Truth to All Generations by Vance K. Jackson

Sacred Crumbs: Where Small Meets Sacred

A Practical Guide for Transformative Growth Part 3

Financial Discipleship – the Bible on Bribes

The Journey of Yes

His Mission, Our Marriage: Building a Christ-Centered Marriage

Losing Lexi: One Mother's Story of Grace in the Midst of Addiction and Loss

Purpose, People, & Prevention: Thriving in Public Health With God

Pawprints & Prayers: Devotions for Dog Lovers

Legacy: Living Stones, Lasting Impact

The Listener’s Bible®: NIV Edition

New International Version™  (Anglicised), Audio Edition

Holy Bible, New International Version™ (Anglicised), South Asian Audio Edition

<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkNEH">
 <div class="chapter ch4" data-usfm="NEH.4">
 <div class="label">4</div><div class="s1">Opposition to the Rebuilding</div><div class="p"> # In Hebrew texts 4:1-6 is numbered 3:33-38, and 4:7-23 is numbered 4:1-17. 1When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, 2and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, &#8220;What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble&#8212;burned as they are?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 3Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, &#8220;What they are building&#8212;even a fox climbing up on it would break down their wall of stones!&#8221;</div><div class="b"></div><div class="p"> 4Hear us, our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity. 5Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight, for they have thrown insults in the face of#4:5 Or have aroused your anger before the builders.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="p"> 6So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.</div><div class="p"> 7But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the people of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem&#8217;s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. 8They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. 9But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.</div><div class="p"> 10Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, &#8220;The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 11Also our enemies said, &#8220;Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 12Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, &#8220;Wherever you turn, they will attack us.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 13Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows. 14After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, &#8220;Don&#8217;t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 15When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to our own work.</div><div class="p"> 16From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah 17who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, 18and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me.</div><div class="p"> 19Then I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, &#8220;The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. 20Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 21So we continued the work with half the men holding spears, from the first light of dawn till the stars came out. 22At that time I also said to the people, &#8220;Have every man and his helper stay inside Jerusalem at night, so they can serve us as guards by night and as workers by day.&#8221; 23Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water.#4:23 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.</div>
 </div>
 </div>
</div>

<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkNEH">
 <div class="chapter ch5" data-usfm="NEH.5">
 <div class="label">5</div><div class="s1">Nehemiah Helps the Poor</div><div class="p"> 1Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their fellow Jews. 2Some were saying, &#8220;We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 3Others were saying, &#8220;We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our homes to get grain during the famine.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 4Still others were saying, &#8220;We have had to borrow money to pay the king&#8217;s tax on our fields and vineyards. 5Although we are of the same flesh and blood as our fellow Jews and though our children are as good as theirs, yet we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but we are powerless, because our fields and our vineyards belong to others.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 6When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry. 7I pondered them in my mind and then accused the nobles and officials. I told them, &#8220;You are charging your own people interest!&#8221; So I called together a large meeting to deal with them 8and said: &#8220;As far as possible, we have bought back our fellow Jews who were sold to the Gentiles. Now you are selling your own people, only for them to be sold back to us!&#8221; They kept quiet, because they could find nothing to say.</div><div class="p"> 9So I continued, &#8220;What you are doing is not right. Shouldn&#8217;t you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our Gentile enemies? 10I and my brothers and my men are also lending the people money and grain. But let us stop charging interest! 11Give back to them immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves and houses, and also the interest you are charging them&#8212;one percent of the money, grain, new wine and olive oil.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 12&#8220;We will give it back,&#8221; they said. &#8220;And we will not demand anything more from them. We will do as you say.&#8221;</div><div class="p">Then I summoned the priests and made the nobles and officials take an oath to do what they had promised. 13I also shook out the folds of my robe and said, &#8220;In this way may God shake out of their house and possessions anyone who does not keep this promise. So may such a person be shaken out and emptied!&#8221;</div><div class="p">At this the whole assembly said, &#8220;Amen,&#8221; and praised the Lord. And the people did as they had promised.</div><div class="p"> 14Moreover, from the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, until his thirty-second year&#8212;twelve years&#8212;neither I nor my brothers ate the food allotted to the governor. 15But the earlier governors&#8212;those preceding me&#8212;placed a heavy burden on the people and took forty shekels#5:15 That is, about 1 pound or about 460 grams of silver from them in addition to food and wine. Their assistants also lorded it over the people. But out of reverence for God I did not act like that. 16Instead, I devoted myself to the work on this wall. All my men were assembled there for the work; we#5:16 Most Hebrew manuscripts; some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac I did not acquire any land.</div><div class="p"> 17Furthermore, a hundred and fifty Jews and officials ate at my table, as well as those who came to us from the surrounding nations. 18Each day one ox, six choice sheep and some poultry were prepared for me, and every ten days an abundant supply of wine of all kinds. In spite of all this, I never demanded the food allotted to the governor, because the demands were heavy on these people.</div><div class="p"> 19Remember me with favor, my God, for all I have done for these people.</div>
 </div>
 </div>
</div>

