Bible Readings for May 6, 2015

Today our passages are Ruth 2:1–4:22; John 4:43-54; Psalm 105:16-36; and Proverbs 14:26-27. The readings are the Contemporary English Version. 

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Ruth 2-4:22 (Contemporary English Version)

Ruth 2

Ruth Meets Boaz

 ^1-3One day, Ruth said to Naomi, "Let me see if I can find someone who will let me pick up the grain left in the fields by the harvest workers." ^[a] Naomi answered, "Go ahead, my daughter." So right away, Ruth went out to pick up grain in a field owned by Boaz. He was a relative of Naomi's husband Elimelech, as well as a rich and important man.     ⁴When Boaz left Bethlehem and went out to his field, he said to the harvest workers, "The LORD bless you!"
   They replied, "And may the LORD bless you!"
    ⁵Then Boaz asked the man in charge of the harvest workers, "Who is that young woman?"
    ⁶The man answered, "She is the one who came back from Moab with Naomi. ⁷She asked if she could pick up grain left by the harvest workers, and she has been working all morning without a moment's rest." ^{[b] 8}Boaz went over to Ruth and said, "I think it would be best for you not to pick up grain in anyone else's field. Stay here with the women ⁹and follow along behind them, as they gather up what the men have cut. I have warned the men not to bother you, and whenever you are thirsty, you can drink from the water jars they have filled."
    ¹⁰Ruth bowed down to the ground and said, "You know I come from another country. Why are you so good to me?"
    ¹¹Boaz answered, "I've heard how you've helped your mother-in-law ever since your husband died. You even left your own father and mother to come and live in a foreign land among people you don't know. ¹²I pray that the LORD God of Israel will reward you for what you have done. And now that you have come to him for protection, I pray that he will bless you."
    ¹³Ruth replied, "Sir, it's good of you to speak kindly to me and make me feel so welcome. I'm not even one of your servants."
    ¹⁴At mealtime Boaz said to Ruth, "Come, eat with us. Have some bread and dip it in the sauce." Right away she sat down with the workers, and Boaz handed her some roasted grain. Ruth ate all she wanted and had some left over.
    ¹⁵When Ruth got up to start picking up grain, Boaz told his men, "Don't stop her, even if she picks up grain from where it is stacked. ¹⁶Be sure to pull out some stalks of grain from the bundles and leave them on the ground for her. And don't speak harshly to her!"
    ¹⁷Ruth worked in the field until evening. Then after she had pounded the grain off the stalks, she had a large basket full of grain. ¹⁸She took the grain to town and showed Naomi how much she had picked up. Ruth also gave her the food left over from her lunch.
    ¹⁹Naomi said, "Where did you work today? Whose field was it? God bless the man who treated you so well!" Then Ruth told her that she had worked in the field of a man named Boaz.
    ²⁰"The LORD bless Boaz!" Naomi replied. "He ^[c] has shown that he is still loyal to the living and to the dead. Boaz is a close relative, one of those who is supposed to look after us." ²¹Ruth told her, "Boaz even said I could stay in the field with his workers until they had finished gathering all his grain."
    ²²Naomi replied, "My daughter, it's good that you can pick up grain alongside the women who work in his field. Who knows what might happen to you in someone else's field!" ²³And so, Ruth stayed close to the women, while picking up grain in his field.
   Ruth worked in the fields until the barley and wheat were harvested. And all this time she lived with Naomi.
   

