May 8 Reading through the Bible

 

1 SAMUEL 2:22-4:22
JOHN 5:24-47
PSALM 106:1-12
PROVERBS 14:30-31

1 SAMUEL 2:22-4:22
Now Eli was very old, but he was aware of what his sons were doing to the people of Israel. He knew, for instance, that his sons were seducing the young women who assisted at the entrance of the Tabernacle. 23 Eli said to them, " I have been hearing reports from the people about the wicked things you are doing. Why do you keep sinning? 24 You must stop, my sons! The reports I hear among the LORD's people are not good. 25 If someone sins against another person, God can mediate for the guilty party. But if someone sins against the LORD, who can intercede?" But Eli's sons wouldn't listen to their father, for the LORD was already planning to put them to death. 26 Meanwhile, as young Samuel grew taller, he also continued to gain favor with the LORD and with the people. 27 One day a prophet came to Eli and gave him this message from the LORD: " Didn't I reveal myself to your ancestors when the people of Israel were slaves in Egypt? 28 I chose your ancestor Aaron from among all his relatives to be my priest, to offer sacrifices on my altar, to burn incense, and to wear the priestly garments as he served me. And I assigned the sacrificial offerings to you priests. 29 So why do you scorn my sacrifices and offerings? Why do you honor your sons more than me--for you and they have become fat from the best offerings of my people! 30 " Therefore, the LORD, the God of Israel, says: The terrible things you are doing cannot continue! I had promised that your branch of the tribe of Levi would always be my priests. But I will honor only those who honor me, and I will despise those who despise me. 31 I will put an end to your family, so it will no longer serve as my priests. All the members of your family will die before their time. None will live to a ripe old age. 32 You will watch with envy as I pour out prosperity on the people of Israel. But no members of your family will ever live out their days. 33 Those who are left alive will live in sadness and grief, and their children will die a violent death. 34 And to prove that what I have said will come true, I will cause your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, to die on the same day! 35 " Then I will raise up a faithful priest who will serve me and do what I tell him to do. I will bless his descendants, and his family will be priests to my anointed kings forever. 36 Then all of your descendants will bow before his descendants, begging for money and food. ` Please,' they will say, ` give us jobs among the priests so we will have enough to eat.' "3:1 MEANWHILE, the boy Samuel was serving the LORD by assisting Eli. Now in those days messages from the LORD were very rare, and visions were quite uncommon. 2 One night Eli, who was almost blind by now, had just gone to bed. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was sleeping in the Tabernacle near the Ark of God. 4 Suddenly, the LORD called out, " Samuel! Samuel!" " Yes?" Samuel replied. " What is it?" 5 He jumped up and ran to Eli. " Here I am. What do you need?" " I didn't call you," Eli replied. " Go on back to bed." So he did. 6 Then the LORD called out again, " Samuel!" Again Samuel jumped up and ran to Eli. " Here I am," he said. " What do you need?" " I didn't call you, my son," Eli said. " Go on back to bed." 7 Samuel did not yet know the LORD because he had never had a message from the LORD before. 8 So now the LORD called a third time, and once more Samuel jumped up and ran to Eli. " Here I am," he said. " What do you need?" Then Eli realized it was the LORD who was calling the boy. 9 So he said to Samuel, " Go and lie down again, and if someone calls again, say, ` Yes, LORD, your servant is listening.' " So Samuel went back to bed. 10 And the LORD came and called as before, " Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel replied, " Yes, your servant is listening." 11 Then the LORD said to Samuel, " I am about to do a shocking thing in Israel. 12 I am going to carry out all my threats against Eli and his family. 13 I have warned him continually that judgment is coming for his family, because his sons are blaspheming God and he hasn't disciplined them. 14 So I have vowed that the sins of Eli and his sons will never be forgiven by sacrifices or offerings." 15 Samuel stayed in bed until morning, then got up and opened the doors of the Tabernacle as usual. He was afraid to tell Eli what the LORD had said to him. 16 But Eli called out to him, " Samuel, my son." " Here I am," Samuel replied. 17 " What did the LORD say to you? Tell me everything. And may God punish you if you hide anything from me!" 18 So Samuel told Eli everything; he didn't hold anything back. " It is the LORD's will," Eli replied. " Let him do what he thinks best." 19 As Samuel grew up, the LORD was with him, and everything Samuel said was wise and helpful. 20 All the people of Israel from one end of the land to the other knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the LORD. 21 The LORD continued to appear at Shiloh and gave messages to Samuel there at the Tabernacle. 1 And Samuel's words went out to all the people of Israel.4:1 AT that time Israel was at war with the Philistines. The Israelite army was camped near Ebenezer, and the Philistines were at Aphek. 2 The Philistines attacked and defeated the army of Israel, killing four thousand men. 3 After the battle was over, the army of Israel retreated to their camp, and their leaders asked, " Why did the LORD allow us to be defeated by the Philistines?" Then they said, " Let's bring the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD from Shiloh. If we carry it into battle with us, it will save us from our enemies." 4 So they sent men to Shiloh to bring back the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim. Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli, helped carry the Ark of God to where the battle was being fought. 5 When the Israelites saw the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD coming into the camp, their shout of joy was so loud that it made the ground shake! 6 " What's going on?" the Philistines asked. " What's all the shouting about in the Hebrew camp?" When they were told it was because the Ark of the LORD had arrived, 7 they panicked. " The gods have come into their camp!" they cried. " This is a disaster! We have never had to face anything like this before! 8 Who can save us from these mighty gods of Israel? They are the same gods who destroyed the Egyptians with plagues when Israel was in the wilderness. 9 Fight as you never have before, Philistines! If you don't, we will become the Hebrews' slaves just as they have been ours!" 10 So the Philistines fought desperately, and Israel was defeated again. The slaughter was great; thirty thousand Israelite men died that day. The survivors turned and fled to their tents. 11 The Ark of God was captured, and Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were killed. 12 A man from the tribe of Benjamin ran from the battlefront and arrived at Shiloh later that same day. He had torn his clothes and put dust on his head to show his grief. 13 Eli was waiting beside the road to hear the news of the battle, for his heart trembled for the safety of the Ark of God. When the messenger arrived and told what had happened, an outcry resounded throughout the town. 14 " What is all the noise about?" Eli asked. The messenger rushed over to Eli, 15 who was ninety-eight years old and blind. 16 He said to Eli, " I have just come from the battlefront--I was there this very day." " What happened?" Eli demanded. 17 " Israel has been defeated," the messenger replied. " Thousands of Israelite troops are dead on the battlefield. Your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were killed, too. And the Ark of God has been captured." 18 When the messenger mentioned what had happened to the Ark, Eli fell backward from his seat beside the gate. He broke his neck and died, for he was old and very fat. He had led Israel for forty years. 19 Eli's daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and near her time of delivery. When she heard that the Ark of God had been captured and that her husband and father-in-law were dead, her labor pains suddenly began. 20 She died in childbirth, but before she passed away the midwives tried to encourage her. " Don't be afraid," they said. " You have a baby boy!" But she did not answer or respond in any way. 21 She named the child Ichabod--" Where is the glory?"--murmuring, " Israel's glory is gone." She named him this because the Ark of God had been captured and because her husband and her father-in-law were dead. 22 Then she said, " The glory has departed from Israel, for the Ark of God has been captured."

JOHN 5:24-47
" I [Jesus] assure you, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life. 25 " And I assure you that the time is coming, in fact it is here, when the dead will hear my voice--the voice of the Son of God. And those who listen will live. 26 The Father has life in himself, and he has granted his Son to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to judge all mankind because he is the Son of Man. 28 Don't be so surprised! Indeed, the time is coming when all the dead in their graves will hear the voice of God's Son, 29 and they will rise again. Those who have done good will rise to eternal life, and those who have continued in evil will rise to judgment. 30 But I do nothing without consulting the Father. I judge as I am told. And my judgment is absolutely just, because it is according to the will of God who sent me; it is not merely my own.31 " If I were to testify on my own behalf, my testimony would not be valid. 32 But someone else is also testifying about me, and I can assure you that everything he says about me is true. 33 In fact, you sent messengers to listen to John the Baptist, and he preached the truth. 34 But the best testimony about me is not from a man, though I have reminded you about John's testimony so you might be saved. 35 John shone brightly for a while, and you benefited and rejoiced. 36 But I have a greater witness than John--my teachings and my miracles. They have been assigned to me by the Father, and they testify that the Father has sent me. 37 And the Father himself has also testified about me. You have never heard his voice or seen him face to face, 38 and you do not have his message in your hearts, because you do not believe me--the one he sent to you. 39 " You search the Scriptures because you believe they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! 40 Yet you refuse to come to me so that I can give you this eternal life. 41 " Your approval or disapproval means nothing to me, 42 because I know you don't have God's love within you. 43 For I have come to you representing my Father, and you refuse to welcome me, even though you readily accept others who represent only themselves. 44 No wonder you can't believe! For you gladly honor each other, but you don't care about the honor that comes from God alone. 45 " Yet it is not I who will accuse you of this before the Father. Moses will accuse you! Yes, Moses, on whom you set your hopes. 46 But if you had believed Moses, you would have believed me because he wrote about me. 47 And since you don't believe what he wrote, how will you believe what I say?"

