Reading through the Word... Day 3, January 3

GENESIS 5:1- 7:24
MATTHEW 3:7- 4:11
PSALM 3:1- 8
PROVERBS 1:10- 19

This is the history of the descendants of Adam. When God created people, he made them in the likeness of God. 2 He created them male and female, and he blessed them and called them "human." 3When Adam was 130 years old, his son Seth was born, and Seth was the very image of his father. 4 After the birth of Seth, Adam lived another 800 years, and he had other sons and daughters. 5 He died at the age of 930. 6 When Seth was 105 years old, his son Enosh was born. 7 After the birth of Enosh, Seth lived another 807 years, and he had other sons and daughters. 8 He died at the age of 912. 9 When Enosh was 90 years old, his son Kenan was born. 10 After the birth of Kenan, Enosh lived another 815 years, and he had other sons and daughters. 11 He died at the age of 905. 12 When Kenan was 70 years old, his son Mahalalel was born. 13 After the birth of Mahalalel, Kenan lived another 840 years, and he had other sons and daughters. 14 He died at the age of 910. 15 When Mahalalel was 65 years old, his son Jared was born. 16 After the birth of Jared, Mahalalel lived 830 years, and he had other sons and daughters. 17 He died at the age of 895. 18 When Jared was 162 years old, his son Enoch was born. 19 After the birth of Enoch, Jared lived another 800 years, and he had other sons and daughters. 20 He died at the age of 962. 21 When Enoch was 65 years old, his son Methuselah was born. 22 After the birth of Methuselah, Enoch lived another 300 years in close fellowship with God, and he had other sons and daughters. 23 Enoch lived 365 years in all. 24 He enjoyed a close relationship with God throughout his life. Then suddenly, he disappeared because God took him. 25 When Methuselah was 187 years old, his son Lamech was born. 26 After the birth of Lamech, Methuselah lived another 782 years, and he had other sons and daughters. 27 He died at the age of 969. 28 When Lamech was 182 years old, his son Noah was born. 29 Lamech named his son Noah, for he said, "He will bring us relief from the painful labor of farming this ground that the LORD has cursed." 30 After the birth of Noah, Lamech lived 595 years, and he had other sons and daughters. 31 He died at the age of 777. 32 By the time Noah was 500 years old, he had three sons:Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 6:1 WHEN the human population began to grow rapidly on the earth, 2 the sons of God saw the beautiful women of the human race and took any they wanted as their wives. 3 Then the LORD said, "My Spirit will not put up with humans for such a long time, for they are only mortal flesh. In the future, they will live no more than 120 years." 4 In those days, and even afterward, giants lived on the earth, for whenever the sons of God had intercourse with human women, they gave birth to children who became the heroes mentioned in legends of old. 5 Now the LORD observed the extent of the people's wickedness, and he saw that all their thoughts were consistently and totally evil. 6 So the LORD was sorry he had ever made them. It broke his heart. 7 And the LORD said, "I will completely wipe out this human race that I have created. Yes, and I will destroy all the animals and birds, too. I am sorry I ever made them." 8 But Noah found favor with the LORD. 9 This is the history of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless man living on earth at the time. He consistently followed God's will and enjoyed a close relationship with him. 10 Noah had three sons:Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11 Now the earth had become corrupt in God's sight, and it was filled with violence. 12 God observed all this corruption in the world, and he saw violence and depravity everywhere. 13 So God said to Noah, "I have decided to destroy all living creatures, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. Yes, I will wipe them all from the face of the earth! 14" Make a boat from resinous wood and seal it with tar, inside and out. Then construct decks and stalls throughout its interior. 15 Make it 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. 16 Construct an opening all the way around the boat, 18 inches below the roof. Then put three decks inside the boat-- bottom, middle, and upper-- and put a door in the side. 17 "Look! I am about to cover the earth with a flood that will destroy every living thing. Everything on earth will die! 18 But I solemnly swear to keep you safe in the boat, with your wife and your sons and their wives. 19 Bring a pair of every kind of animal-- a male and a female-- into the boat with you to keep them alive during the flood. 20 Pairs of each kind of bird and each kind of animal, large and small alike, will come to you to be kept alive. 21 And remember, take enough food for your family and for all the animals." 22 So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him.


