Read the Bible in a Year
Each day, we'll post passages so that you can read the Bible in one year. This is part of The Colossians 13:16 Project, sponsored by Cove Presbyterian Church, 3404 Main Street, Weirton, West Virginia. You're invited to worship with us Sundays, at 11:00 a.m. or Saturdays, at 6:30 p.m. You may also want to consider joining one our adult Bible Studies: Thursdays at 12:00 noon and Sundays at 9:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. We also have a full range of programs for children. If you want more information about the church, check out the other blogs. And please feel free to leave any comments.
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Today our passages are Judges
17:1–18:31; John 3:1-21; Psalm 104:1-23; and Proverbs 14:20-21. The readings are
the Contemporary English
Version.
Judges 17-18:31 (Contemporary English Version)
Judges 17
Micah Makes Idols and Hires a Priest
1Micah
belonged to the Ephraim tribe and lived in the hill country.
2One day he told his mother, "
Do you remember those eleven hundred pieces of silver
that were stolen from you? I was there when you put a curse on whoever stole
them. Well, I'm the one who did it." His mother answered, " I pray that the LORD
will bless
you, my son."
3-4Micah returned the silver to
his mother, and she said, " I give this silver to the LORD, so my son can use it
to make an idol." Turning to her son, she said, " Micah, now the silver belongs
to you."
But Micah handed it back to his mother. She took two hundred pieces
of the silver and gave them to a silver worker, who made them into an idol.
They kept the idol in Micah's house.
5He had a shrine for worshiping
God there at his home, and he had made some idols and a sacred priestly vest.
Micah chose one of his own sons to be the priest for his shrine.
6This was before kings ruled
Israel, so all the Israelites did whatever they thought was right.
7-8One day a young Levite came
to Micah's house in the hill country of Ephraim. He had been staying with one of
the clans of Judah in Bethlehem, but he had left Bethlehem to find a new place
to live
where he could be a priest.
9" Where are you from?" Micah
asked.
" I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah," the man answered, " and I'm on
my way to find a new place to live."
10Micah said, " Why don't you
stay here with me? You can be my priest and tell me what God wants me to do.
Every year I'll give you ten pieces of silver and one complete set of clothes,
and I'll provide all your food."
The young man went for a walk,
11-12then he agreed to stay
with Micah and be his priest. He lived in Micah's house, and Micah treated him
like one of his own sons.
13Micah said, " I have a Levite
as my own priest. Now I know that the LORD will be kind to me."
Judges 18
1These things
happened before kings ruled Israel.
About this time, the tribe of Dan was looking for a place to live. The
other tribes had land, but the people of Dan did not really have any to call
their own.
The Tribe of Dan Takes Micah's Priest and Idols
2The tribe chose five warriors to represent their clans and
told them, " Go and find some land where we can live."
The warriors left the area of Zorah and Eshtaol and went into the hill
country of Ephraim. One night they stayed at Micah's house,
3because they heard the young
Levite talking, and they knew from his accent that he was from the south. They
asked him, " What are you doing here? Who brought you here?"
4The Levite replied, " Micah
hired me as his priest." Then he told them how well Micah had treated him.
5" Please talk to God for us,"
the men said. " Ask God if we will be successful in what we are trying to do."
6" Don't worry," answered the
priest. " The LORD is pleased with what you are doing."
7The five men left and went to
the town of Laish, whose people were from Sidon,
but Sidon was too far away to protect them. Even though their town had no walls,
the people thought they were safe from attack. So they had not asked anyone else
for protection, which meant that the tribe of Dan could easily take over Laish.
8The five men went back to
Zorah and Eshtaol, where their relatives asked, " Did you find any land?"
9-10" Let's go!" the five men
said. " We saw some very good land with enough room for all of us, and it has
everything we will ever need. What are you waiting for? Let's attack and take
it. You'll find that the people think they're safe, but God is giving the land
to us."
11Six hundred men from the
tribe of Dan strapped on their weapons and left Zorah and Eshtaol with their
families.
12One night they camped near
Kiriath-Jearim in the territory of Judah, and that's why the place just west of
Kiriath-Jearim is still known as Dan's Camp.
13Then they went into the hill
country of Ephraim. When they came close to Micah's house,
14the five men who had been
spies asked the other warriors, " Did you know that someone in this village has
several idols and a sacred priestly vest? What do you think we should do about
it?"
