My Bible Reading Log: Ezra

Showing posts with label Ezra. Show all posts

29 March 2026

Wept, mourned, fasted, and prayed

7th Cycle.

14th Cycle.

Sun 29Mar2026

Sat 28Feb2026: Ezra 1:1 - 10:44 (284 verses) WEB; Mark 3:1 - 4:41 (76 verses) KJV
Sun 01Mar2026: Nehemiah 1:1 - 9:38 (253 verses) NIV; Mark 5:1 - 6:56 (99 verses) NIV
Mon 02Mar2026: Nehemiah 10:1 - 13:31 (153 verses) WEB; Mark 7:1 - 8:38 (75 verses) KJV
Wed 04Mar2026: Mark 9:1 - 10:52 (102 verses) KJV
Sun 29Mar2026: Esther 1:1 - 10:3 (167 verses) NIV; Mark 11:1 - 16:20 (253 verses) NIV

WEB — World English Bible
KJV — King James Version
NIV — New International Version

Overall Progress
OT = 12,731 / 23,145 verses (55.0 %)
NT = 1,749 / 7,957 verses (22.0 %)

The recent month has seen me reading through the Old Testament books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther. In the New Testament, I finished reading the Gospel according to Mark.

Passage for Today

2 That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.
3 And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.
4 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,

Nehemiah 1:2 — 4

King James Version

My thoughts for today can be found in the links below —

23 September 2024

The Alpha and Omega, The Beginning and End

OT 6th Cycle. NT 11th Cycle. Mon 23Sep24

Wed 18Sep24: 2 Chronicles 1:1 – 20:37 (430 verses) WEB
Thu 19Sep24: 2 Chronicles 21: 1 – 36:23 (392 verses) WEB; Ezra 1:1 – 2:70 (82 verses) WEB
Fri 20Sep24: Ezra 3:1 – 10:44 (199 verses) WEB; Nehemiah 1:1 – 7:73 (197 verses) WEB; Revelation 1:1 – 12:17 (211 verses) WEB
Sat 21Sep24: Nehemiah 8:1 – 13:31 (209 verses) WEB; Esther 1:1 – 10:3 (167 verses) WEB; Revelation 13:1 – 22:21 (193 verses) WEB
Sun 22Sep24: Job 1:1 – 42:17 (1,070 verses) WEB
Mon 23Sep24: Psalm 1:1 – 41:13 (616 verses) WEB

WEB — World English Bible

Overall Progress
OT = 14,350 / 23,145 verses (62.00 %)
NT = 7,957 / 7,957 verses (100.00 %)

During a quiet retreat away from home over the past four days, I have managed to complete some long readings covering 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job, and the Book of Revelation, the final book in the New Testament. Today, I went on to read Book I of Psalms (Psalm 1 to 41).

My overall reading progress has reached 62 percent of the Old Testament, with slightly more than three months left before the year ends for me to cover the remaining 38 percent of this Sixth Round of the OT. Meanwhile, I have finished reading my Eleventh Round of the NT.

Passage for Today

Revelation 21:5 – 6 World English Bible

5 He who sits on the throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new.' He said, 'Write, for these words are faithful and true.'
6 He said to me, 'It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give freely to him who is thirsty from the spring of the water of life.

My thoughts for today come from my readings of the Book of Revelation. They can be found in the links below —

27 May 2023

According to the hand of my God

OT 5th Cycle. NT 10th Cycle.

Sat 27May23
Ezra 1:1 – 10:44 (280 verses) NIV
Nehemiah 1:1 – 3:32 (63 verses) NKJV

NIV — New International Version
NKJV — New King James Version

This morning, while waiting to for my wife to board a flight to Singapore at the Ipoh Airport, I read through the entire book of Ezra. After returning home later in the day, I continued to read the first three chapters of the book of Nehemiah.

Passages of the Day

27Praise be to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, who has put it into the king’s heart to bring honor to the house of the Lord in Jerusalem in this way 28and who has extended his good favor to me before the king and his advisers and all the king’s powerful officials. Because the hand of the Lord my God was on me, I took courage and gathered leaders from Israel to go up with me.
Ezra 7:27 – 28 New International Version

4 Then the king said to me, “What do you request?”
So I prayed to the God of heaven.
8 . . . And the king granted them to me according to the good hand of my God upon me
Nehemiah 2:4, 8b New King James Version

Two years ago, I wrote a post in my devotional blog, from Ezra chapter 7, about how the hand of God was on Ezra as he set his heart to study the Law of YeHoVaH, to do it and to teach it to the children of Israel.

