March 25 Reading through the Bible

 

DEUTERONOMY 4:1-49
LUKE 6:39-7:10
PSALM 68:1-18
PROVERBS 11:28

DEUTERONOMY 4:1-49
" And now, Israel, listen carefully to these laws and regulations that I am about to teach you. Obey them so that you may live, so you may enter and occupy the land the LORD, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. 2 Do not add to or subtract from these commands I am giving you from the LORD your God. Just obey them. 3 You saw what the LORD did to you at Baal-peor, where the LORD your God destroyed everyone who had worshiped the god Baal of Peor. 4 But all of you who were faithful to the LORD your God are still alive today. 5 " You must obey these laws and regulations when you arrive in the land you are about to enter and occupy. The LORD my God gave them to me and commanded me to pass them on to you. 6 If you obey them carefully, you will display your wisdom and intelligence to the surrounding nations. When they hear about these laws, they will exclaim, ` What other nation is as wise and prudent as this!' 7 For what great nation has a god as near to them as the LORD our God is near to us whenever we call on him? 8 And what great nation has laws and regulations as fair as this body of laws that I am giving you today? 9 " But watch out! Be very careful never to forget what you have seen the LORD do for you. Do not let these things escape from your mind as long as you live! And be sure to pass them on to your children and grandchildren. 10 Tell them especially about the day when you stood before the LORD your God at Mount Sinai, where he told me, ` Summon the people before me, and I will instruct them. That way, they will learn to fear me as long as they live, and they will be able to teach my laws to their children.' 11 You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, while the mountain was burning with fire. Flames shot into the sky, shrouded in black clouds and deep darkness. 12 And the LORD spoke to you from the fire. You heard his words but didn't see his form; there was only a voice. 13 He proclaimed his covenant, which he commanded you to keep--the Ten Commandments--and wrote them on two stone tablets. 14 It was at that time that the LORD commanded me to issue the laws and regulations you must obey in the land you are about to enter and occupy. 15 " But be careful! You did not see the LORD's form on the day he spoke to you from the fire at Mount Sinai. 16 So do not corrupt yourselves by making a physical image in any form--whether of a man or a woman, 17 an animal or a bird, 18 a creeping creature or a fish. 19 And when you look up into the sky and see the sun, moon, and stars--all the forces of heaven--don't be seduced by them and worship them. The LORD your God designated these heavenly bodies for all the peoples of the earth. 20 Remember that the LORD rescued you from the burning furnace of Egypt to become his own people and special possession; that is what you are today.21 " But the LORD was very angry with me because of you. He vowed that I would never cross the Jordan River into the good land the LORD your God is giving you as your special possession. 22 Though you will cross the Jordan to occupy the land, I will die here on this side of the river. 23 So be careful not to break the covenant the LORD your God has made with you. You will break it if you make idols of any shape or form, for the LORD your God has absolutely forbidden this. 24 The LORD your God is a devouring fire, a jealous God. 25 " In the future, when you have children and grandchildren and have lived in the land a long time, do not corrupt yourselves by making idols of any kind. This is evil in the sight of the LORD your God and will arouse his anger. 26 " Today I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you. If you disobey me, you will quickly disappear from the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy. You will live there only a short time; then you will be utterly destroyed. 27 For the LORD will scatter you among the nations, where only a few of you will survive. 28 There, in a foreign land, you will worship idols made from wood and stone, gods that neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell. 29 From there you will search again for the LORD your God. And if you search for him with all your heart and soul, you will find him. 30 " When those bitter days have come upon you far in the future, you will finally return to the LORD your God and listen to what he tells you. 31 For the LORD your God is merciful--he will not abandon you or destroy you or forget the solemn covenant he made with your ancestors. 32 " Search all of history, from the time God created people on the earth until now. Then search from one end of the heavens to the other. See if anything as great as this has ever happened before. 33 Has any nation ever heard the voice of God speaking from fire--as you did--and survived? 34 Has any other god taken one nation for himself by rescuing it from another by means of trials, miraculous signs, wonders, war, awesome power, and terrifying acts? Yet that is what the LORD your God did for you in Egypt, right before your very eyes.35 " He showed you these things so you would realize that the LORD is God and that there is no other god. 36 He let you hear his voice from heaven so he could instruct you. He let you see his great fire here on earth so he could speak to you from it. 37 Because he loved your ancestors, he chose to bless their descendants and personally brought you out of Egypt with a great display of power. 38 He drove out nations far greater than you, so he could bring you in and give you their land as a special possession, as it is today. 39 So remember this and keep it firmly in mind: The LORD is God both in heaven and on earth, and there is no other god! 40 If you obey all the laws and commands that I will give you today, all will be well with you and your children. Then you will enjoy a long life in the land the LORD your God is giving you for all time." 41 Then Moses set apart three cities of refuge east of the Jordan River, 42 where anyone who had accidentally killed someone without having any previous hostility could flee for safety. 43 These were the cities: Bezer on the wilderness plateau for the tribe of Reuben; Ramoth in Gilead for the tribe of Gad; Golan in Bashan for the tribe of Manasseh. 44 This is the law that Moses handed down to the Israelites. 45 These are the stipulations, laws, and regulations that Moses gave to the people of Israel when they left Egypt, 46 and as they camped in the valley near Beth-peor east of the Jordan River. (This land was formerly occupied by the Amorites under King Sihon of Heshbon. He and his people had been destroyed by Moses and the Israelites as they came up from Egypt. 47 Israel conquered his land and that of King Og of Bashan--the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan. 48 So Israel conquered all the area from Aroer at the edge of the Arnon Gorge to Mount Sirion, also called Mount Hermon. 49 And they took the eastern bank of the Jordan Valley as far south as the Dead Sea, below the slopes of Pisgah.)

LUKE 6:39-7:10
Then Jesus gave the following illustration: " What good is it for one blind person to lead another? The first one will fall into a ditch and pull the other down also. 40 A student is not greater than the teacher. But the student who works hard will become like the teacher. 41 " And why worry about a speck in your friend's eye* when you have a log in your own? 42 How can you think of saying, ` Friend,* let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,' when you can't see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log from your own eye; then perhaps you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend's eye. 43 " A good tree can't produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can't produce good fruit. 44 A tree is identified by the kind of fruit it produces. Figs never grow on thornbushes or grapes on bramble bushes. 45 A good person produces good deeds from a good heart, and an evil person produces evil deeds from an evil heart. Whatever is in your heart determines what you say.46 " So why do you call me ` Lord,' when you won't obey me? 47 I will show you what it's like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then obeys me. 48 It is like a person who builds a house on a strong foundation laid upon the underlying rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against the house, it stands firm because it is well built. 49 But anyone who listens and doesn't obey is like a person who builds a house without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will crumble into a heap of ruins." 7:1 WHEN Jesus had finished saying all this, he went back to Capernaum. 2 Now the highly valued slave of a Roman officer was sick and near death. 3 When the officer heard about Jesus, he sent some respected Jewish leaders to ask him to come and heal his slave. 4 So they earnestly begged Jesus to come with them and help the man. " If anyone deserves your help, it is he," they said, 5 " for he loves the Jews and even built a synagogue for us." 6 So Jesus went with them. But just before they arrived at the house, the officer sent some friends to say, " Lord, don't trouble yourself by coming to my home, for I am not worthy of such an honor. 7 I am not even worthy to come and meet you. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. 8 I know because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ` Go,' and they go, or ` Come,' and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ` Do this or that,' they do it."9 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to the crowd, he said, " I tell you, I haven't seen faith like this in all the land of Israel!" 10 And when the officer's friends returned to his house, they found the slave completely healed.

PSALM 68:1-18
For the choir director: A psalm of David. A song.
1 Arise, O God, and scatter your enemies.
Let those who hate God run for their lives.
2 Drive them off like smoke blown by the wind.
Melt them like wax in fire.
Let the wicked perish in the presence of God.
3 But let the godly rejoice.
Let them be glad in God's presence.
Let them be filled with joy.
4 Sing praises to God and to his name!
Sing loud praises to him who rides the clouds.
His name is the LORD--
rejoice in his presence!
5 Father to the fatherless, defender of widows--
this is God, whose dwelling is holy.
6 God places the lonely in families;
he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy.
But for rebels, there is only famine and distress.
7 O God, when you led your people from Egypt,
when you marched through the wilderness,
Interlude8 the earth trembled, and the heavens poured rain
before you, the God of Sinai,
before God, the God of Israel.
9 You sent abundant rain, O God,
to refresh the weary Promised Land.
10 There your people finally settled,
and with a bountiful harvest, O God,
you provided for your needy people.
11 The Lord announces victory,
and throngs of women shout the happy news.
12 Enemy kings and their armies flee,
while the women of Israel divide the plunder.
13 Though they lived among the sheepfolds,
now they are covered with silver and gold,
as a dove is covered by its wings.
14 The Almighty scattered the enemy kings
like a blowing snowstorm on Mount Zalmon.
15 The majestic mountains of Bashan
stretch high into the sky.
16 Why do you look with envy, O rugged mountains,
at Mount Zion, where God has chosen to live,
where the LORD himself will live forever?
17 Surrounded by unnumbered thousands of chariots,
the Lord came from Mount Sinai into his sanctuary.
18 When you ascended to the heights,
you led a crowd of captives.
You received gifts from the people,
even from those who rebelled against you.
Now the LORD God will live among us here.

PROVERBS 11:28
Trust in your money and down you go! But the godly flourish like leaves in spring.

