Bible Readings for May 17, 2016

Today our passages are 1 Samuel 20:1–21:15; John 9:1-41; Psalm 113:1–114:8; and Proverbs 15:15-17. The readings are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson. 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.

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1 Samuel 20-21:15 (The Message)

1 Samuel 20

A Covenant Friendship in God's Name

 ¹ David got out of Naioth in Ramah alive and went to Jonathan. "What do I do now? What wrong have I inflicted on your father that makes him so determined to kill me?"  ² "Nothing," said Jonathan. "You've done nothing wrong. And you're not going to die. Really, you're not! My father tells me everything. He does nothing, whether big or little, without confiding in me. So why would he do this behind my back? It can't be."
 ³ But David said, "Your father knows that we are the best of friends. So he says to himself, 'Jonathan must know nothing of this. If he does, he'll side with David.' But it's true—as sure as God lives, and as sure as you're alive before me right now—he's determined to kill me."
 ⁴ Jonathan said, "Tell me what you have in mind. I'll do anything for you."
 ^5-8 David said, "Tomorrow marks the New Moon. I'm scheduled to eat dinner with the king. Instead, I'll go hide in the field until the evening of the third. If your father misses me, say, 'David asked if he could run down to Bethlehem, his hometown, for an anniversary reunion, and worship with his family.' If he says, 'Good!' then I'm safe. But if he gets angry, you'll know for sure that he's made up his mind to kill me. Oh, stick with me in this. You've entered into a covenant of God with me, remember! If I'm in the wrong, go ahead and kill me yourself. Why bother giving me up to your father?"
 ⁹ "Never!" exclaimed Jonathan. "I'd never do that! If I get the slightest hint that my father is fixated on killing you, I'll tell you."
 ¹⁰ David asked, "And whom will you get to tell me if your father comes back with a harsh answer?"
 ^11-17 "Come outside," said Jonathan. "Let's go to the field." When the two of them were out in the field, Jonathan said, "As God, the God of Israel, is my witness, by this time tomorrow I'll get it out of my father how he feels about you. Then I'll let you know what I learn. May God do his worst to me if I let you down! If my father still intends to kill you, I'll tell you and get you out of here in one piece. And God be with you as he's been with my father! If I make it through this alive, continue to be my covenant friend. And if I die, keep the covenant friendship with my family—forever. And when God finally rids the earth of David's enemies, stay loyal to Jonathan!" Jonathan repeated his pledge of love and friendship for David. He loved David more than his own soul!
 ^18-23 Jonathan then laid out his plan: "Tomorrow is the New Moon, and you'll be missed when you don't show up for dinner. On the third day, when they've quit expecting you, come to the place where you hid before, and wait beside that big boulder. I'll shoot three arrows in the direction of the boulder. Then I'll send off my servant, 'Go find the arrows.' If I yell after the servant, 'The arrows are on this side! Retrieve them!' that's the signal that you can return safely—as God lives, not a thing to fear! But if I yell, 'The arrows are farther out!' then run for it—God wants you out of here! Regarding all the things we've discussed, remember that God's in on this with us to the very end!"
 ^24-26 David hid in the field. On the holiday of the New Moon, the king came to the table to eat. He sat where he always sat, the place against the wall, with Jonathan across the table and Abner at Saul's side. But David's seat was empty. Saul didn't mention it at the time, thinking, "Something's happened that's made him unclean. That's it—he's probably unclean for the holy meal."
 ²⁷ But the day after the New Moon, day two of the holiday, David's seat was still empty. Saul asked Jonathan his son, "So where's that son of Jesse? He hasn't eaten with us either yesterday or today."
 ^28-29 Jonathan said, "David asked my special permission to go to Bethlehem. He said, 'Give me leave to attend a family reunion back home. My brothers have ordered me to be there. If it seems all right to you, let me go and see my brothers.' That's why he's not here at the king's table."
 ^30-31 Saul exploded in anger at Jonathan: "You son of a slut! Don't you think I know that you're in cahoots with the son of Jesse, disgracing both you and your mother? For as long as the son of Jesse is walking around free on this earth, your future in this kingdom is at risk. Now go get him. Bring him here. From this moment, he's as good as dead!"
 ³² Jonathan stood up to his father. "Why dead? What's he done?"
 ³³ Saul threw his spear at him to kill him. That convinced Jonathan that his father was fixated on killing David.
 ³⁴ Jonathan stormed from the table, furiously angry, and ate nothing the rest of the day, upset for David and smarting under the humiliation from his father.
 ^35-39 In the morning, Jonathan went to the field for the appointment with David. He had his young servant with him. He told the servant, "Run and get the arrows I'm about to shoot." The boy started running and Jonathan shot an arrow way beyond him. As the boy came to the area where the arrow had been shot, Jonathan yelled out, "Isn't the arrow farther out?" He yelled again, "Hurry! Quickly! Don't just stand there!" Jonathan's servant then picked up the arrow and brought it to his master. The boy, of course, knew nothing of what was going on. Only Jonathan and David knew.
 ^40-41 Jonathan gave his quiver and bow to the boy and sent him back to town. After the servant was gone, David got up from his hiding place beside the boulder, then fell on his face to the ground—three times prostrating himself! And then they kissed one another and wept, friend over friend, David weeping especially hard.
 ⁴² Jonathan said, "Go in peace! The two of us have vowed friendship in God's name, saying, 'God will be the bond between me and you, and between my children and your children forever!'"

