Bible Readings for January 5, 2017

Today our passages are Genesis 11:1–13:4; Matthew 5:1-26; Psalm 5:1-12; and Proverbs 1:24-28. The readings are the Contemporary English Version. If you find these readings helpful, please consider sending an offering directly to Cove Presbyterian Church, 3404 Main Street, Weirton, West Virginia or through PayPal by using the link below.

 

---

Genesis 11-13:4 (Contemporary English Version)

Genesis 11

The Tower of Babel

¹At first everyone spoke the same language, ²but after some of them moved from the east ^[a] and settled in Babylonia, ^[b]^3-4they said: Let's build a city with a tower that reaches to the sky! We'll use hard bricks and tar instead of stone and mortar. We'll become famous, and we won't be scattered all over the world. ⁵But when the LORD came down to look at the city and the tower, ⁶he said:
These people are working together because they all speak the same language. This is just the beginning. Soon they will be able to do anything they want. ⁷Come on! Let's go down and confuse them by making them speak different languages--then they won't be able to understand each other.
^8-9So the people had to stop building the city, because the LORD confused their language and scattered them all over the earth. That's how the city of Babel ^[c] got its name.

The Descendants of Shem

^10-11Two years after the flood, when Shem was one hundred, he had a son named Arpachshad. He had more children and died at the age of six hundred. This is a list of his descendants: ¹²When Arpachshad was thirty-five, he had a son named Shelah. ¹³Arpachshad had more children and died at the age of four hundred thirty-eight.
¹⁴When Shelah was thirty, he had a son named Eber. ¹⁵Shelah had more children and died at the age of four hundred thirty-three.
¹⁶When Eber was thirty-four, he had a son named Peleg. ¹⁷Eber had more children and died at the age of four hundred sixty-four.
¹⁸When Peleg was thirty, he had a son named Reu. ¹⁹Peleg had more children and died at the age of two hundred thirty-nine.
²⁰When Reu was thirty-two he had a son named Serug. ²¹Reu had more children and died at the age of two hundred thirty-nine.
²²When Serug was thirty, he had a son named Nahor. ²³Serug had more children and died at the age of two hundred thirty.
²⁴When Nahor was twenty-nine, he had a son named Terah. ²⁵Nahor had more children and died at the age of one hundred forty-eight.

The Descendants of Terah

^26-28After Terah was seventy years old, he had three sons: Abram, Nahor, and Haran, who became the father of Lot. Terah's sons were born in the city of Ur in Chaldea, ^[d] and Haran died there before the death of his father. The following is the story of Terah's descendants. ^29-30Abram married Sarai, but she was not able to have any children. And Nahor married Milcah, who was the daughter of Haran and the sister of Iscah. ³¹Terah decided to move from Ur to the land of Canaan. He took along Abram and Sarai and his grandson Lot, the son of Haran. But when they came to the city of Haran, ^[e] they decided to settle there instead. ³²Terah lived to be two hundred five years old and died in Haran.

Genesis 12

The LORD Chooses Abram

¹The LORD said to Abram: Leave your country, your family, and your relatives and go to the land that I will show you. ²I will bless you and make your descendants into a great nation. You will become famous and be a blessing to others. ³I will bless anyone who blesses you, but I will put a curse on anyone who puts a curse on you. Everyone on earth will be blessed because of you. ^[f]^4-5Abram was seventy-five years old when the LORD told him to leave the city of Haran. He obeyed and left with his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all the possessions and slaves they had gotten while in Haran.
When they came to the land of Canaan, ⁶Abram went as far as the sacred tree of Moreh in a place called Shechem. The Canaanites were still living in the land at that time, ⁷but the LORD appeared to Abram and promised, "I will give this land to your family forever." Abram then built an altar there for the LORD.
⁸Abram traveled to the hill country east of Bethel and camped between Bethel and Ai, where he built another altar and worshiped the LORD. ⁹Later, Abram started out toward the Southern Desert.