15-18The six hundred warriors
left the road and went to the house on Micah's property where the young Levite
priest lived. They stood at the gate and greeted the priest. Meanwhile, the five
men who had been there before went into Micah's house and took the sacred
priestly vest and the idols.
" Hey!" the priest shouted. " What do you think you're doing?"
19" Quiet!" the men said. "
Keep your mouth shut and listen. Why don't you come with us and be our priest,
so you can tell us what God wants us to do? You could stay here and be a priest
for one man's family, but wouldn't you rather be the priest for a clan or even a
whole tribe of Israel?"
20The priest really liked that
idea. So he took the vest and the idols and joined the others
21from the tribe of Dan. Then
they turned and left, after putting their children, their cattle, and the rest
of their other possessions in front.
22They had traveled for some
time, before Micah asked his neighbors to help him get his things back. He and
his men caught up with the people of Dan
23and shouted for them to stop.
They turned to face him and asked, " What's wrong? Why did you bring all
these men?"
24Micah answered, " You know
what's wrong. You stole the gods
I made, and you took my priest. I don't have anything left."
25" We don't want to hear any
more about it," the people of Dan said. " And if you make us angry, you'll only
get yourself and your family killed."
26After saying this, they
turned and left.
Micah realized there was no way he could win a fight with them, and so he
went back home.
The Tribe of Dan Captures Laish
27-28The tribe of Dan took Micah's priest and the things
Micah had made, and headed for Laish, which was located in a valley controlled
by the town of Beth-Rehob. Laish was defenseless, because it had no walls and
was too far from Sidon for the Sidonians to help defend it. The leaders of Laish
had not even asked nearby towns to help them in case of an attack.
The warriors from Dan made a surprise attack on Laish, killing everyone
and burning it down. Then they rebuilt the town and settled there themselves.
29But they named it Dan, after
one of Israel's
sons, who was the ancestor of their tribe.
30-31Even though the place of
worship
was in Shiloh, the people of Dan set up the idol Micah had made. They worshiped
the idol, and the Levite was their priest. His name was Jonathan, and he was a
descendant of Gershom the son of Moses.
His descendants served as priests for the tribe of Dan, until the people of
Israel were taken away as prisoners by their enemies.
John 3:1-21 (Contemporary English Version)
John 3
Jesus and Nicodemus
1There
was a man named Nicodemus who was a Pharisee and a Jewish leader. 2One night he went to Jesus and said, "Sir,
we know that God has sent you to teach us. You could not work these miracles,
unless God were with you."
3Jesus replied, "I tell you for
certain that you must be born from above before you can see God's kingdom!"
4Nicodemus asked, "How can a
grown man ever be born a second time?"
5Jesus answered:
I tell you for certain that before you can get into God's kingdom, you
must be born not only by water, but by the Spirit. 6Humans give life to their children. Yet only God's Spirit
can change you into a child of God. 7Don't be surprised when I say that you must be born from
above. 8Only God's Spirit gives new
life. The Spirit is like the wind that blows wherever it wants to. You can hear
the wind, but you don't know where it comes from or where it is going.
9"How can this be?" Nicodemus
asked.
10Jesus replied:
How can you be a teacher of Israel and not know these things? 11I tell you for certain that we know what
we are talking about because we have seen it ourselves. But none of you will
accept what we say. 12If you don't
believe when I talk to you about things on earth, how can you possibly believe
if I talk to you about things in heaven?
13No one has gone up to heaven
except the Son of Man, who came down from there. 14And the Son of Man must be lifted up, just as that metal
snake was lifted up by Moses in the desert.
15Then everyone who has faith in the
Son of Man will have eternal life. 16God loved the people of this world so much that he gave
his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and
never really die. 17God did not send
his Son into the world to condemn its people. He sent him to save them! 18No one who has faith in God's Son will be
condemned. But everyone who doesn't have faith in him has already been condemned
for not having faith in God's only Son.
19The light has come into the
world, and people who do evil things are judged guilty because they love the
dark more than the light. 20People who
do evil hate the light and won't come to the light, because it clearly shows
what they have done. 21But everyone
who lives by the truth will come to the light, because they want others to know
that God is really the one doing what they do.
Psalm 104:1-23 (Contemporary English Version)
Psalm 104
The LORD Takes Care of His Creation
1I praise you, LORD God,
with all my heart.
You are glorious and majestic,
dressed in royal robes
2and surrounded by light.
You spread out the sky
like a tent,
3and you built your home
over the mighty ocean.
The clouds are your chariot
with the wind as its wings.
4The winds are your messengers,
and flames of fire
are your servants.
