The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Tuesday April 6, 2021 (NIV)

Deuteronomy 29-30

Renewing the Covenant

29 These are the words of the covenant(A) that the Lord commanded Moses to make with the Israelites in the land of Moab, in addition to the covenant he had made with them at Horeb.(B) Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, “You have seen with your own eyes(C) everything the Lord did in Egypt to Pharaoh, to all his officials, and to his entire land. You saw with your own eyes the great trials and those great signs and wonders.(D) Yet to this day the Lord has not given you a mind to understand, eyes to see, or ears to hear.(E) I led you forty years in the wilderness; your clothes and the sandals on your feet did not wear out;(F) you did not eat food or drink wine or beer—so that you might know that I am the Lord your God.(G) When you reached this place, King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan came out against us in battle, but we defeated them.(H) We took their land and gave it as an inheritance to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh.(I) Therefore, observe the words of this covenant(J) and follow them, so that you will succeed in everything you do.(K)

10 “All of you are standing today before the Lord your God—your leaders, tribes, elders, officials, all the men of Israel, 11 your dependents, your wives, and the resident aliens in your camps who cut your wood and draw your water— 12 so that you may enter into the covenant of the Lord your God, which he is making with you today, so that you may enter into his oath 13 and so that he may establish you today as his people and he may be your God as he promised you and as he swore to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.(L) 14 I am making this covenant and this oath not only with you, 15 but also with those who are standing here with us today in the presence of the Lord our God and with those who are not here today.

Abandoning the Covenant

16 “Indeed, you know how we lived in the land of Egypt and passed through the nations where you traveled. 17 You saw their abhorrent images and idols made of wood, stone, silver, and gold, which were among them.(M) 18 Be sure there is no man, woman, clan, or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the Lord our God to go and worship the gods of those nations. Be sure there is no root among you bearing poisonous and bitter fruit.(N) 19 When someone hears the words of this oath, he may consider himself exempt,[a] thinking, ‘I will have peace even though I follow my own stubborn heart.’ This will lead to the destruction of the well-watered land as well as the dry land. 20 The Lord will not be willing to forgive him. Instead, his anger and jealousy will burn against that person, and every curse written in this scroll will descend on him. The Lord will blot out his name under heaven,(O) 21 and single him out for harm from all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant written in this book of the law.

22 “Future generations of your children who follow you and the foreigner who comes from a distant country will see the plagues of that land and the sicknesses the Lord has inflicted on it. 23 All its soil will be a burning waste of sulfur and salt, unsown, producing nothing, with no plant growing on it, just like the fall of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the Lord demolished in his fierce anger.(P) 24 All the nations will ask, ‘Why has the Lord done this to this land? Why this intense outburst of anger?’ 25 Then people will answer, ‘It is because they abandoned the covenant of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, which he had made with them when he brought them out of the land of Egypt. 26 They began to serve other gods, bowing in worship to gods they had not known(Q)—gods that the Lord had not permitted them to worship.(R) 27 Therefore the Lord’s anger burned against this land, and he brought every curse written in this book on it. 28 The Lord uprooted them from their land in his anger, rage, and intense wrath, and threw them into another land where they are today.’ 29 The hidden things belong to the Lord our God, but the revealed things belong to us and our children forever, so that we may follow all the words of this law.

Returning to the Lord

30 “When all these things happen to you—the blessings and curses I have set before you—and you come to your senses while you are in all the nations where the Lord your God has driven you,(S) and you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey him with all your heart and all your soul(T) by doing[b] everything I am commanding you today, then he will restore your fortunes,[c](U) have compassion on you, and gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you.(V) Even if your exiles are at the farthest horizon, he will gather you and bring you back from there.(W) The Lord your God will bring you into the land your ancestors possessed, and you will take possession of it.(X) He will cause you to prosper and multiply you more than he did your ancestors.(Y) The Lord your God will circumcise your heart(Z) and the hearts of your descendants, and you will love him with all your heart and all your soul so that you will live.(AA) The Lord your God will put all these curses on your enemies who hate and persecute you. Then you will again obey him and follow all his commands I am commanding you today. The Lord your God will make you prosper abundantly in all the work of your hands,(AB) your offspring,[d] the offspring of your livestock, and the produce of your land. Indeed, the Lord will again delight in your prosperity, as he delighted in that of your ancestors, 10 when you obey the Lord your God by keeping his commands and statutes that are written in this book of the law and return to him with all your heart and all your soul.

Choose Life

11 “This command that I give you today is certainly not too difficult or beyond your reach. 12 It is not in heaven so that you have to ask, ‘Who will go up to heaven, get it for us, and proclaim it to us so that we may follow it?’ 13 And it is not across the sea so that you have to ask, ‘Who will cross the sea, get it for us, and proclaim it to us so that we may follow it?’ 14 But the message is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, so that you may follow it.(AC) 15 See, today I have set before you life and prosperity, death and adversity.(AD) 16 For[e] I am commanding you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, statutes, and ordinances, so that you may live[f] and multiply, and the Lord your God may bless you in the land you are entering to possess. 17 But if your heart turns away and you do not listen and you are led astray to bow in worship to other gods and serve them, 18 I tell you today that you will certainly perish and will not prolong your days in the land you are entering to possess across the Jordan. 19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life(AE) so that you and your descendants may live, 20 love the Lord your God, obey him, and remain faithful[g] to him. For he is your life, and he will prolong your days as you live in the land the Lord swore to give to your ancestors(AF) Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

Footnotes:

  1. 29:19 Lit may consider himself blessed in his heart
  2. 30:2 Lit soul according to
  3. 30:3 Or will end your captivity
  4. 30:9 Lit hands in the fruit of your womb
  5. 30:16 LXX reads If you obey the commands of the Lord your God that
  6. 30:16 LXX reads ordinances, then you will live
  7. 30:20 Lit and hold on
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

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Luke 11:37-12:7

Religious Hypocrisy Denounced

37 As he was speaking, a Pharisee(A) asked him to dine with him. So he went in and reclined at the table. 38 When the Pharisee saw this, he was amazed that he did not first perform the ritual washing[a](B) before dinner.(C) 39 But the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed(D) and evil.(E) 40 Fools!(F) Didn’t he who made the outside make the inside too? 41 But give from what is within to the poor,[b](G) and then everything is clean(H) for you.

42 “But woe(I) to you Pharisees! You give a tenth[c](J) of mint, rue, and every kind of herb, and you bypass[d] justice(K) and love for God.[e](L) These things you should have done without neglecting the others.

43 “Woe to you Pharisees! You love the front seat(M) in the synagogues(N) and greetings in the marketplaces.

44 “Woe to you![f] You are like unmarked graves; (O) the people who walk over them don’t know it.”

45 One of the experts in the law(P) answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things you insult us too.”

46 Then he said, “Woe also to you experts in the law! You load people with burdens(Q) that are hard to carry, and yet you yourselves don’t touch these burdens with one of your fingers.(R)

47 “Woe to you! You build tombs[g] for the prophets,(S) and your fathers killed(T) them. 48 Therefore, you are witnesses(U) that you approve[h](V) the deeds of your fathers, for they killed them, and you build their monuments.[i] 49 Because of this, the wisdom of God(W) said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles,(X) and some of them they will kill and persecute,’(Y) 50 so that this generation(Z) may be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the world[j](AA) 51 from the blood of Abel(AB) to the blood of Zechariah,(AC) who perished between the altar and the sanctuary.

“Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible.[k]

52 “Woe to you experts in the law! You have taken away the key to knowledge.(AD) You didn’t go in yourselves, and you hindered(AE) those who were trying to go in.”

53 When he left there,[l] the scribes and the Pharisees began to oppose(AF) him fiercely and to cross-examine him about many things; 54 they were lying in wait(AG) for him to trap him in something he said.[m](AH)

Beware of Religious Hypocrisy

12 Meanwhile, a crowd of many thousands came together, so that they were trampling(AI) on one another. He began to say to his disciples first,(AJ) “Be on your guard(AK) against the leaven[n](AL) of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.(AM) There is nothing covered that won’t be uncovered,(AN) nothing hidden that won’t be made known.(AO) Therefore, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in an ear in private rooms(AP) will be proclaimed on the housetops.(AQ)

Fear God

“I say to you, my friends,(AR) don’t fear(AS) those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more. But I will show you the one to fear: Fear(AT) him who has authority to throw people into hell(AU) after death. Yes, I say to you, this is the one to fear! Aren’t five sparrows sold for two pennies?[o] Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight.(AV) Indeed, the hairs of your head are all counted. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Footnotes:

  1. 11:38 Lit he did not first wash
  2. 11:41 Or But donate from the heart as charity
  3. 11:42 Or a tithe
  4. 11:42 Or neglect
  5. 11:42 Lit the justice and the love of God
  6. 11:44 Other mss add scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
  7. 11:47 Or graves
  8. 11:48 Lit witnesses and approve
  9. 11:48 Other mss omit their monuments
  10. 11:50 Lit so that the blood of all... world may be required of this generation,
  11. 11:51 Lit you, it will be required of this generation
  12. 11:53 Other mss read And as he was saying these things to them
  13. 11:54 Other mss add so that they might bring charges against him
  14. 12:1 Or yeast
  15. 12:6 Lit two assaria; a small copper coin
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

Psalm 78:1-31

Psalm 78

Lessons from Israel’s Past

A Maskil of Asaph.(A)

My people, hear my instruction;
listen to the words from my mouth.(B)
I will declare wise sayings;
I will speak mysteries from the past(C)
things we have heard and known
and that our ancestors have passed down to us.(D)
We will not hide them from their children,
but will tell a future generation
the praiseworthy acts of the Lord,
his might, and the wondrous works
he has performed.(E)
He established a testimony in Jacob
and set up a law in Israel,
which he commanded our ancestors
to teach to their children(F)
so that a future generation—
children yet to be born—might know.
They were to rise and tell their children(G)
so that they might put their confidence in God
and not forget God’s works,
but keep his commands.(H)
Then they would not be like their ancestors,
a stubborn and rebellious generation,
a generation whose heart was not loyal
and whose spirit was not faithful to God.(I)

The Ephraimite archers turned back
on the day of battle.(J)
10 They did not keep God’s covenant
and refused to live by his law.(K)
11 They forgot what he had done,
the wondrous works he had shown them.(L)
12 He worked wonders in the sight of their ancestors
in the land of Egypt, the territory of Zoan.(M)
13 He split the sea and brought them across;
the water stood firm like a wall.(N)
14 He led them with a cloud by day
and with a fiery light throughout the night.(O)
15 He split rocks in the wilderness
and gave them drink as abundant as the depths.(P)
16 He brought streams out of the stone
and made water flow down like rivers.(Q)

