Today's Reading

¹When the seventh month had come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem.

²Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak stood up with his brothers the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and his brothers, and built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings thereon, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God.

³In spite of their fear because of the peoples of the surrounding lands, they set the altar on its base; and they offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord, even burnt offerings morning and evening.

⁴They kept the feast of tents, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number, according to the ordinance, as the duty of every day required;

⁵and afterward the continual burnt offering, the offerings of the new moons, of all the set feasts of the Lord that were consecrated, and of everyone who willingly offered a freewill offering to the Lord.

⁶From the first day of the seventh month, they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord; but the foundation of the Lord's temple was not yet laid.

⁷They also gave money to the masons, and to the carpenters. They also gave food, drink, and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre, to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea, to Joppa, according to the grant that they had from Cyrus King of Persia.

⁸Now in the second year of their coming to God's house at Jerusalem, in the second month, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the rest of their brothers the priests and the Levites, and all those who had come out of the captivity to Jerusalem, began the work and appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to have the oversight of the work of the Lord's house.

⁹Then Jeshua stood with his sons and his brothers, Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together, to have the oversight of the workmen in God's house: the sons of Henadad, with their sons and their brothers the Levites.

¹⁰When the builders laid the foundation of the Lord's temple, they set the priests in their clothing with trumpets, with the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the Lord, according to the directions of David king of Israel.

¹¹They sang to one another in praising and giving thanks to the Lord, "For he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever toward Israel." All the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord had been laid.

¹²But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers' households, the old men who had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice. Many also shouted aloud for joy,

¹³so that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people; for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard far away.

¹Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity were building a temple to the Lord, the God of Israel;

²then they drew near to Zerubbabel, and to the heads of fathers' households, and said to them, "Let us build with you; for we seek your God, as you do; and we sacrifice to him since the days of Esar Haddon king of Assyria, who brought us up here."

³But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers' households of Israel, said to them, "You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God; but we ourselves together will build to the Lord, the God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us."

⁴Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building,

⁵and hired counselors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

⁶In the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.

⁷In the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his companions, to Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in Syrian, and set forth in the Syrian language.

⁸Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this sort:

⁹then Rehum the chancellor, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions, the Dinaites, and the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the Apharsites, the Archevites, the Babylonians, the Shushanchites, the Dehaites, the Elamites,

¹⁰and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnappar brought over, and set in the city of Samaria, and in the rest of the country beyond the River, and so forth, wrote.

¹¹This is the copy of the letter that they sent to Artaxerxes the king: Your servants the men beyond the River, and so forth.

¹²Be it known to the king, that the Jews who came up from you have come to us to Jerusalem; they are building the rebellious and the bad city, and have finished the walls, and repaired the foundations.

¹³Be it known now to the king that if this city is built, and the walls finished, they will not pay tribute, custom, or toll, and in the end it will be hurtful to the kings.

¹⁴Now because we eat the salt of the palace, and it is not appropriate for us to see the king's dishonor, therefore have we sent and informed the king;

¹⁵that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers: so you shall find in the book of the records, and know that this city is a rebellious city, and hurtful to kings and provinces, and that they have moved sedition within the same of old time; for which cause was this city laid waste.

¹⁶We inform the king that, if this city be built, and the walls finished, by this means you shall have no portion beyond the River.

¹⁷Then the king sent an answer to Rehum the chancellor, and to Shimshai the scribe, and to the rest of their companions who dwell in Samaria, and in the rest of the country beyond the River: Peace, and so forth.

¹⁸The letter which you sent to us has been plainly read before me.

¹⁹I decreed, and search has been made, and it is found that this city of old time has made insurrection against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made therein.

²⁰There have been mighty kings also over Jerusalem, who have ruled over all the country beyond the River; and tribute, custom, and toll, was paid to them.

²¹Make a decree now to cause these men to cease, and that this city not be built, until a decree shall be made by me.