1 Samuel 21

David Pretends to Go Crazy

 ¹David went on his way and Jonathan returned to town. David went to Nob, to Ahimelech the Priest. Ahimelech was alarmed as he went out to greet David: "What are you doing here all by yourself—and not a soul with you?"  ^2-3 David answered Ahimelech the Priest, "The king sent me on a mission and gave strict orders: 'This is top secret—not a word of this to a soul.' I've arranged to meet up with my men in a certain place. Now, what's there here to eat? Do you have five loaves of bread? Give me whatever you can scrounge up!"
 ⁴ "I don't have any regular bread on hand," said the priest. "I only have holy bread. If your men have not slept with women recently, it's yours."
 ⁵ David said, "None of us has touched a woman. I always do it this way when I'm on a mission: My men abstain from sex. Even when it is an ordinary mission we do that—how much more on this holy mission."
 ⁶ So the priest gave them the holy bread. It was the only bread he had, Bread of the Presence that had been removed from God's presence and replaced by fresh bread at the same time.
 ⁷ One of Saul's officials was present that day keeping a religious vow. His name was Doeg the Edomite. He was chief of Saul's shepherds.
 ⁸ David asked Ahimelech, "Do you have a spear or sword of any kind around here? I didn't have a chance to grab my weapons. The king's mission was urgent and I left in a hurry."
 ⁹ The priest said, "The sword of Goliath, the Philistine you killed at Oak Valley—that's here! It's behind the Ephod wrapped in a cloth. If you want it, take it. There's nothing else here."
 ^10-11 "Oh," said David, "there's no sword like that! Give it to me!"
    And at that, David shot out of there, running for his life from Saul. He went to Achish, king of Gath. When the servants of Achish saw him, they said, "Can this be David, the famous David? Is this the one they sing of at their dances?
   Saul kills by the thousand,
   David by the ten thousand!"
 ^12-15 When David realized that he had been recognized, he panicked, fearing the worst from Achish, king of Gath. So right there, while they were looking at him, he pretended to go crazy, pounding his head on the city gate and foaming at the mouth, spit dripping from his beard. Achish took one look at him and said to his servants, "Can't you see he's crazy? Why did you let him in here? Don't you think I have enough crazy people to put up with as it is without adding another? Get him out of here!"

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John 9:1-41 (The Message)

John 9

True Blindness

 ^1-2 Walking down the street, Jesus saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked, "Rabbi, who sinned: this man or his parents, causing him to be born blind?" ^3-5Jesus said, "You're asking the wrong question. You're looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here. Look instead for what God can do. We need to be energetically at work for the One who sent me here, working while the sun shines. When night falls, the workday is over. For as long as I am in the world, there is plenty of light. I am the world's Light."

 ^6-7He said this and then spit in the dust, made a clay paste with the saliva, rubbed the paste on the blind man's eyes, and said, "Go, wash at the Pool of Siloam" (Siloam means "Sent"). The man went and washed—and saw.

 ⁸Soon the town was buzzing. His relatives and those who year after year had seen him as a blind man begging were saying, "Why, isn't this the man we knew, who sat here and begged?"

 ⁹Others said, "It's him all right!"

   But others objected, "It's not the same man at all. It just looks like him."

   He said, "It's me, the very one."

 ¹⁰They said, "How did your eyes get opened?"

 ¹¹"A man named Jesus made a paste and rubbed it on my eyes and told me, 'Go to Siloam and wash.' I did what he said. When I washed, I saw."

 ¹²"So where is he?"

   "I don't know."

 ^13-15They marched the man to the Pharisees. This day when Jesus made the paste and healed his blindness was the Sabbath. The Pharisees grilled him again on how he had come to see. He said, "He put a clay paste on my eyes, and I washed, and now I see."

 ¹⁶Some of the Pharisees said, "Obviously, this man can't be from God. He doesn't keep the Sabbath."

   Others countered, "How can a bad man do miraculous, God-revealing things like this?" There was a split in their ranks.

 ¹⁷They came back at the blind man, "You're the expert. He opened your eyes. What do you say about him?"

   He said, "He is a prophet."

 ^18-19The Jews didn't believe it, didn't believe the man was blind to begin with. So they called the parents of the man now bright-eyed with sight. They asked them, "Is this your son, the one you say was born blind? So how is it that he now sees?"

 ^20-23His parents said, "We know he is our son, and we know he was born blind. But we don't know how he came to see—haven't a clue about who opened his eyes. Why don't you ask him? He's a grown man and can speak for himself." (His parents were talking like this because they were intimidated by the Jewish leaders, who had already decided that anyone who took a stand that this was the Messiah would be kicked out of the meeting place. That's why his parents said, "Ask him. He's a grown man.")

 ²⁴They called the man back a second time—the man who had been blind— and told him, "Give credit to God. We know this man is an impostor."

 ²⁵He replied, "I know nothing about that one way or the other. But I know one thing for sure: I was blind . . . I now see."

 ²⁶They said, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?"

 ²⁷"I've told you over and over and you haven't listened. Why do you want to hear it again? Are you so eager to become his disciples?"

 ^28-29With that they jumped all over him. "You might be a disciple of that man, but we're disciples of Moses. We know for sure that God spoke to Moses, but we have no idea where this man even comes from."

 ^30-33The man replied, "This is amazing! You claim to know nothing about him, but the fact is, he opened my eyes! It's well known that God isn't at the beck and call of sinners, but listens carefully to anyone who lives in reverence and does his will. That someone opened the eyes of a man born blind has never been heard of—ever. If this man didn't come from God, he wouldn't be able to do anything."

 ³⁴They said, "You're nothing but dirt! How dare you take that tone with us!" Then they threw him out in the street.

 ³⁵Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and went and found him. He asked him, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"

 ³⁶The man said, "Point him out to me, sir, so that I can believe in him."

 ³⁷Jesus said, "You're looking right at him. Don't you recognize my voice?"

 ³⁸"Master, I believe," the man said, and worshiped him.

 ³⁹Jesus then said, "I came into the world to bring everything into the clear light of day, making all the distinctions clear, so that those who have never seen will see, and those who have made a great pretense of seeing will be exposed as blind."

 ⁴⁰Some Pharisees overheard him and said, "Does that mean you're calling us blind?"

 ⁴¹Jesus said, "If you were really blind, you would be blameless, but since you claim to see everything so well, you're accountable for every fault and failure."

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Psalm 113-114:8 (The Message)

Psalm 113

    Hallelujah! You who serve God, praise God!
      Just to speak his name is praise!
   Just to remember God is a blessing—
      now and tomorrow and always.
   From east to west, from dawn to dusk,
      keep lifting all your praises to God!

 ^4-9 God is higher than anything and anyone,
      outshining everything you can see in the skies.
   Who can compare with God, our God,
      so majestically enthroned,
   Surveying his magnificent
      heavens and earth?
   He picks up the poor from out of the dirt,
      rescues the wretched who've been thrown out with the trash,
   Seats them among the honored guests,
      a place of honor among the brightest and best.
   He gives childless couples a family,
      gives them joy as the parents of children.
   Hallelujah!

