Ruth 1

• 1. In the days when the judges ruled in Israel, a man from Bethlehem in Judah left the country because of a severe famine. He took his wife and two sons and went to live in the country of Moab.
• 2. The man's name was Elimelech, and his wife was Naomi. Their two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in the land of Judah. During their stay in Moab,
• 3. Elimelech died and Naomi was left with her two sons.
• 4. The two sons married Moabite women. One married a woman named Orpah, and the other a woman named Ruth. But about ten years later,
• 5. both Mahlon and Kilion died. This left Naomi alone, without her husband or sons.
• 6. Then Naomi heard in Moab that the LORD had blessed his people in Judah by giving them good crops again. So Naomi and her daughters-in-law got ready to leave Moab to return to her homeland.
• 7. With her two daughters-in-law she set out from the place where she had been living, and they took the road that would lead them back to Judah.
• 8. But on the way, Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go back to your mothers' homes instead of coming with me. And may the LORD reward you for your kindness to your husbands and to me.
• 9. May the LORD bless you with the security of another marriage." Then she kissed them good-bye, and they all broke down and wept.
• 10. "No," they said. "We want to go with you to your people."
• 11. But Naomi replied, "Why should you go on with me? Can I still give birth to other sons who could grow up to be your husbands?
• 12. No, my daughters, return to your parents' homes, for I am too old to marry again. And even if it were possible, and I were to get married tonight and bear sons, then what?
• 13. Would you wait for them to grow up and refuse to marry someone else? No, of course not, my daughters! Things are far more bitter for me than for you, because the LORD himself has caused me to suffer."
• 14. And again they wept together, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-bye. But Ruth insisted on staying with Naomi.
• 15. "See," Naomi said to her, "your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. You should do the same."
• 16. But Ruth replied, "Don't ask me to leave you and turn back. I will go wherever you go and live wherever you live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.
• 17. I will die where you die and will be buried there. May the LORD punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!"
• 18. So when Naomi saw that Ruth had made up her mind to go with her, she stopped urging her.
• 19. So the two of them continued on their journey. When they came to Bethlehem, the entire town was stirred by their arrival. "Is it really Naomi?" the women asked.
• 20. "Don't call me Naomi," she told them. "Instead, call me Mara, for the Almighty has made life very bitter for me.
• 21. I went away full, but the LORD has brought me home empty. Why should you call me Naomi when the LORD has caused me to suffer and the Almighty has sent such tragedy?"
• 22. So Naomi returned from Moab, accompanied by her daughter-in-law Ruth, the young Moabite woman. They arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.

Acts 26

• 1. Then Agrippa said to Paul, "You may speak in your defense." So Paul, with a gesture of his hand, started his defense:
• 2. "I am fortunate, King Agrippa, that you are the one hearing my defense against all these accusations made by the Jewish leaders,
• 3. for I know you are an expert on Jewish customs and controversies. Now please listen to me patiently!
• 4. "As the Jewish leaders are well aware, I was given a thorough Jewish training from my earliest childhood among my own people and in Jerusalem.
• 5. If they would admit it, they know that I have been a member of the Pharisees, the strictest sect of our religion.
• 6. Now I am on trial because I am looking forward to the fulfillment of God's promise made to our ancestors.
• 7. In fact, that is why the twelve tribes of Israel worship God night and day, and they share the same hope I have. Yet, O king, they say it is wrong for me to have this hope!
• 8. Why does it seem incredible to any of you that God can raise the dead?
• 9. "I used to believe that I ought to do everything I could to oppose the followers of Jesus of Nazareth.
• 10. Authorized by the leading priests, I caused many of the believers in Jerusalem to be sent to prison. And I cast my vote against them when they were condemned to death.
• 11. Many times I had them whipped in the synagogues to try to get them to curse Christ. I was so violently opposed to them that I even hounded them in distant cities of foreign lands.
• 12. "One day I was on such a mission to Damascus, armed with the authority and commission of the leading priests.
• 13. About noon, Your Majesty, a light from heaven brighter than the sun shone down on me and my companions.
• 14. We all fell down, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to fight against my will. '
• 15. "'Who are you, sir?' I asked. "And the Lord replied, 'I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting.
• 16. Now stand up! For I have appeared to you to appoint you as my servant and my witness. You are to tell the world about this experience and about other times I will appear to you.
• 17. And I will protect you from both your own people and the Gentiles. Yes, I am going to send you to the Gentiles,
• 18. to open their eyes so they may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God's people, who are set apart by faith in me.'
• 19. "And so, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to that vision from heaven.
• 20. I preached first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that all must turn from their sins and turn to God--and prove they have changed by the good things they do.
• 21. Some Jews arrested me in the Temple for preaching this, and they tried to kill me.
• 22. But God protected me so that I am still alive today to tell these facts to everyone, from the least to the greatest. I teach nothing except what the prophets and Moses said would happen--
• 23. that the Messiah would suffer and be the first to rise from the dead as a light to Jews and Gentiles alike."
• 24. Suddenly, Festus shouted, "Paul, you are insane. Too much study has made you crazy!"
• 25. But Paul replied, "I am not insane, Most Excellent Festus. I am speaking the sober truth.
• 26. And King Agrippa knows about these things. I speak frankly, for I am sure these events are all familiar to him, for they were not done in a corner!
• 27. King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do--"
• 28. Agrippa interrupted him. "Do you think you can make me a Christian so quickly?"
• 29. Paul replied, "Whether quickly or not, I pray to God that both you and everyone here in this audience might become the same as I am, except for these chains."
• 30. Then the king, the governor, Bernice, and all the others stood and left.
• 31. As they talked it over they agreed, "This man hasn't done anything worthy of death or imprisonment."
• 32. And Agrippa said to Festus, "He could be set free if he hadn't appealed to Caesar!"