Ruth 3

Naomi Makes Plans for Ruth

 ¹One day, Naomi said to Ruth:    It's time I found you a husband, who will give you a home and take care of you.
    ²You have been picking up grain alongside the women who work for Boaz, and you know he is a relative of ours. Tonight he will be threshing the grain. ³Now take a bath and put on some perfume, then dress in your best clothes. Go where he is working, but don't let him see you until he has finished eating and drinking. ⁴Watch where he goes to spend the night, then when he is asleep, lift the cover and lie down at his feet. ^[d] He will tell you what to do. ⁵Ruth answered, "I'll do whatever you say." ⁶She went out to the place where Boaz was working and did what Naomi had told her.
    ⁷After Boaz finished eating and drinking and was feeling happy, he went over and fell asleep near the pile of grain. Ruth slipped over quietly. She lifted the cover and lay down near his feet.
    ⁸In the middle of the night, Boaz suddenly woke up and was shocked to see a woman lying at his feet. ⁹"Who are you?" he asked.
   "Sir, I am Ruth," she answered, "and you are the relative who is supposed to take care of me. So spread the edge of your cover over me." ^{[e] 10}Boaz replied:
   The LORD bless you! This shows how truly loyal you are to your family. You could have looked for a younger man, either rich or poor, but you didn't. ¹¹Don't worry, I'll do what you have asked. You are respected by everyone in town.
    ¹²It's true that I am one of the relatives who is supposed to take care of you, but there is someone who is an even closer relative. ¹³Stay here until morning, then I will find out if he is willing to look after you. If he isn't, I promise by the living God to do it myself. Now go back to sleep until morning.
    ¹⁴Ruth lay down again, but she got up before daylight, because Boaz did not want anyone to know she had been there. ¹⁵Then he told her to spread out her cape. And he filled it with a lot of grain and placed it on her shoulder.
   When Ruth got back to town, ¹⁶Naomi asked her ^[f] what had happened, and Ruth told her everything. ¹⁷She also said, "Boaz gave me this grain, because he didn't want me to come back without something for you." ¹⁸Naomi replied, "Just be patient and don't worry about what will happen. He won't rest until everything is settled today!"
   

Ruth 4

Ruth and Boaz Get Married

 ¹In the meanwhile, Boaz had gone to the meeting place at the town gate and was sitting there when the other close relative came by. So Boaz invited him to come over and sit down, and he did. ²Then Boaz got ten of the town leaders and also asked them to sit down. After they had sat down, ³he said to the man:    Naomi has come back from Moab and is selling the land that belonged to her husband Elimelech. ⁴I am telling you about this, since you are his closest relative and have the right to buy the property. If you want it, you can buy it now. These ten men and the others standing here can be witnesses. But if you don't want the property, let me know, because I am next in line.
   The man replied, "I will buy it!"
    ⁵"If you do buy it from Naomi," Boaz told him, "you must also marry Ruth. Then if you have a son by her, the property will stay in the family of Ruth's first husband."
    ⁶The man answered, "If that's the case, I don't want to buy it! That would make problems with the property I already own. ^[g] You may buy it yourself, because I cannot." ⁷To make a sale legal in those days, one person would take off a sandal and give it to the other. ⁸So after the man had agreed to let Boaz buy the property, he took off one of his sandals and handed it to Boaz.
    ⁹Boaz told the town leaders and everyone else:
   All of you are witnesses that today I have bought from Naomi the property that belonged to Elimelech and his two sons, Chilion and Mahlon. ¹⁰You are also witnesses that I have agreed to marry Mahlon's widow Ruth, the Moabite woman. This will keep the property in his family's name, and he will be remembered in this town.
    ¹¹The town leaders and the others standing there said:
   We are witnesses to this. And we pray that the LORD will give your wife many children, just as he did Leah and Rachel, the wives of Jacob. May you be a rich man in the tribe of Ephrath and an important man in Bethlehem. ¹²May the children you have by this young woman make your family as famous as the family of Perez, ^[h] the son of Tamar and Judah. ¹³Boaz married Ruth, and the LORD blessed her with a son. ¹⁴After his birth, the women said to Naomi:
   Praise the LORD! Today he has given you a grandson to take care of you. We pray that the boy will grow up to be famous everywhere in Israel. ¹⁵He will ^[i] make you happy and take care of you in your old age, because he is the son of your daughter-in-law. And she loves you more than seven sons of your own would love you. ¹⁶Naomi loved the boy and took good care of him. ¹⁷The neighborhood women named him Obed, but they called him "Naomi's Boy."
   When Obed grew up he had a son named Jesse, who later became the father of King David. ^18-22Here is a list of the ancestors of David: Jesse, Obed, Boaz, Salmon, Nahshon, Amminadab, Ram, Hezron, and Perez.
   