Psalm 114

    After Israel left Egypt, the clan of Jacob left those barbarians behind;
   Judah became holy land for him,
      Israel the place of holy rule.
   Sea took one look and ran the other way;
      River Jordan turned around and ran off.
   The mountains turned playful and skipped like rams,
      the hills frolicked like spring lambs.
   What's wrong with you, Sea, that you ran away?
      and you, River Jordan, that you turned and ran off?
   And mountains, why did you skip like rams?
      and you, hills, frolic like spring lambs?
   Tremble, Earth! You're in the Lord's presence!
      in the presence of Jacob's God.
   He turned the rock into a pool of cool water,
      turned flint into fresh spring water.

 

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Proverbs 15:15-17 (The Message)

 ¹⁵ A miserable heart means a miserable life;
   a cheerful heart fills the day with song.

 ¹⁶ A simple life in the Fear-of-God
   is better than a rich life with a ton of headaches.

 ¹⁷ Better a bread crust shared in love
   than a slab of prime rib served in hate.

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Verse of the Day

“Who can measure the wealth and wisdom and knowledge of God? Who can understand his decisions or explain what he does?” - Romans 11:33

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

English-American political activist, philosopher, political theorist, and revolutionary, Thomas Paine wrote, “The World is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion.”

Bible Readings for February 24, 2015

Today our passages are Leviticus 15:1–16:28; Mark 7:1-23; Psalm 40:11-17; and Proverbs 10:13-14. The readings are the Contemporary English Version.  

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Leviticus 15-16:28 (Contemporary English Version)

Leviticus 15

Sexual Uncleanness

¹The LORD told Moses and Aaron ²to say to the community of Israel: Any man with an infected penis is unclean, ³whether it is stopped up or keeps dripping. ⁴Anything that he rests on or sits on is also unclean, ^5-7and if you touch either these or him, you must wash your clothes and take a bath, but you still remain unclean until evening.
⁸If you are spit on by the man, you must wash your clothes and take a bath, but you still remain unclean until evening. ^9-10Any saddle or seat on which the man sits is unclean. And if you touch or carry either of these, you must wash your clothes and take a bath, but you still remain unclean until evening. ¹¹If the man touches you without first washing his hands, you must wash your clothes and take a bath, but you still remain unclean until evening. ¹²Any clay pot that he touches must be destroyed, and any wooden bowl that he touches must be washed.
¹³Seven days after the man gets well, he will be considered clean, if he washes his clothes and takes a bath in spring water. ¹⁴On the eighth day he must bring either two doves or two pigeons to the front of my sacred tent and give them to a priest. ¹⁵The priest will offer one of the birds as a sacrifice for sin and the other as a sacrifice to please me, ^{a<="" value="[a]" >[]} then I will consider the man completely clean. ¹⁶Any man who has a flow of semen must take a bath, but he still remains unclean until evening. ¹⁷If the semen touches anything made of cloth or leather, these must be washed, but they still remain unclean until evening. ¹⁸After having sex, both the man and the woman must take a bath, but they still remain unclean until evening.
¹⁹When a woman has her monthly period, she remains unclean for seven days, and if you touch her, you must take a bath, but you remain unclean until evening. ^20-23Anything that she rests on or sits on is also unclean, and if you touch either of these, you must wash your clothes and take a bath, but you still remain unclean until evening. ²⁴Any man who has sex with her during this time becomes unclean for seven days, and anything he rests on is also unclean.
²⁵Any woman who has a flow of blood outside her regular monthly period is unclean until it stops, just as she is during her monthly period. ²⁶Anything that she rests on or sits on during this time is also unclean, just as it would be during her period. ²⁷If you touch either of these, you must wash your clothes and take a bath, but you still remain unclean until evening.
²⁸Seven days after the woman gets well, she will be considered clean. ²⁹On the eighth day, she must bring either two doves or two pigeons to the front of my sacred tent and give them to a priest. ³⁰He will offer one of the birds as a sacrifice for sin and the other as a sacrifice to please me; then I will consider the woman completely clean.
³¹When any of you are unclean, you must stay away from the rest of the community of Israel. Otherwise, my sacred tent will become unclean, and the whole nation will die.
^32-33These are the things you men must do if you become unclean because of an infected penis or if you have a flow of semen. And these are the things you women must do when you become unclean either because of your monthly period or an unusual flow of blood. This is also what you men must do if you have sex with a woman who is unclean.

Leviticus 16

The Great Day of Forgiveness

^1-2Two of Aaron's sons had already lost their lives for disobeying the LORD, ^[b<="">] so the LORD told Moses to say to Aaron: I, the LORD, appear in a cloud over the place of mercy on the sacred chest, which is behind the inside curtain ^[c<="">] of the sacred tent. And I warn you not to go there except at the proper time. Otherwise, you will die! ³Before entering this most holy place, you must offer a bull as a sacrifice for your sins ^[d<="">] and a ram as a sacrifice to please me. ^[e<="">]4You will take a bath and put on the sacred linen clothes, including the underwear, the robe, the sash, and the turban. ⁵Then the community of Israel will bring you a ram and two goats, both of them males. The goats are to be used as sacrifices for sin, and the ram is to be used as a sacrifice to please me. ⁶Aaron, you must offer the bull as a sacrifice of forgiveness for your own sins and for the sins of your family. ⁷Then you will lead the two goats into my presence at the front of the sacred tent, ⁸where I will show you ^[f<="">] which goat will be sacrificed to me and which one will be sent into the desert to the demon Azazel. ^[g<="">]9After you offer the first goat as a sacrifice for sin, ¹⁰the other one must be presented to me alive, before you send it into the desert to take away the sins of the people. ¹¹You must offer the bull as a sacrifice to ask forgiveness for your own sins and for the sins of your family. ¹²Then you will take a fire pan of live coals from the bronze altar, together with two handfuls of finely ground incense, into the most holy place. ¹³There you will present them to me by placing the incense on the coals, so that the place of mercy will be covered with a cloud of smoke. Do this, or you will die right there! ¹⁴Next, use a finger to sprinkle some of the blood on the place of mercy, which is on the lid of the sacred chest; then sprinkle blood seven times in front of the chest. ¹⁵Aaron, you must next sacrifice the goat for the sins of the people, and you must sprinkle its blood inside the most holy place, just as you did with the blood of the bull. ¹⁶By doing this, you will take away the sins that make both the most holy place and the people of Israel unclean. Do the same for the sacred tent, which is here among the people. ¹⁷Only you are allowed in the sacred tent from the time you enter until the time you come out. ¹⁸After leaving the tent, you will purify the bronze altar by smearing each of its four corners with some of the blood from the bull and from the goat. ¹⁹Use a finger to sprinkle the altar seven times with the blood, and it will be completely clean from the sins of the people.
²⁰After you have purified the most holy place, the sacred tent, and the bronze altar, you must bring the live goat to the front of the tent. ²¹There you will lay your hands on its head, while confessing every sin the people have committed, and you will appoint someone to lead the goat into the desert, so that it can take away their sins. ²²Finally, this goat that carries the heavy burden of Israel's sins must be released deep in the desert.
^23-24Aaron, after this you must go inside the sacred tent, take a bath, put on your regular priestly clothes, and leave there the clothes you put on before entering the most holy place. Then you will come out and offer sacrifices to please me and sacrifices for your sins and for the sins of the people. ²⁵The fat from these sacrifices for sin must be sent up in smoke on the bronze altar.
²⁶The one who led the goat into the desert and sent it off to the demon Azazel must take a bath and wash his clothes before coming back into camp. ²⁷The remains of the bull and the goat whose blood was taken into the most holy place must be taken outside the camp and burned. ²⁸And whoever does this must take a bath and change clothes before coming back into camp.