Ezra was skilled in the Law of Moses (November 2021)

28 September 2022

Reading Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther

OT 4th Cycle. NT 8th Cycle.

Tuesday 27Sep22
Ezra 1:1 - 10:44 ASV (280 verses)
Nehemiah 1:1 - 13:31 ASV (406 verses)

Wednesday 28Sep22
Esther 1:1 - 10:3 ASV (166 verses)
Job 1:1 - 12:25 ASV (283 verses)

I'm still in the midst of trying to catch up with my recent disruptions from Bible readings.

Yesterday, I finished reading through the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. I continued with the book of Esther today, after which I went on to read the first twelve chapters of the book of Job.

Passage of the day

Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast in like manner; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.
Esther 4:16 American Standard Version

14 March 2022

To him who overcomes

Monday 14Mar2022
Ezra 6:1 - 10:44 WEB (145 verses)
Revelation 1:1 - 5:14 NWB (96 verses)

In my reading of the Letters to the Seven Churches in Revelation chapters 2 and 3 today, I observed that our Lord promised a reward "to him who overcomes" after he has praised and reproved each assembly. I have listed these rewards briefly below:

(1) To the angel of the assembly of Ephesus ("thou hast left thy first love" Rev 2:4):

Revelation 2:7 NWB Noah Webster Bible
To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

(2) To the angel of the assembly in Smyrna ("I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich)" Rev 2:9):

Revelation 2:11 NWB
He that overcometh, shall not be hurt by the second death.

(3) To the angel of the assembly in Pergamos (some hold the doctrine of Balaam and of the Nicolaitans Rev 2:14, 15):

Revelation 2:17 NWB
To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth, he excepted, that receiveth it.

(4) To the angel of the assembly in Thyatira ("thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, who calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit lewdness, and to eat things sacrificed to idols." Rev 2:20):

Revelation 2:26 - 28 NWB
And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works to the end, to him will I give power over the nations: (And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers:) even as I received of my Father. And I will give him the morning-star.

(5) To the angel of the assembly in Sardis ("thou hast a name, that thou livest, and art dead." Rev 3:1):

Revelation 3:5 NWB
He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

(6) To the angel of the assembly in Philadellphia ("thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name." Rev 3:8):

Revelation 3:12 NWB
Him that overcometh, will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go out no more: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

(7) To the angel of the assembly of the Laodiceans ("thou art luke-warm, and neither cold nor hot" Rev 3:16):

Revelation 3:21 NWB
To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me on my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father on his throne.

Back in November 2020, I also wrote my observations on the titles given to our Lord in the letters to the Seven Churches, link below:

The Amen, Faithful, True Witness, Head of God's Creation

13 March 2022

And this is His Commandment . . .

Sunday 13Mar2022
Ezra 1:1 - 5:17 WEB (135 verses)
1 John 3:1 - 5:21 NWB (66 verses)
2 John 1:1 - 1:13 NWB (13 verses)
3 John 1:1 - 1:15 NWB (15 verses)
Jude 1:1 - 1:25 NWB (25 verses)

Today I am reminded from First John chapter 3 in my New Testament reading that God has given us His commandment, "that we should believe" on the name of His Son Iesus the Anointed One, and that we should love one another

1 John 3:22 - 24 NWB Noah Webster Bible: 22 And whatever we ask, we receive from him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.; 23 And this is his commandment; That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.; 24 And he that keepeth his commandments, dwelleth in him, and he in him. And by this we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

Brothers and Sisters in the Anointed One, let us hold fast to our belief in the Name of Iesus, the Son of God, and let us never fail in our love for one another. This is His Commandment.