Footnotes:

1. Ruth 2:1 grain left. . . workers: It was the custom at harvest time to leave some grain in the field for the poor to pick up (see Leviticus 19.10; 23.22).
2. Ruth 2:7 she has. . . rest: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
3. Ruth 2:20 He: Or "The LORD."
4. Ruth 3:4 lift the cover. . . feet: To ask for protection and possibly for marriage.
5. Ruth 3:9 So. . . me: To show that he would protect and take care of her.
6. Ruth 3:16 When. . . her: Some Hebrew manuscripts and two ancient translations; most Hebrew manuscripts "Boaz went back to town. !sr16Naomi asked Ruth."
7. Ruth 4:6 property. . . own: This property would then have to be shared with Ruth and her children as well as with his own family.
8. Ruth 4:12 Perez: One of the sons of Judah; he was an ancestor of Boaz and of many others who lived in Bethlehem.
9. Ruth 4:15 We pray that. . . famous. . . !sr15 He will: Or "We pray that the LORD will be praised everywhere in Israel. !sr15Your grandson will."

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John 4:43-54 (Contemporary English Version)

Jesus Heals an Official's Son

(Matthew 8.5-13; Luke 7.1-10)

 ^43-44Jesus had said, "Prophets are honored everywhere, except in their own country." Then two days later he left ⁴⁵and went to Galilee. The people there welcomed him, because they had gone to the festival in Jerusalem and had seen everything he had done.     ⁴⁶While Jesus was in Galilee, he returned to the village of Cana, where he had turned the water into wine. There was an official in Capernaum whose son was sick. ⁴⁷And when the man heard that Jesus had come from Judea, he went and begged him to keep his son from dying.
    ⁴⁸Jesus told the official, "You won't have faith unless you see miracles and wonders!"
    ⁴⁹The man replied, "Lord, please come before my son dies!"
    ⁵⁰Jesus then said, "Your son will live. Go on home to him." The man believed Jesus and started back home.
    ⁵¹Some of the official's servants met him along the road and told him, "Your son is better!" ⁵²He asked them when the boy got better, and they answered, "The fever left him yesterday at one o'clock."
    ⁵³The boy's father realized that at one o'clock the day before, Jesus had told him, "Your son will live!" So the man and everyone in his family put their faith in Jesus.
    ⁵⁴This was the second miracle ^[a] that Jesus worked after he left Judea and went to Galilee.

Footnotes:

1. John 4:54 miracle: See the note at 2.11.

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Psalm 105:16-36 (Contemporary English Version)

¹⁶God kept crops from growing
   until food was scarce
   everywhere in the land.
    ¹⁷But he had already sent Joseph,
   sold as a slave into Egypt,
    ¹⁸with chains of iron
   around his legs and neck.
    ¹⁹Joseph remained a slave
   until his own words
   had come true,
   and the LORD had finished
   testing him.
    ²⁰Then the king of Egypt
   set Joseph free
    ²¹and put him in charge
   of everything he owned.
    ²²Joseph was in command
   of the officials,
   and he taught the leaders
   how to use wisdom.
    ²³Jacob and his family
   came
   and settled in Egypt
   as foreigners.
    ²⁴They were the LORD's people,
   so he let them grow stronger
   than their enemies.
    ²⁵They served the LORD,
   and he made the Egyptians plan
   hateful things against them.
    ²⁶God sent his servant Moses.
   He also chose and sent Aaron
    ²⁷to his people in Egypt,
   and they worked miracles
   and wonders there.
    ²⁸Moses and Aaron obeyed God,
   and he sent darkness
   to cover Egypt.
    ²⁹God turned their rivers
   into streams of blood,
   and the fish all died.
    ³⁰Frogs were everywhere,
   even in the royal palace.
    ³¹When God gave the command,
   flies and gnats
   swarmed all around.
    ³²In place of rain,
   God sent hailstones
   and flashes of lightning.
    ³³He destroyed their grapevines
   and their fig trees,
   and he made splinters
   of all the other trees.
    ³⁴God gave the command,
   and more grasshoppers came
   than could be counted.
    ³⁵They ate every green plant
   and all the crops that grew
   in the land of Egypt.
    ³⁶Then God took the life
   of every first-born son.