Footnotes:

1. Leviticus 15:15sacrifice to please me: See the note at 1.1-3.
2. Leviticus 16:1lost. . . disobeying the LORD: See 10.1,2.
3. Leviticus 16:1inside curtain: That separated the holy place from the most holy place.
4. Leviticus 16:3for your sins: See 4.3-12.
5. Leviticus 16:3sacrifice to please me: See the note at 1.1-3.
6. Leviticus 16:8I will show you: The Hebrew text has " you must cast lots to find out." Pieces of wood or stone (called " lots" ) were used to find out what God wanted his people to do.
7. Leviticus 16:8Azazel: It was believed that a demon named Azazel lived in the desert.

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Mark 7:1-23 (Contemporary English Version)

Mark 7

The Teaching of the Ancestors

(Matthew 15.1-9)

¹Some Pharisees and several teachers of the Law of Moses from Jerusalem came and gathered around Jesus. ²They noticed that some of his disciples ate without first washing their hands. ^{a<="" value="[a]" >[] 3}The Pharisees and many other Jewish people obey the teachings of their ancestors. They always wash their hands in the proper way ^[b<="">] before eating. ⁴None of them will eat anything they buy in the market until it is washed. They also follow a lot of other teachings, such as washing cups, pitchers, and bowls. ^[c<="">]
5The Pharisees and teachers asked Jesus, "Why don't your disciples obey what our ancestors taught us to do? Why do they eat without washing their hands?"
⁶Jesus replied:
You are nothing but show-offs! The prophet Isaiah was right when he wrote that God had said,
"All of you praise me
with your words,
but you never really
think about me.
⁷It is useless for you
to worship me,
when you teach rules
made up by humans."
⁸You disobey God's commands in order to obey what humans have taught. ⁹You are good at rejecting God's commands so that you can follow your own teachings! ¹⁰Didn't Moses command you to respect your father and mother? Didn't he tell you to put to death all who curse their parents? ¹¹But you let people get by without helping their parents when they should. You let them say that what they own has been offered to God. ^[d<="">]12You won't let those people help their parents. ¹³And you ignore God's commands in order to follow your own teaching. You do a lot of other things that are just as bad.

What Really Makes People Unclean

(Matthew 15.10-20)

¹⁴Jesus called the crowd together again and said, "Pay attention and try to understand what I mean. ^15-16The food that you put into your mouth doesn't make you unclean and unfit to worship God. The bad words that come out of your mouth are what make you unclean." ^{[e<="">] 17}After Jesus and his disciples had left the crowd and had gone into the house, they asked him what these sayings meant. ¹⁸He answered, "Don't you know what I am talking about by now? You surely know that the food you put into your mouth cannot make you unclean. ¹⁹It doesn't go into your heart, but into your stomach, and then out of your body." By saying this, Jesus meant that all foods were fit to eat.
²⁰Then Jesus said:
What comes from your heart is what makes you unclean. ²¹Out of your heart come evil thoughts, vulgar deeds, stealing, murder, ²²unfaithfulness in marriage, greed, meanness, deceit, indecency, envy, insults, pride, and foolishness. ²³All of these come from your heart, and they are what make you unfit to worship God.

Footnotes:

1. Mark 7:2 without first washing their hands: The Jewish people had strict laws about washing their hands before eating, especially if they had been out in public.
2. Mark 7:3 in the proper way: The Greek text has "with the fist," but the exact meaning is not clear. It could mean "to the wrist" or "to the elbow."
3. Mark 7:4 bowls: Some manuscripts add "and sleeping mats."
4. Mark 7:11 has been offered to God: According to Jewish custom, when anything was offered to God, it could not be used for anyone else, not even for a person's parents.
5. Mark 7:15 unclean: Some manuscripts add, "If you have ears, pay attention."

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Psalm 40:11-17 (Contemporary English Version)

¹¹You, LORD, never fail
to have pity on me;
your love and faithfulness
always keep me secure.
¹²I have more troubles
than I can count.
My sins are all around me,
and I can't find my way.
My sins outnumber
the hairs on my head,
and I feel weak.
¹³Please show that you care
and come to my rescue.
Hurry and help me!
¹⁴Disappoint and confuse
all who want me dead;
turn away and disgrace
all who want to hurt me.
¹⁵Embarrass and shame
all of those who say,
"Just look at you now!"
¹⁶Our LORD, let your worshipers
rejoice and be glad.
They love you for saving them,
so let them always say,
"The LORD is wonderful!"
¹⁷I am poor and needy,
but, LORD God,
you care about me,
and you come to my rescue.
Please hurry and help.

