Bible Readings for June 1, 2019

Today our passages are 2 Samuel 18:1–19:10; John 20:1-31; Psalm 119:153-176; and Proverbs 16:14-15. The readings are from 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.

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2 Samuel 18-19:10 (Contemporary English Version)

2 Samuel 18

David Gets Ready for Battle

 ¹David divided his soldiers into groups of a hundred and groups of a thousand. Then he chose officers to be in command of each group. ²He sent out one-third of his army under the command of Joab, another third under the command of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, and the rest under the command of Ittai from Gath. He told the soldiers, "I'm going into battle with you."     ³But the soldiers said, "No, don't go into battle with us! It won't matter to our enemies if they make us all run away, or even if they kill half of us. But you are worth ten thousand of us. It would be better for you to stay in town and send help if we need it." 
    ^4-6David said, "All right, if you think I should." 
   Then in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, he said, "Joab! Abishai! Ittai! For my sake, be sure that Absalom comes back unharmed." 
   David stood beside the town gate as his army marched past in groups of a hundred and in groups of a thousand. 
   The war with Israel took place in Ephraim Forest. 

Joab Kills Absalom

 ^7-8Battles were being fought all over the forest, and David's soldiers were winning. Twenty thousand soldiers were killed ^{a<="" value="[a]" >[]} that day, and more of them died from the dangers of the forest than from the fighting itself. ⁹Absalom was riding his mule under a huge tree when his head ^[b<="">] caught in the branches. The mule ran off and left Absalom hanging in midair. Some of David's soldiers happened by, ¹⁰and one of them went and told Joab, "I saw Absalom hanging in a tree!" ¹¹Joab said, "You saw Absalom? Why didn't you kill him? I would have given you ten pieces of silver and a special belt."     ¹²The man answered, "Even if you paid me a thousand pieces of silver here and now, I still wouldn't touch the king's son. We all heard King David tell you and Abishai and Ittai not to harm Absalom. ¹³He always finds out what's going on. I would have been risking my life to kill Absalom, because you would have let me take the blame." 
    ¹⁴Joab said, "I'm not going to waste any more time on you!" 
   Absalom was still alive, so Joab took three spears and stuck them through Absalom's chest. ¹⁵Ten of Joab's bodyguards came over and finished him off. ¹⁶Then Joab blew a trumpet to signal his troops to stop chasing Israel's soldiers. ¹⁷They threw Absalom's body into a deep pit in the forest and put a big pile of rocks over it. 
   Meanwhile, the people of Israel had all run back to their own homes. 
    ¹⁸When Absalom was alive, he had set up a stone monument for himself in King's Valley. He explained, "I don't have any sons ^[c<="">] to keep my name alive." He called it Absalom's Monument, and that is the name it still has today. ^[d<="">] 

Ahimaaz Wants To Tell David

 ¹⁹Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, "Joab, let me run and tell King David that the LORD has rescued him from his enemies."     ²⁰Joab answered, "You're not the one to tell the king that his son is dead. You can take him a message some other time, but not today." 
    ²¹Someone from Ethiopia ^[e<="">] was standing there, and Joab told him, "Go and tell the king what you have seen." The man knelt down in front of Joab and then got up and started running. ²²Ahimaaz spoke to Joab again, "No matter what happens, I still want to run. And besides, the Ethiopian has already left." 
   Joab said, "Why should you run? You won't get a reward for the news you have!" 
    ²³"I'll run no matter what!" Ahimaaz insisted. 
   "All right then, run!" Joab said. 
   Ahimaaz took the road through the Jordan Valley and outran the Ethiopian. 
    ²⁴Meanwhile, David was sitting between the inner and outer gates ^[f<="">] in the city wall. One of his soldiers was watching from the roof of the gate-tower. He saw a man running toward the town ²⁵and shouted down to tell David. David answered, "If he's alone, he must have some news." 
   The runner was getting closer, ²⁶when the soldier saw someone else running. He shouted down to the gate, "Look! There's another runner!" 
   David said, "He must have some news too." 
    ²⁷The soldier on the roof shouted, "The first one runs just like Ahimaaz the son of Zadok." 
   This time David said, "He's a good man. He must have some good news." 
    ²⁸Ahimaaz called out, "We won! We won!" Then he bowed low to David and said, "Your Majesty, praise the LORD your God! He has given you victory over your enemies." 
    ²⁹"Is my son Absalom all right?" David asked. 
   Ahimaaz said, "When Joab sent your personal servant and me, I saw a noisy crowd. But I don't know what it was all about." 
    ³⁰David told him, "Stand over there and wait." 
   Ahimaaz went over and stood there. ³¹The Ethiopian came and said, "Your Majesty, today I have good news! The LORD has rescued you from all your enemies!" 
    ³²"Is my son Absalom all right?" David asked. 
   The Ethiopian replied, "I wish that all Your Majesty's enemies and everyone who tries to harm you would end up like him!"     

