Today our passages are Genesis 3:1–4:26; Matthew 2:13–3:6; Psalm 2:1-12; and Proverbs 1:7-9. The readings are the Contemporary English Version. The readings are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson.
Genesis 3-4:26 (Contemporary English Version)
Genesis 3
The First Sin
1The snake was sneakier than any of the other wild animals that the LORD God had made. One day it came to the woman and asked, "Did God tell you not to eat fruit from any tree in the garden?" 2The woman answered, "God said we could eat fruit from any tree in the garden, 3except the one in the middle. He told us not to eat fruit from that tree or even to touch it. If we do, we will die."
4"No, you won't!" the snake replied. 5"God understands what will happen on the day you eat fruit from that tree. You will see what you have done, and you will know the difference between right and wrong, just as God does."
6The woman stared at the fruit. It looked beautiful and tasty. She wanted the wisdom that it would give her, and she ate some of the fruit. Her husband was there with her, so she gave some to him, and he ate it too. 7Right away they saw what they had done, and they realized they were naked. Then they sewed fig leaves together to make something to cover themselves.
8Late in the afternoon a breeze began to blow, and the man and woman heard the LORD God walking in the garden. They were frightened and hid behind some trees.
The Trouble with Sin
9The LORD called out to the man and asked, "Where are you?" 10The man answered, "I was naked, and when I heard you walking through the garden, I was frightened and hid!"
11"How did you know you were naked?" God asked. "Did you eat any fruit from that tree in the middle of the garden?"
12"It was the woman you put here with me," the man said. "She gave me some of the fruit, and I ate it."
13The LORD God then asked the woman, "What have you done?"
"The snake tricked me," she answered. "And I ate some of that fruit."
14So the LORD God said to the snake:
"Because of what you have done,
you will be the only animal
to suffer this curse--
For as long as you live,
you will crawl on your stomach
and eat dirt.
15You and this woman
will hate each other;
your descendants and hers
will always be enemies.
One of hers will strike you
on the head,
and you will strike him
on the heel."
16Then the LORD said to the woman,
"You will suffer terribly
when you give birth.
But you will still desire
your husband,
and he will rule over you."
17The LORD said to the man,
"You listened to your wife
and ate fruit from that tree.
And so, the ground
will be under a curse
because of what you did.
As long as you live,
you will have to struggle
to grow enough food.
18Your food will be plants,
but the ground
will produce
thorns and thistles.
19You will have to sweat
to earn a living;
you were made out of soil,
and you will once again
turn into soil."
20The man Adam [a] named his wife Eve [b] because she would become the mother of all who live. 21Then the LORD God made clothes out of animal skins for the man and his wife.
22The LORD said, "These people now know the difference between right and wrong, just as we do. But they must not be allowed to eat fruit from the tree that lets them live forever." 23So the LORD God sent them out of the Garden of Eden, where they would have to work the ground from which the man had been made. 24Then God put winged creatures at the entrance to the garden and a flaming, flashing sword to guard the way to the life-giving tree.
Genesis 4
Cain Murders Abel
1Adam [c] and Eve had a son. Then Eve said, "I'll name him Cain because I got [d] him with the help of the LORD." 2Later she had another son and named him Abel. Abel became a sheep farmer, but Cain farmed the land. 3One day, Cain gave part of his harvest to the LORD, 4and Abel also gave an offering to the LORD. He killed the first-born lamb from one of his sheep and gave the LORD the best parts of it. The LORD was pleased with Abel and his offering, 5but not with Cain and his offering. This made Cain so angry that he could not hide his feelings. 6The LORD said to Cain:
What's wrong with you? Why do you have such an angry look on your face? 7If you had done the right thing, you would be smiling. [e] But you did the wrong thing, and now sin is waiting to attack you like a lion. Sin wants to destroy you, but don't let it! 8Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let's go for a walk." [f] And when they were out in a field, Cain killed him. 9Afterwards the LORD asked Cain, "Where is Abel?"
"How should I know?" he answered. "Am I supposed to look after my brother?"
10Then the LORD said:
Why have you done this terrible thing? You killed your own brother, and his blood flowed onto the ground. Now his blood is calling out for me to punish you. 11And so, I'll put you under a curse. Because you killed Abel and made his blood run out on the ground, you will never be able to farm the land again. 12If you try to farm the land, it won't produce anything for you. From now on, you'll be without a home, and you'll spend the rest of your life wandering from place to place.
13"This punishment is too hard!" Cain said. 14"You're making me leave my home and live far from you. [g] I will have to wander about without a home, and just anyone could kill me." 15"No!" [h] the LORD answered. "Anyone who kills you will be punished seven times worse than I am punishing you." So the LORD put a mark on Cain to warn everyone not to kill him. 16But Cain had to go far from the LORD and live in the Land of Wandering, [i] which is east of Eden.
