DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR FRIDAY MAY 13:
WORD OF WISDOM
Some people try to turn back their odometers. Not me, I want people to know
'why' I look this way.
___
DAILY DEVOTION
Prayer Changes Things
They say that prayer changes things, but does it REALLY change anything?
Oh yes! It really does!
Does prayer change your present situation or sudden circumstances?
No, not always, but it does change the way you look at those events.
Does prayer change your financial future?
No, not always, but it does change Who you look to for meeting your daily
needs.
Does prayer change shattered hearts or broken bodies?
No, not always, but it will change your source of strength and comfort.
Does prayer change your wants and desires?
No, not always, but it will change your wants into what God desires!
Does prayer change how you view the world?
No, not always, but it will change whose eyes you see the world through.
Does prayer change your regrets from the past?
No, not always, but it will change your hopes for the future!
Does prayer change the people around you?
No, not always, but it will change you - the problem isn't always in others.
Does prayer change your life in ways you can't explain?
Oh, yes, always! And it will change you from the inside out!
So does prayer REALLY change ANYTHING?
Yes! It REALLY does change EVERYTHING!
___
DAILY BIBLE READING
Ezra 7-10Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)
Ezra Comes to Jerusalem
7 After these things,[a] during the rule of King Artaxerxes of Persia, Ezra
came to Jerusalem from Babylon. Ezra was the son of Seraiah. Seraiah was the
son of Azariah. Azariah was the son of Hilkiah. 2 Hilkiah was the son of
Shallum. Shallum was the son of Zadok. Zadok was the son of Ahitub. 3 Ahitub
was the son of Amariah. Amariah was the son of Azariah. Azariah was the son
of Meraioth. 4 Meraioth was the son of Zerahiah. Zerahiah was the son of
Uzzi. Uzzi was the son of Bukki. 5 Bukki was the son of Abishua. Abishua was
the son of Phinehas. Phinehas was the son of Eleazar. Eleazar was the son of
Aaron the high priest.
6 Ezra came to Jerusalem from Babylon. He was a teacher[b] and knew the Law
of Moses very well. The Law of Moses was given by the Lord, the God of
Israel. King Artaxerxes gave Ezra everything he asked for because the Lord
was with Ezra. 7 Among the people who came with Ezra were Israelites,
priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, and Temple servants. They arrived in
Jerusalem during the seventh year of King Artaxerxes. 8 Ezra arrived in
Jerusalem in the fifth month[c] of the seventh year that Artaxerxes was
king. 9 Ezra left Babylon on the first day of the first month and arrived in
Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month. With God's blessing his trip
went well. 10 Ezra had always given his time and attention to studying and
obeying the law of the Lord. He also loved to teach its rules and
commandments to others in Israel.
King Artaxerxes' Letter to Ezra
11 Ezra was a priest and teacher. He knew much about the commands and laws
the Lord gave Israel. This is a copy of the letter King Artaxerxes gave to
Ezra the teacher:
12 [d] From King Artaxerxes,
To Ezra the priest, a teacher of the law of the God of heaven:
Greetings!
13 I give this order: Any of the Israelites living in my kingdom, including
priests and Levites, who want to go with you to Jerusalem, may go.
14 I and my seven advisors send you to Judah and Jerusalem. Go and see how
your people are doing in obeying the law of your God. You have that law with
you.
15 I and my advisors are giving gold and silver to the God of Israel, who
lives in Jerusalem. You must take this gold and silver with you. 16 You must
also go through all the provinces of Babylonia. Collect the gifts from your
people, from the priests, and from the Levites. The gifts are for the Temple
of their God in Jerusalem.
17 Use this money to buy bulls, rams, and male lambs. Buy the grain
offerings and drink offerings that go with these sacrifices. Then sacrifice
them on the altar in the Temple of your God in Jerusalem. 18 Then you and
the other Jews may spend the silver and gold left over any way you want to.
Use it in a way that is pleasing to your God. 19 Take all these things to
the God of Jerusalem. They are for the worship in the Temple of your God. 20
And you may get any other things that you need for the Temple of your God.
