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JULY 30
against our people or the customs of our Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the
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fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from prophet to our fathers, saying,
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Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans, who, ‘Go to this people and say:
when they had examined me, wanted to let me “Hearing you will hear, and shall not
go, because there was no cause for putting me understand;
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to death. But when the Jews spoke against it, And seeing you will see, and not
I was compelled to appeal to Caesar, not that I perceive;
had anything of which to accuse my nation. 27
20 For this reason therefore I have called for you, For the hearts of this people have
grown dull.
to see you and speak with you, because for the Their ears are hard of hearing,
hope of Israel I am bound with this chain.”
21 Then they said to him, “We neither re- And their eyes they have closed,
ceived letters from Judea concerning you, nor Lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears,
have any of the brethren who came reported Lest they should understand with their
or spoken any evil of you. But we desire to hearts and turn,
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hear from you what you think; for concerning So that I should heal them.” ’
this sect, we know that it is spoken against
everywhere.” 28 “Therefore let it be known to you that the
23 So when they had appointed him a day, salvation of God has been sent to the
many came to him at his lodging, to whom he Gentiles, and they will hear it!” And when he
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explained and solemnly testified of the king- had said these words, the Jews departed and
dom of God, persuading them concerning Je- had a great dispute among themselves.
sus from both the Law of Moses and the 30 Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his
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Prophets, from morning till evening. And own rented house, and received all who came
some were persuaded by the things which to him, preaching the kingdom of God and
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were spoken, and some disbelieved. So when teaching the things which concern the Lord
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they did not agree among themselves, they Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one for-
departed after Paul had said one word: “The bidding him.
DAY 29: How does Nehemiah fit into the time line of world history?
It is unclear how Nehemiah became King Artaxerxes’ cupbearer, but the fact that Esther was
the king’s stepmother may have inclined the king to consider a Jew for such a trusted position.
When Nehemiah carried out his mission to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, the Persian Empire had
been dominant for almost 100 years. King Cyrus’s decree of repatriation given back in 539 B.C. had
instigated a group of Jews to return to Israel under Zerubbabel.Their desperate state almost a cen-
tury later spurred Nehemiah into action.
Ancient Egyptian documents (Elephantine papyri) dated around the 5th century B.C. inde-
pendently confirm part of Nehemiah’s account. Sanballat the governor of Samaria (2:19),
Jehohanan (6:18; 12:23) and Nehemiah himself receive mention.
The events recorded in Nehemiah,along with Malachi’s prophecies,make up the final inspired
writings of the Old Testament. God chose to then remain silent for 400 years. That silence ended
with the announcements of John the Baptist’s and Jesus’births.

These were the heads of the priests and their
July 30 brethren in the days of Jeshua.
Moreover the Levites were Jeshua, Binnui,
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Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah who
led the thanksgiving psalms, he and his
Nehemiah 12:1–13:31
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brethren. Also Bakbukiah and Unni, their
Now these are the priests and the Levites brethren, stood across from them in their duties.
12 who came up with Zerubbabel the son of 10 Jeshua begot Joiakim, Joiakim begot
Shealtiel, and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, Eliashib, Eliashib begot Joiada, Joiada begot
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Amariah, Malluch, Hattush, Shechaniah, Jonathan, and Jonathan begot Jaddua.
Rehum, Meremoth, Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah, 12 Now in the days of Joiakim, the priests, the
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Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah, Shemaiah, Joiarib, heads of the fathers’ houses were: of Seraiah,
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Jedaiah, Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah. Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah; of Ezra,
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