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Proverbs 14:26-27 (Contemporary English Version)

²⁶If you respect the LORD,
   you and your children
   have
   a strong fortress
    ²⁷and a life-giving fountain
   that keeps you safe
   from deadly traps.

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Verse of the Day

“If you have sinned, you should tell each other what you have done. Then you can pray for one another and be healed. The prayer of an innocent person is powerful, and it can help a lot.” - James 5:16

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

 

English poet, songwriter, folk musician, Sydney Carter wrote, “I see Christ as the incarnation of the piper who is calling us. He dances that shape and pattern which is at the heart of our reality. By Christ I mean not only Jesus; in other times and places, other planets, there may be other Lords of the Dance. But Jesus is the one I know of first and best. I sing of the dancing pattern in the life and words of Jesus.”

Bible Readings for May 6, 2014

Today our passages are Ruth 2:1–4:22; John 4:43-54; Psalm 105:16-36; and Proverbs 14:26-27. The readings are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson. If you missed a day, you can find all the readings at our blog, The Bible in a Year.

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Ruth 2-4:22 (The Message)

Ruth 2

 ¹It so happened that Naomi had a relative by marriage, a man prominent and rich, connected with Elimelech's family. His name was Boaz.  ² One day Ruth, the Moabite foreigner, said to Naomi, "I'm going to work; I'm going out to glean among the sheaves, following after some harvester who will treat me kindly." Naomi said, "Go ahead, dear daughter."
 ^3-4 And so she set out. She went and started gleaning in a field, following in the wake of the harvesters. Eventually she ended up in the part of the field owned by Boaz, her father-in-law Elimelech's relative. A little later Boaz came out from Bethlehem, greeting his harvesters, "God be with you!" They replied, "And God bless you!"
 ⁵ Boaz asked his young servant who was foreman over the farm hands, "Who is this young woman? Where did she come from?"
 ^6-7 The foreman said, "Why, that's the Moabite girl, the one who came with Naomi from the country of Moab. She asked permission. 'Let me glean,' she said, 'and gather among the sheaves following after your harvesters.' She's been at it steady ever since, from early morning until now, without so much as a break."
 ^8-9 Then Boaz spoke to Ruth: "Listen, my daughter. From now on don't go to any other field to glean—stay right here in this one. And stay close to my young women. Watch where they are harvesting and follow them. And don't worry about a thing; I've given orders to my servants not to harass you. When you get thirsty, feel free to go and drink from the water buckets that the servants have filled."
 ¹⁰ She dropped to her knees, then bowed her face to the ground. "How does this happen that you should pick me out and treat me so kindly—me, a foreigner?"
 ^11-12 Boaz answered her, "I've heard all about you—heard about the way you treated your mother-in-law after the death of her husband, and how you left your father and mother and the land of your birth and have come to live among a bunch of total strangers. God reward you well for what you've done—and with a generous bonus besides from God, to whom you've come seeking protection under his wings."
 ¹³ She said, "Oh sir, such grace, such kindness—I don't deserve it. You've touched my heart, treated me like one of your own. And I don't even belong here!"
 ¹⁴ At the lunch break, Boaz said to her, "Come over here; eat some bread. Dip it in the wine."
    So she joined the harvesters. Boaz passed the roasted grain to her. She ate her fill and even had some left over.
 ^15-16 When she got up to go back to work, Boaz ordered his servants: "Let her glean where there's still plenty of grain on the ground—make it easy for her. Better yet, pull some of the good stuff out and leave it for her to glean. Give her special treatment."
 ^17-18 Ruth gleaned in the field until evening. When she threshed out what she had gathered, she ended up with nearly a full sack of barley! She gathered up her gleanings, went back to town, and showed her mother-in-law the results of her day's work; she also gave her the leftovers from her lunch.
 ¹⁹ Naomi asked her, "So where did you glean today? Whose field? God bless whoever it was who took such good care of you!"
    Ruth told her mother-in-law, "The man with whom I worked today? His name is Boaz."
 ²⁰ Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, "Why, God bless that man! God hasn't quite walked out on us after all! He still loves us, in bad times as well as good!"
    Naomi went on, "That man, Ruth, is one of our circle of covenant redeemers, a close relative of ours!"
 ²¹ Ruth the Moabitess said, "Well, listen to this: He also told me, 'Stick with my workers until my harvesting is finished.'"
 ²² Naomi said to Ruth, "That's wonderful, dear daughter! Do that! You'll be safe in the company of his young women; no danger now of being raped in some stranger's field."
 ²³ So Ruth did it—she stuck close to Boaz's young women, gleaning in the fields daily until both the barley and wheat harvesting were finished. And she continued living with her mother-in-law.

