Bible Readings for January 7, 2015

Today our passages are Genesis 16:1–18:19; Matthew 6:1-24; Psalm 7:1-17; and Proverbs 2:1-5. The readings are the Contemporary English Version.  

---

Genesis 16-18:19 (Contemporary English Version)

Genesis 16

Hagar and Ishmael

 ¹Abram's wife Sarai had not been able to have any children. But she owned a young Egyptian slave woman named Hagar, ²and Sarai said to Abram, "The LORD has not given me any children. Sleep with my slave, and if she has a child, it will be mine." ^[a] Abram agreed, ³and Sarai gave him Hagar to be his wife. This happened after Abram had lived in the land of Canaan for ten years. ⁴Later, when Hagar knew she was going to have a baby, she became proud and was hateful to Sarai. ⁵Then Sarai said to Abram, "It's all your fault! ^[b] I gave you my slave woman, but she has been hateful to me ever since she found out she was pregnant. You have done me wrong, and you will have to answer to the LORD for this." ⁶Abram said, "All right! She's your slave, and you can do whatever you want with her." But Sarai began treating Hagar so harshly that she finally ran away.     ⁷Hagar stopped to rest at a spring in the desert on the road to Shur. While she was there, the angel of the LORD came to her ⁸and asked, "Hagar, where have you come from, and where are you going?"
   She answered, "I'm running away from Sarai, my owner."
    ⁹The angel said, "Go back to Sarai and be her slave. ^10-11I will give you a son, who will be called Ishmael, ^[c] because I have heard your cry for help. And later I will give you so many descendants that no one will be able to count them all. ¹²But your son will live far from his relatives; he will be like a wild donkey, fighting everyone, and everyone fighting him." ¹³Hagar thought, "Have I really seen God and lived to tell about it?" ^[d] So from then on she called him, "The God Who Sees Me." ^{[e] 14}That's why people call the well between Kadesh and Bered, "The Well of the Living One Who Sees Me." ^{[f] 15-16}Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar gave birth to their son, and he named him Ishmael.
   

Genesis 17

God's Promise to Abraham

 ¹Abram was ninety-nine years old when the LORD appeared to him again and said, "I am God All-Powerful. If you obey me and always do right, ²I will keep my solemn promise to you and give you more descendants than can be counted." ³Abram bowed with his face to the ground, and God said:     ^4-5I promise that you will be the father of many nations. That's why I now change your name from Abram to Abraham. ^{[g] 6}I will give you a lot of descendants, and in the future they will become great nations. Some of them will even be kings. ⁷I will always keep the promise I have made to you and your descendants, because I am your God and their God. ⁸I will give you and them the land in which you are now a foreigner. I will give the whole land of Canaan to your family forever, and I will be their God.
    ⁹Abraham, you and all future members of your family must promise to obey me. ^10-11As the sign that you are keeping this promise, you must circumcise every man and boy in your family. ^12-13From now on, your family must circumcise every baby boy when he is eight days old. You must even circumcise any man or boy you have as a slave, both those born in your homes and those you buy from foreigners. This will be a sign that my promise to you will last forever. ¹⁴Any man who isn't circumcised hasn't kept his promise to me and cannot be one of my people.
    ¹⁵Abraham, your wife's name will now be Sarah instead of Sarai. ¹⁶I will bless her, and you will have a son by her. She will become the mother of nations, and some of her descendants will even be kings.
    ¹⁷Abraham bowed with his face to the ground and thought, "I am almost a hundred years old. How can I become a father? And Sarah is ninety. How can she have a child?" So he started laughing. ¹⁸Then he asked God, "Why not let Ishmael ^[h] inherit what you have promised me?" ¹⁹But God answered:
   No! You and Sarah will have a son. His name will be Isaac, ^[i] and I will make an everlasting promise to him and his descendants. ²⁰I have heard what you asked me to do for Ishmael, and so I will also bless him with many descendants. He will be the father of twelve princes, and I will make his family a great nation. ²¹But your son Isaac will be born about this time next year, and the promise I am making to you and your family will be for him and his descendants forever.
    ²²God finished speaking to Abraham and then left.
    ^23-27On that same day Abraham obeyed God by circumcising Ishmael. Abraham was also circumcised, and so were all other men and boys in his household, including his servants and slaves. He was ninety-nine years old at the time, and his son Ishmael was thirteen.
   

