January 6 Reading through the Bible day 6

GENESIS 13:5- 15:21
MATTHEW 5:27- 48
PSALM 6:1- 10
PROVERBS 1:29- 33

Now Lot, who was traveling with Abram, was also very wealthy with sheep, cattle, and many tents. 6 But the land could not support both Abram and Lot with all their flocks and herds living so close together. There were too many animals for the available pastureland. 7 So an argument broke out between the herdsmen of Abram and Lot. At that time Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land. 8 Then Abram talked it over with Lot. "This arguing between our herdsmen has got to stop," he said. "After all, we are close relatives! 9 I'll tell you what we'll do. Take your choice of any section of the land you want, and we will separate. If you want that area over there, then I'll stay here. If you want to stay in this area, then I'll move on to another place." 10 Lot took a long look at the fertile plains of the Jordan Valley in the direction of Zoar. The whole area was well watered everywhere, like the garden of the LORD or the beautiful land of Egypt. (This was before the LORD had destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11 Lot chose that land for himself-- the Jordan Valley to the east of them. He went there with his flocks and servants and parted company with his uncle Abram. 12 So while Abram stayed in the land of Canaan, Lot moved his tents to a place near Sodom, among the cities of the plain. 13 The people of this area were unusually wicked and sinned greatly against the LORD. 14 After Lot was gone, the LORD said to Abram, "Look as far as you can see in every direction. 15 I am going to give all this land to you and your offspring as a permanent possession. 16 And I am going to give you so many descendants that, like dust, they cannot be counted! 17 Take a walk in every direction and explore the new possessions I am giving you." 18 Then Abram moved his camp to the oak grove owned by Mamre, which is at Hebron. There he built an altar to the LORD. 14:1 ABOUT this time war broke out in the region. King Amraphel of Babylonia, King Arioch of Ellasar, King Kedorlaomer of Elam, and King Tidal of Goiim 2 fought against King Bera of Sodom, King Birsha of Gomorrah, King Shinab of Admah, King Shemeber of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (now called Zoar). 3 The kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela formed an alliance and mobilized their armies in Siddim Valley (that is, the valley of the Dead Sea). 4 For twelve years they had all been subject to King Kedorlaomer, but now in the thirteenth year they rebelled. 5 One year later, Kedorlaomer and his allies arrived. They conquered the Rephaites in Ashteroth- karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, the Emites in the plain of Kiriathaim, 6 and the Horites in Mount Seir, as far as El- paran at the edge of the wilderness. 7 Then they swung around to En- mishpat (now called Kadesh) and destroyed the Amalekites, and also the Amorites living in Hazazon- tamar. 8 But now the army of the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela (now called Zoar) prepared for battle in the valley of the Dead Sea 9 against King Kedorlaomer of Elam and the kings of Goiim, Babylonia, and Ellasar-- four kings against five. 10 As it happened, the valley was filled with tar pits. And as the army of the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some slipped into the tar pits, while the rest escaped into the mountains. 11 The victorious invaders then plundered Sodom and Gomorrah and began their long journey home, taking all the wealth and food with them. 12 They also captured Lot-- Abram's nephew who lived in Sodom-- and took everything he owned. 13 One of the men who escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, who was camped at the oak grove belonging to Mamre the Amorite. Mamre and his relatives, Eshcol and Aner, were Abram's allies. 14 When Abram learned that Lot had been captured, he called together the men born into his household, 318 of them in all. He chased after Kedorlaomer's army until he caught up with them in Dan. 15 There he divided his men and attacked during the night from several directions. Kedorlaomer's army fled, but Abram chased them to Hobah, north of Damascus. 16 Abram and his allies recovered everything-- the goods that had been taken, Abram's nephew Lot with his possessions, and all the women and other captives. 17 As Abram returned from his victory over Kedorlaomer and his allies, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). 18 Then Melchizedek, the king of Salem and a priest of God Most High, brought him bread and wine. 19 Melchizedek blessed Abram with this blessing:"Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
Creator of heaven and earth.
20 And blessed be God Most High,
who has helped you conquer your enemies."
Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the goods he had recovered. 21 The king of Sodom told him, "Give back my people who were captured. But you may keep for yourself all the goods you have recovered." 22 Abram replied, "I have solemnly promised the LORD, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, 23 that I will not take so much as a single thread or sandal thong from you. Otherwise you might say, `I am the one who made Abram rich! '24 All I'll accept is what these young men of mine have already eaten. But give a share of the goods to my allies-- Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre." 15:1 AFTERWARD the LORD spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, "Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great." 2 But Abram replied, "O Sovereign LORD, what good are all your blessings when I don't even have a son? Since I don't have a son, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household, will inherit all my wealth. 3 You have given me no children, so one of my servants will have to be my heir." 4 Then the LORD said to him, "No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own to inherit everything I am giving you." 5 Then the LORD brought Abram outside beneath the night sky and told him, "Look up into the heavens and count the stars if you can. Your descendants will be like that-- too many to count!" 6 And Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD declared him righteous because of his faith. 7 Then the LORD told him, "I am the LORD who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land." 8 But Abram replied, "O Sovereign LORD, how can I be sure that you will give it to me?" 9 Then the LORD told him, "Bring me a three- year- old heifer, a three- year- old female goat, a three- year- old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon." 10 Abram took all these and killed them. He cut each one down the middle and laid the halves side by side. He did not, however, divide the birds in half. 11 Some vultures came down to eat the carcasses, but Abram chased them away. 12 That evening, as the sun was going down, Abram fell into a deep sleep. He saw a terrifying vision of darkness and horror. 13 Then the LORD told Abram, "You can be sure that your descendants will be strangers in a foreign land, and they will be oppressed as slaves for four hundred years. 14 But I will punish the nation that enslaves them, and in the end they will come away with great wealth. 15 (But you will die in peace, at a ripe old age.) 16 After four generations your descendants will return here to this land, when the sin of the Amorites has run its course." 17 As the sun went down and it became dark, Abram saw a smoking firepot and a flaming torch pass between the halves of the carcasses. 18 So the LORD made a covenant with Abram that day and said, "I have given this land to your descendants, all the way from the border of Egypt to the great Euphrates River-- 19 the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites."


