1 Chronicles 22

• 1. Then David said, "This will be the location for the Temple of the LORD God and the place of the altar for Israel's burnt offerings!"
• 2. So David gave orders to call together the foreigners living in Israel, and he assigned them the task of preparing blocks of stone for building the Temple of God.
• 3. David provided large amounts of iron for the nails that would be needed for the doors in the gates and for the clamps, and more bronze than they could ever weigh.
• 4. He also provided innumerable cedar logs, for the men of Tyre and Sidon had brought vast amounts of cedar to David.
• 5. David said, "My son Solomon is still young and inexperienced, and the Temple of the LORD must be a magnificent structure, famous and glorious throughout the world. So I will begin making preparations for it now." So David collected vast amounts of building materials before his death.
• 6. Then David sent for his son Solomon and instructed him to build a Temple for the LORD, the God of Israel.
• 7. "I wanted to build a Temple to honor the name of the LORD my God," David told him.
• 8. "But the LORD said to me, `You have killed many men in the great battles you have fought. And since you have shed so much blood before me, you will not be the one to build a Temple to honor my name.
• 9. But you will have a son who will experience peace and rest. I will give him peace with his enemies in all the surrounding lands. His name will be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel during his reign.
• 10. He is the one who will build a Temple to honor my name. He will be my son, and I will be his father. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.'
• 11. "Now, my son, may the LORD be with you and give you success as you follow his instructions in building the Temple of the LORD your God.
• 12. And may the LORD give you wisdom and understanding, that you may obey the law of the LORD your God as you rule over Israel.
• 13. For if you carefully obey the laws and regulations that the LORD gave to Israel through Moses, you will be successful. Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid or lose heart!
• 14. "I have worked hard to provide materials for building the Temple of the LORD--nearly four thousand tons of gold, nearly forty thousand tons of silver, and so much iron and bronze that it cannot be weighed. I have also gathered lumber and stone for the walls, though you may need to add more.
• 15. You have many skilled stonemasons and carpenters and craftsmen of every kind available to you.
• 16. They are expert goldsmiths and silversmiths and workers of bronze and iron. Now begin the work, and may the LORD be with you!"
• 17. Then David ordered all the leaders of Israel to assist Solomon in this project.
• 18. "The LORD your God is with you," he declared. "He has given you peace with the surrounding nations. He has handed them over to me, and they are now subject to the LORD and his people.
• 19. Now seek the LORD your God with all your heart. Build the sanctuary of the LORD God so that you can bring the Ark of the LORD's covenant and the holy vessels of God into the Temple built to honor the LORD's name."

1 Peter 3

• 1. In the same way, you wives must accept the authority of your husbands, even those who refuse to accept the Good News. Your godly lives will speak to them better than any words. They will be won over
• 2. by watching your pure, godly behavior.
• 3. Don't be concerned about the outward beauty that depends on fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes.
• 4. You should be known for the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.
• 5. That is the way the holy women of old made themselves beautiful. They trusted God and accepted the authority of their husbands.
• 6. For instance, Sarah obeyed her husband, Abraham, when she called him her master. You are her daughters when you do what is right without fear of what your husbands might do.
• 7. In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat her with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God's gift of new life. If you don't treat her as you should, your prayers will not be heard.
• 8. Finally, all of you should be of one mind, full of sympathy toward each other, loving one another with tender hearts and humble minds.
• 9. Don't repay evil for evil. Don't retaliate when people say unkind things about you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God wants you to do, and he will bless you for it.
• 10. For the Scriptures say, "If you want a happy life and good days, keep your tongue from speaking evil, and keep your lips from telling lies.
• 11. Turn away from evil and do good. Work hard at living in peace with others.
• 12. The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil."
• 13. Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good?
• 14. But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don't be afraid and don't worry.
• 15. Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if you are asked about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it.
• 16. But you must do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak evil against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ.
• 17. Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!
• 18. Christ also suffered when he died for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners that he might bring us safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.
• 19. So he went and preached to the spirits in prison--
• 20. those who disobeyed God long ago when God waited patiently while Noah was building his boat. Only eight people were saved from drowning in that terrible flood.
• 21. And this is a picture of baptism, which now saves you by the power of Jesus Christ's resurrection. Baptism is not a removal of dirt from your body; it is an appeal to God from a clean conscience.
• 22. Now Christ has gone to heaven. He is seated in the place of honor next to God, and all the angels and authorities and powers are bowing before him.

Micah 1

• 1. The LORD gave these messages to Micah of Moresheth during the years when Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah. The messages concerned both Samaria and Jerusalem, and they came to Micah in the form of visions.
• 2. Attention! Let all the people of the world listen! The Sovereign LORD has made accusations against you; the Lord speaks from his holy Temple.
• 3. Look! The LORD is coming! He leaves his throne in heaven and comes to earth, walking on the high places.
• 4. They melt beneath his feet and flow into the valleys like wax in a fire, like water pouring down a hill.
• 5. And why is this happening? Because of the sins and rebellion of Israel and Judah. Who is to blame for Israel's rebellion? Samaria, its capital city! Where is the center of idolatry in Judah? In Jerusalem, its capital!
• 6. "So I, the LORD, will make the city of Samaria a heap of rubble. Her streets will be plowed up for planting vineyards. I will roll the stones of her walls down into the valley below, exposing all her foundations.
• 7. All her carved images will be smashed to pieces. All her sacred treasures will be burned up. These things were bought with the money earned by her prostitution, and they will now be carried away to pay prostitutes elsewhere."
• 8. Because of all this, I will mourn and lament. I will walk around naked and barefoot in sorrow and shame. I will howl like a jackal and wail like an ostrich.
• 9. For my people's wound is far too deep to heal. It has reached into Judah, even to the gates of Jerusalem.
• 10. Don't tell our enemies in the city of Gath; don't weep at all. You people in Beth-leaphrah, roll in the dust to show your anguish and despair.
• 11. You people of Shaphir, go as captives into exile--naked and ashamed. The people of Zaanan dare not come outside their walls. The people of Beth-ezel mourn because the very foundations of their city have been swept away.
• 12. The people of Maroth anxiously wait for relief, but only bitterness awaits them as the LORD's judgment reaches even to the gates of Jerusalem.
• 13. Quick! Use your swiftest chariots and flee, you people of Lachish. You were the first city in Judah to follow Israel in the sin of idol worship, and so you led Jerusalem into sin.
• 14. Send a farewell gift to Moresheth-gath; there is no hope of saving it. The town of Aczib has deceived the kings of Israel, for it promised help it could not give.
• 15. You people of Mareshah, I will bring a conqueror to capture your town. And the leaders of Israel will go to Adullam.
• 16. Weep, you people of Judah! Shave your heads in sorrow, for the children you love will be snatched away, and you will never see them again. Make yourselves as bald as an eagle, for your little ones will be exiled to distant lands.

New Living Translation: 330 of 365 days.