PSALM 106:1-12
Praise the LORD!
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.
2 Who can list the glorious miracles of the LORD?
Who can ever praise him half enough?
3 Happy are those who deal justly with others
and always do what is right.
4 Remember me, too, LORD, when you show favor to your people;
come to me with your salvation.
5 Let me share in the prosperity of your chosen ones.
Let me rejoice in the joy of your people;
let me praise you with those who are your heritage.
6 Both we and our ancestors have sinned.
We have done wrong! We have acted wickedly!
7 Our ancestors in Egypt
were not impressed by the LORD's miracles.
They soon forgot his many acts of kindness to them.
Instead, they rebelled against him at the Red Sea.
8 Even so, he saved them--
to defend the honor of his name
and to demonstrate his mighty power.
9 He commanded the Red Sea to divide, and a dry path appeared.
He led Israel across the sea bottom that was as dry as a desert.
10 So he rescued them from their enemies
and redeemed them from their foes.
11 Then the water returned and covered their enemies;
not one of them survived.
12 Then at last his people believed his promises.
Then they finally sang his praise.

PROVERBS 14:30-31
A relaxed attitude lengthens life; jealousy rots it away. Those who oppress the poor insult their Maker, but those who help the poor honor him.

May 7 Reading through the Bible

1 SAMUEL 1:1-2:21 JOHN 5:1-23 PSALM 105:37-45 PROVERBS 14:28-29

1 SAMUEL 1:1-2:21

There was a man named Elkanah who lived in Ramah in the hill country of Ephraim. He was the son of Jeroham and grandson of Elihu, from the family of Tohu and the clan of Zuph. 2 Elkanah had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had children, while Hannah did not. 3 Each year Elkanah and his family would travel to Shiloh to worship and sacrifice to the LORD Almighty at the Tabernacle. The priests of the LORD at that time were the two sons of Eli--Hophni and Phinehas. 4 On the day Elkanah presented his sacrifice, he would give portions of the sacrifice to Peninnah and each of her children. 5 But he gave Hannah a special portion because he loved her very much, even though the LORD had given her no children. 6 But Peninnah made fun of Hannah because the LORD had closed her womb. 7 Year after year it was the same--Peninnah would taunt Hannah as they went to the Tabernacle. Hannah would finally be reduced to tears and would not even eat. 8 " What's the matter, Hannah?" Elkanah would ask. " Why aren't you eating? Why be so sad just because you have no children? You have me--isn't that better than having ten sons?" 9 Once when they were at Shiloh, Hannah went over to the Tabernacle after supper to pray to the LORD. Eli the priest was sitting at his customary place beside the entrance. 10 Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the LORD. 11 And she made this vow: " O LORD Almighty, if you will look down upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the LORD, his hair will never be cut." 12 As she was praying to the LORD, Eli watched her. 13 Seeing her lips moving but hearing no sound, he thought she had been drinking. 14 " Must you come here drunk?" he demanded. " Throw away your wine!" 15 " Oh no, sir!" she replied, " I'm not drunk! But I am very sad, and I was pouring out my heart to the LORD. 16 Please don't think I am a wicked woman! For I have been praying out of great anguish and sorrow." 17 " In that case," Eli said, " cheer up! May the God of Israel grant the request you have asked of him." 18 " Oh, thank you, sir!" she exclaimed. Then she went back and began to eat again, and she was no longer sad. 19 The entire family got up early the next morning and went to worship the LORD once more. Then they returned home to Ramah. When Elkanah slept with Hannah, the LORD remembered her request, 20 and in due time she gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, " I asked the LORD for him." 21 The next year Elkanah, Peninnah, and their children went on their annual trip to offer a sacrifice to the LORD. 22 But Hannah did not go. She told her husband, " Wait until the baby is weaned. Then I will take him to the Tabernacle and leave him there with the LORD permanently." 23 " Whatever you think is best," Elkanah agreed. " Stay here for now, and may the LORD help you keep your promise." So she stayed home and nursed the baby.24 When the child was weaned, Hannah took him to the Tabernacle in Shiloh. They brought along a three-year-old bull for the sacrifice and half a bushel of flour and some wine. 25 After sacrificing the bull, they took the child to Eli. 26 " Sir, do you remember me?" Hannah asked. " I am the woman who stood here several years ago praying to the LORD. 27 I asked the LORD to give me this child, and he has given me my request. 28 Now I am giving him to the LORD, and he will belong to the LORD his whole life." And they worshiped the LORD there. 2:1 THEN Hannah prayed: " My heart rejoices in the LORD! Oh, how the LORD has blessed me! Now I have an answer for my enemies, as I delight in your deliverance. 2 No one is holy like the LORD! There is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. 3 "Stop acting so proud and haughty! Don't speak with such arrogance! The LORD is a God who knows your deeds and he will judge you for what you have done. 4 Those who were mighty are mighty no more; and those who were weak are now strong. 5 Those who were well fed are now starving; and those who were starving are now full. The barren woman now has seven children, but the woman with many children will have no more. 6 The LORD brings both death and life; he brings some down to the grave but raises others up. 7 The LORD makes one poor and another rich; he brings one down and lifts another up. 8 He lifts the poor from the dust-- yes, from a pile of ashes! He treats them like princes, placing them in seats of honor." For all the earth is the LORD's, and he has set the world in order. 9 He will protect his godly ones, but the wicked will perish in darkness. No one will succeed by strength alone. 10 Those who fight against the LORD will be broken. He thunders against them from heaven; the LORD judges throughout the earth. He gives mighty strength to his king; he increases the might of his anointed one." 11 Then Elkanah and Hannah returned home to Ramah without Samuel. And the boy became the LORD's helper, for he assisted Eli the priest. 12 Now the sons of Eli were scoundrels who had no respect for the LORD 13 or for their duties as priests. Whenever anyone offered a sacrifice, Eli's sons would send over a servant with a three-pronged fork. While the meat of the sacrificed animal was still boiling, 14 the servant would stick the fork into the pot and demand that whatever it brought up be given to Eli's sons. All the Israelites who came to worship at Shiloh were treated this way. 15 Sometimes the servant would come even before the animal's fat had been burned on the altar. He would demand raw meat before it had been boiled so that it could be used for roasting. 16 The man offering the sacrifice might reply, " Take as much as you want, but the fat must first be burned." Then the servant would demand, " No, give it to me now, or I'll take it by force." 17 So the sin of these young men was very serious in the LORD's sight, for they treated the LORD's offerings with contempt. 18 Now Samuel, though only a boy, was the LORD's helper. He wore a linen tunic just like that of a priest. 19 Each year his mother made a small coat for him and brought it to him when she came with her husband for the sacrifice. 20 Before they returned home, Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, " May the LORD give you other children to take the place of this one she gave to the LORD." 21 And the LORD gave Hannah three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, Samuel grew up in the presence of the LORD.

JOHN 5:1-23

Afterward Jesus returned to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish holy days. 2 Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches. 3 Crowds of sick people--blind, lame, or paralyzed--lay on the porches. 5 One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him and knew how long he had been ill, he asked him, " Would you like to get well?" 7 " I can't, sir," the sick man said, " for I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred up. While I am trying to get there, someone else always gets in ahead of me." 8 Jesus told him, " Stand up, pick up your sleeping mat, and walk!" 9 Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up the mat and began walking! But this miracle happened on the Sabbath day. 10 So the Jewish leaders objected. They said to the man who was cured, " You can't work on the Sabbath! It's illegal to carry that sleeping mat!" 11 He replied, " The man who healed me said to me, ` Pick up your sleeping mat and walk.' " 12 " Who said such a thing as that?" they demanded.13 The man didn't know, for Jesus had disappeared into the crowd. 14 But afterward Jesus found him in the Temple and told him, " Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you." 15 Then the man went to find the Jewish leaders and told them it was Jesus who had healed him. 16 So the Jewish leaders began harassing Jesus for breaking the Sabbath rules. 17 But Jesus replied, " My Father never stops working, so why should I?" 18 So the Jewish leaders tried all the more to kill him. In addition to disobeying the Sabbath rules, he had spoken of God as his Father, thereby making himself equal with God.19 Jesus replied, " I assure you, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. 20 For the Father loves the Son and tells him everything he is doing, and the Son will do far greater things than healing this man. You will be astonished at what he does. 21 He will even raise from the dead anyone he wants to, just as the Father does. 22 And the Father leaves all judgment to his Son, 23 so that everyone will honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. But if you refuse to honor the Son, then you are certainly not honoring the Father who sent him."