Use the money in the king's treasury to buy anything you need.
21 Now I, King Artaxerxes, give this order: I order all the men who keep the
king's money in the area west of the Euphrates River to give Ezra anything
he wants. Ezra is a priest and a teacher of the Law of the God of heaven. Do
this quickly and completely. 22 Give this much to Ezra: 3 3/4 tons[e] of
silver, 600 bushels[f] of wheat, 600 gallons[g] of wine, 600 gallons of
olive oil, and as much salt as Ezra wants. 23 Anything that the God of
heaven has ordered for Ezra to get, you must give to Ezra quickly and
completely. Do this for the Temple of the God of heaven. We don't want God
to be angry with my kingdom or my sons.
24 I want you men to know that it is against the law to make the priests,
Levites, singers, gatekeepers, Temple servants, and other workers in God's
Temple pay taxes. They don't have to pay taxes, money to honor the king, or
any customs fees. 25 Ezra, I give you the authority to use the wisdom you
have from your God and choose civil and religious judges. These men will be
judges for all the people living in the area west of the Euphrates River.
They will judge all the people who know the laws of your God and they will
teach those who don't know those laws. 26 Anyone who does not obey the law
of your God, or the law of the king, must be punished. Depending on the
crime, they must be punished with death, or sent away to another country, or
their property taken away, or put into prison.
Ezra Praises God
27 [h] Blessed is the Lord, the God of our ancestors. He put the idea into
the king's heart to honor the Lord's Temple in Jerusalem. 28 God showed his
faithful love to me in front of the king, his advisors, and the king's
important officials. The Lord my God was with me, and that gave me courage.
I gathered together the leaders of Israel to go with me to Jerusalem.
List of Leaders Returning With Ezra
8 These are the names of the family leaders and the other people who came
with me to Jerusalem from Babylon. We came to Jerusalem during the rule of
King Artaxerxes. Here is the list of names:
2 from the descendants of Phinehas: Gershom; from the descendants of
Ithamar: Daniel; from the descendants of David: Hattush;
3 from the descendants of Shecaniah: the descendants of Parosh, Zechariah,
and 150 other men;
4 from the descendants of Pahath Moab: Eliehoenai son of Zerahiah, and 200
other men;
5 from the descendants of Zattu: Shecaniah son of Jahaziel, and 300 other
men;
6 from the descendants of Adin: Ebed son of Jonathan, and 50 other men;
7 from the descendants of Elam: Jeshaiah son of Athaliah, and 70 other men;
8 from the descendants of Shephatiah: Zebadiah son of Michael, and 80 other
men;
9 from the descendants of Joab: Obadiah son of Jehiel, and 218 other men;
10 from the descendants of Bani: Shelomith son of Josiphiah, and 160 other
men;
11 from the descendants of Bebai: Zechariah son of Bebai, and 28 other men;
12 from the descendants of Azgad: Johanan son of Hakkatan, and 110 other
men;
13 from the last of the descendants of Adonikam: Eliphelet, Jeuel, Shemaiah,
and 60 other men;
14 from the descendants of Bigvai: Uthai, Zaccur, and 70 other men.
The Return to Jerusalem
15 I called all these people to meet together at the river that flows toward
Ahava. We camped at that place for three days. I learned there were priests
in the group, but there were no Levites. 16 So I called these leaders:
Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and
Meshullam, and I called Joiarib and Elnathan. (These men were teachers.) 17
I sent the men to Iddo, leader in the town of Casiphia. I told them what to
say to Iddo and his relatives, who are the Temple workers in Casiphia. I
told the men to ask Iddo and his relatives to send us workers to serve in
God's Temple. 18 Because God was with us, they sent Sherebiah, a skilled man
from the descendants of Mahli (Mahli was a son of Levi, one of Israel's
sons.) They also sent his sons and brothers, 18 men in all. 19 They also
sent Hashabiah and Jeshaiah from the descendants of Merari, along with their
brothers and nephews. In all there were 20 men. 20 Besides these, there were
220 Temple workers whose ancestors had been chosen by David and his
officials to help the Levites. The names of all these men were written on
the list.