17 But they continued to sin against him,
rebelling in the desert against the Most High.(R)
18 They deliberately[a] tested God,
demanding the food they craved.(S)
19 They spoke against God, saying,
“Is God able to provide food in the wilderness?
20 Look! He struck the rock and water gushed out;
torrents overflowed.(T)
But can he also provide bread
or furnish meat for his people?” (U)
21 Therefore, the Lord heard and became furious;
then fire broke out against Jacob,
and anger flared up against Israel(V)
22 because they did not believe God
or rely on his salvation.(W)
23 He gave a command to the clouds above
and opened the doors of heaven.(X)
24 He rained manna for them to eat;
he gave them grain from heaven.(Y)
25 People[b] ate the bread of angels.[c]
He sent them an abundant supply of food.(Z)
26 He made the east wind blow in the skies
and drove the south wind by his might.(AA)
27 He rained meat on them like dust,
and winged birds like the sand of the seas.
28 He made them fall in the camp,
all around the tents.(AB)
29 The people ate and were completely satisfied,
for he gave them what they craved.(AC)
30 Before they had turned from what they craved,
while the food was still in their mouths,
31 God’s anger flared up against them,
and he killed some of their best men.
He struck down Israel’s fit young men.(AD)

Footnotes:

  1. 78:18 Lit in their heart
  2. 78:25 Lit Man
  3. 78:25 Lit mighty ones
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

Proverbs 12:19-20

19 Truthful lips endure forever,
but a lying tongue, only a moment.(A)

20 Deceit is in the hearts of those who plot evil,
but those who promote peace have joy.(B)

Cross references:

  1. 12:19 : Ps 52:4–5; Pr 19:9
  2. 12:20 : Pr 14:22
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Monday April 5, 2021 (NIV)

Deuteronomy 28

Blessings for Obedience

28 “Now(A) if you faithfully obey the Lord your God(B) and are careful to follow all his commands I am giving you today,(C) the Lord your God will put you far above all the nations of the earth.(D) All these blessings will come and overtake(E) you, because you obey the Lord your God:

You will be blessed in the city
and blessed in the country.(F)
Your offspring[a] will be blessed,
and your land’s produce,
and the offspring of your livestock,
including the young of your herds
and the newborn of your flocks.(G)
Your basket and kneading bowl will be blessed.
You will be blessed when you come in
and blessed when you go out.(H)

“The Lord will cause the enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you. They will march out against you from one direction but flee from you in seven directions. The Lord will grant you a blessing on your barns and on everything you do;[b](I) he will bless you in the land the Lord your God is giving you.(J) The Lord will establish you as his holy people,(K) as he swore to you, if you obey the commands of the Lord your God and walk in his ways. 10 Then all the peoples of the earth will see that you bear the Lord’s name,(L) and they will stand in awe of you.(M) 11 The Lord will make you prosper abundantly with offspring,[c] the offspring of your livestock, and your land’s produce in the land the Lord swore to your ancestors to give you. 12 The Lord will open for you his abundant storehouse,(N) the sky, to give your land rain in its season and to bless all the work of your hands.(O) You will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow. 13 The Lord will make you the head and not the tail;(P) you will only move upward and never downward if you listen to the Lord your God’s commands I am giving you today and are careful to follow them. 14 Do not turn aside to the right or the left from all the things I am commanding you today,(Q) and do not follow other gods to worship them.

Curses for Disobedience

15 “But if you do not obey the Lord your God by carefully following all his commands and statutes I am giving you today, all these curses will come and overtake(R) you:(S)

16 You will be cursed in the city
and cursed in the country.
17 Your basket and kneading bowl will be cursed.
18 Your offspring will be cursed,
and your land’s produce,
the young of your herds,
and the newborn of your flocks.
19 You will be cursed when you come in
and cursed when you go out.

20 The Lord will send against you curses, confusion,(T) and rebuke in everything you do until you are destroyed and quickly perish,(U) because of the wickedness of your actions in abandoning me.(V) 21 The Lord will make pestilence cling to you until he has exterminated you from the land you are entering to possess.(W) 22 The Lord will afflict you with wasting disease, fever, inflammation, burning heat, drought,[d] blight, and mildew;(X) these will pursue you until you perish. 23 The sky above you will be bronze, and the earth beneath you iron. 24 The Lord will turn the rain of your land into falling[e] dust; it will descend on you from the sky until you are destroyed. 25 The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You will march out against them from one direction but flee from them in seven directions.(Y) You will be an object of horror(Z) to all the kingdoms of the earth. 26 Your corpses will be food for all the birds of the sky and the wild animals of the earth, with no one to scare them away.(AA)

27 “The Lord will afflict you with the boils of Egypt,(AB) tumors, a festering rash, and scabies, from which you cannot be cured. 28 The Lord will afflict you with madness, blindness, and mental confusion,(AC) 29 so that at noon you will grope as a blind person gropes in the dark.(AD) You will not be successful in anything you do. You will only be oppressed and robbed continually, and no one will help you.(AE) 30 You will become engaged to a woman, but another man will rape her. You will build a house but not live in it.(AF) You will plant a vineyard but not enjoy its fruit. 31 Your ox will be slaughtered before your eyes, but you will not eat any of it. Your donkey will be taken away from you and not returned to you. Your flock will be given to your enemies, and no one will help you. 32 Your sons and daughters will be given to another people, while your eyes grow weary looking for them every day. But you will be powerless to do anything.(AG) 33 A people you don’t know will eat your land’s produce and everything you have labored for. You will only be oppressed and crushed continually.(AH) 34 You will be driven mad by what you see. 35 The Lord will afflict you with painful and incurable boils on your knees and thighs—from the sole of your foot to the top of your head.(AI)

36 “The Lord will bring you and your king that you have appointed to a nation neither you nor your ancestors have known, and there you will worship other gods, of wood and stone.(AJ) 37 You will become an object of horror, scorn, and ridicule among all the peoples where the Lord will drive you.(AK)

38 “You will sow much seed in the field but harvest little, because locusts will devour it. 39 You will plant and cultivate vineyards but not drink the wine or gather the grapes, because worms will eat them. 40 You will have olive trees throughout your territory but not moisten your skin with oil, because your olives will drop off. 41 You will father sons and daughters, but they will not remain yours, because they will be taken prisoner. 42 Buzzing insects will take possession of all your trees and your land’s produce. 43 The resident alien among you will rise higher and higher above you, while you sink lower and lower. 44 He will lend to you, but you won’t lend to him. He will be the head, and you will be the tail.

45 “All these curses will come, pursue, and overtake you until you are destroyed, since you did not obey the Lord your God and keep the commands and statutes he gave you. 46 These curses will be a sign and a wonder(AL) against you and your descendants forever. 47 Because you didn’t serve the Lord your God with joy and a cheerful heart,(AM) even though you had an abundance of everything, 48 you will serve your enemies that the Lord will send against you, in famine, thirst, nakedness, and a lack of everything. He will place an iron yoke(AN) on your neck until he has destroyed you. 49 The Lord will bring a nation from far away, from the ends of the earth,(AO) to swoop down on you like an eagle,(AP) a nation whose language you won’t understand,(AQ) 50 a ruthless nation, showing no respect for the old and not sparing the young. 51 They will eat the offspring of your livestock and your land’s produce until you are destroyed. They will leave you no grain, new wine, fresh oil, young of your herds, or newborn of your flocks until they cause you to perish. 52 They will besiege you within all your city gates until your high and fortified walls, that you trust in, come down throughout your land. They will besiege you within all your city gates throughout the land the Lord your God has given you.

53 “You will eat your offspring,[f] the flesh of your sons and daughters the Lord your God has given you(AR) during the siege and hardship your enemy imposes on you. 54 The most sensitive and refined man among you will look grudgingly at his brother, the wife he embraces, and the rest of his children, 55 refusing to share with any of them his children’s flesh that he will eat because he has nothing left during the siege and hardship your enemy imposes on you in all your towns. 56 The most sensitive and refined woman among you, who would not venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground because of her refinement and sensitivity, will begrudge the husband she embraces, her son, and her daughter, 57 the afterbirth that comes out from between her legs and the children she bears, because she will secretly eat them for lack of anything else during the siege and hardship your enemy imposes on you within your city gates.

58 “If you are not careful to obey all the words of this law, which are written in this scroll, by fearing this glorious and awe-inspiring name—the Lord, your God— 59 he will bring wondrous plagues on you and your descendants, severe and lasting plagues, and terrible and chronic sicknesses. 60 He will afflict you again with all the diseases of Egypt,(AS) which you dreaded, and they will cling to you. 61 The Lord will also afflict you with every sickness and plague not recorded in the book of this law, until you are destroyed. 62 Though you were as numerous as the stars of the sky, you will be left with only a few people, because you did not obey the Lord your God. 63 Just as the Lord was glad to cause you to prosper and to multiply you, so he will also be glad to cause you to perish and to destroy you. You will be ripped out of the land you are entering to possess. 64 Then the Lord will scatter you among all peoples from one end of the earth to the other,(AT) and there you will worship other gods, of wood and stone,(AU) which neither you nor your ancestors have known.(AV) 65 You will find no peace among those nations, and there will be no resting place(AW) for the sole of your foot. There the Lord will give you a trembling heart, failing eyes, and a despondent spirit. 66 Your life will hang in doubt before you. You will be in dread night and day, never certain of survival. 67 In the morning you will say, ‘If only it were evening!’ and in the evening you will say, ‘If only it were morning!’—because of the dread you will have in your heart and because of what you will see. 68 The Lord will take you back in ships to Egypt by a route that I said you would never see again.(AX) There you will sell yourselves to your enemies as male and female slaves, but no one will buy you.”