Abram in Egypt

^10-11The crops failed, and there was no food anywhere in the land. So Abram and his wife Sarai went to live in Egypt for a while. But just before they got there, he said, "Sarai, you are really beautiful! ¹²When the Egyptians see how lovely you are, they will murder me because I am your husband. But they won't kill you. ¹³Please save my life by saying that you are my sister." ¹⁴As soon as Abram and Sarai arrived in Egypt, the Egyptians noticed how beautiful she was. ¹⁵The king's ^[g] officials told him about her, and she was taken to his house. ¹⁶The king was good to Abram because of Sarai, and Abram was given sheep, cattle, donkeys, slaves, and camels. ¹⁷Because of Sarai, the LORD struck the king and everyone in his palace with terrible diseases. ¹⁸Finally, the king sent for Abram and said to him, "What have you done to me? Why didn't you tell me Sarai was your wife? ¹⁹Why did you make me believe she was your sister? Now I've married her. Take her and go! She's your wife."
²⁰So the king told his men to let Abram and Sarai take their possessions and leave.

Genesis 13

Abram and Lot Separate

¹Abram and Sarai took everything they owned and went to the Southern Desert. Lot went with them. ²Abram was very rich. He owned many cattle, sheep, and goats, and had a lot of silver and gold. ³Abram moved from place to place in the Southern Desert. And finally, he went north and set up his tents between Bethel and Ai, ⁴where he had earlier camped and built an altar. There he worshiped the LORD.

Footnotes:

1. Genesis 11:2from the east: Or "to the east."
2. Genesis 11:2Babylonia: See the note at 10.6-20.
3. Genesis 11:8Babel: In Hebrew "Babel" sounds like "confused."
4. Genesis 11:26Ur in Chaldea: Chaldea was a region at the head of the Persian Gulf. Ur was on the main trade routes from Mesopotamia to the Mediterranean Sea.
5. Genesis 11:31Haran: About 550 miles northwest of Ur.
6. Genesis 12:3Everyone. . . you: Or "Everyone on earth will ask me to bless them as I have blessed you."
7. Genesis 12:15The king's: The Hebrew text has "Pharaoh's," a Hebrew word sometimes used for the king of Egypt.

---

Matthew 5:1-26 (Contemporary English Version)

Matthew 5

The Sermon on the Mount

¹When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on the side of a mountain and sat down. ^[a] Jesus' disciples gathered around him,

Blessings

(Luke 6.20-23)

²and he taught them: ³God blesses those people
who depend only on him.
They belong to the kingdom
of heaven! ^[b]⁴God blesses those people
who grieve.
They will find comfort!
⁵God blesses those people
who are humble.
The earth will belong
to them!
⁶God blesses those people
who want to obey him ^[c] more than to eat or drink.
They will be given
what they want!
⁷God blesses those people
who are merciful.
They will be treated
with mercy!
⁸God blesses those people
whose hearts are pure.
They will see him!
⁹God blesses those people
who make peace.
They will be called
his children!
¹⁰God blesses those people
who are treated badly
for doing right.
They belong to the kingdom
of heaven. ^[d]¹¹God will bless you when people insult you, mistreat you, and tell all kinds of evil lies about you because of me. ¹²Be happy and excited! You will have a great reward in heaven. People did these same things to the prophets who lived long ago.

Salt and Light

(Mark 9.50; Luke 14.34,35)

¹³You are like salt for everyone on earth. But if salt no longer tastes like salt, how can it make food salty? All it is good for is to be thrown out and walked on. ¹⁴You are like light for the whole world. A city built on top of a hill cannot be hidden, ¹⁵and no one would light a lamp and put it under a clay pot. A lamp is placed on a lampstand, where it can give light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶Make your light shine, so that others will see the good that you do and will praise your Father in heaven.

The Law of Moses

¹⁷Don't suppose that I came to do away with the Law and the Prophets. ^[e] I did not come to do away with them, but to give them their full meaning. ¹⁸Heaven and earth may disappear. But I promise you that not even a period or comma will ever disappear from the Law. Everything written in it must happen. ¹⁹If you reject even the least important command in the Law and teach others to do the same, you will be the least important person in the kingdom of heaven. But if you obey and teach others its commands, you will have an important place in the kingdom. ²⁰You must obey God's commands better than the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law obey them. If you don't, I promise you that you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.

