Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're
taking this journey together to read the Bible
in a year. Today's reading is from the book of
Jeremiah chapter 24 and the book of Daniel chapter
1. The book of Jeremiah chapter 24. The Lord
showed me, and there were two baskets of figs
set before the temple of the Lord. After Nebuchadnezzar,
king of Babylon, had carried away captive Jeconiah,
the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and the
princes of Judah, with the craftsmen and smiths
from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon.
One basket had very good figs, like the figs
that are first ripe. Another basket had very
bad figs, which could not be eaten, they were
so bad. Then the Lord said to me, What do you
see, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs, the good figs,
very good. And the bad, very bad, which cannot
be eaten, they are so bad. Again the word of
the Lord came to me, saying, Thus says the Lord,
the God of Israel, Like these good figs, so will
I acknowledge those who are carried away captive
from Judah, whom I have sent out of this place
for their own good into the land of the Chaldeans.
For I will set my eyes on them for good, and
I will bring them back to this land. I will build
them and not pull them down, and I will plant
them and not pluck them up. Then I will give
them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord,
and they shall be my people, and I will be their
God, for they shall return to me with their whole
heart. And as the bad figs which cannot be eaten,
they are so bad. Surely thus says the Lord, so
will I give up Zedekiah the king of Judah, his
princes, the residue of Jerusalem, who remain
in this land, and those who dwell in the land
of Egypt. I will deliver them to trouble into
all the kingdoms of the earth, for their harm.
to be a reproach, and a byword, a taunt, and
a curse, in all places where I shall drive them.
And I will send the sword, the famine, and the
pestilence among them, till they are consumed
from the land that I gave to them and their fathers.
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king
of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came
to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord gave
Jehoiakim king of Judah, into his hand with some
of the articles of the house of god which he
carried into the land of shinar to the house
of his god and he brought the articles into the
treasure house of his god then the king instructed
ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs to bring some
of the children of israel and some of the king's
descendants and some of the nobles young men
in whom there was no blemish but good looking
gifted in all wisdom possessing knowledge and
quick to understand who had ability to serve
in the king's palace, and whom they might teach
the language and literature of the Chaldeans.
And the king appointed for them a daily provision
of the king's delicacies and of the wine which
he drank, and three years of training for them,
so that at the end of that time they might serve
before the king. Now from among those of the
sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael,
and Azariah. To them the chief of the eunuchs
gave names. He gave Daniel the name Belshazzar,
to Hananiah Shadrach, to Mishael Meshach, and
to Azariah Abednego. But Daniel purposed in his
heart that he would not defile himself with the
portion of the king's delicacies, nor with the
wine which he drank. Therefore he requested of
the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile
himself. Now God had brought Daniel into the
favor and goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs.
And the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel,
I fear my lord the king, who has appointed your
food and drink. For why should he see your faces
looking worse than the young men who are your
age? Then you would endanger my head before the
king. so daniel said to the steward whom the
chief of the eunuchs had set over daniel hananiah
mishael and azariah please test your servants
for ten days and let them give us vegetables
to eat and water to drink then let our appearance
be examined before you and the appearance of
the young men who eat the portion of the king's
delicacies and as you see fit so deal with your
servants so he consented with them in this matter
and tested them ten days and at the end of ten
days their features appeared better and fatter
in flesh than all the young men who ate the portion
of the king's delicacies thus the steward took
away their portion of delicacies and the wine
that they were to drink and gave them vegetables
as for these four young men god gave them knowledge
and skill in all literature and wisdom and daniel
had understanding in all visions and dreams Now
at the end of the days, when the king had said
that they should be brought in, the chief of
the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar.
Then the king interviewed them, and among them
all, none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael,
and Azariah. Therefore they served before the
king, and in all matters of wisdom and understanding
about which the king examined them, he found
them ten times better than all the magicians
and astrologers who were in all his realm. Thus
Daniel continued until the first year of King
Cyrus. I hope you enjoyed today's reading as
much as I did, and I look forward to seeing you
again tomorrow to continue on our journey. God
bless you and have a great day.