January 4
GENESIS 8:1-10:32
MATTHEW 4:12-25
PSALM 4:1-8
PROVERBS 1:20-23
GENESIS 8:1-10:32
But God remembered Noah and all the animals in the boat. He sent a wind to blow across the waters, and the floods began to disappear. 2 The underground water sources ceased their gushing, and the torrential rains stopped. 3 So the flood gradually began to recede. After 150 days, 4 exactly five months from the time the flood began, the boat came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. 5 Two and a half months later, as the waters continued to go down, other mountain peaks began to appear. 6 After another forty days, Noah opened the window he had made in the boat 7 and released a raven that flew back and forth until the earth was dry. 8 Then he sent out a dove to see if it could find dry ground. 9 But the dove found no place to land because the water was still too high. So it returned to the boat, and Noah held out his hand and drew the dove back inside. 10 Seven days later, Noah released the dove again. 11 This time, toward evening, the bird returned to him with a fresh olive leaf in its beak. Noah now knew that the water was almost gone. 12 A week later, he released the dove again, and this time it did not come back. 13 Finally, when Noah was 601 years old, ten and a half months after the flood began, Noah lifted back the cover to look. The water was drying up. 14 Two more months went by, and at last the earth was dry! 15 Then God said to Noah, 16 " Leave the boat, all of you. 17 Release all the animals and birds so they can breed and reproduce in great numbers." 18 So Noah, his wife, and his sons and their wives left the boat. 19 And all the various kinds of animals and birds came out, pair by pair. 20 Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and sacrificed on it the animals and birds that had been approved for that purpose. 21 And the LORD was pleased with the sacrifice and said to himself, " I will never again curse the earth, destroying all living things, even though people's thoughts and actions are bent toward evil from childhood. 22 As long as the earth remains, there will be springtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, day and night."9:1 GOD blessed Noah and his sons and told them, " Multiply and fill the earth. 2 All the wild animals, large and small, and all the birds and fish will be afraid of you. I have placed them in your power. 3 I have given them to you for food, just as I have given you grain and vegetables. 4 But you must never eat animals that still have their lifeblood in them. 5 And murder is forbidden. Animals that kill people must die, and any person who murders must be killed. 6 Yes, you must execute anyone who murders another person, for to kill a person is to kill a living being made in God's image. 7 Now you must have many children and repopulate the earth. Yes, multiply and fill the earth!" 8 Then God told Noah and his sons, 9 " I am making a covenant with you and your descendants, 10 and with the animals you brought with you--all these birds and livestock and wild animals. 11 I solemnly promise never to send another flood to kill all living creatures and destroy the earth." 12 And God said, " I am giving you a sign as evidence of my eternal covenant with you and all living creatures. 13 I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my permanent promise to you and to all the earth. 14 When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will be seen in the clouds, 15 and I will remember my covenant with you and with everything that lives. Never again will there be a flood that will destroy all life. 16 When I see the rainbow in the clouds, I will remember the eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth." 17 Then God said to Noah, " Yes, this is the sign of my covenant with all the creatures of the earth." 18 Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the three sons of Noah, survived the Flood with their father. (Ham is the ancestor of the Canaanites.) 19 From these three sons of Noah came all the people now scattered across the earth. 20 After the Flood, Noah became a farmer and planted a vineyard. 21 One day he became drunk on some wine he had made and lay naked in his tent. 22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw that his father was naked and went outside and told his brothers. 23 Shem and Japheth took a robe, held it over their shoulders, walked backward into the tent, and covered their father's naked body. As they did this, they looked the other way so they wouldn't see him naked. 24 When Noah woke up from his drunken stupor, he learned what Ham, his youngest son, had done. 25 Then he cursed the descendants of Canaan, the son of Ham: " A curse on the Canaanites!
May they be the lowest of servants
to the descendants of Shem and Japheth."
26 Then Noah said, " May Shem be blessed by the LORD my God;
and may Canaan be his servant.
27 May God enlarge the territory of Japheth,
and may he share the prosperity of Shem;
and let Canaan be his servant."
