Bible Readings for January 24, 2014

Today our passages are Genesis 48:1–49:33; Matthew 15:29–16:12; Psalm 20:1-9; and Proverbs 4:20-27. The readings are from the  The Message  by Eugene H. Peterson.

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Genesis 48-49:33 (The Message)

Genesis 48

 ^1-2 Some time after this conversation, Joseph was told, "Your father is ill." He took his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, and went to Jacob. When Jacob was told, "Your son Joseph has come," he roused himself and sat up in bed.  ^3-7 Jacob said to Joseph, "The Strong God appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me. He said, 'I'm going to make you prosperous and numerous, turn you into a congregation of tribes; and I'll turn this land over to your children coming after you as a permanent inheritance.' I'm adopting your two sons who were born to you here in Egypt before I joined you; they have equal status with Reuben and Simeon. But any children born after them are yours; they will come after their brothers in matters of inheritance. I want it this way because, as I was returning from Paddan, your mother Rachel, to my deep sorrow, died as we were on our way through Canaan when we were only a short distance from Ephrath, now called Bethlehem."
 ⁸ Just then Jacob noticed Joseph's sons and said, "Who are these?"
 ^9-11 Joseph told his father, "They are my sons whom God gave to me in this place."
   "Bring them to me," he said, "so I can bless them." Israel's eyesight was poor from old age; he was nearly blind. So Joseph brought them up close. Old Israel kissed and embraced them and then said to Joseph, "I never expected to see your face again, and now God has let me see your children as well!"
 ^12-16 Joseph took them from Israel's knees and bowed respectfully, his face to the ground. Then Joseph took the two boys, Ephraim with his right hand setting him to Israel's left, and Manasseh with his left hand setting him to Israel's right, and stood them before him. But Israel crossed his arms and put his right hand on the head of Ephraim who was the younger and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, the firstborn. Then he blessed them:

   The God before whom walked
      my fathers Abraham and Isaac,
   The God who has been my shepherd
      all my life long to this very day,
   The Angel who delivered me from every evil,
      Bless the boys.
   May my name be echoed in their lives,
      and the names of Abraham and Isaac, my fathers,
   And may they grow
      covering the Earth with their children.
 ^17-18 When Joseph saw that his father had placed his right hand on Ephraim's head, he thought he had made a mistake, so he took hold of his father's hand to move it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's, saying, "That's the wrong head, Father; the other one is the firstborn; place your right hand on his head."
 ^19-20 But his father wouldn't do it. He said, "I know, my son; but I know what I'm doing. He also will develop into a people, and he also will be great. But his younger brother will be even greater and his descendants will enrich nations." Then he blessed them both:

      Israel will use your names to give blessings:
       May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.
   In that he made it explicit: he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.
 ^21-22 Israel then said to Joseph, "I'm about to die. God be with you and give you safe passage back to the land of your fathers. As for me, I'm presenting you, as the first among your brothers, the ridge of land I took from Amorites with my sword and bow."

Genesis 49

 ¹ Jacob called his sons and said, "Gather around. I want to tell you what you can expect in the days to come."

 ² Come together, listen sons of Jacob,
      listen to Israel your father.

 ^3-4 Reuben, you're my firstborn,
      my strength, first proof of my manhood,
      at the top in honor and at the top in power,
   But like a bucket of water spilled,
      you'll be at the top no more,
   Because you climbed into your father's marriage bed,
      mounting that couch, and you defiled it.

 ^5-6 Simeon and Levi are two of a kind,
      ready to fight at the drop of a hat.
   I don't want anything to do with their vendettas,
      want no part in their bitter feuds;
   They kill men in fits of temper,
      slash oxen on a whim.

 ⁷ A curse on their uncontrolled anger,
      on their indiscriminate wrath.
   I'll throw them out with the trash;
      I'll shred and scatter them like confetti throughout Israel.

 ^8-12 You, Judah, your brothers will praise you:
      Your fingers on your enemies' throat,
      while your brothers honor you.
   You're a lion's cub, Judah,
      home fresh from the kill, my son.
   Look at him, crouched like a lion, king of beasts;
      who dares mess with him?
   The scepter shall not leave Judah;
      he'll keep a firm grip on the command staff
   Until the ultimate ruler comes
      and the nations obey him.
   He'll tie up his donkey to the grapevine,
      his purebred prize to a sturdy branch.
   He will wash his shirt in wine
      and his cloak in the blood of grapes,
   His eyes will be darker than wine,
      his teeth whiter than milk.

 ¹³ Zebulun settles down on the seashore;
      he's a safe harbor for ships,
      right alongside Sidon.

 ^14-15 Issachar is one tough donkey
      crouching between the corrals;
   When he saw how good the place was,
      how pleasant the country,
   He gave up his freedom
      and went to work as a slave.

 ^16-17 Dan will handle matters of justice for his people;
      he will hold his own just fine among the tribes of Israel.
   Dan is only a small snake in the grass,
      a lethal serpent in ambush by the road
   When he strikes a horse in the heel,
      and brings its huge rider crashing down.

 ¹⁸ I wait in hope
      for your salvation, God.

 ¹⁹ Gad will be attacked by bandits,
      but he will trip them up.

 ²⁰ Asher will become famous for rich foods,
      candies and sweets fit for kings.