PSALM 105:37-45

But he [the LORD] brought his people safely out of Egypt, loaded with silver and gold;

there were no sick or feeble people among them.

38 Egypt was glad when they were gone,

for the dread of them was great.

39 The LORD spread out a cloud above them as a covering

and gave them a great fire to light the darkness.

40 They asked for meat, and he sent them quail;

he gave them manna--bread from heaven.

41 He opened up a rock, and water gushed out

to form a river through the dry and barren land.

42 For he remembered his sacred promise

to Abraham his servant.

43 So he brought his people out of Egypt with joy,

his chosen ones with rejoicing.

44 He gave his people the lands of pagan nations,

and they harvested crops that others had planted.

45 All this happened so they would follow his principles

and obey his laws.

Praise the LORD!

PROVERBS 14:28-29

A growing population is a king's glory; a dwindling nation is his doom. Those who control their anger have great understanding; those with a hasty temper will make mistakes.

  

May 6 Reading through the Bible

RUTH 2:1-4:22
JOHN 4:43-54
PSALM 105:16-36
PROVERBS 14:26-27

RUTH 2:1-4:22
Now there was a wealthy and influential man in Bethlehem named Boaz, who was a relative of Naomi's husband, Elimelech. 2 One day Ruth said to Naomi, " Let me go out into the fields to gather leftover grain behind anyone who will let me do it." And Naomi said, " All right, my daughter, go ahead." 3 So Ruth went out to gather grain behind the harvesters. And as it happened, she found herself working in a field that belonged to Boaz, the relative of her father-in-law, Elimelech. 4 While she was there, Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters. " The LORD be with you!" he said. " The LORD bless you!" the harvesters replied. 5 Then Boaz asked his foreman, " Who is that girl over there?"6 And the foreman replied, " She is the young woman from Moab who came back with Naomi. 7 She asked me this morning if she could gather grain behind the harvesters. She has been hard at work ever since, except for a few minutes' rest over there in the shelter." 8 Boaz went over and said to Ruth, " Listen, my daughter. Stay right here with us when you gather grain; don't go to any other fields. Stay right behind the women working in my field. 9 See which part of the field they are harvesting, and then follow them. I have warned the young men not to bother you. And when you are thirsty, help yourself to the water they have drawn from the well." 10 Ruth fell at his feet and thanked him warmly. " Why are you being so kind to me?" she asked. " I am only a foreigner." 11 " Yes, I know," Boaz replied. " But I also know about the love and kindness you have shown your mother-in-law since the death of your husband. I have heard how you left your father and mother and your own land to live here among complete strangers. 12 May the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge, reward you fully." 13 " I hope I continue to please you, sir," she replied. " You have comforted me by speaking so kindly to me, even though I am not as worthy as your workers." 14 At lunch time Boaz called to her, " Come over here and help yourself to some of our food. You can dip your bread in the wine if you like." So she sat with his harvesters, and Boaz gave her food--more than she could eat. 15 When Ruth went back to work again, Boaz ordered his young men, " Let her gather grain right among the sheaves without stopping her. 16 And pull out some heads of barley from the bundles and drop them on purpose for her. Let her pick them up, and don't give her a hard time!" 17 So Ruth gathered barley there all day, and when she beat out the grain that evening, it came to about half a bushel. 18 She carried it back into town and showed it to her mother-in-law. Ruth also gave her the food that was left over from her lunch. 19 " So much!" Naomi exclaimed. " Where did you gather all this grain today? Where did you work? May the LORD bless the one who helped you!" So Ruth told her mother-in-law about the man in whose field she had worked. And she said, " The man I worked with today is named Boaz." 20 " May the LORD bless him!" Naomi told her daughter-in-law. " He is showing his kindness to us as well as to your dead husband. That man is one of our closest relatives, one of our family redeemers." 21 Then Ruth said, " What's more, Boaz even told me to come back and stay with his harvesters until the entire harvest is completed." 22 " This is wonderful!" Naomi exclaimed. " Do as he said. Stay with his workers right through the whole harvest. You will be safe there, unlike in other fields." 23 So Ruth worked alongside the women in Boaz's fields and gathered grain with them until the end of the barley harvest. Then she worked with them through the wheat harvest, too. But all the while she lived with her mother-in-law.3:1 ONE day Naomi said to Ruth, " My daughter, it's time that I found a permanent home for you, so that you will be provided for. 2 Boaz is a close relative of ours, and he's been very kind by letting you gather grain with his workers. Tonight he will be winnowing barley at the threshing floor. 3 Now do as I tell you--take a bath and put on perfume and dress in your nicest clothes. Then go to the threshing floor, but don't let Boaz see you until he has finished his meal. 4 Be sure to notice where he lies down; then go and uncover his feet and lie down there. He will tell you what to do." 5 " I will do everything you say," Ruth replied. 6 So she went down to the threshing floor that night and followed the instructions of her mother-in-law. 7 After Boaz had finished his meal and was in good spirits, he lay down beside the heap of grain and went to sleep. Then Ruth came quietly, uncovered his feet, and lay down. 8 Around midnight, Boaz suddenly woke up and turned over. He was surprised to find a woman lying at his feet! 9 " Who are you?" he demanded. " I am your servant Ruth," she replied. " Spread the corner of your covering over me, for you are my family redeemer."10 " The LORD bless you, my daughter!" Boaz exclaimed. " You are showing more family loyalty now than ever by not running after a younger man, whether rich or poor. 11 Now don't worry about a thing, my daughter. I will do what is necessary, for everyone in town knows you are an honorable woman. 12 But there is one problem. While it is true that I am one of your family redeemers, there is another man who is more closely related to you than I am. 13 Stay here tonight, and in the morning I will talk to him. If he is willing to redeem you, then let him marry you. But if he is not willing, then as surely as the LORD lives, I will marry you! Now lie down here until morning." 14 So Ruth lay at Boaz's feet until the morning, but she got up before it was light enough for people to recognize each other. For Boaz said, " No one must know that a woman was here at the threshing floor." 15 Boaz also said to her, " Bring your cloak and spread it out." He measured out six scoops of barley into the cloak and helped her put it on her back. Then Boaz returned to the town. 16 When Ruth went back to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked, " What happened, my daughter?" Ruth told Naomi everything Boaz had done for her, 17 and she added, " He gave me these six scoops of barley and said, ` Don't go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.' "18 Then Naomi said to her, " Just be patient, my daughter, until we hear what happens. The man won't rest until he has followed through on this. He will settle it today." 4:1 SO Boaz went to the town gate and took a seat there. When the family redeemer he had mentioned came by, Boaz called out to him, " Come over here, friend. I want to talk to you." So they sat down together. 2 Then Boaz called ten leaders from the town and asked them to sit as witnesses. 3 And Boaz said to the family redeemer, " You know Naomi, who came back from Moab. She is selling the land that belonged to our relative Elimelech. 4 I felt that I should speak to you about it so that you can redeem it if you wish. If you want the land, then buy it here in the presence of these witnesses. But if you don't want it, let me know right away, because I am next in line to redeem it after you." The man replied, " All right, I'll redeem it." 5 Then Boaz told him, " Of course, your purchase of the land from Naomi also requires that you marry Ruth, the Moabite widow. That way, she can have children who will carry on her husband's name and keep the land in the family." 6 " Then I can't redeem it," the family redeemer replied, " because this might endanger my own estate. You redeem the land; I cannot do it." 7 In those days it was the custom in Israel for anyone transferring a right of purchase to remove his sandal and hand it to the other party. This publicly validated the transaction. 8 So the other family redeemer drew off his sandal as he said to Boaz, " You buy the land." 9 Then Boaz said to the leaders and to the crowd standing around, " You are witnesses that today I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelech, Kilion, and Mahlon. 10 And with the land I have acquired Ruth, the Moabite widow of Mahlon, to be my wife. This way she can have a son to carry on the family name of her dead husband and to inherit the family property here in his hometown. You are all witnesses today." 11 Then the leaders and all the people standing there replied, " We are witnesses! May the LORD make the woman who is now coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, from whom all the nation of Israel descended! May you be great in Ephrathah and famous in Bethlehem. 12 And may the LORD give you descendants by this young woman who will be like those of our ancestor Perez, the son of Tamar and Judah." 13 So Boaz married Ruth and took her home to live with him. When he slept with her, the LORD enabled her to become pregnant, and she gave birth to a son. 14 And the women of the town said to Naomi, " Praise the LORD who has given you a family redeemer today! May he be famous in Israel. 15 May this child restore your youth and care for you in your old age. For he is the son of your daughter-in-law who loves you so much and who has been better to you than seven sons!" 16 Naomi took care of the baby and cared for him as if he were her own. 17 The neighbor women said, " Now at last Naomi has a son again!" And they named him Obed. He became the father of Jesse and the grandfather of David. 18 This is their family line beginning with their ancestor Perez: Perez was the father of Hezron. 19 Hezron was the father of Ram. Ram was the father of Amminadab. 20 Amminadab was the father of Nahshon. Nahshon was the father of Salmon. 21 Salmon was the father of Boaz. Boaz was the father of Obed. 22 Obed was the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of David.