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Proverbs 10:13-14 (Contemporary English Version)

¹³If you have good sense,
it will show when you speak.
But if you are stupid,
you will be beaten
with a stick.
¹⁴If you have good sense,
you will learn all you can,
but foolish talk
will soon destroy you.

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Verse of the Day

“I will bless you with a future filled with hope--a future of success, not of suffering. You will turn back to me and ask for help, and I will answer your prayers. You will worship me with all your heart, and I will be with you” - Jeremiah 29:11-13

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

 

English and American political activist, philosopher, political theorist and revolutionary, Thomas Paine wrote, “A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right.”

Bible Readings for January 29, 2015

Today our passages are Exodus 7:25–9:35; Matthew 19:13-30; Psalm 24:1-10; and Proverbs 6:1-5. The readings are the Contemporary English Version.  

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Exodus 7:25-9:35 (Contemporary English Version)

Frogs

 ²⁵Seven days after the LORD had struck the Nile,    

Exodus 8

 ¹he said to Moses:    Go to the palace and tell the king of Egypt that I order him to let my people go, so they can worship me. ²If he refuses, I will cover his entire country with frogs. ³Warn the king that the Nile will be full of frogs, and from there they will spread into the royal palace, including the king's bedroom and even his bed. Frogs will enter the homes of his officials and will find their way into ovens and into the bowls of bread dough. ⁴Frogs will be crawling on everyone--the king, his officials, and every citizen of Egypt.
    ⁵Moses, now command Aaron to hold his stick over the water. Then frogs will come from all rivers, canals, and ponds in Egypt, and they will cover the land.
    ⁶Aaron obeyed, and suddenly frogs were everywhere in Egypt. ⁷But the magicians used their secret powers to do the same thing.
    ⁸The king sent for Moses and Aaron and told them, " If you ask the LORD to take these frogs away from me and my people, I will let your people go and offer sacrifices to him."
    ⁹" All right," Moses answered. " You choose the time when I am to pray for the frogs to stop bothering you, your officials, and your people, and for them to leave your houses and be found only in the river."
    ¹⁰" Do it tomorrow!" the king replied.
   " As you wish," Moses agreed. " Then everyone will discover that there is no god like the LORD, ¹¹and frogs will no longer be found anywhere, except in the Nile."
    ¹²After Moses and Aaron left the palace, Moses begged the LORD to do something about the frogs he had sent as punishment for the king. ¹³The LORD listened to Moses, and frogs died everywhere--in houses, yards, and fields. ¹⁴The dead frogs were placed in piles, and the whole country began to stink. ¹⁵But when the king saw that things were now better, he again did just as the LORD had said and stubbornly refused to listen to Moses and Aaron.
   

Gnats

 ¹⁶The LORD said to Moses, " Command Aaron to strike the ground with his walking stick, and everywhere in Egypt the dust will turn into gnats." ¹⁷They obeyed, and when Aaron struck the ground with the stick, gnats started swarming on people and animals. In fact, every speck of dust in Egypt turned into a gnat. ¹⁸When the magicians tried to use their secret powers to do this, ^[a] they failed, and gnats stayed on people and animals. ¹⁹The magicians told the king, ^[b] " God has done this." But, as the LORD had said, the king was too stubborn to listen.    

Flies

 ²⁰The LORD said to Moses:    Early tomorrow morning, while the king is on his way to the river, go and say to him, " The LORD commands you to let his people go, so they can worship him. ²¹If you don't, he will send swarms of flies to attack you, your officials, and every citizen of your country. Houses will be full of flies, and the ground will crawl with them.
    ^22-23" The LORD's people in Goshen won't be bothered by flies, but your people in the rest of the country will be tormented by them. That's how you will know that the LORD is here in Egypt. This miracle will happen tomorrow."
    ²⁴The LORD kept his promise--the palace and the homes of the royal officials swarmed with flies, and the rest of the country was infested with them as well. ²⁵Then the king sent for Moses and Aaron and told them, " Go sacrifice to your God, but stay here in Egypt."
    ²⁶" That's impossible!" Moses replied. " Any sacrifices we offer to the LORD our God would disgust the Egyptians, and they would stone us to death. ²⁷No indeed! The LORD has ordered us to walk three days into the desert before offering sacrifices to him, and that's what we have to do."
    ²⁸Then the king told him, " I'll let you go into the desert to offer sacrifices, if you don't go very far. But in the meantime, pray for me."
    ²⁹" Your Majesty," Moses replied, " I'll pray for you as soon as I leave, and by tomorrow the flies will stop bothering you, your officials, and the citizens of your country. Only make sure that you're telling the truth this time and that you really intend to let our people offer sacrifices to the LORD."
    ³⁰After leaving the palace, Moses prayed, ³¹and the LORD answered his prayer. Not a fly was left to pester the king, his officials, or anyone else in Egypt. ³²But the king turned stubborn again and would not let the people go.
   

Exodus 9

Dead Animals

 ¹The LORD sent Moses with this message for the king of Egypt:    The LORD God of the Hebrews commands you to let his people go, so they can worship him. ²If you keep refusing, ³he will bring a terrible disease on your horses and donkeys, your camels and cattle, and your sheep and goats. ⁴But the LORD will protect the animals that belong to the people of Israel, and none of theirs will die. ⁵Tomorrow is the day the LORD has set to do this.
    ⁶It happened the next day--all of the animals belonging to the Egyptians died, but the Israelites did not lose even one. ⁷When the king found out, he was still too stubborn to let the people go.
   

Sores

 ⁸The LORD said to Moses and Aaron:    Take a few handfuls of ashes from a stove and have Moses throw them into the air. Be sure the king is watching. ⁹The ashes will blow across the land of Egypt, causing sores to break out on people and animals.
    ¹⁰So they took a few handfuls of ashes and went to the king. ^[c] Moses threw them into the air, and sores immediately broke out on the Egyptians and their animals. ¹¹The magicians were suffering so much from the sores, that they could not even come to Moses. ¹²Everything happened just as the LORD had told Moses--he made the king too stubborn to listen to Moses and Aaron.