David Cries for Absalom

 ³³David started trembling. Then he went up to the room above the city gate to cry. As he went, he kept saying, "My son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! I wish I could have died instead of you! Absalom, my son, my son!" ^[g<="">] 

2 Samuel 19

 ¹Someone told Joab, "The king is crying because Absalom is dead."     ²David's army found out he was crying because his son had died, and their day of victory suddenly turned into a day of sadness. ³The troops were sneaking into Mahanaim, just as if they had run away from a battle and were ashamed. 
    ⁴David held his hands over his face and kept on crying loudly, "My son, Absalom! Absalom, my son, my son!" 
    ⁵Joab went to the house where David was staying and told him: 
   You've made your soldiers ashamed! Not only did they save your life, they saved your sons and daughters and wives as well. ⁶You're more loyal to your enemies than to your friends. What you've done today has shown your officers and soldiers that they don't mean a thing to you. You would be happy if Absalom was still alive, even if the rest of us were dead. 
    ⁷Now get up! Go out there and thank them for what they did. If you don't, I swear by the LORD that you won't even have one man left on your side tomorrow morning. You may have had a lot of troubles in the past, but this will be the worst thing that has ever happened to you! 
    ⁸David got up and went to the town gate and sat down. When the people heard that he was sitting there, they came to see him. 
   After Israel's soldiers had all returned home, 

Israel and Judah Want David Back

 ^9-10everyone in Israel started arguing. They were saying to each other, "King David rescued us from the Philistines and from our other enemies. But then we chose Absalom to be our new leader, and David had to leave the country to get away. Absalom died in battle, so why hasn't something been done to bring David back?"   

  

Footnotes:

1. 2 Samuel 18:7 Twenty. . . killed: This may refer to the total number or to the number of Absalom's soldiers who were killed.
2. 2 Samuel 18:9 head: Or "hair."
3. 2 Samuel 18:18 I don't have any sons: According to 14.27, Absalom had three sons. But they could have died young or been put to death for Absalom's murder of Amnon.
4. 2 Samuel 18:18 today: That is, at the time of writing. This monument is not the same as the structure now known as "Absalom's Tomb," which was built at least 600 years later.
5. 2 Samuel 18:21 Ethiopia: The Hebrew text has "Cush," which was a region south of Egypt that included parts of the present countries of Ethiopia and Sudan.
6. 2 Samuel 18:24 between. . . gates: The city gate was often like a tower in the city wall, with one gate on the outside of the wall and another gate on the inside of the wall.
7. 2 Samuel 18:33 son: In Hebrew, this verse is 19.1.

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John 20:1-31 (Contemporary English Version)

John 20

Jesus Is Alive

(Matthew 28.1-10; Mark 16.1-8; Luke 24.1-12)

 ¹On Sunday morning while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. ²She ran to Simon Peter and to Jesus' favorite disciple and said, "They have taken the Lord from the tomb! We don't know where they have put him."     ³Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. ⁴They ran side by side, until the other disciple ran faster than Peter and got there first. ⁵He bent over and saw the strips of linen cloth lying inside the tomb, but he did not go in. 
    ⁶When Simon Peter got there, he went into the tomb and saw the strips of cloth. ⁷He also saw the piece of cloth that had been used to cover Jesus' face. It was rolled up and in a place by itself. ⁸The disciple who got there first then went into the tomb, and when he saw it, he believed. ⁹At that time Peter and the other disciple did not know that the Scriptures said Jesus would rise to life. ¹⁰So the two of them went back to the other disciples.     