Anger

²¹You know that our ancestors were told, "Do not murder" and "A murderer must be brought to trial." ²²But I promise you that if you are angry with someone, ^[f] you will have to stand trial. If you call someone a fool, you will be taken to court. And if you say that someone is worthless, you will be in danger of the fires of hell. ²³So if you are about to place your gift on the altar and remember that someone is angry with you, ²⁴leave your gift there in front of the altar. Make peace with that person, then come back and offer your gift to God. ²⁵Before you are dragged into court, make friends with the person who has accused you of doing wrong. If you don't, you will be handed over to the judge and then to the officer who will put you in jail. ²⁶I promise you that you will not get out until you have paid the last cent you owe.

Footnotes:

1. Matthew 5:1sat down: Teachers in the ancient world, including Jewish teachers, usually sat down when they taught.
2. Matthew 5:3They belong to the kingdom of heaven: Or "The kingdom of heaven belongs to them."
3. Matthew 5:6who want to obey him: Or "who want to do right" or "who want everyone to be treated right."
4. Matthew 5:10They belong to the kingdom of heaven: See the note at 5.3.
5. Matthew 5:17the Law and the Prophets: The Jewish Scriptures, that is, the Old Testament.
6. Matthew 5:22someone: In verses 22-24 the Greek text has "brother," which may refer to people in general or to other followers.

---

Psalm 5:1-12 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 5

(A psalm by David for the music leader. Use flutes.)

A Prayer for Help

¹Listen, LORD, as I pray! Pay attention when I groan. ^[a]²You are my King and my God.
Answer my cry for help
because I pray to you.
³Each morning you listen
to my prayer,
as I bring my requests ^[b] to you and wait for your reply.
⁴You are not the kind of God
who is pleased with evil.
Sinners can't stay with you.
⁵No one who boasts can stand
in your presence, LORD,
and you hate evil people.
⁶You destroy every liar,
and you despise violence
and deceit.
⁷Because of your great mercy,
I come to your house, LORD,
and I am filled with wonder
as I bow down
to worship
at your holy temple.
⁸You do what is right,
and I ask you to guide me.
Make your teaching clear
because of my enemies.
⁹Nothing they say is true!
They just want to destroy.
Their words are deceitful
like a hidden pit,
and their tongues are good
only for telling lies.
¹⁰Punish them, God,
and let their own plans
bring their downfall.
Get rid of them!
They keep committing crimes
and turning against you.
¹¹Let all who run to you
for protection
always sing joyful songs.
Provide shelter for those
who truly love you
and let them rejoice.
¹²Our LORD, you bless those
who live right,
and you shield them
with your kindness.

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 5:1when I groan: Or " to my thoughts" or " to my words."
2. Psalm 5:3requests: Or " sacrifices."

---

Proverbs 1:24-28 (Contemporary English Version)

²⁴You completely ignored me
and refused to listen;
²⁵you rejected my advice
and paid no attention
when I warned you.
²⁶"So when you are struck
by some terrible disaster,
²⁷or when trouble and distress
surround you like a whirlwind,
I will laugh and make fun.
²⁸You will ask for my help,
but I won't listen;
you will search,
but you won't find me.

---

Verse of the Day

“Wash yourselves clean! I am disgusted with your filthy deeds. Stop doing wrong and learn to live right. See that justice is done. Defend widows and orphans and help those in need.” - Isaiah 1:16-17

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

---

 

Thought for the Day

Italian novelist, literary critic, philosopher, semiotician, and university professor, Umberto Eco wrote, “Not long ago, if you wanted to seize political power in a country you had merely to control the army and the police. Today it is only in the most backward countries that fascist generals, in carrying out a coup d'état, still use tanks. If a country has reached a high degree of industrialization the whole scene changes. The day after the fall of Khrushchev, the editors of Pravda, Izvestiia, the heads of the radio and television were replaced; the army wasn't called out. Today a country belongs to the person who controls communications.”