JOHN 4:43-54
At the end of the two days' stay, Jesus went on into Galilee. 44 He had previously said, " A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own country." 45 The Galileans welcomed him, for they had been in Jerusalem at the Passover celebration and had seen all his miraculous signs. 46 In the course of his journey through Galilee, he arrived at the town of Cana, where he had turned the water into wine. There was a government official in the city of Capernaum whose son was very sick. 47 When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea and was traveling in Galilee, he went over to Cana. He found Jesus and begged him to come to Capernaum with him to heal his son, who was about to die. 48 Jesus asked, " Must I do miraculous signs and wonders before you people will believe in me?" 49 The official pleaded, " Lord, please come now before my little boy dies." 50 Then Jesus told him, " Go back home. Your son will live!" And the man believed Jesus' word and started home. 51 While he was on his way, some of his servants met him with the news that his son was alive and well. 52 He asked them when the boy had begun to feel better, and they replied, " Yesterday afternoon at one o'clock his fever suddenly disappeared!" 53 Then the father realized it was the same time that Jesus had told him, " Your son will live." And the officer and his entire household believed in Jesus. 54 This was Jesus' second miraculous sign in Galilee after coming from Judea.

PSALM 105:16-36
He [the LORD] called for a famine on the land of Canaan,
cutting off its food supply.
17 Then he sent someone to Egypt ahead of them--
Joseph, who was sold as a slave.
18 There in prison, they bruised his feet with fetters
and placed his neck in an iron collar.
19 Until the time came to fulfill his word,
the LORD tested Joseph's character.
20 Then Pharaoh sent for him and set him free;
the ruler of the nation opened his prison door.
21 Joseph was put in charge of all the king's household;
he became ruler over all the king's possessions.
22 He could instruct the king's aides as he pleased
and teach the king's advisers.
23 Then Israel arrived in Egypt;
Jacob lived as a foreigner in the land of Ham.
24 And the LORD multiplied the people of Israel
until they became too mighty for their enemies.
25 Then he turned the Egyptians against the Israelites,
and they plotted against the LORD's servants.
26 But the LORD sent Moses his servant,
along with Aaron, whom he had chosen.
27 They performed miraculous signs among the Egyptians,
and miracles in the land of Ham.
28 The LORD blanketed Egypt in darkness,
for they had defied his commands to let his people go.
29 He turned the nation's water into blood,
poisoning all the fish.
30 Then frogs overran the land;
they were found even in the king's private rooms.
31 When he spoke, flies descended on the Egyptians,
and gnats swarmed across Egypt.
32 Instead of rain, he sent murderous hail,
and flashes of lightning overwhelmed the land.
33 He ruined their grapevines and fig trees
and shattered all the trees.
34 He spoke, and hordes of locusts came--
locusts beyond number.
35 They ate up everything green in the land,
destroying all the crops.
36 Then he killed the oldest child in each Egyptian home,
the pride and joy of each family.

PROVERBS 14:26-27

Those who fear the LORD are secure; he will be a place of refuge for their children. Fear of the LORD is a life-giving fountain; it offers escape from the snares of death. 

May 5 Reading through the Bible

JUDGES 21:1--RUTH 1:22
JOHN 4:4-42
PSALM 105:1-15
PROVERBS 14:25

JUDGES 21:1--RUTH 1:22
The Israelites had vowed at Mizpah never to give their daughters in marriage to a man from the tribe of Benjamin. 2 And the people went to Bethel and sat in the presence of God until evening, raising their voices and weeping bitterly. 3 " O LORD, God of Israel," they cried out, " why has this happened? Now one of our tribes is missing!" 4 Early the next morning the people built an altar and presented their burnt offerings and peace offerings on it. 5 Then they said, " Was any tribe of Israel not represented when we held our council in the presence of the LORD at Mizpah?" At that time they had taken a solemn oath in the LORD's presence, vowing that anyone who refused to come must die. 6 The Israelites felt deep sadness for Benjamin and said, " Today we have lost one of the tribes from our family; it is nearly wiped out. 7 How can we find wives for the few who remain, since we have sworn by the LORD not to give them our daughters in marriage?" 8 So they asked, " Was anyone absent when we presented ourselves to the LORD at Mizpah?" And they discovered that no one from Jabesh-gilead had attended. 9 For after they counted all the people, no one from Jabesh-gilead was present. 10 So they sent twelve thousand warriors to Jabesh-gilead with orders to kill everyone there, including women and children. 11 " This is what you are to do," they said. " Completely destroy all the males and every woman who is not a virgin." 12 Among the residents of Jabesh-gilead they found four hundred young virgins who had never slept with a man, and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh in the land of Canaan. 13 The Israelite assembly sent a peace delegation to the little remnant of Benjamin who were living at the rock of Rimmon. 14 Then the men of Benjamin returned to their homes, and the four hundred women of Jabesh-gilead who were spared were given to them as wives. But there were not enough women for all of them. 15 The people felt sorry for Benjamin because the LORD had left this gap in the tribes of Israel. 16 So the Israelite leaders asked, " How can we find wives for the few who remain, since all the women of the tribe of Benjamin are dead? 17 There must be heirs for the survivors so that an entire tribe of Israel will not be lost forever. 18 But we cannot give them our own daughters in marriage because we have sworn with a solemn oath that anyone who does this will fall under God's curse."19 Then they thought of the annual festival of the LORD held in Shiloh, between Lebonah and Bethel, along the east side of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem. 20 They told the men of Benjamin who still needed wives, " Go and hide in the vineyards. 21 When the women of Shiloh come out for their dances, rush out from the vineyards, and each of you can take one of them home to be your wife! 22 And when their fathers and brothers come to us in protest, we will tell them, ` Please be understanding. Let them have your daughters, for we didn't find enough wives for them when we destroyed Jabesh-gilead. And you are not guilty of breaking the vow since you did not give your daughters in marriage to them.' " 23 So the men of Benjamin did as they were told. They kidnapped the women who took part in the celebration and carried them off to the land of their own inheritance. Then they rebuilt their towns and lived in them. 24 So the assembly of Israel departed by tribes and families, and they returned to their own homes. 25 In those days Israel had no king, so the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.1:1 IN the days when the judges ruled in Israel, a man from Bethlehem in Judah left the country because of a severe famine. He took his wife and two sons and went to live in the country of Moab. 2 The man's name was Elimelech, and his wife was Naomi. Their two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in the land of Judah. During their stay in Moab, 3 Elimelech died and Naomi was left with her two sons. 4 The two sons married Moabite women. One married a woman named Orpah, and the other a woman named Ruth. But about ten years later, 5 both Mahlon and Kilion died. This left Naomi alone, without her husband or sons. 6 Then Naomi heard in Moab that the LORD had blessed his people in Judah by giving them good crops again. So Naomi and her daughters-in-law got ready to leave Moab to return to her homeland. 7 With her two daughters-in-law she set out from the place where she had been living, and they took the road that would lead them back to Judah. 8 But on the way, Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, " Go back to your mothers' homes instead of coming with me. And may the LORD reward you for your kindness to your husbands and to me. 9 May the LORD bless you with the security of another marriage." Then she kissed them good-bye, and they all broke down and wept. 10 " No," they said. " We want to go with you to your people." 11 But Naomi replied, " Why should you go on with me? Can I still give birth to other sons who could grow up to be your husbands? 12 No, my daughters, return to your parents' homes, for I am too old to marry again. And even if it were possible, and I were to get married tonight and bear sons, then what? 13 Would you wait for them to grow up and refuse to marry someone else? No, of course not, my daughters! Things are far more bitter for me than for you, because the LORD himself has caused me to suffer." 14 And again they wept together, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-bye. But Ruth insisted on staying with Naomi. 15 " See," Naomi said to her, " your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. You should do the same."16 But Ruth replied, " Don't ask me to leave you and turn back. I will go wherever you go and live wherever you live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. 17 I will die where you die and will be buried there. May the LORD punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!" 18 So when Naomi saw that Ruth had made up her mind to go with her, she stopped urging her. 19 So the two of them continued on their journey. When they came to Bethlehem, the entire town was stirred by their arrival. " Is it really Naomi?" the women asked. 20 " Don't call me Naomi," she told them. " Instead, call me Mara, for the Almighty has made life very bitter for me. 21 I went away full, but the LORD has brought me home empty. Why should you call me Naomi when the LORD has caused me to suffer and the Almighty has sent such tragedy?" 22 So Naomi returned from Moab, accompanied by her daughter-in-law Ruth, the young Moabite woman. They arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.

