Bible Readings for January 10, 2015

Today our passages are Genesis 23:1–24:51; Matthew 8:1-17; Psalm 9:13-20; and Proverbs 3:1-6. The readings are the Contemporary English Version.  

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Genesis 23-24:51 (Contemporary English Version)

Genesis 23

Sarah's Death and Burial

 ^1-2When Sarah was one hundred twenty-seven years old, she died in Kiriath-Arba, better known as Hebron, in the land of Canaan. After Abraham had mourned for her, ³he went to the Hittites and said, ⁴"I live as a foreigner in your land, and I don't own any property where I can bury my wife. Please let me buy a piece of land."     ^5-6"Sir," they answered, "you are an important man. Choose the best place to bury your wife. None of us would refuse you a resting place for your dead."
    ⁷Abraham bowed down ⁸and replied, "If you are willing to let me bury my wife here, please ask Zohar's son Ephron ⁹to sell me Machpelah Cave at the end of his field. I'll pay what it's worth, and all of you can be witnesses."
    ¹⁰Ephron was sitting there near the city gate, when Abraham made this request, and he answered, ¹¹"Sir, the whole field, including the cave, is yours. With my own people as witnesses, I freely give it to you as a burial place for your dead."
    ¹²Once again, Abraham bowed down ¹³and said to Ephron, "In front of these witnesses, I offer you the full price, so I can bury my wife. Please accept my offer."
    ^14-15"But sir," the man replied, "the property is worth only four hundred pieces of silver. Why should we haggle over such a small amount? Take the land. It's yours."
    ^16-18Abraham accepted Ephron's offer and paid him the four hundred pieces of silver in front of everyone at the city gate. That's how Abraham got Ephron's property east of Hebron, ^[a] which included the field with all of its trees, as well as Machpelah Cave at the end of the field. ¹⁹So Abraham buried his wife Sarah in Machpelah Cave that was in the field ²⁰he had bought from the Hittites.

