Thursday in Advent

2Verse 2. Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. For the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and He also has become my salvation.” 3Verse 3. With joy you will draw water from the springs of salvation, 4Verse 4. and on that day you will say: “Give praise to the LORD; proclaim His name! Make His works known among the peoples; declare that His name is exalted. 5Verse 5. Sing to the LORD, for He has done glorious things. Let this be known in all the earth. 6Verse 6. Cry out and sing, O citizen of Zion, for great among you is the Holy One of Israel.”

1Verse 1. Woe to those at ease in Zion and those secure on Mount Samaria, the distinguished ones of the foremost nation, to whom the house of Israel comes. 2Verse 2. Cross over to Calneh and see; go from there to the great Hamath; then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are you better than these kingdoms? Is their territory larger than yours? 3Verse 3. You dismiss the day of calamity and bring near a reign of violence. 4Verse 4. You lie on beds inlaid with ivory, and lounge upon your couches. You dine on lambs from the flock and calves from the stall. 5Verse 5. You improvise songs on the harp like David and invent your own musical instruments. 6Verse 6. You drink wine by the bowlful and anoint yourselves with the finest oils, but you fail to grieve over the ruin of Joseph. 7Verse 7. Therefore, you will now go into exile as the first of the captives, and your feasting and lounging will come to an end. 8Verse 8. The Lord GOD has sworn by Himself— the LORD, the God of Hosts, has declared: “I abhor Jacob’s pride and detest his citadels, so I will deliver up the city and everything in it.”

1Verse 1. Now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the churches of Macedonia. 2Verse 2. In the terrible ordeal they suffered, their abundant joy and deep poverty overflowed into rich generosity. 3Verse 3. For I testify that they gave according to their ability and even beyond it. Of their own accord, 4Verse 4. they earnestly pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. 5Verse 5. And not only did they do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us, through the will of God. 6Verse 6. So we urged Titus to help complete your act of grace, just as he had started it. 7Verse 7. But just as you excel in everything — in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness, and in the love we inspired in you — see that you also excel in this grace of giving. 8Verse 8. I am not giving a command, but I am testing the sincerity of your love through the earnestness of others. 9Verse 9. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich. 10Verse 10. And this is my opinion about what is helpful for you in this matter: Last year you were the first not only to give, but even to have such a desire. 11Verse 11. Now finish the work, so that you may complete it with the same eager desire, according to your means. 12Verse 12. For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have. 13Verse 13. It is not our intention that others may be relieved while you are burdened, but that there may be equality. 14Verse 14. At the present time, your surplus will meet their need, so that in turn their surplus will meet your need. This way there will be equality. 15Verse 15. As it is written: “He who gathered much had no excess, and he who gathered little had no shortfall.”