March 24 Reading through the Bible

 

DEUTERONOMY 2:1-3:29
LUKE 6:12-38
PSALM 67:1-7
PROVERBS 11:27

DEUTERONOMY 2:1-3:29
" Then we [Moses and the Israelites] turned around and set out across the wilderness toward the Red Sea, just as the LORD had instructed me, and we wandered around Mount Seir for a long time. 2 Then at last the LORD said to me, 3 ` You have been wandering around in this hill country long enough; turn northward. 4 Give these orders to the people: " You will be passing through the country belonging to your relatives the Edomites, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. The Edomites will feel threatened, so be careful. 5 Don't bother them, for I have given them all the hill country around Mount Seir as their property, and I will not give you any of their land. 6 Pay them for whatever food or water you use. 7 The LORD your God has blessed everything you have done and has watched your every step through this great wilderness. During these forty years, the LORD your God has been with you and provided for your every need so that you lacked nothing."' 8 So we went past our relatives, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir, and avoided the road through the Arabah Valley that comes up from Elath and Ezion-geber. " Then as we traveled northward along the desert route through Moab, 9 the LORD warned us, ` Do not bother the Moabites, the descendants of Lot, or start a war with them. I have given them Ar as their property, and I will not give you any of their land.' " 10 (A numerous and powerful race of giants called the Emites had once lived in the area of Ar. They were as tall as the Anakites, another race of giants. 11 Both the Emites and the Anakites are often referred to as the Rephaites, but the Moabites called them Emites. 12 In earlier times the Horites had lived at Mount Seir, but they were driven out and displaced by the descendants of Esau. In a similar way the peoples in Canaan were driven from the land that the LORD had assigned to Israel.) 13 Moses continued, " Then the LORD told us to cross Zered Brook, and we did. 14 So thirty-eight years passed from the time we first arrived at Kadesh-barnea until we finally crossed Zered Brook! For the LORD had vowed that this could not happen until all the men old enough to fight in battle had died in the wilderness. 15 The LORD had lifted his hand against them until all of them had finally died. 16 " When all the men of fighting age had died, 17 the LORD said to me, 18 ` Today you will cross the border of Moab at Ar 19 and enter the land of Ammon. But do not bother the Ammonites, the descendants of Lot, or start a war with them. I have given the land of Ammon to them as their property, and I will not give you any of their land.' " 20 (That area, too, was once considered the land of the Rephaites, though the Ammonites referred to them as Zamzummites. 21 They were a numerous and powerful race, as tall as the Anakites. But the LORD destroyed them so the Ammonites could occupy their land. 22 He had similarly helped the descendants of Esau at Mount Seir, for he destroyed the Horites so they could settle there in their place. The descendants of Esau live there to this day. 23 A similar thing happened when the Caphtorites from Crete invaded and destroyed the Avvites, who had lived in villages in the area of Gaza.) 24 Moses continued, " Then the LORD said, ` Now cross the Arnon Gorge! Look, I will help you defeat Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and I will give you his land. Attack him and begin to occupy the land. 25 Beginning today I will make all people throughout the earth terrified of you. When they hear reports about you, they will tremble with dread and fear.' 26 " Then from the wilderness of Kedemoth I sent ambassadors to King Sihon of Heshbon with this proposal of peace: 27 ` Let us pass through your land. We will stay on the main road and won't turn off into the fields on either side. 28 We will pay for every bite of food we eat and all the water we drink. All we want is permission to pass through your land. 29 The descendants of Esau at Mount Seir allowed us to go through their country, and so did the Moabites, who live in Ar. Let us pass through until we cross the Jordan into the land the LORD our God has given us.' 30 But King Sihon refused to allow you to pass through, because the LORD your God made Sihon stubborn and defiant so he could help you defeat them, as he has now done.31 " Then the LORD said to me, ` Look, I have begun to hand King Sihon and his land over to you. Begin now to conquer and occupy his land.' 32 Then King Sihon declared war on us and mobilized his forces at Jahaz. 33 But the LORD our God handed him over to us, and we crushed him, his sons, and all his people. 34 We conquered all his towns and completely destroyed everyone--men, women, and children. Not a single person was spared. 35 We took all the livestock as plunder for ourselves, along with anything of value from the towns we ransacked. 36 " The LORD our God helped us conquer Aroer on the edge of the Arnon Gorge, the town in the gorge, and the whole area as far as Gilead. No town had walls too strong for us. 37 However, we stayed away from the Ammonites along the Jabbok River and the towns in the hill country--all the places the LORD our God had commanded us to leave alone.3:1 " NEXT we headed for the land of Bashan, where King Og and his army attacked us at Edrei. 2 But the LORD told me, ` Do not be afraid of him, for I have given you victory over Og and his army, giving you his entire land. Treat him just as you treated King Sihon of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon.' 3 So the LORD our God handed King Og and all his people over to us, and we killed them all. 4 We conquered all sixty of his towns, the entire Argob region in his kingdom of Bashan. 5 These were all fortified cities with high walls and barred gates. We also took many unwalled villages at the same time. 6 We completely destroyed the kingdom of Bashan, just as we had destroyed King Sihon of Heshbon. We destroyed* all the people in every town we conquered--men, women, and children alike. 7 But we kept all the livestock for ourselves and took plunder from all the towns. 8 " We now possessed all the land of the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River--from the Arnon Gorge to Mount Hermon. 9 (Mount Hermon is called Sirion by the Sidonians; the Amorites call it Senir.) 10 We had now conquered all the cities on the plateau, and all Gilead and Bashan as far as the towns of Salecah and Edrei, which were part of Og's kingdom in Bashan. 11 (Incidentally, King Og of Bashan was the last of the giant Rephaites. His iron bed was more than thirteen feet long and six feet wide. It can still be seen in the Ammonite city of Rabbah.) 12 " When we took possession of this land, I gave the territory beyond Aroer along the Arnon Gorge, plus half of the hill country of Gilead with its towns, to the tribes of Reuben and Gad. 13 Then I gave the rest of Gilead and all of Bashan--Og's former kingdom--to the half-tribe of Manasseh. (The Argob region of Bashan used to be known as the land of the Rephaites. 14 Jair, a leader from the tribe of Manasseh, acquired the whole Argob region in Bashan all the way to the borders of the Geshurites and Maacathites. Jair renamed this region after himself, calling it the Towns of Jair, as it is still known today.) 15 I gave Gilead to the clan of Makir. 16 And to the tribes of Reuben and Gad I gave the area extending from Gilead to the middle of the Arnon Gorge, all the way to the Jabbok River on the Ammonite frontier. 17 They also received the Jordan Valley, including the Jordan River and its eastern banks, all the way from the Sea of Galilee down to the Dead Sea, with the slopes of Pisgah on the east. 18 " At that time I gave this command to the tribes that will live east of the Jordan: ` Although the LORD your God has given you this land as your property, all your fighting men must cross the Jordan, armed and ready to protect your Israelite relatives. 19 Your wives, children, and numerous livestock, however, may stay behind in the towns I have given you. 20 When the LORD has given security to the rest of the Israelites, as he has to you, and when they occupy the land the LORD your God is giving them across the Jordan River, then you may return here to the land I have given you.' 21 " At that time I said to Joshua, ` You have seen all that the LORD your God has done to these two kings. He will do the same to all the kingdoms on the west side of the Jordan. 22 Do not be afraid of the nations there, for the LORD your God will fight for you.' 23 " At that time I pleaded with the LORD and said, 24 ` O Sovereign LORD, I am your servant. You have only begun to show me your greatness and power. Is there any god in heaven or on earth who can perform such great deeds as yours? 25 Please let me cross the Jordan to see the wonderful land on the other side, the beautiful hill country and the Lebanon mountains.' 26 " But the LORD was angry with me because of you, and he would not listen to me. ` That's enough!' he ordered. ` Speak of it no more. 27 You can go to Pisgah Peak and view the land in every direction, but you may not cross the Jordan River. 28 But commission Joshua and encourage him, for he will lead the people across the Jordan. He will give them the land you now see before you.' 29 So we stayed in the valley near Beth-peor."

LUKE 6:12-38
One day soon afterward Jesus went to a mountain to pray, and he prayed to God all night. 13 At daybreak he called together all of his disciples and chose twelve of them to be apostles. Here are their names: 14 Simon (he also called him Peter), Andrew (Peter's brother), James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, 15 Matthew, Thomas, James (son of Alphaeus), Simon (the Zealot), 16 Judas (son of James), Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him). 17 When they came down the slopes of the mountain, the disciples stood with Jesus on a large, level area, surrounded by many of his followers and by the crowds. There were people from all over Judea and from Jerusalem and from as far north as the seacoasts of Tyre and Sidon. 18 They had come to hear him and to be healed, and Jesus cast out many evil spirits. 19 Everyone was trying to touch him, because healing power went out from him, and they were all cured. 20 Then Jesus turned to his disciples and said, " God blesses you who are poor,
for the Kingdom of God is given to you.
21 God blesses you who are hungry now,
for you will be satisfied.
God blesses you who weep now,
for the time will come when you will laugh with joy.
22 God blesses you who are hated and excluded and mocked and cursed
because you are identified with me, the Son of Man.
23 " When that happens, rejoice! Yes, leap for joy! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were also treated that way by your ancestors. 24 " What sorrows await you who are rich,
for you have your only happiness now.
25 What sorrows await you who are satisfied and prosperous now,
for a time of awful hunger is before you.
What sorrows await you who laugh carelessly,
for your laughing will turn to mourning and sorrow.
26 What sorrows await you who are praised by the crowds,
for their ancestors also praised false prophets.
27 " But if you are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. 28 Pray for the happiness of those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn the other cheek. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. 30 Give what you have to anyone who asks you for it; and when things are taken away from you, don't try to get them back. 31 Do for others as you would like them to do for you. 32 " Do you think you deserve credit merely for loving those who love you? Even the sinners do that! 33 And if you do good only to those who do good to you, is that so wonderful? Even sinners do that much! 34 And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, what good is that? Even sinners will lend to their own kind for a full return. 35 " Love your enemies! Do good to them! Lend to them! And don't be concerned that they might not repay. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to the unthankful and to those who are wicked. 36 You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate. 37 " Stop judging others, and you will not be judged. Stop criticizing others, or it will all come back on you. If you forgive others, you will be forgiven. 38 If you give, you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use in giving--large or small--it will be used to measure what is given back to you."