"You have heard that the law of Moses says, `Do not commit adultery.' 28 But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust in his eye has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 So if your eye-- even if it is your good eye-- causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your hand-- even if it is your stronger hand-- causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 31" You have heard that the law of Moses says, `A man can divorce his wife by merely giving her a letter of divorce. '32 But I say that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. 33 "Again, you have heard that the law of Moses says, `Do not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.' 34 But I say, don't make any vows! If you say, `By heaven! 'it is a sacred vow because heaven is God's throne. 35 And if you say, `By the earth!' it is a sacred vow because the earth is his footstool. And don't swear, `By Jerusalem! 'for Jerusalem is the city of the great King. 36 Don't even swear, `By my head!' for you can't turn one hair white or black. 37 Just say a simple, `Yes, I will, 'or `No, I won't.' Your word is enough. To strengthen your promise with a vow shows that something is wrong. 38" You have heard that the law of Moses says, `If an eye is injured, injure the eye of the person who did it. If a tooth gets knocked out, knock out the tooth of the person who did it. '39 But I say, don't resist an evil person! If you are slapped on the right cheek, turn the other, too. 40 If you are ordered to court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. 41 If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles. 42 Give to those who ask, and don't turn away from those who want to borrow. 43 "You have heard that the law of Moses says, `Love your neighbor' and hate your enemy. 44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! 45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and on the unjust, too. 46 If you love only those who love you, what good is that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. 47 If you are kind only to your friends, *how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. 48 But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect."


For the choir director:A psalm of David, to be accompanied by an eight- stringed instrument.
1 O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger
or discipline me in your rage.
2 Have compassion on me, LORD, for I am weak.
Heal me, LORD, for my body is in agony.
3 I am sick at heart.
How long, O LORD, until you restore me?
4 Return, O LORD, and rescue me.
Save me because of your unfailing love.
5 For in death, who remembers you?
Who can praise you from the grave?
6 I am worn out from sobbing.
Every night tears drench my bed;
my pillow is wet from weeping.
7 My vision is blurred by grief;
my eyes are worn out because of all my enemies.
8 Go away, all you who do evil,
for the LORD has heard my crying.
9 The LORD has heard my plea;
the LORD will answer my prayer.
10 May all my enemies be disgraced and terrified.
May they suddenly turn back in shame.


"For they hated knowledge and chose not to fear the LORD. They rejected my [wisdom's] advice and paid no attention when I corrected them. That is why they must eat the bitter fruit of living their own way. They must experience the full terror of the path they have chosen. For they are simpletons who turn away from me-- to death. They are fools, and their own complacency will destroy them. But all who listen to me will live in peace and safety, unafraid of harm

January 5 Reading through the Bible

GENESIS 11:1- 13:4
MATTHEW 5:1- 26
PSALM 5:1- 12
PROVERBS 1:24- 28


At one time the whole world spoke a single language and used the same words. 2 As the people migrated eastward, they found a plain in the land of Babylonia and settled there. 3 They began to talk about construction projects. "Come," they said, "let's make great piles of burnt brick and collect natural asphalt to use as mortar. 4 Let's build a great city with a tower that reaches to the skies-- a monument to our greatness! This will bring us together and keep us from scattering all over the world." 5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. 6 "Look!" he said. "If they can accomplish this when they have just begun to take advantage of their common language and political unity, just think of what they will do later. Nothing will be impossible for them! 7 Come, let's go down and give them different languages. Then they won't be able to understand each other." 8 In that way, the LORD scattered them all over the earth; and that ended the building of the city. 9 That is why the city was called Babel, because it was there that the LORD confused the people by giving them many languages, thus scattering them across the earth. 10 This is the history of Shem's family. When Shem was 100 years old, his son Arphaxad was born. This happened two years after the Flood. 11 After the birth of Arphaxad, Shem lived another 500 years and had other sons and daughters. 12 When Arphaxad was 35 years old, his son Shelah was born. 13 After the birth of Shelah, Arphaxad lived another 403 years and had other sons and daughters. 14 When Shelah was 30 years old, his son Eber was born. 15 After the birth of Eber, Shelah lived another 403 years and had other sons and daughters. 16 When Eber was 34 years old, his son Peleg was born. 17 After the birth of Peleg, Eber lived another 430 years and had other sons and daughters. 18 When Peleg was 30 years old, his son Reu was born. 19 After the birth of Reu, Peleg lived another 209 years and had other sons and daughters. 20 When Reu was 32 years old, his son Serug was born. 21 After the birth of Serug, Reu lived another 207 years and had other sons and daughters. 22 When Serug was 30 years old, his son Nahor was born. 23 After the birth of Nahor, Serug lived another 200 years and had other sons and daughters. 24 When Nahor was 29 years old, his son Terah was born. 25 After the birth of Terah, Nahor lived another 119 years and had other sons and daughters. 26 When Terah was 70 years old, he became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. 27 This is the history of Terah's family. Terah was the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran had a son named Lot. 28 But while Haran was still young, he died in Ur of the Chaldeans, the place of his birth. He was survived by Terah, his father. 29 Meanwhile, Abram married Sarai, and his brother Nahor married Milcah, the daughter of their brother Haran. (Milcah had a sister named Iscah.) 30 Now Sarai was not able to have any children. 31 Terah took his son Abram, his daughter- in- law Sarai, and his grandson Lot (his son Haran's child) and left Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan. But they stopped instead at the village of Haran and settled there. 32 Terah lived for 205 years and died while still at Haran. 12:1 THEN the LORD told Abram, "Leave your country, your relatives, and your father's house, and go to the land that I will show you. 2 I will cause you to become the father of a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and I will make you a blessing to others. 3 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you." 4 So Abram departed as the LORD had instructed him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy- five years old when he left Haran. 5 He took his wife, Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all his wealth-- his livestock and all the people who had joined his household at Haran-- and finally arrived in Canaan. 6 Traveling through Canaan, they came to a place near Shechem and set up camp beside the oak at Moreh. At that time, the area was inhabited by Canaanites. 7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, "I am going to give this land to your offspring." And Abram built an altar there to commemorate the LORD's visit. 8 After that, Abram traveled southward and set up camp in the hill country between Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar and worshiped the LORD. 9 Then Abram traveled south by stages toward the Negev. 10 At that time there was a severe famine in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt to wait it out. 11 As he was approaching the borders of Egypt, Abram said to Sarai, "You are a very beautiful woman. 12 When the Egyptians see you, they will say, `This is his wife. Let's kill him; then we can have her! '13 But if you say you are my sister, then the Egyptians will treat me well because of their interest in you, and they will spare my life." 14 And sure enough, when they arrived in Egypt, everyone spoke of her beauty. 15 When the palace officials saw her, they sang her praises to their king, the pharaoh, and she was taken into his harem. 16 Then Pharaoh gave Abram many gifts because of her-- sheep, cattle, donkeys, male and female servants, and camels. 17 But the LORD sent a terrible plague upon Pharaoh's household because of Sarai, Abram's wife. 18 So Pharaoh called for Abram and accused him sharply. "What is this you have done to me?" he demanded. "Why didn't you tell me she was your wife? 19 Why were you willing to let me marry her, saying she was your sister? Here is your wife! Take her and be gone!" 20 Pharaoh then sent them out of the country under armed escort-- Abram and his wife, with all their household and belongings. 13:1 SO they left Egypt and traveled north into the Negev-- Abram with his wife and Lot and all that they owned, 2 for Abram was very rich in livestock, silver, and gold. 3 Then they continued traveling by stages toward Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where they had camped before. 4 This was the place where Abram had built the altar, and there he again worshiped the LORD.


