Daily Bible Reading

God’s Renewing Word of Thankfulness and Praise Introduction Zechariah 8:1-23: The book of Zechariah’s contains prophecies, dated at various times from the years 520 to 518 B.C.  They are largely in the form of visions and deal with the restoration of Jerusalem, the rebuilding of the Temple, the purification of God’s people, and the messianic […]

God’s Renewing Word of Thankfulness and Praise Introduction Haggai 2:1-23: The LORD instructs Haggai to encourage the people by telling them how splendid the new Temple will be and that nations will bring their treasures to the Temple. The LORD promises to bless the people; and Zerubbabel, a descendant of David, will rule as governor […]

God’s Renewing Word of Thankfulness and Praise Introduction Haggai 1:1-15: Haggai was one of the prophets who urged the people to rebuild the Temple. The people had returned from exile in Babylonia (538 B.C.) and had lived in Jerusalem for nearly twenty years, but the Temple still lay in ruins. Haggai warns the people that […]

God’s Renewing Word of Thankfulness and Praise Introduction Nehemiah 12:27-47: Nehemiah oversees the dedication of the rebuilt wall of Jerusalem. He organizes two processions to march around the city in opposite directions, and both processions end up in the area of the Temple. Officials are put in charge to supervise contributions for the Temple and […]

God’s Renewing Word of Thankfulness and Praise Introduction Nehemiah 8:1-18: The book of Nehemiah was written to continue the history of the Israelites after their return to Jerusalem from Babylonia.  Like Ezra, Nehemiah had attained a high rank in the Persian court and was a trusted personal servant to Emperor Artaxerxes who permitted him to […]

God’s Renewing Word of Thankfulness and Praise Introduction Ezra 7:11-28: The emperor Artaxerxes gives Ezra a document, outlining instructions for maintaining the Temple and the worship life of the people. Scripture Reading THE DOCUMENT WHICH EMPEROR ARTAXERXES GAVE TO EZRA 11 Emperor Artaxerxes gave the following document to Ezra, the priest and scholar, who had […]

God’s Renewing Word of Thankfulness and Praise Introduction Ezra 7:1-10:  In today’s reading, the story has now jumped from the completion of the Temple toward the end of the sixth century (516 B.C.) to the middle of the fifth century (458 B.C.), and we are introduced to Ezra, a priest and an expert in the […]

God’s Renewing Word of Thankfulness and Praise Introduction Ezra 6:13-22: Following the completion of the Temple, it is dedicated, and those who had returned from exile celebrated the event. The reading concludes with a description of the people celebrating Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Scripture Reading THE TEMPLE IS DEDICATED 13 Then Governor Tattenai, […]

God’s Renewing Word of Thankfulness and Praise Introduction Ezra 6:1-12: The scroll containing Emperor Cyrus’s decree about the rebuilding of Temple is discovered. Emperor Darius sends a reply to those who had questioned by what authority the Temple was being rebuilt. Scripture Reading Emperor Cyrus’ Order Is Rediscovered 6 So Emperor Darius issued orders for […]

God’s Renewing Word of Thankfulness and Praise Introduction Ezra 4:24—5:17: Problems caused by neighboring people halted the rebuilding of the Temple from 535 to 520 B.C. The prophets Haggai and Zechariah persuade the people to start again, but authority to begin rebuilding is challenged. The rebuilding of the Temple took place during the reign of […]