JOHN 4:4-42
He [Jesus] had to go through Samaria on the way. 5 Eventually he came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob's well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime. 7 Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, " Please give me a drink." 8 He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food. 9 The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, " You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?" 10 Jesus replied, " If you only knew the gift God has for you and who I am, you would ask me, and I would give you living water." 11 " But sir, you don't have a rope or a bucket," she said, " and this is a very deep well. Where would you get this living water? 12 And besides, are you greater than our ancestor Jacob who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his cattle enjoyed?" 13 Jesus replied, " People soon become thirsty again after drinking this water. 14 But the water I give them takes away thirst altogether. It becomes a perpetual spring within them, giving them eternal life." 15 " Please, sir," the woman said, " give me some of that water! Then I'll never be thirsty again, and I won't have to come here to haul water." 16 " Go and get your husband," Jesus told her. 17 " I don't have a husband," the woman replied.Jesus said, " You're right! You don't have a husband--18 for you have had five husbands, and you aren't even married to the man you're living with now." 19 " Sir," the woman said, " you must be a prophet. 20 So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?" 21 Jesus replied, " Believe me, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father here or in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans know so little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. 23 But the time is coming and is already here when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for anyone who will worship him that way. 24 For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth." 25 The woman said, " I know the Messiah will come--the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us." 26 Then Jesus told her, " I am the Messiah!" 27 Just then his disciples arrived. They were astonished to find him talking to a woman, but none of them asked him why he was doing it or what they had been discussing. 28 The woman left her water jar beside the well and went back to the village and told everyone, 29 " Come and meet a man who told me everything I ever did! Can this be the Messiah?" 30 So the people came streaming from the village to see him. 31 Meanwhile, the disciples were urging Jesus to eat. 32 " No," he said, " I have food you don't know about." 33 " Who brought it to him?" the disciples asked each other.34 Then Jesus explained: " My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work. 35 Do you think the work of harvesting will not begin until the summer ends four months from now? Look around you! Vast fields are ripening all around us and are ready now for the harvest. 36 The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike! 37 You know the saying, ` One person plants and someone else harvests.' And it's true. 38 I sent you to harvest where you didn't plant; others had already done the work, and you will gather the harvest." 39 Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, " He told me everything I ever did!" 40 When they came out to see him, they begged him to stay at their village. So he stayed for two days, 41 long enough for many of them to hear his message and believe. 42 Then they said to the woman, " Now we believe because we have heard him ourselves, not just because of what you told us. He is indeed the Savior of the world."

PSALM 105:1-15
Give thanks to the LORD and proclaim his greatness.
Let the whole world know what he has done.
2 Sing to him; yes, sing his praises.
Tell everyone about his miracles.
3 Exult in his holy name;
O worshipers of the LORD, rejoice!
4 Search for the LORD and for his strength,
and keep on searching.
5 Think of the wonderful works he has done,
the miracles and the judgments he handed down,
6 O children of Abraham, God's servant,
O descendants of Jacob, God's chosen one.
7 He is the LORD our God.
His rule is seen throughout the land.
8 He always stands by his covenant--
the commitment he made to a thousand generations.
9 This is the covenant he made with Abraham
and the oath he swore to Isaac.
10 He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,
to the people of Israel as a never-ending treaty:
11 " I will give you the land of Canaan
as your special possession."
12 He said this when they were few in number,
a tiny group of strangers in Canaan.
13 They wandered back and forth between nations,
from one kingdom to another.
14 Yet he did not let anyone oppress them.
He warned kings on their behalf:
15 " Do not touch these people I have chosen,
and do not hurt my prophets."

PROVERBS 14:25

A truthful witness saves lives, but a false witness is a traitor. 

May 4 Reading through the Bible

 