PSALM 67:1-7
For the choir director: A psalm, to be accompanied by stringed instruments. A song.
1 May God be merciful and bless us.
May his face shine with favor upon us.
Interlude2 May your ways be known throughout the earth,
your saving power among people everywhere.
3 May the nations praise you, O God.
Yes, may all the nations praise you.
4 How glad the nations will be, singing for joy,
because you govern them with justice
and direct the actions of the whole world.
Interlude5 May the nations praise you, O God.
Yes, may all the nations praise you.
6 Then the earth will yield its harvests,
and God, our God, will richly bless us.
7 Yes, God will bless us,
and people all over the world will fear him.

PROVERBS 11:27
If you search for good, you will find favor; but if you search for evil, it will find you!

March 23 Reading through the Bible

 

NUMBERS 36:1--DEUTERONOMY 1:46
LUKE 5:29-6:11
PSALM 66:1-20
PROVERBS 11:24-26

NUMBERS 36:1--DEUTERONOMY 1:46
Then the heads of the clan of Gilead--descendants of Makir, son of Manasseh, son of Joseph--came to Moses and the family leaders of Israel with a petition. 2 They said, " Sir, the LORD instructed you to divide the land by sacred lot among the people of Israel. You were told by the LORD to give the inheritance of our brother Zelophehad to his daughters. 3 But if any of them marries a man from another tribe, their inheritance of land will go with them to the tribe into which they marry. In this way, the total area of our tribal land will be reduced. 4 Then when the Year of Jubilee comes, their inheritance of land will be added to that of the new tribe, causing it to be lost forever to our ancestral tribe." 5 So Moses gave the Israelites this command from the LORD: " The men of the tribe of Joseph are right. 6 This is what the LORD commands concerning the daughters of Zelophehad: Let them marry anyone they like, as long as it is within their own ancestral tribe. 7 None of the inherited land may pass from tribe to tribe, for the inheritance of every tribe must remain fixed as it was first allotted. 8 The daughters throughout the tribes of Israel who are in line to inherit property must marry within their tribe, so that all the Israelites will keep their ancestral property. 9 No inheritance may pass from one tribe to another; each tribe of Israel must hold on to its allotted inheritance of land." 10 The daughters of Zelophehad did as the LORD commanded Moses. 11 Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah all married cousins on their father's side. 12 They married into the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph. Thus, their inheritance of land remained within their ancestral tribe. 13 These are the commands and regulations that the LORD gave to the people of Israel through Moses while they were camped on the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, across from Jericho.1:1 THIS book records the words that Moses spoke to all the people of Israel while they were in the wilderness east of the Jordan River. They were camped in the Jordan Valley near Suph, between Paran on one side and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Di-zahab on the other. 2 Normally it takes only eleven days to travel from Mount Sinai to Kadesh-barnea, going by way of Mount Seir. 3 But forty years after the Israelites left Mount Sinai, on a day in midwinter, Moses gave these speeches to the Israelites, telling them everything the LORD had commanded him to say. 4 This was after he had defeated King Sihon of the Amorites, who had ruled in Heshbon, and King Og of Bashan, who had ruled in Ashtaroth and Edrei. 5 So Moses addressed the people of Israel while they were in the land of Moab east of the Jordan River. He began to explain the law as follows: 6 " When we were at Mount Sinai, the LORD our God said to us, ` You have stayed at this mountain long enough. 7 It is time to break camp and move on. Go to the hill country of the Amorites and to all the neighboring regions--the Jordan Valley, the hill country, the western foothills, the Negev, and the coastal plain. Go to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, and all the way to the great Euphrates River. 8 I am giving all this land to you! Go in and occupy it, for it is the land the LORD swore to give to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to all their descendants.' 9 " At that time I told you, ` You are too great a burden for me to carry all by myself. 10 The LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars! 11 And may the LORD, the God of your ancestors, multiply you a thousand times more and bless you as he promised! 12 But how can I settle all your quarrels and problems by myself? 13 Choose some men from each tribe who have wisdom, understanding, and a good reputation, and I will appoint them as your leaders.' 14 " You agreed that my plan was a good one. 15 So I took the wise and respected men you had selected from your tribes and appointed them to serve as judges and officials over you. Some were responsible for a thousand people, some for a hundred, some for fifty, and some for ten. 16 I instructed the judges, ` You must be perfectly fair at all times, not only to fellow Israelites, but also to the foreigners living among you. 17 When you make decisions, never favor those who are rich; be fair to lowly and great alike. Don't be afraid of how they will react, for you are judging in the place of God. Bring me any cases that are too difficult for you, and I will handle them.' 18 And at that time I gave you instructions about everything you were to do. 19 " Then, just as the LORD our God directed us, we left Mount Sinai and traveled through the great and terrifying wilderness, which you yourselves saw, and headed toward the hill country of the Amorites. When we arrived at Kadesh-barnea, 20 I said to you, ` You have now reached the land that the LORD our God is giving us. 21 Look! He has placed it in front of you. Go and occupy it as the LORD, the God of your ancestors, has promised you. Don't be afraid! Don't be discouraged!'22 " But you responded, ` First, let's send out scouts to explore the land for us. They will advise us on the best route to take and decide which towns we should capture.' 23 This seemed like a good idea to me, so I chose twelve scouts, one from each of your tribes. 24 They crossed into the hills and came to the valley of Eshcol and explored it. 25 They picked some of its fruit and brought it back to us. And they reported that the land the LORD our God had given us was indeed a good land. 26 " But you rebelled against the command of the LORD your God and refused to go in. 27 You murmured and complained in your tents and said, ` The LORD must hate us, bringing us here from Egypt to be slaughtered by these Amorites. 28 How can we go on? Our scouts have demoralized us with their report. They say that the people of the land are taller and more powerful than we are, and that the walls of their towns rise high into the sky! They have even seen giants there--the descendants of Anak!' 29 " But I said to you, ` Don't be afraid! 30 The LORD your God is going before you. He will fight for you, just as you saw him do in Egypt. 31 And you saw how the LORD your God cared for you again and again here in the wilderness, just as a father cares for his child. Now he has brought you to this place.' 32 But even after all he did, you refused to trust the LORD your God, 33 who goes before you looking for the best places to camp, guiding you by a pillar of fire at night and a pillar of cloud by day. 34 " When the LORD heard your complaining, he became very angry. So he solemnly swore, 35 ` Not one of you from this entire wicked generation will live to see the good land I swore to give your ancestors, 36 except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see this land because he has followed the LORD completely. I will give to him and his descendants some of the land he walked over during his scouting mission.' 37 " And the LORD was also angry with me because of you. He said to me, ` You will never enter the Promised Land! 38 Instead, your assistant, Joshua son of Nun, will lead the people into the land. Encourage him as he prepares to enter it. 39 I will give the land to your innocent children. You were afraid they would be captured, but they will be the ones who occupy it. 40 As for you, turn around now and go on back through the wilderness toward the Red Sea.' 41 " Then you confessed, ` We have sinned against the LORD! We will go into the land and fight for it, as the LORD our God has told us.' So your men strapped on their weapons, thinking it would be easy to conquer the hill country. 42 " But the LORD said to me, ` Tell them not to attack, for I will not go with them. If they do, they will be crushed by their enemies.' 43 This is what I told you, but you would not listen. Instead, you again rebelled against the LORD's command and arrogantly went into the hill country to fight. 44 But the Amorites who lived there came out against you like a swarm of bees. They chased and battered you all the way from Seir to Hormah. 45 Then you returned and wept before the LORD, but he refused to listen. 46 So you stayed there at Kadesh for a long time."

LUKE 5:29-6:11
Soon Levi held a banquet in his home with Jesus as the guest of honor. Many of Levi's fellow tax collectors and other guests were there. 30 But the Pharisees and their teachers of religious law complained bitterly to Jesus' disciples, " Why do you eat and drink with such scum?" 31 Jesus answered them, " Healthy people don't need a doctor--sick people do. 32 I have come to call sinners to turn from their sins, not to spend my time with those who think they are already good enough." 33 The religious leaders complained that Jesus' disciples were feasting instead of fasting. " John the Baptist's disciples always fast and pray," they declared, " and so do the disciples of the Pharisees. Why are yours always feasting?" 34 Jesus asked, " Do wedding guests fast while celebrating with the groom? 35 Someday he will be taken away from them, and then they will fast." 36 Then Jesus gave them this illustration: " No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and uses it to patch an old garment. For then the new garment would be torn, and the patch wouldn't even match the old garment. 37 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. The new wine would burst the old skins, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. 38 New wine must be put into new wineskins. 39 But no one who drinks the old wine seems to want the fresh and the new. ` The old is better,' they say."6:1 ONE Sabbath day as Jesus was walking through some grainfields, his disciples broke off heads of wheat, rubbed off the husks in their hands, and ate the grains. 2 But some Pharisees said, " You shouldn't be doing that! It's against the law to work by harvesting grain on the Sabbath." 3 Jesus replied, " Haven't you ever read in the Scriptures what King David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He went into the house of God, ate the special bread reserved for the priests alone, and then gave some to his friends. That was breaking the law, too." 5 And Jesus added, " I, the Son of Man, am master even of the Sabbath." 6 On another Sabbath day, a man with a deformed right hand was in the synagogue while Jesus was teaching. 7 The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees watched closely to see whether Jesus would heal the man on the Sabbath, because they were eager to find some legal charge to bring against him. 8 But Jesus knew their thoughts. He said to the man with the deformed hand, " Come and stand here where everyone can see." So the man came forward. 9 Then Jesus said to his critics, " I have a question for you. Is it legal to do good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing harm? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?" 10 He looked around at them one by one and then said to the man, " Reach out your hand." The man reached out his hand, and it became normal again! 11 At this, the enemies of Jesus were wild with rage and began to discuss what to do with him.

