Welcome to Reads for the Bible in a Year, November 9th. Today's reading is the book of Philemon, Ezekiel chapters 3 through 5 and Psalm chapter 130. So let's get started in the book of Philemon. Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy our brother, unto Philemon, our dearly beloved and fellow laborer. and to our beloved Aphia and Archippus, our fellow soldier, and to the church in thy house. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers. hearing of thy love and faith which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus and toward all saints, that the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. For we have great joy and consolation in thy love, because the bowels of the saints are refreshed by thee, brother. Wherefore, though I might be much bold in Christ to enjoin thee that which is convenient, yet for love's sake I rather beseech thee, being such an one as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ. I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds, which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me, whom I have sent again. Thou therefore receive him, that is, mine own bowels. whom I would have retained with me, that in thy stead he might have ministered unto me in the bonds of the gospel. But without thy mind would I do nothing, that thy benefit should not be, as it were of necessity, but willingly. For perhaps he therefore departed for a season, that thou shouldst receive him for ever." not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved, specially to me, but how much more unto thee, both in the flesh, and in the Lord. If thou count me therefore a partner, receive him as myself. If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee aught, put that on mine account. I, Paul, have written it with mine own hand, I will repay it. Albeit I do not say to thee how thou owest unto me even thine own self besides. Yea, brother, let me have joy of thee in the Lord. Refresh my bowels in the Lord. Having confidence in thy obedience, I wrote unto thee, knowing that thou wilt also do more than I say. But will thou prepare me also a lodging? For I trust that through your prayers I shall be given unto you. There salute the Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas, my fellow laborers. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. This concludes the reading of the Book of Philemon. Ezekiel chapter 3. Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest, eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel. So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll. And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. then did I eat it, and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness. And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them. For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech, and of an hard language, but to the house of Israel, not to many people, of a strange speech, and of a hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee. But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee, for they will not hearken unto me, for all the house of Israel are impudent and hard-hearted. Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, And thy forehead strong against their foreheads. As an adamant harder than flint Have I made thy forehead, fear them not, Neither be dismayed at their looks, Though they be a rebellious house. Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, All my words that I shall speak unto thee Receive in thine heart. and hear with thine ears. And go, get thee to them of the captivity unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them. Thus saith the Lord God, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear. Then the Spirit took me up, and I heard behind me a voice of a great rushing, saying, Blessed be the glory of the Lord from his place. I heard also the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels over against them, and a noise of a great rushing. So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness in the heat of my spirit, but the hand of the Lord was strong upon me. Then I came to them of the captivity at Tel-Abib. that dwelt by the river of Kibar, and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days. And it came to pass, at the end of seven days, that the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel. Therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from Me. When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die, and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life. The same wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at thine hand." Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity, but thou hast delivered thy soul. Again, when a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling-block before him, he shall die, because thou hast not given him warning. he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done, shall not be remembered, but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless, if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned, also thou hast delivered thy soul. And the hand of the Lord was there upon me, and he said unto me, Arise, go forth into the plain, and I will there talk with thee. Then I arose, and went forth into the plain. And, behold, the glory of the Lord stood there, as the glory which I saw by the river of Kibar, and I fell on my face. Then the Spirit entered into me, and set me upon my feet, and spake with me, and said unto me, Go, shut thyself within thine house. But thou, O son of man, behold, they shall put bands upon thee, and shall bind thee with them. thou shalt not go out among them. And I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be to them a reprover, for they are a rebellious house. But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God, He that heareth, let him hear, and he that forbeareth, let him forbear, for they are a rebellious house. This concludes the reading of Ezekiel chapter 3. Ezekiel chapter 4. Thou also, son of man, take thee a tile, and lay it before thee, and portray upon it the city, even Jerusalem, and lay siege against it, and build a fort against it, and cast a mount against it, set the camp also against it, and set battering-rams against it round about. Moreover take thou