JUDGES 19:1-20:48
JOHN 3:22-4:3
PSALM 104:24-35
PROVERBS 14:22-24

JUDGES 19:1-20:48
Now in those days Israel had no king. There was a man from the tribe of Levi living in a remote area of the hill country of Ephraim. One day he brought home a woman from Bethlehem in Judah to be his concubine. 2 But she was unfaithful to him and returned to her father's home in Bethlehem. After about four months, 3 her husband took a servant and an extra donkey to Bethlehem to persuade her to come back. When he arrived at her father's house, she took him inside, and her father welcomed him. 4 Her father urged him to stay awhile, so he stayed three days, eating, drinking, and sleeping there. 5 On the fourth day the man was up early, ready to leave, but the woman's father said, " Have something to eat before you go." 6 So the two of them sat down together and had something to eat and drink. Then the woman's father said, " Please stay the night and enjoy yourself." 7 The man got up to leave, but his father-in-law kept urging him to stay, so he finally gave in and stayed the night. 8 On the morning of the fifth day he was up early again, ready to leave, and again the woman's father said, " Have something to eat; then you can leave some time this afternoon." So they had another day of feasting. 9 That afternoon, as he and his concubine and servant were preparing to leave, his father-in-law said, " Look, it's getting late. Stay the night and enjoy yourself. Tomorrow you can get up early and be on your way." 10 But this time the man was determined to leave. So he took his two saddled donkeys and his concubine and headed in the direction of Jebus (that is, Jerusalem). 11 It was late in the day when they reached Jebus, and the man's servant said to him, " It's getting too late to travel; let's stay in this Jebusite city tonight." 12 " No," his master said, " we can't stay in this foreign city where there are no Israelites. We will go on to Gibeah. 13 We will find a place to spend the night in either Gibeah or Ramah." 14 So they went on. The sun was setting as they came to Gibeah, a town in the land of Benjamin, 15 so they stopped there to spend the night. They rested in the town square, but no one took them in for the night. 16 That evening an old man came home from his work in the fields. He was from the hill country of Ephraim, but he was living in Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin. 17 When he saw the travelers sitting in the town square, he asked them where they were from and where they were going. 18 " We have been in Bethlehem in Judah," the man replied. " We are on our way home to a remote area in the hill country of Ephraim, and we're going to the Tabernacle of the LORD. But no one has taken us in for the night, 19 even though we have everything we need. We have straw and fodder for our donkeys and plenty of bread and wine for ourselves." 20 " You are welcome to stay with me," the old man said. " I will give you anything you might need. But whatever you do, don't spend the night in the square." 21 So he took them home with him and fed their donkeys. After they washed their feet, they had supper together. 22 While they were enjoying themselves, some of the wicked men in the town surrounded the house. They began beating at the door and shouting to the old man, " Bring out the man who is staying with you so we can have sex with him." 23 The old man stepped outside to talk to them. " No, my brothers, don't do such an evil thing. For this man is my guest, and such a thing would be shameful. 24 Here, take my virgin daughter and this man's concubine. I will bring them out to you, and you can do whatever you like to them. But don't do such a shameful thing to this man." 25 But they wouldn't listen to him. Then the Levite took his concubine and pushed her out the door. The men of the town abused her all night, taking turns raping her until morning. Finally, at dawn, they let her go. 26 At daybreak the woman returned to the house where her husband was staying. She collapsed at the door of the house and lay there until it was light. 27 When her husband opened the door to leave, he found her there. She was lying face down, with her hands on the threshold. 28 He said, " Get up! Let's go!" But there was no answer. So he put her body on his donkey and took her home. 29 When he got home, he took a knife and cut his concubine's body into twelve pieces. Then he sent one piece to each tribe of Israel. 30 Everyone who saw it said, " Such a horrible crime has not been committed since Israel left Egypt. Shouldn't we speak up and do something about this?"20:1 THEN all the Israelites, from Dan to Beersheba and from the land of Gilead, came together in one large assembly and stood in the presence of the LORD at Mizpah. 2 The leaders of all the people and all the tribes of Israel--400,000 warriors armed with swords--took their positions in the assembly of the people of God. 3 (Word soon reached the land of Benjamin that the other tribes had gone up to Mizpah.) The Israelites then asked how this terrible crime had happened. 4 The Levite, the husband of the woman who had been murdered, said, " My concubine and I came to Gibeah, a town in the land of Benjamin, to spend the night. 5 That night some of the leaders of Gibeah surrounded the house, planning to kill me, and they raped my concubine until she was dead. 6 So I cut her body into twelve pieces and sent the pieces throughout the land of Israel, for these men have committed this terrible and shameful crime. 7 Now then, the entire community of Israel must decide what should be done about this!" 8 And all the people stood up together and replied, " Not one of us will return home. 9 Instead, we will draw lots to decide who will attack Gibeah. 10 One tenth of the men from each tribe will be chosen to supply the warriors with food, and the rest of us will take revenge on Gibeah for this shameful thing they have done in Israel." 11 So all the Israelites were united, and they gathered together to attack the town. 12 The Israelites sent messengers to the tribe of Benjamin, saying, " What a terrible thing has been done among you! 13 Give up these evil men from Gibeah so we can execute them and purge Israel of this evil." But the people of Benjamin would not listen. 14 Instead, they came from their towns and gathered at Gibeah to fight the Israelites. 15 Twenty-six thousand of their warriors armed with swords arrived in Gibeah to join the seven hundred warriors who lived there. 16 Seven hundred of Benjamin's warriors were left-handed, each of whom could sling a rock and hit a target within a hairsbreadth, without missing. 17 Israel had 400,000 warriors armed with swords, not counting Benjamin's warriors. 18 Before the battle the Israelites went to Bethel and asked God, " Which tribe should lead the attack against the people of Benjamin?" The LORD answered, " Judah is to go first." 19 So the Israelites left early the next morning and camped near Gibeah. 20 Then they advanced toward Gibeah to attack the men of Benjamin. 21 But Benjamin's warriors, who were defending the town, came out and killed twenty-two thousand Israelites in the field that day. 22 But the Israelites took courage and assembled at the same place they had fought the previous day. 23 (For they had gone up to Bethel and wept in the presence of the LORD until evening. Then they asked the LORD, " Should we fight against our relatives from Benjamin again?" And the LORD said, " Go out and fight against them.") 24 So they went out to fight against the warriors of Benjamin, 25 but the men of Benjamin killed another eighteen thousand Israelites, all of whom were experienced with a sword. 26 Then all the Israelites went up to Bethel and wept in the presence of the LORD and fasted until evening. They also brought burnt offerings and peace offerings to the LORD. 27 And the Israelites went up seeking direction from the LORD. (In those days the Ark of the Covenant of God was in Bethel, 28 and Phinehas son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron was the priest.) The Israelites asked the LORD, " Should we fight against our relatives from Benjamin again or should we stop?" The LORD said, " Go! Tomorrow I will give you victory over them." 29 So the Israelites set an ambush all around Gibeah. 30 They went out on the third day and assembled at the same place as before. 31 When the warriors of Benjamin came out to attack, they were drawn away from the town. And as they had done before, they began to kill the Israelites. About thirty Israelites died in the open fields and along the roads leading to Bethel and Gibeah. 32 Then the warriors of Benjamin shouted, " We're defeating them as we did in the first battle!" But the Israelites had agreed in advance to run away so that the men of Benjamin would chase them along the roads and be drawn away from the town. 33 When the main group of Israelite warriors reached Baal-tamar, they turned and prepared to attack. Then the Israelites hiding in ambush west of Gibeah jumped up from where they were 34 and advanced against Benjamin from behind. The fighting was so heavy that Benjamin didn't realize the impending disaster. 35 So the LORD helped Israel defeat Benjamin, and that day the Israelites killed 25,100 of Benjamin's warriors, all of whom were experienced with a sword. 36 Then the men of Benjamin saw that they were beaten. The Israelites had retreated from Benjamin's warriors in order to give those hiding in ambush more room to maneuver. 37 Then those who were in hiding rushed in from all sides and killed everyone in the town. 38 They sent up a large cloud of smoke from the town, 39 which was the signal for the Israelites to turn and attack Benjamin's warriors. By that time Benjamin's warriors had killed about thirty Israelites, and they shouted, " We're defeating them as we did in the first battle!" 40 But when the warriors of Benjamin looked behind them and saw the smoke rising into the sky from every part of the town, 41 the Israelites turned and attacked. At this point Benjamin's warriors realized disaster was near and became terrified. 42 So they ran toward the wilderness, but the Israelites chased after them and killed them. 43 The Israelites surrounded the men of Benjamin and were relentless in chasing them down, finally overtaking them east of Gibeah. 44 Eighteen thousand of Benjamin's greatest warriors died in that day's battle. 45 The survivors fled into the wilderness toward the rock of Rimmon, but Israel killed five thousand of them along the road. They continued the chase until they had killed another two thousand near Gidom. 46 So the tribe of Benjamin lost twenty-five thousand brave warriors that day, 47 leaving only six hundred men who escaped to the rock of Rimmon, where they lived for four months. 48 Then the Israelites returned and slaughtered every living thing in all the towns--the people, the cattle--everything. They also burned down every town they came to.

JOHN 3:22-4:3
Afterward Jesus and his disciples left Jerusalem, but they stayed in Judea for a while and baptized there. 23 At this time John the Baptist was baptizing at Aenon, near Salim, because there was plenty of water there and people kept coming to him for baptism. 24 This was before John was put into prison. 25 At that time a certain Jew began an argument with John's disciples over ceremonial cleansing. 26 John's disciples came to him and said, " Teacher, the man you met on the other side of the Jordan River, the one you said was the Messiah, is also baptizing people. And everybody is going over there instead of coming here to us." 27 John replied, " God in heaven appoints each person's work. 28 You yourselves know how plainly I told you that I am not the Messiah. I am here to prepare the way for him--that is all. 29 The bride will go where the bridegroom is. A bridegroom's friend rejoices with him. I am the bridegroom's friend, and I am filled with joy at his success. 30 He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less. 31 " He has come from above and is greater than anyone else. I am of the earth, and my understanding is limited to the things of earth, but he has come from heaven. 32 He tells what he has seen and heard, but how few believe what he tells them! 33 Those who believe him discover that God is true. 34 For he is sent by God. He speaks God's words, for God's Spirit is upon him without measure or limit. 35 The Father loves his Son, and he has given him authority over everything. 36 And all who believe in God's Son have eternal life. Those who don't obey the Son will never experience eternal life, but the wrath of God remains upon them."4:1 JESUS learned that the Pharisees had heard, " Jesus is baptizing and making more disciples than John" 2 (though Jesus himself didn't baptize them--his disciples did). 3 So he left Judea to return to Galilee.

PSALM 104:24-35
O LORD, what a variety of things you have made!
In wisdom you have made them all.
The earth is full of your creatures.
25 Here is the ocean, vast and wide,
teeming with life of every kind,
both great and small.
26 See the ships sailing along,
and Leviathan, which you made to play in the sea.
27 Every one of these depends on you
to give them their food as they need it.
28 When you supply it, they gather it.
You open your hand to feed them, and they are satisfied.
29 But if you turn away from them, they panic.
When you take away their breath, they die
and turn again to dust.
30 When you send your Spirit, new life is born
to replenish all the living of the earth.
31 May the glory of the LORD last forever!
The LORD rejoices in all he has made!
32 The earth trembles at his glance;
the mountains burst into flame at his touch.
33 I will sing to the LORD as long as I live.
I will praise my God to my last breath!
34 May he be pleased by all these thoughts about him,
for I rejoice in the LORD.
35 Let all sinners vanish from the face of the earth;
let the wicked disappear forever.
As for me--I will praise the LORD!
Praise the LORD!

PROVERBS 14:22-24
If you plot evil, you will be lost; but if you plan good, you will be granted unfailing love and faithfulness. Work brings profit, but mere talk leads to poverty! Wealth is a crown for the wise; the effort of fools yields only folly.