Footnotes:

  1. 28:4 Lit The fruit of your womb, also in v. 18
  2. 28:8 Lit you put your hand to, also in v. 20
  3. 28:11 Lit abundantly in the fruit of your womb
  4. 28:22 Or sword
  5. 28:24 Lit powder and
  6. 28:53 Lit eat the fruit of your womb

Cross references:

  1. 28:1–14 : Lv 26:3–13
  2. 28:1 : Ex 15:26; 19:5; 23:22; Dt 11:13; 15:5; Jr 17:24; Zch 6:15
  3. 28:1 : Dt 13:18; 30:8
  4. 28:1 : Gn 18:18; 22:18; Jr 33:9; Zch 12:3
  5. 28:2 : Dt 28:15,45; Is 35:10; 51:11; Zch 1:6
  6. 28:3 : Dt 28:16
  7. 28:4 : Dt 7:13
  8. 28:6 : Dt 28:19; 2Kg 19:27; Is 37:28
  9. 28:8 : Pr 3:10
  10. 28:8 : Dt 15:4; 30:16
  11. 28:9 : Ex 22:31; Dt 7:6; 14:2,21; 26:19; Is 62:12; 63:18
  12. 28:10 : 1Kg 8:60; 2Ch 6:33; Zph 3:20
  13. 28:10 : Dt 2:4; Mc 7:17
  14. 28:12 : Ps 135:7; Jr 10:13; 51:16
  15. 28:12 : Dt 2:7; 14:29; 16:15; 24:19; 30:9
  16. 28:13 : Dt 28:44
  17. 28:14 : 1Sm 6:12; 12:21; 1Kg 15:5; 2Kg 22:2; 2Ch 34:2
  18. 28:15 : Jb 27:20; Ps 7:5; 40:12; 69:24; Hs 10:9; Zch 1:6
  19. 28:15–68 : Lv 26:14–46
  20. 28:20 : Ezk 7:7
  21. 28:20 : Dt 7:23,24; 28:45,48,51,61; Jos 23:15
  22. 28:20 : Jr 4:4; 21:12; 26:3; 44:22
  23. 28:21 : 1Sm 15:18; Jr 9:16; 49:37
  24. 28:22 : Am 4:9
  25. 28:25 : Dt 28:7
  26. 28:25 : 2Ch 29:8; Jr 15:4; 24:9; 29:18; 34:17
  27. 28:26 : Ps 79:2; Is 5:25; 34:3; Jr 7:33; 16:4; 19:7; 34:20; Ezk 6:5; Nah 3:3
  28. 28:27 : Ex 9:9–11
  29. 28:28 : 2Kg 9:20; Zch 12:4
  30. 28:28–29 : Jb 5:14; Ps 91:6; Is 59:9–10; Am 8:9; Mt 27:45
  31. 28:29 : Dt 22:27; 1Sm 11:3; 2Sm 22:42; Ps 18:41; Is 47:15
  32. 28:30 : Ac 1:20
  33. 28:32 : Neh 5:5
  34. 28:33 : Jdg 10:8; Jb 20:19; Hs 5:11; Am 4:1
  35. 28:35 : Jb 2:7; Is 1:6
  36. 28:36 : Dt 4:28; 28:64; Dn 5:23
  37. 28:37 : Dt 4:27; 1Kg 9:7; 2Ch 7:20; Jr 24:9
  38. 28:46 : Ex 7:3; Dt 4:34; 6:22; 7:19; 26:8; Is 8:18; Jr 32:20
  39. 28:47 : Pr 15:15; Ec 9:7
  40. 28:48 : Jr 28:13–14
  41. 28:49 : Is 5:26
  42. 28:49 : Jr 48:40; 49:22
  43. 28:49 : Jr 5:15
  44. 28:53 : Lv 26:29; 2Kg 6:25–29; Jr 19:9; Lm 2:20; 4:10; Ezk 5:10
  45. 28:60 : Dt 7:15
  46. 28:64 : Lv 26:33; Dt 4:27; Neh 1:8; Ezk 22:15
  47. 28:64 : Dt 4:28; 28:36; 2Kg 19:18; Ezk 20:32; Dn 5:4,23
  48. 28:64 : Dt 8:16; 13:6; 28:36
  49. 28:65 : Gn 8:9; Dt 12:9
  50. 28:68 : Dt 17:16
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

Luke 11:14-36

A House Divided

14 Now(A) he was driving out a demon(B) that was mute.(C) When the demon came out, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were amazed. 15 But some of them said, “He drives out demons by Beelzebul,(D) the ruler(E) of the demons.”(F) 16 And others, as a test,(G) were demanding of him a sign(H) from heaven.

17 Knowing their thoughts,(I) he told them, “Every kingdom divided(J) against itself is headed for destruction, and a house divided against itself falls. 18 If Satan(K) also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom(L) stand? For you say I drive out demons by Beelzebul. 19 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons(M) drive them out? For this reason they will be your judges. 20 If I drive out demons by the finger of God,(N) then the kingdom of God(O) has come upon you. 21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his estate, his possessions are secure. 22 But when one stronger than he attacks and overpowers(P) him, he takes from him all his weapons[a](Q) he trusted(R) in, and divides up his plunder.(S) 23 Anyone who is not with me is against me,(T) and anyone who does not gather with me scatters.

An Unclean Spirit’s Return

24 “When(U) an unclean spirit(V) comes out of a person, it roams through waterless places looking for rest,(W) and not finding rest, it then[b] says, ‘I’ll go back to my house that I came from.’ 25 Returning, it finds the house swept and put in order. 26 Then it goes and brings seven other spirits(X) more evil than itself, and they enter and settle down there. As a result, that person’s last condition is worse than the first.”(Y)

True Blessedness

27 As he was saying these things, a woman from the crowd(Z) raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the one who nursed you!” (AA)

28 He said, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God(AB) and keep it.”(AC)

The Sign of Jonah

29 As the crowds were increasing, he began saying, “This generation(AD) is an evil generation.(AE) It demands a sign,(AF) but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.[c](AG) 30 For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so also the Son of Man(AH) will be to this generation. 31 The queen of the south(AI) will rise up at the judgment(AJ) with the men of this generation and condemn(AK) them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon,(AL) and look—something greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at Jonah’s preaching, and look—something greater than Jonah is here.

The Lamp of the Body

33 “No(AM) one lights a lamp(AN) and puts it in the cellar or under a basket,[d] but on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see its light. 34 Your eye is the lamp of the body.(AO) When your eye is healthy, your whole body is also full of light. But when it is bad,(AP) your body is also full of darkness. 35 Take care, then, that the light in you is not darkness. 36 If, therefore, your whole body is full of light, with no part of it in darkness, it will be entirely illuminated, as when a lamp shines its light on you.”

Footnotes:

  1. 11:22 Gk panoplia, the armor and weapons of a foot soldier; Eph 6:11,13
  2. 11:24 Other mss omit then
  3. 11:29 Other mss add the prophet
  4. 11:33 Other mss omit or under a basket
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

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Psalm 77

Psalm 77

Confidence in a Time of Crisis

For the choir director: according to Jeduthun. Of Asaph.(A) A psalm.

I cry aloud to God,
aloud to God, and he will hear me.(B)
I sought the Lord in my day of trouble.
My hands were continually lifted up
all night long;
I refused to be comforted.(C)
I think of God; I groan;
I meditate; my spirit becomes weak.(D)Selah

You have kept me from closing my eyes;
I am troubled and cannot speak.(E)
I consider days of old,
years long past.(F)
At night I remember my music;
I meditate in my heart, and my spirit ponders.(G)

“Will the Lord reject forever
and never again show favor?(H)
Has his faithful love ceased forever?
Is his promise at an end for all generations?(I)
Has God forgotten to be gracious?
Has he in anger withheld his compassion?” (J)Selah

10 So I say, “I am grieved
that the right hand of the Most High has changed.”[a](K)
11 I will remember the Lord’s works;
yes, I will remember your ancient wonders.(L)
12 I will reflect on all you have done
and meditate on your actions.(M)

13 God, your way is holy.
What god is great like God?(N)
14 You are the God who works wonders;
you revealed your strength among the peoples.(O)
15 With power you redeemed your people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.(P)Selah

16 The water saw you, God.
The water saw you; it trembled.
Even the depths shook.(Q)
17 The clouds poured down water.
The storm clouds thundered;
your arrows flashed back and forth.(R)
18 The sound of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
lightning lit up the world.(S)
The earth shook and quaked.(T)
19 Your way went through the sea
and your path through the vast water,
but your footprints were unseen.(U)
20 You led your people like a flock(V)
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.(W)

Footnotes:

  1. 77:10 Hb obscure
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

Proverbs 12:18

18 There is one who speaks rashly,
like a piercing sword;(A)
but the tongue of the wise brings healing.(B)

Cross references:

  1. 12:18 : Ps 57:4
  2. 12:18 : Pr 4:22; 15:4
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

04/04/2021 DAB Transcript

Deuteronomy 26:1-27:26, Luke 10:38-11:13, Psalms 76:1-12, Proverbs 12:15-17

Today is the 4th day of April welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian it is a joy, a privilege and an honor like every day to be here with you very much, especially today because we’re not just greeting a brand-new shiny sparkly new week, we’re embracing a brand-new shiny sparkly new life. Today is Easter. He is risen. All things are being made new. Glory to God in the highest.

Song

The Victor – Keith Green

Swallowed into earth’s dark womb
Death has triumphed
That’s what they say
But try to hold Him in the tomb
The Son of Life
Rose on the third day

Look!
The gates of hell
They’re falling
Crumbling from the inside out
He’s bursting through
The walls with laughter (Hah!)
Listen to the Angels shout

It is finished
He has done it
Life conquered death
Jesus Christ
Has won it

His plan of battle fooled them all
They led Him off to prison to die
But as He entered Hades Hall
He broke those hellish chains with a cry

Just listen to those demons screaming
See Him bruise the serpent’s head
The prisoners of Hell
He’s redeeming (Oh!)
All the power of death is dead

It is finished
He has done it
Life conquered death
Jesus Christ
Has won it

Look!
The gates of hell they’re falling
Crumbling from the inside out
He’s bursting through the walls with laughter (Hah!)
Listen to the Angels shout
(Listen, oh, listen)

It is finished
He has done it
Life conquered death
Jesus Christ
Has won it

It is finished
He has done it
Life conquered death
Jesus Christ
Has won it

So, happy Easter everybody. What a joy to be able to celebrate and observe Easter together all over the world around the Global Campfire as we do what we do and take the next step forward in the Scriptures. And we have a brand-new shiny sparkly week to live into. This week we will read from the Christian Standard Bible, picking up where we left off yesterday. Deuteronomy chapters 26 and 27.

