Contemplative Bible Reading

1 Kings 8:59 (New Living Translation) 59 And may these words that I have prayed in the presence of the Lord be before him constantly, day and night, so that the Lord our God may give justice to me and to his people Israel, according to each day’s needs. These words were spoken by King […]

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1 Kings 21:7 (New Living Translation) 7 “Are you the king of Israel or not?” Jezebel demanded. “Get up and eat something, and don’t worry about it. I’ll get you Naboth’s vineyard!” Queen Jezebel is talking to her husband, King Ahab. King Ahab wanted a vineyard from a neighbor named Naboth. Naboth wouldn’t sell, so […]

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1 Kings 21:25-26 (New Living Translation) 25 (No one else so completely sold himself to what was evil in the Lord’s sight as Ahab did under the influence of his wife Jezebel. 26 His worst outrage was worshiping idols just as the Amorites had done—the people whom the Lord had driven out from the land […]

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1 Kings 8:41-43 (New Living Translation) 41 “In the future, foreigners who do not belong to your people Israel will hear of you. They will come from distant lands because of your name, 42 for they will hear of your great name and your strong hand and your powerful arm. And when they pray toward […]

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1 Kings 18:46 (New Living Translation) 46 Then the Lord gave special strength to Elijah. He tucked his cloak into his belt and ran ahead of Ahab’s chariot all the way to the entrance of Jezreel. Simple statement. The writer wants us to know that the prophet Elijah was able to reach Jezreel before Ahab […]

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1 Kings 10:23-24 (New Living Translation) 23 So King Solomon became richer and wiser than any other king on earth. 24 People from every nation came to consult him and to hear the wisdom God had given him. King Solomon had asked God for wisdom. God gave Solomon wisdom. People from all the nations came […]

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1 Kings 9:8-9 (New Living Translation) 8 “And though this Temple is impressive now, all who pass by will be appalled and will gasp in horror. They will ask, ‘Why did the Lord do such terrible things to this land and to this Temple?’ 9 “And the answer will be, ‘Because his people abandoned the […]

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1 Kings 6:35 (New Living Translation) These doors were decorated with carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers—all overlaid evenly with gold. People understand symbols. See the outline of an apple with a bite taken out of it? What does that symbolize? We all know. The verse above is describing part of the interior […]

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1 Kings 10:24 (New Living Translation) 23 So King Solomon became richer and wiser than any other king on earth. 24 People from every nation came to consult him and to hear the wisdom God had given him. King Solomon was a pretty smart guy. Where did he get his “smarts?” God gave it to […]

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1 Kings 20:28-30 (New Living Translation) 28 Then the man of God went to the king of Israel and said, “This is what the Lord says: The Arameans have said, ‘The Lord is a god of the hills and not of the plains.’ So I will defeat this vast army for you. Then you will […]

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