One day as the crowds were gathering, Jesus went up the mountainside with his disciples and sat down to teach them. 2 This is what he taught them:3 "God blesses those who realize their need for him,
for the Kingdom of Heaven is given to them.
4 God blesses those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 God blesses those who are gentle and lowly,
for the whole earth will belong to them.
6 God blesses those who are hungry and thirsty for justice,
for they will receive it in full.
7 God blesses those who are merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 God blesses those whose hearts are pure,
for they will see God.
9 God blesses those who work for peace,
for they will be called the children of God.
10 God blesses those who are persecuted because they live for God,
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
11" God blesses you when you are mocked and persecuted and lied about because you are my followers. 12 Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted, too. 13 "You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it useful again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. 14 You are the light of the world-- like a city on a mountain, glowing in the night for all to see. 15 Don't hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. 17" Don't misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to fulfill them. 18 I assure you, until heaven and earth disappear, even the smallest detail of God's law will remain until its purpose is achieved. 19 So if you break the smallest commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God's laws and teaches them will be great in the Kingdom of Heaven. 20 "But I warn you-- unless you obey God better than the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees do, you can't enter the Kingdom of Heaven at all! 21" You have heard that the law of Moses says, `Do not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.' 22 But I say, if you are angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, *you are in danger of being brought before the high council. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell. 23 "So if you are standing before the altar in the Temple, offering a sacrifice to God, and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, 24 leave your sacrifice there beside the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God. 25 Come to terms quickly with your enemy before it is too late and you are dragged into court, handed over to an officer, and thrown in jail. 26 I assure you that you won't be free again until you have paid the last penny."


For the choir director:A psalm of David, to be accompanied by the flute.
1 O LORD, hear me as I pray;
pay attention to my groaning.
2 Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God,
for I will never pray to anyone but you.
3 Listen to my voice in the morning, LORD.
Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.
4 O God, you take no pleasure in wickedness;
you cannot tolerate the slightest sin.
5 Therefore, the proud will not be allowed to stand in your presence,
for you hate all who do evil.
6 You will destroy those who tell lies.
The LORD detests murderers and deceivers.
7 Because of your unfailing love, I can enter your house;
with deepest awe I will worship at your Temple.
8 Lead me in the right path, O LORD,
or my enemies will conquer me.
Tell me clearly what to do,
and show me which way to turn.
9 My enemies cannot speak one truthful word.
Their deepest desire is to destroy others.
Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave.
Their speech is filled with flattery.
10 O God, declare them guilty.
Let them be caught in their own traps.
Drive them away because of their many sins,
for they rebel against you.
11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
let them sing joyful praises forever.
Protect them,
so all who love your name may be filled with joy.
12 For you bless the godly, O LORD,
surrounding them with your shield of love.


"I [wisdom] called you so often, but you didn't come. I reached out to you, but you paid no attention. You ignored my advice and rejected the correction I offered. So I will laugh when you are in trouble! I will mock you when disaster overtakes you-- when calamity overcomes you like a storm, when you are engulfed by trouble, and when anguish and distress overwhelm you. I will not answer when they cry for help. Even though they anxiously search for me, they will not find me

January 4 Reading through the Bible - day 4

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."

January 3 Reading through the Bible

GENESIS 5:1-7:24

MATTHEW 3:7-4:11

PSALM 3:1-8

PROVERBS 1:10-19

GENESIS 5:1-7:24

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.

MATTHEW 3:7-4:11

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.

PSALM 3:1-8

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.

Interlude

PROVERBS 1:10-19

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. 