Genesis 24

A Wife for Isaac

 ¹Abraham was now a very old man. The LORD had made him rich, and he was successful in everything he did. ²One day, Abraham called in his most trusted servant and said to him, "Solemnly promise me ³in the name of the LORD, who rules heaven and earth, that you won't choose a wife for my son Isaac from the people here in the land of Canaan. ⁴Instead, go back to the land where I was born and find a wife for him from among my relatives."     ⁵But the servant asked, "What if the young woman I choose refuses to leave home and come here with me? Should I send Isaac there to look for a wife?"
    ⁶"No!" Abraham answered. "Don't ever do that, no matter what. ⁷The LORD who rules heaven brought me here from the land where I was born and promised that he would give this land to my descendants forever. When you go back there, the LORD will send his angel ahead of you to help you find a wife for my son. ⁸If the woman refuses to come along, you don't have to keep this promise. But don't ever take my son back there." ⁹So the servant gave Abraham his word that he would do everything he had been told to do.
    ¹⁰Soon after that, the servant loaded ten of Abraham's camels with valuable gifts. Then he set out for the city in northern Syria, ^[b] where Abraham's brother Nahor lived. ¹¹When he got there, he let the camels rest near the well outside the city. It was late afternoon, the time when the women came out for water. ¹²The servant prayed:
   You, LORD, are the God my master Abraham worships. Please keep your promise to him and let me find a wife for Isaac today. ¹³The young women of the city will soon come to this well for water, ¹⁴and I'll ask one of them for a drink. If she gives me a drink and then offers to get some water for my camels, I'll know she is the one you have chosen and that you have kept your promise to my master.
    ^15-16While he was still praying, a beautiful unmarried young woman came by with a water jar on her shoulder. She was Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Abraham's brother Nahor and his wife Milcah. Rebekah walked past Abraham's servant, then went over to the well, and filled her water jar. When she started back, ¹⁷Abraham's servant ran to her and said, "Please let me have a drink of water."
    ¹⁸"I'll be glad to," she answered. Then she quickly took the jar from her shoulder and held it while he drank. ^19-20After he had finished, she said, "Now I'll give your camels all the water they want." She quickly poured out water for them, and she kept going back for more, until his camels had drunk all they wanted. ²¹Abraham's servant did not say a word, but he watched everything Rebekah did, because he wanted to know for certain if this was the woman the LORD had chosen.
    ²²The servant had brought along an expensive gold ring and two large gold bracelets. When Rebekah had finished bringing the water, he gave her the ring for her nose ^[c] and the bracelets for her arms. ²³Then he said, "Please tell me who your father is. Does he have room in his house for me and my men to spend the night?" ²⁴She answered, "My father is Bethuel, the son of Nahor and Milcah. ²⁵We have a place where you and your men can stay, and we also have enough straw and feed for your camels."
    ²⁶Then the servant bowed his head and prayed, ²⁷"I thank you, LORD God of my master Abraham! You have led me to his relatives and kept your promise to him."
    ²⁸Rebekah ran straight home and told her family everything. ^29-30Her brother Laban heard her tell what the servant had said, and he saw the ring and the bracelets she was wearing. So Laban ran out to Abraham's servant, who was standing by his camels at the well. ³¹Then Laban said, "The LORD has brought you safely here. Come home with me. There's no need for you to keep on standing outside. I have a room ready for you in our house, and there's also a place for your camels."
    ³²Abraham's servant went home with Laban, where Laban's servants unloaded his camels and gave them straw and feed. Then they brought water into the house, so Abraham's servant and his men could wash their feet. ³³After that, they brought in food. But the servant said, "Before I eat, I must tell you why I have come."
   "Go ahead and tell us," Laban answered.
    ³⁴The servant explained:
   I am Abraham's servant. ³⁵The LORD has been good to my master and has made him very rich. He has given him many sheep, goats, cattle, camels, and donkeys, as well as a lot of silver and gold, and many slaves. ³⁶Sarah, my master's wife, didn't have any children until she was very old. Then she had a son, and my master has given him everything. ³⁷I solemnly promised my master that I would do what he said. And he told me, "Don't choose a wife for my son from the women in this land of Canaan. ³⁸Instead, go back to the land where I was born and find a wife for my son from among my relatives."
    ³⁹I asked my master, "What if the young woman refuses to come with me?"
    ⁴⁰My master answered, "I have always obeyed the LORD, and he will send his angel to help you find my son a wife from among my own relatives. ⁴¹But if they refuse to let her come back with you, then you are freed from your promise."
    ⁴²When I came to the well today, I silently prayed, "You, LORD, are the God my master Abraham worships, so please lead me to a wife for his son ⁴³while I am here at the well. When a young woman comes out to get water, I'll ask her to give me a drink. ⁴⁴If she gives me a drink and offers to get some water for my camels, I'll know she is the one you have chosen."
    ⁴⁵Even before I had finished praying, Rebekah came by with a water jar on her shoulder. When she had filled the jar, I asked her for a drink. ⁴⁶She quickly lowered the jar from her shoulder and said, "Have a drink. Then I'll get water for your camels." So I drank, and after that she got some water for my camels. ⁴⁷I asked her who her father was, and she answered, "My father is Bethuel the son of Nahor and Milcah." Right away I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her arms. ⁴⁸Then I bowed my head and gave thanks to the God my master Abraham worships. The LORD had led me straight to my master's relatives, and I had found a wife for his son.
    ⁴⁹Now please tell me if you are willing to do the right thing for my master. Will you treat him fairly, or do I have to look for another young woman?
    ⁵⁰Laban and Bethuel answered, "The LORD has done this. We have no choice in the matter. ⁵¹Take Rebekah with you; she can marry your master's son, just as the LORD has said."

Footnotes:

1. Genesis 23:16 Hebron: The Hebrew text has "Mamre," a place just north of Hebron.
2. Genesis 24:10 northern Syria: The Hebrew text has "Aram-Naharaim," probably referring to the land around the city of Haran (see also "Paddan-Aram" in 25.20; 28.2,6; 31.18,20; 33.18; 35.23-26; 46.8-15; and "Paddan" in 48.7).
3. Genesis 24:22 ring for her nose: Nose-rings were popular jewelry items, as were earrings.