Hailstones

 ¹³The LORD told Moses to get up early the next morning and say to the king:    The LORD God of the Hebrews commands you to let his people go, so they can worship him! ¹⁴If you don't, he will send his worst plagues to strike you, your officials, and everyone else in your country. Then you will find out that no one can oppose the LORD. ¹⁵In fact, he could already have sent a terrible disease and wiped you from the face of the earth. ¹⁶But he has kept you alive, just to show you his power and to bring honor to himself everywhere in the world.
    ¹⁷You are still determined not to let the LORD's people go. ¹⁸All right. At this time tomorrow, he will bring on Egypt the worst hailstorm in its history. ¹⁹You had better give orders for every person and every animal in Egypt to take shelter. If they don't, they will die.
    ²⁰Some of the king's officials were frightened by what the LORD had said, and they hurried off to make sure their slaves and animals were safe. ²¹But others paid no attention to his threats and left their slaves and animals out in the open.
    ²²Then the LORD told Moses, " Stretch your arm toward the sky, so that hailstones will fall on people, animals, and crops in the land of Egypt." ^23-24Moses pointed his walking stick toward the sky, and hailstones started falling everywhere. Thunder roared, and lightning flashed back and forth, striking the ground. This was the worst storm in the history of Egypt. ²⁵People, animals, and crops were pounded by the hailstones, and bark was stripped from trees. ²⁶Only Goshen, where the Israelites lived, was safe from the storm.
    ²⁷The king sent for Moses and Aaron and told them, " Now I have really sinned! My people and I are guilty, and the LORD is right. ²⁸We can't stand any more of this thunder and hail. Please ask the LORD to make it stop. Your people can go--you don't have to stay in Egypt any longer."
    ²⁹Moses answered, " As soon as I leave the city, I will lift my arms in prayer. When the thunder and hail stop, you will know that the earth belongs to the LORD. ³⁰But I am certain that neither you nor your officials really fear the LORD God."
    ³¹Meanwhile, the flax and barley crops had been destroyed by the storm because they were ready to ripen. ³²But the wheat crops ripen later, and they were not damaged.
    ³³After Moses left the royal palace and the city, he lifted his arms in prayer to the LORD, and the thunder, hail, and drenching rain stopped. ³⁴When the king realized that the storm was over, he disobeyed once more. He and his officials were so stubborn ³⁵that he refused to let the Israelites go. This was exactly what the LORD had said would happen.
   

Footnotes:

1. Exodus 8:18 to do this: Or " to get rid of the gnats."
2. Exodus 8:19 the king: See the note at 1.11.
3. Exodus 9:10 wheat crops: The Hebrew text mentions two kinds of wheat

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Matthew 19:13-30 (Contemporary English Version)

Jesus Blesses Little Children

(Mark 10.13-16; Luke 18.15-17)

 ¹³Some people brought their children to Jesus, so that he could place his hands on them and pray for them. His disciples told the people to stop bothering him. ¹⁴But Jesus said, "Let the children come to me, and don't try to stop them! People who are like these children belong to God's kingdom." ^{[a] 15}After Jesus had placed his hands on the children, he left.

A Rich Young Man

(Mark 10.17-31; Luke 18.18-30)

 ¹⁶A man came to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to have eternal life?"     ¹⁷Jesus said to him, "Why do you ask me about what is good? Only God is good. If you want to have eternal life, you must obey his commandments."
    ¹⁸"Which ones?" the man asked.
   Jesus answered, "Do not murder. Be faithful in marriage. Do not steal. Do not tell lies about others. ¹⁹Respect your father and mother. And love others as much as you love yourself." ²⁰The young man said, "I have obeyed all of these. What else must I do?"
    ²¹Jesus replied, "If you want to be perfect, go sell everything you own! Give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven. Then come and be my follower." ²²When the young man heard this, he was sad, because he was very rich.
    ²³Jesus said to his disciples, "It's terribly hard for rich people to get into the kingdom of heaven! ²⁴In fact, it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to get into God's kingdom."
    ²⁵When the disciples heard this, they were greatly surprised and asked, "How can anyone ever be saved?"
    ²⁶Jesus looked straight at them and said, "There are some things that people cannot do, but God can do anything."
    ²⁷Peter replied, "Remember, we have left everything to be your followers! What will we get?"
    ²⁸Jesus answered:
   Yes, all of you have become my followers. And so in the future world, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, I promise that you will sit on twelve thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel. ²⁹All who have given up home or brothers and sisters or father and mother or children or land for me will be given a hundred times as much. They will also have eternal life. ³⁰But many who are now first will be last, and many who are last will be first.
   

Footnotes:

1. Matthew 19:14 People who are like these children belong to God's kingdom: Or "God's kingdom belongs to people who are like these children."

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Psalm 24:1-10 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 24

(A psalm by David.)

Who Can Enter the LORD's Temple?

 ¹The earth and everything on it    belong to the LORD.
   The world and its people
   belong to him.
    ²The LORD placed it all
   on the oceans and rivers.
    ³Who may climb the LORD's hill ^[a] or stand in his holy temple?
    ⁴Only those who do right
   for the right reasons,
   and don't worship idols
   or tell lies under oath.
    ⁵The LORD God, who saves them,
   will bless and reward them,
    ⁶because they worship and serve
   the God of Jacob. ^{[b] 7}Open the ancient gates,
   so that the glorious king
   may come in.
    ⁸Who is this glorious king?
   He is our LORD, a strong
   and mighty warrior.
    ⁹Open the ancient gates,
   so that the glorious king
   may come in.
    ¹⁰Who is this glorious king?
   He is our LORD,
   the All-Powerful!
   

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 24:3 the LORD's hill: The hill in Jerusalem where the temple was built.
2. Psalm 24:6 worship. . . Jacob: Two ancient translations; Hebrew " worship God and serve the descendants of Jacob."

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Proverbs 6:1-5 (Contemporary English Version)

Proverbs 6

Don't Be Foolish

 ¹My child, suppose you agree    to pay the debt of someone,
   who cannot repay a loan.
    ²Then you are trapped
   by your own words,
    ³and you are now in the power
   of someone else.
   Here is what you should do:
   Go and beg for permission
   to call off the agreement.
    ⁴Do this before you fall asleep
   or even get sleepy.
    ⁵Save yourself, just as a deer
   or a bird
   tries to escape
   from a hunter.

