Daily Bible Reading: Friday, September 22, 2023

Nahum 2:3-13 (NRSV)

3The shields of his warriors are red;
his soldiers are clothed in crimson.
The metal on the chariots flashes
on the day when he musters them;
the chargers prance.
4The chariots race madly through the streets,
they rush to and fro through the squares;
their appearance is like torches,
they dart like lightning.
5He calls his officers;
they stumble as they come forward;
they hasten to the wall,
and the mantelet is set up.
6The river gates are opened,
the palace trembles.
7It is decreed that the city be exiled,
its slave women led away,
moaning like doves
and beating their breasts.
8Nineveh is like a pool
whose waters run away.
"Halt! Halt!" —
but no one turns back.
9"Plunder the silver,
plunder the gold!
There is no end of treasure!
An abundance of every precious thing!"
10Devastation, desolation, and destruction!
Hearts faint and knees tremble,
all loins quake,
all faces grow pale!
11What became of the lions' den,
the cave of the young lions,
where the lion goes,
and the lion's cubs, with no one to disturb them?
12The lion has torn enough for his whelps
and strangled prey for his lionesses;
he has filled his caves with prey
and his dens with torn flesh.

13See, I am against you, says the LORD of hosts, and I will burn your chariots in smoke, and the sword shall devour your young lions; I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voice of your messengers shall be heard no more.

The seven years of plenty that prevailed in the land of Egypt came to an end; and the seven years of famine began to come

Daily Bible Reading: Friday, September 15, 2023

Genesis 41:53--42:17 (NRSV)

41:53The seven years of plenty that prevailed in the land of Egypt came to an end; 54and the seven years of famine began to come, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in every country, but throughout the land of Egypt there was bread. 55When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, "Go to Joseph; what he says to you, do." 56And since the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. 57Moreover, all the world came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, because the famine became severe throughout the world.

42"1When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, "Why do you keep looking at one another? 2I have heard," he said, "that there is grain in Egypt; go down and buy grain for us there, that we may live and not die." 3So ten of Joseph's brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt. 4But Jacob did not send Joseph's brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he feared that harm might come to him. 5Thus the sons of Israel were among the other people who came to buy grain, for the famine had reached the land of Canaan.

6Now Joseph was governor over the land; it was he who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph's brothers came and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground. 7When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he treated them like strangers and spoke harshly to them. "Where do you come from?" he said. They said, "From the land of Canaan, to buy food." 8Although Joseph had recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him. 9Joseph also remembered the dreams that he had dreamed about them. He said to them, "You are spies; you have come to see the nakedness of the land!" 10They said to him, "No, my lord; your servants have come to buy food. 11We are all sons of one man; we are honest men; your servants have never been spies." 12But he said to them, "No, you have come to see the nakedness of the land!" 13They said, "We, your servants, are twelve brothers, the sons of a certain man in the land of Canaan; the youngest, however, is now with our father, and one is no more." 14But Joseph said to them, "It is just as I have said to you; you are spies! 15Here is how you shall be tested: as Pharaoh lives, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here! 16Let one of you go and bring your brother, while the rest of you remain in prison, in order that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you; or else, as Pharaoh lives, surely you are spies." 17And he put them all together in prison for three days.

The Almighty — we cannot find him; he is great in power and justice, and abundant righteousness he will not violate.

Daily Bible Reading: Wednesday, August 16, 2023

Job 36:24-33; 37:14-24 (NRSV)

36:24"Remember to extol his work,
of which mortals have sung.
25All people have looked on it;
everyone watches it from far away.
26Surely God is great, and we do not know him;
the number of his years is unsearchable.
27For he draws up the drops of water;
he distills his mist in rain,
28which the skies pour down
and drop upon mortals abundantly.
29Can anyone understand the spreading of the clouds,
the thunderings of his pavilion?
30See, he scatters his lightning around him
and covers the roots of the sea.
31For by these he governs peoples;
he gives food in abundance.
32He covers his hands with the lightning,
and commands it to strike the mark.
33Its crashing tells about him;
he is jealous with anger against iniquity.

37:14"Hear this, O Job;
stop and consider the wondrous works of God.
15Do you know how God lays his command upon them,
and causes the lightning of his cloud to shine?
16Do you know the balancings of the clouds,
the wondrous works of the one whose knowledge is perfect,
17you whose garments are hot
when the earth is still because of the south wind?
18Can you, like him, spread out the skies,
hard as a molten mirror?
19Teach us what we shall say to him;
we cannot draw up our case because of darkness.
20Should he be told that I want to speak?
Did anyone ever wish to be swallowed up?
21Now, no one can look on the light
when it is bright in the skies,
when the wind has passed and cleared them.
22Out of the north comes golden splendor;
around God is awesome majesty.
23The Almighty — we cannot find him;
he is great in power and justice,
and abundant righteousness he will not violate.
24Therefore mortals fear him;
he does not regard any who are wise in their own conceit."​

ELCA's daily Bible readings are chosen from "Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings," prepared by Consultation on the Common Texts, © 2005.
All text is from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyrighted, 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches USA, and is used by permission. All rights reserved.