7:1 FINALLY, the day came when the LORD said to Noah, "Go into the boat with all your family, for among all the people of the earth, I consider you alone to be righteous. 2 Take along seven pairs of each animal that I have approved for eating and for sacrifice, and take one pair of each of the others. 3 Then select seven pairs of every kind of bird. There must be a male and a female in each pair to ensure that every kind of living creature will survive the flood. 4 One week from today I will begin forty days and forty nights of rain. And I will wipe from the earth all the living things I have created." 5 So Noah did exactly as the LORD had commanded him. 6 He was 600 years old when the flood came, 7 and he went aboard the boat to escape-- he and his wife and his sons and their wives. 8 With them were all the various kinds of animals-- those approved for eating and sacrifice and those that were not-- along with all the birds and other small animals. 9 They came into the boat in pairs, male and female, just as God had commanded Noah. 10 One week later, the flood came and covered the earth. 11 When Noah was 600 years old, on the seventeenth day of the second month, the underground waters burst forth on the earth, and the rain fell in mighty torrents from the sky. 12 The rain continued to fall for forty days and forty nights. 13 But Noah had gone into the boat that very day with his wife and his sons-- Shem, Ham, and Japheth-- and their wives. 14 With them in the boat were pairs of every kind of breathing animal-- domestic and wild, large and small-- along with birds and flying insects of every kind. 15 Two by two they came into the boat, 16 male and female, just as God had commanded. Then the LORD shut them in. 17 For forty days the floods prevailed, covering the ground and lifting the boat high above the earth. 18 As the waters rose higher and higher above the ground, the boat floated safely on the surface. 19 Finally, the water covered even the highest mountains on the earth, 20 standing more than twenty- two feet above the highest peaks. 21 All the living things on earth died-- birds, domestic animals, wild animals, all kinds of small animals, and all the people. 22 Everything died that breathed and lived on dry land. 23 Every living thing on the earth was wiped out-- people, animals both large and small, and birds. They were all destroyed, and only Noah was left alive, along with those who were with him in the boat. 24 And the water covered the earth for 150 days.
But when he [John] saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to be baptized, he denounced them. "You brood of snakes!" he exclaimed. "Who warned you to flee God's coming judgment? 8 Prove by the way you live that you have really turned from your sins and turned to God. 9 Don't just say, `We're safe-- we're the descendants of Abraham. 'That proves nothing. God can change these stones here into children of Abraham. 10 Even now the ax of God's judgment is poised, ready to sever your roots. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire. 11" I baptize with water those who turn from their sins and turn to God. But someone is coming soon who is far greater than I am-- so much greater that I am not even worthy to be his slave. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 12 He is ready to separate the chaff from the grain with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, storing the grain in his barn but burning the chaff with never- ending fire. "13 Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. 14 But John didn't want to baptize him." I am the one who needs to be baptized by you, "he said," so why are you coming to me? "15 But Jesus said," It must be done, because we must do everything that is right. "So then John baptized him. 16 After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said," This is my beloved Son, and I am fully pleased with him. "4:1 THEN Jesus was led out into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be tempted there by the Devil. 2 For forty days and forty nights he ate nothing and became very hungry. 3 Then the Devil came and said to him," If you are the Son of God, change these stones into loaves of bread. "4 But Jesus told him," No! The Scriptures say, `People need more than bread for their life;
they must feed on every word of God.' "
5 Then the Devil took him to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, 6 and said," If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, `He orders his angels to protect you.
And they will hold you with their hands
to keep you from striking your foot on a stone. '"
7 Jesus responded," The Scriptures also say, `Do not test the Lord your God.' "8 Next the Devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him the nations of the world and all their glory. 9" I will give it all to you, "he said," if you will only kneel down and worship me. "10" Get out of here, Satan, "Jesus told him." For the Scriptures say, `You must worship the Lord your God;
serve only him. '"
11 Then the Devil went away, and angels came and cared for Jesus.



A psalm of David, regarding the time David fled from his son Absalom.
1 O LORD, I have so many enemies;
so many are against me.
2 So many are saying,
" God will never rescue him! "
Interlude3 But you, O LORD, are a shield around me,
my glory, and the one who lifts my head high.
4 I cried out to the LORD,
and he answered me from his holy mountain.
Interlude5 I lay down and slept.
I woke up in safety,
for the LORD was watching over me.
6 I am not afraid of ten thousand enemies
who surround me on every side.
7 Arise, O LORD!
Rescue me, my God!
Slap all my enemies in the face!
Shatter the teeth of the wicked!
8 Victory comes from you, O LORD.
May your blessings rest on your people.


My child, if sinners entice you, turn your back on them! They may say," Come and join us. Let's hide and kill someone! Let's ambush the innocent! Let's swallow them alive as the grave swallows its victims. Though they are in the prime of life, they will go down into the pit of death. And the loot we'll get! We'll fill our houses with all kinds of things! Come on, throw in your lot with us; we'll split our loot with you. "Don't go along with them, my child! Stay far away from their paths. They rush to commit crimes. They hurry to commit murder. When a bird sees a trap being set, it stays away. But not these people! They set an ambush for themselves; they booby- trap their own lives! Such is the fate of all who are greedy for gain. It ends up robbing them of life