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Verse of the Day

“After Jesus sat down and told the twelve disciples to gather around him, he said, "If you want the place of honor, you must become a slave and serve others!” - Mark 9:35

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

 

English and American political activist, philosopher, political theorist and revolutionary, Thomas Paine wrote, “It is necessary to the happiness of man, that he be mentally faithful to himself. Infidelity does not consist in believing, or in disbelieving; it consists in professing to believe what he does not believe.”

Bible Readings for January 29, 2014

Today our passages are Exodus 7:25–9:35; Matthew 19:13-30; Psalm 24:1-10; and Proverbs 6:1-5. The readings are from The Message  by Eugene H. Peterson.

 

Exodus 7:25-9:35 (The Message)

 ^22-25 But the magicians of Egypt did the same thing with their incantations. Still Pharaoh remained stubborn. He wouldn't listen to them as God had said. He turned on his heel and went home, never giving it a second thought. But all the Egyptians had to dig inland from the river for water because they couldn't drink the Nile water.
   Seven days went by after God had struck the Nile.

Exodus 8

Strike Two: Frogs

 ^1-4 God said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and tell him, 'God's Message: Release my people so they can worship me. If you refuse to release them, I'm warning you, I'll hit the whole country with frogs. The Nile will swarm with frogs—they'll come up into your houses, into your bedrooms and into your beds, into your servants' quarters, among the people, into your ovens and pots and pans. They'll be all over you, all over everyone—frogs everywhere, on and in everything!'"  ⁵ God said to Moses, "Tell Aaron, 'Wave your staff over the rivers and canals and ponds. Bring up frogs on the land of Egypt.'"
 ⁶ Aaron stretched his staff over the waters of Egypt and a mob of frogs came up and covered the country.
 ⁷ But again the magicians did the same thing using their incantations— they also produced frogs in Egypt.
 ⁸ Pharaoh called in Moses and Aaron and said, "Pray to God to rid us of these frogs. I'll release the people so that they can make their sacrifices and worship God."
 ⁹ Moses said to Pharaoh, "Certainly. Set the time. When do you want the frogs out of here, away from your servants and people and out of your houses? You'll be rid of frogs except for those in the Nile."
 ^10-11 "Make it tomorrow."
   Moses said, "Tomorrow it is—so you'll realize that there is no God like our God. The frogs will be gone. You and your houses and your servants and your people, free of frogs. The only frogs left will be the ones in the Nile."
 ^12-14 Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh, and Moses prayed to God about the frogs he had brought on Pharaoh. God responded to Moses' prayer: The frogs died off—houses, courtyards, fields, all free of frogs. They piled the frogs in heaps. The country reeked of dead frogs.
 ¹⁵ But when Pharaoh saw that he had some breathing room, he got stubborn again and wouldn't listen to Moses and Aaron. Just as God had said.

Strike Three: Gnats

¹⁶ God said to Moses, "Tell Aaron, 'Take your staff and strike the dust. The dust will turn into gnats all over Egypt.'"  ¹⁷ He did it. Aaron grabbed his staff and struck the dust of the Earth; it turned into gnats, gnats all over people and animals. All the dust of the Earth turned into gnats, gnats everywhere in Egypt.
 ¹⁸ The magicians tried to produce gnats with their incantations but this time they couldn't do it. There were gnats everywhere, all over people and animals.
 ¹⁹ The magicians said to Pharaoh, "This is God's doing." But Pharaoh was stubborn and wouldn't listen. Just as God had said.

Strike Four: Flies

^20-23 God said to Moses, "Get up early in the morning and confront Pharaoh as he goes down to the water. Tell him, 'God's Message: Release my people so they can worship me. If you don't release my people, I'll release swarms of flies on you, your servants, your people, and your homes. The houses of the Egyptians and even the ground under their feet will be thick with flies. But when it happens, I'll set Goshen where my people live aside as a sanctuary—no flies in Goshen. That will show you that I am God in this land. I'll make a sharp distinction between your people and mine. This sign will occur tomorrow.'"  ²⁴ And God did just that. Thick swarms of flies in Pharaoh's palace and the houses of his servants. All over Egypt, the country ruined by flies.
 ²⁵ Pharaoh called in Moses and Aaron and said, "Go ahead. Sacrifice to your God—but do it here in this country."
 ^26-27 Moses said, "That would not be wise. What we sacrifice to our God would give great offense to Egyptians. If we openly sacrifice what is so deeply offensive to Egyptians, they'll kill us. Let us go three days' journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to our God, just as he instructed us."
 ²⁸ Pharaoh said, "All right. I'll release you to go and sacrifice to your God in the wilderness. Only don't go too far. Now pray for me."
 ²⁹ Moses said, "As soon as I leave here, I will pray to God that tomorrow the flies will leave Pharaoh, his servants, and his people. But don't play games with us and change your mind about releasing us to sacrifice to God."
 ^30-32 Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to God. God did what Moses asked. He got rid of the flies from Pharaoh and his servants and his people. There wasn't a fly left. But Pharaoh became stubborn once again and wouldn't release the people.

Exodus 9

Strike Five: Animals

 ^1-4 God said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and tell him, 'God, the God of the Hebrews, says: Release my people so they can worship me. If you refuse to release them and continue to hold on to them, I'm giving you fair warning: God will come down hard on your livestock out in the fields—horses, donkeys, camels, cattle, sheep—striking them with a severe disease. God will draw a sharp line between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt. Not one animal that belongs to the Israelites will die.'"  ⁵ Then God set the time: "Tomorrow God will do this thing."
 ^6-7 And the next day God did it. All the livestock of Egypt died, but not one animal of the Israelites died. Pharaoh sent men to find out what had happened and there it was: none of the livestock of the Israelites had died—not one death. But Pharaoh stayed stubborn. He wouldn't release the people.

Strike Six: Boils

^8-11 God said to Moses and Aaron, "Take fistfuls of soot from a furnace and have Moses throw it into the air right before Pharaoh's eyes; it will become a film of fine dust all over Egypt and cause sores, an eruption of boils on people and animals throughout Egypt." So they took soot from a furnace, stood in front of Pharaoh, and threw it up into the air. It caused boils to erupt on people and animals. The magicians weren't able to compete with Moses this time because of the boils—they were covered with boils just like everyone else in Egypt.  ¹² God hardened Pharaoh in his stubbornness. He wouldn't listen, just as God had said to Moses.

