Bible Readings for January 17, 2023

Let's read the Bible together in the next year. Today our passages are Genesis 35:1–36:43; Matthew 12:1-21; Psalm 15:1-5; and Proverbs 3:21-26. The readings are the Contemporary English Version. The readings are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson.   

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Genesis 35-36:43 (Contemporary English Version)

Genesis 35

Jacob Returns to Bethel

 ¹God told Jacob, "Return to Bethel, where I appeared to you when you were running from your brother Esau. Make your home there and build an altar for me."     ²Jacob said to his family and to everyone else who was traveling with him:
   Get rid of your foreign gods! Then make yourselves acceptable to worship God and put on clean clothes. ³Afterwards, we'll go to Bethel. I will build an altar there for God, who answered my prayers when I was in trouble and who has always been at my side.
    ⁴So everyone gave Jacob their idols and their earrings, ^{a<="" value="[a]" >[]} and he buried them under the oak tree near Shechem. ⁵While Jacob and his family were traveling through Canaan, God terrified the people in the towns so much that no one dared bother them. ⁶Finally, they reached Bethel, also known as Luz. ⁷Jacob built an altar there and called it "God of Bethel," because that was the place where God had appeared to him when he was running from Esau. ⁸While they were there, Rebekah's personal servant Deborah ^[b<="">] died. They buried her under an oak tree and called it "Weeping Oak." 

God Blesses Jacob at Bethel

 ^9-11After Jacob came back to the land of Canaan, God appeared to him again. This time he gave Jacob a new name and blessed him by saying:    I am God All-Powerful, and from now on your name will be Israel ^[c<="">] instead of Jacob. You will have many children. Your descendants will become nations, and some of the men in your family will even be kings. ¹²I will give you the land that I promised Abraham and Isaac, and it will belong to your family forever. ¹³After God had gone, ¹⁴Jacob set up a large rock, so that he would remember what had happened there. Then he poured wine and olive oil on the rock to show that it was dedicated to God, ¹⁵and he named the place Bethel. ^[d<="">] 

Benjamin Is Born

 ¹⁶Jacob and his family had left Bethel and were still a long way from Ephrath, when the time came for Rachel's baby to be born. ¹⁷She was having a rough time, but the woman who was helping her said, "Don't worry! It's a boy." ¹⁸Rachel was at the point of death, and right before dying, she said, "I'll name him Benoni." ^[e<="">] But Jacob called him Benjamin. ^[f<="">] 19Rachel was buried beside the road to Ephrath, which is also called Bethlehem. ²⁰Jacob set up a tombstone over her grave, and it is still there. ²¹Jacob, also known as Israel, traveled to the south of Eder Tower, where he set up camp.     ²²During their time there, Jacob's oldest son Reuben slept with Bilhah, who was one of Jacob's other wives. ^[g<="">] And Jacob found out about it. 

Jacob's Twelve Sons

 ^23-26Jacob had twelve sons while living in northern Syria. ^[h<="">] His first-born Reuben was the son of Leah, who later gave birth to Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. Leah's servant Zilpah had two sons: Gad and Asher. Jacob and his wife Rachel had Joseph and Benjamin. Rachel's servant woman Bilhah had two more sons: Dan and Naphtali.    

Isaac Dies

 ²⁷Jacob went to his father Isaac at Hebron, also called Mamre or Kiriath-Arba, where Isaac's father Abraham had lived as a foreigner. ^28-29Isaac died at the ripe old age of one hundred eighty, then his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.     

Genesis 36

Esau's Family

 ¹Esau, also known as Edom, had many descendants. ²He married three Canaanite women: The first was Adah, the daughter of Elon the Hittite; the second was Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah and the granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite; ³the third was Basemath, who was Ishmael's daughter and Nebaioth's sister.     ^4-5Esau and his three wives had five sons while in Canaan. Adah's son was Eliphaz; Basemath's son was Reuel; Oholibamah's three sons were Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.
    ⁶Esau took his children and wives, his relatives and servants, his animals and possessions he had gotten while in Canaan, and moved far from Jacob. ⁷He did this because the land was too crowded and could not support him and his brother with their flocks and herds. ⁸That's why Esau made his home in the hill country of Seir.
    ^9-14Esau lived in the hill country of Seir and was the ancestor of the Edomites. Esau had three wives: Adah, Basemath, and Oholibamah. Here is a list of his descendants: Esau and Adah had a son named Eliphaz, whose sons were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz. Timna was the other wife ^[i<="">] of Esau's son Eliphaz, and she had a son named Amalek. Esau and Basemath had a son named Reuel, whose sons were Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.
   Esau and Oholibamah had three sons: Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.
    