 ^21-26 Naphtali is a deer running free
      that gives birth to lovely fawns.
   Joseph is a wild donkey,
      a wild donkey by a spring,
      spirited donkeys on a hill.
   The archers with malice attacked,
      shooting their hate-tipped arrows;
   But he held steady under fire,
      his bow firm, his arms limber,
   With the backing of the Champion of Jacob,
      the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel.
   The God of your father—may he help you!
      And may The Strong God—may he give you his blessings,
   Blessings tumbling out of the skies,
      blessings bursting up from the Earth—
      blessings of breasts and womb.
   May the blessings of your father
      exceed the blessings of the ancient mountains,
      surpass the delights of the eternal hills;
   May they rest on the head of Joseph,
      on the brow of the one consecrated among his brothers.

 ²⁷ Benjamin is a ravenous wolf;
      all morning he gorges on his kill,
      at evening divides up what's left over.  ²⁸ All these are the tribes of Israel, the twelve tribes. And this is what their father said to them as he blessed them, blessing each one with his own special farewell blessing.

^29-32 Then he instructed them: "I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave which is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, the cave in the field of Machpelah facing Mamre in the land of Canaan, the field Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite for a burial plot. Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried there; Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried there; I also buried Leah there. The field and the cave were bought from the Hittites."
 ³³ Jacob finished instructing his sons, pulled his feet into bed, breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.

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Matthew 15:29-16:12 (The Message)

 ^29-31After Jesus returned, he walked along Lake Galilee and then climbed a mountain and took his place, ready to receive visitors. They came, tons of them, bringing along the paraplegic, the blind, the maimed, the mute—all sorts of people in need—and more or less threw them down at Jesus' feet to see what he would do with them. He healed them. When the people saw the mutes speaking, the maimed healthy, the paraplegics walking around, the blind looking around, they were astonished and let everyone know that God was blazingly alive among them.

 ³²But Jesus wasn't finished with them. He called his disciples and said, "I hurt for these people. For three days now they've been with me, and now they have nothing to eat. I can't send them away without a meal—they'd probably collapse on the road."

 ³³His disciples said, "But where in this deserted place are you going to dig up enough food for a meal?"

 ^34-39Jesus asked, "How much bread do you have?"

   "Seven loaves," they said, "plus a few fish." At that, Jesus directed the people to sit down. He took the seven loaves and the fish. After giving thanks, he divided it up and gave it to the people. Everyone ate. They had all they wanted. It took seven large baskets to collect the leftovers. Over four thousand people ate their fill at that meal. After Jesus sent them away, he climbed in the boat and crossed over to the Magadan hills.

Matthew 16

Some Bad Yeast

 ^1-4 Some Pharisees and Sadducees were on him again, pressing him to prove himself to them. He told them, "You have a saying that goes, 'Red sky at night, sailor's delight; red sky at morning, sailors take warning.' You find it easy enough to forecast the weather—why can't you read the signs of the times? An evil and wanton generation is always wanting signs and wonders. The only sign you'll get is the Jonah sign." Then he turned on his heel and walked away.

 ^5-6On their way to the other side of the lake, the disciples discovered they had forgotten to bring along bread. In the meantime, Jesus said to them, "Keep a sharp eye out for Pharisee-Sadducee yeast."

 ^7-12Thinking he was scolding them for forgetting bread, they discussed in whispers what to do. Jesus knew what they were doing and said, "Why all these worried whispers about forgetting the bread? Runt believers! Haven't you caught on yet? Don't you remember the five loaves of bread and the five thousand people, and how many baskets of fragments you picked up? Or the seven loaves that fed four thousand, and how many baskets of leftovers you collected? Haven't you realized yet that bread isn't the problem? The problem is yeast, Pharisee-Sadducee yeast." Then they got it: that he wasn't concerned about eating, but teaching—the Pharisee-Sadducee kind of teaching.

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Psalm 20:1-9 (The Message)

Psalm 20

A David Psalm

 ^1-4 God answer you on the day you crash, The name God-of-Jacob put you out of harm's reach,
   Send reinforcements from Holy Hill,
   Dispatch from Zion fresh supplies,
   Exclaim over your offerings,
   Celebrate your sacrifices,
   Give you what your heart desires,
   Accomplish your plans.

 ⁵ When you win, we plan to raise the roof
      and lead the parade with our banners.
   May all your wishes come true!

 ⁶ That clinches it—help's coming,
      an answer's on the way,
      everything's going to work out.

 ^7-8 See those people polishing their chariots,
      and those others grooming their horses?
      But we're making garlands for God our God.
   The chariots will rust,
      those horses pull up lame—
      and we'll be on our feet, standing tall.

 ⁹ Make the king a winner, God;
      the day we call, give us your answer.

 

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Proverbs 4:20-27 (The Message)

Learn It by Heart

 ^20-22 Dear friend, listen well to my words;
   tune your ears to my voice.
Keep my message in plain view at all times.
   Concentrate! Learn it by heart!
Those who discover these words live, really live;
   body and soul, they're bursting with health.

 ^23-27 Keep vigilant watch over your heart;
   that's where life starts.
Don't talk out of both sides of your mouth;
   avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip.
Keep your eyes straight ahead;
   ignore all sideshow distractions.
Watch your step,
   and the road will stretch out smooth before you.
Look neither right nor left;
   leave evil in the dust.

 

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Verse of the Day

 

“My friends, you are spiritual. So if someone is trapped in sin, you should gently lead that person back to the right path. But watch out, and don't be tempted yourself.” - Galatians 6:1

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist, short story writer, and designer, Edith Wharton wrote, “In spite of illness, in spite even of the archenemy sorrow, one can remain alive long past the usual date of disintegration if one is unafraid of change, insatiable in intellectual curiosity, interested in big things, and happy in small ways.”