Bible Readings for February 2, 2015

Today our passages are Exodus 15:19–17:7; Matthew 22:1-33; Psalm 27:1-6; and Proverbs 6:20-26. The readings are the Contemporary English Version.  

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Exodus 15:19-17:7 (Contemporary English Version)

The Song of Miriam

¹⁹The LORD covered the royal Egyptian cavalry and chariots with the sea, after the Israelites had walked safely through on dry ground. ²⁰Miriam the sister of Aaron was a prophet. So she took her tambourine and led the other women out to play their tambourines and to dance. ²¹Then she sang to them: " Sing praises to the LORD
for his great victory!
He has thrown the horses
and their riders into the sea."

Bitter Water at Marah

²²After the Israelites left the Red Sea, ^[a] Moses led them through the Shur Desert for three days, before finding water. ²³They did find water at Marah, but it was bitter, which is how that place got its name. ^[b]24The people complained and said, " Moses, what are we going to drink?" ²⁵Moses asked the LORD for help, and the LORD told him to throw a piece of wood into the water. Moses did so, and the water became fit to drink. At Marah the LORD tested his people and also gave them some laws and teachings. ²⁶Then he said, " I am the LORD your God, and I cure your diseases. If you obey me by doing right and by following my laws and teachings, I won't punish you with the diseases I sent on the Egyptians."
²⁷Later the Israelites came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees. So they camped there.

Exodus 16

The LORD Sends Food from Heaven

¹On the fifteenth day of the second month after the Israelites had escaped from Egypt, they left Elim and started through the western edge of the Sinai Desert ^[c] in the direction of Mount Sinai. ²There in the desert they started complaining to Moses and Aaron, ³" We wish the LORD had killed us in Egypt. When we lived there, we could at least sit down and eat all the bread and meat we wanted. But you have brought us out here into this desert, where we are going to starve." ⁴The LORD said to Moses, " I will send bread ^[d] down from heaven like rain. Each day the people can go out and gather only enough for that day. That's how I will see if they obey me. ⁵But on the sixth day of each week they must gather and cook twice as much." ⁶Moses and Aaron told the people, " This evening you will know that the LORD was the one who rescued you from Egypt. ⁷And in the morning you will see his glorious power, because he has heard your complaints against him. Why should you grumble to us? Who are we?" ⁸Then Moses continued, " You will know it is the LORD when he gives you meat each evening and more than enough bread each morning. He is really the one you are complaining about, not us--we are nobodies--but the LORD has heard your complaints."
⁹Moses turned to Aaron and said, " Bring the people together, because the LORD has heard their complaints."
¹⁰Aaron was speaking to them, when everyone looked out toward the desert and saw the bright glory of the LORD in a cloud. ¹¹The LORD said to Moses, ¹²" I have heard my people complain. Now tell them that each evening they will have meat and each morning they will have more than enough bread. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God."
¹³That evening a lot of quails came and landed everywhere in the camp, and the next morning dew covered the ground. ¹⁴After the dew had gone, the desert was covered with thin flakes that looked like frost. ¹⁵The people had never seen anything like this, and they started asking each other, " What is it?" ^[e] Moses answered, " This is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat. ¹⁶And he orders you to gather about two quarts for each person in your family--that should be more than enough."
¹⁷They did as they were told. Some gathered more and some gathered less, ¹⁸according to their needs, and none was left over.
¹⁹Moses told them not to keep any overnight. ²⁰Some of them disobeyed, but the next morning what they kept was stinking and full of worms, and Moses was angry.
²¹Each morning everyone gathered as much as they needed, and in the heat of the day the rest melted. ²²However, on the sixth day of the week, everyone gathered enough to have four quarts, instead of two. When the leaders reported this to Moses, ²³he told them that the LORD had said, " Tomorrow is the Sabbath, a sacred day of rest in honor of me. So gather all you want to bake or boil, and make sure you save enough for tomorrow."
²⁴The people obeyed, and the next morning the food smelled fine and had no worms. ²⁵" You may eat the food," Moses said. " Today is the Sabbath in honor of the LORD, and there won't be any of this food on the ground today. ²⁶You will find it there for the first six days of the week, but not on the Sabbath."
²⁷A few of the Israelites did go out to look for some, but there was none. ²⁸Then the LORD said, " Moses, how long will you people keep disobeying my laws and teachings? ²⁹Remember that I was the one who gave you the Sabbath. That's why on the sixth day I provide enough bread for two days. Everyone is to stay home and rest on the Sabbath." ³⁰And so they rested on the Sabbath.
³¹The Israelites called the bread manna. ^[f] It was white like coriander seed and delicious as wafers made with honey. ³²Moses told the people that the LORD had said, " Store up two quarts of this manna, because I want future generations to see the food I gave you during the time you were in the desert after I rescued you from Egypt." ³³Then Moses told Aaron, " Put some manna in a jar and store it in the place of worship for future generations to see."
³⁴Aaron followed the LORD's instructions and put the manna in front of the sacred chest for safekeeping. ^35-36The Israelites ate manna for forty years, before they came to the border of Canaan that was a settled land. ^[g]

