2 Chronicles 1, 1 John 1, Micah 7, Luke 16

2 Chronicles 1,

1 Solomon son of David established himself firmly over his kingdom, for the LORD his God was with him and made him exceedingly great.
 
2 Then Solomon spoke to all Israel-to the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, to the judges and to all the leaders in Israel, the heads of families-
 
3 and Solomon and the whole assembly went to the high place at Gibeon, for God's Tent of Meeting was there, which Moses the LORD's servant had made in the desert.
 
4 Now David had brought up the ark of God from Kiriath Jearim to the place he had prepared for it, because he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem.
 
5 But the bronze altar that Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made was in Gibeon in front of the tabernacle of the LORD; so Solomon and the assembly inquired of him there.
 
6 Solomon went up to the bronze altar before the LORD in the Tent of Meeting and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it.
 
7 That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you."
 
8 Solomon answered God, "You have shown great kindness to David my father and have made me king in his place.
 
9 Now, LORD God, let your promise to my father David be confirmed, for you have made me king over a people who are as numerous as the dust of the earth.
 
10 Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?"
 
11 God said to Solomon, "Since this is your heart's desire and you have not asked for wealth, riches or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king,
 
12 therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you. And I will also give you wealth, riches and honor, such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have."
 
13 Then Solomon went to Jerusalem from the high place at Gibeon, from before the Tent of Meeting. And he reigned over Israel.
 
14 Solomon accumulated chariots and horses; he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses, which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem.
 
15 The king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills.
 
16 Solomon's horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue-the royal merchants purchased them from Kue.
 
17 They imported a chariot from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty. They also exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and of the Arameans.

1 John 1,

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched-this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.
 
2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.
 
3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
 
4 We write this to make our joy complete.
 
5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.
 
6 If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.
 
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
 
8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
 
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
 
10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.

Micah 7,

1 What misery is mine! I am like one who gathers summer fruit at the gleaning of the vineyard; there is no cluster of grapes to eat, none of the early figs that I crave.
 
2 The godly have been swept from the land; not one upright man remains. All men lie in wait to shed blood; each hunts his brother with a net.
 
3 Both hands are skilled in doing evil; the ruler demands gifts, the judge accepts bribes, the powerful dictate what they desire-they all conspire together.
 
4 The best of them is like a brier, the most upright worse than a thorn hedge. The day of your watchmen has come, the day God visits you. Now is the time of their confusion.
 
5 Do not trust a neighbor; put no confidence in a friend. Even with her who lies in your embrace be careful of your words.
 
6 For a son dishonors his father, a daughter rises up against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law-a man's enemies are the members of his own household.
 
7 But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
 
8 Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light.
 
9 Because I have sinned against him, I will bear the LORD's wrath, until he pleads my case and establishes my right. He will bring me out into the light; I will see his righteousness.
 
10 Then my enemy will see it and will be covered with shame, she who said to me, "Where is the LORD your God?" My eyes will see her downfall; even now she will be trampled underfoot like mire in the streets.
 
11 The day for building your walls will come, the day for extending your boundaries.
 
12 In that day people will come to you from Assyria and the cities of Egypt, even from Egypt to the Euphrates and from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain.
 
13 The earth will become desolate because of its inhabitants, as the result of their deeds.
 
14 Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your inheritance, which lives by itself in a forest, in fertile pasturelands. Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead as in days long ago.
 
15 "As in the days when you came out of Egypt, I will show them my wonders."
 
16 Nations will see and be ashamed, deprived of all their power. They will lay their hands on their mouths and their ears will become deaf.
 
17 They will lick dust like a snake, like creatures that crawl on the ground. They will come trembling out of their dens; they will turn in fear to the LORD our God and will be afraid of you.
 
18 Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.
 
19 You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.
 
20 You will be true to Jacob, and show mercy to Abraham, as you pledged on oath to our fathers in days long ago.

Luke 16

1 Jesus told his disciples: "There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions.
 
2 So he called him in and asked him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.'
 
3 "The manager said to himself, 'What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I'm not strong enough to dig, and I'm ashamed to beg-
 
4 I know what I'll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.'
 
5 "So he called in each one of his master's debtors. He asked the first, 'How much do you owe my master?'
 
6 " 'Eight hundred gallons of olive oil,' he replied. "The manager told him, 'Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred.'
 
7 "Then he asked the second, 'And how much do you owe?' " 'A thousand bushels of wheat,' he replied. "He told him, 'Take your bill and make it eight hundred.'
 
8 "The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.
 
9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
 
10 "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.
 
11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?
 
12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own?
 
13 "No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."
 
14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus.
 
15 He said to them, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight.
 
16 "The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.
 
17 It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.
 
18 "Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
 
19 "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day.
 
20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores
 
21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
 
22 "The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried.
 
23 In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.
 
24 So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'
 
25 "But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.
 
26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.'
 
27 "He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house,
 
28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'
 
29 "Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.'
 
30 " 'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'
 
31 "He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.' "