1 Kings 6, Ephesians 3, Ezekiel 36, Psalm 86

1 Kings 6,

1 In the four hundred and eightieth year after the Israelites had come out of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, the second month, he began to build the temple of the LORD.
 
2 The temple that King Solomon built for the LORD was sixty cubits long, twenty wide and thirty high.
 
3 The portico at the front of the main hall of the temple extended the width of the temple, that is twenty cubits, and projected ten cubits from the front of the temple.
 
4 He made narrow clerestory windows in the temple.
 
5 Against the walls of the main hall and inner sanctuary he built a structure around the building, in which there were side rooms.
 
6 The lowest floor was five cubits wide, the middle floor six cubits and the third floor seven. He made offset ledges around the outside of the temple so that nothing would be inserted into the temple walls.
 
7 In building the temple, only blocks dressed at the quarry were used, and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool was heard at the temple site while it was being built.
 
8 The entrance to the lowest floor was on the south side of the temple; a stairway led up to the middle level and from there to the third.
 
9 So he built the temple and completed it, roofing it with beams and cedar planks.
 
10 And he built the side rooms all along the temple. The height of each was five cubits, and they were attached to the temple by beams of cedar.
 
11 The word of the LORD came to Solomon:
 
12 "As for this temple you are building, if you follow my decrees, carry out my regulations and keep all my commands and obey them, I will fulfill through you the promise I gave to David your father.
 
13 And I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon my people Israel."
 
14 So Solomon built the temple and completed it.
 
15 He lined its interior walls with cedar boards, paneling them from the floor of the temple to the ceiling, and covered the floor of the temple with planks of pine.
 
16 He partitioned off twenty cubits at the rear of the temple with cedar boards from floor to ceiling to form within the temple an inner sanctuary, the Most Holy Place.
 
17 The main hall in front of this room was forty cubits long.
 
18 The inside of the temple was cedar, carved with gourds and open flowers. Everything was cedar; no stone was to be seen.
 
19 He prepared the inner sanctuary within the temple to set the ark of the covenant of the LORD there.
 
20 The inner sanctuary was twenty cubits long, twenty wide and twenty high. He overlaid the inside with pure gold, and he also overlaid the altar of cedar.
 
21 Solomon covered the inside of the temple with pure gold, and he extended gold chains across the front of the inner sanctuary, which was overlaid with gold.
 
22 So he overlaid the whole interior with gold. He also overlaid with gold the altar that belonged to the inner sanctuary.
 
23 In the inner sanctuary he made a pair of cherubim of olive wood, each ten cubits high.
 
24 One wing of the first cherub was five cubits long, and the other wing five cubits-ten cubits from wing tip to wing tip.
 
25 The second cherub also measured ten cubits, for the two cherubim were identical in size and shape.
 
26 The height of each cherub was ten cubits.
 
27 He placed the cherubim inside the innermost room of the temple, with their wings spread out. The wing of one cherub touched one wall, while the wing of the other touched the other wall, and their wings touched each other in the middle of the room.
 
28 He overlaid the cherubim with gold.
 
29 On the walls all around the temple, in both the inner and outer rooms, he carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers.
 
30 He also covered the floors of both the inner and outer rooms of the temple with gold.
 
31 For the entrance of the inner sanctuary he made doors of olive wood with five-sided jambs.
 
32 And on the two olive wood doors he carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid the cherubim and palm trees with beaten gold.
 
33 In the same way he made four-sided jambs of olive wood for the entrance to the main hall.
 
34 He also made two pine doors, each having two leaves that turned in sockets.
 
35 He carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers on them and overlaid them with gold hammered evenly over the carvings.
 
36 And he built the inner courtyard of three courses of dressed stone and one course of trimmed cedar beams.
 
37 The foundation of the temple of the LORD was laid in the fourth year, in the month of Ziv.
 
38 In the eleventh year in the month of Bul, the eighth month, the temple was finished in all its details according to its specifications. He had spent seven years building it.
 

Ephesians 3,

1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles-
 
2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God's grace that was given to me for you,
 
3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly.
 
4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ,
 
5 which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets.
 
6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
 
7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of his power.
 
8 Although I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,
 
9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.
 
10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms,
 
11 according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.
 
12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.
 
13 I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.
 
14 For this reason I kneel before the Father,
 
15 from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.
 
16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
 
17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,
 
18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,
 
19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
 
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,
 
21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
 

Ezekiel 36,

1 "Son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say, 'O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD.
 