21 There near the Ahava River, I announced that we all should fast. We
should fast to make ourselves humble before our God. We wanted to ask God
for a safe trip for ourselves, our children, and for everything we owned. 22
I was embarrassed to ask King Artaxerxes for soldiers and horsemen to
protect us as we traveled. There were enemies on the road. The reason I was
embarrassed to ask for protection was because of what we had told the king.
We had said to King Artaxerxes, "Our God is with everyone who trusts him,
but he is very angry with everyone who turns away from him." 23 So we fasted
and prayed to our God about our trip. He answered our prayers.
24 Then I chose twelve of the priests who were leaders. I chose Sherebiah,
Hashabiah, and ten of their brothers. 25 I weighed the silver, gold, and the
other things that were given for God's Temple. I gave them to the twelve
priests I had chosen. King Artaxerxes, his advisors, his important
officials, and all the Israelites in Babylon gave those things for God's
Temple. 26 I weighed all these things. There were 25 tons[i] of silver.
There were also 7500 pounds[j] of silver dishes and things. There were 3 3/4
tons of gold. 27 And I gave them 20 gold bowls. The bowls weighed about 19
pounds.[k] And I gave them two beautiful dishes made from polished bronze
that were as valuable as gold. 28 Then I said to the twelve priests: "You
and these things are holy to the Lord. People gave this silver and gold to
the Lord, the God of your ancestors. 29 So guard these things carefully. You
are responsible for them until you give them to the Temple leaders in
Jerusalem. You will give them to the leading Levites and the family leaders
of Israel. They will weigh them and put them in the rooms of the Lord's
Temple in Jerusalem."
30 So the priests and Levites accepted the silver, gold, and special things
that Ezra had weighed and given to them. They were told to take them to
God's Temple in Jerusalem.
31 On the twelfth day of the first month,[l] we left the Ahava River and
started toward Jerusalem. God was with us, and he protected us from enemies
and robbers along the way. 32 Then we arrived in Jerusalem. We rested there
for three days. 33 On the fourth day, we went to the Temple and weighed the
silver, gold, and special things. We gave them to Meremoth son of Uriah the
priest. Eleazar son of Phinehas was with Meremoth. The Levites, Jozabad son
of Jeshua, and Noadiah son of Binnui were with them also. 34 We counted and
weighed everything and we wrote down the total weight.
35 Then the Jewish people who came back from captivity offered burnt
offerings to the God of Israel. They offered twelve bulls for all Israel, 96
rams, 77 male lambs, and twelve male goats for a sin offering. All this was
a burnt offering to the Lord.
36 Then the people gave the letter from King Artaxerxes to the royal satraps
and to the governors of the area west of the Euphrates River. Then the
leaders gave their support to the Israelites and to the Temple.
Marriages to Non-Jewish People
9 After we finished all these things, the leaders of the Israelites came to
me and said, "Ezra, the Israelites have not kept themselves separate from
the other people living around us. And the priests and the Levites have not
kept themselves separate. The Israelites are being influenced by evil things
done by the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites,
Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites. 2 The Israelites have married the people
living around us. The Israelites are supposed to be special, but now they
are mixed with the other people living around them. The leaders and
important officials of the Israelites have set a bad example in this thing."
3 When I heard about this, I tore my robe and my coat to show I was upset. I
pulled hair from my head and beard. I sat down, shocked and upset. 4 Then
everyone who respected God's Law shook with fear. They were afraid because
the Israelites who came back from captivity were not faithful to God. I was
shocked and upset. I sat there until the evening sacrifice, and the people
gathered around me.
