The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Thursday March 28, 2019 (NIV)

The People's Disobedience

9 “Listen, people of Israel! Today you are about to cross the Jordan River and occupy the land belonging to nations greater and more powerful than you. Their cities are large, with walls that reach the sky. ² The people themselves are tall and strong; they are giants, and you have heard it said that no one can stand against them. ³ But now you will see for yourselves that the Lord your God will go ahead of you like a raging fire. He will defeat them as you advance, so that you will drive them out and destroy them quickly, as he promised.

⁴ “After the Lord your God has driven them out for you, do not say to yourselves that he brought you in to possess this land because you deserved it. No, the Lord is going to drive these people out for you because they are wicked. ⁵ It is not because you are good and do what is right that the Lord is letting you take their land. He will drive them out because they are wicked and because he intends to keep the promise that he made to your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. ⁶ You can be sure that the Lord is not giving you this fertile land because you deserve it. No, you are a stubborn people.

⁷ “Never forget how you made the Lord your God angry in the desert. From the day that you left Egypt until the day you arrived here, you have rebelled against him. ⁸ Even at Mount Sinai you made the Lord angry—angry enough to destroy you. ^9 (A)I went up the mountain to receive the stone tablets on which was written the covenant that the Lord had made with you. I stayed there forty days and nights and did not eat or drink anything. ¹⁰ Then the Lord gave me the two stone tablets on which he had written with his own hand what he had said to you from the fire on the day that you were gathered there at the mountain. ¹¹ Yes, after those forty days and nights the Lord gave me the two stone tablets on which he had written the covenant.

¹² “Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go down the mountain at once, because your people, whom you led out of Egypt, have become corrupt and have done evil. They have already turned away from what I commanded them to do, and they have made an idol for themselves.’

¹³ “The Lord also said to me, ‘I know how stubborn these people are. ¹⁴ Don't try to stop me. I intend to destroy them so that no one will remember them any longer. Then I will make you the father of a nation larger and more powerful than they are.’

¹⁵ “So I turned and went down the mountain, carrying the two stone tablets on which the covenant was written. Flames of fire were coming from the mountain. ¹⁶ I saw that you had already disobeyed the command that the Lord your God had given you, and that you had sinned against him by making yourselves a metal idol in the form of a bull-calf. ¹⁷ So there in front of you I threw the stone tablets down and broke them to pieces. ¹⁸ Then once again I lay face downward in the Lord's presence for forty days and nights and did not eat or drink anything. I did this because you had sinned against the Lord and had made him angry. ^19 (B)I was afraid of the Lord's fierce anger, because he was furious enough to destroy you; but once again the Lord listened to me. ²⁰ The Lord was also angry enough with Aaron to kill him, so I prayed for Aaron at the same time. ²¹ I took that sinful thing that you had made—that metal bull-calf—and threw it into the fire. Then I broke it in pieces, ground it to dust, and threw the dust into the stream that flowed down the mountain.

^22 (C)“You also made the Lord your God angry when you were at Taberah, Massah, and Kibroth Hattaavah. ^23 (D)And when he sent you from Kadesh Barnea with orders to go and take possession of the land that he was giving you, you rebelled against him; you did not trust him or obey him. ²⁴ Ever since I have known you, you have rebelled against the Lord.

²⁵ “So I lay face downward in the Lord's presence those forty days and nights, because I knew that he was determined to destroy you. ²⁶ And I prayed, ‘Sovereign Lord, don't destroy your own people, the people you rescued and brought out of Egypt by your great strength and power. ²⁷ Remember your servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and do not pay any attention to the stubbornness, wickedness, and sin of this people. ²⁸ Otherwise, the Egyptians will say that you were unable to take your people into the land that you had promised them. They will say that you took your people out into the desert to kill them, because you hated them. ²⁹ After all, these are the people whom you chose to be your own and whom you brought out of Egypt by your great power and might.’

Moses Receives the Commandments Again^(E)

10 “Then the Lord said to me, ‘Cut two stone tablets like the first ones and make a wooden Box to put them in. Come up to me on the mountain, ² and I will write on those tablets what I wrote on the tablets that you broke, and then you are to put them in the Box.’

³ “So I made a Box of acacia wood and cut two stone tablets like the first ones and took them up the mountain. ⁴ Then the Lord wrote on those tablets the same words that he had written the first time, the Ten Commandments that he gave you when he spoke from the fire on the day you were gathered at the mountain. The Lord gave me the tablets, ⁵ and I turned and went down the mountain. Then, just as the Lord had commanded, I put them in the Box that I had made—and they have been there ever since.”