January 2 Reading through the Bible

 

GENESIS 3:1-4:26

MATTHEW 2:13-3:6

PSALM 2:1-12

PROVERBS 1:7-9

GENESIS 3:1-4:26

Now the serpent was the shrewdest of all the creatures the LORD God had made. " Really?" he asked the woman. " Did God really say you must not eat any of the fruit in the garden?" 2 " Of course we may eat it," the woman told him. 3 " It's only the fruit from the tree at the center of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God says we must not eat it or even touch it, or we will die." 4 " You won't die!" the serpent hissed. 5 " God knows that your eyes will be opened when you eat it. You will become just like God, knowing everything, both good and evil." 6 The woman was convinced. The fruit looked so fresh and delicious, and it would make her so wise! So she ate some of the fruit. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her. Then he ate it, too. 7 At that moment, their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they strung fig leaves together around their hips to cover themselves. 8 Toward evening they heard the LORD God walking about in the garden, so they hid themselves among the trees. 9 The LORD God called to Adam, " Where are you?" 10 He replied, " I heard you, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked." 11 " Who told you that you were naked?" the LORD God asked. " Have you eaten the fruit I commanded you not to eat?" 12 " Yes," Adam admitted, " but it was the woman you gave me who brought me the fruit, and I ate it." 13 Then the LORD God asked the woman, " How could you do such a thing?" " The serpent tricked me," she replied. " That's why I ate it." 14 So the LORD God said to the serpent, " Because you have done this, you will be punished. You are singled out from all the domestic and wild animals of the whole earth to be cursed. You will grovel in the dust as long as you live, crawling along on your belly. 15 From now on, you and the woman will be enemies, and your offspring and her offspring will be enemies. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." 16 Then he said to the woman, " You will bear children with intense pain and suffering. And though your desire will be for your husband, he will be your master." 17 And to Adam he said, " Because you listened to your wife and ate the fruit I told you not to eat, I have placed a curse on the ground. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it. 18 It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains. 19 All your life you will sweat to produce food, until your dying day. Then you will return to the ground from which you came. For you were made from dust, and to the dust you will return." 20 Then Adam named his wife Eve, because she would be the mother of all people everywhere. 21 And the LORD God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife. 22 Then the LORD God said, " The people have become as we are, knowing everything, both good and evil. What if they eat the fruit of the tree of life? Then they will live forever!" 23 So the LORD God banished Adam and his wife from the Garden of Eden, and he sent Adam out to cultivate the ground from which he had been made. 24 After banishing them from the garden, the LORD God stationed mighty angelic beings to the east of Eden. And a flaming sword flashed back and forth, guarding the way to the tree of life.4:1 NOW Adam slept with his wife, Eve, and she became pregnant. When the time came, she gave birth to Cain, and she said, " With the LORD's help, I have brought forth a man!" 2 Later she gave birth to a second son and named him Abel. When they grew up, Abel became a shepherd, while Cain was a farmer. 3 At harvesttime Cain brought to the LORD a gift of his farm produce, 4 while Abel brought several choice lambs from the best of his flock. The LORD accepted Abel and his offering, 5 but he did not accept Cain and his offering. This made Cain very angry and dejected. 6 " Why are you so angry?" the LORD asked him. " Why do you look so dejected? 7 You will be accepted if you respond in the right way. But if you refuse to respond correctly, then watch out! Sin is waiting to attack and destroy you, and you must subdue it." 8 Later Cain suggested to his brother, Abel, " Let's go out into the fields."* And while they were there, Cain attacked and killed his brother. 9 Afterward the LORD asked Cain, " Where is your brother? Where is Abel?" " I don't know!" Cain retorted. " Am I supposed to keep track of him wherever he goes?" 10 But the LORD said, " What have you done? Listen--your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground! 11 You are hereby banished from the ground you have defiled with your brother's blood. 12 No longer will it yield abundant crops for you, no matter how hard you work! From now on you will be a homeless fugitive on the earth, constantly wandering from place to place." 13 Cain replied to the LORD, " My punishment is too great for me to bear! 14 You have banished me from my land and from your presence; you have made me a wandering fugitive. All who see me will try to kill me!"15 The LORD replied, " They will not kill you, for I will give seven times your punishment to anyone who does." Then the LORD put a mark on Cain to warn anyone who might try to kill him. 16 So Cain left the LORD's presence and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden. 17 Then Cain's wife became pregnant and gave birth to a son, and they named him Enoch. When Cain founded a city, he named it Enoch after his son.18 Enoch was the father of Irad. Irad was the father of Mehujael. Mehujael was the father of Methushael. Methushael was the father of Lamech. 19 Lamech married two women--Adah and Zillah. 20 Adah gave birth to a baby named Jabal. He became the first of the herdsmen who live in tents. 21 His brother's name was Jubal, the first musician--the inventor of the harp and flute. 22 To Lamech's other wife, Zillah, was born Tubal-cain. He was the first to work with metal, forging instruments of bronze and iron. Tubal-cain had a sister named Naamah. 23 One day Lamech said to Adah and Zillah, " Listen to me, my wives. I have killed a youth who attacked and wounded me. 24 If anyone who kills Cain is to be punished seven times, anyone who takes revenge against me will be punished seventy-seven times!" 25 Adam slept with his wife again, and she gave birth to another son. She named him Seth, for she said, " God has granted me another son in place of Abel, the one Cain killed." 26 When Seth grew up, he had a son and named him Enosh. It was during his lifetime that people first began to worship the LORD.

MATTHEW 2:13-3:6

After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. " Get up and flee to Egypt with the child and his mother," the angel said. " Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to try to kill the child." 14 That night Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, his mother, 15 and they stayed there until Herod's death. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: " I called my Son out of Egypt." 16 Herod was furious when he learned that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, because the wise men had told him the star first appeared to them about two years earlier. 17 Herod's brutal action fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah:18 " A cry of anguish is heard in Ramah--

weeping and mourning unrestrained.

Rachel weeps for her children,

refusing to be comforted--for they are dead."

19 When Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and told him, 20 " Get up and take the child and his mother back to the land of Israel, because those who were trying to kill the child are dead." 21 So Joseph returned immediately to Israel with Jesus and his mother. 22 But when he learned that the new ruler was Herod's son Archelaus, he was afraid. Then, in another dream, he was warned to go to Galilee. 23 So they went and lived in a town called Nazareth. This fulfilled what was spoken by the prophets concerning the Messiah: " He will be called a Nazarene." 3:1 IN those days John the Baptist began preaching in the Judean wilderness. His message was, 2 " Turn from your sins and turn to God, because the Kingdom of Heaven is near." 3 Isaiah had spoken of John when he said, " He is a voice shouting in the wilderness:

` Prepare a pathway for the Lord's coming!