14 November 2021

A scribe called Ezra

Sunday 2021.11.14

Today's Passages:
Ezra 7:1 - 10:44 RSV (123 verses)
Acts 17:1 - 19:41 NIV (103 verses)

During the reign of King Artaxerxes 1 of Persia, the scribe Ezra ben Seraiah was granted permission by the king to return to his homeland Judah, to the city of Jerusalem with a group of priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, and temple servants to restore the worship of God Almighty according to the Law of Yehovah.

King Artaxerxes 1 decreed in a letter given to Ezra that Ezra be given silver and gold to make freewill offerings to his God in the Temple in Jerusalem.

In Ezra chapter 7 verses 1 to 5, a genealogy Ezra ben Seraiah is recorded tracing his ancestors all the way back to Aaron the first priest of Israel.

Ezra 7:1 - 5 RSV Revised Standard Version: 1Now after this, in the reign of Ar-ta-xerx'es king of Persia,
Ezra the son of Serai'ah,
son of Azari'ah,
son of Hilki'ah,
2son of Shallum,
son of Zadok,
son of Ahi'tub,
3son of Amari'ah,
son of Azari'ah,
son of Mera'ioth,
4son of Zerahi'ah,
son of Uzzi,
son of Bukki,
5son of Abishu'a,
son of Phin'ehas,
son of Elea'zar,
son of Aaron the chief priest —

Verse 6 in the same chapter tells us that Ezra the scribe was skilled in the Law of Moses, that the hand of God was with him, causing King Artaxerxes to grant him all that he asked for. In verse 10, we read that Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of Yehovah, to do it, and to teach his statutes and ordinances to the children of Israel.

Ezra 7:6 RSV: 6this Ezra went up from Babylonia. He was a scribe skilled in the law of Moses which the LORD the God of Israel had given; and the king granted him all that he asked, for the hand of the LORD his God was upon him.

10For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach his statutes and ordinances in Israel.

Finally, after leaving Babylon on the 1st day 1st month, in the 7th year of the reign of King Artaxerxes, Ezra and his contingent of priests, Levites, and temple servants came to Jerusalem on the 1st day 5th month . The journey had taken them altogether four months. (Ezra 7:9).

Brothers and Sisters in the Anointed One, let us follow the example of Ezra ben Seraiah to study the Law of Yehovah, to do it and to teach it to one another.

Today I have read a total of one hundred and twenty-three verses from the Old Testament and a hundred and three verses from the New Testament. I have finished reading the Book of Ezra. Tomorrow I will begin reading the Book of Nehemiah while I continue with chapter 20 of the Acts of Apostles.

13 November 2021

Have faith, Have baptism, Have joy

Saturday 2021.11.13

Shabbat Shalom.

On this Sabbath Day, I read Ezra chapters 3 to 6 in my Old Testament reading. In the New Testament, I read chapters 14 to 16 of the Acts of the Apostles.

Acts chapter 16 contains an account of the baptism of the jail-keeper at Philippi after Paul and Silas were set free from the city jail by the hand of God Almighty through an earthquake.

From the beginning of the ministry of John the Baptist, people have been called to show their repentance from sin and their faith in God by going through baptism, in those days typically in the waters of a river. This practice of baptism (or mikveh in Hebrew) is described by the Apostle Peter in 1 Peter 3:21 as ". . . not the washing off of bodily dirt, but the promise made to God from a good conscience".

One can say that baptism is something one must do outwardly to make a promise to God from a good conscience inwardly. In other words, baptism is an outward demonstration of inward repentance from sin.

In Acts chapter 16 we read, similarly, in the account of the Philippian jail-keeper who asked Paul and Silas, "What must I do to get salvation?", the jail-keeper was baptised immediately after he put his faith in the Lord Iesus (Acts 15:30 - 34).

Acts 16:30 - 34 BBE Bible in Basic English: 30 And took them out and said, Sirs, what have I to do to get salvation?
31 And they said, Have faith in the Lord Jesus, and you and your family will have salvation.
32 And they gave the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house.
33 And that same hour of the night, he took them, and when he had given attention to their wounds, he and all his family had baptism straight away.
34 And he took them into his house and gave them food, and he was full of joy, having faith in God with all his family.