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

(Mark 16.9-11)

 ¹¹Mary Magdalene stood crying outside the tomb. She was still weeping, when she stooped down ¹²and saw two angels inside. They were dressed in white and were sitting where Jesus' body had been. One was at the head and the other was at the foot. ¹³The angels asked Mary, "Why are you crying?"    She answered, "They have taken away my Lord's body! I don't know where they have put him." 
    ¹⁴As soon as Mary said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there. But she did not know who he was.¹⁵Jesus asked her, "Why are you crying? Who are you looking for?" 
   She thought he was the gardener and said, "Sir, if you have taken his body away, please tell me, so I can go and get him." 
    ¹⁶Then Jesus said to her, "Mary!" 
   She turned and said to him, "Rabboni." The Aramaic word "Rabboni" means "Teacher." 
    ¹⁷Jesus told her, "Don't hold on to me! I have not yet gone to the Father. But tell my disciples that I am going to the one who is my Father and my God, as well as your Father and your God." ¹⁸Mary Magdalene then went and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord. She also told them what he had said to her.     

Jesus Appears to His Disciples

(Matthew 28.16-20; Mark 16.14-18; Luke 24.36-49)

 ¹⁹The disciples were afraid of the Jewish leaders, and on the evening of that same Sunday they locked themselves in a room. Suddenly, Jesus appeared in the middle of the group. He greeted them ²⁰and showed them his hands and his side. When the disciples saw the Lord, they became very happy.     ²¹After Jesus had greeted them again, he said, "I am sending you, just as the Father has sent me." ²²Then he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³If you forgive anyone's sins, they will be forgiven. But if you don't forgive their sins, they will not be forgiven."     

Jesus and Thomas

 ²⁴Although Thomas the Twin was one of the twelve disciples, he wasn't with the others when Jesus appeared to them. ²⁵So they told him, "We have seen the Lord!"    But Thomas said, "First, I must see the nail scars in his hands and touch them with my finger. I must put my hand where the spear went into his side. I won't believe unless I do this!" 
    ²⁶A week later the disciples were together again. This time, Thomas was with them. Jesus came in while the doors were still locked and stood in the middle of the group. He greeted his disciples ²⁷and said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and look at my hands! Put your hand into my side. Stop doubting and have faith!" 
    ²⁸Thomas replied, "You are my Lord and my God!" 
    ²⁹Jesus said, "Thomas, do you have faith because you have seen me? The people who have faith in me without seeing me are the ones who are really blessed!"     

Why John Wrote His Book

 ³⁰Jesus worked many other miracles ^{a<="" value="[a]" >[]} for his disciples, and not all of them are written in this book. ³¹But these are written so that you will put your faith in Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God. If you have faith in^[b<="">] him, you will have true life. 

Footnotes:

1. John 20:30 miracles: See the note at 2.11.
2. John 20:31 put your faith in. . . have faith in: Some manuscripts have " keep on having faith in. . . keep on having faith in."

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Psalm 119:153-176 (Contemporary English Version)