5You built foundations
for the earth,
and it
will never be shaken.
6You covered the earth
with the ocean
that rose
above the mountains.
7Then your voice thundered!
And the water flowed
8down the mountains
and through the valleys
to the place you prepared.
9Now you have set boundaries,
so that the water will never
flood the earth again.
10You provide streams of water
in the hills and valleys,
11so that the donkeys
and other wild animals
can satisfy their thirst.
12Birds build their nests
nearby
and sing in the trees.
13From your home above
you send rain on the hills
and water the earth.
14You let the earth produce
grass for cattle,
plants for our food,
15wine to cheer us up,
olive oil for our skin,
and grain for our health.
16Our LORD, your trees
always have water,
and so do the cedars
you planted in Lebanon.
17Birds nest in those trees,
and storks make their home
in the fir trees.
18Wild goats find a home
in the tall mountains,
and small animals can hide
between the rocks.
19You created the moon
to tell us the seasons.
The sun knows when to set,
20and you made the darkness,
so the animals in the forest
could come out at night.
21Lions roar as they hunt
for the food you provide.
22But when morning comes,
they return to their dens,
23then we go out to work
until the end of day.
Proverbs 14:20-21 (Contemporary English Version)
20You have no friends
if you are poor,
but you have lots of friends
if you are rich.
21It's wrong to hate others,
but God blesses everyone
who is kind to the poor.
Verse of the Day
“Let your hope make you glad. Be patient in time of trouble and never stop
praying.” - Romans
12:12
Thought
for the Day
Irish statesman, author, orator, political theorist and
philosopher Edmund Burke
wrote, “You can never plan the future by the past.”
Today our passages are Judges
15:1–16:31; John 2:1-25; Psalm 103:1-22; and Proverbs 14:17-19. The readings are
the Contemporary English
Version.
Judges 15-16:31 (Contemporary English Version)
Judges 15
1Later, during the
wheat harvest, Samson went to visit the young woman he thought was still his
wife.
He brought along a young goat as a gift and said to her father, " I want to go
into my wife's bedroom." " You can't do that," he replied.
2" When you left the way you
did, I thought you were divorcing
her. So I arranged for her to marry one of the young men who were at your party.
But my younger daughter is even prettier, and you can have her as your wife."
3" This time," Samson answered,
" I have a good reason for really hurting some Philistines."
Samson Takes Revenge
4Samson
went out and caught three hundred foxes and tied them together in pairs with
oil-soaked rags around their tails.
5Then Samson took the foxes
into the Philistine wheat fields that were ready to be harvested. He set the
rags on fire and let the foxes go. The wheat fields went up in flames, and so
did the stacks of wheat that had already been cut. Even the Philistine vineyards
and olive orchards burned.
6Some of the Philistines
started asking around, " Who could have done such a thing?"
"It was Samson," someone told them. "He married the daughter of that man
in Timnah, but then the man gave Samson's wife to one of the men at the
wedding."
The Philistine leaders went to Timnah and burned to death Samson's wife
and her father.
7When Samson found out what
they had done, he went to them and said, " You killed them! And I won't rest
until I get even with you."
8Then Samson started hacking
them to pieces with his sword.
Samson left Philistia and went to live in the cave at Etam Rock.
9But it wasn't long before the
Philistines invaded Judah
and set up a huge army camp at Jawbone.
10The people of Judah asked, "
Why have you invaded our land?"
The Philistines answered, " We've come to get Samson. We're going to do
the same things to him that he did to our people."
11Three thousand men from Judah
went to the cave at Etam Rock and said to Samson, " Don't you know that the
Philistines rule us, and they will punish us for what you did?"
" I was only getting even with them," Samson replied. " They did the same
things to me first."
12" We came here to tie you up
and turn you over to them," said the men of Judah.
" I won't put up a fight," Samson answered, " but you have to promise not
to hurt me yourselves."
13-14" We promise," the men
said. " We will only tie you up and turn you over to the Philistines. We won't
kill you." Then they tied up his hands and arms with two brand-new ropes and led
him away from Etam Rock.
When the Philistines saw that Samson was being brought to their camp at
Jawbone, they started shouting and ran toward him. But the LORD's Spirit took
control of Samson, and Samson broke the ropes, as though they were pieces of
burnt cloth.
15Samson glanced around and
spotted the jawbone of a donkey. The jawbone had not yet dried out, so it was
still hard and heavy. Samson grabbed it and started hitting Philistines--he
killed a thousand of them!