unto thee an iron pan, and set it for a wall of iron between thee and the city, and set thy face against it, and it shall be besieged, and thou shalt lay siege against it. This shall be a sign to the house of Israel. Lie thou also upon thy left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it. According to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon it, thou shalt bear their iniquity. For I have laid upon thee the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days. So shalt thou bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days. I have appointed thee each day for a year. Therefore thou shalt set thy face toward the siege of Jerusalem, and thine arm shall be uncovered, and thou shalt prophesy against it. And, behold, I will lay bands upon thee, and thou shalt not turn thee from one side to another till thou hast ended the days of thy siege. Take thou also unto thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentils, and millet, and fitches, and put them in one vessel. and make thee bread thereof, according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon thy side, three hundred and ninety days shalt thou eat thereof. And thy meat, which thou shalt eat, shall be by weight twenty shekels a day, from time to time shalt thou eat it. Thou shalt drink also water by measure, the sixth part of an hen, from time to time shalt thou drink. And thou shalt eat it as barley cakes, and thou shalt bake it with dung that cometh out of man in their sight. And the Lord said, even thus shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles, whither I will drive them. Then said I, Ah, Lord God, behold, my soul hath not been polluted, for from my youth up even till now have I not eaten of that which dieth of itself, or is torn in pieces, neither came there abominable flesh into my mouth. Then he said unto me, Lo, I have given thee cow's dung for man's dung, and thou shalt prepare thy bread therewith. Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, behold, I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem, and they shall eat bread by weight and with care, and they shall drink water by measure and with astonishment, that they may want bread and water, and be astonished one with another, and consume away for their iniquity. This concludes the reading of Ezekiel chapter 4. EZEKIEL CHAPTER V.—And thou, son of man, take thee a sharp knife, take thee a barber's razor, and cause it to pass upon thine head and upon thy beard. Then take thee balances to weigh and divide the hair. Thou shalt burn with fire a third part in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are fulfilled. And thou shalt take a third part, and smite about it with a knife. And a third part thou shalt scatter in the wind, and I will draw out a sword after them. Thou shalt also take thereof a few in number, and bind them in thy skirts. Then take of them again, and cast them into the midst of the fire, and burn them in the fire. For thereof shall a fire come forth into all the house of Israel. Thus saith the Lord God, This is Jerusalem. I have set it in the midst of the nations and countries that are round about her, and she hath changed my judgments into wickedness more than the nations, and my statutes more than the countries that are round about her, for they have refused my judgments and my statutes. They have not walked in them. Therefore, thus saith the Lord God, because ye multiplied more than the nations that are round about you, and have not walked in my statutes, neither have kept my judgments, neither have done according to the judgments of the nations that are round about you. Therefore, thus saith the Lord God, behold, I, even I, am against thee. and will execute judgments in the midst of thee in the sight of the nations. And I will do in thee that which I have not done, and whereunto I will not do any more the like, because of all thine abominations. Therefore the fathers shall eat the sons in the midst of thee, and the sons shall eat their fathers. And I will execute judgments in thee, and the whole remnant of thee will I scatter into all the winds. Wherefore, as I live, saith the Lord God, surely because thou hast defiled my sanctuary with all thy detestable things and with all thine abominations, therefore will I also diminish thee, neither shall mine eyes spare, neither will I have any pity. A third part of thee shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee. And a third part shall fall by the sword round about thee, and I will scatter a third part into all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them. Thus shall mine anger be accomplished, and I will cause my fury to rest upon them, and I will be comforted, and they shall know that I the Lord have spoken it in my zeal, when I have accomplished my fury in them. Moreover, I will make thee waste, and a reproach among the nations that are round about thee, in the sight of all that pass by. So it shall be a reproach and a taunt. and instruction, and an astonishment, unto the nations that are round about thee, when I shall execute judgments in thee, in anger and in fury, and in furious rebukes. I the Lord have spoken it." When I shall send upon them the evil arrows of famine, which shall be for their destruction, and which I will send to destroy you, and I will increase the famine upon you, and will break your staff of bread, so will I send upon you famine and evil beasts, and they shall bereave thee, and pestilence, and blood shall pass through thee, and I will bring the sword upon thee, I, the Lord, have spoken it. This concludes the reading of Ezekiel chapter 5. Psalm chapter 130. Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice. Let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications. If thou, Lord, shouldst mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? but there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared. I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning, I say, more than they that watch for the morning. Let Israel hope in the Lord, For with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption. And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities. This concludes the reading of Psalm 130, and this concludes the reading for November 9th. May the Lord richly bless you this day.