5 Then, when it was time for the evening sacrifice, I got up. I had made
myself look shameful while I was sitting there. My robe and coat were torn,
and I fell on my knees with my hands spread out to the Lord my God. 6 Then I
prayed this prayer:
"My God, I am too ashamed and embarrassed to look at you. I am ashamed
because our sins are higher than our heads. Our guilt has reached all the
way up to the heavens. 7 We have been guilty of many sins from the days of
our ancestors until now. We sinned so our kings and priests were punished.
Foreign kings attacked us and took our people away. They took away our
wealth and made us ashamed. It is the same even today.
8 "But now, finally, you have been kind to us. You have let a few of us
escape captivity and come to live in this holy place. Lord, you gave us new
life and relief from our slavery. 9 Yes, we were slaves, but you would not
let us be slaves forever. You were kind to us. You made the kings of Persia
be kind to us. Your Temple was ruined, but you gave us new life so that we
can rebuild your Temple and repair it like new. God, you helped us build a
wall to protect Judah and Jerusalem.
10 "Now, God, what can we say to you? We have stopped obeying you again. 11
You used your servants the prophets to give these commands to us. You said,
'The land you are going to live in and own is a ruined land. It has been
ruined by evil things the people living there have done. They have done very
bad things in every place in this land. They have made this land dirty with
their sins. 12 So Israelites, don't let your children marry their children.
Don't join them. Don't want the things they have. Obey my commands so that
you will be strong and enjoy the good things of the land. And then you can
keep this land and give it to your children.'
13 "What has happened to us is our own fault. We have done evil things, and
we have much guilt. But you, our God, have punished us much less than we
should have been. We have done many terrible sins, and we should have been
punished worse. And you have even let some of our people escape captivity.
14 So we know that we must not break your commands. We must not marry those
people. They do very bad things. God, if we continue to marry these bad
people, we know you will destroy us. Then there would be no one from the
Israelites left alive.
15 "Lord, God of Israel, you are good, and you still have let some of us
live. Yes, we are guilty, and because of our guilt, not one of us should be
allowed to stand in front of you."
The People Confess Their Sin
10 Ezra was praying and confessing. He was crying and bowing down in front
of God's Temple. While Ezra was doing that, a large group of the
Israelites-men, women, and children-gathered around him. They were crying. 2
Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, one of the descendants of Elam, spoke to Ezra
and said, "We have not been faithful to our God. We have married the people
living around us. But, even though we have done this, there is still hope
for Israel. 3 Now let us make an agreement before our God to send away all
these women and their children. We will do that to follow the advice of Ezra
and the people who respect the laws of our God. We will obey God's law. 4
Get up, Ezra. This is your responsibility, but we will support you. So be
brave and do it."
5 So Ezra got up. He made the leading priests, the Levites, and all the
Israelites promise to do what he said. 6 Then Ezra went away from the front
of God's house. He went to the room of Jehohanan son of Eliashib. While Ezra
was there, he didn't eat food or drink water. He did that because he was
still very sad. He was very sad about the Israelites who came back to
Jerusalem. 7 Then he sent a message to every place in Judah and Jerusalem.
The message told all the Jewish people who had come back from captivity to
meet together in Jerusalem. 8 Those who did not come to Jerusalem in three
days like the officials and elders said would lose their property and be
removed from the group.
9 So in three days all the men from the families of Judah and Benjamin
gathered in Jerusalem. And on the twentieth day of the ninth month,[m] all
the people met together in the Temple yard. They were very upset because of
the reason for the meeting and because of the heavy rain. 10 Then Ezra the
priest stood and said to them, "You people have not been faithful to God.
You have married foreign women. You have made Israel more guilty by doing
that. 11 Now you must confess your sins to the Lord, the God of your
ancestors. You must obey his command. Separate yourselves from the people
living around you and from your foreign wives."
12 Then the whole group who met together answered Ezra. They shouted, "Ezra,
you are right! We must do what you say. 13 But there are many people here.
And it is the rainy time of year, so we cannot stay outside. This problem
cannot be solved in a day or two because we have sinned in a very bad way.
14 Let our leaders decide for the whole group meeting here. Then let every
man in our towns who married a foreign woman come here to Jerusalem at a
planned time. Let them come here with the elders and judges of their towns.