²²Take heed that you not be slack herein: why should damage grow to the hurt of the kings?

²³Then when the copy of king Artaxerxes' letter was read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went in haste to Jerusalem to the Jews, and made them to cease by force and power.

²⁴Then ceased the work of God's house which is at Jerusalem; and it ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

¹Now the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem; in the name of the God of Israel they prophesied to them.

²Then rose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and began to build God's house which is at Jerusalem; and with them were the prophets of God, helping them.

³At the same time came to them Tattenai, the governor beyond the River, and Shetharbozenai, and their companions, and said thus to them, "Who gave you a decree to build this house, and to finish this wall?"

⁴Then we told them in this way, what the names of the men were who were making this building.

⁵But the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, and they did not make them cease, until the matter should come to Darius, and then answer should be returned by letter concerning it.

⁶The copy of the letter that Tattenai, the governor beyond the River, and Shetharbozenai, and his companions the Apharsachites, who were beyond the River, sent to Darius the king;

⁷they sent a letter to him, in which was written thus: To Darius the king, all peace.

⁸Be it known to the king, that we went into the province of Judah, to the house of the great God, which is built with great stones, and timber is laid in the walls; and this work goes on with diligence and prospers in their hands.

⁹Then we asked those elders, and said to them thus, "Who gave you a decree to build this house, and to finish this wall?"

¹⁰We asked them their names also, to inform you that we might write the names of the men who were at their head.

¹¹Thus they returned us answer, saying, "We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and are building the house that was built these many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and finished.

¹²But after that our fathers had provoked the God of heaven to wrath, he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this house, and carried the people away into Babylon.

¹³But in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, Cyrus the king made a decree to build this house of God.

¹⁴The gold and silver vessels also of God's house, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple that was in Jerusalem, and brought into the temple of Babylon, those Cyrus the king took out of the temple of Babylon, and they were delivered to one whose name was Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor;

¹⁵and he said to him, 'Take these vessels, go, put them in the temple that is in Jerusalem, and let God's house be built in its place.'

¹⁶Then the same Sheshbazzar came, and laid the foundations of God's house which is in Jerusalem: and since that time even until now has it been in building, and yet it is not completed.

¹⁷Now therefore, if it seem good to the king, let a search be made in the king's treasure house, which is there at Babylon, whether it be so, that a decree was made of Cyrus the king to build this house of God at Jerusalem; and let the king send his pleasure to us concerning this matter."

¹Brothers, I could not speak to you as to spiritual, but as to fleshly, as to babies in Christ.

²I fed you with milk, not with meat; for you weren't yet ready. Indeed, not even now are you ready,

³for you are still fleshly. For insofar as there is jealousy, strife, and factions among you, are not you fleshly, and do you not walk in the ways of men?

⁴For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are not you men?

⁵Who then is Apollos, and who is Paul, but servants through whom you believed; and each as the Lord gave to him?

⁶I planted. Apollos watered. But God gave the increase.

⁷So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.

⁸Now he who plants and he who waters are the same, but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.

⁹For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's farming, God's building.

¹⁰According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another builds on it. But let each man be careful how he builds on it.

¹¹For no one can lay any other foundation than that which has been laid, which is Jesus Christ.

¹²But if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or stubble;

¹³each man's work will be revealed. For the Day will declare it, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire itself will test what sort of work each man's work is.

¹⁴If any man's work remains which he built on it, he will receive a reward.

¹⁵If any man's work is burned, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, but as through fire.

¹⁶Do you not know that you are a temple of God, and that God's Spirit lives in you?

¹⁷If anyone destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him; for God's temple is holy, which you are.

¹⁸Let no one deceive himself. If anyone thinks that he is wise among you in this world, let him become a fool, that he may become wise.

¹⁹For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, "He has taken the wise in their craftiness."

²⁰And again, "The Lord knows the reasoning of the wise, that it is worthless."

²¹Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours,

²²whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come. All are yours,

²³and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's.

¹Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his loving kindness endures forever.