Chiefs and Leaders in Edom

 ¹⁵Esau and Adah's oldest son was Eliphaz, and the clans that descended from him were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz, ¹⁶Korah, Gatam, and Amalek. These and Esau's other descendants lived in the land of Edom.     ¹⁷The clans that descended from Esau and Basemath's son Reuel were Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.
    ¹⁸The clans that descended from Esau and Oholibamah the daughter of Anah were Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. ¹⁹All of these clans descended from Esau, who was known as Edom.
    ²⁰Seir was from the Horite tribe that had lived in Edom before the time of Esau. The clans that had descended from him were Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, ²¹Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan.
    ²²Lotan's sons were Hori and Heman; his sister was Timna.
    ²³Shobal's sons were Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam.
    ²⁴Zibeon's sons were Aiah and Anah--the same Anah who found an oasis ^[j<="">] in the desert while taking the donkeys of his father out to pasture. ²⁵Anah's children were Dishon and Oholibamah.
    ²⁶Dishon's sons were Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran.
    ²⁷Ezer's sons were Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.
    ²⁸Dishan's sons were Uz and Aran.
    ²⁹The clans of the Horites were Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, ³⁰Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan, and they lived in the land of Seir.
    ^31-39Before there were kings in Israel, the following kings ruled Edom one after another:
   Bela son of Beor from Dinhabah;
   Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah;
   Husham from the land of Teman;
   Hadad son of Bedad from Avith (Bedad had defeated the Midianites in Moab);
   Samlah from Masrekah;
   Shaul from the city of Rehoboth on the Euphrates River;
   Baalhanan son of Achbor;
   Hadar from the city of Pau (his wife Mehetabel was the daughter of Matred and the granddaughter of Mezahab).
    ⁴⁰The clans that descended from Esau took their names from their families and the places where they lived. They are Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, ⁴¹Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, ⁴²Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, ⁴³Magdiel, and Iram. These clans descended from Esau, who was known as Edom, the father of the Edomites. They took their names from the places where they settled.
    

Footnotes:

1. Genesis 35:4 earrings: These would have had symbols of foreign gods on them.
2. Genesis 35:8 Deborah: See 24.59 and the note there.
3. Genesis 35:9 Israel: See the note at 32.28.
4. Genesis 35:15 Bethel: See the note at 28.19.
5. Genesis 35:18 Benoni: In Hebrew "Benoni" means "Son of my Sorrow."
6. Genesis 35:18 Benjamin: In Hebrew "Benjamin" can mean "Son at my Right Side" (the place of power).
7. Genesis 35:22 other wives: See the note at 22.24. Bilhah had been Rachel's servant woman (see 29.28-30).
8. Genesis 35:23 northern Syria: See the note at 24.10.
9. Genesis 36:9 other wife: See the note at 22.24.
10. Genesis 36:24 an oasis: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

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Matthew 12:1-21 (Contemporary English Version)

Matthew 12

A Question about the Sabbath

(Mark 2.23-28; Luke 6.1-5)

 ¹One Sabbath, Jesus and his disciples were walking through some wheat fields. ^{a<="" value="[a]" >[]} His disciples were hungry and began picking and eating grains of wheat. ²Some Pharisees noticed this and said to Jesus, "Why are your disciples picking grain on the Sabbath? They are not supposed to do that!" ³Jesus answered:    You surely must have read what David did when he and his followers were hungry. ⁴He went into the house of God, and then they ate the sacred loaves of bread that only priests are supposed to eat. ⁵Haven't you read in the Law of Moses that the priests are allowed to work in the temple on the Sabbath? But no one says that they are guilty of breaking the law of the Sabbath. ⁶I tell you that there is something here greater than the temple. ⁷Don't you know what the Scriptures mean when they say, "Instead of offering sacrifices to me, I want you to be merciful to others?" If you knew what this means, you would not condemn these innocent disciples of mine. ⁸So the Son of Man is Lord over the Sabbath.
    

