Let's read the Bible together in the next year. Today our passages are Genesis 24:52–26:16; Matthew 8:18-34; Psalm 10:1-15; and Proverbs 3:7-8. The readings are the Contemporary English Version.
Genesis 24:52-26:16 (Contemporary English Version)
52Abraham's servant bowed down and thanked the LORD. 53Then he gave clothing, as well as silver and gold jewelry, to Rebekah. He also gave expensive gifts to her brother and her mother.
54Abraham's servant and the men with him ate and drank, then spent the night there. The next morning they got up, and the servant told Rebekah's mother and brother, "I would like to go back to my master now."
55"Let Rebekah stay with us for a week or ten days," they answered. "Then she may go."
56But he said, "Don't make me stay any longer. The LORD has already helped me find a wife for my master's son. Now let us return."
57They answered, "Let's ask Rebekah what she wants to do." 58They called her and asked, "Are you willing to leave with this man right now?"
"Yes," she answered.
59So they agreed to let Rebekah and an old family servant woman [a] leave immediately with Abraham's servant and his men. 60They gave Rebekah their blessing and said, "We pray that God will give you many children and grandchildren and that he will help them defeat their enemies." 61Afterwards, Rebekah and the young women who were to travel with her prepared to leave. Then they got on camels and left with Abraham's servant and his men. 62At that time Isaac was living in the southern part of Canaan near a place called "The Well of the Living One Who Sees Me." [b]63-65One evening he was walking out in the fields, when suddenly he saw a group of people approaching on camels. So he started toward them. Rebekah saw him coming; she got down from her camel, and asked, "Who is that man?" "He is my master Isaac," the servant answered. Then Rebekah covered her face with her veil. [c] 66The servant told Isaac everything that had happened.
67Isaac took Rebekah into the tent [d] where his mother had lived before she died, and Rebekah became his wife. He loved her and was comforted over the loss of his mother.
54Abraham's servant and the men with him ate and drank, then spent the night there. The next morning they got up, and the servant told Rebekah's mother and brother, "I would like to go back to my master now."
55"Let Rebekah stay with us for a week or ten days," they answered. "Then she may go."
56But he said, "Don't make me stay any longer. The LORD has already helped me find a wife for my master's son. Now let us return."
57They answered, "Let's ask Rebekah what she wants to do." 58They called her and asked, "Are you willing to leave with this man right now?"
"Yes," she answered.
59So they agreed to let Rebekah and an old family servant woman [a] leave immediately with Abraham's servant and his men. 60They gave Rebekah their blessing and said, "We pray that God will give you many children and grandchildren and that he will help them defeat their enemies." 61Afterwards, Rebekah and the young women who were to travel with her prepared to leave. Then they got on camels and left with Abraham's servant and his men. 62At that time Isaac was living in the southern part of Canaan near a place called "The Well of the Living One Who Sees Me." [b]63-65One evening he was walking out in the fields, when suddenly he saw a group of people approaching on camels. So he started toward them. Rebekah saw him coming; she got down from her camel, and asked, "Who is that man?" "He is my master Isaac," the servant answered. Then Rebekah covered her face with her veil. [c] 66The servant told Isaac everything that had happened.
67Isaac took Rebekah into the tent [d] where his mother had lived before she died, and Rebekah became his wife. He loved her and was comforted over the loss of his mother.
Genesis 25
Abraham Marries Keturah
1Abraham married Keturah, 2and they had six sons: Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. 3Later, Jokshan became the father of Sheba and Dedan, and when Dedan grew up, he had three sons: Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim. 4Midian also had five sons: Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. 5-6While Abraham was still alive, he gave gifts to the sons of Hagar and Keturah. He also sent their sons to live in the east far from his son Isaac, and when Abraham died, he left everything to Isaac.
The Death of Abraham
7-8Abraham died at the ripe old age of one hundred seventy-five. 9-10His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him east of Hebron [e] in Machpelah Cave that was part of the field Abraham had bought from Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite. Abraham was buried there beside his wife Sarah. 11God blessed Isaac after this, and Isaac moved to a place called "The Well of the Living One Who Sees Me." [f]
Ishmael's Descendants
12Ishmael was the son of Abraham and Hagar, the slave woman of Sarah. 13Ishmael had twelve sons, in this order: Nebaioth, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. 16Each of Ishmael's sons was a tribal chief, and a village was named after each of them. 17-18Ishmael had settled in the land east of his brothers, and his sons [g] settled everywhere from Havilah to Shur, east of Egypt on the way to Asshur. [h]Ishmael was one hundred thirty-seven when he died.