PSALM 66:1-20
For the choir director: A psalm.A song.
1 Shout joyful praises to God, all the earth!
2 Sing about the glory of his name!
Tell the world how glorious he is.
3 Say to God, " How awesome are your deeds!
Your enemies cringe before your mighty power.
4 Everything on earth will worship you;
they will sing your praises,
shouting your name in glorious songs."
Interlude5 Come and see what our God has done,
what awesome miracles he does for his people!
6 He made a dry path through the Red Sea,
and his people went across on foot.
Come, let us rejoice in who he is.
7 For by his great power he rules forever.
He watches every movement of the nations;
let no rebel rise in defiance.
Interlude8 Let the whole world bless our God
and sing aloud his praises.
9 Our lives are in his hands,
and he keeps our feet from stumbling.
10 You have tested us, O God;
you have purified us like silver melted in a crucible.
11 You captured us in your net
and laid the burden of slavery on our backs.
12 You sent troops to ride across our broken bodies.
We went through fire and flood.
But you brought us to a place of great abundance.
13 Now I come to your Temple with burnt offerings
to fulfill the vows I made to you--
14 yes, the sacred vows you heard me make
when I was in deep trouble.
15 That is why I am sacrificing burnt offerings to you--
the best of my rams as a pleasing aroma.
And I will sacrifice bulls and goats.
Interlude16 Come and listen, all you who fear God,
and I will tell you what he did for me.
17 For I cried out to him for help,
praising him as I spoke.
18 If I had not confessed the sin in my heart,
my Lord would not have listened.
19 But God did listen!
He paid attention to my prayer.
20 Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer
and did not withdraw his unfailing love from me.

PROVERBS 11:24-26
It is possible to give freely and become more wealthy, but those who are stingy will lose everything. The generous prosper and are satisfied; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed. People curse those who hold their grain for higher prices, but they bless the one who sells to them in their time of need.

March 22 Reading through the Bible

 

NUMBERS 33:40-35:34
LUKE 5:12-28
PSALM 65:1-13
PROVERBS 11:23

NUMBERS 33:40-35:34
It was then that the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev in the land of Canaan, heard that the people of Israel were approaching his land. 41 Meanwhile, the Israelites left Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah. 42 Then they left Zalmonah and camped at Punon. 43 They left Punon and camped at Oboth. 44 They left Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim on the border of Moab. 45 They left Iye-abarim and camped at Dibon-gad. 46 They left Dibon-gad and camped at Almon-diblathaim. 47 They left Almon-diblathaim and camped in the mountains east of the river, near Mount Nebo. 48 They left the mountains east of the river and camped on the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, across from Jericho. 49 Along the Jordan River they camped from Beth-jeshimoth as far as Abel-shittim on the plains of Moab.50 While they were camped near the Jordan River on the plains of Moab opposite Jericho, the LORD said to Moses, 51 " Speak to the Israelites and tell them: ` When you cross the Jordan River into the land of Canaan, 52 you must drive out all the people living there. You must destroy all their carved and molten images and demolish all their pagan shrines. 53 Take possession of the land and settle in it, because I have given it to you to occupy. 54 You must distribute the land among the clans by sacred lot and in proportion to their size. A larger inheritance of land will be allotted to each of the larger clans, and a smaller inheritance will be allotted to each of the smaller clans. The decision of the sacred lot is final. In this way, the land will be divided among your ancestral tribes. 55 But if you fail to drive out the people who live in the land, those who remain will be like splinters in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will harass you in the land where you live. 56 And I will do to you what I had planned to do to them.' " 34:1 THEN the LORD said to Moses, 2 " Give these instructions to the Israelites: When you come into the land of Canaan, which I am giving you as your special possession, these will be the boundaries. 3 The southern portion of your country will extend from the wilderness of Zin, along the edge of Edom. The southern boundary will begin on the east at the Dead Sea. 4 It will then run south past Scorpion Pass in the direction of Zin. Its southernmost point will be Kadesh-barnea, from which it will go to Hazar-addar, and on to Azmon. 5 From Azmon the boundary will turn toward the brook of Egypt and end at the Mediterranean Sea. 6 " Your western boundary will be the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea. 7 " Your northern boundary will begin at the Mediterranean Sea and run eastward to Mount Hor, 8 then to Lebo-hamath, and on through Zedad 9 and Ziphron to Hazar-enan. This will be your northern boundary. 10 " The eastern boundary will start at Hazar-enan and run south to Shepham, 11 then down to Riblah on the east side of Ain. From there the boundary will run down along the eastern edge of the Sea of Galilee, 12 and then along the Jordan River to the Dead Sea. These are the boundaries of your land." 13 Then Moses told the Israelites, " This is the territory you are to divide among yourselves by sacred lot. The LORD commands that the land be divided up among the nine and a half remaining tribes. 14 The families of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh have already received their inheritance of land 15 on the east side of the Jordan River, across from Jericho." 16 And the LORD said to Moses, 17 " These are the men who are to divide the land among the people: Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun. 18 Also enlist one leader from each tribe to help them with the task. 19 These are the tribes and the names of the leaders: Tribe Leader Judah Caleb son of Jephunneh 20 Simeon Shemuel son of Ammihud 21 Benjamin Elidad son of Kislon 22 Dan Bukki son of Jogli 23 Manasseh son of Joseph Hanniel son of Ephod 24 Ephraim son of Joseph Kemuel son of Shiphtan 25 Zebulun Elizaphan son of Parnach 26 Issachar Paltiel son of Azzan 27 Asher Ahihud son of Shelomi 28 Naphtali Pedahel son of Ammihud29 These are the men the LORD has appointed to oversee the dividing of the land of Canaan among the Israelites." 35:1 WHILE Israel was camped beside the Jordan on the plains of Moab, across from Jericho, the LORD said to Moses, 2 " Instruct the people of Israel to give to the Levites from their property certain towns to live in, along with the surrounding pasturelands. 3 These towns will be their homes, and the surrounding lands will provide pasture for their cattle, flocks, and other livestock. 4 The pastureland assigned to the Levites around these towns will extend 1,500 feet from the town walls in every direction. 5 Measure off 3,000 feet outside the town walls in every direction--east, south, west, north--with the town at the center. This area will serve as the larger pastureland for the towns. 6 " You must give the Levites six cities of refuge, where a person who has accidentally killed someone can flee for safety. In addition, give them forty-two other towns. 7 In all, forty-eight towns with the surrounding pastureland will be given to the Levites. 8 These towns will come from the property of the people of Israel. The larger tribes will give more towns to the Levites, while the smaller tribes will give fewer. Each tribe will give in proportion to its inheritance." 9 And the LORD said to Moses, 10 " Say this to the people of Israel: ` When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 11 designate cities of refuge for people to flee to if they have killed someone accidentally. 12 These cities will be places of protection from a dead person's relatives who want to avenge the death. The slayer must not be killed before being tried by the community. 13 Designate six cities of refuge for yourselves, 14 three on the east side of the Jordan River and three on the west in the land of Canaan. 15 These cities are for the protection of Israelites, resident foreigners, and traveling merchants. Anyone who accidentally kills someone may flee there for safety.16 " ` But if someone strikes and kills another person with a piece of iron, it must be presumed to be murder, and the murderer must be executed. 17 Or if someone strikes and kills another person with a large stone, it is murder, and the murderer must be executed. 18 The same is true if someone strikes and kills another person with a wooden weapon. It must be presumed to be murder, and the murderer must be executed. 19 The victim's nearest relative is responsible for putting the murderer to death. When they meet, the avenger must execute the murderer. 20 So if in premeditated hostility someone pushes another person or throws a dangerous object and the person dies, it is murder. 21 Or if someone angrily hits another person with a fist and the person dies, it is murder. In such cases, the victim's nearest relative must execute the murderer when they meet. 22 " ` But suppose someone pushes another person without premeditated hostility, or throws something that unintentionally hits another person, 23 or accidentally drops a stone on someone, though they were not enemies, and the person dies. 24 If this should happen, the assembly must follow these regulations in making a judgment between the slayer and the avenger, the victim's nearest relative. 25 They must protect the slayer from the avenger, and they must send the slayer back to live in a city of refuge until the death of the high priest. 26 " ` But if the slayer leaves the city of refuge, 27 and the victim's nearest relative finds him outside the city limits and kills him, it will not be considered murder. 28 The slayer should have stayed inside the city of refuge until the death of the high priest. But after the death of the high priest, the slayer may return to his own property. 29 These are permanent laws for you to observe from generation to generation, wherever you may live.30 " ` All murderers must be executed, but only if there is more than one witness. No one may be put to death on the testimony of only one witness. 31 Also, you must never accept a ransom payment for the life of someone judged guilty of murder and subject to execution; murderers must always be put to death. 32 And never accept a ransom payment from someone who has fled to a city of refuge, allowing the slayer to return to his property before the death of the high priest. 33 This will ensure that the land where you live will not be polluted, for murder pollutes the land. And no atonement can be made for murder except by the execution of the murderer. 34 You must not defile the land where you are going to live, for I live there myself. I am the LORD, who lives among the people of Israel.' "

LUKE 5:12-28
In one of the villages, Jesus met a man with an advanced case of leprosy. When the man saw Jesus, he fell to the ground, face down in the dust, begging to be healed. " Lord," he said, " if you want to, you can make me well again." 13 Jesus reached out and touched the man. " I want to," he said. " Be healed!" And instantly the leprosy disappeared. 14 Then Jesus instructed him not to tell anyone what had happened. He said, " Go right to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy, so everyone will have proof of your healing." 15 Yet despite Jesus' instructions, the report of his power spread even faster, and vast crowds came to hear him preach and to be healed of their diseases. 16 But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer. 17 One day while Jesus was teaching, some Pharisees and teachers of religious law were sitting nearby. (It seemed that these men showed up from every village in all Galilee and Judea, as well as from Jerusalem.) And the Lord's healing power was strongly with Jesus. 18 Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a sleeping mat. They tried to push through the crowd to Jesus, 19 but they couldn't reach him. So they went up to the roof, took off some tiles, and lowered the sick man down into the crowd, still on his mat, right in front of Jesus. 20 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, " Son, your sins are forgiven." 21 " Who does this man think he is?" the Pharisees and teachers of religious law said to each other. " This is blasphemy! Who but God can forgive sins?" 22 Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he asked them, " Why do you think this is blasphemy? 23 Is it easier to say, ` Your sins are forgiven' or ` Get up and walk'? 24 I will prove that I, the Son of Man, have the authority on earth to forgive sins." Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, " Stand up, take your mat, and go on home, because you are healed!" 25 And immediately, as everyone watched, the man jumped to his feet, picked up his mat, and went home praising God. 26 Everyone was gripped with great wonder and awe. And they praised God, saying over and over again, " We have seen amazing things today." 27 Later, as Jesus left the town, he saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at his tax-collection booth. " Come, be my disciple!" Jesus said to him. 28 So Levi got up, left everything, and followed him.