16After the fighting was over,
he made up this poem about what he had done to the Philistines:
I used a donkey's jawbone
to kill a thousand men;
I beat them with this jawbone
over and over again.
17Samson tossed the jawbone on
the ground and decided to call the place Jawbone Hill.
It is still called that today.
18Samson was so thirsty that he
prayed, " Our LORD, you helped me win a battle against a whole army. Please
don't let me die of thirst now. Those heathen Philistines will carry off my dead
body."
19Samson was tired and weary,
but God sent water gushing from a rock.
Samson drank some and felt strong again. Samson named the place Caller Spring,
because he had called out to God for help. The spring is still there at Jawbone.
20Samson was a leader
of Israel for twenty years, but the Philistines were still the rulers of Israel.
Judges 16
Samson Carries Off the Gates of Gaza
1One day while Samson was in Gaza, he saw a prostitute and
went to her house to spend the night.
2The people who lived in Gaza
found out he was there, and they decided to kill him at sunrise. So they went to
the city gate and waited all night in the guardrooms on each side of the gate.
3But Samson got up in the
middle of the night and went to the town gate. He pulled the gate doors and
doorposts out of the wall and put them on his shoulders. Then he carried them
all the way to the top of the hill that overlooks Hebron,
where he set the doors down, still closed and locked.
Delilah Tricks Samson
4Some
time later, Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah, who lived in Sorek
Valley.
5The Philistine rulers
went to Delilah and said, " Trick Samson into telling you what makes him so
strong and what can make him weak. Then we can tie him up so he can't get away.
If you find out his secret, we will each give you eleven hundred pieces of
silver."
6The next time Samson was at
Delilah's house, she asked, " Samson, what makes you so strong? How can I tie
you up so you can't get away? Come on, you can tell me."
7Samson answered, " If someone
ties me up with seven new bowstrings that have never been dried,
it will make me just as weak as anyone else."
8-9The Philistine rulers gave
seven new bowstrings to Delilah. They also told some of their soldiers to go to
Delilah's house and hide in the room where Samson and Delilah were. If the
bowstrings made Samson weak, they would be able to capture him.
Delilah tied up Samson with the bowstrings and shouted, " Samson, the
Philistines are attacking!"
Samson snapped the bowstrings, as though they were pieces of scorched
string. The Philistines had not found out why Samson was so strong.
10" You lied and made me look
like a fool," Delilah said. " Now tell me. How can I really tie you up?"
11Samson answered, " Use some
new ropes. If I'm tied up with ropes that have never been used, I'll be just as
weak as anyone else."
12Delilah got new ropes and
again had some Philistines hide in the room. Then she tied up Samson's arms and
shouted, " Samson, the Philistines are attacking!"
Samson snapped the ropes as if they were threads.
13" You're still lying and
making a fool of me," Delilah said. " Tell me how I can tie you up!"
" My hair is in seven braids," Samson replied. " If you weave my braids
into the threads on a loom and nail the loom
to a wall, then I will be as weak as anyone else."
14While Samson was asleep,
Delilah wove his braids into the threads on a loom and nailed the loom to a
wall.
Then she shouted, " Samson, the Philistines are attacking !" Samson woke up and
pulled the loom free from its posts in the ground and from the nails in the
wall. Then he pulled his hair free from the woven cloth.
15" Samson," Delilah said, "
you claim to love me, but you don't mean it! You've made me look like a fool
three times now, and you still haven't told me why you are so strong."
16Delilah started nagging and
pestering him day after day, until he couldn't stand it any longer.
17Finally, Samson told her the
truth. " I have belonged to God
ever since I was born, so my hair has never been cut. If it were ever cut off,
my strength would leave me, and I would be as weak as anyone else."
18Delilah realized that he was
telling the truth. So she sent someone to tell the Philistine rulers, " Come to
my house one more time. Samson has finally told me the truth."
The Philistine rulers went to Delilah's house, and they brought along the
silver they had promised her.
19Delilah had lulled Samson to
sleep with his head resting in her lap. She signaled to one of the Philistine
men as she began cutting off Samson's seven braids. And by the time she was
finished, Samson's strength was gone. Delilah tied him up
20and shouted, " Samson, the
Philistines are attacking!"
Samson woke up and thought, " I'll break loose and escape, just as I
always do." He did not realize that the LORD had stopped helping him.
21The Philistines grabbed
Samson and poked out his eyes. They took him to the prison in Gaza and chained
him up. Then they put him to work, turning a millstone to grind grain.