More and More People
17Later, Cain and his wife had a son named Enoch. At the time Cain was building a town, and so he named it Enoch after his son. 18Then Enoch had a son named Irad, who had a son named Mehujael, who had a son named Methushael, who had a son named Lamech. 19Lamech married Adah, then Zillah. 20-21Lamech and Adah had two sons, Jabal and Jubal. Their son Jabal was the first to live in tents and raise sheep and goats. Jubal was the first to play harps and flutes.
22Lamech and Zillah had a son named Tubal Cain who made tools out of bronze and iron. They also had a daughter, whose name was Naamah.
23One day, Lamech said to his two wives, "A young man wounded me, and I killed him. 24Anyone who tries to get even with me will be punished ten times more than anyone who tries to get even with Cain."
25Adam and his wife had another son. They named him Seth, because they said, "God has given [j] us a son to take the place of Abel, who was killed by his brother Cain." 26Later, Seth had a son and named him Enosh. About this time people started worshiping the LORD. [k]
Footnotes:
- Genesis 3:20 The man Adam: In Hebrew "man" and "Adam" are the same.
- Genesis 3:20 Eve: In Hebrew "Eve" sounds like "living."
- Genesis 4:1 Adam: See the note at 3.20.
- Genesis 4:1 Cain. . . got: In Hebrew "Cain" sounds like "got."
- Genesis 4:7 you would be smiling: Or "I would have accepted your offering."
- Genesis 4:8 Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let's walk": Most ancient translations; Hebrew "Cain spoke to his brother Abel."
- Genesis 4:14 live. . . you: At this time it was believed that the LORD was with his people only in their own land.
- Genesis 4:15 No: Three ancient translations; Hebrew "Very well!"
- Genesis 4:16 Wandering: The Hebrew text has "Nod," which means "wandering."
- Genesis 4:25 Seth. . . given: In Hebrew "Seth" sounds like "given."
- Genesis 4:26 worshiping the LORD: Or "worshiping in the name of the LORD."
Matthew 2:13-3:6 (Contemporary English Version)
The Escape to Egypt
13After the wise men had gone, an angel from the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Get up! Hurry and take the child and his mother to Egypt! Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is looking for the child and wants to kill him." 14That night, Joseph got up and took his wife and the child to Egypt, 15where they stayed until Herod died. So the Lord's promise came true, just as the prophet had said, "I called my son out of Egypt."
The Killing of the Children
16When Herod found out that the wise men from the east had tricked him, he was very angry. He gave orders for his men to kill all the boys who lived in or near Bethlehem and were two years old and younger. This was based on what he had learned from the wise men. 17So the Lord's promise came true, just as the prophet Jeremiah had said,
18"In Ramah a voice was heard
crying and weeping loudly.
Rachel was mourning
for her children,
and she refused
to be comforted,
because they were dead."
The Return from Egypt
19After King Herod died, an angel from the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph while he was still in Egypt. 20The angel said, "Get up and take the child and his mother back to Israel. The people who wanted to kill him are now dead." 21Joseph got up and left with them for Israel. 22But when he heard that Herod's son Archelaus was now ruler of Judea, he was afraid to go there. Then in a dream he was told to go to Galilee, 23and they went to live there in the town of Nazareth. So the Lord's promise came true, just as the prophet had said, "He will be called a Nazarene." [a]
Matthew 3
The Preaching of John the Baptist
(Mark 1.1-8; Luke 3.1-18; John 1.19-28)
1Years later, John the Baptist started preaching in the desert of Judea. 2He said, "Turn back to God! The kingdom of heaven [b] will soon be here." [c] 3John was the one the prophet Isaiah was talking about, when he said, "In the desert someone
is shouting,
`Get the road ready
for the Lord!
Make a straight path
for him.' "
4John wore clothes made of camel's hair. He had a leather strap around his waist and ate grasshoppers and wild honey.
5From Jerusalem and all Judea and from the Jordan River Valley crowds of people went to John. 6They told how sorry they were for their sins, and he baptized them in the river.
Footnotes:
- Matthew 2:23 He will be called a Nazarene: The prophet who said this is not known.
- Matthew 3:2 kingdom of heaven: In the Gospel of Matthew "kingdom of heaven" is used with the same meaning as "God's kingdom" in Mark and Luke.
- Matthew 3:2 will soon be here: Or "is already here."
Psalm 2:1-12 (Contemporary English Version)
Psalm 2
The LORD's Chosen King
1Why do the nations plot, [a] and why do their people make useless plans? [b] 2The kings of this earth have all joined together to turn against the LORD and his chosen one. 3They say, "Let's cut the ropes and set ourselves free!" 4In heaven the LORD laughs as he sits on his throne, making fun of the nations. 5The LORD becomes furious and threatens them. His anger terrifies them as he says, 6"I've put my king on Zion, my sacred hill." 7I will tell the promise that the LORD made to me: "You are my son, because today I have become your father. 8Ask me for the nations, and every nation on earth will belong to you. 9You will smash them with an iron rod and shatter them like dishes of clay." 10Be smart, all you rulers, and pay close attention. 11Serve and honor the LORD; be glad and tremble. 12Show respect to his son because if you don't, the LORD might become furious and suddenly destroy you. [c] But he blesses and protects everyone who runs to him. Footnotes:- Psalm 2:1 Why. . . plot: Or " Why are the nations restless?"