Then God will stop being angry with us."
15 Only a few men were against this plan. They were Jonathan son of Asahel
and Jahzeiah son of Tikvah. Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite also were
against the plan.
16 So the Israelites who came back to Jerusalem accepted the plan. Ezra the
priest chose men who were family leaders. He chose one man from each tribe.
Each man was chosen by name. On the first day of the tenth month,[n] the men
who were chosen sat down to study each of the cases. 17 And by the first day
of the first month,[o] they finished discussing all the men who had married
foreign women.
List of Men Who Married Foreign Women
18 These are the names of the descendants of the priests who married foreign
women:
From the descendants of Jeshua son of Jozadak and Jeshua's brothers, these
men: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah. 19 All of them promised to
divorce their wives. And then each one of them offered a ram from the flock
for a guilt offering. They did that because of their guilt.
20 From the descendants of Immer, these men: Hanani and Zebadiah.
21 From the descendants of Harim, these men: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah,
Jehiel, and Uzziah.
22 From the descendants of Pashhur, these men: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael,
Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah.
23 Among the Levites, these are the men who married foreign women:
Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (also called Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and
Eliezer.
24 Among the singers, this is the man who married a foreign woman: Eliashib.
Among the gatekeepers, these are the men who married foreign women: Shallum,
Telem, and Uri.
25 Among the other Israelites, these men married foreign women:
From the descendants of Parosh, these men: Ramiah, Izziah, Malkijah,
Mijamin, Eleazar, Malkijah, and Benaiah.
26 From the descendants of Elam, these men: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel,
Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah.
27 From the descendants of Zattu, these men: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah,
Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza.
28 From the descendants of Bebai, these men: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai,
and Athlai.
29 From the descendants of Bani, these men: Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah,
Jashub, Sheal, and Jeremoth.
30 From the descendants of Pahath Moab, these men: Adna, Kelal, Benaiah,
Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh.
31 From the descendants of Harim, these men: Eliezer, Ishijah, Malkijah,
Shemaiah, Shimeon, 32 Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah.
33 From the descendants of Hashum, these men: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad,
Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei.
34 From the descendants of Bani, these men: Maadai, Amram, Uel, 35 Benaiah,
Bedeiah, Keluhi, 36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, 37 Mattaniah, Mattenai, and
Jaasu.
38 From the descendants of Binnui, these men: Shimei, 39 Shelemiah, Nathan,
Adaiah, 40 Macnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, 41 Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah, 42
Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph.
43 From the descendants of Nebo, these men: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad,
Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, and Benaiah.
44 All these men married foreign women, and some of them had children with
these wives.
Footnotes:
a.Ezra 7:1 After these things There is a time period of 58 years between
Ezra 6 and Ezra 7. The story of Esther takes place at this time.
b.Ezra 7:6 teacher Literally, "scribe." This was a person who made copies of
books. These men studied those books and became teachers.
c.Ezra 7:8 fifth month That is, July-August, 458 B.C.
d.Ezra 7:12 Here, the text changes from Hebrew to Aramaic.
e.Ezra 7:22 3 3/4 tons Literally, "100 talents" (3450 kg).
f.Ezra 7:22 600 bushels Literally, "100 cors" (22,000 l).
g.Ezra 7:22 600 gallons Literally, "100 baths" (2200 l).
h.Ezra 7:27 Here, the text changes from Aramaic back to Hebrew.
i.Ezra 8:26 25 tons Literally, "650 talents" (22,425 kg).
j.Ezra 8:26 7500 pounds Literally, "100 talents" (3450 kg).
k.Ezra 8:27 19 pounds Literally, "1000 darics" (about 8.63 kg).
l.Ezra 8:31 first month That is, March-April, 458 B.C.
m.Ezra 10:9 ninth month That is, November-December.
n.Ezra 10:16 tenth month That is, December-January.
o.Ezra 10:17 first month That is, March-April.
Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)
Copyright C 2006 by Bible League International