22But they didn't cut his hair
any more, so it started growing back.
23The Philistine rulers threw a
big party and sacrificed a lot of animals to their god Dagon. The rulers said:
Samson was our enemy,
but our god Dagon
helped us capture him!
24-25Everyone there was having
a good time, and they shouted, " Bring out Samson--he's still good for a few
more laughs!"
The rulers had Samson brought from the prison, and when the people saw
him, this is how they praised their god:
Samson ruined our crops
and killed our people.
He was our enemy,
but our god
helped us
capture him.
They made fun of Samson for a while, then they told him to stand near the
columns that supported the roof.
26A young man was leading
Samson by the hand, and Samson said to him, " I need to lean against something.
Take me over to the columns that hold up the roof."
27The Philistine rulers were
celebrating in a temple packed with people and with three thousand
more on the flat roof. They had all been watching Samson and making fun of him.
28Samson prayed, " Please
remember me, LORD God. The Philistines poked out my eyes, but make me strong one
last time, so I can take revenge for at least one of my eyes!"
29Samson was standing between
the two middle columns that held up the roof. He felt around and found one
column with his right hand, and the other with his left hand.
30Then he shouted, " Let me die
with the Philistines!" He pushed against the columns as hard as he could, and
the temple collapsed with the Philistine rulers and everyone else still inside.
Samson killed more Philistines when he died than he had killed during his entire
life.
31His brothers and the rest of
his family went to Gaza and took his body back home. They buried him in his
father's tomb,
which was located between Zorah and Eshtaol. Samson was a leader
of Israel for twenty years.
John 2:1-25 (Contemporary English Version)
John 2
Jesus at a Wedding in Cana
1Three days later Mary, the mother of Jesus, was at a
wedding feast in the village of Cana in Galilee. 2Jesus and his disciples had also been invited and were
there.
3When the wine was all gone,
Mary said to Jesus, "They don't have any more wine."
4Jesus replied, "Mother, my
time hasn't yet come:
You must not tell me what to do." 5Mary then said to the servants, "Do whatever Jesus tells
you to do."
6At the feast there were six
stone water jars that were used by the people for washing themselves in the way
that their religion said they must. Each jar held about twenty or thirty
gallons. 7Jesus told the servants to
fill them to the top with water. Then after the jars had been filled, 8he said, "Now take some water and give it
to the man in charge of the feast."
The servants did as Jesus told them, 9and the man in charge drank some of the water that had now
turned into wine. He did not know where the wine had come from, but the servants
did. He called the bridegroom over 10and said, "The best wine is always served first. Then
after the guests have had plenty, the other wine is served. But you have kept
the best until last!"
11This was Jesus' first
miracle,
and he did it in the village of Cana in Galilee. There Jesus showed his glory,
and his disciples put their faith in him. 12After this, he went with his mother, his brothers, and
his disciples to the town of Capernaum, where they stayed for a few days.
Jesus in the Temple
(Matthew 21.12,13; Mark 11.15-17; Luke 19.45,46)
13Not long before the Jewish festival of Passover, Jesus
went to Jerusalem. 14There he found
people selling cattle, sheep, and doves in the temple. He also saw moneychangers
sitting at their tables. 15So he took
some rope and made a whip. Then he chased everyone out of the temple, together
with their sheep and cattle. He turned over the tables of the moneychangers and
scattered their coins.
16Jesus said to the people who
had been selling doves, "Get those doves out of here! Don't make my Father's
house a marketplace."
17The disciples then remembered
that the Scriptures say, "My love for your house burns in me like a fire."
18The Jewish leaders asked
Jesus, "What miracle
will you work to show us why you have done this?" 19"Destroy this temple," Jesus answered, "and in three days
I will build it again!"
20The leaders replied, "It took
forty-six years to build this temple. What makes you think you can rebuild it in
three days?"
21But Jesus was talking about
his body as a temple. 22And when he
was raised from death, his disciples remembered what he had told them. Then they
believed the Scriptures and the words of Jesus.
Jesus Knows What People Are Like
23In Jerusalem during Passover many people put their faith
in Jesus, because they saw him work miracles.
24But Jesus knew what was in their
hearts, and he would not let them have power over him. 25No one had to tell him what people were like. He already
knew.
Psalm 103:1-22 (Contemporary English Version)
Psalm 103
(By David.)
The LORD's Wonderful Love
1With all my heart
I praise the LORD,
and with all that I am
I praise his holy name!
2With all my heart
I praise the LORD!