Prayer:

Father we thank You for Your word. We thank You that it instructs us and counsels us and comforts us and rebukes us and pulls us forward. We thank You that it tells us the story of how we got here. It tells us the story of Jesus. It tells us the story of His compassion and His love and the…the way He operated in this world and revealing what humanity can be and then making that possible. We are restored. It’s beyond belief. We can come boldly into Your presence, it’s beyond belief. It's…it’s the good news. The good news of humanity, that things have changed. And yes, this is Easter Sunday, and this is the day that we pay attention to that but it’s a reality every day. And, so, we have move through a season of considering where our path was leading and what our plight was without You and we’ve sat with what it took to bring us this freedom and now we rejoice with full open hearts we rejoice that You have rescued us and restored us, that we are Your children and You are our Father, You are our Papa, You are our Abba not a distant angry deity that we need to jump through hoops just to survive. You are our Father, and we rejoice in Your victory over darkness, that death is swallowed up in victory. O, death where is Your sting? O grave, where is Your victory? There is an empty tomb, Christ, the firstborn of many brethren and that includes all of us. We are speechless God as we contemplate the magnitude of something we could never ever achieve. And it’s been achieved and handed to us freely. It’s unspeakable. It’s too good. We ask Holy Spirit that You would lead us that we might live our lives honoring this in the name of Jesus, the risen Savior, we ask. Amen.

Song:

Easter Song – Keith Green

Hear the bells ringing, they’re singing
That You can be born again
Here the bells ringing, they’re singing
Christ is risen from the dead

The angel up on the tombstone
Said, He has risen, just as He said
Quickly now, go tell His disciples
That Jesus Christ is no longer dead

Joy to the world
He has risen, Hallelujah
He’s risen, Hallelujah
He’s risen, Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hear the bells ringing, they’re singing
That You can be healed right now
Hear the bells ringing, they’re singing
Christ, He will reveal it now

The angels, they all surround us
And they are ministering Jesus’s power
Quickly now, reach out and receive it
For this could be your glorious hour

Joy to the world
He has risen, Hallelujah
He’s risen, Hallelujah
He’s risen, Hallelujah, Hallelujah

The angel up on the tombstone
Said, He has risen, just as He said
Quickly now, go tell His disciples
That Jesus Christ is no longer dead

Joy to the world
He has risen, Hallelujah
He’s risen, Hallelujah
He’s risen, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Sunday April 4, 2021 (NIV)

Deuteronomy 26-27

Giving the Firstfruits

26 “When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance,(A) and you take possession of it and live in it, take some of the first of all the land’s produce that you harvest from the land the Lord your God is giving you and put it in a basket. Then go to the place where the Lord your God chooses to have his name dwell.(B) When you come before the priest who is serving at that time, say to him, ‘Today I declare to the Lord your[a] God that I have entered the land the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us.’

“Then the priest will take the basket from you and place it before the altar of the Lord your God. You are to respond by saying in the presence of the Lord your God:

My father was a wandering Aramean.(C) He went down to Egypt with a few people and resided there as an alien.(D) There he became a great, powerful, and populous nation. But the Egyptians mistreated and oppressed us, and forced us to do hard labor. So we called out to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, and the Lord heard our cry and saw our misery, hardship, and oppression.(E) Then the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, with terrifying power, and with signs and wonders. He led us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.(F) 10 I have now brought the first of the land’s produce that you, Lord, have given me.

You will then place the container before the Lord your God and bow down to him. 11 You, the Levites, and the resident aliens among you will rejoice(G) in all the good things the Lord your God has given you and your household.

The Tenth in the Third Year

12 “When you have finished paying all the tenth of your produce in the third year,(H) the year of the tenth, you are to give it to the Levites, resident aliens, fatherless children, and widows, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied. 13 Then you will say in the presence of the Lord your God:

I have taken the consecrated portion out of my house; I have also given it to the Levites, resident aliens, fatherless children, and widows, according to all the commands you gave me. I have not violated or forgotten your commands. 14 I have not eaten any of it while in mourning, or removed any of it while unclean, or offered any of it for the dead.(I) I have obeyed the Lord my God; I have done all you commanded me. 15 Look down from your holy dwelling, from heaven, and bless your people Israel and the land you have given us as you swore to our ancestors, a land flowing with milk and honey.

Covenant Summary

16 “The Lord your God is commanding you this day to follow these statutes and ordinances. Follow them carefully with all your heart and all your soul. 17 Today you have affirmed that the Lord is your God and that you will walk in his ways, keep his statutes, commands, and ordinances, and obey him. 18 And today the Lord has affirmed that you are his own possession as he promised you, that you are to keep all his commands, 19 that he will elevate you to praise, fame, and glory above all the nations he has made, and that you will be a holy people(J) to the Lord your God as he promised.”

The Law Written on Stones

27 Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people, “Keep every command I am giving you today. When you cross the Jordan into the land the Lord your God is giving you, set up large stones and cover them with plaster.(K) Write all the words of this law on the stones after you cross to enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey,(L) as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has promised you. When you have crossed the Jordan, you are to set up these stones on Mount Ebal, as I am commanding you today, and you are to cover them with plaster. Build an altar of stones there to the Lord your God—do not use any iron tool on them.(M) Use uncut stones to build the altar of the Lord your God and offer burnt offerings to the Lord your God on it. There you are to sacrifice fellowship offerings, eat, and rejoice in the presence of the Lord your God. Write clearly all the words of this law on the plastered stones.”

The Covenant Curses

Moses and the Levitical priests spoke to all Israel, “Be silent, Israel, and listen! This day you have become the people of the Lord your God. 10 Obey the Lord your God and follow his commands and statutes I am giving you today.”

11 On that day Moses commanded the people, 12 “When you have crossed the Jordan, these tribes will stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin. 13 And these tribes will stand on Mount Ebal to deliver the curse: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.(N) 14 The Levites will proclaim in a loud voice to every Israelite:

15 ‘The person who makes a carved idol or cast image, which is detestable to the Lord, the work of a craftsman, and sets it up in secret is cursed.’

And all the people will reply, ‘Amen!’

16 ‘The one who dishonors his father or mother is cursed.’

And all the people will say, ‘Amen!’

17 ‘The one who moves his neighbor’s boundary marker is cursed.’

And all the people will say, ‘Amen!’

18 ‘The one who leads a blind person astray on the road is cursed.’

And all the people will say, ‘Amen!’

19 ‘The one who denies justice to a resident alien, a fatherless child, or a widow is cursed.’

And all the people will say, ‘Amen!’

20 ‘The one who sleeps with his father’s wife is cursed, for he has violated his father’s marriage bed.’[b]

And all the people will say, ‘Amen!’

21 ‘The one who has sexual intercourse with any animal is cursed.’

And all the people will say, ‘Amen!’

22 ‘The one who sleeps with his sister, whether his father’s daughter or his mother’s daughter is cursed.’

And all the people will say, ‘Amen!’

23 ‘The one who sleeps with his mother-in-law is cursed.’

And all the people will say, ‘Amen!’

24 ‘The one who secretly kills his neighbor is cursed.’

And all the people will say, ‘Amen!’

25 ‘The one who accepts a bribe to kill an innocent person is cursed.’

And all the people will say, ‘Amen!’

26 ‘Anyone who does not put the words of this law into practice is cursed.’

And all the people will say, ‘Amen!’

Footnotes:

  1. 26:3 LXX reads my
  2. 27:20 Lit has uncovered the edge of his father’s garment; Ru 3:9; Ezk 16:8
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

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Luke 10:38-11:13

Martha and Mary

38 While they were traveling, he entered a village, and a woman named Martha(A) welcomed him into her home.[a] 39 She had a sister named Mary, who also sat at the Lord’s[b] feet(B) and was listening to what he said.[c] 40 But Martha was distracted by her many tasks, and she came up and asked, “Lord, don’t you care(C) that my sister has left me to serve alone? So tell her to give me a hand.”[d](D)

41 The Lord[e] answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things,(E) 42 but one thing is necessary.[f](F) Mary has made the right choice,[g] and it will not be taken away from her.”

The Lord’s Prayer

11 He was praying(G) in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John also taught his disciples.”(H)

He said to them, “Whenever you pray, say,(I)

Father,[h](J)
your name(K) be honored as holy.(L)
Your kingdom come.[i](M)
Give us each day our daily bread.[j](N)
And forgive us our sins,(O)
for we ourselves also forgive everyone
in debt to us.[k](P)
And do not bring us into temptation.”[l](Q)

Ask, Search, Knock

He also said to them, “Suppose one of you[m] has a friend and goes to him at midnight and says to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I don’t have anything to offer him.’ Then he will answer from inside and say, ‘Don’t bother me! The door is already locked, and my children and I have gone to bed. I can’t get up to give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he won’t get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his friend’s shameless boldness,[n] he will get up and give him as much as he needs.(R)

“So(S) I say to you, ask,(T) and it will be given to you. Seek,(U) and you will find. Knock,(V) and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 What father among you, if his son[o] asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil,(W) know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father(X) give the Holy Spirit(Y) to those who ask him?”

Footnotes:

  1. 10:38 Other mss omit into her home
  2. 10:39 Other mss read at Jesus’s
  3. 10:39 Lit to his word or message
  4. 10:40 Or tell her to help me
  5. 10:41 Other mss read Jesus
  6. 10:42 Some mss read few things are necessary, or only one
  7. 10:42 Lit has chosen the good part, or has chosen the better portion; = the right meal
  8. 11:2 Other mss read Our Father in heaven
  9. 11:2 Other mss add Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven
  10. 11:3 Or our bread for tomorrow
  11. 11:4 Or everyone who wrongs us
  12. 11:4 Other mss add But deliver us from the evil one
  13. 11:5 Lit Who of you
  14. 11:8 Or persistence
  15. 11:11 Other mss read son asks for bread, would give him a stone? Or if he
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

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Psalm 76

Psalm 76

God, the Powerful Judge

For the choir director: with stringed instruments. A psalm of Asaph.(A) A song.