Make a straight road for him!' "

4 John's clothes were woven from camel hair, and he wore a leather belt; his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 People from Jerusalem and from every section of Judea and from all over the Jordan Valley went out to the wilderness to hear him preach. 6 And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River.

PSALM 2:1-12

Why do the nations rage?

Why do the people waste their time with futile plans?

2 The kings of the earth prepare for battle;

the rulers plot together

against the LORD

and against his anointed one.

3 " Let us break their chains," they cry,

" and free ourselves from this slavery."

4 But the one who rules in heaven laughs.

The Lord scoffs at them.

5 Then in anger he rebukes them,

terrifying them with his fierce fury.

6 For the LORD declares, " I have placed my chosen king on the throne

in Jerusalem, my holy city."

7 The king proclaims the LORD's decree:

" The LORD said to me, ` You are my son.

Today I have become your Father.

8 Only ask, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance,

the ends of the earth as your possession.

9 You will break them with an iron rod

and smash them like clay pots.' "

10 Now then, you kings, act wisely!

Be warned, you rulers of the earth!

11 Serve the LORD with reverent fear,

and rejoice with trembling.

12 Submit to God's royal son, or he will become angry,

and you will be destroyed in the midst of your pursuits--

for his anger can flare up in an instant.

But what joy for all who find protection in him!

PROVERBS 1:7-9

Fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge. Only fools despise wisdom and discipline. Listen, my child, to what your father teaches you. Don't neglect your mother's teaching. What you learn from them will crown you with grace and clothe you with honor.

January 1 Reading through the Bible

 

GENESIS 1:1-2:25

MATTHEW 1:1-2:12

PSALM 1:1-6

PROVERBS 1:1-6

GENESIS 1:1-2:25

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was empty, a formless mass cloaked in darkness. And the Spirit of God was hovering over its surface. 3 Then God said, " Let there be light," and there was light. 4 And God saw that it was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light " day" and the darkness " night." Together these made up one day. 6 And God said, " Let there be space between the waters, to separate water from water." 7 And so it was. God made this space to separate the waters above from the waters below. 8 And God called the space " sky." This happened on the second day. 9 And God said, " Let the waters beneath the sky be gathered into one place so dry ground may appear." And so it was. 10 God named the dry ground " land" and the water " seas." And God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, " Let the land burst forth with every sort of grass and seed-bearing plant. And let there be trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. The seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came." And so it was. 12 The land was filled with seed-bearing plants and trees, and their seeds produced plants and trees of like kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 This all happened on the third day. 14 And God said, " Let bright lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. They will be signs to mark off the seasons, the days, and the years. 15 Let their light shine down upon the earth." And so it was. 16 For God made two great lights, the sun and the moon, to shine down upon the earth. The greater one, the sun, presides during the day; the lesser one, the moon, presides through the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set these lights in the heavens to light the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 This all happened on the fourth day. 20 And God said, " Let the waters swarm with fish and other life. Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind." 21 So God created great sea creatures and every sort of fish and every kind of bird. And God saw that it was good. 22 Then God blessed them, saying, " Let the fish multiply and fill the oceans. Let the birds increase and fill the earth." 23 This all happened on the fifth day. 24 And God said, " Let the earth bring forth every kind of animal--livestock, small animals, and wildlife." And so it was. 25 God made all sorts of wild animals, livestock, and small animals, each able to reproduce more of its own kind. And God saw that it was good. 26 Then God said, " Let us make people in our image, to be like ourselves. They will be masters over all life--the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the livestock, wild animals, and small animals."27 So God created people in his own image;

God patterned them after himself;

male and female he created them.

28 God blessed them and told them, " Multiply and fill the earth and subdue it. Be masters over the fish and birds and all the animals." 29 And God said, " Look! I have given you the seed-bearing plants throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. 30 And I have given all the grasses and other green plants to the animals and birds for their food." And so it was. 31 Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was excellent in every way. This all happened on the sixth day. 2:1 SO the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed. 2 On the seventh day, having finished his task, God rested from all his work. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from his work of creation. 4 This is the account of the creation of the heavens and the earth. When the LORD God made the heavens and the earth, 5 there were no plants or grain growing on the earth, for the LORD God had not sent any rain. And no one was there to cultivate the soil. 6 But water came up out of the ground and watered all the land. 7 And the LORD God formed a man's body from the dust of the ground and breathed into it the breath of life. And the man became a living person. 8 Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he placed the man he had created. 9 And the LORD God planted all sorts of trees in the garden--beautiful trees that produced delicious fruit. At the center of the garden he placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10 A river flowed from the land of Eden, watering the garden and then dividing into four branches. 11 One of these branches is the Pishon, which flows around the entire land of Havilah, where gold is found. 12 The gold of that land is exceptionally pure; aromatic resin and onyx stone are also found there. 13 The second branch is the Gihon, which flows around the entire land of Cush. 14 The third branch is the Tigris, which flows to the east of Asshur. The fourth branch is the Euphrates. 15 The LORD God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and care for it. 16 But the LORD God gave him this warning: " You may freely eat any fruit in the garden 17 except fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat of its fruit, you will surely die." 18 And the LORD God said, " It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a companion who will help him." 19 So the LORD God formed from the soil every kind of animal and bird. He brought them to Adam to see what he would call them, and Adam chose a name for each one. 20 He gave names to all the livestock, birds, and wild animals. But still there was no companion suitable for him. 21 So the LORD God caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep. He took one of Adam's ribs and closed up the place from which he had taken it. 22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib and brought her to Adam. 23 " At last!" Adam exclaimed. " She is part of my own flesh and bone! She will be called ` woman,' because she was taken out of a man." 24 This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one. 25 Now, although Adam and his wife were both naked, neither of them felt any shame.