May 3 Reading through the Bible

JUDGES 17:1-18:31
JOHN 3:1-21
PSALM 104:1-23
PROVERBS 14:20-21

JUDGES 17:1-18:31
A man named Micah lived in the hill country of Ephraim. 2 One day he said to his mother, " I heard you curse the thief who stole eleven hundred pieces of silver from you. Well, here they are. I was the one who took them." " The LORD bless you for admitting it," his mother replied. 3 He returned the money to her, and she said, " I now dedicate these silver coins to the LORD. In honor of my son, I will have an image carved and an idol cast." 4 So his mother took two hundred of the silver coins to a silversmith, who made them into an image and an idol. And these were placed in Micah's house. 5 Micah set up a shrine, and he made a sacred ephod and some household idols. Then he installed one of his sons as the priest. 6 In those days Israel had no king, so the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes. 7 One day a young Levite from Bethlehem in Judah 8 arrived in that area of Ephraim, looking for a good place to live. He happened to stop at Micah's house as he was traveling through. 9 " Where are you from?" Micah asked him. And he replied, " I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, and I am looking for a place to live." 10 " Stay here with me," Micah said, " and you can be a father and priest to me. I will give you ten pieces of silver a year, plus a change of clothes and your food." 11 The Levite agreed to this and became like one of Micah's sons. 12 So Micah ordained the Levite as his personal priest, and he lived in Micah's house. 13 " I know the LORD will bless me now," Micah said, " because I have a Levite serving as my priest."18:1 NOW in those days Israel had no king. And the tribe of Dan was trying to find a place to settle, for they had not yet driven out the people who lived in the land assigned to them. 2 So the men of Dan chose five warriors from among their clans, who lived in the towns of Zorah and Eshtaol, to scout out a land for them to settle in. When these warriors arrived in the hill country of Ephraim, they came to Micah's home and spent the night there. 3 Noticing the young Levite's accent, they took him aside and asked him, " Who brought you here, and what are you doing? Why are you here?" 4 He told them about his agreement with Micah and that he was Micah's personal priest. 5 Then they said, " Ask God whether or not our journey will be successful." 6 " Go in peace," the priest replied. " For the LORD will go ahead of you on your journey." 7 So the five men went on to the town of Laish, where they noticed the people living carefree lives, like the Sidonians; they were peaceful and secure. The people were also wealthy because their land was very fertile. And they lived a great distance from Sidon and had no allies nearby. 8 When the men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their relatives asked them, " What did you find?" 9 The men replied, " Let's attack! We have seen the land, and it is very good. You should not hesitate to go and take possession of it. 10 When you get there, you will find the people living carefree lives. God has given us a spacious and fertile land, lacking in nothing!" 11 So six hundred warriors from the tribe of Dan set out from Zorah and Eshtaol. 12 They camped at a place west of Kiriath-jearim in Judah, which is called Mahaneh-dan to this day. 13 Then they went up into the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah. 14 The five men who had scouted out the land around Laish said to the others, " There is a shrine here with a sacred ephod, some household idols, a carved image, and a cast idol. It's obvious what we ought to do." 15 So the five men went over to Micah's house, where the young Levite lived, and greeted him kindly. 16 As the six hundred warriors from the tribe of Dan stood just outside the gate, 17 the five spies entered the shrine and took the carved image, the sacred ephod, the household idols, and the cast idol. 18 When the priest saw the men carrying all the sacred objects out of Micah's shrine, he said, " What are you doing?" 19 " Be quiet and come with us," they said. " Be a father and priest to all of us. Isn't it better to be a priest for an entire tribe of Israel than just for the household of one man?" 20 The young priest was quite happy to go with them, so he took along the sacred ephod, the household idols, and the carved image. 21 They started on their way again, placing their children, livestock, and possessions in front of them. 22 When the people from the tribe of Dan were quite a distance from Micah's home, Micah and some of his neighbors came chasing after them. 23 They were shouting as they caught up with them. The men of Dan turned around and said, " What do you want? Why have you called these men together and chased after us like this?" 24 " What do you mean, What do I want? " Micah replied. " You've taken away all my gods and my priest, and I have nothing left!" 25 The men of Dan said, " Watch what you say! Some of us are short-tempered, and they might get angry and kill you and your family." 26 So the men of Dan went on their way. When Micah saw that there were too many of them for him to attack, he turned around and went home. 27 Then, with Micah's idols and his priest, the men of Dan came to the town of Laish, whose people were peaceful and secure. They attacked and killed all the people and burned the town to the ground. 28 There was no one to rescue the residents of the town, for they lived a great distance from Sidon and had no allies nearby. This happened in the valley near Beth-rehob. Then the people of the tribe of Dan rebuilt the town and lived there. 29 They renamed the town Dan after their ancestor, Israel's son, but it had originally been called Laish. 30 Then they set up the carved image, and they appointed Jonathan son of Gershom, a descendant of Moses, as their priest. This family continued as priests for the tribe of Dan until the Exile. 31 So Micah's carved image was worshiped by the tribe of Dan as long as the Tabernacle of God remained at Shiloh.

JOHN 3:1-21
After dark one evening, a Jewish religious leader named Nicodemus, a Pharisee, 2 came to speak with Jesus. " Teacher," he said, " we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are proof enough that God is with you." 3 Jesus replied, " I assure you, unless you are born again, you can never see the Kingdom of God." 4 " What do you mean?" exclaimed Nicodemus. " How can an old man go back into his mother's womb and be born again?" 5 Jesus replied, " The truth is, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. 6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives new life from heaven. 7 So don't be surprised at my statement that you must be born again. 8 Just as you can hear the wind but can't tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can't explain how people are born of the Spirit." 9 " What do you mean?" Nicodemus asked. 10 Jesus replied, " You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don't understand these things? 11 I assure you, I am telling you what we know and have seen, and yet you won't believe us. 12 But if you don't even believe me when I tell you about things that happen here on earth, how can you possibly believe if I tell you what is going on in heaven? 13 For only I, the Son of Man, have come to earth and will return to heaven again. 14 And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so I, the Son of Man, must be lifted up on a pole,* 15 so that everyone who believes in me will have eternal life.16 " For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it. 18 " There is no judgment awaiting those who trust him. But those who do not trust him have already been judged for not believing in the only Son of God. 19 Their judgment is based on this fact: The light from heaven came into the world, but they loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. 20 They hate the light because they want to sin in the darkness. They stay away from the light for fear their sins will be exposed and they will be punished. 21 But those who do what is right come to the light gladly, so everyone can see that they are doing what God wants."

PSALM 104:1-23
Praise the LORD, I tell myself;
O LORD my God, how great you are!
You are robed with honor and with majesty;
2 you are dressed in a robe of light.
You stretch out the starry curtain of the heavens;
3 you lay out the rafters of your home in the rain clouds.
You make the clouds your chariots;
you ride upon the wings of the wind.
4 The winds are your messengers;
flames of fire are your servants.
5 You placed the world on its foundation
so it would never be moved.
6 You clothed the earth with floods of water,
water that covered even the mountains.
7 At the sound of your rebuke, the water fled;
at the sound of your thunder, it fled away.
8 Mountains rose and valleys sank
to the levels you decreed.
9 Then you set a firm boundary for the seas,
so they would never again cover the earth.
10 You make the springs pour water into ravines,
so streams gush down from the mountains.
11 They provide water for all the animals,
and the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12 The birds nest beside the streams
and sing among the branches of the trees.
13 You send rain on the mountains from your heavenly home,
and you fill the earth with the fruit of your labor.
14 You cause grass to grow for the cattle.
You cause plants to grow for people to use.
You allow them to produce food from the earth--
15 wine to make them glad,
olive oil as lotion for their skin,
and bread to give them strength.
16 The trees of the LORD are well cared for--
the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
17 There the birds make their nests,
and the storks make their homes in the firs.
18 High in the mountains are pastures for the wild goats,
and the rocks form a refuge for rock badgers.
19 You made the moon to mark the seasons
and the sun that knows when to set.
20 You send the darkness, and it becomes night,
when all the forest animals prowl about.
21 Then the young lions roar for their food,
but they are dependent on God.
22 At dawn they slink back
into their dens to rest.
23 Then people go off to their work;
they labor until the evening shadows fall again.

PROVERBS 14:20-21

The poor are despised even by their neighbors, while the rich have many " friends." It is sin to despise one's neighbors; blessed are those who help the poor. 

May 2 Reading through the Bible

 