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Matthew 8:1-17 (Contemporary English Version)

Matthew 8

Jesus Heals a Man

(Mark 1.40-45; Luke 5.12-16)

 ¹As Jesus came down the mountain, he was followed by large crowds. ²Suddenly a man with leprosy ^[a] came and knelt in front of Jesus. He said, "Lord, you have the power to make me well, if only you wanted to." ³Jesus put his hand on the man and said, "I want to! Now you are well." At once the man's leprosy disappeared. ⁴Jesus told him, "Don't tell anyone about this, but go and show the priest that you are well. Then take a gift to the temple just as Moses commanded, and everyone will know that you have been healed." ^[b]

Jesus Heals an Army Officer's Servant

(Luke 7.1-10; John 4.43-54)

 ⁵When Jesus was going into the town of Capernaum, an army officer came up to him and said, ⁶"Lord, my servant is at home in such terrible pain that he can't even move."     ⁷"I will go and heal him," Jesus replied.
    ⁸But the officer said, "Lord, I'm not good enough for you to come into my house. Just give the order, and my servant will get well. ⁹I have officers who give orders to me, and I have soldiers who take orders from me. I can say to one of them, `Go!' and he goes. I can say to another, `Come!' and he comes. I can say to my servant, `Do this!' and he will do it."
    ¹⁰When Jesus heard this, he was so surprised that he turned and said to the crowd following him, "I tell you that in all of Israel I've never found anyone with this much faith! ¹¹Many people will come from everywhere to enjoy the feast in the kingdom of heaven with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. ¹²But the ones who should have been in the kingdom will be thrown out into the dark. They will cry and grit their teeth in pain."
    ¹³Then Jesus said to the officer, "You may go home now. Your faith has made it happen."
   Right then his servant was healed.
   

Jesus Heals Many People

(Mark 1.29-34; Luke 4.38-41)

 ¹⁴Jesus went to the home of Peter, where he found that Peter's mother-in-law was sick in bed with fever. ¹⁵He took her by the hand, and the fever left her. Then she got up and served Jesus a meal.     ¹⁶That evening many people with demons in them were brought to Jesus. And with only a word he forced out the evil spirits and healed everyone who was sick. ¹⁷So God's promise came true, just as the prophet Isaiah had said,
   "He healed our diseases
   and made us well."
   

Footnotes:

1. Matthew 8:2 leprosy: In biblical times the word "leprosy" was used for many different kinds of skin diseases.
2. Matthew 8:4 everyone will know that you have been healed: People with leprosy had to be examined by a priest and told that they were well (that is "clean") before they could once again live a normal life in the Jewish community. The gift that Moses commanded was the sacrifice of some lambs together with flour mixed with olive oil.

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Psalm 9:13-20 (Contemporary English Version)

¹³Please have mercy, LORD!
   My enemies mistreat me.
   Keep me from the gates
   that lead to death,
    ¹⁴and I will sing about you
   at the gate to Zion.
   I will be happy there
   because you rescued me.
    ¹⁵Our LORD, the nations fell
   into their own pits,
   and their feet were caught
   in their own traps.
    ¹⁶You showed what you are like,
   and you made certain
   that justice is done,
   but evil people are trapped
   by their own evil deeds.
    ¹⁷The wicked will go down
   to the world of the dead
   to be with those nations
   that forgot about you.
    ¹⁸The poor and the homeless
   won't always be forgotten
   and without hope.
    ¹⁹Do something, LORD!
   Don't let the nations win.
   Make them stand trial
   in your court of law.
    ²⁰Make the nations afraid
   and let them all discover
   just how weak they are.

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Proverbs 3:1-6 (Contemporary English Version)

Proverbs 3

Trust God

 ¹My child, remember    my teachings and instructions
   and obey them completely.
    ²They will help you live
   a long and prosperous life.
    ³Let love and loyalty
   always show like a necklace,
   and write them in your mind.
    ⁴God and people will like you
   and consider you a success.
    ⁵With all your heart
   you must trust the LORD
   and not your own judgment.
    ⁶Always let him lead you,
   and he will clear the road
   for you to follow.

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Verse of the Day

“Always live as God's holy people should, because God is the one who chose you, and he is holy. That's why the Scriptures say, "I am the holy God, and you must be holy too.” - 1 Peter 1:15-16

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

 

Romanian philosopher and essayist, Emile M. Cioran wrote, “We are afraid of the enormity of the possible.”