July 8
Jeremiah 41 & Ephesians 4
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Jeremiah 41

Chapter 41

41:1In the seventh month, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, son of Elishama, of the royal family and one of the king's chief officers, came with 10 men to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah. They ate a meal together there in Mizpah, 2but then Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the 10 men who were with him got up and struck down Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, with the sword; he killed the one the king of Babylon had appointed in the land. 3Ishmael also struck down all the Judeans who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah, as well as the Chaldean soldiers who were there.
4On the second day after he had killed Gedaliah, when no one knew yet, 580 men came from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria who had shaved their beards, torn their garments, and gashed themselves, and who were carrying grain and incense offerings to bring to the temple of the Lord. 6Ishmael son of Nethaniah came out of Mizpah to meet them, weeping as he came. When he encountered them, he said: "Come to Gedaliah son of Ahikam!" 7But when they came into the city, Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the men with him slaughtered them and threw them into a cistern.
8However, there were 10 men among them who said to Ishmael, "Don't kill us, for we have hidden treasure in the field-wheat, barley, oil, and honey!" So he stopped and did not kill them along with their companions. 9Now the cistern where Ishmael had thrown all the corpses of the men he had struck down was a large one that King Asa had made in the encounter with Baasha king of Israel. Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled it with the slain.
10Then Ishmael took captive all the remnant of the people of Mizpah including the daughters of the king-all those who remained in Mizpah over whom Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam. Ishmael son of Nethaniah took them captive and set off to cross over to the Ammonites.
11When Johanan son of Kareah and all the commanders of the armies with him heard of all the evil that Ishmael son of Nethaniah had done, 12they took all their men and went to fight with Ishmael son of Nethaniah and found him by the great pool in Gibeon. 13When all the people with Ishmael saw Johanan son of Kareah and all the commanders of the army with him, they rejoiced, 14and all the people whom Ishmael had taken captive from Mizpah turned around and rejoined Johanan son of Kareah. 15But Ishmael son of Nethaniah escaped from Johanan with eight men and went to the Ammonites. 16Johanan son of Kareah and all the commanders of the armies with him then took from Mizpah all the remnant of the people whom he had recovered from Ishmael son of Nethaniah after Ishmael had killed Gedaliah son of Ahikam-men, soldiers, women, children, and court officials whom he brought back from Gibeon. 17They left, stopping in Geruth Chimham, which is near Bethlehem, in order to make their way into Egypt, 18away from the Chaldeans. For they feared them because Ishmael son of Nethaniah had struck down Gedaliah son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had appointed in the land.

Ephesians 4

Chapter 4

4:1Therefore I, the prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received, 2with all humility and gentleness, with patience, accepting one another in love, 3diligently keeping the unity of the Spirit with the peace that binds us. 4There is one body and one Spirit-just as you were called to one hope at your calling- 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.
7Now grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of the Messiah's gift. 8For it says:
When He ascended on high,
He took prisoners into captivity;
He gave gifts to people.
9But what does "He ascended" mean except that He descended to the lower parts of the earth? 10The One who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things. 11And He personally gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12for the training of the saints in the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, 13until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God's Son, growing into a mature man with a stature measured by Christ's fullness. 14Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit. 15But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into Him who is the head-Christ. 16From Him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building up itself in love by the proper working of each individual part.
17Therefore, I say this and testify in the Lord: You should no longer walk as the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their thoughts. 18They are darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them and because of the hardness of their hearts. 19They became callous and gave themselves over to promiscuity for the practice of every kind of impurity with a desire for more and more.
20But that is not how you learned about the Messiah, 21assuming you heard about Him and were taught by Him, because the truth is in Jesus. 22You took off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires; 23you are being renewed in the spirit of your minds; 24you put on the new self, the one created according to God's likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth.
25Since you put away lying, Speak the truth, each one to his neighbor, because we are members of one another. 26Be angry and do not sin. Don't let the sun go down on your anger, 27and don't give the Devil an opportunity. 28The thief must no longer steal. Instead, he must do honest work with his own hands, so that he has something to share with anyone in need. 29No foul language is to come from your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in need, so that it gives grace to those who hear. 30And don't grieve God's Holy Spirit. You were sealed by Him for the day of redemption. 31All bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander must be removed from you, along with all malice. 32And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.

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