God is known in Judah;
his name is great in Israel.(B)
His tent is in Salem,
his dwelling place in Zion.(C)
There he shatters the bow’s flaming arrows,
the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war.(D)Selah

You are resplendent and majestic
coming down from the mountains of prey.(E)
The brave-hearted have been plundered;
they have slipped into their final sleep.
None of the warriors was able to lift a hand.(F)
At your rebuke, God of Jacob,
both chariot and horse lay still.(G)

And you—you are to be feared.[a]
When you are angry,
who can stand before you?(H)
From heaven you pronounced judgment.
The earth feared and grew quiet(I)
when God rose up to judge
and to save all the lowly of the earth.(J)Selah
10 Even human wrath will praise you;
you will clothe yourself
with the wrath that remains.[b](K)

11 Make and keep your vows
to the Lord your God;(L)
let all who are around him bring tribute
to the awe-inspiring one.[c](M)
12 He humbles the spirit of leaders;
he is feared by the kings of the earth.(N)

Footnotes:

  1. 76:7 Or are awe-inspiring
  2. 76:10 Hb obscure
  3. 76:11 Or tribute with awe
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

Proverbs 12:15-17

15 A fool’s way is right in his own eyes,(A)
but whoever listens to counsel is wise.

16 A fool’s displeasure is known at once,
but whoever ignores an insult is sensible.(B)

17 Whoever speaks the truth declares what is right,
but a false witness speaks deceit.(C)

Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

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04/03/2021 DAB Transcript

Deuteronomy 23:1-25:19, Luke 10:13-37, Psalms 75:1-10, Proverbs 12:12-14

Today is the 3rd day of April welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian it is a joy to be here with you as we bring to a close of another week together, even as we begin a new month. It seems there’s like transitions happening all the time. And of course, we find ourselves right in the middle of a transition. This is Holy Saturday, and this is between Good Friday and Easter, right? So, this tension in between which is where we live so much of our lives. But this is this is a weird day, this day in between. It's…it’s supposed to be, because Jesus, if we’re commemorating and observing this than we would understand that Jesus died yesterday. Like we observed and commemorated His death, which means that today He’s dead. His body is lying in a tomb and it’s been a lot of hours now. And even though His body was ravaged and what happened to him unthinkable He would’ve been cold. His body would’ve been cold lying in the tomb. And that…we don’t want to think about any of that. It seems disruptive and uncomfortable because it’s uncomfortable, because it’s supposed to be. We sit in this tension today with just a ray of hope. And thankfully we know tomorrow comes and we know what that represents, and we know that we will rejoice. But if we’re putting ourselves back into the story than we don’t know that yet. And that’s the tension that we embrace as we move through this, the most important season, toward the most important day. If there’s no Easter than we are in the wrong place at the wrong time doing the wrong thing. But thankfully that’s not the case. And where in the right place at the right time, doing the right thing. And, so, let’s reach out our foot and move forward and take the next step in the Scriptures as we continue our journey. We’re reading from the Contemporary English Version this week, which is today. Deuteronomy chapters 23, 24, and 25.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word. We thank You for another week in Your word, another week to allow Your Spirit to plant seeds in the soil of our hearts, another week to tend the garden of our hearts so that we are good soil, another week to look forward to the harvest. We also find ourselves here in the in between, in between death and life really. And this is what we’re contemplating today. We have sat with our sin through a season. We have observed and contemplated the cost and we are still in that tension hoping, hoping that there’s some way. Even though we know how this story goes, even…even though we know there is a way and the truth and a life and that is You, Jesus, as we engage with the story that brought us to this moment, this is where we find ourselves in the in between, in the tension, in the place where we have to hope beyond hope. And, so, Holy Spirit come into that as we prepare our hearts for great joy in the morning. We pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hey guys it’s Sparky from Texas and first of all I just wanted to tell everybody thank you for the prayers and you don’t know how much it means when…when you’re having a rough week and…and you hear prayers from Georgia and…and all over and it just…it means a lot. And I also wanted to tell the lady that saying I love you Lord that it broke me down in tears and on a job site standing on a ladder hearing that. I had a grandma who’s passed away that when I was young would send me to church camp every summer and we were church Christ. And…and there were no instruments and hearing you sing that and from your heart I just…I wanted to let you know that he loves you too. I hope that you feel that because you made me feel something that…that’s deep and a deep kind of love and He loves you very much. And I just want you to know that that was the most beautiful heartfelt…heartfelt thing that I’ve heard in a long time. And I just wanted to give you praise because your Father is very proud of you. And thank you again for your prayers, And I’m praying for all of you guys. Every time I hear a prayer request, I’m uttering prayer myself and to God. There going up and this is a real thing. And everybody be well and I hope you have a good rest of the week.

Hi this is Victoria Soldier I’m calling to wanted to call and pray for some of the DABbers. I want to thank all of my precious sisters and brothers for praying for my…for my sister-in-law and my nephew. It’s her only son and she’s in the hospital and…and he wound up in jail and she’s trying to get to him but she’s not able to get out and I just thank you all so very much for praying with me on this. And we just believe in…we just believe in great miracles. I also called to pray from Micah and his 16-year-old girlfriend that’s about to have the baby and God come in and bless like gangbusters and…and work a wonderful miracle in their life. I want to also pray for the…the young man who’s in the military and…and is having a lot of challenges and he needs some direction. And I’m just praying that God would give him the direction and would speak to his spirit. I want to pray for Joseph from Australia. I want to pray for…for them for the deliverance in their household and I want to…I want to pray for…for…for the wife and…and the children that is going through the alcohol problem, the children with the alcohol problem and the single mother that is having challenges with the…with the kids. I want to also pray for the young woman who’s suffering anxiety and depression. I want God to work a miracle there and I want to thank Duncan my piano man for his prayers also and I want to pray for him to continue to get those…those…those piano ones…ones that he can…those piano ones so that…that he can reach out to people and God can bless him and continue to strengthen him in the loss of his precious wife. Gracious Father we just praise…

Good morning family this is Delta Alpha Foxtrot calling from the central Texas front. I’m calling for urgent prayer for my friend Victor. He’s been in the hospital the whole month of March with covid and was just intubated in…on Sunday. And, so, I just want to ask everyone lift him up, just pray for restoration and healing in his lungs, get rid of that pneumonia and just get rid of that covid from…from his body. I thank you all for praying. Want to shout to all my old friends out there, all the guys from wild at heart, to Blind Tony just everyone that’s been praying through the years. Love you all. Love you Brian. Thank you for all that you do. This is Delta Alpha Foxtrot calling from the Central Texas front.

Hey family this is Sparky from Texas I just wanted to give you guys an update and a praise report. I just wanted to thank you all so much for prayers. And I…I’m sorry that I don’t have to get names. Most of the time I’m working, and I have a headphone in my ear, but it is a big deal, and this is a very powerful family and I appreciate it. And like clockwork, I had…I had been suffering from depression and there was a lot to it and I had taken a test and I had very low testosterone and insanely low and as my wife and I got to looking through it, it's…if you’re a male there’s a lot of depression a lot of tired exhaustion, moods. And, so, I’ve got a doctor’s appointment scheduled for that and I just love all you guys. I’m praying for all of y'all and I just wanted you…wanted you all to know how powerful it is when that rings through and just I pray with every one of you everyone that goes up and I love you guys. Paula, I did pause it. I got your email. And to the ladies that have been praying for me, thank you. It means so much and I love you all and God loves you and God bless. Thank you for praying for me and my family.

Hi Daily Audio Bible my name is Mattie this is my first time calling but I’ve been on the Prayer Wall and I just appreciate the community here. I just need prayer and community. I am in my final semester of grad school and…and it’s been tough because grad school is tough but also because we’re in a pandemic and the community and belonging and just kindred spirits that I found in my classes, we aren’t connecting the same way, obviously not being able to be together. And I’m not without hope and I’m not without motivation and desire to do a good job and to finish well but also, I am exhausted, and I struggle with depression and…and I’m just not doing how I normally am. And I feel like my normal support group, my normal friends, are in a way kind of doing their own things. So, I really, really, really would love prayer for that and my ability to connect with the Lord in this season of craziness. I recently started a new job and all of it together I just feel like I'm…I’m not going to finish which I am but it’s a lot. So, I would appreciate your prayer. Thank you so much I appreciate you Daily Audio Bible family.

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Saturday April 3, 2021 (NIV)

Deuteronomy 23-25

Who Cannot Become One of the Lord’s People

Moses said to Israel:

23 If a man’s private parts have been crushed or cut off,[a] he cannot fully belong to the Lord’s people.

No one born outside of a legal marriage, or any of their descendants for ten generations, can fully belong to the Lord’s people.

No Ammonites or Moabites, or any of their descendants for ten generations, can become part of Israel, the Lord’s people. This is because when you came out of Egypt, they refused to provide you with food and water. And besides, they hired Balaam[b] to put a curse on you. But the Lord your God loves you, so he refused to listen to Balaam and turned Balaam’s curse into a blessing. Don’t even think of signing a peace treaty with Moab or Ammon.

But Edomites are your relatives, and you lived as foreigners in the country of Egypt. Now you must be kind to Edomites and Egyptians and let their great-grandchildren become part of Israel, the Lord’s people.

Keep the Army Camp Acceptable

Moses said to Israel:

When you men go off to fight your enemies, make sure your camp is acceptable to the Lord.

10 For example, if something happens at night that makes a man unclean and unfit for worship, he[c] must go outside the camp and stay there 11 until late afternoon. Then he must take a bath, and at sunset he can go back into camp.

12 Set up a place outside the camp to be used as a toilet area. 13 And make sure that you have a small shovel in your equipment. When you go out to the toilet area, use the shovel to dig a hole. Then, after you relieve yourself, bury the waste in the hole. 14 You must keep your camp clean of filthy and disgusting things. The Lord is always present in your camp, ready to rescue you and give you victory over your enemies. But if he sees something disgusting in your camp, he may turn around and leave.

Runaway Slaves from Other Countries

Moses said:

15 When runaway slaves from other countries come to Israel and ask for protection, you must not hand them back to their owners. 16 Instead, you must let them choose which one of your towns they want to live in. Don’t be cruel to runaway slaves.

Temple Prostitutes

Moses said:

17 People of Israel, don’t any of you ever be temple prostitutes.[d] 18 The Lord your God is disgusted with men and women who are prostitutes of any kind, and he will not accept a gift from them, even if it had been promised to him.

Interest on Loans

Moses said:

19 When you lend money, food, or anything else to another Israelite, you are not allowed to charge interest. 20 You can charge a foreigner interest. But if you charge other Israelites interest, the Lord your God will not let you be successful in the land you are about to take.

Sacred Promises to the Lord

Moses said:

21 People of Israel, if you make a sacred promise to give a gift to the Lord, then do it as soon as you can. If the Lord has to come looking for the gift you promised, you will be guilty of breaking that promise. 22 On the other hand, if you never make a sacred promise, you can’t be guilty of breaking it. 23 You must keep whatever promises you make to the Lord. After all, you are the one who chose to make the promises.

Eating Someone Else’s Produce

24 If you go into a vineyard that belongs to someone else, you are allowed to eat as many grapes as you want while you are there. But don’t take any with you when you leave. 25 In the same way, if you are in a grain field that belongs to someone else, you can pick heads of grain and eat the kernels. But don’t cut down the stalks of grain and take them with you.