¹⁵³I have not forgotten your Law! 
   Look at the trouble I am in, 
   and rescue me. 
    ¹⁵⁴Be my defender and protector! 
   Keep your promise 
   and save my life. 
    ¹⁵⁵Evil people won't obey you, 
   and so they have no hope 
   of being saved. 
    ¹⁵⁶You are merciful, LORD! 
   Please do the right thing 
   and save my life. 
    ¹⁵⁷I have a lot of brutal enemies, 
   but still I never turn 
   from your laws. 
    ¹⁵⁸All of those unfaithful people 
   who refuse to obey you 
   are disgusting to me. 
    ¹⁵⁹Remember how I love your laws, 
   and show your love for me 
   by keeping me safe. 
    ¹⁶⁰All you say can be trusted; 
   your teachings are true 
   and will last forever. 
    ¹⁶¹Rulers are cruel to me 
   for no reason. 
   But with all my heart 
   I respect your words, 
    ¹⁶²because they bring happiness 
   like treasures taken in war. 
    ¹⁶³I can't stand liars, 
   but I love your Law. 
    ¹⁶⁴I praise you seven times a day 
   because your laws are fair. 
    ¹⁶⁵You give peace of mind 
   to all who love your Law. 
   Nothing can make them fall. 
    ¹⁶⁶You are my only hope 
   for being saved, LORD, 
   and I do all you command. 
    ¹⁶⁷I love and obey your laws 
   with all my heart. 
    ¹⁶⁸You know everything I do. 
   You know I respect every law 
   you have given. 
    ¹⁶⁹Please, LORD, hear my prayer 
   and give me the understanding 
   that comes from your word. 
    ¹⁷⁰Listen to my concerns 
   and keep me safe, 
   just as you have promised. 
    ¹⁷¹If you will teach me your laws, 
   I will praise you ¹⁷²and sing 
   about your promise, 
   because all of your teachings 
   are what they ought to be. 
    ¹⁷³Be ready to protect me 
   because I have chosen 
   to obey your laws. 
    ¹⁷⁴I am waiting for you 
   to save me, LORD. 
   Your Law makes me happy. 
    ¹⁷⁵Keep me alive, 
   so I can praise you, 
   and let me find help 
   in your teachings. 
    ¹⁷⁶I am your servant, 
   but I have wandered away 
   like a lost sheep. 
   Please come after me, 
   because I have not forgotten 
   your teachings. 

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Proverbs 16:14-15 (Contemporary English Version)

¹⁴An angry ruler 
   can put you to death. 
   So be wise! 
   Don't make one angry. 
    ¹⁵When a ruler is happy 
   and pleased with you, 
   it's like refreshing rain, 
   and you will live. 

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Verse of the Day

“Then I saw New Jerusalem, that holy city, coming down from God in heaven. It was like a bride dressed in her wedding gown and ready to meet her husband. I heard a loud voice shout from the throne: God's home is now with his people. He will live with them, and they will be his own. Yes, God will make his home among his people. He will wipe all tears from their eyes, and there will be no more death, suffering, crying, or pain. These things of the past are gone forever.” -Revelation 21: 2-4 

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

American character actor on radio, stage and film, Frank Morgan wrote, “A heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others.”

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A Joke for Today

A prisoner in jail receives a letter from his wife: "Dear Husband, I have decided to plant some lettuce in the back garden. When is the best time to plant them?" 

The prisoner, knowing that the prison guards read all mail, replied in a letter: "Dear Wife, whatever you do, do not touch the back garden. That is where I hid all the money." 

A week or so later, he received another letter from his wife: "Dear Husband, You wouldn't believe what happened, some men came with shovels to the house, and dug up all the back garden." 

The prisoner wrote another letter back: "Dear wife, now is the best time to plant the lettuce." 

Bible Readings for February 14, 2015

Today our passages are Exodus 37:1–38:31; Matthew 28:1-20; Psalm 34:11-22; and Proverbs 9:9-10. The readings are the Contemporary English Version.  

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Exodus 37-38:31 (Contemporary English Version)

Exodus 37

The Sacred Chest

(Exodus 25.10-22)

 ¹Bezalel built a chest of acacia wood forty-five inches long, twenty-seven inches wide, and twenty-seven inches high. ²He covered it inside and out with pure gold and put a gold edging around the top. ³He made four gold rings and fastened one of them to each of the four legs of the chest. ⁴Then he made two poles of acacia wood, covered them with gold, ⁵and put them through the rings, so the chest could be carried by the poles.     ⁶The entire lid of the chest, which was also covered with pure gold, was the place of mercy. ^{[a] 7-9}On each of the two ends of the chest he made a winged creature of hammered gold. They faced each other, and their wings covered the place of mercy.

The Table for the Sacred Bread

(Exodus 25.23-30)

 ¹⁰Bezalel built a table of acacia wood thirty-six inches long, eighteen inches wide, and twenty-seven inches high. ^11-12He covered it with pure gold and put a gold edging around it with a border three inches wide. ^{[b] 13}He made four gold rings and attached one to each of the legs ¹⁴near the edging. The poles for carrying the table were placed through these rings ¹⁵and were made of acacia wood covered with gold. ¹⁶Everything that was to be set on the table was made of pure gold--the bowls, plates, jars, and cups for wine offerings.