Ruth 3

 ^1-2One day her mother-in-law Naomi said to Ruth, "My dear daughter, isn't it about time I arranged a good home for you so you can have a happy life? And isn't Boaz our close relative, the one with whose young women you've been working? Maybe it's time to make our move. Tonight is the night of Boaz's barley harvest at the threshing floor.  ^3-4 "Take a bath. Put on some perfume. Get all dressed up and go to the threshing floor. But don't let him know you're there until the party is well under way and he's had plenty of food and drink. When you see him slipping off to sleep, watch where he lies down and then go there. Lie at his feet to let him know that you are available to him for marriage. Then wait and see what he says. He'll tell you what to do."
 ⁵ Ruth said, "If you say so, I'll do it, just as you've told me."
 ⁶ She went down to the threshing floor and put her mother-in-law's plan into action.
 ⁷ Boaz had a good time, eating and drinking his fill—he felt great. Then he went off to get some sleep, lying down at the end of a stack of barley. Ruth quietly followed; she lay down to signal her availability for marriage.
 ⁸ In the middle of the night the man was suddenly startled and sat up. Surprise! This woman asleep at his feet!
 ⁹ He said, "And who are you?"
    She said, "I am Ruth, your maiden; take me under your protecting wing. You're my close relative, you know, in the circle of covenant redeemers—you do have the right to marry me."
 ^10-13 He said, "God bless you, my dear daughter! What a splendid expression of love! And when you could have had your pick of any of the young men around. And now, my dear daughter, don't you worry about a thing; I'll do all you could want or ask. Everybody in town knows what a courageous woman you are— a real prize! You're right, I am a close relative to you, but there is one even closer than I am. So stay the rest of the night. In the morning, if he wants to exercise his customary rights and responsibilities as the closest covenant redeemer, he'll have his chance; but if he isn't interested, as God lives, I'll do it. Now go back to sleep until morning."
 ¹⁴ Ruth slept at his feet until dawn, but she got up while it was still dark and wouldn't be recognized. Then Boaz said to himself, "No one must know that Ruth came to the threshing floor."
 ¹⁵ So Boaz said, "Bring the shawl you're wearing and spread it out."
    She spread it out and he poured it full of barley, six measures, and put it on her shoulders. Then she went back to town.
 ^16-17 When she came to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked, "And how did things go, my dear daughter?"
    Ruth told her everything that the man had done for her, adding, "And he gave me all this barley besides—six quarts! He told me, 'You can't go back empty-handed to your mother-in-law!'"
 ¹⁸ Naomi said, "Sit back and relax, my dear daughter, until we find out how things turn out; that man isn't going to fool around. Mark my words, he's going to get everything wrapped up today."