<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkNEH">
 <div class="chapter ch6" data-usfm="NEH.6">
 <div class="label">6</div><div class="s1">Further Opposition to the Rebuilding</div><div class="p"> 1When word came to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left in it&#8212;though up to that time I had not set the doors in the gates&#8212; 2Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: &#8220;Come, let us meet together in one of the villages#6:2 Or in Kephirim on the plain of Ono.&#8221;</div><div class="p">But they were scheming to harm me; 3so I sent messengers to them with this reply: &#8220;I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?&#8221; 4Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer.</div><div class="p"> 5Then, the fifth time, Sanballat sent his aide to me with the same message, and in his hand was an unsealed letter 6in which was written:</div><div class="pm">&#8220;It is reported among the nations&#8212;and Geshem#6:6 Hebrew Gashmu, a variant of Geshem says it is true&#8212;that you and the Jews are plotting to revolt, and therefore you are building the wall. Moreover, according to these reports you are about to become their king 7and have even appointed prophets to make this proclamation about you in Jerusalem: &#8216;There is a king in Judah!&#8217; Now this report will get back to the king; so come, let us meet together.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 8I sent him this reply: &#8220;Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 9They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, &#8220;Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.&#8221;</div><div class="p">But I prayed, &#8220;Now strengthen my hands.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 10One day I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was shut in at his home. He said, &#8220;Let us meet in the house of God, inside the temple, and let us close the temple doors, because men are coming to kill you&#8212;by night they are coming to kill you.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 11But I said, &#8220;Should a man like me run away? Or should someone like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go!&#8221; 12I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had prophesied against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would commit a sin by doing this, and then they would give me a bad name to discredit me.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="p"> 14Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, my God, because of what they have done; remember also the prophet Noadiah and how she and the rest of the prophets have been trying to intimidate me. 15So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days.</div><div class="s1">Opposition to the Completed Wall</div><div class="p"> 16When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.</div><div class="p"> 17Also, in those days the nobles of Judah were sending many letters to Tobiah, and replies from Tobiah kept coming to them. 18For many in Judah were under oath to him, since he was son-in-law to Shekaniah son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berekiah. 19Moreover, they kept reporting to me his good deeds and then telling him what I said. And Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me.</div>
 </div>
 </div>
</div>

<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkPSA">
 <div class="chapter ch93" data-usfm="PSA.93">
 <div class="label">93</div><div class="cl">Psalm 93</div><div class="q1"> 1The Lord reigns, he is robed in majesty;</div><div class="q2">the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength;</div><div class="q2">indeed, the world is established, firm and secure.</div><div class="q1"> 2Your throne was established long ago;</div><div class="q2">you are from all eternity.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 3The seas have lifted up, Lord,</div><div class="q2">the seas have lifted up their voice;</div><div class="q2">the seas have lifted up their pounding waves.</div><div class="q1"> 4Mightier than the thunder of the great waters,</div><div class="q2">mightier than the breakers of the sea&#8212;</div><div class="q2">the Lord on high is mighty.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 5Your statutes, Lord, stand firm;</div><div class="q2">holiness adorns your house</div><div class="q2">for endless days.</div>
 </div>
 </div>
</div>

<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkJAS">
 <div class="chapter ch5" data-usfm="JAS.5">
 <div class="label">5</div><div class="s1">Warning to Rich Oppressors</div><div class="p"> 1Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. 2Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. 3Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. 4Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. 5You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.#5:5 Or yourselves as in a day of feasting 6You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you.</div><div class="s1">Patience in Suffering</div><div class="p"> 7Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord&#8217;s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. 8You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord&#8217;s coming is near. 9Don&#8217;t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!</div><div class="p"> 10Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job&#8217;s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.</div><div class="p"> 12Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear&#8212;not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple &#8220;Yes&#8221; or &#8220;No.&#8221; Otherwise you will be condemned.</div><div class="s1">The Prayer of Faith</div><div class="p"> 13Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.</div><div class="p"> 17Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.</div><div class="p"> 19My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, 20remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.</div>
 </div>
 </div>
</div>

<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk2PE">
 <div class="chapter ch3" data-usfm="2PE.3">
 <div class="label">3</div><div class="s1">The Day of the Lord</div><div class="p"> 1Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. 2I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.</div><div class="p"> 3Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4They will say, &#8220;Where is this &#8216;coming&#8217; he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.&#8221; 5But they deliberately forget that long ago by God&#8217;s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.</div><div class="p"> 8But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.</div><div class="p"> 10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.#3:10 Some manuscripts be burned up</div><div class="p"> 11Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.#3:12 Or as you wait eagerly for the day of God to come That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.</div><div class="p"> 14So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. 15Bear in mind that our Lord&#8217;s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. 16He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.</div><div class="p"> 17Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. 18But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.</div>
 </div>
 </div>
</div>

Solid Life Reading PlanSample

Scripture

About this Plan

Related plans