The Lampstand

(Exodus 25.31-40)

 ¹⁷Bezalel made a lampstand of pure gold. The whole lampstand, including its decorative flowers, was made from a single piece of hammered gold, ¹⁸with three branches on each of its two sides. ¹⁹There were three decorative almond blossoms on each branch ²⁰and four on the stem. ²¹There was also a blossom where each pair of branches came out from the stem. ²²The lampstand, including its branches and decorative flowers, was made from a single piece of hammered pure gold. ^23-24The lamp and its equipment, including the tongs and trays, were made of about seventy-five pounds of pure gold.    

The Altar for Burning Incense

(Exodus 30.1-5)

 ²⁵For burning incense, Bezalel made an altar of acacia wood. It was eighteen inches square and thirty-six inches high with each of its four corners sticking up like the horn of a bull. ²⁶He covered it with pure gold and put a gold edging around it. ²⁷Then below the edging on opposite sides he attached two gold rings through which he put the poles for carrying the altar. ²⁸These poles were also made of acacia wood and covered with gold.    

The Oil for Dedication and the Incense

(Exodus 30.22-38)

 ²⁹Bezalel mixed the oil for dedication and the sweet-smelling spices for the incense.    

Exodus 38

The Altar for Offering Sacrifices

(Exodus 27.1-8)

 ¹Bezalel built an altar of acacia wood for offering sacrifices. It was seven and a half feet square and four and a half feet high ²with each of its four corners sticking up like the horn of a bull, and it was completely covered with bronze. ³The equipment for the altar was also made of bronze--the pans for the hot ashes, the shovels, the meat forks, and the fire pans. ⁴Midway up the altar he built a ledge around it and covered the bottom half of the altar with a decorative bronze grating. ⁵Then he attached a bronze ring beneath the ledge at the four corners to put the poles through. ⁶He covered two acacia wood poles with bronze and ⁷put them through the rings for carrying the altar, which was shaped like an open box.    

The Large Bronze Bowl

(Exodus 30.18-21)

 ⁸Bezalel made a large bowl and a stand out of bronze from the mirrors of the women who helped at the entrance to the sacred tent.    

The Courtyard around the Sacred Tent

(Exodus 27.9-19)

 ^9-17Around the sacred tent Bezalel built a courtyard one hundred fifty feet long on the south and north and seventy-five feet wide on the east and west. He used twenty bronze posts on bronze stands for the south and north and ten for the west. Then he hung a curtain of fine linen on the posts along each of these three sides by using silver hooks and rods. He placed three bronze posts on each side of the entrance at the east and hung a curtain seven and a half yards wide on each set of posts.     ^18-19For the entrance to the courtyard, Bezalel made a curtain ten yards long, which he hung on four bronze posts that were set on bronze stands. This curtain was the same height as the one for the rest of the courtyard and was made of fine linen embroidered and woven with blue, purple, and red wool. He hung the curtain on the four posts, using silver hooks and rods. ²⁰The pegs for the tent and for the curtain around the tent were made of bronze.
   

The Sacred Tent

 ^21-23Bezalel had worked closely with Oholiab, ^[c] who was an expert at designing and engraving, and at embroidering blue, purple, and red wool. The two of them completed the work that the LORD had commanded. Moses made Aaron's son Ithamar responsible for keeping record of the metals used for the sacred tent. ²⁴According to the official weights, the amount of gold given was two thousand two hundred nine pounds, ²⁵and the silver that was collected when the people were counted ^[d] came to seven thousand five hundred fifty pounds. ²⁶Everyone who was counted paid the required amount, and there was a total of 603,550 men who were twenty years old or older. ²⁷Seventy-five pounds of the silver were used to make each of the one hundred stands for the sacred tent and the curtain. ²⁸The remaining fifty pounds of silver were used for the hooks and rods and for covering the tops of the posts.     ²⁹Five thousand three hundred pounds of bronze were given. ³⁰And it was used to make the stands for the entrance to the tent, the altar and its grating, the equipment for the altar, ³¹the stands for the posts that surrounded the courtyard, including those at the entrance to the courtyard, and the pegs for the tent and the courtyard.
   