MATTHEW 1:1-2:12

This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of King David and of Abraham: 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac. Isaac was the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers. 3 Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah (their mother was Tamar). Perez was the father of Hezron. Hezron was the father of Ram. 4 Ram was the father of Amminadab. Amminadab was the father of Nahshon. Nahshon was the father of Salmon. 5 Salmon was the father of Boaz (his mother was Rahab). Boaz was the father of Obed (his mother was Ruth). Obed was the father of Jesse. 6 Jesse was the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon (his mother was Bathsheba, the widow of Uriah). 7 Solomon was the father of Rehoboam. Rehoboam was the father of Abijah. Abijah was the father of Asaph. 8 Asaph was the father of Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat was the father of Jehoram. Jehoram was the father of Uzziah. 9 Uzziah was the father of Jotham. Jotham was the father of Ahaz. Ahaz was the father of Hezekiah. 10 Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh. Manasseh was the father of Amos. Amos was the father of Josiah. 11 Josiah was the father of Jehoiachin and his brothers (born at the time of the exile to Babylon). 12 After the Babylonian exile: Jehoiachin was the father of Shealtiel. Shealtiel was the father of Zerubbabel. 13 Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud. Abiud was the father of Eliakim. Eliakim was the father of Azor. 14 Azor was the father of Zadok. Zadok was the father of Akim. Akim was the father of Eliud. 15 Eliud was the father of Eleazar. Eleazar was the father of Matthan. Matthan was the father of Jacob. 16 Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Mary was the mother of Jesus, who is called the Messiah. 17 All those listed above include fourteen generations from Abraham to King David, and fourteen from David's time to the Babylonian exile, and fourteen from the Babylonian exile to the Messiah. 18 Now this is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, her fiancé being a just man, decided to break the engagement quietly, so as not to disgrace her publicly. 20 As he considered this, he fell asleep, and an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. " Joseph, son of David," the angel said, " do not be afraid to go ahead with your marriage to Mary. For the child within her has been conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." 22 All of this happened to fulfill the Lord's message through his prophet:23 " Look! The virgin will conceive a child!

She will give birth to a son,

and he will be called Immanuel

(meaning, God is with us)."

24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord commanded. He brought Mary home to be his wife, 25 but she remained a virgin until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus. 2:1 JESUS was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men* from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 2 " Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We have seen his star as it arose, and we have come to worship him." 3 Herod was deeply disturbed by their question, as was all of Jerusalem. 4 He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law. " Where did the prophets say the Messiah would be born?" he asked them. 5 " In Bethlehem," they said, " for this is what the prophet wrote:6 ` O Bethlehem of Judah,

you are not just a lowly village in Judah,

for a ruler will come from you

who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.'"

7 Then Herod sent a private message to the wise men, asking them to come see him. At this meeting he learned the exact time when they first saw the star. 8 Then he told them, " Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!" 9 After this interview the wise men went their way. Once again the star appeared to them, guiding them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! 11 They entered the house where the child and his mother, Mary, were, and they fell down before him and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 But when it was time to leave, they went home another way, because God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.

PSALM 1:1-6

Oh, the joys of those

who do not follow the advice of the wicked,

or stand around with sinners,

or join in with scoffers.

2 But they delight in doing everything the LORD wants;

day and night they think about his law.

3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank,

bearing fruit each season without fail.

Their leaves never wither,

and in all they do, they prosper.

4 But this is not true of the wicked.

They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind.

5 They will be condemned at the time of judgment.

Sinners will have no place among the godly.

6 For the LORD watches over the path of the godly,

but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.

PROVERBS 1:1-6

These are the proverbs of Solomon, David's son, king of Israel. The purpose of these proverbs is to teach people wisdom and discipline, and to help them understand wise sayings. Through these proverbs, people will receive instruction in discipline, good conduct, and doing what is right, just, and fair. These proverbs will make the simpleminded clever. They will give knowledge and purpose to young people. Let those who are wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser. And let those who understand receive guidance by exploring the depth of meaning in these proverbs, parables, wise sayings, and riddles.

December 31 Reading through the Bible

 

MALACHI 3:1-4:6

REVELATION 22:1-21

PSALM 150:1-6

PROVERBS 31:25-31

MALACHI 3:1-4:6

" Look! I [the LORD] am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger of the covenant, whom you look for so eagerly, is surely coming," says the LORD Almighty. 2 " But who will be able to endure it when he comes? Who will be able to stand and face him when he appears? For he will be like a blazing fire that refines metal or like a strong soap that whitens clothes. 3 He will sit and judge like a refiner of silver, watching closely as the dross is burned away. He will purify the Levites, refining them like gold or silver, so that they may once again offer acceptable sacrifices to the LORD. 4 Then once more the LORD will accept the offerings brought to him by the people of Judah and Jerusalem, as he did in former times. 5 At that time I will put you on trial. I will be a ready witness against all sorcerers and adulterers and liars. I will speak against those who cheat employees of their wages, who oppress widows and orphans, or who deprive the foreigners living among you of justice, for these people do not fear me," says the LORD Almighty. 6 " I am the LORD, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already completely destroyed. 7 Ever since the days of your ancestors, you have scorned my laws and failed to obey them. Now return to me, and I will return to you," says the LORD Almighty. " But you ask, ` How can we return when we have never gone away?' 8 " Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me! " But you ask, ` What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?' " You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me. 9 You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me. 10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do," says the LORD Almighty, " I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won't have enough room to take it in! Try it! Let me prove it to you! 11 Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and disease. Your grapes will not shrivel before they are ripe," says the LORD Almighty. 12 " Then all nations will call you blessed, for your land will be such a delight," says the LORD Almighty. 13 " You have said terrible things about me," says the LORD. " But you say, ` What do you mean? How have we spoken against you?' 14 " You have said, ` What's the use of serving God? What have we gained by obeying his commands or by trying to show the LORD Almighty that we are sorry for our sins? 15 From now on we will say, " Blessed are the arrogant." For those who do evil get rich, and those who dare God to punish them go free of harm.' " 16 Then those who feared the LORD spoke with each other, and the LORD listened to what they said. In his presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared him and loved to think about him. 17 " They will be my people," says the LORD Almighty. " On the day when I act, they will be my own special treasure. I will spare them as a father spares an obedient and dutiful child. 18 Then you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not."4:1 THE LORD Almighty says, " The day of judgment is coming, burning like a furnace. The arrogant and the wicked will be burned up like straw on that day. They will be consumed like a tree--roots and all. 2 " But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture. 3 On the day when I act, you will tread upon the wicked as if they were dust under your feet," says the LORD Almighty. 4 " Remember to obey the instructions of my servant Moses, all the laws and regulations that I gave him on Mount Sinai for all Israel. 5 " Look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the LORD arrives. 6 His preaching will turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the hearts of children to their parents. Otherwise I will come and strike the land with a curse."