The Birth of Esau and Jacob
19Isaac was the son of Abraham, 20and he was forty years old when he married Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel. She was also the sister of Laban, the Aramean from northern Syria. [i] Almost twenty years later, 21Rebekah still had no children. So Isaac asked the LORD to let her have a child, and the LORD answered his prayer. 22Before Rebekah gave birth, she knew she was going to have twins, because she could feel them inside her, fighting each other. She thought, "Why is this happening to me?" Finally, she asked the LORD why her twins were fighting, 23and he told her:
"Your two sons will become
two separate nations. [j] The younger of the two
will be stronger,
and the older son
will be his servant."
24When Rebekah gave birth, 25the first baby was covered with red hair, so he was named Esau. [k] 26The second baby grabbed on to his brother's heel, so they named him Jacob. [l] Isaac was sixty years old when they were born.
"Your two sons will become
two separate nations. [j] The younger of the two
will be stronger,
and the older son
will be his servant."
24When Rebekah gave birth, 25the first baby was covered with red hair, so he was named Esau. [k] 26The second baby grabbed on to his brother's heel, so they named him Jacob. [l] Isaac was sixty years old when they were born.
Esau Sells His Rights as the First-Born Son
27As Jacob and Esau grew older, Esau liked the outdoors and became a good hunter, while Jacob settled down and became a shepherd. 28Esau would take the meat of wild animals to his father Isaac, and so Isaac loved him more, but Jacob was his mother's favorite son. 29One day, Jacob was cooking some stew, when Esau came home hungry 30and said, "I'm starving to death! Give me some of that red stew right now!" That's how Esau got the name "Edom." [m]31Jacob replied, "Sell me your rights as the first-born son." [n] 32"I'm about to die," Esau answered. "What good will those rights do me?"
33But Jacob said, "Promise me your birthrights, here and now!" And that's what Esau did. 34Jacob then gave Esau some bread and some of the bean stew, and when Esau had finished eating and drinking, he just got up and left, showing how little he thought of his rights as the first-born.
33But Jacob said, "Promise me your birthrights, here and now!" And that's what Esau did. 34Jacob then gave Esau some bread and some of the bean stew, and when Esau had finished eating and drinking, he just got up and left, showing how little he thought of his rights as the first-born.
Genesis 26
Isaac and Abimelech
1Once during Abraham's lifetime, the fields had not produced enough grain, and now the same thing happened. So Isaac went to King Abimelech of the Philistines in the land of Gerar, 2because the LORD had appeared to Isaac and said: Isaac, stay away from Egypt! I will show you where I want you to go. 3You will live there as a foreigner, but I will be with you and bless you. I will keep my promise to your father Abraham by giving this land to you and your descendants.
4I will give you as many descendants as there are stars in the sky, and I will give your descendants all of this land. They will be a blessing to every nation on earth, [o] 5because Abraham did everything I told him to do. 6Isaac moved to Gerar 7with his beautiful wife Rebekah. He was afraid that someone might kill him to get her, and so he told everyone that Rebekah was his sister. 8After Isaac had been there a long time, King Abimelech looked out a window and saw Isaac hugging and kissing Rebekah. 9Abimelech called him in and said, "Rebekah must be your wife! Why did you say she is your sister?"
"Because I thought someone would kill me," Isaac answered.
10"Don't you know what you've done?" Abimelech exclaimed. "If someone had slept with her, you would have made our whole nation guilty!" 11Then Abimelech warned his people that anyone who even touched Isaac or Rebekah would be put to death.
12Isaac planted grain and had a good harvest that same year. The LORD blessed him, 13and Isaac was so successful that he became very rich. 14In fact, the Philistines were jealous of the large number of sheep, goats, and slaves that Isaac owned, 15and they stopped up the wells that Abraham's servants had dug before his death. 16Finally, Abimelech said, "Isaac, I want you to leave our country. You have become too powerful to stay here."
Footnotes:- Genesis 24:59 old family servant woman: Probably Deborah, who had taken care of Rebekah from the time she was born (see 35.8).
- Genesis 24:62 Who Sees Me: Or "I Have Seen."
- Genesis 24:63 covered. . . veil: Since the veiling of a bride was part of the wedding ceremony, this probably means that she was willing to become the wife of Isaac.
- Genesis 24:67 took. . . tent: This shows that Rebekah is now the wife of Isaac and the successor of Sarah as the leading woman in the tribe.
- Genesis 25:9 Hebron: See the note at 23.16-18.
- Genesis 25:11 The Well. . . Sees Me: Or "Beer-Lahai-Roi." (see 16.14).
- Genesis 25:17 sons: Or "descendants."
- Genesis 25:17 Havilah to Shur. . . Asshur: The exact location of these places is not known.
- Genesis 25:20 northern Syria: See the note at 24.10.