Exodus 17

The LORD Gives Water from a Rock

(Numbers 20.1-13)

¹The Israelites left the desert and moved from one place to another each time the LORD ordered them to. Once they camped at Rephidim, ^[h] but there was no water for them to drink. ²The people started complaining to Moses, " Give us some water!" Moses replied, " Why are you complaining to me and trying to put the LORD to the test?"
³But the people were thirsty and kept on complaining, " Moses, did you bring us out of Egypt just to let us and our families and our animals die of thirst?"
⁴Then Moses prayed to the LORD, " What am I going to do with these people? They are about to stone me to death!"
⁵The LORD answered, " Take some of the leaders with you and go ahead of the rest of the people. Also take along the walking stick you used to strike the Nile River, ⁶and when you get to the rock at Mount Sinai, ^[i] I will be there with you. Strike the rock with the stick, and water will pour out for the people to drink." Moses did this while the leaders watched. ⁷The people had complained and tested the LORD by asking, " Is the LORD really with us?" So Moses named that place Massah, which means " testing" and Meribah, which means " complaining."

Footnotes:

1. Exodus 15:22Red Sea: See the note at 13.18.
2. Exodus 15:23Marah. . . name: In Hebrew " Marah" means " bitter."
3. Exodus 16:1the western edge of the Sinai Desert: Hebrew " the Sin Desert."
4. Exodus 16:4bread: This was something like a thin wafer, and it was called " manna," which in Hebrew means, " What is it?"
5. Exodus 16:15What is it: See the note at 16.4.
6. Exodus 16:31manna: See the note at 16.4.
7. Exodus 16:35land: The Hebrew text adds, " An omer is one tenth of an ephah." In the CEV " omer" is usually translated " two quarts."
8. Exodus 17:1Rephidim: The last stopping place for the Israelites between the Red Sea and Mount Sinai; the exact location is not known.
9. Exodus 17:6Sinai: The Hebrew text has " Horeb," another name for Sinai.

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Matthew 22:1-33 (Contemporary English Version)

Matthew 22

The Great Banquet

(Luke 14.15-24)

¹Once again Jesus used stories to teach the people: ²The kingdom of heaven is like what happened when a king gave a wedding banquet for his son. ³The king sent some servants to tell the invited guests to come to the banquet, but the guests refused. ⁴He sent other servants to say to the guests, "The banquet is ready! My cattle and prize calves have all been prepared. Everything is ready. Come to the banquet!"
⁵But the guests did not pay any attention. Some of them left for their farms, and some went to their places of business. ⁶Others grabbed the servants, then beat them up and killed them.
⁷This made the king so furious that he sent an army to kill those murderers and burn down their city. ⁸Then he said to the servants, "It is time for the wedding banquet, and the invited guests don't deserve to come. ⁹Go out to the street corners and tell everyone you meet to come to the banquet." ¹⁰They went out on the streets and brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike. And the banquet room was filled with guests.
¹¹When the king went in to meet the guests, he found that one of them wasn't wearing the right kind of clothes for the wedding. ¹²The king asked, "Friend, why didn't you wear proper clothes for the wedding?" But the guest had no excuse. ¹³So the king gave orders for that person to be tied hand and foot and to be thrown outside into the dark. That's where people will cry and grit their teeth in pain. ¹⁴Many are invited, but only a few are chosen.

