The One Year Bible for Men - Flipbook - Page 78
July 24
incense to the Lord every morning and eve
ning. They place the Bread of the Presence on
the holy table, and they light the gold lamp
stand e very evening. We are following the in
structions of the Lord our God, but you have
abandoned him. 12 So you see, God is with us. He
is our leader. His priests blow their trumpets
and lead us into battle against you. O people of
Israel, do not fight against the Lord, the God of
your ancestors, for you will not succeed!”
13 Meanwhile, Jerob
oam had secretly sent
part of his army around behind the men of Ju
dah to ambush them. 14 When Judah realized
that they were being attacked from the front
and the rear, they cried out to the Lord for
help. Then the priests blew the trumpets, 15 and
the men of Judah began to shout. At the sound
of their battle cry, God defeated Jeroboam and
all Israel and routed them before Abijah and
the army of Judah.
16 The Israelite army fled from Judah, and
God handed them over to Judah in defeat.
17 Abijah and his army inflicted heavy losses
on them; 500,000 of Israel’s select troops
were killed that day. 18 So Judah defeated Is
rael on that occasion because they trusted in
the Lord, the God of their ancestors. 19 Abijah
and his army pursued Jeroboam’s troops and
captured some of his towns, including Bethel,
Jeshan
ah, and Ephron, along with their sur
rounding villages.
20 So Jeroboam of Israel never regained his
power during Abijah’s lifetime, and finally the
Lord struck him down and he died. 21 Mean
while, Abijah of Judah grew more and more
powerful. He married fourteen wives and had
twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.
22 The rest of the events of Abijah’s reign, in
cluding his words and deeds, are recorded in
The Commentary of Iddo the Prophet.
12:3a Or charioteers, or horsemen.
12:3b Hebrew and Cushites.
13:2 As in most Greek manuscripts and Syriac version (see also
2 Chr 11:20‑21; 1 Kgs 15:2); Hebrew reads Micaiah, a variant
spelling of Maacah. 13:5 Hebrew a covenant of salt.
ROMANS 8:26‑39
And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness.
For example, we don’t know what God wants
us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us
with groanings that cannot be expressed in
words. 27 And the Father who knows all hearts
knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit
pleads for us believers* in harmony with God’s
own will. 28 And we know that God causes
everything to work together* for the good of
those who love God and are called according
to his purpose for them. 29 For God knew his
people in advance, and he chose them to be
come like his Son, so that his Son would be the
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firstborn* among many brothers and sisters.
30 And having chosen them, he called them to
come to him. And having called them, he gave
them right standing with himself. And having
given them right standing, he gave them his
glory.
31 What shall we say about such wonderful
things as these? If God is for us, who can ever
be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even
his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t
he also give us everything else? 33 Who dares
accuse us whom God has chosen for his own?
No one—for God himself has given us right
standing with himself. 34 Who then will con
demn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for
us and was raised to life for us, and he is sit
ting in the place of honor at God’s right hand,
pleading for us.
35 Can anything ever separate us from
Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves
us if we have trouble or calamity, or are per
secuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger,
or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures
say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we
are being slaughtered like sheep.”*) 37 No, de
spite all these things, overwhelming victory is
ours through Christ, who loved us.
38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever
separate us from God’s love. Neither death
nor life, neither angels nor demons,* neither
our fears for today nor our worries about
tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can
separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in
the sky above or in the earth below—indeed,
nothing in all creation will ever be able to sep
arate us from the love of God that is revealed
in Christ J esus our Lord.
8:27 Greek for God’s holy people.
8:28 Some manuscripts read
8:29 Or would be
And we know that e verything works together.
8:36 Ps 44:22. 8:38 Greek nor rulers.
supreme.
PSALM 18:37‑50
37 I chased my enemies and caught them;
I did not stop until they were conquered.
38 I struck them down so they could not get up;
they fell beneath my feet.
39 You have armed me with strength for the
battle;
you have subdued my enemies under
my feet.
40 You placed my foot on their necks.
I have destroyed all who hated me.
41 They called for help, but no one came to
their rescue.
They even cried to the Lord, but he
refused to answer.
42 I ground them as fine as dust in the wind.
I swept them into the gutter like dirt.
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