- Genesis 25:23 two separate nations: Or "two nations always in conflict."
- Genesis 25:25 Esau: In Hebrew "Esau" sounds like "hairy."
- Genesis 25:26 Jacob: In Hebrew "Jacob" sounds like "heel."
- Genesis 25:30 Edom: In Hebrew "Edom" sounds like "red."
- Genesis 25:31 rights. . . son: The first-born son inherited the largest amount of property, as well as the leadership of the family.
- Genesis 26:4 They. . . on earth: Or "All nations on earth will ask me to bless them."
4I will give you as many descendants as there are stars in the sky, and I will give your descendants all of this land. They will be a blessing to every nation on earth, [o] 5because Abraham did everything I told him to do. 6Isaac moved to Gerar 7with his beautiful wife Rebekah. He was afraid that someone might kill him to get her, and so he told everyone that Rebekah was his sister. 8After Isaac had been there a long time, King Abimelech looked out a window and saw Isaac hugging and kissing Rebekah. 9Abimelech called him in and said, "Rebekah must be your wife! Why did you say she is your sister?"
"Because I thought someone would kill me," Isaac answered.
10"Don't you know what you've done?" Abimelech exclaimed. "If someone had slept with her, you would have made our whole nation guilty!" 11Then Abimelech warned his people that anyone who even touched Isaac or Rebekah would be put to death.
12Isaac planted grain and had a good harvest that same year. The LORD blessed him, 13and Isaac was so successful that he became very rich. 14In fact, the Philistines were jealous of the large number of sheep, goats, and slaves that Isaac owned, 15and they stopped up the wells that Abraham's servants had dug before his death. 16Finally, Abimelech said, "Isaac, I want you to leave our country. You have become too powerful to stay here."
Footnotes:
- Genesis 24:59 old family servant woman: Probably Deborah, who had taken care of Rebekah from the time she was born (see 35.8).
- Genesis 24:62 Who Sees Me: Or "I Have Seen."
- Genesis 24:63 covered. . . veil: Since the veiling of a bride was part of the wedding ceremony, this probably means that she was willing to become the wife of Isaac.
- Genesis 24:67 took. . . tent: This shows that Rebekah is now the wife of Isaac and the successor of Sarah as the leading woman in the tribe.
- Genesis 25:9 Hebron: See the note at 23.16-18.
- Genesis 25:11 The Well. . . Sees Me: Or "Beer-Lahai-Roi." (see 16.14).
- Genesis 25:17 sons: Or "descendants."
- Genesis 25:17 Havilah to Shur. . . Asshur: The exact location of these places is not known.
- Genesis 25:20 northern Syria: See the note at 24.10.
- Genesis 25:23 two separate nations: Or "two nations always in conflict."
- Genesis 25:25 Esau: In Hebrew "Esau" sounds like "hairy."
- Genesis 25:26 Jacob: In Hebrew "Jacob" sounds like "heel."
- Genesis 25:30 Edom: In Hebrew "Edom" sounds like "red."
- Genesis 25:31 rights. . . son: The first-born son inherited the largest amount of property, as well as the leadership of the family.
- Genesis 26:4 They. . . on earth: Or "All nations on earth will ask me to bless them."
Matthew 8:18-34 (Contemporary English Version)
Some Who Wanted To Go with Jesus
(Luke 9.57-62)
18When Jesus saw the crowd, [a] he went across Lake Galilee. 19A teacher of the Law of Moses came up to him and said, "Teacher, I'll go anywhere with you!" 20Jesus replied, "Foxes have dens, and birds have nests. But the Son of Man doesn't have a place to call his own." 21Another disciple said to Jesus, "Lord, let me wait till I bury my father."22Jesus answered, "Come with me, and let the dead bury their dead." [b]
A Storm
(Mark 4.35-41; Luke 8.22-25)
23After Jesus left in a boat with his disciples, 24a terrible storm suddenly struck the lake, and waves started splashing into their boat. Jesus was sound asleep, 25so the disciples went over to him and woke him up. They said, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!"26But Jesus replied, "Why are you so afraid? You surely don't have much faith." Then he got up and ordered the wind and the waves to calm down. And everything was calm.
27The men in the boat were amazed and said, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him."
Two Men with Demons in Them
(Mark 5.1-20; Luke 8.26-39)
28After Jesus had crossed the lake, he came to shore near the town of Gadara [c] and started down the road. Two men with demons in them came to him from the tombs. [d] They were so fierce that no one could travel that way. 29Suddenly they shouted, "Jesus, Son of God, what do you want with us? Have you come to punish us before our time?" 30Not far from there a large herd of pigs was feeding. 31So the demons begged Jesus, "If you force us out, please send us into those pigs!" 32Jesus told them to go, and they went out of the men and into the pigs. All at once the pigs rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned. 33The people taking care of the pigs ran to the town and told everything, especially what had happened to the two men. 34Everyone in town came out to meet Jesus. When they saw him, they begged him to leave their part of the country.Footnotes:
- Matthew 8:18 saw the crowd: Some manuscripts have "large crowd." Others have "large crowds."