PSALM 65:1-13
For the choir director: A psalm of David. A song.
1 What mighty praise, O God,
belongs to you in Zion.
We will fulfill our vows to you,
2 for you answer our prayers,
and to you all people will come.
3 Though our hearts are filled with sins,
you forgive them all.
4 What joy for those you choose to bring near,
those who live in your holy courts.
What joys await us
inside your holy Temple.
5 You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds,
O God our savior.
You are the hope of everyone on earth,
even those who sail on distant seas.
6 You formed the mountains by your power
and armed yourself with mighty strength.
7 You quieted the raging oceans
with their pounding waves
and silenced the shouting of the nations.
8 Those who live at the ends of the earth
stand in awe of your wonders.
From where the sun rises to where it sets,
you inspire shouts of joy.
9 You take care of the earth and water it,
making it rich and fertile.
The rivers of God will not run dry;
they provide a bountiful harvest of grain,
for you have ordered it so.
10 You drench the plowed ground with rain,
melting the clods and leveling the ridges.
You soften the earth with showers
and bless its abundant crops.
11 You crown the year with a bountiful harvest;
even the hard pathways overflow with abundance.
12 The wilderness becomes a lush pasture,
and the hillsides blossom with joy.
13 The meadows are clothed with flocks of sheep,
and the valleys are carpeted with grain.
They all shout and sing for joy!

PROVERBS 11:23
The godly can look forward to happiness, while the wicked can expect only wrath.

March 21 Reading through the Bible

NUMBERS 32:1-33:39
LUKE 4:31-5:11
PSALM 64:1-10
PROVERBS 11:22

NUMBERS 32:1-33:39
Now the tribes of Reuben and Gad owned vast numbers of livestock. So when they saw that the lands of Jazer and Gilead were ideally suited for their flocks and herds, 2 they came to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the other leaders of the people. They said, 3 " Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon--4 the LORD has conquered this whole area for the people of Israel. It is ideally suited for all our flocks and herds. 5 If we have found favor with you, please let us have this land as our property instead of giving us land across the Jordan River." 6 " Do you mean you want to stay back here while your brothers go across and do all the fighting?" Moses asked the Reubenites and Gadites. 7 " Are you trying to discourage the rest of the people of Israel from going across to the land the LORD has given them? 8 This is what your ancestors did when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to explore the land. 9 After they went up to the valley of Eshcol and scouted the land, they discouraged the people of Israel from entering the land the LORD was giving them. 10 Then the LORD was furious with them, and he vowed, 11 ` Of all those I rescued from Egypt, no one who is twenty years old or older will ever see the land I solemnly promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for they have not obeyed me completely. 12 The only exceptions are Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they have wholeheartedly followed the LORD.' 13 " The LORD was furious with Israel and made them wander in the wilderness for forty years until the whole generation that sinned against him had died. 14 But here you are, a brood of sinners, doing exactly the same thing! You are making the LORD even angrier with Israel. 15 If you turn away from him like this and he abandons them again in the wilderness, you will be responsible for destroying this entire nation!" 16 But they responded to Moses, " We simply want to build sheepfolds for our flocks and fortified cities for our wives and children. 17 Then we will arm ourselves and lead our fellow Israelites into battle until we have brought them safely to their inheritance. Meanwhile, our families will stay in the fortified cities we build here, so they will be safe from any attacks by the local people. 18 We will not return to our homes until all the people of Israel have received their inheritance of land. 19 But we do not want any of the land on the other side of the Jordan. We would rather live here on the east side where we have received our inheritance." 20 Then Moses said, " If you keep your word and arm yourselves for the LORD's battles, 21 and if your troops cross the Jordan until the LORD has driven out his enemies, 22 then you may return when the land is finally subdued before the LORD. You will have discharged your duty to the LORD and to the rest of the people of Israel. And the land on the east side of the Jordan will be your inheritance from the LORD. 23 But if you fail to keep your word, then you will have sinned against the LORD, and you may be sure that your sin will find you out. 24 Go ahead and build towns for your families and sheepfolds for your flocks, but do everything you have said." 25 Then the people of Gad and Reuben replied, " We are your servants and will follow your instructions exactly. 26 Our children, wives, flocks, and cattle will stay here in the towns of Gilead. 27 But, sir, all who are able to bear arms will cross over to fight for the LORD, just as you have said." 28 So Moses gave orders to Eleazar, Joshua, and the tribal leaders of Israel. 29 He said, " If all the men of Gad and Reuben who are able to fight the LORD's battles cross the Jordan with you, then when the land is conquered, you must give them the land of Gilead as their property. 30 But if they refuse to cross over and march ahead of you, then they must accept land with the rest of you in the land of Canaan." 31 The tribes of Gad and Reuben said again, " Sir, we will do as the LORD has commanded! 32 We will cross the Jordan into Canaan fully armed to fight for the LORD, but our inheritance of land will be here on this side of the Jordan." 33 So Moses assigned to the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph the territory of King Sihon of the Amorites and the land of King Og of Bashan--the whole land with its towns and surrounding lands. 34 The people of Gad built the towns of Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, 35 Atroth-shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, 36 Beth-nimrah, and Beth-haran. These were all fortified cities with sheepfolds for their flocks. 37 The people of Reuben built the towns of Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim, 38 Nebo, Baal-meon, and Sibmah. They changed the names of some of the towns they conquered and rebuilt. 39 Then the descendants of Makir of the tribe of Manasseh went to Gilead and conquered it, and they drove out the Amorites, who were living there. 40 So Moses gave Gilead to the Makirites, descendants of Manasseh, and they lived there. 41 The people of Jair, another clan of the tribe of Manasseh, captured many of the towns in Gilead and changed the name of that region to the Towns of Jair. 42 Meanwhile, a man named Nobah captured the town of Kenath and its surrounding villages, and he renamed that area Nobah after himself.33:1 THIS is the itinerary the Israelites followed as they marched out of Egypt under the leadership of Moses and Aaron. 2 At the LORD's direction, Moses kept a written record of their progress. These are the stages of their march, identified by the different places they stopped along the way. 3 They set out from the city of Rameses on the morning after the first Passover celebration in early spring. The people of Israel left defiantly, in full view of all the Egyptians. 4 Meanwhile, the Egyptians were burying all their firstborn sons, whom the LORD had killed the night before. The LORD had defeated the gods of Egypt that night with great acts of judgment! 5 After leaving Rameses, the Israelites set up camp at Succoth. 6 Then they left Succoth and camped at Etham on the edge of the wilderness. 7 They left Etham and turned back toward Pi-hahiroth, opposite Baal-zephon, and camped near Migdol. 8 They left Pi-hahiroth and crossed the Red Sea into the wilderness beyond. Then they traveled for three days into the Etham wilderness and camped at Marah. 9 They left Marah and camped at Elim, where there are twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees. 10 They left Elim and camped beside the Red Sea. 11 They left the Red Sea and camped in the Sin Desert. 12 They left the Sin Desert and camped at Dophkah. 13 They left Dophkah and camped at Alush. 14 They left Alush and camped at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink. 15 They left Rephidim and camped in the wilderness of Sinai. 16 They left the wilderness of Sinai and camped at Kibroth-hattaavah. 17 They left Kibroth-hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth. 18 They left Hazeroth and camped at Rithmah. 19 They left Rithmah and camped at Rimmon-perez. 20 They left Rimmon-perez and camped at Libnah. 21 They left Libnah and camped at Rissah. 22 They left Rissah and camped at Kehelathah. 23 They left Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shepher. 24 They left Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah. 25 They left Haradah and camped at Makheloth. 26 They left Makheloth and camped at Tahath. 27 They left Tahath and camped at Terah. 28 They left Terah and camped at Mithcah. 29 They left Mithcah and camped at Hashmonah. 30 They left Hashmonah and camped at Moseroth. 31 They left Moseroth and camped at Bene-jaakan. 32 They left Bene-jaakan and camped at Hor-haggidgad. 33 They left Hor-haggidgad and camped at Jotbathah. 34 They left Jotbathah and camped at Abronah. 35 They left Abronah and camped at Ezion-geber. 36 They left Ezion-geber and camped at Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin. 37 They left Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor, at the border of Edom. 38 While they were at the foot of Mount Hor, Aaron the priest was directed by the LORD to go up the mountain, and there he died. This happened on a day in midsummer, during the fortieth year after Israel's departure from Egypt. 39 Aaron was 123 years old when he died there on Mount Hor.