A Law about Divorce

Moses said to Israel:

24 Suppose a woman was divorced by her first husband because he found something disgraceful about her.[e] He wrote out divorce papers, gave them to her, and sent her away. Later she married another man, who then either divorced her in the same way or died. Since she has slept with her second husband, she cannot marry her first husband again. Their marriage would pollute the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and he would be disgusted.

Newlyweds

Moses said to Israel:

If a man and a woman have been married less than one year, he must not be sent off to war or sent away to do forced labor. He must be allowed to stay home for a year and be happy with his wife.

Loans

Moses said to Israel:

When you lend money to people, you are allowed to keep something of theirs as a guarantee that they will pay back the loan. But don’t take one or both of their millstones, or else they may starve. They need these stones for grinding grain into flour to make bread.

Kidnapping

Moses said to Israel:

If you are guilty of kidnapping Israelites and forcing them into slavery, you will be put to death to remove this evil from the community.

Skin Diseases

Moses said to Israel:

I have told the priests[f] what to do if any of you have leprosy,[g] so do exactly what they say. And remember what the Lord your God did to Miriam[h] after you left Egypt.

Loans

Moses said to Israel:

10 When you lend money to people, you are allowed to keep something of theirs as a guarantee that the money will be paid back. But you must not go into their house to get it. 11 Wait outside, and they will bring out the item you have agreed on.

12 Suppose someone is so poor that a coat is the only thing that can be offered as a guarantee on a loan. Don’t keep the coat overnight. 13 Instead, give it back before sunset, so the owner can keep warm and sleep and ask the Lord to bless you. Then the Lord your God will notice that you have done the right thing.

Poor People’s Wages

Moses said:

14 If you hire poor people to work for you, don’t hold back their pay,[i] whether they are Israelites or foreigners who live in your town. 15 Pay them their wages at the end of each day, because they live in poverty and need the money to survive. If you don’t pay them on time, they will complain about you to the Lord, and he will punish you.

The Death Penalty

Moses said to Israel:

16 Parents must not be put to death for crimes committed by their children, and children must not be put to death for crimes committed by their parents. Don’t put anyone to death for someone else’s crime.

Don’t Mistreat the Powerless

Moses said to Israel:

17 Make sure that orphans and foreigners are treated fairly. And if you lend money to a widow and want to keep something of hers to guarantee that she will pay you back, don’t take any of her clothes. 18 You were slaves in Egypt until the Lord your God rescued you. That’s why I am giving you these laws.

Leave Some of Your Harvest for the Poor

Moses said to Israel:

19 If you forget to bring in a stack of harvested grain, don’t go back in the field to get it. Leave it for the poor, including foreigners, orphans, and widows, and the Lord will make you successful in everything you do.

20 When you harvest your olives, don’t try to get them all for yourself, but leave some for the poor. 21 And when you pick your grapes, go over the vines only once, then let the poor have what is left. 22 You lived in poverty as slaves in Egypt until the Lord your God rescued you. That’s why I am giving you these laws.

Whipping as Punishment for a Crime

Moses said to Israel:

25 1-2 Suppose you and someone else each accuse the other of doing something wrong, and you go to court, where the judges decide you are guilty. If your punishment is to be beaten with a whip,[j] one of the judges will order you to lie down, and you will receive the number of lashes you deserve. Forty lashes is the most that you can be given, because more than that might make other Israelites think you are worthless.

Don’t Muzzle an Ox

Moses said to Israel:

Don’t muzzle an ox while it is threshing grain.[k]

A Son for a Dead Brother

Moses said to Israel:

5-6 Suppose two brothers are living on the same property, when one of them dies without having a son to carry on his name. If this happens, his widow must not marry anyone outside the family. Instead, she must marry her late husband’s brother, and their first son will be the legal son of the dead man.

But suppose the brother refuses to marry the widow. She must go to a meeting of the town leaders at the town gate and say, “My husband died without having a son to carry on his name. And my husband’s brother refuses to marry me so I can have a son.”

The leaders will call the living brother to the town gate and try to persuade him to marry the widow. But if he doesn’t change his mind and marry her, she must go over to him while the town leaders watch. She will pull off one of his sandals and spit in his face, while saying, “That’s what happens to a man who won’t help provide descendants for his dead brother.” 10 From then on, that man’s family will be known as “the family of the man whose sandal was pulled off.”

When Two Men Fight

Moses said to Israel:

11 If two men are fighting, and the wife of one man tries to rescue her husband by grabbing the other man’s private parts, 12 you must cut off her hand. Don’t have any mercy.

Be Honest in Business

Moses said to Israel:

13-14 Don’t try to cheat people by having two sets of weights or measures, one to get more when you are buying, and the other to give less when you are selling. 15 If you weigh and measure things honestly, the Lord your God will let you enjoy a long life in the land he is giving you. 16 But the Lord is disgusted with anyone who cheats or is dishonest.

Wipe Out Amalek

Moses said:

17 People of Israel, do you remember what the Amalekites did to you after you came out of Egypt? 18 You were tired, and they followed along behind, attacking those who could not keep up with the others. This showed that the Amalekites have no respect for God.

19 The Lord your God will help you capture the land, and he will give you peace. But when that day comes, you must wipe out Amalek so completely that no one will remember they ever lived.

Footnotes:

  1. 23.1 a man’s private parts have been crushed or cut off: This was sometimes done to show devotion to pagan gods.
  2. 23.4 Balaam: Hebrew “Balaam son of Beor from Pethor.”
  3. 23.10 if something. . . worship, he: Or “if a man has a flow of semen at night, he is unclean and unfit for worship, and he.”
  4. 23.17 temple prostitutes: Some Canaanites worshiped by going to their temples and having sex with prostitutes that represented their gods.
  5. 24.1 something disgraceful about her: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  6. 24.8 the priests: See the note at 17.8-12.
  7. 24.8 leprosy: The word “leprosy” was used for many different kinds of skin diseases.
  8. 24.9 what the Lord your God did to Miriam: See Numbers 12.1-16.
  9. 24.14 don’t hold back their pay: The Dead Sea Scrolls; the Standard Hebrew Text “treat them right.”
  10. 25.1,2 whip: Or “rod.”
  11. 25.4 threshing grain: Oxen were used at the threshing place to walk on heads of grain, or pull heavy slabs of wood over it, to separate the kernels from the husks.

Luke 10:13-37

The Unbelieving Towns

13 You people of Chorazin are in for trouble! You people of Bethsaida are also in for trouble! If the miracles that took place in your towns had happened in Tyre and Sidon, the people there would have turned to God long ago. They would have dressed in sackcloth and put ashes on their heads.[a] 14 On the day of judgment the people of Tyre and Sidon will get off easier than you will. 15 People of Capernaum, do you think you will be honored in heaven? Well, you will go down to hell!

16 My followers, whoever listens to you is listening to me. Anyone who says “No” to you is saying “No” to me. And anyone who says “No” to me is really saying “No” to the one who sent me.

The Return of the Seventy-Two

17 When the seventy-two[b] followers returned, they were excited and said, “Lord, even the demons obeyed when we spoke in your name!”

18 Jesus told them:

I saw Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. 19 I have given you the power to trample on snakes and scorpions and to defeat the power of your enemy Satan. Nothing can harm you. 20 But don’t be happy because evil spirits obey you. Be happy that your names are written in heaven!

Jesus Thanks His Father

21 At that same time, Jesus felt the joy that comes from the Holy Spirit,[c] and he said:

My Father, Lord of heaven and earth, I am grateful that you hid all this from wise and educated people and showed it to ordinary people. Yes, Father, that is what pleased you.

22 My Father has given me everything, and he is the only one who knows the Son. The only one who really knows the Father is the Son. But the Son wants to tell others about the Father, so that they can know him too.

23 Jesus then turned to his disciples and said to them in private, “You are really blessed to see what you see! 24 Many prophets and kings were eager to see what you see and to hear what you hear. But I tell you that they did not see or hear.”

The Good Samaritan

25 An expert in the Law of Moses stood up and asked Jesus a question to see what he would say. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to have eternal life?”

26 Jesus answered, “What is written in the Scriptures? How do you understand them?”

27 The man replied, “The Scriptures say, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind.’ They also say, ‘Love your neighbors as much as you love yourself.’”

28 Jesus said, “You have given the right answer. If you do this, you will have eternal life.”

29 But the man wanted to show that he knew what he was talking about. So he asked Jesus, “Who are my neighbors?”

30 Jesus replied:

As a man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, robbers attacked him and grabbed everything he had. They beat him up and ran off, leaving him half dead.

31 A priest happened to be going down the same road. But when he saw the man, he walked by on the other side. 32 Later a temple helper[d] came to the same place. But when he saw the man who had been beaten up, he also went by on the other side.

33 A man from Samaria then came traveling along that road. When he saw the man, he felt sorry for him 34 and went over to him. He treated his wounds with olive oil and wine[e] and bandaged them. Then he put him on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. 35 The next morning he gave the innkeeper two silver coins and said, “Please take care of the man. If you spend more than this on him, I will pay you when I return.”

36 Then Jesus asked, “Which one of these three people was a real neighbor to the man who was beaten up by robbers?”

37 The teacher answered, “The one who showed pity.”

Jesus said, “Go and do the same!”

Footnotes:

  1. 10.13 dressed in sackcloth. . . ashes on their heads: This was one way that people showed how sorry they were for their sins.
  2. 10.17 seventy-two: See the note at 10.1.
  3. 10.21 the Holy Spirit: Some manuscripts have “his spirit.”
  4. 10.32 temple helper: A man from the tribe of Levi, whose job it was to work around the temple.
  5. 10.34 olive oil and wine: In New Testament times these were used as medicine. Sometimes olive oil is a symbol for healing by means of a miracle (see James 5.14).

Psalm 75

(A psalm and a song by Asaph for the music leader. To the tune “Don’t Destroy.”[a])

Praise God for All He Has Done

75 Our God, we thank you
for being so near to us!
Everyone celebrates
your wonderful deeds.

You have set a time
to judge with fairness.
The earth trembles,
and its people shake;
you alone keep
its foundations firm.
You tell every bragger,
“Stop bragging!”
And to the wicked you say,
“Don’t boast of your power!
Stop bragging! Quit telling me
how great you are.”

Our Lord and our God,
victory doesn’t come
from the east or the west
or from the desert.
You are the one who judges.
You can take away power
and give it to others.
You hold in your hand
a cup filled with wine,[b]
strong and foaming.
You will pour out some
for every sinful person
on this earth,
and they will have to drink
until it is gone.
But I will always tell about
you, the God of Jacob,
and I will sing your praise.