REVELATION 22:1-21

And the angel showed me [John] a pure river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb, 2 coursing down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations. 3 No longer will anything be cursed. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him. 4 And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. 5 And there will be no night there--no need for lamps or sun--for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever. 6 Then the angel said to me, " These words are trustworthy and true: ` The Lord God, who tells his prophets what the future holds, has sent his angel to tell you what will happen soon.' " 7 " Look, I am coming soon! Blessed are those who obey the prophecy written in this scroll."8 I, John, am the one who saw and heard all these things. And when I saw and heard these things, I fell down to worship the angel who showed them to me. 9 But again he said, " No, don't worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers the prophets, as well as all who obey what is written in this scroll. Worship God!" 10 Then he instructed me, " Do not seal up the prophetic words you have written, for the time is near. 11 Let the one who is doing wrong continue to do wrong; the one who is vile, continue to be vile; the one who is good, continue to do good; and the one who is holy, continue in holiness." 12 " See, I am coming soon, and my reward is with me, to repay all according to their deeds. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End."14 Blessed are those who wash their robes so they can enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life. 15 Outside the city are the dogs--the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers, and all who love to live a lie. 16 " I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this message for the churches. I am both the source of David and the heir to his throne. I am the bright morning star."17 The Spirit and the bride say, " Come." Let each one who hears them say, "Come ." Let the thirsty ones come--anyone who wants to. Let them come and drink the water of life without charge. 18 And I solemnly declare to everyone who hears the prophetic words of this book: If anyone adds anything to what is written here, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book. 19 And if anyone removes any of the words of this prophetic book, God will remove that person's share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are described in this book. 20 He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, " Yes, I am coming soon!" Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! 21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you all.

PSALM 150:1-6

Praise the LORD!

Praise God in his heavenly dwelling;

praise him in his mighty heaven!

2 Praise him for his mighty works;

praise his unequaled greatness!

3 Praise him with a blast of the trumpet;

praise him with the lyre and harp!

4 Praise him with the tambourine and dancing;

praise him with stringed instruments and flutes!

5 Praise him with a clash of cymbals;

praise him with loud clanging cymbals.

6 Let everything that lives sing praises to the LORD!

Praise the LORD!

PROVERBS 31:25-31

She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs with no fear of the future. When she speaks, her words are wise, and kindness is the rule when she gives instructions. She carefully watches all that goes on in her household and does not have to bear the consequences of laziness. Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her: " There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all!" Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the LORD will be greatly praised. Reward her for all she has done. Let her deeds publicly declare her praise.

December 30 Reading through the Bible

 