Genesis 18

The LORD Promises Abraham a Son

 ¹One hot summer afternoon Abraham was sitting by the entrance to his tent near the sacred trees of Mamre, when the LORD appeared to him. ²Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. He quickly ran to meet them, bowed with his face to the ground, ³and said, "Please come to my home where I can serve you. ⁴I'll have some water brought, so you can wash your feet, then you can rest under the tree. ⁵Let me get you some food to give you strength before you leave. I would be honored to serve you."    "Thank you very much," they answered. "We accept your offer."
    ⁶Abraham quickly went to his tent and said to Sarah, "Hurry! Get a large sack of flour and make some bread." ⁷After saying this, he rushed off to his herd of cattle and picked out one of the best calves, which his servant quickly prepared. ⁸He then served his guests some yogurt and milk together with the meat.
   While they were eating, he stood near them under the trees, ⁹and they asked, "Where is your wife Sarah?"
   "She is right there in the tent," Abraham answered.
    ¹⁰One of the guests was the LORD, and he said, "I'll come back about this time next year, and when I do, Sarah will already have a son."
   Sarah was behind Abraham, listening at the entrance to the tent. ¹¹Abraham and Sarah were very old, and Sarah was well past the age for having children. ¹²So she laughed and said to herself, "Now that I am worn out and my husband is old, will I really know such happiness?" ^{[j] 13}The LORD asked Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh? Does she doubt that she can have a child in her old age? ¹⁴I am the LORD! There is nothing too difficult for me. I'll come back next year at the time I promised, and Sarah will already have a son."
    ¹⁵Sarah was so frightened that she lied and said, "I didn't laugh."
   "Yes, you did!" he answered.
   

Abraham Prays for Sodom

 ¹⁶When the three men got ready to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked part of the way with them.     ¹⁷The LORD said to himself, "I should tell Abraham what I am going to do, ¹⁸since his family will become a great and powerful nation that will be a blessing to all other nations on earth. ^{[k] 19}I have chosen him to teach his family to obey me forever and to do what is right and fair. Then I will give Abraham many descendants, just as I promised."

Footnotes:

1. Genesis 16:2 Sleep. . . mine: It was the custom for a wife who could not have children to let her husband sleep with one of her slave women. The children of the slave would belong to the wife.
2. Genesis 16:5 It's. . . fault: Or "I hope you'll be punished for what you did to me!"
3. Genesis 16:10 Ishmael: In Hebrew "Ishmael" sounds like "God hears."
4. Genesis 16:13 Have. . . it: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
5. Genesis 16:13 The God Who Sees Me: Or "The God I Have Seen."
6. Genesis 16:14 The Well. . . Me: Or "Beer-Lahai-Roi" (see 25.11).
7. Genesis 17:4 Abraham: In Hebrew "Abraham" sounds like "father of many nations."
8. Genesis 17:18 Ishmael: Ishmael was the son of Sarah's slave Hagar (see 16.1-16).
9. Genesis 17:19 Isaac: In Hebrew "Isaac" sounds like "laugh."
10. Genesis 18:12 know such happiness: Either the joy of making love or the joy of having children.
11. Genesis 18:18 that will be. . . on earth: Or "and all other nations on earth will ask me to bless them as I have blessed his family."

---

Matthew 6:1-24 (Contemporary English Version)

Matthew 6

Giving

 ¹When you do good deeds, don't try to show off. If you do, you won't get a reward from your Father in heaven.     ²When you give to the poor, don't blow a loud horn. That's what show-offs do in the meeting places and on the street corners, because they are always looking for praise. I can assure you that they already have their reward.
    ³When you give to the poor, don't let anyone know about it. ^{[a] 4}Then your gift will be given in secret. Your Father knows what is done in secret, and he will reward you.

Prayer

(Luke 11.2-4)

 ⁵When you pray, don't be like those show-offs who love to stand up and pray in the meeting places and on the street corners. They do this just to look good. I can assure you that they already have their reward.     ⁶When you pray, go into a room alone and close the door. Pray to your Father in private. He knows what is done in private, and he will reward you.
    ⁷When you pray, don't talk on and on as people do who don't know God. They think God likes to hear long prayers. ⁸Don't be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask.
    ⁹You should pray like this:
   Our Father in heaven,
   help us to honor
   your name.
    ¹⁰Come and set up
   your kingdom,
   so that everyone on earth
   will obey you,
   as you are obeyed
   in heaven.
    ¹¹Give us our food for today. ^{[b] 12}Forgive us for doing wrong,
   as we forgive others.
    ¹³Keep us from being tempted
   and protect us from evil. ^{[c] 14}If you forgive others for the wrongs they do to you, your Father in heaven will forgive you. ¹⁵But if you don't forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.
   

