Formation Journal Reading Plan

Amos 1-2

1:1 The words of Amos, who was among the herdsmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.
1:2 He said: “Yahweh will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the pastures of the shepherds will mourn, and the top of Carmel will wither.”
1:3 Thus says Yahweh: “For three transgressions of Damascus, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron;
1:4 but I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, and it will devour the palaces of Ben Hadad.
1:5 I will break the bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant from the valley of Aven, and him who holds the scepter from the house of Eden; and the people of Syria shall go into captivity to Kir,” says Yahweh.
1:6 Thus says Yahweh: “For three transgressions of Gaza, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because they carried away captive the whole community, to deliver them up to Edom;
1:7 but I will send a fire on the wall of Gaza, and it will devour its palaces.
1:8 I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod, and him who holds the scepter from Ashkelon; and I will turn my hand against Ekron; and the remnant of the Philistines will perish,” says the Lord Yahweh.
1:9 Thus says Yahweh: “For three transgressions of Tyre, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because they delivered up the whole community to Edom, and didn’t remember the brotherly covenant;
1:10 but I will send a fire on the wall of Tyre, and it will devour its palaces.”
1:11 Thus says Yahweh: “For three transgressions of Edom, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because he pursued his brother with the sword, and cast off all pity, and his anger raged continually, and he kept his wrath forever;
1:12 but I will send a fire on Teman, and it will devour the palaces of Bozrah.”
1:13 Thus says Yahweh: “For three transgressions of the children of Ammon, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because they have ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead, that they may enlarge their border.
1:14 But I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah, and it will devour its palaces, with shouting in the day of battle, with a storm in the day of the whirlwind;
1:15 and their king will go into captivity, he and his princes together,” says Yahweh.
2:1 Thus says Yahweh: “For three transgressions of Moab, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because he burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime;
2:2 but I will send a fire on Moab, and it will devour the palaces of Kerioth; and Moab will die with tumult, with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet;
2:3 and I will cut off the judge from their midst, and will kill all its princes with him,” says Yahweh.
2:4 Thus says Yahweh: “For three transgressions of Judah, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because they have rejected Yahweh’s law, and have not kept his statutes, and their lies have led them astray, after which their fathers walked;
2:5 But I will send a fire on Judah, and it will devour the palaces of Jerusalem.”
2:6 Thus says Yahweh: “For three transgressions of Israel, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because they have sold the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes;
2:7 They trample on the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and deny justice to the oppressed; and a man and his father use the same maiden, to profane my holy name;
2:8 and they lay themselves down beside every altar on clothes taken in pledge; and in the house of their God they drink the wine of those who have been fined.
2:9 Yet I destroyed the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath.
2:10 Also I brought you up out of the land of Egypt, and led you forty years in the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite.
2:11 I raised up some of your sons for prophets, and some of your young men for Nazirites. Isn’t this true, you children of Israel?” says Yahweh.
2:12 “But you gave the Nazirites wine to drink, and commanded the prophets, saying, ‘Don’t prophesy!’
2:13 Behold, I will crush you in your place, as a cart crushes that is full of grain.
2:14 Flight will perish from the swift; and the strong won’t strengthen his force; neither shall the mighty deliver himself;
2:15 neither shall he stand who handles the bow; and he who is swift of foot won’t escape; neither shall he who rides the horse deliver himself;
2:16 and he who is courageous among the mighty will flee away naked on that day,” says Yahweh.

Proverbs 16:1-17

16:1 The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from Yahweh.
16:2 All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but Yahweh weighs the motives.
16:3 Commit your deeds to Yahweh, and your plans shall succeed.
16:4 Yahweh has made everything for its own end—yes, even the wicked for the day of evil.
16:5 Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to Yahweh: they shall certainly not be unpunished.
16:6 By mercy and truth iniquity is atoned for. By the fear of Yahweh men depart from evil.
16:7 When a man’s ways please Yahweh, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
16:8 Better is a little with righteousness, than great revenues with injustice.
16:9 A man’s heart plans his course, but Yahweh directs his steps.
16:10 Inspired judgments are on the lips of the king. He shall not betray his mouth.
16:11 Honest balances and scales are Yahweh’s; all the weights in the bag are his work.
16:12 It is an abomination for kings to do wrong, for the throne is established by righteousness.
16:13 Righteous lips are the delight of kings. They value one who speaks the truth.
16:14 The king’s wrath is a messenger of death, but a wise man will pacify it.
16:15 In the light of the king’s face is life. His favor is like a cloud of the spring rain.
16:16 How much better it is to get wisdom than gold! Yes, to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.
16:17 The highway of the upright is to depart from evil. He who keeps his way preserves his soul.

Revelation 2:1-7

2:1 “To the angel of the assembly in Ephesus write: “He who holds the seven stars in his right hand, he who walks among the seven golden lampstands says these things:
2:2 “I know your works, and your toil and perseverance, and that you can’t tolerate evil men, and have tested those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and found them false.
2:3 You have perseverance and have endured for my name’s sake, and have not grown weary.
2:4 But I have this against you, that you left your first love.
2:5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen, and repent and do the first works; or else I am coming to you swiftly, and will move your lampstand out of its place, unless you repent.
2:6 But this you have, that you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
2:7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies. To him who overcomes I will give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of my God.