Paying Taxes

(Mark 12.13-17; Luke 20.20-26)

¹⁵The Pharisees got together and planned how they could trick Jesus into saying something wrong. ¹⁶They sent some of their followers and some of Herod's followers ^[a] to say to him, "Teacher, we know that you are honest. You teach the truth about what God wants people to do. And you treat everyone with the same respect, no matter who they are. ¹⁷Tell us what you think! Should we pay taxes to the Emperor or not?" ¹⁸Jesus knew their evil thoughts and said, "Why are you trying to test me? You show-offs! ¹⁹Let me see one of the coins used for paying taxes." They brought him a silver coin, ²⁰and he asked, "Whose picture and name are on it?" ²¹"The Emperor's," they answered.
Then Jesus told them, "Give the Emperor what belongs to him and give God what belongs to God." ²²His answer surprised them so much that they walked away.

Life in the Future World

(Mark 12.18-27; Luke 20.27-40)

²³The Sadducees did not believe that people would rise to life after death. So that same day some of the Sadducees came to Jesus and said: ²⁴Teacher, Moses wrote that if a married man dies and has no children, his brother should marry the widow. Their first son would then be thought of as the son of the dead brother.
²⁵Once there were seven brothers who lived here. The first one married, but died without having any children. So his wife was left to his brother. ²⁶The same thing happened to the second and third brothers and finally to all seven of them. ²⁷At last the woman died. ²⁸When God raises people from death, whose wife will this woman be? She had been married to all seven brothers.
²⁹Jesus answered:
You are completely wrong! You don't know what the Scriptures teach. And you don't know anything about the power of God. ³⁰When God raises people to life, they won't marry. They will be like the angels in heaven. ³¹And as for people being raised to life, God was speaking to you when he said, ³²"I am the God worshiped by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." ^[b] He isn't the God of the dead, but of the living. ³³The crowds were surprised to hear what Jesus was teaching.

Footnotes:

1. Matthew 22:16Herod's followers: People who were political followers of the family of Herod the Great (see 2.1) and his son Herod Antipas (see 14.1), and who wanted Herod to be king in Jerusalem.
2. Matthew 22:32I am the God worshiped by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: Jesus argues that if God is worshiped by these three, they must still be alive, because he is the God of the living.

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Psalm 27:1-6 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 27

(By David.)

A Prayer of Praise

¹You, LORD, are the light that keeps me safe.
I am not afraid of anyone.
You protect me,
and I have no fears.
²Brutal people may attack
and try to kill me,
but they will stumble.
Fierce enemies may attack,
but they will fall.
³Armies may surround me,
but I won't be afraid;
war may break out,
but I will trust you.
⁴I ask only one thing, LORD:
Let me live in your house
every day of my life
to see how wonderful you are
and to pray in your temple.
⁵In times of trouble,
you will protect me.
You will hide me in your tent
and keep me safe
on top of a mighty rock. ^[a]6You will let me defeat
all of my enemies.
Then I will celebrate,
as I enter your tent
with animal sacrifices
and songs of praise.

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 27:5mighty rock: See the note at 18.2.

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Proverbs 6:20-26 (Contemporary English Version)

²⁰Obey the teaching
of your parents--
²¹always keep it in mind
and never forget it.
²²Their teaching will guide you
when you walk,
protect you when you sleep,
and talk to you
when you are awake.
²³The Law of the Lord is a lamp,
and its teachings
shine brightly.
Correction and self-control
will lead you through life.
²⁴They will protect you
from the flattering words
of someone else's wife. ^[a]25Don't let yourself be attracted
by the charm
and lovely eyes
of someone like that.
²⁶A woman who sells her love
can be bought
for as little
as the price of a meal.
But making love
to another man's wife
will cost you everything.

Footnotes:

1. Proverbs 6:24someone else's wife: Or " an evil woman."

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Verse of the Day

“But it is just as the Scriptures say, "What God has planned for people who love him is more than eyes have seen or ears have heard. It has never even entered our minds!” - 1 Corinthians 2:9

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

English novelist, journalist, translator and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era, George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans) wrote, “Blessed is the influence of one true, loving human soul on another.”