- Matthew 8:22 let the dead bury their dead: For the Jewish people a proper burial of their dead was a very important duty. But Jesus teaches that following him is even more important.
- Matthew 8:28 Gadara: Some manuscripts have "Gergesa." Others have "Gerasa."
- Matthew 8:28 tombs: It was thought that demons and evil spirits lived in tombs and in caves that were used for burying the dead.
Psalm 10:1-15 (Contemporary English Version)
Psalm 10
A Prayer for Help
1Why are you far away, LORD? Why do you hide yourself
when I am in trouble?
2Proud and brutal people
hunt down the poor.
But let them get caught
by their own evil plans!
3The wicked brag about
their deepest desires.
Those greedy people hate
and curse you, LORD.
4The wicked are too proud
to turn to you
or even think about you.
5They are always successful,
though they can't understand
your teachings,
and they keep sneering
at their enemies.
6In their hearts they say,
"Nothing can hurt us!
We'll always be happy
and free from trouble."
7They curse and tell lies,
and all they talk about
is how to be cruel
or how to do wrong.
8They hide outside villages,
waiting to strike and murder
some innocent victim.
9They are hungry lions
hiding in the bushes,
hoping to catch
some helpless passerby.
They trap the poor in nets
and drag them away.
10They crouch down and wait
to grab a victim.
11They say, "God can't see!
He's got on a blindfold."
12Do something, LORD God,
and use your powerful arm
to help those in need.
13The wicked don't respect you.
In their hearts they say,
"God won't punish us!"
14But you see the trouble
and the distress,
and you will do something.
The poor can count on you,
and so can orphans.
15Now break the arms
of all merciless people.
Punish them for doing wrong
and make them stop.
when I am in trouble?
2Proud and brutal people
hunt down the poor.
But let them get caught
by their own evil plans!
3The wicked brag about
their deepest desires.
Those greedy people hate
and curse you, LORD.
4The wicked are too proud
to turn to you
or even think about you.
5They are always successful,
though they can't understand
your teachings,
and they keep sneering
at their enemies.
6In their hearts they say,
"Nothing can hurt us!
We'll always be happy
and free from trouble."
7They curse and tell lies,
and all they talk about
is how to be cruel
or how to do wrong.
8They hide outside villages,
waiting to strike and murder
some innocent victim.
9They are hungry lions
hiding in the bushes,
hoping to catch
some helpless passerby.
They trap the poor in nets
and drag them away.
10They crouch down and wait
to grab a victim.
11They say, "God can't see!
He's got on a blindfold."
12Do something, LORD God,
and use your powerful arm
to help those in need.
13The wicked don't respect you.
In their hearts they say,
"God won't punish us!"
14But you see the trouble
and the distress,
and you will do something.
The poor can count on you,
and so can orphans.
15Now break the arms
of all merciless people.
Punish them for doing wrong
and make them stop.
Proverbs 3:7-8 (Contemporary English Version)
7Don't ever think that you
are wise enough,
but respect the LORD
and stay away from evil.
8This will make you healthy,
and you will feel strong.
are wise enough,
but respect the LORD
and stay away from evil.
8This will make you healthy,
and you will feel strong.
Thought for the Day
“When I was really hurting, I prayed to the LORD. He answered my prayer, and took my worries away. The LORD is on my side, and I am not afraid of what others can do to me.” (Psalm 118:5-6 - Contemporary English Version) When we trust in the Lord, our perspective improves. You see, just knowing that our ultimate destinies are in his loving hands enables us to look beyond the frustrations and fear and to feel genuine hope.
Quote for the Day
American poet, literary critic, translator, travel author, and diplomat, Bayard Taylor wrote, “Fame is what you have taken, character is what you give; when to this truth you waken then you begin to live.”
A Joke for Today
Little Johnny wanted to go to the zoo and pestered his parents for days. Finally his mother talked his reluctant father into taking him.
"So how was it?" his mother asked when they returned home.
"Great," Little Johnny replied.
"Did you and your father have a good time?" asked his mother.
"Yeah, Daddy especially liked it," exclaimed Little Johnny excitedly, especially when one of the animals came home at 30 to 1!"
A Prayer Request
As Christians, we can offer specific daily prayers for our community, nation and world. Below is the need that we're laying before God today.
That companies and unions in America would flourish with new creativity and practice honorable work ethics.
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