²Give thanks to the God of gods; for his loving kindness endures forever.

³Give thanks to the Lord of lords; for his loving kindness endures forever:

⁴To him who alone does great wonders; for his loving kindness endures forever:

⁵To him who by understanding made the heavens; for his loving kindness endures forever:

⁶To him who spread out the earth above the waters; for his loving kindness endures forever:

⁷To him who made the great lights; for his loving kindness endures forever:

⁸The sun to rule by day; for his loving kindness endures forever;

⁹The moon and stars to rule by night; for his loving kindness endures forever:

¹⁰To him who struck down the Egyptian firstborn; for his loving kindness endures forever;

¹¹And brought out Israel from among them; for his loving kindness endures forever;

¹²With a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm; for his loving kindness endures forever:

¹³To him who divided the Red Sea apart; for his loving kindness endures forever;

¹⁴And made Israel to pass through its midst; for his loving kindness endures forever;

¹⁵But overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea; for his loving kindness endures forever:

¹⁶To him who led his people through the wilderness; for his loving kindness endures forever:

¹⁷To him who struck great kings; for his loving kindness endures forever;

¹⁸And killed mighty kings; for his loving kindness endures forever:

¹⁹Sihon king of the Amorites; for his loving kindness endures forever;

²⁰Og king of Bashan; for his loving kindness endures forever;

²¹And gave their land as an inheritance; for his loving kindness endures forever;

²²Even a heritage to Israel his servant; for his loving kindness endures forever:

²³Who remembered us in our low estate; for his loving kindness endures forever;

²⁴And has delivered us from our adversaries; for his loving kindness endures forever:

²⁵Who gives food to every creature; for his loving kindness endures forever.

²⁶Oh give thanks to the God of heaven; for his loving kindness endures forever.

¹Whoever loves correction loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.

²A good man shall obtain favor from the Lord, but he will condemn a man of wicked devices.

³A man shall not be established by wickedness, but the root of the righteous shall not be moved.

⁴A worthy woman is the crown of her husband, but a disgraceful wife is as rottenness in his bones.

⁵The thoughts of the righteous are just, but the advice of the wicked is deceitful.

⁶The words of the wicked are about lying in wait for blood, but the speech of the upright rescues them.

⁷The wicked are overthrown, and are no more, but the house of the righteous shall stand.

⁸A man shall be commended according to his wisdom, but he who has a warped mind shall be despised.

⁹Better is he who is lightly esteemed, and has a servant, than he who honors himself, and lacks bread.

¹⁰A righteous man regards the life of his animal, but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.

¹¹He who tills his land shall have plenty of bread, but he who chases fantasies is void of understanding.

¹²The wicked desires the plunder of evil men, but the root of the righteous flourishes.

¹³An evil man is trapped by sinfulness of lips, but the righteous shall come out of trouble.

¹⁴A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth. The work of a man's hands shall be rewarded to him.

¹⁵The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who is wise listens to counsel.

¹⁶A fool shows his annoyance the same day, but one who overlooks an insult is prudent.

¹⁷He who is truthful testifies honestly, but a false witness lies.

¹⁸There is one who speaks rashly like the piercing of a sword, but the tongue of the wise heals.

¹⁹Truth's lips will be established forever, but a lying tongue is only momentary.

²⁰Deceit is in the heart of those who plot evil, but joy comes to the promoters of peace.

²¹No mischief shall happen to the righteous, but the wicked shall be filled with evil.

²²Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who do the truth are his delight.

²³A prudent man keeps his knowledge, but the hearts of fools proclaim foolishness.

²⁴The hands of the diligent ones shall rule, but laziness ends in slave labor.

²⁵Anxiety in a man's heart weighs it down, but a kind word makes it glad.

²⁶A righteous person is cautious in friendship, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.

²⁷The slothful man doesn't roast his game, but the possessions of diligent men are prized.

²⁸In the way of righteousness is life; in its path there is no death.