JUDGES 13:1-14:20
JOHN 1:29-51
PSALM 102:1-28
PROVERBS 14:15-16

JUDGES 13:1-14:20
Again the Israelites did what was evil in the LORD's sight, so the LORD handed them over to the Philistines, who kept them in subjection for forty years. 2 In those days, a man named Manoah from the tribe of Dan lived in the town of Zorah. His wife was unable to become pregnant, and they had no children. 3 The angel of the LORD appeared to Manoah's wife and said, " Even though you have been unable to have children, you will soon become pregnant and give birth to a son. 4 You must not drink wine or any other alcoholic drink or eat any forbidden food. 5 You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and his hair must never be cut. For he will be dedicated to God as a Nazirite from birth. He will rescue Israel from the Philistines." 6 The woman ran and told her husband, " A man of God appeared to me! He was like one of God's angels, terrifying to look at. I didn't ask where he was from, and he didn't tell me his name. 7 But he told me, ` You will become pregnant and give birth to a son. You must not drink wine or any other alcoholic drink or eat any forbidden food. For your son will be dedicated to God as a Nazirite from the moment of his birth until the day of his death.' " 8 Then Manoah prayed to the LORD. He said, " Lord, please let the man of God come back to us again and give us more instructions about this son who is to be born." 9 God answered his prayer, and the angel of God appeared once again to his wife as she was sitting in the field. But her husband, Manoah, was not with her. 10 So she quickly ran and told her husband, " The man who appeared to me the other day is here again!" 11 Manoah ran back with his wife and asked, " Are you the man who talked to my wife the other day?" " Yes," he replied, " I am." 12 So Manoah asked him, " When your words come true, what kind of rules should govern the boy's life and work?" 13 The angel of the LORD replied, " Be sure your wife follows the instructions I gave her. 14 She must not eat grapes or raisins, drink wine or any other alcoholic drink, or eat any forbidden food." 15 Then Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, " Please stay here until we can prepare a young goat for you to eat." 16 " I will stay," the angel of the LORD replied, " but I will not eat anything. However, you may prepare a burnt offering as a sacrifice to the LORD." (Manoah didn't realize it was the angel of the LORD.) 17 Then Manoah asked the angel of the LORD, " What is your name? For when all this comes true, we want to honor you." 18 " Why do you ask my name?" the angel of the LORD replied. " You wouldn't understand if I told you." 19 Then Manoah took a young goat and a grain offering and offered it on a rock as a sacrifice to the LORD. And as Manoah and his wife watched, the LORD did an amazing thing. 20 As the flames from the altar shot up toward the sky, the angel of the LORD ascended in the fire. When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell with their faces to the ground. 21 The angel did not appear again to Manoah and his wife. Manoah finally realized it was the angel of the LORD, 22 and he said to his wife, " We will die, for we have seen God!" 23 But his wife said, " If the LORD were going to kill us, he wouldn't have accepted our burnt offering and grain offering. He wouldn't have appeared to us and told us this wonderful thing and done these miracles." 24 When her son was born, they named him Samson. And the LORD blessed him as he grew up. 25 And in Mahaneh-dan, which is located between the towns of Zorah and Eshtaol, the Spirit of the LORD began to take hold of him.14:1 ONE day when Samson was in Timnah, he noticed a certain Philistine woman. 2 When he returned home, he told his father and mother, " I want to marry a young Philistine woman I saw in Timnah." 3 His father and mother objected strenuously, " Isn't there one woman in our tribe or among all the Israelites you could marry? Why must you go to the pagan Philistines to find a wife?" But Samson told his father, " Get her for me. She is the one I want." 4 His father and mother didn't realize the LORD was at work in this, creating an opportunity to disrupt the Philistines, who ruled over Israel at that time. 5 As Samson and his parents were going down to Timnah, a young lion attacked Samson near the vineyards of Timnah. 6 At that moment the Spirit of the LORD powerfully took control of him, and he ripped the lion's jaws apart with his bare hands. He did it as easily as if it were a young goat. But he didn't tell his father or mother about it. 7 When Samson arrived in Timnah, he talked with the woman and was very pleased with her. 8 Later, when he returned to Timnah for the wedding, he turned off the path to look at the carcass of the lion. And he found that a swarm of bees had made some honey in the carcass. 9 He scooped some of the honey into his hands and ate it along the way. He also gave some to his father and mother, and they ate it. But he didn't tell them he had taken the honey from the carcass of the lion. 10 As his father was making final arrangements for the marriage, Samson threw a party at Timnah, as was the custom of the day. 11 Thirty young men from the town were invited to be his companions. 12 Samson said to them, " Let me tell you a riddle. If you solve my riddle during these seven days of the celebration, I will give you thirty plain linen robes and thirty fancy robes. 13 But if you can't solve it, then you must give me thirty linen robes and thirty fancy robes." " All right," they agreed, " let's hear your riddle." 14 So he said: " From the one who eats came something to eat;
out of the strong came something sweet."
Three days later they were still trying to figure it out. 15 On the fourth day they said to Samson's wife, " Get the answer to the riddle from your husband, or we will burn down your father's house with you in it. Did you invite us to this party just to make us poor?" 16 So Samson's wife came to him in tears and said, " You don't love me; you hate me! You have given my people a riddle, but you haven't told me the answer." " I haven't even given the answer to my father or mother," he replied. " Why should I tell you?" 17 So she cried whenever she was with him and kept it up for the rest of the celebration. At last, on the seventh day, he told her the answer because of her persistent nagging. Then she gave the answer to the young men. 18 So before sunset of the seventh day, the men of the town came to Samson with their answer: " What is sweeter than honey?
What is stronger than a lion?"
Samson replied, " If you hadn't plowed with my heifer, you wouldn't have found the answer to my riddle!" 19 Then the Spirit of the LORD powerfully took control of him. He went down to the town of Ashkelon, killed thirty men, took their belongings, and gave their clothing to the men who had answered his riddle. But Samson was furious about what had happened, and he went back home to live with his father and mother. 20 So his wife was given in marriage to the man who had been Samson's best man at the wedding.

JOHN 1:29-51
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, " Look! There is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30He is the one I was talking about when I said, ` Soon a man is coming who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before I did.' 31I didn't know he was the one, but I have been baptizing with water in order to point him out to Israel." 32 Then John said, " I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon him. 33 I didn't know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, he told me, ` When you see the Holy Spirit descending and resting upon someone, he is the one you are looking for. He is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' 34 I saw this happen to Jesus, so I testify that he is the Son of God." 35 The following day, John was again standing with two of his disciples. 36 As Jesus walked by, John looked at him and then declared, " Look! There is the Lamb of God!" 37 Then John's two disciples turned and followed Jesus. 38 Jesus looked around and saw them following. " What do you want?" he asked them. They replied, " Rabbi" (which means Teacher), " where are you staying?"39 " Come and see," he said. It was about four o'clock in the afternoon when they went with him to the place, and they stayed there the rest of the day. 40 Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of these men who had heard what John said and then followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother, Simon, and tell him, " We have found the Messiah" (which means the Christ). 42 Then Andrew brought Simon to meet Jesus. Looking intently at Simon, Jesus said, " You are Simon, the son of John--but you will be called Cephas" (which means Peter). 43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, " Come, be my disciple." 44 Philip was from Bethsaida, Andrew and Peter's hometown. 45 Philip went off to look for Nathanael and told him, " We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth."46 " Nazareth!" exclaimed Nathanael. " Can anything good come from there?" " Just come and see for yourself," Philip said. 47 As they approached, Jesus said, " Here comes an honest man--a true son of Israel." 48 " How do you know about me?" Nathanael asked. And Jesus replied, " I could see you under the fig tree before Philip found you." 49 Nathanael replied, " Teacher, you are the Son of God--the King of Israel!" 50 Jesus asked him, " Do you believe all this just because I told you I had seen you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this." 51 Then he said, " The truth is, you will all see heaven open and the angels of God going up and down upon the Son of Man."

PSALM 102:1-28
A prayer of one overwhelmed with trouble, pouring out problems before the LORD.
1 LORD, hear my prayer!
Listen to my plea!
2 Don't turn away from me
in my time of distress.
Bend down your ear
and answer me quickly when I call to you,
3 for my days disappear like smoke,
and my bones burn like red-hot coals.
4 My heart is sick, withered like grass,
and I have lost my appetite.
5 Because of my groaning,
I am reduced to skin and bones.
6 I am like an owl in the desert,
like a lonely owl in a far-off wilderness.
7 I lie awake,
lonely as a solitary bird on the roof.
8 My enemies taunt me day after day.
They mock and curse me.
9 I eat ashes instead of my food.
My tears run down into my drink
10 because of your anger and wrath.
For you have picked me up and thrown me out.
11 My life passes as swiftly as the evening shadows.
I am withering like grass.
12 But you, O LORD, will rule forever.
Your fame will endure to every generation.
13 You will arise and have mercy on Jerusalem--
and now is the time to pity her,
now is the time you promised to help.
14 For your people love every stone in her walls
and show favor even to the dust in her streets.
15 And the nations will tremble before the LORD.
The kings of the earth will tremble before his glory.
16 For the LORD will rebuild Jerusalem.
He will appear in his glory.
17 He will listen to the prayers of the destitute.
He will not reject their pleas.
18 Let this be recorded for future generations,
so that a nation yet to be created will praise the LORD.
19 Tell them the LORD looked down
from his heavenly sanctuary.
He looked to the earth from heaven
20 to hear the groans of the prisoners,
to release those condemned to die.
21 And so the LORD's fame will be celebrated in Zion,
his praises in Jerusalem,
22 when multitudes gather together
and kingdoms come to worship the LORD.
23 He has cut me down in midlife,
shortening my days.
24 But I cried to him, " My God, who lives forever,
don't take my life while I am still so young!
25 In ages past you laid the foundation of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
26 Even they will perish, but you remain forever;
they will wear out like old clothing.
You will change them like a garment,
and they will fade away.
27 But you are always the same;
your years never end.
28 The children of your people
will live in security.
Their children's children
will thrive in your presence."

PROVERBS 14:15-16
Only simpletons believe everything they are told! The prudent carefully consider their steps. The wise are cautious and avoid danger; fools plunge ahead with great confidence.