LUKE 4:31-5:11
Then Jesus went to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and taught there in the synagogue every Sabbath day. 32 There, too, the people were amazed at the things he said, because he spoke with authority. 33 Once when he was in the synagogue, a man possessed by a demon began shouting at Jesus, 34 " Go away! Why are you bothering us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are--the Holy One sent from God." 35 Jesus cut him short. " Be silent!" he told the demon. " Come out of the man!" The demon threw the man to the floor as the crowd watched; then it left him without hurting him further. 36 Amazed, the people exclaimed, " What authority and power this man's words possess! Even evil spirits obey him and flee at his command!" 37 The story of what he had done spread like wildfire throughout the whole region. 38 After leaving the synagogue that day, Jesus went to Simon's home, where he found Simon's mother-in-law very sick with a high fever. " Please heal her," everyone begged. 39 Standing at her bedside, he spoke to the fever, rebuking it, and immediately her temperature returned to normal. She got up at once and prepared a meal for them. 40 As the sun went down that evening, people throughout the village brought sick family members to Jesus. No matter what their diseases were, the touch of his hand healed every one. 41 Some were possessed by demons; and the demons came out at his command, shouting, " You are the Son of God." But because they knew he was the Messiah, he stopped them and told them to be silent. 42 Early the next morning Jesus went out into the wilderness. The crowds searched everywhere for him, and when they finally found him, they begged him not to leave them. 43 But he replied, " I must preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God in other places, too, because that is why I was sent." 44 So he continued to travel around, preaching in synagogues throughout Judea.5:1 ONE day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God. 2 He noticed two empty boats at the water's edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. 3 Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there. 4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, " Now go out where it is deeper and let down your nets, and you will catch many fish." 5 " Master," Simon replied, " we worked hard all last night and didn't catch a thing. But if you say so, we'll try again." 6 And this time their nets were so full they began to tear! 7 A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking.8 When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, " Oh, Lord, please leave me--I'm too much of a sinner to be around you." 9 For he was awestruck by the size of their catch, as were the others with him. 10 His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed. Jesus replied to Simon, " Don't be afraid! From now on you'll be fishing for people!" 11 And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus.

PSALM 64:1-10
For the choir director: A psalm of David.
1 O God, listen to my complaint.
Do not let my enemies' threats overwhelm me.
2 Protect me from the plots of the wicked,
from the scheming of those who do evil.
3 Sharp tongues are the swords they wield;
bitter words are the arrows they aim.
4 They shoot from ambush at the innocent,
attacking suddenly and fearlessly.
5 They encourage each other to do evil
and plan how to set their traps.
" Who will ever notice?" they ask.
6 As they plot their crimes, they say,
" We have devised the perfect plan!"
Yes, the human heart and mind are cunning.
7 But God himself will shoot them down.
Suddenly, his arrows will pierce them.
8 Their own words will be turned against them, destroying them.
All who see it happening will shake their heads in scorn.
9 Then everyone will stand in awe,
proclaiming the mighty acts of God,
realizing all the amazing things he does.
10 The godly will rejoice in the LORD
and find shelter in him.
And those who do what is right
will praise him.

PROVERBS 11:22

A woman who is beautiful but lacks discretion is like a gold ring in a pig's snout. 

March 20 Reading through the Bible

 

NUMBERS 30:1-31:54
LUKE 4:1-30
PSALM 63:1-11
PROVERBS 11:20-21

NUMBERS 30:1-31:54
Now Moses summoned the leaders of the tribes of Israel and told them, " This is what the LORD has commanded: 2 A man who makes a vow to the LORD or makes a pledge under oath must never break it. He must do exactly what he said he would do. 3 " If a young woman makes a vow to the LORD or a pledge under oath while she is still living at her father's home, 4 and her father hears of the vow or pledge but says nothing, then all her vows and pledges will stand. 5 But if her father refuses to let her fulfill the vow or pledge on the day he hears of it, then all her vows and pledges will become invalid. The LORD will forgive her because her father would not let her fulfill them. 6 " Now suppose a young woman takes a vow or makes an impulsive pledge and later marries. 7 If her husband learns of her vow or pledge and raises no objections on the day he hears of it, her vows and pledges will stand. 8 But if her husband refuses to accept her vow or impulsive pledge on the day he hears of it, he nullifies her commitments, and the LORD will forgive her. 9 If, however, a woman is a widow or is divorced, she must fulfill all her vows and pledges no matter what. 10 " Suppose a woman is married and living in her husband's home when she makes a vow or pledge. 11 If her husband hears of it and does nothing to stop her, her vow or pledge will stand. 12 But if her husband refuses to accept it on the day he hears of it, her vow or pledge will be nullified, and the LORD will forgive her. 13 So her husband may either confirm or nullify any vows or pledges she makes to deny herself. 14 But if he says nothing on the day he hears of it, then he is agreeing to it. 15 If he waits more than a day and then tries to nullify a vow or pledge, he will suffer the consequences of her guilt." 16 These are the regulations the LORD gave Moses concerning relationships between a man and his wife, and between a father and a young daughter who still lives at home.31:1 THEN the LORD said to Moses, 2 " Take vengeance on the Midianites for leading the Israelites into idolatry. After that, you will die and join your ancestors." 3 So Moses said to the people, " Choose some men to fight the LORD's war of vengeance against Midian. 4 From each tribe of Israel, send one thousand men into battle." 5 So they chose one thousand men from each tribe of Israel, a total of twelve thousand men armed for battle. 6 Then Moses sent them out, a thousand men from each tribe, and Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest led them into battle. They carried along the holy objects of the sanctuary and the trumpets for sounding the charge. 7 They attacked Midian just as the LORD had commanded Moses, and they killed all the men. 8 All five of the Midianite kings--Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba--died in the battle. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword. 9 Then the Israelite army captured the Midianite women and children and seized their cattle and flocks and all their wealth as plunder. 10 They burned all the towns and villages where the Midianites had lived. 11 After they had gathered the plunder and captives, both people and animals, 12 they brought them all to Moses and Eleazar the priest, and to the whole community of Israel, which was camped on the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, across from Jericho. 13 Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the people went to meet them outside the camp. 14 But Moses was furious with all the military commanders who had returned from the battle. 15 " Why have you let all the women live?" he demanded. 16 " These are the very ones who followed Balaam's advice and caused the people of Israel to rebel against the LORD at Mount Peor. They are the ones who caused the plague to strike the LORD's people. 17 Now kill all the boys and all the women who have slept with a man. 18 Only the young girls who are virgins may live; you may keep them for yourselves. 19 And all of you who have killed anyone or touched a dead body must stay outside the camp for seven days. You must purify yourselves and your captives on the third and seventh days. 20 Also, purify all your clothing and everything made of leather, goat hair, or wood." 21 Then Eleazar the priest said to the men who were in the battle, " The LORD has given Moses this requirement of the law: 22 Anything made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, or lead--23 that is, metals that do not burn--must be passed through fire in order to be made ceremonially pure. These metal objects must then be further purified with the water of purification. But everything that burns must be purified by the water alone. 24 On the seventh day you must wash your clothes and be purified. Then you may return to the camp." 25 And the LORD said to Moses, 26 " You and Eleazar the priest and the family leaders of each tribe are to make a list of all the plunder taken in the battle, including the people and animals. 27 Then divide the plunder into two parts, and give half to the men who fought the battle and half to the rest of the people. 28 But first give the LORD his share of the captives, cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats that belong to the army. Set apart one out of every five hundred as the LORD's share. 29 Give this share of their half to Eleazar the priest as an offering to the LORD. 30 Also take one of every fifty of the captives, cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats in the half that belongs to the people of Israel. Give this share to the Levites in charge of maintaining the LORD's Tabernacle." 31 So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the LORD commanded Moses. 32 The plunder remaining from the spoils that the fighting men had taken totaled 675,000 sheep, 33 72,000 cattle, 34 61,000 donkeys, 35 and 32,000 young girls. 36 So the half of the plunder given to the fighting men totaled 337,500 sheep, 37 of which 675 were the LORD's share; 38 36,000 cattle, of which 72 were the LORD's share; 39 30,500 donkeys, of which 61 were the LORD's share; 40 16,000 young girls, of whom 32 were the LORD's share. 41 Moses gave all the LORD's share to Eleazar the priest, just as the LORD had directed him. 42 The half of the plunder belonging to the people of Israel, which Moses had separated from the half belonging to the fighting men, 43 amounted to 337,500 sheep, 44 36,000 cattle, 45 30,500 donkeys, 46 and 16,000 young girls. 47 From the half-share given to the people, Moses took one of every fifty prisoners and animals and gave them to the Levites who maintained the LORD's Tabernacle. All this was done just as the LORD had commanded Moses. 48 Then all the military commanders came to Moses 49 and said, " Sir, we have accounted for all the men who went out to battle under our command; not one of us is missing! 50 So we are presenting the items of gold we captured as an offering to the LORD from our share of the plunder--armbands, bracelets, rings, earrings, and necklaces. This will make atonement for our lives before the LORD." 51 So Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from all the military commanders, all kinds of jewelry and crafted objects. 52 In all, the gold that the commanders presented as a gift to the LORD weighed about 420 pounds. 53 All the fighting men had taken some of the plunder for themselves. 54 So Moses and Eleazar the priest accepted the gifts from the military commanders and brought the gold to the Tabernacle as a reminder to the LORD that the people of Israel belong to him.

LUKE 4:1-30
Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit to go out into the wilderness, 2 where the Devil tempted him for forty days. He ate nothing all that time and was very hungry. 3 Then the Devil said to him, " If you are the Son of God, change this stone into a loaf of bread." 4 But Jesus told him, " No! The Scriptures say, ` People need more than bread for their life.'" 5 Then the Devil took him up and revealed to him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 The Devil told him, " I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them--because they are mine to give to anyone I please. 7 I will give it all to you if you will bow down and worship me." 8 Jesus replied, " The Scriptures say, ` You must worship the Lord your God;
serve only him.'"
9 Then the Devil took him to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, " If you are the Son of God, jump off! 10 For the Scriptures say, ` He orders his angels to protect and guard you.
11 And they will hold you with their hands
to keep you from striking your foot on a stone.'"
12 Jesus responded, " The Scriptures also say, ` Do not test the Lord your God.'" 13 When the Devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came. 14 Then Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit's power. Soon he became well known throughout the surrounding country. 15 He taught in their synagogues and was praised by everyone. 16 When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. 17 The scroll containing the messages of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him, and he unrolled the scroll to the place where it says:18 " The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
for he has appointed me to preach Good News to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim
that captives will be released,
that the blind will see,
that the downtrodden will be freed from their oppressors,
19 and that the time of the Lord's favor has come."
20 He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. Everyone in the synagogue stared at him intently. 21 Then he said, " This Scripture has come true today before your very eyes!" 22 All who were there spoke well of him and were amazed by the gracious words that fell from his lips. " How can this be?" they asked. " Isn't this Joseph's son?" 23 Then he said, " Probably you will quote me that proverb, ` Physician, heal yourself'--meaning, ` Why don't you do miracles here in your hometown like those you did in Capernaum?' 24 But the truth is, no prophet is accepted in his own hometown. 25 " Certainly there were many widows in Israel who needed help in Elijah's time, when there was no rain for three and a half years and hunger stalked the land. 26 Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them. He was sent instead to a widow of Zarephath--a foreigner in the land of Sidon. 27 Or think of the prophet Elisha, who healed Naaman, a Syrian, rather than the many lepers in Israel who needed help." 28 When they heard this, the people in the synagogue were furious. 29 Jumping up, they mobbed him and took him to the edge of the hill on which the city was built. They intended to push him over the cliff, 30 but he slipped away through the crowd and left them.