I will never forget
how kind he has been.
3The LORD forgives our sins,
heals us when we are sick,
4and protects us from death.
His kindness and love
are a crown on our heads.
5Each day that we live,
he provides for our needs
and gives us the strength
of a young eagle.
6For all who are mistreated,
the LORD brings justice.
7He taught his Law to Moses
and showed all Israel
what he could do.
8The LORD is merciful!
He is kind and patient,
and his love never fails.
9The LORD won't always be angry
and point out our sins;
10he doesn't punish us
as our sins deserve.
11How great is God's love for
all
who worship him?
Greater than the distance
between heaven and earth!
12How far has the LORD taken
our sins from us?
Farther than the distance
from east to west!
13Just as parents are kind
to their children,
the LORD is kind
to all who worship him,
14because he knows
we are made of dust.
15We humans are like grass
or wild flowers
that quickly bloom.
16But a scorching wind blows,
and they quickly wither
to be forever forgotten.
17The LORD is always kind
to those who worship him,
and he keeps his promises
to their descendants
18who faithfully obey him.
19God has set up his kingdom
in heaven,
and he rules
the whole creation.
20All of you mighty angels,
who obey God's commands,
come and praise your LORD!
21All of you thousands
who serve and obey God,
come and praise your LORD!
22All of God's creation
and all that he rules,
come and praise your LORD!
With all my heart
I praise the LORD!
Proverbs 14:17-19 (Contemporary English Version)
17Fools have quick tempers,
and no one likes you
if you can't be trusted.
18Stupidity leads to
foolishness;
be smart and learn.
19The wicked will come crawling
to those who obey God.
Verse of the Day
“We are certain that God will hear our prayers when we ask for what pleases
him. And if we know that God listens when we pray, we are sure that our prayers
have already been answered.” - 1
John 5:14-15
Thought for the Day
German philosopher, poet, composer, cultural critic, and
classical philologist Friedrich Nietzsche
wrote, “That which does not kill us makes us
stronger.”
Today our passages are Judges
13:1–14:20; John 1:29-51; Psalm 102:1-28; and Proverbs 14:15-16. The readings
are the Contemporary English
Version.
Judges 13-14:20 (Contemporary English Version)
Judges 13
Samson Is Born
1Once again
the Israelites started disobeying the LORD. So he let the Philistines take
control of Israel for forty years.
2Manoah from the tribe of Dan
lived in the town of Zorah. His wife was not able to have children,
3-5but one day an angel from
the LORD appeared to her and said:
You have never been able to have any children, but very soon you will be
pregnant and have a son. He will belong to God belong to God: The Hebrew
text has "be a Nazirite of God." Nazirites were dedicated to God and had
to from the day he is born, so his hair must never be cut. And even
before he is born, you must not drink any wine or beer or eat any food forbidden
by God's laws.
Your son will begin to set Israel free from the Philistines.
6She went to Manoah and said, "
A prophet who looked like an angel of God came and talked to me. I was so
frightened, that I didn't even ask where he was from. He didn't tell me his
name,
7but he did say that I'm going
to have a baby boy. I'm not supposed to drink any wine or beer or eat any food
forbidden by God's laws. Our son will belong to God for as long as he lives."
8Then Manoah prayed, " Our
LORD, please send that prophet again and let him tell us what to do for the son
we are going to have."
9God answered Manoah's prayer,
and the angel went back to Manoah's wife while she was resting in the fields.
Manoah wasn't there at the time,
10so she found him and said, "
That same man is here again! He's the one I saw the other day."
11Manoah went with his wife and
asked the man, " Are you the one who spoke to my wife?"
" Yes, I am," he answered.
12Manoah then asked, " When
your promise comes true, what rules must he obey and what will be his work?"
13" Your wife must be careful
to do everything I told her," the LORD's angel answered.
14" She must not eat or drink
anything made from grapes. She must not drink wine or beer or eat anything
forbidden by God's laws. I told her exactly what to do."
15" Please," Manoah said, "
stay here with us for just a little while, and we'll fix a young goat for you to
eat."
16Manoah didn't realize that he
was really talking to one of the LORD's angels.
The angel answered, " I can stay for a little while, although I won't eat
any of your food. But if you would like to offer the goat as a sacrifice to the
LORD, that would be fine."
17Manoah said, " Tell us your
name, so we can honor you after our son is born."
18" No," the angel replied. "
You don't need to know my name. And if you did, you couldn't understand it."
