuring reed. 20 He measured it on the four sides. It had a wall around it, 500 cubits long and 500 cubits broad, to make a separation between the holy and the common.

    The Glory of the Lord Fills the Temple
    43 Then he led me to the gate, the gate facing east. 2 And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the east. And the sound of his coming was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone with his glory. 3 And the vision I saw was just like the vision that I had seen when he[h] came to destroy the city, and just like the vision that I had seen by the Chebar canal. And I fell on my face. 4 As the glory of the Lord entered the temple by the gate facing east, 5 the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the temple.
    6 While the man was standing beside me, I heard one speaking to me out of the temple, 7 and he said to me, “Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the people of Israel forever. And the house of Israel shall no more defile my holy name, neither they, nor their kings, by their whoring and by the dead bodies[i] of their kings at their high places,[j] 8 by setting their threshold by my threshold and their doorposts beside my doorposts, with only a wall between me and them. They have defiled my holy name by their abominations that they have committed, so I have consumed them in my anger. 9 Now let them put away their whoring and the dead bodies of their kings far from me, and I will dwell in their midst forever.
    10 “As for you, son of man, describe to the house of Israel the temple, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and they shall measure the plan. 11 And if they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the design of the temple, its arrangement, its exits and its entrances, that is, its whole design; and make known to them as well all its statutes and its whole design and all its laws, and write it down in their sight, so that they may observe all its laws and all its statutes and carry them out. 12 This is the law of the temple: the whole territory on the top of the mountain all around shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the temple.

    The Altar
    13 “These are the measurements of the altar by cubits (the cubit being a cubit and a handbreadth):[k] its base shall be one cubit high[l] and one cubit broad, with a rim of one span[m] around its edge. And this shall be the height of the altar: 14 from the base on the ground to the lower ledge, two cubits, with a breadth of one cubit; and from the smaller ledge to the larger ledge, four cubits, with a breadth of one cubit; 15 and the altar hearth, four cubits; and from the altar hearth projecting upward, four horns. 16 The altar hearth shall be square, twelve cubits long by twelve broad. 17 The ledge also shall be square, fourteen cubits long by fourteen broad, with a rim around it half a cubit broad, and its base one cubit all around. The steps of the altar shall face east.”
    18 And he said to me, “Son of man, thus says the Lord God: These are the ordinances for the altar: On the day when it is erected for offering burnt offerings upon it and for throwing blood against it, 19 you shall give to the Levitical priests of the family of Zadok, who draw near to me to minister to me, declares the Lord God, a bull from the herd for a sin offering. 20 And you shall take some of its blood and put it on the four horns of the altar and on the four corners of the ledge and upon the rim all around. Thus you shall purify the altar and make atonement for it.21 You shall also take the bull of the sin offering, and it shall be burned in the appointed place belonging to the temple, outside the sacred area. 22 And on the second day you shall offer a male goat without blemish for a sin offering; and the altar shall be purified, as it was purified with the bull. 23 When you have finished purifying it, you shall offer a bull from the herd without blemish and a ram from the flock without blemish. 24 You shall present them before the Lord, and the priests shall sprinkle salt on them and offer them up as a burnt offering to the Lord. 25 For seven days you shall provide daily a male goat for a sin offering; also, a bull from the herd and a ram from the flock, without blemish, shall be provided. 26 Seven days shall they make atonement for the altar and cleanse it, and so consecrate it.[n]27 And when they have completed these days, then from the eighth day onward the priests shall offer on the altar your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, and I will accept you, declares the Lord God.”

    Footnotes:
    1. Ezekiel 42:2 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters
    2. Ezekiel 42:3 The meaning of the Hebrew word is unknown; also verse 5
    3. Ezekiel 42:4 Septuagint, Syriac; Hebrew and a way of one cubit
    4. Ezekiel 42:8 Or temple
    5. Ezekiel 42:10 Septuagint; Hebrew east
    6. Ezekiel 42:11 Hebrew and all their exits
    7. Ezekiel 42:12 The meaning of the Hebrew verse is uncertain
    8. Ezekiel 43:3 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Vulgate; most Hebrew manuscripts when I
    9. Ezekiel 43:7 Or the monuments; also verse 9
    10. Ezekiel 43:7 Or at their deaths
    11. Ezekiel 43:13 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters; a handbreadth was about 3 inches or 7.5 centimeters
    12. Ezekiel 43:13 Or its gutter shall be one cubit deep
    13. Ezekiel 43:13 A span was about 9 inches or 22 centimeters
    14. Ezekiel 43:26 Hebrew fill its hand
  •   James 5
    James 5

    Warning to the Rich
    5 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you.2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. 4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.

    Patience in Suffering
    7 Be patient, therefore, brothers,[a] until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. 10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.
    12 But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.

    The Prayer of Faith
    13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.[b] 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.
    19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

    Footnotes:
    1. James 5:7 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 9, 10, 12, 19
    2. James 5:16 Or The effective prayer of a righteous person has great power
  •   Psalm 119:1-16
    Psalm 119:1-16

    Your Word Is a Lamp to My Feet
    Aleph
    119 
    [a] Blessed are those whose way is blameless,
         who walk in the law of the Lord!

    2 
    Blessed are those who keep his testimonies,
         who seek him with their whole heart,

    3 
    who also do no wrong,
         but walk in his ways!

    4 
    You have commanded your precepts
         to be kept diligently.

    5 
    Oh that my ways may be steadfast
         in keeping your statutes!

    6 
    Then I shall not be put to shame,
         having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.

    7 
    I will praise you with an upright heart,
         when I learn your righteous rules.[b]

    8 
    I will keep your statutes;
         do not utterly forsake me!

    Beth
    9 
    How can a young man keep his way pure?
         By guarding it according to your word.

    10 
    With my whole heart I seek you;
         let me not wander from your commandments!

    11 
    I have stored up your word in my heart,
         that I might not sin against you.

    12 
    Blessed are you, O Lord;
         teach me your statutes!

    13 
    With my lips I declare
         all the rules[c] of your mouth.

    14 
    In the way of your testimonies I delight
         as much as in all riches.

    15 
    I will meditate on your precepts
         and fix my eyes on your ways.

    16 
    I will delight in your statutes;
         I will not forget your word.

    Footnotes:
    1. Psalm 119:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem of twenty-two stanzas, following the letters of the Hebrew alphabet; within a stanza, each verse begins with the same Hebrew letter
    2. Psalm 119:7 Or your just and righteous decrees; also verses 62, 106, 160, 164
    3. Psalm 119:13 Or all the just decrees
  •   Proverbs 28:6-7

    Proverbs 28:6-7

    6 
    Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity

        than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.

    7 
    The one who keeps the law is a son with understanding,

        but a companion of gluttons shames his father.


    English Standard Version (ESV)
    The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.