2 This is what the Sovereign LORD says: The enemy said of you, "Aha! The ancient heights have become our possession." '
 
3 Therefore prophesy and say, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Because they ravaged and hounded you from every side so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations and the object of people's malicious talk and slander,
 
4 therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Sovereign LORD : This is what the Sovereign LORD says to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys, to the desolate ruins and the deserted towns that have been plundered and ridiculed by the rest of the nations around you-
 
5 this is what the Sovereign LORD says: In my burning zeal I have spoken against the rest of the nations, and against all Edom, for with glee and with malice in their hearts they made my land their own possession so that they might plunder its pastureland.'
 
6 Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel and say to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I speak in my jealous wrath because you have suffered the scorn of the nations.
 
7 Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I swear with uplifted hand that the nations around you will also suffer scorn
 
8 " 'But you, O mountains of Israel, will produce branches and fruit for my people Israel, for they will soon come home.
 
9 I am concerned for you and will look on you with favor; you will be plowed and sown,
 
10 and I will multiply the number of people upon you, even the whole house of Israel. The towns will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt.
 
11 I will increase the number of men and animals upon you, and they will be fruitful and become numerous. I will settle people on you as in the past and will make you prosper more than before. Then you will know that I am the LORD.
 
12 I will cause people, my people Israel, to walk upon you. They will possess you, and you will be their inheritance; you will never again deprive them of their children.
 
13 " 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Because people say to you, "You devour men and deprive your nation of its children,"
 
14 therefore you will no longer devour men or make your nation childless, declares the Sovereign LORD.
 
15 No longer will I make you hear the taunts of the nations, and no longer will you suffer the scorn of the peoples or cause your nation to fall, declares the Sovereign LORD.' "
 
16 Again the word of the LORD came to me:
 
17 "Son of man, when the people of Israel were living in their own land, they defiled it by their conduct and their actions. Their conduct was like a woman's monthly uncleanness in my sight.
 
18 So I poured out my wrath on them because they had shed blood in the land and because they had defiled it with their idols.
 
19 I dispersed them among the nations, and they were scattered through the countries; I judged them according to their conduct and their actions.
 
20 And wherever they went among the nations they profaned my holy name, for it was said of them, 'These are the LORD's people, and yet they had to leave his land.'
 
21 I had concern for my holy name, which the house of Israel profaned among the nations where they had gone.
 
22 "Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone.
 
23 I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Sovereign LORD, when I show myself holy through you before their eyes.
 
24 " 'For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land.
 
25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols.
 
26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
 
27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
 
28 You will live in the land I gave your forefathers; you will be my people, and I will be your God.
 
29 I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will call for the grain and make it plentiful and will not bring famine upon you.
 
30 I will increase the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field, so that you will no longer suffer disgrace among the nations because of famine.
 
31 Then you will remember your evil ways and wicked deeds, and you will loathe yourselves for your sins and detestable practices.
 
32 I want you to know that I am not doing this for your sake, declares the Sovereign LORD. Be ashamed and disgraced for your conduct, O house of Israel!
 
33 " 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: On the day I cleanse you from all your sins, I will resettle your towns, and the ruins will be rebuilt.
 
34 The desolate land will be cultivated instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass through it.
 
35 They will say, "This land that was laid waste has become like the garden of Eden; the cities that were lying in ruins, desolate and destroyed, are now fortified and inhabited."
 
36 Then the nations around you that remain will know that I the LORD have rebuilt what was destroyed and have replanted what was desolate. I the LORD have spoken, and I will do it.'
 
37 "This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Once again I will yield to the plea of the house of Israel and do this for them: I will make their people as numerous as sheep,
 
38 as numerous as the flocks for offerings at Jerusalem during her appointed feasts. So will the ruined cities be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the LORD."
 

Psalm 86

1 Hear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.
 
2 Guard my life, for I am devoted to you. You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you.
 
3 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long.
 
4 Bring joy to your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
 
5 You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you.
 
6 Hear my prayer, O LORD; listen to my cry for mercy.
 
7 In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me.
 
8 Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord; no deeds can compare with yours.
 
9 All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, O Lord; they will bring glory to your name.
 
10 For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God.
 
11 Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.
 
12 I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.
 
13 For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths of the grave.
 
14 The arrogant are attacking me, O God; a band of ruthless men seeks my life-men without regard for you.
 
15 But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
 
16 Turn to me and have mercy on me; grant your strength to your servant and save the son of your maidservant.
 
17 Give me a sign of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for you, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me.