Ruth 4

 ¹ Boaz went straight to the public square and took his place there.    Before long the "closer relative," the one mentioned earlier by Boaz, strolled by.
    "Step aside, old friend," said Boaz. "Take a seat." The man sat down.
 ² Boaz then gathered ten of the town elders together and said, "Sit down here with us; we've got some business to take care of." And they sat down.
 ^3-4 Boaz then said to his relative, "The piece of property that belonged to our relative Elimelech is being sold by his widow Naomi, who has just returned from the country of Moab. I thought you ought to know about it. Buy it back if you want it—you can make it official in the presence of those sitting here and before the town elders. You have first redeemer rights. If you don't want it, tell me so I'll know where I stand. You're first in line to do this and I'm next after you."
    He said, "I'll buy it."
 ⁵ Then Boaz added, "You realize, don't you, that when you buy the field from Naomi, you also get Ruth the Moabite, the widow of our dead relative, along with the redeemer responsibility to have children with her to carry on the family inheritance."
 ⁶ Then the relative said, "Oh, I can't do that—I'd jeopardize my own family's inheritance. You go ahead and buy it—you can have my rights— I can't do it."

⁷ In the olden times in Israel, this is how they handled official business regarding matters of property and inheritance: a man would take off his shoe and give it to the other person. This was the same as an official seal or personal signature in Israel.
 ⁸ So when Boaz's "redeemer" relative said, "Go ahead and buy it," he signed the deal by pulling off his shoe.
 ^9-10 Boaz then addressed the elders and all the people in the town square that day: "You are witnesses today that I have bought from Naomi everything that belonged to Elimelech and Kilion and Mahlon, including responsibility for Ruth the foreigner, the widow of Mahlon—I'll take her as my wife and keep the name of the deceased alive along with his inheritance. The memory and reputation of the deceased is not going to disappear out of this family or from his hometown. To all this you are witnesses this very day."
 ^11-12 All the people in the town square that day, backing up the elders, said, "Yes, we are witnesses. May God make this woman who is coming into your household like Rachel and Leah, the two women who built the family of Israel. May God make you a pillar in Ephrathah and famous in Bethlehem! With the children God gives you from this young woman, may your family rival the family of Perez, the son Tamar bore to Judah."

¹³ Boaz married Ruth. She became his wife. Boaz slept with her. By God's gracious gift she conceived and had a son.
 ^14-15 The town women said to Naomi, "Blessed be God! He didn't leave you without family to carry on your life. May this baby grow up to be famous in Israel! He'll make you young again! He'll take care of you in old age. And this daughter-in-law who has brought him into the world and loves you so much, why, she's worth more to you than seven sons!"
 ¹⁶ Naomi took the baby and held him in her arms, cuddling him, cooing over him, waiting on him hand and foot.
 ¹⁷ The neighborhood women started calling him "Naomi's baby boy!" But his real name was Obed. Obed was the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David.

^18-22 This is the family tree of Perez: Perez had Hezron,
   Hezron had Ram,
   Ram had Amminadab,
   Amminadab had Nahshon,
   Nahshon had Salmon,
   Salmon had Boaz,
   Boaz had Obed,
   Obed had Jesse,
   and Jesse had David.

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John 4:43-54 (The Message)

 ^43-45After the two days he left for Galilee. Now, Jesus knew well from experience that a prophet is not respected in the place where he grew up. So when he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, but only because they were impressed with what he had done in Jerusalem during the Passover Feast, not that they really had a clue about who he was or what he was up to.