- Psalm 2:1 make useless plans: Or " grumble uselessly."
- Psalm 2:12 Serve. . . you: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verses 11,12.
1Why do the nations plot, [a] and why do their people make useless plans? [b] 2The kings of this earth
have all joined together
to turn against the LORD
and his chosen one.
3They say, "Let's cut the ropes
and set ourselves free!"
4In heaven the LORD laughs
as he sits on his throne,
making fun of the nations.
5The LORD becomes furious
and threatens them.
His anger terrifies them
as he says,
6"I've put my king on Zion,
my sacred hill."
7I will tell the promise
that the LORD made to me:
"You are my son, because today
I have become your father.
8Ask me for the nations,
and every nation on earth
will belong to you.
9You will smash them
with an iron rod
and shatter them
like dishes of clay."
10Be smart, all you rulers,
and pay close attention.
11Serve and honor the LORD;
be glad and tremble.
12Show respect to his son
because if you don't,
the LORD might become furious
and suddenly destroy you. [c] But he blesses and protects
everyone who runs to him.
Footnotes:
- Psalm 2:1 Why. . . plot: Or " Why are the nations restless?"
- Psalm 2:1 make useless plans: Or " grumble uselessly."
- Psalm 2:12 Serve. . . you: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verses 11,12.
Proverbs 1:7-9 (Contemporary English Version)
7Respect and obey the LORD! This is the beginning of knowledge. [a] Only a fool rejects wisdom and good advice.
7Respect and obey the LORD!
This is the beginning
of knowledge. [a] Only a fool rejects wisdom
and good advice.
Warnings against Bad Friends
8My child, obey the teachings of your parents, 9and wear their teachings as you would a lovely hat or a pretty necklace. Footnotes:- Proverbs 1:7 the beginning of knowledge: Or " what knowledge is all about."
8My child, obey the teachings of your parents,
9and wear their teachings
as you would a lovely hat
or a pretty necklace.
Footnotes:
- Proverbs 1:7 the beginning of knowledge: Or " what knowledge is all about."
Thought for the Day
Thought for the Day
“Teach us to use wisely all the time we have.” (Psalm 90:12 - Contemporary English Version) Time may be the most precious gift that God has given us. And so let's use it wisely by doing what God has called us to do, namely to love him and to love our neighbors as ourselves.
“Teach us to use wisely all the time we have.” (Psalm 90:12 - Contemporary English Version) Time may be the most precious gift that God has given us. And so let's use it wisely by doing what God has called us to do, namely to love him and to love our neighbors as ourselves.
American broadcast journalist and television personality, Barbara Walters wrote, "Deep breaths are very helpful at shallow parties."
American broadcast journalist and television personality, Barbara Walters wrote, "Deep breaths are very helpful at shallow parties."
A Joke for Today
Once there was an old rich man who was afraid of dying and leaving all his wealth behind on earth. So, he took up the matter with God. He pleaded day and night to be able to take all his earthly possessions with him. Finally, God conceded. He said the man could take as much as he could fit in one suitcase. The old man immediately went out, bought a huge suitcase, sold all he owned and filled the suitcase with gold bars. Shortly after that, the old man died. Awkwardly dragging the big, heavy suitcase, he approached St. Peter at the Pearly Gates. St. Peter stopped him, asked him to open his luggage, and then told him he couldn't bring his gold bars into Heaven. The man was irate. "You don't understand," he said. "I got permission directly from God himself for this. He told me whatever I could fit into one suitcase, I could bring with me."
St. Peter, shrugged his shoulders and simply said, "Fine with me. But we've already got plenty of pavement here."
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 nations work to secure and enhance international peace.
A Joke for Today
Once there was an old rich man who was afraid of dying and leaving all his wealth behind on earth. So, he took up the matter with God. He pleaded day and night to be able to take all his earthly possessions with him. Finally, God conceded. He said the man could take as much as he could fit in one suitcase. The old man immediately went out, bought a huge suitcase, sold all he owned and filled the suitcase with gold bars. Shortly after that, the old man died. Awkwardly dragging the big, heavy suitcase, he approached St. Peter at the Pearly Gates. St. Peter stopped him, asked him to open his luggage, and then told him he couldn't bring his gold bars into Heaven. The man was irate. "You don't understand," he said. "I got permission directly from God himself for this. He told me whatever I could fit into one suitcase, I could bring with me."
St. Peter, shrugged his shoulders and simply said, "Fine with me. But we've already got plenty of pavement here."
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 nations work to secure and enhance international peace.
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