(^6 (F)The Israelites set out from the wells that belonged to the people of Jaakan, and went to Moserah. There Aaron died and was buried, and his son Eleazar succeeded him as priest. ⁷ From there they went to Gudgodah and then on to Jotbathah, a well-watered place. ^8 (G)At that time the Lord appointed the men of the tribe of Levi to be in charge of the Covenant Box, to serve him as priests, and to pronounce blessings in his name. And these are still their duties. ⁹ That is why the tribe of Levi received no land as the other tribes did; what they received was the privilege of being the Lord's priests, as the Lord your God promised.)

^10 (H)“I stayed on the mountain forty days and nights, as I did the first time. The Lord listened to me once more and agreed not to destroy you. ¹¹ Then he told me to go and lead you, so that you could take possession of the land that he had promised to give to your ancestors.

What God Demands

¹² “Now, people of Israel, listen to what the Lord your God demands of you: Worship the Lord and do all that he commands. Love him, serve him with all your heart, ¹³ and obey all his laws. I am giving them to you today for your benefit. ¹⁴ To the Lord belong even the highest heavens; the earth is his also, and everything on it. ¹⁵ But the Lord's love for your ancestors was so strong that he chose you instead of any other people, and you are still his chosen people. ¹⁶ So then, from now on be obedient to the Lord and stop being stubborn. ^17 (I)The Lord your God is supreme over all gods and over all powers. He is great and mighty, and he is to be obeyed. He does not show partiality, and he does not accept bribes. ^18 (J)He makes sure that orphans and widows are treated fairly; he loves the foreigners who live with our people, and gives them food and clothes. ¹⁹ So then, show love for those foreigners, because you were once foreigners in Egypt. ²⁰ Have reverence for the Lord your God and worship only him. Be faithful to him and make your promises in his name alone. ²¹ Praise him—he is your God, and you have seen with your own eyes the great and astounding things that he has done for you. ^22 (K)When your ancestors went to Egypt, there were only seventy of them. But now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky.

The Parable of the Sower^(A)

⁴ People kept coming to Jesus from one town after another; and when a great crowd gathered, Jesus told this parable:

⁵ “Once there was a man who went out to sow grain. As he scattered the seed in the field, some of it fell along the path, where it was stepped on, and the birds ate it up. ⁶ Some of it fell on rocky ground, and when the plants sprouted, they dried up because the soil had no moisture. ⁷ Some of the seed fell among thorn bushes, which grew up with the plants and choked them. ⁸ And some seeds fell in good soil; the plants grew and bore grain, one hundred grains each.”

And Jesus concluded, “Listen, then, if you have ears!”

The Purpose of the Parables^(B)

⁹ His disciples asked Jesus what this parable meant, ^10 (C)and he answered, “The knowledge of the secrets of the Kingdom of God has been given to you, but to the rest it comes by means of parables, so that they may look but not see, and listen but not understand.

Jesus Explains the Parable of the Sower^(D)

¹¹ “This is what the parable means: the seed is the word of God. ¹² The seeds that fell along the path stand for those who hear; but the Devil comes and takes the message away from their hearts in order to keep them from believing and being saved. ¹³ The seeds that fell on rocky ground stand for those who hear the message and receive it gladly. But it does not sink deep into them; they believe only for a while but when the time of testing comes, they fall away. ¹⁴ The seeds that fell among thorn bushes stand for those who hear; but the worries and riches and pleasures of this life crowd in and choke them, and their fruit never ripens. ¹⁵ The seeds that fell in good soil stand for those who hear the message and retain it in a good and obedient heart, and they persist until they bear fruit.

A Lamp under a Bowl^(E)

^16 (F)“No one lights a lamp and covers it with a bowl or puts it under a bed. Instead, it is put on the lampstand, so that people will see the light as they come in.

^17 (G)“Whatever is hidden away will be brought out into the open, and whatever is covered up will be found and brought to light.

^18 (H)“Be careful, then, how you listen; because those who have something will be given more, but whoever has nothing will have taken away from them even the little they think they have.”

Jesus' Mother and Brothers^(I)

¹⁹ Jesus' mother and brothers came to him, but were unable to join him because of the crowd. ²⁰ Someone said to Jesus, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside and want to see you.”

²¹ Jesus said to them all, “My mother and brothers are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

² The Lord is pleased with good people, but condemns those who plan evil.

³ Wickedness does not give security, but righteous people stand firm.