 ^46-48Now he was back in Cana of Galilee, the place where he made the water into wine. Meanwhile in Capernaum, there was a certain official from the king's court whose son was sick. When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and asked that he come down and heal his son, who was on the brink of death. Jesus put him off: "Unless you people are dazzled by a miracle, you refuse to believe."

 ⁴⁹But the court official wouldn't be put off. "Come down! It's life or death for my son."

 ^50-51Jesus simply replied, "Go home. Your son lives."

   The man believed the bare word Jesus spoke and headed home. On his way back, his servants intercepted him and announced, "Your son lives!"

 ^52-53He asked them what time he began to get better. They said, "The fever broke yesterday afternoon at one o'clock." The father knew that that was the very moment Jesus had said, "Your son lives."

 ^53-54That clinched it. Not only he but his entire household believed. This was now the second sign Jesus gave after having come from Judea into Galilee.

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Psalm 105:16-36 (The Message)

 ^16-22 Then he called down a famine on the country,
      he broke every last blade of wheat.
   But he sent a man on ahead:
      Joseph, sold as a slave.
   They put cruel chains on his ankles,
      an iron collar around his neck,
   Until God's word came to the Pharaoh,
      and God confirmed his promise.
   God sent the king to release him.
      The Pharaoh set Joseph free;
   He appointed him master of his palace,
      put him in charge of all his business
   To personally instruct his princes
      and train his advisors in wisdom.

 ^23-42 Then Israel entered Egypt,
      Jacob immigrated to the Land of Ham.
   God gave his people lots of babies;
      soon their numbers alarmed their foes.
   He turned the Egyptians against his people;
      they abused and cheated God's servants.
   Then he sent his servant Moses,
      and Aaron, whom he also chose.
   They worked marvels in that spiritual wasteland,
      miracles in the Land of Ham.
   He spoke, "Darkness!" and it turned dark—
      they couldn't see what they were doing.
   He turned all their water to blood
      so that all their fish died;
   He made frogs swarm through the land,
      even into the king's bedroom;
   He gave the word and flies swarmed,
      gnats filled the air.
   He substituted hail for rain,
      he stabbed their land with lightning;
   He wasted their vines and fig trees,
      smashed their groves of trees to splinters;
   With a word he brought in locusts,
      millions of locusts, armies of locusts;
   They consumed every blade of grass in the country
      and picked the ground clean of produce;
   He struck down every firstborn in the land,
      the first fruits of their virile powers.
   He led Israel out, their arms filled with loot,
      and not one among his tribes even stumbled.
   Egypt was glad to have them go—
      they were scared to death of them.
   God spread a cloud to keep them cool through the day
      and a fire to light their way through the night;
   They prayed and he brought quail,
      filled them with the bread of heaven;
   He opened the rock and water poured out;
      it flowed like a river through that desert—
   All because he remembered his Covenant,
      his promise to Abraham, his servant.

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Proverbs 14:26-27 (The Message)

 ²⁶ The Fear-of-God builds up confidence,
   and makes a world safe for your children.

 ²⁷ The Fear-of-God is a spring of living water
   so you won't go off drinking from poisoned wells.

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Verse of the Day

“If you have sinned, you should tell each other what you have done. Then you can pray for one another and be healed. The prayer of an innocent person is powerful, and it can help a lot.” - James 5:16

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

 

English poet, songwriter, folk musician, best known for the song "Lord of the Dance" (1967), set to the tune of the American Shaker song "Simple Gifts", Sydney Carter wrote, “Faith is more basic than language or theology. Faith is the response to something which is calling us from the timeless part of our reality. Faith may be encouraged by what has happened in the past, or what is thought to have happened in the past, but the only proof of it is in the future. Scriptures and creeds may come to seem incredible, but faith will still go dancing on. Even though (because it rejects a doctrine) it is now described as ‘doubt’. This, I believe, is the kind of faith that Christ commended.”