28 Noah lived another 350 years after the Flood. 29 He was 950 years old when he died. 10:1 THIS is the history of the families of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the three sons of Noah. Many children were born to them after the Flood. 2 The descendants of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. 3 The descendants of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. 4 The descendants of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Rodanim. 5 Their descendants became the seafaring peoples in various lands, each tribe with its own language. 6 The descendants of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. 7 The descendants of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. The descendants of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan. 8 One of Cush's descendants was Nimrod, who became a heroic warrior. 9 He was a mighty hunter in the LORD's sight. His name became proverbial, and people would speak of someone as being " like Nimrod, a mighty hunter in the LORD's sight." 10 He built the foundation for his empire in the land of Babylonia, with the cities of Babel, Erech, Akkad, and Calneh. 11 From there he extended his reign to Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth-ir, Calah, 12 and Resen--the main city of the empire, located between Nineveh and Calah. 13 Mizraim was the ancestor of the Ludites, Anamites, Lehabites, Naphtuhites, 14 Pathrusites, Casluhites, and the Caphtorites, from whom the Philistines came. 15 Canaan's oldest son was Sidon, the ancestor of the Sidonians. Canaan was also the ancestor of the Hittites, 16 Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, 17 Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, 18 Arvadites, Zemarites, and Hamathites. 19 Eventually the territory of Canaan spread from Sidon to Gerar, near Gaza, and to Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, near Lasha.20 These were the descendants of Ham, identified according to their tribes, languages, territories, and nations. 21 Sons were also born to Shem, the older brother of Japheth. Shem was the ancestor of all the descendants of Eber. 22 The descendants of Shem were Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram. 23 The descendants of Aram were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. 24 Arphaxad was the father of Shelah, and Shelah was the father of Eber. 25 Eber had two sons. The first was named Peleg--" division"--for during his lifetime the people of the world were divided into different language groups and dispersed. His brother's name was Joktan. 26 Joktan was the ancestor of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 27 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 28 Obal, Abimael, Sheba, 29 Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. 30 The descendants of Joktan lived in the area extending from Mesha toward the eastern hills of Sephar.31 These were the descendants of Shem, identified according to their tribes, languages, territories, and nations. 32 These are the families that came from Noah's sons, listed nation by nation according to their lines of descent. The earth was populated with the people of these nations after the Flood.
MATTHEW 4:12-25
When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he left Judea and returned to Galilee. 13 But instead of going to Nazareth, he went to Capernaum, beside the Sea of Galilee, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. 14 This fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy: 15 " In the land of Zebulun and of Naphtali,
beside the sea, beyond the Jordan River--
in Galilee where so many Gentiles live--
16 the people who sat in darkness
have seen a great light.
And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow,
a light has shined."
17 From then on, Jesus began to preach, " Turn from your sins and turn to God, because the Kingdom of Heaven is near." 18 One day as Jesus was walking along the shore beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers--Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew--fishing with a net, for they were commercial fishermen. 19 Jesus called out to them, "Come, be my disciples, and I will show you how to fish for people!" 20 And they left their nets at once and went with him. 21 A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, mending their nets. And he called them to come, too. 22 They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind. 23 Jesus traveled throughout Galilee teaching in the synagogues, preaching everywhere the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed people who had every kind of sickness and disease. 24 News about him spread far beyond the borders of Galilee so that the sick were soon coming to be healed from as far away as Syria. And whatever their illness and pain, or if they were possessed by demons, or were epileptics, or were paralyzed--he healed them all. 25 Large crowds followed him wherever he went--people from Galilee, the Ten Towns, Jerusalem, from all over Judea, and from east of the Jordan River.
PSALM 4:1-8
For the choir director: A psalm of David,to be accompanied by stringed instruments.
1 Answer me when I call,
O God who declares me innocent.
Take away my distress.
Have mercy on me and hear my prayer.
2 How long will you people ruin my reputation?
How long will you make these groundless accusations?
How long will you pursue lies?
Interlude3 You can be sure of this:
The LORD has set apart the godly for himself.
The LORD will answer when I call to him.
4 Don't sin by letting anger gain control over you.
Think about it overnight and remain silent.
Interlude5 Offer proper sacrifices,
and trust in the LORD.
6 Many people say, " Who will show us better times?"
Let the smile of your face shine on us, LORD.
7 You have given me greater joy
than those who have abundant harvests of grain and wine.
8 I will lie down in peace and sleep,
for you alone, O LORD, will keep me safe.
PROVERBS 1:20-23
Wisdom shouts in the streets. She cries out in the public square. She calls out to the crowds along the main street, and to those in front of city hall. " You simpletons!" she cries. " How long will you go on being simpleminded? How long will you mockers relish your mocking? How long will you fools fight the facts? Come here and listen to me! I'll pour out the spirit of wisdom upon you and make you wise."