PSALM 63:1-11
A psalm of David, regarding a time when David was in the wilderness of Judah.
1 O God, you are my God;
I earnestly search for you.
My soul thirsts for you;
my whole body longs for you
in this parched and weary land
where there is no water.
2 I have seen you in your sanctuary
and gazed upon your power and glory.
3 Your unfailing love is better to me than life itself;
how I praise you!
4 I will honor you as long as I live,
lifting up my hands to you in prayer.
5 You satisfy me more than the richest of foods.
I will praise you with songs of joy.
6 I lie awake thinking of you,
meditating on you through the night.
7 I think how much you have helped me;
I sing for joy in the shadow of your protecting wings.
8 I follow close behind you;
your strong right hand holds me securely.
9 But those plotting to destroy me will come to ruin.
They will go down into the depths of the earth.
10 They will die by the sword
and become the food of jackals.
11 But the king will rejoice in God.
All who trust in him will praise him,
while liars will be silenced.

PROVERBS 11:20-21
The LORD hates people with twisted hearts, but he delights in those who have integrity. You can be sure that evil people will be punished, but the children of the godly will go free.

March 19 Reading through the Bible

 

NUMBERS 28:16-29:40
LUKE 3:23-38
PSALM 62:1-12
PROVERBS 11:18-19

NUMBERS 28:16-29:40
" On the appointed day in early spring, you must celebrate the LORD's Passover. 17 On the following day a joyous, seven-day festival will begin, but no bread made with yeast may be eaten. 18 On the first day of the festival you must call a sacred assembly of the people. None of your regular work may be done on that day. 19 You must present as a burnt offering to the LORD two young bulls, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs, all with no physical defects. 20 These will be accompanied by grain offerings of choice flour mixed with olive oil--five quarts with each bull, three quarts with the ram, 21 and two quarts with each of the seven lambs. 22 You must also offer a male goat as a sin offering, to make atonement for yourselves. 23 You will present these offerings in addition to your regular morning sacrifices. 24 On each of the seven days of the festival, this is how you will prepare the food offerings to be presented by fire, very pleasing to the LORD. These will be offered in addition to the regular whole burnt offerings and drink offerings. 25 On the seventh day of the festival you must call another holy assembly of the people. None of your regular work may be done on that day. 26 " On the first day of the Festival of Harvest, when you present the first of your new grain to the LORD, you must call a holy assembly of the people. None of your regular work may be done on that day. 27 A special whole burnt offering will be offered that day, very pleasing to the LORD. It will consist of two young bulls, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs. 28 These will be accompanied by grain offerings of choice flour mixed with olive oil--five quarts with each bull, three quarts with the ram, 29 and two quarts with each of the seven lambs. 30 Also, offer one male goat to make atonement for yourselves. 31 These special burnt offerings, along with their drink offerings, are in addition to the regular daily burnt offering and its accompanying grain offering. Be sure that all the animals you sacrifice have no physical defects.29:1 " THE Festival of Trumpets will be celebrated on the appointed day in early autumn each year. You must call a solemn assembly of all the people on that day, and no regular work may be done. 2 On that day you must present a burnt offering, very pleasing to the LORD. It will consist of one young bull, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs, all with no physical defects. 3 These must be accompanied by grain offerings of choice flour mixed with olive oil--five quarts with the bull, three quarts with the ram, 4 and two quarts with each of the seven lambs. 5 In addition, you must sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering, to make atonement for yourselves. 6 These special sacrifices are in addition to your regular monthly and daily burnt offerings, and they must be given with their prescribed grain offerings and drink offerings. These offerings are given to the LORD by fire and are very pleasing to him. 7 " Ten days later, you must call another holy assembly of all the people. On that day, the Day of Atonement, the people must go without food, and no regular work may be done. 8 You must present a burnt offering, very pleasing to the LORD. It will consist of one young bull, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs, all with no physical defects. 9 These offerings must be accompanied by the prescribed grain offerings of choice flour mixed with olive oil--five quarts of choice flour with the bull, three quarts of choice flour with the ram, 10 and two quarts of choice flour with each of the seven lambs. 11 You must also sacrifice one male goat for a sin offering. This is in addition to the sin offering of atonement and the regular daily burnt offering with its grain offering, and their accompanying drink offerings. 12 " Five days later, you must call yet another holy assembly of all the people, and on that day no regular work may be done. It is the beginning of the Festival of Shelters, a seven-day festival to the LORD. 13 That day you must present a special whole burnt offering by fire, very pleasing to the LORD. It will consist of thirteen young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old male lambs, all with no physical defects. 14 Each of these offerings must be accompanied by a grain offering of choice flour mixed with olive oil--five quarts for each of the thirteen bulls, three quarts for each of the two rams, 15 and two quarts for each of the fourteen lambs. 16 You must also sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular daily burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and drink offering. 17 " On the second day of this seven-day festival, sacrifice twelve young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old male lambs, all with no physical defects. 18 Each of these offerings of bulls, rams, and lambs must be accompanied by the prescribed grain offering and drink offering. 19 You must also sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular daily burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and drink offering.20 " On the third day of the festival, sacrifice eleven young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old male lambs, all with no physical defects. 21 Each of these offerings of bulls, rams, and lambs must be accompanied by the prescribed grain offering and drink offering. 22 You must also sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular daily burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and drink offering. 23 " On the fourth day of the festival, sacrifice ten young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old male lambs, all with no physical defects. 24 Each of these offerings of bulls, rams, and lambs must be accompanied by the prescribed grain offering and drink offering. 25 You must also sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular daily burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and drink offering. 26 " On the fifth day of the festival, sacrifice nine young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old male lambs, all with no physical defects. 27 Each of these offerings of bulls, rams, and lambs must be accompanied by the prescribed grain offering and drink offering. 28 You must also sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular daily burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and drink offering. 29 " On the sixth day of the festival, sacrifice eight young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old male lambs, all with no physical defects. 30 Each of these offerings of bulls, rams, and lambs must be accompanied by the prescribed grain offering and drink offering. 31 You must also sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular daily burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and drink offering. 32 " On the seventh day of the festival, sacrifice seven young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old male lambs, all with no physical defects. 33 Each of these offerings of bulls, rams, and lambs must be accompanied by the prescribed grain offering and drink offering. 34 You must also sacrifice one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular daily burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and drink offering. 35 " On the eighth day of the festival, call all the people to another holy assembly. You must do no regular work on that day. 36 You must present a burnt offering, very pleasing to the LORD. It will consist of one young bull, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs, all with no physical defects. 37 Each of these offerings must be accompanied by the prescribed grain offering and drink offering. 38 You must also sacrifice one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular daily burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and drink offering. 39 " You must present these offerings to the LORD at your annual festivals. These are in addition to the sacrifices and offerings you present in connection with vows, or as freewill offerings, burnt offerings, grain offerings, drink offerings, or peace offerings." 40 So Moses gave all of these instructions to the people of Israel, just as the LORD had commanded him.

LUKE 3:23-38
Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his public ministry. Jesus was known as the son of Joseph. Joseph was the son of Heli. 24 Heli was the son of Matthat. Matthat was the son of Levi. Levi was the son of Melki. Melki was the son of Jannai. Jannai was the son of Joseph. 25 Joseph was the son of Mattathias. Mattathias was the son of Amos. Amos was the son of Nahum. Nahum was the son of Esli. Esli was the son of Naggai. 26 Naggai was the son of Maath. Maath was the son of Mattathias. Mattathias was the son of Semein. Semein was the son of Josech. Josech was the son of Joda. 27 Joda was the son of Joanan. Joanan was the son of Rhesa. Rhesa was the son of Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel was the son of Shealtiel. Shealtiel was the son of Neri. 28 Neri was the son of Melki. Melki was the son of Addi. Addi was the son of Cosam. Cosam was the son of Elmadam. Elmadam was the son of Er. 29 Er was the son of Joshua. Joshua was the son of Eliezer. Eliezer was the son of Jorim. Jorim was the son of Matthat. Matthat was the son of Levi. 30 Levi was the son of Simeon. Simeon was the son of Judah. Judah was the son of Joseph. Joseph was the son of Jonam. Jonam was the son of Eliakim. 31 Eliakim was the son of Melea. Melea was the son of Menna. Menna was the son of Mattatha. Mattatha was the son of Nathan. Nathan was the son of David. 32 David was the son of Jesse. Jesse was the son of Obed. Obed was the son of Boaz. Boaz was the son of Salmon. Salmon was the son of Nahshon. 33 Nahshon was the son of Amminadab. Amminadab was the son of Admin. Admin was the son of Arni. Arni was the son of Hezron. Hezron was the son of Perez. Perez was the son of Judah. 34 Judah was the son of Jacob. Jacob was the son of Isaac. Isaac was the son of Abraham. Abraham was the son of Terah. Terah was the son of Nahor. 35 Nahor was the son of Serug. Serug was the son of Reu. Reu was the son of Peleg. Peleg was the son of Eber. Eber was the son of Shelah. 36 Shelah was the son of Cainan. Cainan was the son of Arphaxad. Arphaxad was the son of Shem. Shem was the son of Noah. Noah was the son of Lamech. 37 Lamech was the son of Methuselah. Methuselah was the son of Enoch. Enoch was the son of Jared. Jared was the son of Mahalalel. Mahalalel was the son of Kenan. 38 Kenan was the son of Enosh. Enosh was the son of Seth. Seth was the son of Adam. Adam was the son of God.