19So Manoah took a young goat
over to a large rock he had chosen for an altar, and he built a fire on the
rock. Then he killed the goat, and offered it with some grain as a sacrifice to
the LORD. But then an amazing thing happened.
20The fire blazed up toward the
sky, and the LORD's angel went up toward heaven in the fire. Manoah and his wife
bowed down low when they saw what happened.
21The angel was gone, but
Manoah and his wife realized that he was one of the LORD's angels.
22Manoah said, " We have seen
an angel.
Now we're going to die."
23" The LORD isn't going to
kill us," Manoah's wife responded. " The LORD accepted our sacrifice and grain
offering, and he let us see something amazing. Besides, he told us that we're
going to have a son."
24Later, Manoah's wife did give
birth to a son, and she named him Samson. As the boy grew, the LORD blessed him.
25Then, while Samson was
staying at Dan's Camp
between the towns of Zorah and Eshtaol, the Spirit of the LORD took control of
him.
Judges 14
Samson Gets Married
1One day,
Samson went to Timnah, where he saw a Philistine woman.
2When he got back home, he told
his parents, " I saw a Philistine woman in Timnah, and I want to marry her. Get
her for me!"
3His parents answered, " There
are a lot of women in our clan and even more in the rest of Israel. Those
Philistines are pagans. Why would you want to marry one of their women?"
" She looks good to me," Samson answered. " Get her for me!"
4At that time, the Philistines
were in control of Israel, and the LORD wanted to stir up trouble for them.
That's why he made Samson desire that woman.
5As Samson and his parents
reached the vineyards near Timnah, a fierce young lion suddenly roared and
attacked Samson.
6But the LORD's Spirit took
control of Samson, and with his bare hands he tore the lion apart, as though it
had been a young goat. His parents didn't know what he had done, and he didn't
tell them.
7When they got to Timnah,
Samson talked to the woman, and he was sure that she was the one for him.
8Later,
Samson returned to Timnah for the wedding. And when he came near the place where
the lion had attacked, he left the road to see what was left of the lion. He was
surprised to see that bees were living in the lion's skeleton, and that they had
made some honey.
9He scooped up the honey in his
hands and ate some of it as he walked along. When he got back to his parents, he
gave them some of the honey, and they ate it too. But he didn't tell them he had
found the honey in the skeleton of a lion.
10While Samson's father went to
make the final arrangements with the bride and her family, Samson threw a big
party,
as grooms
usually did.
11When the Philistines saw what
Samson was like, they told thirty of their young men to stay with him at the
party.
12Samson told the thirty young
men, " This party will last for seven days. Let's make a bet: I'll tell you a
riddle, and if you can tell me the right answer before the party is over, I'll
give each one of you a shirt and a full change of clothing.
13But if you can't tell me the
answer, then each of you will have to give me a shirt and a full change of
clothing."
" It's a bet!" the Philistines said. " Tell us the riddle."
14Samson said:
Once so strong and mighty--
now so sweet and tasty!
Three days went by, and the Philistine young men had not come up with the
right answer.
15Finally, on the seventh
day of the party they went to Samson's bride and said, " You had better trick
your husband into telling you the answer to his riddle. Have you invited us here
just to rob us? If you don't find out the answer, we will burn you and your
family to death."
16Samson's bride went to him
and started crying in his arms. " You must really hate me," she sobbed. " If you
loved me at all, you would have told me the answer to your riddle."
" But I haven't even told my parents the answer!" Samson replied. " Why
should I tell you?"
17For the entire seven days of
the party, she had been whining and trying to get the answer from him. But that
seventh day she put so much pressure on Samson that he finally gave in and told
her the answer. She went straight to the young men and told them.
18Before sunset that day, the
men of the town went to Samson with this answer:
A lion is the strongest--
honey is the sweetest!
Samson replied,
This answer you have given me
doubtless came
from my bride-to-be.
19Then the LORD's Spirit took
control of Samson. He went to Ashkelon,
where he killed thirty men and took their clothing. Samson then gave it to the
thirty young men at Timnah and stormed back home to his own family.
20The father of the bride had
Samson's wife marry one of the thirty young men that had been at Samson's party.
John 1:29-51 (Contemporary English Version)
The Lamb of God
29The next
day, John saw Jesus coming toward him and said:
Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30He is the one I told you about when I
said, "Someone else will come. He is greater than I am, because he was alive
before I was born." 31I didn't know
who he was. But I came to baptize you with water, so that everyone in Israel
would see him.