MALACHI 1:1-2:17

REVELATION 21:1-27

PSALM 149:1-9

PROVERBS 31:10-24

MALACHI 1:1-2:17

This is the message that the LORD gave to Israel through the prophet Malachi. 2 " I have loved you deeply," says the LORD. But you retort, " Really? How have you loved us?" And the LORD replies, " I showed my love for you by loving your ancestor Jacob. Yet Esau was Jacob's brother, 3 and I rejected Esau and devastated his hill country. I turned Esau's inheritance into a desert for jackals." 4 And Esau's descendants in Edom may say, " We have been shattered, but we will rebuild the ruins." But this is what the LORD Almighty says: " They may try to rebuild, but I will demolish them again! Their country will be known as ` The Land of Wickedness,' and their people will be called ` The People with Whom the LORD Is Forever Angry.' 5 When you see the destruction for yourselves, you will say, ` Truly, the LORD's great power reaches far beyond our borders!' " 6 The LORD Almighty says to the priests: " A son honors his father, and a servant respects his master. I am your father and master, but where are the honor and respect I deserve? You have despised my name! " But you ask, ` How have we ever despised your name?' 7 " You have despised my name by offering defiled sacrifices on my altar. " Then you ask, ` How have we defiled the sacrifices?'" You defile them by saying the altar of the LORD deserves no respect. 8 When you give blind animals as sacrifices, isn't that wrong? And isn't it wrong to offer animals that are crippled and diseased? Try giving gifts like that to your governor, and see how pleased he is!" says the LORD Almighty. 9 " Go ahead, beg God to be merciful to you! But when you bring that kind of offering, why should he show you any favor at all?" asks the LORD Almighty. 10 " I wish that someone among you would shut the Temple doors so that these worthless sacrifices could not be offered! I am not at all pleased with you," says the LORD Almighty, " and I will not accept your offerings. 11 But my name is honored by people of other nations from morning till night. All around the world they offer sweet incense and pure offerings in honor of my name. For my name is great among the nations," says the LORD Almighty. 12 " But you dishonor my name with your actions. By bringing contemptible food, you are saying it's all right to defile the Lord's table. 13 You say, ` It's too hard to serve the LORD,' and you turn up your noses at his commands," says the LORD Almighty. " Think of it! Animals that are stolen and mutilated, crippled and sick--presented as offerings! Should I accept from you such offerings as these?" asks the LORD. 14 " Cursed is the cheat who promises to give a fine ram from his flock but then sacrifices a defective one to the Lord. For I am a great king," says the LORD Almighty, " and my name is feared among the nations!2:1 " LISTEN, you priests; this command is for you! 2 Listen to me and take it to heart. Honor my name," says the LORD Almighty, " or I will bring a terrible curse against you. I will curse even the blessings you receive. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you have not taken my warning seriously. 3 I will rebuke your descendants and splatter your faces with the dung of your festival sacrifices, and I will add you to the dung heap. 4 Then at last you will know it was I who sent you this warning so that my covenant with the Levites may continue," says the LORD Almighty. 5 " The purpose of my covenant with the Levites was to bring life and peace, and this is what I gave them. This called for reverence from them, and they greatly revered me and stood in awe of my name. 6 They passed on to the people all the truth they received from me. They did not lie or cheat; they walked with me, living good and righteous lives, and they turned many from lives of sin. 7 The priests' lips should guard knowledge, and people should go to them for instruction, for the priests are the messengers of the LORD Almighty. 8 But not you! You have left God's paths. Your ` guidance' has caused many to stumble into sin. You have corrupted the covenant I made with the Levites," says the LORD Almighty. 9 " So I have made you despised and humiliated in the eyes of all the people. For you have not obeyed me but have shown partiality in your interpretation of the law." 10 Are we not all children of the same Father? Are we not all created by the same God? Then why are we faithless to each other, violating the covenant of our ancestors? 11 In Judah, in Israel, and in Jerusalem there is treachery, for the men of Judah have defiled the LORD's beloved sanctuary by marrying women who worship idols. 12 May the LORD cut off from the nation of Israel every last man who has done this and yet brings an offering to the LORD Almighty.13 Here is another thing you do. You cover the LORD's altar with tears, weeping and groaning because he pays no attention to your offerings, and he doesn't accept them with pleasure. 14 You cry out, " Why has the LORD abandoned us?" I'll tell you why! Because the LORD witnessed the vows you and your wife made to each other on your wedding day when you were young. But you have been disloyal to her, though she remained your faithful companion, the wife of your marriage vows. 15 Didn't the LORD make you one with your wife? In body and spirit you are his. And what does he want? Godly children from your union. So guard yourself; remain loyal to the wife of your youth. 16 " For I hate divorce!" says the LORD, the God of Israel. " It is as cruel as putting on a victim's bloodstained coat," says the LORD Almighty. " So guard yourself; always remain loyal to your wife." 17 You have wearied the LORD with your words. " Wearied him?" you ask. " How have we wearied him?" You have wearied him by suggesting that the LORD favors evildoers since he does not punish them. You have wearied him by asking, " Where is the God of justice?"

REVELATION 21:1-27

Then I [John] saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a beautiful bride prepared for her husband. 3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, " Look, the home of God is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. 4 He will remove all of their sorrows, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. For the old world and its evils are gone forever." 5 And the one sitting on the throne said, " Look, I am making all things new!" And then he said to me, " Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true." 6 And he also said, " It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega--the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give the springs of the water of life without charge! 7 All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children. 8 But cowards who turn away from me, and unbelievers, and the corrupt, and murderers, and the immoral, and those who practice witchcraft, and idol worshipers, and all liars--their doom is in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death." 9 Then one of the seven angels who held the seven bowls containing the seven last plagues came and said to me, " Come with me! I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb."10 So he took me in spirit to a great, high mountain, and he showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. 11 It was filled with the glory of God and sparkled like a precious gem, crystal clear like jasper. 12 Its walls were broad and high, with twelve gates guarded by twelve angels. And the names of the twelve tribes of Israel were written on the gates. 13 There were three gates on each side--east, north, south, and west. 14 The wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were written the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 15 The angel who talked to me held in his hand a gold measuring stick to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. 16 When he measured it, he found it was a square, as wide as it was long. In fact, it was in the form of a cube, for its length and width and height were each 1,400 miles. 17 Then he measured the walls and found them to be 216 feet thick (the angel used a standard human measure). 18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city was pure gold, as clear as glass. 19 The wall of the city was built on foundation stones inlaid with twelve gems: the first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. 21 The twelve gates were made of pearls--each gate from a single pearl! And the main street was pure gold, as clear as glass. 22 No temple could be seen in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light. 24 The nations of the earth will walk in its light, and the rulers of the world will come and bring their glory to it. 25 Its gates never close at the end of day because there is no night. 26 And all the nations will bring their glory and honor into the city. 27 Nothing evil will be allowed to enter--no one who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty--but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.

PSALM 149:1-9

Praise the LORD!

Sing to the LORD a new song.

Sing his praises in the assembly of the faithful.

2 O Israel, rejoice in your Maker.

O people of Jerusalem, exult in your King.

3 Praise his name with dancing,

accompanied by tambourine and harp.

4 For the LORD delights in his people;

he crowns the humble with salvation.

5 Let the faithful rejoice in this honor.

Let them sing for joy as they lie on their beds.

6 Let the praises of God be in their mouths,

and a sharp sword in their hands--

7 to execute vengeance on the nations

and punishment on the peoples,

8 to bind their kings with shackles

and their leaders with iron chains,

9 to execute the judgment written against them.

This is the glory of his faithful ones.

Praise the LORD!

PROVERBS 31:10-24

Who can find a virtuous and capable wife? She is worth more than precious rubies. Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life. She will not hinder him but help him all her life. She finds wool and flax and busily spins it. She is like a merchant's ship; she brings her food from afar. She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household and plan the day's work for her servant girls. She goes out to inspect a field and buys it; with her earnings she plants a vineyard. She is energetic and strong, a hard worker. She watches for bargains; her lights burn late into the night. Her hands are busy spinning thread, her fingers twisting fiber. She extends a helping hand to the poor and opens her arms to the needy. She has no fear of winter for her household because all of them have warm clothes. She quilts her own bedspreads. She dresses like royalty in gowns of finest cloth. Her husband is well known, for he sits in the council meeting with the other civic leaders. She makes belted linen garments and sashes to sell to the merchants.