PSALM 62:1-12
For Jeduthun, the choir director: A psalm of David.
1 I wait quietly before God,
for my salvation comes from him.
2 He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress where I will never be shaken.
3 So many enemies against one man--
all of them trying to kill me.
To them I'm just a broken-down wall
or a tottering fence.
4 They plan to topple me from my high position.
They delight in telling lies about me.
They are friendly to my face,
but they curse me in their hearts.
Interlude5 I wait quietly before God,
for my hope is in him.
6 He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress where I will not be shaken.
7 My salvation and my honor come from God alone.
He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.
8 O my people, trust in him at all times.
Pour out your heart to him,
for God is our refuge.
Interlude9 From the greatest to the lowliest--
all are nothing in his sight.
If you weigh them on the scales,
they are lighter than a puff of air.
10 Don't try to get rich
by extortion or robbery.
And if your wealth increases,
don't make it the center of your life.
11 God has spoken plainly,
and I have heard it many times:
Power, O God, belongs to you;
12 unfailing love, O Lord, is yours.
Surely you judge all people
according to what they have done.

PROVERBS 11:18-19
Evil people get rich for the moment, but the reward of the godly will last. Godly people find life; evil people find death.

March 18 Reading through the Bible

NUMBERS 26:52-28:15
LUKE 3:1-22
PSALM 61:1-8
PROVERBS 11:16-17

NUMBERS 26:52-28:15
Then the LORD said to Moses, 53 " Divide the land among the tribes in proportion to their populations, as indicated by the census. 54 Give the larger tribes more land and the smaller tribes less land, each group's inheritance reflecting the size of its population. 55 Make sure you assign the land by lot, and define the inheritance of each ancestral tribe by means of the census listings. 56 Each inheritance must be assigned by lot among the larger and smaller tribal groups." 57 This is the census record for the Levites who were counted according to their clans: The Gershonite clan, named after its ancestor Gershon. The Kohathite clan, named after its ancestor Kohath. The Merarite clan, named after its ancestor Merari. 58 The Libnites, the Hebronites, the Mahlites, the Mushites, and the Korahites were all subclans of the Levites. Now Kohath was the ancestor of Amram, 59 and Amram's wife was named Jochebed. She also was a descendant of Levi, born among the Levites in the land of Egypt. Amram and Jochebed became the parents of Aaron, Moses, and their sister, Miriam. 60 To Aaron were born Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 61 But Nadab and Abihu died when they burned before the LORD a different kind of fire than he had commanded. 62 The men from the Levite clans who were one month old or older numbered 23,000. But the Levites were not included in the total census figure of the people of Israel because they were not given an inheritance of land when it was divided among the Israelites. 63 So these are the census figures of the people of Israel as prepared by Moses and Eleazar the priest on the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, across from Jericho. 64 Not one person that was counted in this census had been among those counted in the previous census taken by Moses and Aaron in the wilderness of Sinai. 65 For the LORD had said of them, " They will all die in the wilderness." The only exceptions were Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.27:1 ONE day a petition was presented by the daughters of Zelophehad--Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. Their father, Zelophehad, was the son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Makir, son of Manasseh, son of Joseph. 2 These women went and stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the tribal leaders, and the entire community at the entrance of the Tabernacle. 3 " Our father died in the wilderness without leaving any sons," they said. " But he was not among Korah's followers, who rebelled against the LORD. He died because of his own sin. 4 Why should the name of our father disappear just because he had no sons? Give us property along with the rest of our relatives." 5 So Moses brought their case before the LORD. 6 And the LORD replied to Moses, 7 " The daughters of Zelophehad are right. You must give them an inheritance of land along with their father's relatives. Assign them the property that would have been given to their father. 8 Moreover announce this to the people of Israel: ` If a man dies and has no sons, then give his inheritance to his daughters. 9 And if he has no daughters, turn his inheritance over to his brothers. 10 If he has no brothers, give his inheritance to his father's brothers. 11 But if his father has no brothers, pass on his inheritance to the nearest relative in his clan. The Israelites must observe this as a general legal requirement, just as the LORD commanded Moses.' " 12 One day the LORD said to Moses, " Climb to the top of the mountains east of the river, and look out over the land I have given the people of Israel. 13 After you have seen it, you will die as Aaron your brother did, 14 for you both rebelled against my instructions in the wilderness of Zin. When the people of Israel rebelled, you failed to demonstrate my holiness to them at the waters." (These are the waters of Meribah at Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.) 15 Then Moses said to the LORD, 16 " O LORD, the God of the spirits of all living things, please appoint a new leader for the community. 17 Give them someone who will lead them into battle, so the people of the LORD will not be like sheep without a shepherd."18 The LORD replied, " Take Joshua son of Nun, who has the Spirit in him, and lay your hands on him. 19 Present him to Eleazar the priest before the whole community, and publicly commission him with the responsibility of leading the people. 20 Transfer your authority to him so the whole community of Israel will obey him. 21 When direction from the LORD is needed, Joshua will stand before Eleazar the priest, who will determine the LORD's will by means of sacred lots. This is how Joshua and the rest of the community of Israel will discover what they should do." 22 So Moses did as the LORD commanded and presented Joshua to Eleazar the priest and the whole community. 23 Moses laid his hands on him and commissioned him to his responsibilities, just as the LORD had commanded through Moses. 28:1 THE LORD said to Moses, 2" Give these instructions to the people of Israel: The offerings you present to me by fire on the altar are my food, and they are very pleasing to me. See to it that they are brought at the appointed times and offered according to my instructions. 3 " Say to them: When you present your daily whole burnt offerings to the LORD, you must offer two one-year-old male lambs with no physical defects. 4 One lamb will be sacrificed in the morning and the other in the evening. 5 With each lamb you must offer a grain offering of two quarts of choice flour mixed with one quart of olive oil. 6 This is the regular burnt offering ordained at Mount Sinai, an offering made by fire, very pleasing to the LORD. 7 Along with it you must present the proper drink offering, consisting of one quart of fermented drink with each lamb, poured out in the Holy Place as an offering to the LORD. 8 Offer the second lamb in the evening with the same grain offering and drink offering. It, too, is an offering made by fire, very pleasing to the LORD. 9 " On the Sabbath day, sacrifice two one-year-old male lambs with no physical defects. They must be accompanied by a grain offering of three quarts of choice flour mixed with olive oil, and a drink offering. 10 This is the whole burnt offering to be presented each Sabbath day, in addition to the regular daily burnt offering and its accompanying drink offering. 11 " On the first day of each month, present an extra burnt offering to the LORD of two young bulls, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs, all with no physical defects. 12 These will be accompanied by grain offerings of choice flour mixed with olive oil--five quarts with each bull, three quarts with the ram, 13 and two quarts with each lamb. This burnt offering must be presented by fire, and it will be very pleasing to the LORD. 14 You must also give a drink offering with each sacrifice: two quarts of wine with each bull, two and a half pints for the ram, and one quart for each lamb. Present this monthly burnt offering on the first day of each month throughout the year. 15 " Also, on the first day of each month you must offer one male goat for a sin offering to the LORD. This is in addition to the regular daily burnt offering and its accompanying drink offering."

LUKE 3:1-22
It was now the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius, the Roman emperor. Pilate was governor over Judea; Herod Antipas was ruler over Galilee; his brother Philip was ruler over Iturea and Traconitis; Lysanias was ruler over Abilene. 2 Annas and Caiaphas were the high priests. At this time a message from God came to John son of Zechariah, who was living out in the wilderness. 3 Then John went from place to place on both sides of the Jordan River, preaching that people should be baptized to show that they had turned from their sins and turned to God to be forgiven. 4 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!
5 Fill in the valleys,
and level the mountains and hills!
Straighten the curves,
and smooth out the rough places!
6 And then all people will see
the salvation sent from God.' "
7 Here is a sample of John's preaching to the crowds that came for baptism: " You brood of snakes! 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. 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. 9 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." 10 The crowd asked, " What should we do?" 11 John replied, " If you have two coats, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry." 12 Even corrupt tax collectors came to be baptized and asked, " Teacher, what should we do?" 13 " Show your honesty," he replied. " Make sure you collect no more taxes than the Roman government requires you to." 14 " What should we do?" asked some soldiers. John replied, " Don't extort money, and don't accuse people of things you know they didn't do. And be content with your pay." 15 Everyone was expecting the Messiah to come soon, and they were eager to know whether John might be the Messiah. 16 John answered their questions by saying, " I baptize with water; but someone is coming soon who is 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. 17 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." 18 John used many such warnings as he announced the Good News to the people. 19 John also publicly criticized Herod Antipas, ruler of Galilee, for marrying Herodias, his brother's wife, and for many other wrongs he had done. 20 So Herod put John in prison, adding this sin to his many others. 21 One day when the crowds were being baptized, Jesus himself was baptized. As he was praying, the heavens opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in the form of a dove. And a voice from heaven said, " You are my beloved Son, and I am fully pleased with you."

PSALM 61:1-8
For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by stringed instruments.
1 O God, listen to my cry!
Hear my prayer!
2 From the ends of the earth,
I will cry to you for help,
for my heart is overwhelmed.
Lead me to the towering rock of safety,
3 for you are my safe refuge,
a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me.
4 Let me live forever in your sanctuary,
safe beneath the shelter of your wings!
Interlude5 For you have heard my vows, O God.
You have given me an inheritance reserved for those who fear your name.
6 Add many years to the life of the king!
May his years span the generations!
7 May he reign under God's protection forever.
Appoint your unfailing love and faithfulness to watch over him.
8 Then I will always sing praises to your name
as I fulfill my vows day after day.

PROVERBS 11:16-17

Beautiful women obtain wealth, and violent men get rich. Your own soul is nourished when you are kind, but you destroy yourself when you are cruel.