Strike Seven: Hail

^13-19 God said to Moses, "Get up early in the morning and confront Pharaoh. Tell him, 'God, the God of the Hebrews, says: Release my people so they can worship me. This time I am going to strike you and your servants and your people with the full force of my power so you'll get it into your head that there's no one like me anywhere in all the Earth. You know that by now I could have struck you and your people with deadly disease and there would be nothing left of you, not a trace. But for one reason only I've kept you on your feet: To make you recognize my power so that my reputation spreads in all the Earth. You are still building yourself up at my people's expense. You are not letting them go. So here's what's going to happen: At this time tomorrow I'm sending a terrific hailstorm—there's never been a storm like this in Egypt from the day of its founding until now. So get your livestock under roof—everything exposed in the open fields, people and animals, will die when the hail comes down.'"  ^20-21 All of Pharaoh's servants who had respect for God's word got their workers and animals under cover as fast as they could, but those who didn't take God's word seriously left their workers and animals out in the field.
 ²² God said to Moses: "Stretch your hands to the skies. Signal the hail to fall all over Egypt on people and animals and crops exposed in the fields of Egypt."
 ^23-26 Moses lifted his staff to the skies and God sent peals of thunder and hail shot through with lightning strikes. God rained hail down on the land of Egypt. The hail came, hail and lightning—a fierce hailstorm. There had been nothing like it in Egypt in its entire history. The hail hit hard all over Egypt. Everything exposed out in the fields, people and animals and crops, was smashed. Even the trees in the fields were shattered. Except for Goshen where the Israelites lived; there was no hail in Goshen.
 ^27-28 Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron. He said, "I've sinned for sure this time—God is in the right and I and my people are in the wrong. Pray to God. We've had enough of God's thunder and hail. I'll let you go. The sooner you're out of here the better."
 ^29-30 Moses said, "As soon as I'm out of the city, I'll stretch out my arms to God. The thunder will stop and the hail end so you'll know that the land is God's land. Still, I know that you and your servants have no respect for God."
 ^31-32 (The flax and the barley were ruined, for they were just ripening, but the wheat and spelt weren't hurt—they ripen later.)
 ³³ Moses left Pharaoh and the city and stretched out his arms to God. The thunder and hail stopped; the storm cleared.
 ^34-35 But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder had stopped, he kept right on sinning, stubborn as ever, both he and his servants. Pharaoh's heart turned rock-hard. He refused to release the Israelites, as God had ordered through Moses.

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Matthew 19:13-30 (The Message)

To Enter God's Kingdom

 ^13-15One day children were brought to Jesus in the hope that he would lay hands on them and pray over them. The disciples shooed them off. But Jesus intervened: "Let the children alone, don't prevent them from coming to me. God's kingdom is made up of people like these." After laying hands on them, he left.

 ¹⁶Another day, a man stopped Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?"

 ¹⁷Jesus said, "Why do you question me about what's good? God is the One who is good. If you want to enter the life of God, just do what he tells you."

 ^18-19The man asked, "What in particular?"

   Jesus said, "Don't murder, don't commit adultery, don't steal, don't lie, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as you do yourself."

 ²⁰The young man said, "I've done all that. What's left?"

 ²¹"If you want to give it all you've got," Jesus replied, "go sell your possessions; give everything to the poor. All your wealth will then be in heaven. Then come follow me."

 ²²That was the last thing the young man expected to hear. And so, crest-fallen, he walked away. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and he couldn't bear to let go.

 ^23-24As he watched him go, Jesus told his disciples, "Do you have any idea how difficult it is for the rich to enter God's kingdom? Let me tell you, it's easier to gallop a camel through a needle's eye than for the rich to enter God's kingdom."

 ²⁵The disciples were staggered. "Then who has any chance at all?"

 ²⁶Jesus looked hard at them and said, "No chance at all if you think you can pull it off yourself. Every chance in the world if you trust God to do it."

 ²⁷Then Peter chimed in, "We left everything and followed you. What do we get out of it?"

 ^28-30Jesus replied, "Yes, you have followed me. In the re-creation of the world, when the Son of Man will rule gloriously, you who have followed me will also rule, starting with the twelve tribes of Israel. And not only you, but anyone who sacrifices home, family, fields—whatever—because of me will get it all back a hundred times over, not to mention the considerable bonus of eternal life. This is the Great Reversal: many of the first ending up last, and the last first."

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Psalm 24:1-10 (The Message)

Psalm 24

A David Psalm

 ^1-2 God claims Earth and everything in it, God claims World and all who live on it.
   He built it on Ocean foundations,
      laid it out on River girders.

 ^3-4 Who can climb Mount God?
      Who can scale the holy north-face?
   Only the clean-handed,
      only the pure-hearted;
   Men who won't cheat,
      women who won't seduce.

 ^5-6 God is at their side;
      with God's help they make it.
   This, Jacob, is what happens
      to God-seekers, God-questers.

 ⁷ Wake up, you sleepyhead city!
   Wake up, you sleepyhead people!
      King-Glory is ready to enter.

 ⁸ Who is this King-Glory?
      God, armed
      and battle-ready.

 ⁹ Wake up, you sleepyhead city!
   Wake up, you sleepyhead people!
      King-Glory is ready to enter.

 ¹⁰ Who is this King-Glory?
      God-of-the-Angel-Armies:
      he is King-Glory.

 

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Proverbs 6:1-5 (The Message)

Proverbs 6

Like a Deer from the Hunter

 ^1-5 Dear friend, if you've gone into hock with your neighbor or locked yourself into a deal with a stranger,
If you've impulsively promised the shirt off your back
   and now find yourself shivering out in the cold,
Friend, don't waste a minute, get yourself out of that mess.
   You're in that man's clutches!
   Go, put on a long face; act desperate.
Don't procrastinate—
   there's no time to lose.
Run like a deer from the hunter,
   fly like a bird from the trapper!

 

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Verse of the Day

 

“After Jesus sat down and told the twelve disciples to gather around him, he said, "If you want the place of honor, you must become a slave and serve others!” - Mark 9:35

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

English-American political activist, author, political theorist and revolutionary, Thomas Paine wrote, “If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace.”