Jeremiah 36

• 1. During the fourth year that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was king in Judah, the LORD gave this message to Jeremiah:
• 2. "Get a scroll, and write down all my messages against Israel, Judah, and the other nations. Begin with the first message back in the days of Josiah, and write down every message you have given, right up to the present time.
• 3. Perhaps the people of Judah will repent if they see in writing all the terrible things I have planned for them. Then I will be able to forgive their sins and wrongdoings."
• 4. So Jeremiah sent for Baruch son of Neriah, and as Jeremiah dictated, Baruch wrote down all the prophecies that the LORD had given him.
• 5. Then Jeremiah said to Baruch, "I am a prisoner here and unable to go to the Temple.
• 6. So you go to the Temple on the next day of fasting, and read the messages from the LORD that are on this scroll. On that day people will be there from all over Judah.
• 7. Perhaps even yet they will turn from their evil ways and ask the LORD's forgiveness before it is too late. For the LORD's terrible anger has been pronounced against them."
• 8. Baruch did as Jeremiah told him and read these messages from the LORD to the people at the Temple.
• 9. This happened on the day of sacred fasting held in late autumn, during the fifth year of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah. People from all over Judah came to attend the services at the Temple on that day.
• 10. Baruch read Jeremiah's words to all the people from the Temple room of Gemariah son of Shaphan. This room was just off the upper courtyard of the Temple, near the New Gate entrance.
• 11. When Micaiah son of Gemariah and grandson of Shaphan heard the messages from the LORD,
• 12. he went down to the secretary's room in the palace where the administrative officials were meeting. Elishama the secretary was there, along with Delaiah son of Shemaiah, Elnathan son of Acbor, Gemariah son of Shaphan, Zedekiah son of Hananiah, and all the others with official responsibilities.
• 13. When Micaiah told them about the messages Baruch was reading to the people,
• 14. the officials sent Jehudi son of Nethaniah, grandson of Shelemiah, and great-grandson of Cushi, to ask Baruch to come and read the messages to them, too. So Baruch took the scroll and went to them.
• 15. "Sit down and read the scroll to us," the officials said, and Baruch did as they requested.
• 16. By the time Baruch had finished reading, they were badly frightened. "We must tell the king what we have heard," they said.
• 17. "But first, tell us how you got these messages. Did they come directly from Jeremiah?"
• 18. So Baruch explained, "Jeremiah dictated them to me word by word, and I wrote down his words with ink on this scroll."
• 19. "You and Jeremiah should both hide," the officials told Baruch. "Don't tell anyone where you are!"
• 20. Then the officials left the scroll for safekeeping in the room of Elishama the secretary and went to tell the king.
• 21. The king sent Jehudi to get the scroll. Jehudi brought it from Elishama's room and read it to the king as all his officials stood by.
• 22. It was late autumn, and the king was in a winterized part of the palace, sitting in front of a fire to keep warm.
• 23. Whenever Jehudi finished reading three or four columns, the king took his knife and cut off that section of the scroll. He then threw it into the fire, section by section, until the whole scroll was burned up.
• 24. Neither the king nor his officials showed any signs of fear or repentance at what they heard.
• 25. Even when Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah begged the king not to burn the scroll, he wouldn't listen.
• 26. Then the king commanded his son Jerahmeel, Seraiah son of Azriel, and Shelemiah son of Abdeel to arrest Baruch and Jeremiah. But the LORD had hidden them.
• 27. After the king had burned Jeremiah's scroll, the LORD gave Jeremiah another message. He said,
• 28. "Get another scroll, and write everything again just as you did on the scroll King Jehoiakim burned.
• 29. Then say to the king, `This is what the LORD says: You burned the scroll because it said the king of Babylon would destroy this land and everything in it.
• 30. Now this is what the LORD says about King Jehoiakim of Judah: He will have no heirs to sit on the throne of David. His dead body will be thrown out to lie unburied--exposed to hot days and frosty nights.
• 31. I will punish him and his family and his officials because of their sins. I will pour out on them and on all the people of Judah and Jerusalem all the disasters I have promised, for they would not listen to my warnings.'"
• 32. Then Jeremiah took another scroll and dictated again to his secretary Baruch. He wrote everything that had been on the scroll King Jehoiakim had burned in the fire. Only this time, he added much more!

New Living Translation: 220 of 365 days.