A Man with a Crippled Hand

(Mark 3.1-6; Luke 6.6-11)

 ⁹Jesus left and went into one of the Jewish meeting places, ¹⁰where there was a man whose hand was crippled. Some Pharisees wanted to accuse Jesus of doing something wrong, and they asked him, "Is it right to heal someone on the Sabbath?"     ¹¹Jesus answered, "If you had a sheep that fell into a ditch on the Sabbath, wouldn't you lift it out? ¹²People are worth much more than sheep, and so it is right to do good on the Sabbath." ¹³Then Jesus told the man, "Hold out your hand." The man did, and it became as healthy as the other one.
    ¹⁴The Pharisees left and started making plans to kill Jesus.
    

God's Chosen Servant

 ¹⁵When Jesus found out what was happening, he left there and large crowds followed him. He healed all of their sick, ¹⁶but warned them not to tell anyone about him. ¹⁷So God's promise came true, just as Isaiah the prophet had said,     ¹⁸"Here is my chosen servant!
   I love him,
   and he pleases me.
   I will give him my Spirit,
   and he will bring justice
   to the nations.
    ¹⁹He won't shout or yell
   or call out in the streets.
    ²⁰He won't break off a bent reed
   or put out a dying flame,
   but he will make sure
   that justice is done.
    ²¹All nations will place
   their hope in him."
    

Footnotes:

1. Matthew 12:1 walking through some wheat fields: It was the custom to let hungry travelers pick grains of wheat.

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Psalm 15:1-5 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 15

(A psalm by David.)

Who May Worship the LORD?

 ¹Who may stay in God's temple    or live on the holy mountain
   of the LORD?
    ²Only those who obey God
   and do as they should.
   They speak the truth
    ³and don't spread gossip;
   they treat others fairly
   and don't say cruel things.
    ⁴They hate worthless people,
   but show respect for all
   who worship the LORD.
   And they keep their promises,
   no matter what the cost.
    ⁵They lend their money
   without charging interest,
   and they don't take bribes
   to hurt the innocent.
   Those who do these things

   will always stand firm.

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Proverbs 3:21-26 (Contemporary English Version)

²¹My child, use common sense
   and sound judgment!
   Always keep them in mind.
    ²²They will help you to live
   a long and beautiful life.
    ²³You will walk safely
   and never stumble;
    ²⁴you will rest without a worry
   and sleep soundly.
    ²⁵So don't be afraid
   of sudden disasters
   or storms that strike
   those who are evil.
    ²⁶You can be sure
   that the LORD
   will protect you from harm.

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Thought for the Day

Do everything without grumbling or arguing. Then you will be the pure and innocent children of God. You live among people who are crooked and evil, but you must not do anything that they can say is wrong. Try to shine as lights among the people of this world, as you hold firmly to the message that gives life. Then on the day when Christ returns, I can take pride in you. I can also know that my work and efforts were not useless.” (Philippians 2:14-16 - Contemporary English Version) God's given us the opportunity to be an example to the world. And given the divisions and animosity we see everyday, a community that values unity and respect might be exactly what our world needs..

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Quote for the Day

Seminal Soviet Russian theatre practitioner, Konstantin Stanislavski wrote, "Do not try to push your way through to the front ranks of your profession; do not run after distinctions and rewards; but do your utmost to find an entry into the world of beauty."

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A Joke for Today

While preaching about forgiving ones enemies, the preacher asked for a show of hands of those who were willing to forgive their enemies. About half of the congregation raised their hands. The minister continued his lection and again asked for a show of hands. This time, 80 percent of his congregation raised their hands. Not giving up, the minister continued for fifteen more minutes. When he again asked for a show of hands, all members—except one—raised their hands."

Mr. Jones,” asked the minster, “are you not willing to forgive your enemies?”

"I don't have any.”

Mr. Jones, that is very unusual. I know you are 96-years-old. Would you please come down to the front and explain to all of us how you have lived so long without making a single enemy in the world?”

Mr. Jones teetered to the front and briefly explained, “Its easy. I've outlived every one of them.”

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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 our leaders would be honest, humble and God-fearing men and women who recognize that they are accountable to God for each decision and action.