10 Our Lord, you will destroy
the power of evil people,
but you will give strength
to those who are good.

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 75 Don’t Destroy: See the note at Psalm 57.
  2. 75.8 a cup. . . wine: In the Old Testament “a cup filled with wine” sometimes stands for God’s anger.

Proverbs 12:12-14

12 An evil person tries to hide
behind evil;[a]
good people are like trees
with deep roots.
13 We trap ourselves
by telling lies,
but we stay out of trouble
by living right.
14 We are rewarded or punished
for what we say and do.

Footnotes:

  1. 12.12 An evil. . . evil: Or “Evil people love what they get from being evil.”

04/02/2021 DAB Transcript

Deuteronomy 21:1-22:30, Luke 9:51-10:12, Psalms 74:1-23, Proverbs 12:11

Today is the 2nd day of April welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian it is truly a privilege and truly an honor to be here with you as we continue to just…ahhh…get settled into a brand-new month. And today, I mean we’ve been working through this week, holy week, and today is Good Friday, the day that we observe and commemorate the…the crucifixion, the execution, the death of Jesus on a cross in Jerusalem. And, so, indeed we’ve got a lot going on and a lot to consider. And we’ve also got the next step forward in the Scriptures. And, so, let’s take that step. We’re reading from the Contemporary English Version this week and we’re continuing to work our way through the book of Deuteronomy, the last things that Moses wants to impart before he…before he passes away. And I want to guess we’ve got another…we’ve got another week in the book of Deuteronomy and we’ll be facing another transition. We’ll be ending the Torah and moving forward. But for today Deuteronomy chapters 21 and 22.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word. And Lord, Lord Jesus as we read through the gospel of Luke You have made Your turn toward Jerusalem. And, so, over the coming days we’ll read that narrative again. But today is a day where we observe a culminating point, the day of Your crucifixion, the day of Your death, which makes this one of the darkest days that we can comprehend. And in terms of a Christian calendar this would be the darkest day possible, a day when Your creation turned so utterly against You, that they could not recognize You and were willing to kill You. Obviously, that’s not the end of the story and we know that, but this is the story that today represents. And, so, as we put ourselves in that position thinking of an angry mob crying out for Your execution, thinking of the mayhem of it all, thinking of the mistreatment, the abuse, the beating, the bruising, the crown of thorns, the blood, the cries of agony, the human cries of agony as…as the instruments of execution are driven through flesh and into wood. It’s so difficult for us to embrace the picture. It’s so difficult for us to even slow down enough. It's…it’s not something we…we want to look at. It’s something that we would much rather look away from. And yet since we began a journey so long ago on Ash Wednesday and moved through the season of Lent it was always coming to this because we were considering the pathways of sin, and sin only leads to death. And You had no sin, but You paid the price of sin. And, so, even though we don’t want to look at, this is what it cost, this is what it cost for us to be here in fellowship with You now. And if we continue to look away and not pay attention to this cost…well…then, it’s cheap to us, its grace, it's…it’s drive through forgiveness and it doesn’t actually register that this, our sin caused Your death in our place. And, so, therefore we don’t want any part of sin. Anything that would estrange us from You is leading us down the pathway of destruction but is leading us away from the one who loved us more than is comprehendible to step in on our behalf and take the punishment. And, so, Jesus we are so grateful today. But this is where we focus our attention and our affection and our motivation and our contemplation. And, so, as we go through this day Holy Spirit come and allow us to sit with it. Allow us to move around today somberly. Yes, we will be rejoicing. Easter is coming. We will rejoice. But today is the day to sit with what it cost to bring us a moment to rejoice. Come Holy Spirit we pray and to all of this we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Song:

Jesus Paid it All – Fernando Ortega

I hear the Savior say
Thy strength indeed is small!
Child of weakness, watch and pray
Find in Me thine all in all

Jesus paid it all
All to Him I owe
Sin had left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow

Lord, now indeed I find
Thy power, and Thine alone
Can change the leper’s spots
And melt the heart of stone

Jesus paid it all
All to Him I owe
Sin had left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow

For nothing good have I
Where-by Thy grace to claim
I’ll wash my garments white
In the blood of Calvary’s Lamb

Jesus paid it all
All to Him I owe
Sin had left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow

And when before the throne
I stand in Him complete
Jesus died my soul to save
My lips shall still repeat

Jesus paid it all
All to Him I owe
Sin had left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow

Jesus paid it all
All to Him I owe
Sin had left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Friday April 2, 2021 (NIV)

Deuteronomy 21-22

Unsolved Murder

Moses said to Israel:

21 Suppose the body of a murder victim is found in a field in the land the Lord your God is giving you, and no one knows who the murderer is. The judges and other leaders from the towns around there must find out what town is the closest to where the body was found. The leaders from that town will go to their cattle herds and choose a young cow that has never been put to work.[a] 4-5 They and some of the priests will take this cow to a nearby valley where there is a stream, but no crops. Once they reach the valley, the leaders will break the cow’s neck.

The priests must be there, because the Lord your God has chosen them to be his special servants at the place of worship. The Lord has chosen them to bless the people in his name and to be judges in all legal cases, whether property or injury is involved.

The town leaders will wash their hands over the body of the dead cow and say, “We had no part in this murder, and we don’t know who did it. 8-9 But since an innocent person was murdered, we beg you, our Lord, to accept this sacrifice and forgive Israel. We are your people, and you rescued us. Please don’t hold this crime against us.”

If you obey the Lord and do these things, he will forgive Israel.

Marrying a Woman Taken Prisoner in War

Moses said to Israel:

10 From time to time, you men will serve as soldiers and go off to war. The Lord your God will help you defeat your enemies, and you will take many prisoners. 11-13 One of these prisoners may be a beautiful woman, and you may want to marry her. But first you must bring her into your home, and have her shave her head, cut her nails, get rid of her foreign clothes, and start wearing Israelite clothes. She will mourn a month for her father and mother, then you can marry her.

14 Later on, if you are not happy with the woman, you can divorce her, and she can go free. But you have slept with her as your wife, so you cannot sell her as a slave or make her into your own slave.

Rights of a First-Born Son

Moses said to Israel:

15-17 Suppose a man has two wives and loves one more than the other. The first son of either wife is the man’s first-born son, even if the boy’s mother is the wife the man doesn’t love. Later, when the man is near death and is dividing up his property, he must give a double share to his first-born son, simply because he was the first to be born.

A Son Who Rebels

Moses said to Israel:

18 A father and a mother may have a stubborn and rebellious son who refuses to obey them even after he has been punished. 19 If a son is like that, his parents must drag him to the town gate, where the leaders of the town hold their meetings. 20 The parents will tell the leaders, “This son of ours is stubborn and never obeys. He spends all his time drinking and partying.”

21 The men of the town will stone that son to death, because they must get rid of the evil he brought into the community. Everyone in Israel will be afraid when they hear how he was punished.

The Body of a Criminal

Moses said to Israel:

22 If a criminal is put to death, and you hang the dead body on a tree, 23 you must not let it hang there overnight. Bury it the same day, because the dead body of a criminal will bring God’s curse on the land. The Lord your God is giving this land to you, so don’t make it unclean by leaving the bodies of executed criminals on display.

Helping Others

Moses said to Israel:

22 If you see a cow or sheep wandering around lost, take the animal back to its owner. If the owner lives too far away, or if you don’t know who the owner is, take the animal home with you and take care of it. The owner will come looking for the animal, and then you can give it back. That’s what you should do if you find anything that belongs to someone else. Do whatever you can to help, whether you find a cow or sheep or donkey or some clothing.

Oxen and donkeys that carry heavy loads can stumble and fall, and be unable to get up by themselves. So as you walk along the road, help anyone who is trying to get an ox or donkey back on its feet.

Don’t Pretend To Be the Opposite Sex

Moses said to Israel:

Women must not pretend to be men, and men must not pretend to be women.[b] The Lord your God is disgusted with people who do that.

Don’t Take a Mother Bird

Moses said to Israel:

6-7 As you walk along the road, you might see a bird’s nest in a tree or on the ground. If the mother bird is in the nest with either her eggs or her baby birds, you are allowed to take the baby birds or the eggs, but not the mother bird. Let her go free, and the Lord will bless you with a long and successful life.

Put a Wall around Your Flat Roof

If you build a house, make sure to put a low wall around the edge of the flat roof.[c] Then if someone falls off the roof and is killed, it won’t be your fault.

Laws against Mixing Different Things

Moses said to Israel:

If you plant a vineyard, don’t plant any other fruit tree or crop in it. If you do plant something else there, you must bring to the place of worship everything you harvest from the vineyard.

10 Don’t hitch an ox and a donkey to your plow at the same time.

11 When you weave cloth for clothing, you can use thread made of flax[d] or wool, but not both together. 12 And when you make a coat, sew a tassel on each of the four corners.

When a Husband Accuses His Wife

Moses said to Israel:

13 Suppose a man starts hating his wife soon after they are married. 14 He might tell ugly lies about her, and say, “I married this woman, but when we slept together, I found out she wasn’t a virgin.”

15 If this happens, the bride’s father and mother must go to the town gate to show the town leaders the proof that the woman was a virgin. 16 Her father will say, “I let my daughter marry this man, but he started hating her 17 and accusing her of not being a virgin. But he is wrong, because here is proof that she was a virgin!” Then the bride’s parents will show them the bed sheet from the woman’s wedding night.

18 The town leaders will beat the man with a whip 19 because he accused his bride of not being a virgin. He will have to pay her father one hundred pieces of silver and will never be allowed to divorce her.

20 But if the man was right and there is no proof that his bride was a virgin, 21 the men of the town will take the woman to the door of her father’s house and stone her to death.

This woman brought evil into your community by sleeping with someone before she got married, and you must get rid of that evil by killing her.

Laws about Illegal Sex

Moses said:

22 People of Israel, if a man is caught having sex with someone else’s wife, you must put them both to death. That way, you will get rid of the evil they have done in Israel.

23-24 If a man is caught in town having sex with an engaged woman who isn’t screaming for help, they both must be put to death. The man is guilty of having sex with a married woman.[e] And the woman is guilty because she didn’t call for help, even though she was inside a town and people were nearby. Take them both to the town gate and stone them to death. You must get rid of the evil they brought into your community.

25 If an engaged woman is raped out in the country, only the man will be put to death. 26 Do not punish the woman at all; she has done nothing wrong, and certainly nothing deserving death. This crime is like murder, 27 because the woman was alone out in the country when the man attacked her. She screamed, but there was no one to help her.