Footnotes:

1. Exodus 37:6 place of mercy: See the note at 26.34.
2. Exodus 37:11 a gold edging. . . wide: Or " a gold edging around it three inches wide."
3. Exodus 38:21 Bezalel. . . Oholiab: Hebrew " Bezalel son of Uri and grandson of Hur of the Judah tribe had worked closely with Oholiab son of Ahisamach from the tribe of Dan."
4. Exodus 38:25 counted: See 30.11-16; Numbers 1.

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Matthew 28:1-20 (Contemporary English Version)

Matthew 28

Jesus Is Alive

(Mark 16.1-8; Luke 24.1-12; John 20.1-10)

 ¹The Sabbath was over, and it was almost daybreak on Sunday when Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. ²Suddenly a strong earthquake struck, and the Lord's angel came down from heaven. He rolled away the stone and sat on it. ³The angel looked as bright as lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. ⁴The guards shook from fear and fell down, as though they were dead.     ⁵The angel said to the women, "Don't be afraid! I know you are looking for Jesus, who was nailed to a cross. ⁶He isn't here! God has raised him to life, just as Jesus said he would. Come, see the place where his body was lying. ⁷Now hurry! Tell his disciples that he has been raised to life and is on his way to Galilee. Go there, and you will see him. That is what I came to tell you."
    ⁸The women were frightened and yet very happy, as they hurried from the tomb and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹Suddenly Jesus met them and greeted them. They went near him, held on to his feet, and worshiped him. ¹⁰Then Jesus said, "Don't be afraid! Tell my followers to go to Galilee. They will see me there."
   

Report of the Guard

 ¹¹While the women were on their way, some soldiers who had been guarding the tomb went into the city. They told the chief priests everything that had happened. ¹²So the chief priests met with the leaders and decided to bribe the soldiers with a lot of money. ¹³They said to the soldiers, "Tell everyone that Jesus' disciples came during the night and stole his body while you were asleep. ¹⁴If the governor ^[a] hears about this, we will talk to him. You won't have anything to worry about." ¹⁵The soldiers took the money and did what they were told. The Jewish people still tell each other this story.

What Jesus' Followers Must Do

(Mark 16.14-18; Luke 24.36-49; John 20.19-23; Acts 1.6-8)

 ¹⁶Jesus' eleven disciples went to a mountain in Galilee, where Jesus had told them to meet him. ¹⁷They saw him and worshiped him, but some of them doubted.     ¹⁸Jesus came to them and said:
   I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth! ¹⁹Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, ²⁰and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world.
   

Footnotes:

1. Matthew 28:14 governor: Pontius Pilate.

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Psalm 34:11-22 (Contemporary English Version)

¹¹Come, my children, listen
   as I teach you
   to respect the LORD.
    ¹²Do you want to live
   and enjoy a long life?
    ¹³Then don't say cruel things
   and don't tell lies.
    ¹⁴Do good instead of evil
   and try to live at peace.
    ¹⁵If you obey the LORD,
   he will watch over you
   and answer your prayers.
    ¹⁶But God despises evil people,
   and he will wipe them all
   from the earth,
   till they are forgotten.
    ¹⁷When his people pray for help,
   he listens and rescues them
   from their troubles.
    ¹⁸The LORD is there to rescue
   all
   who are discouraged
   and have given up hope.
    ¹⁹The LORD's people
   may suffer a lot,
   but he will always
   bring them safely through.
    ²⁰Not one of their bones
   will ever be broken.
    ²¹Wicked people are killed
   by their own evil deeds,
   and if you hate God's people
   you will be punished.
    ²²The LORD saves the lives
   of his servants.
   Run to him for protection,
   and you won't be punished.

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Proverbs 9:9-10 (Contemporary English Version)

⁹If you have good sense,
   instruction will help you
   to have even better sense.
   And if you live right,
   education will help you
   to know even more.
    ¹⁰Respect and obey the LORD!
   This is the beginning
   of wisdom. ^[a] To have understanding,
   you must know the Holy God.
   

Footnotes:

1. Proverbs 9:10 the beginning of wisdom: Or " what wisdom is all about."

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Verse of the Day

 

“But I am giving you a new command. You must love each other, just as I have loved you. If you love each other, everyone will know that you are my disciples.” - John 13:34-35

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

 

American character actor, Frank Morgan wrote, “A heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others.”