Worshiping God by Going without Eating

 ¹⁶When you go without eating, ^[d] don't try to look gloomy as those show-offs do when they go without eating. I can assure you that they already have their reward. ¹⁷Instead, comb your hair and wash your face. ¹⁸Then others won't know that you are going without eating. But your Father sees what is done in private, and he will reward you.

Treasures in Heaven

(Luke 12.33,34)

 ¹⁹Don't store up treasures on earth! Moths and rust can destroy them, and thieves can break in and steal them. ²⁰Instead, store up your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy them, and thieves cannot break in and steal them. ²¹Your heart will always be where your treasure is.    

Light

(Luke 11.34-36)

 ²²Your eyes are like a window for your body. When they are good, you have all the light you need. ²³But when your eyes are bad, everything is dark. If the light inside you is dark, you surely are in the dark.    

Money

(Luke 16.13)

 ²⁴You cannot be the slave of two masters! You will like one more than the other or be more loyal to one than the other. You cannot serve both God and money.    

Footnotes:

1. Matthew 6:3 don't let anyone know about it: The Greek text has, "Don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing."
2. Matthew 6:11 our food for today: Or "the food that we need" or "our food for the coming day."
3. Matthew 6:13 evil: Or "the evil one," that is, the devil. Some manuscripts add, "The kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours forever. Amen."
4. Matthew 6:16 without eating: See the note at 4.2.

---

Psalm 7:1-17 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 7

(Written by David. (Psalm 7 Written by David: The Hebrew text has " a shiggaion by David," which may refer to a psalm of mourning.) He sang this to the LORD because of Cush from the tribe of Benjamin.)

The LORD Always Does Right

 ¹You, LORD God,    are my protector.
   Rescue me and keep me safe
   from all who chase me.
    ²Or else they will rip me apart
   like lions
   attacking a victim,
   and no one will save me.
    ³I am innocent, LORD God!
    ⁴I have not betrayed a friend
   or had pity on an enemy ^[a] who attacks for no reason.
    ⁵If I have done any of this,
   then let my enemies
   chase and capture me.
   Let them stomp me to death
   and leave me in the dirt.
    ⁶Get angry, LORD God!
   Do something!
   Attack my furious enemies.
   See that justice is done.
    ⁷Make the nations come to you,
   as you sit on your throne ^[b] above them all.
    ⁸Our LORD, judge the nations!
   Judge me
   and show that I
   am honest and innocent.
    ⁹You know every heart and mind,
   and you always do right.
   Now make violent people stop,
   but protect all of us
   who obey you.
    ¹⁰You, God, are my shield,
   the protector of everyone
   whose heart is right.
    ¹¹You see that justice is done,
   and each day
   you take revenge.
    ¹²Whenever your enemies refuse
   to change their ways,
   you sharpen your sword
   and string your bow.
    ¹³Your deadly arrows are ready
   with flaming tips.
    ¹⁴An evil person is like a woman
   about to give birth
   to a hateful, deceitful,
   and rebellious child.
    ¹⁵Such people dig a deep hole,
   then fall in it themselves.
    ¹⁶The trouble they cause
   comes back on them,
   and their heads are crushed
   by their own evil deeds.
    ¹⁷I will praise you, LORD!
   You always do right.
   I will sing about you,
   the LORD Most High.
   

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 7:4 had pity on an enemy: Or " failed to have pity on an enemy."
2. Psalm 7:7 sit. . . throne: Or " return to your place."

---

Proverbs 2:1-5 (Contemporary English Version)

Proverbs 2

Wisdom and Bad Friends

 ¹My child, you must follow    and treasure
   my teachings
   and my instructions.
    ²Keep in tune with wisdom
   and think what it means
   to have common sense.
    ³Beg as loud as you can
   for good common sense.
    ⁴Search for wisdom
   as you would search for silver
   or hidden treasure.
    ⁵Then you will understand
   what it means to respect
   and to know the LORD God.

---

Verse of the Day

“Do as God does. After all, you are his dear children. Let love be your guide. Christ loved us and offered his life for us as a sacrifice that pleases God.” - Ephesians 5:1-2

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

---

Thought for the Day

English naturalist, zookeeper, conservationist, author and television presenter, Gerald Durrell wrote, “Anyone who has got any pleasure at all from living should try to put something back. … I'm glad to be giving something back because I've been so extraordinarily lucky and had such great pleasure from it.”