From the above passage, we learn that there were three things that the jail-keeper had in his life on the day of his salvation:

he had faith in the Lord Iesus (v 31)
he had baptism (v 33)
he had fulness of joy (v34)

Brothers and Sisters in the Lord Iesus, let us likewise hold fast to these three things that we have in our lives: we have faith in our Lord Iesus, we have gone through the waters of baptism, and we now have the fulness of joy that comes from the Spirit of God.

Today I have read a total of seventy-six verses from the Old Testament and a hundred and nine verses from the New Testament. Tomorrow I will continue to read Ezra chapter 7 and Acts chapter 17.

Today's Passages:
Ezra 3:1 - 6:22 WEB (76 verses)
Acts 14:1 - 16:40 BBE (109 verses)

12 November 2021

In Him every believer is absolved from all offences

Friday 2021.11.12

Today is the Sixth Day of the Biblical Week. It is Preparation Day. Let us finish all our tasks for the week, tie up all loose ends, and prepare to enter into Sabbath Rest when the Seventh Day begins at sunset this evening.

This afternoon for my Old Testament reading, I read the remaining last two chapters of the Book of Daniel and continued with the first two chapters of the Book of Ezra.

In the New Testament, I read chapters 12 and 13 of the Acts of the Apostles.

In Acts chapter 13, the Apostle Paul, on his First Missionary Journey, spoke to a Jewish congregation in the synagogue of Antioch in Pisidia on a Sabbath day, saying in verses 38 and 39:

Acts 13:38 - 39 WNT Weymouth New Testament: "Understand therefore, brethren, that through this Jesus forgiveness of sins is announced to you;
and in Him every believer is absolved from all offences, from which you could not be absolved under the Law of Moses.

Brothers and Sisters in the Lord Iesus, let us remind ourselves that through Iesus we have forgiveness of sins. Let us keep in our hearts that in Him we are absolved from all offences. Let us therefore strive to live an upright life, holy and acceptable to God our Father and our Lord Iesus the Anointed One.

Today I have read a total of one hundred and thirty-nine verses from the Old Testament and seventy-seven verses from the New Testament. Tomorrow I will proceed with reading Ezra chapter 3 and Acts chapter 14.

Today's Passages:
Daniel 11:1 - 12:13 JND (58 verses)
Ezra 1:1 - 2:70 JND (81 verses)
Acts 12:1 - 13:52 WNT (77 verses)

11 March 2021

Thursday 11Mar21

Thursday 2021.03.11

1 Kings 9:1 - 10:29 ASV
Ezra 9:1 - 10:44 KJV
Romans 4:1 - 25 KJV
Wisdom 3:1 - 19 LXX

ASV = American Standard Version
KJV = King James Version
LXX = Septuagint Brenton

10 March 2021

Wednesday 10Mar21

Wednesday 2021.03.10

1 Kings 8:1 - 66 BBE
Ezra 8:1 - 36 WEB
Romans 3:1 - 31 WNT
Wisdom 2:1 - 24 LXX

BBE = Bible in Basic English
WEB = World English Bible
WNT = Weymouth New Testament
LXX = Septuagint Brenton

09 March 2021

Tuesday 09Mar21

Tuesday 2021.03.09

1 Kings 6:1 - 38 BBE
1 Kings 7:1 - 51 ASV
Ezra 7:1 - 28 WEB
Romans 2:1 - 29 WNT
Wisdom 1:1 - 16 LXX

BBE = Bible in Basic English
ASV = American Standard Version
WEB = World English Bible
WNT = Weymouth New Testament
LXX = Septuagint Brenton

08 March 2021

Monday 08Mar21

Monday 2021.03.08

1 Kings 3:1 - 28 BBE
1 Kings 4:1 - 5:18 ASV
Ezra 3:1 - 13 WEB
Ezra 4:1 - 6:22 KJV
Romans 1:1 - 32 WNT
Tobit 11:1 - 14:15 LXX

BBE = Bible in Basic English
ASV = American Standard Version
WEB = World English Bible
KJV = King James Version
WNT = Weymouth New Testament
LXX = Septuagint Brenton

07 March 2021

Sunday 07Mar21

Sunday 2021.03.07

1 Kings 2:1 - 46 BBE
Ezra 2:1 - 70 WEB
Acts 27:1 - 28:31 WNT
Tobit 9:1 - 10:13 LXX