32I was there and saw the
Spirit come down on him like a dove from heaven. And the Spirit stayed on him.
33Before this I didn't know who he
was. But the one who sent me to baptize with water had told me, "You will see
the Spirit come down and stay on someone. Then you will know that he is the one
who will baptize with the Holy Spirit." 34I saw this happen, and I tell you that he is the Son of
God.
The First Disciples of Jesus
35The next day, John was there again, and two of his
followers were with him. 36When he saw
Jesus walking by, he said, "Here is the Lamb of God!" 37John's two followers heard him, and they went with Jesus.
38When Jesus turned and saw
them, he asked, "What do you want?"
They answered, "Rabbi, where do you live?" The Hebrew word "Rabbi" means
"Teacher."
39Jesus replied, "Come and
see!" It was already about four o'clock in the afternoon when they went with him
and saw where he lived. So they stayed on for the rest of the day.
40One of the two men who had
heard John and had gone with Jesus was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter. 41The first thing Andrew did was to find
his brother and tell him, "We have found the Messiah!" The Hebrew word "Messiah"
means the same as the Greek word "Christ."
42Andrew brought his brother to
Jesus. And when Jesus saw him, he said, "Simon son of John, you will be called
Cephas." This name can be translated as "Peter."
Jesus Chooses Philip and Nathanael
43-44The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. There he
met Philip, who was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter. Jesus said
to Philip, "Come with me."
45Philip then found Nathanael
and said, "We have found the one that Moses and the Prophets
wrote about. He is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth." 46Nathanael asked, "Can anything good come from Nazareth?"
Philip answered, "Come and see."
47When Jesus saw Nathanael
coming toward him, he said, "Here is a true descendant of our ancestor Israel.
And he isn't deceitful."
48"How do you know me?" Nathanael
asked.
Jesus answered, "Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree."
49Nathanael said, "Rabbi, you
are the Son of God and the King of Israel!"
50Jesus answered, "Did you
believe me just because I said that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see
something even greater. 51I tell you
for certain that you will see heaven open and God's angels going up and coming
down on the Son of Man."
Psalm 102:1-28 (Contemporary English Version)
Psalm 102
(A prayer for someone who hurts and needs to ask the LORD for help.)
A Prayer in Time of Trouble
1I pray to you, LORD!
Please listen.
2Don't hide from me
in my time of trouble.
Pay attention to my prayer
and quickly give an answer.
3My days disappear like smoke,
and my bones are burning
as though in a furnace.
4I am wasting away like grass,
and my appetite is gone.
5My groaning never stops,
and my bones can be seen
through my skin.
6I am like a lonely owl
in the desert
7or a restless sparrow
alone on a roof.
8My enemies insult me all day,
and they use my name
for a curse word.
9Instead of food,
I have ashes to eat
and tears to drink,
10because you are furious
and have thrown me aside.
11My life fades like a shadow
at the end of day
and withers like grass.
12Our LORD, you are King
forever
and will always be famous.
13You will show pity to Zion
because the time has come.
14We, your servants,
love each stone in the city,
and we are sad to see them
lying in the dirt.
15Our LORD, the nations
will honor you,
and all kings on earth
will praise your glory.
16You will rebuild
the city of Zion.
Your glory will be seen,
17and the prayers of the
homeless
will be answered.
18Future generations must also
praise the LORD,
so write this for them:
19"From his holy temple,
the LORD looked down
at the earth.
20He listened to the groans
of prisoners,
and he rescued everyone
who was doomed to die."
21All Jerusalem should praise
you, our LORD,
22when people from every nation
meet to worship you.
23I should still be strong,
but you, LORD, have made
an old person of me.
24You will live forever!
Years mean nothing to you.
Don't cut my life in half!
25In the beginning, LORD,
you laid the earth's foundation
and created the heavens.
26They will all disappear
and wear out like clothes.
You change them,
as you would a coat,
but you last forever.
27You are always the same.
Years cannot change you.
28Every generation of those
who serve you
will live in your presence.
Proverbs 14:15-16 (Contemporary English Version)
15Don't be stupid
and believe all you hear;
be smart and know
where you are headed.
16Only a stupid fool
is never cautious--
so be extra careful
and stay out of trouble.
Verse of the Day
“But without faith no one can please God. We must believe that God is real
and that he rewards everyone who searches for him.” - Hebrews
11:6
Thought for the Day
American humorist Josh Billings wrote, “Life
consists not in holding good cards but in playing those you hold
well.”
Thought
for the Day