28 Suppose a woman isn’t engaged to be married, and a man talks her into sleeping with him. If they are caught, 29 they will be forced to get married. He must give her father fifty pieces of silver as a bride-price and[f] can never divorce her.

30 A man must not marry a woman who was married to his father. This would be a disgrace to his father.

Footnotes:

  1. 21.3 young cow. . . work: Cows and oxen pulled plows and wagons.
  2. 22.5 pretend to be men. . . pretend to be women: Or “wear men’s clothing. . . wear women’s clothing.”
  3. 22.8 flat roof: Houses usually had flat roofs. In hot dry weather, it was cooler on the roof than in the house, and so roofs were used for sleeping and living quarters, and for entertaining guests.
  4. 22.11 flax: The stalks of flax plants were harvested, soaked in water, and dried, then their fibers were separated and spun into thread, which was woven into linen cloth.
  5. 22.23,24 engaged woman. . . married woman: An engaged woman was legally married, but had not yet slept with her husband or started living with him.
  6. 22.28,29 talks her into sleeping with him. . . bride-price and: Or “forces her to have sex. 29 Then if they are caught, he will have to marry her. He must give her father fifty pieces of silver as a bride-price and.”

Luke 9:51-10:12

A Samaritan Village Refuses To Receive Jesus

51 Not long before it was time for Jesus to be taken up to heaven, he made up his mind to go to Jerusalem. 52 He sent some messengers on ahead to a Samaritan village to get things ready for him. 53 But he was on his way to Jerusalem, so the people there refused to welcome him. 54 When the disciples James and John saw what was happening, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to destroy these people?”[a]

55 But Jesus turned and corrected them for what they had said.[b] 56 Then they all went on to another village.

Three People Who Wanted To Be Followers

57 Along the way someone said to Jesus, “I’ll go anywhere with you!”

58 Jesus said, “Foxes have dens, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man doesn’t have a place to call his own.”

59 Jesus told someone else to come with him. But the man said, “Lord, let me wait until I bury my father.”[c]

60 Jesus answered, “Let the dead take care of the dead, while you go and tell about God’s kingdom.”

61 Then someone said to Jesus, “I want to go with you, Lord, but first let me go back and take care of things at home.”

62 Jesus answered, “Anyone who starts plowing and keeps looking back isn’t worth a thing to God’s kingdom!”

The Work of the Seventy-Two Followers

10 Later the Lord chose seventy-two[d] other followers and sent them out two by two to every town and village where he was about to go. He said to them:

A large crop is in the fields, but there are only a few workers. Ask the Lord in charge of the harvest to send out workers to bring it in. Now go, but remember, I am sending you like lambs into a pack of wolves. Don’t take along a moneybag or a traveling bag or sandals. And don’t waste time greeting people on the road.[e] As soon as you enter a home, say, “God bless this home with peace.” If the people living there are peace-loving, your prayer for peace will bless them. But if they are not peace-loving, your prayer will return to you. Stay with the same family, eating and drinking whatever they give you, because workers are worth what they earn. Don’t move around from house to house.

If the people of a town welcome you, eat whatever they offer. Heal their sick and say, “God’s kingdom will soon be here!”[f]

10 But if the people of a town refuse to welcome you, go out into the street and say, 11 “We are shaking the dust from our feet[g] as a warning to you. And you can be sure that God’s kingdom will soon be here!”[h] 12 I tell you that on the day of judgment the people of Sodom will get off easier than the people of that town!

Footnotes:

  1. 9.54 to destroy these people: Some manuscripts add “as Elijah did.”
  2. 9.55 what they had said: Some manuscripts add, “and said, ‘Don’t you know what spirit you belong to? The Son of Man did not come to destroy people’s lives, but to save them.’ “
  3. 9.59 bury my father: The Jewish people taught that giving someone a proper burial was even more important than helping the poor.
  4. 10.1 seventy-two: Some manuscripts have “seventy.” According to Jewish tradition, there were seventy nations on earth. But the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament has “seventy-two” in place of “seventy.” Jesus probably chose this number of followers to show that his message was for everyone in the world.
  5. 10.4 waste time greeting people on the road: In those days a polite greeting could take a long time.
  6. 10.9 will soon be here: Or “is already here.”
  7. 10.11 shaking the dust from our feet: This was a way of showing rejection.
  8. 10.11 will soon be here: Or “is already here.”

Psalm 74

(A special psalm by Asaph.)

A Prayer for the Nation in Times of Trouble

74 Our God, why have you
completely rejected us?
Why are you so angry
with the ones you care for?
Remember the people
you rescued long ago,
the tribe you chose
to be your very own.

Think of Mount Zion,
your home;
walk over to the temple
left in ruins forever
by those who hate us.

Your enemies roared like lions
in your holy temple,
and they have placed
their banners there.
It looks like a forest
chopped to pieces.[a]
They used axes and hatchets
to smash the carvings.
They burned down your temple
and badly disgraced it.
They said to themselves,
“We’ll crush them!”
Then they burned every one
of your meeting places
all over the country.
There are no more miracles
and no more prophets.
Who knows how long
it will be like this?

10 Our God, how much longer
will our enemies sneer?
Won’t they ever stop
insulting you?
11 Why don’t you punish them?
Why are you holding back?

12 Our God and King,
you have ruled
since ancient times;
you have won victories
everywhere on this earth.
13 By your power you made a path
through the sea,
and you smashed the heads
of sea monsters.
14 You crushed the heads
of the monster Leviathan,[b]
then fed him to wild creatures
in the desert.
15 You opened the ground
for streams and springs
and dried up mighty rivers.
16 You rule the day and the night,
and you put the moon
and the sun in place.
17 You made summer and winter
and gave them to the earth.[c]

18 Remember your enemies, Lord!
They foolishly sneer
and won’t respect you.
19 You treat us like pet doves,
but they mistreat us.
Don’t keep forgetting us
and letting us be fed
to those wild animals.
20 Remember the agreement
you made with us.
Violent enemies are hiding
in every dark corner
of the earth.
21 Don’t disappoint those in need
or make them turn from you,
but help the poor and homeless
to shout your praises.
22 Do something, God!
Defend yourself.
Remember how those fools
sneer at you all day long.
23 Don’t forget the loud shouts
of your enemies.

Footnotes:

  1. 74.5 pieces: One meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 5.
  2. 74.14 Leviathan: God’s victory over this monster sometimes stands for his power over all creation and sometimes for his defeat of Egypt.
  3. 74.17 gave. . . earth: Or “made boundaries for the earth.”

Proverbs 12:11

11 Hard working farmers have more
than enough food;
daydreamers are nothing more
than stupid fools.

04/01/2021 DAB Transcript

Deuteronomy 18:1-20:20, Luke 9:28-50, Psalms 73:1-28, Proverbs 12:10

Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m China today is the first day of April welcome. If you are unfamiliar with my voice. I’m China. There’s a start. I am Brian and Jill’s daughter. For the past three years I was the voice of the Daily Audio Bible Chronological and I stepped away this year because any day now I’m havin’ a baby. So, gosh it’s so good to be here to fill in for my dad. And I mean, it’s kind of Daily Audio Bible tradition to do a little something different on April Fools’ Day. And there's…there’s no tricks, it’s just me. But it's…it’s good to be here with you guys and just to give a little check in and say all is well with me, and baby, and with my husband Ben. We are super blessed by the Lord and just waiting in pure anticipation for our little girl to get here any day that she wants to. April is our due month so we will…we will see when that will be to. So, I have the honor of getting to read with you guys today. Today we  are in the book of Deuteronomy with chapters 18 through 20, the book of Luke chapter 19 starting in verse 28 going to 50, Psalm 73, and Proverbs 12:10 and this week we are in the Contemporary English Version.

Commentary:

Wow, I really love Proverbs today. That’s so good. There is a dog rescue in the town that I live in that is based off of this Scripture. I remember looking it up once and reading this Scripture. So, that is…its profound…it’s in God’s word. He…he’s saying be kind to my animals. Don’t be mean. Don’t be cruel. I made them. I love them. It’s so fun reading a different reading plan because really for the past…I mean this the DAB Chronological’s fourth year in existence but…so I read it for three years and the year before that I was doing Daily Audio Bible teens and I had experimented, like that was the year to experiment with a new reading plan and I tested out the chronological and fell in love with it. And, so, reading this way is…is very different going from the Old Testament and then jumping into the New Testament and reading Proverbs and Psalms I…I love that. I’m always drawn into the stories of Jesus with His people because it just makes Him feel so much more close and real and even the things that you believing about Him that may or may not be in the fullness of who He is, when your reading the Scripture your Spirit is coming face-to-face with “this is the truth.” And even if you don’t believe it, guess what, it’s still the truth. And, so, reading about the true glory of Jesus. Like, have you ever been with someone and they’re just like praying and you’re in the room with them and then they turn white? Not only dos their face change but what they were wearing before isn’t what they’re wearing now and their shining white. Like, that’s never happened to me so I’m sure Peter, John, and James were all like, “okay. Something insane is happening right now and we are in the true glory of Jesus.” Like, that’s amazing and I’m not sure if they really fully grasped that until maybe after His death and they were trying to remember all the…the times that they had with Jesus that they were trying to recall and recount. Like, remember that one time we were all with…you know…it was me and the other two people…whoever’s telling the story and like the fullness of Jesus’s glory was upon us? That's…that’s truly like…there isn’t a word for it. It just kinda gives you a little bit of envy, if anything. Like, wow, that’s…that’s what I want to encounter Lord. That’s what I want to be with you in. And here’s the sweet reality is, that’s available to us. that wasn’t just for those three. It’s available for all of us. The good news is that He sent us His son, the Lord sent us His son and then after He ascended back into heaven, He gave us His Spirit. So, not only were we set for life but now we’re like really set. When I really start thinking about all those things the week of holy week, which I know that’s what we’re in right now. And, so, there’s always a lot of emotions that get brought up in my heart just because it’s to be reverence, it’s to be revered and held in…in wonder and awe and also just like, man I just don’t understand like totally everything that went down but I’m in the mystery of it and I’m in the wonder and the awe of it and I’m learning about who Jesus is and I’m reading about people testifying to the true glory of Jesus. And as if that wasn’t like wild enough they…they, you know, like the next day Jesus is healing this little boy and He’s addressing people’s faith and He’s addressing people’s humility and wondering why they want to be the greatest and it all is just pointing back to His character, His heart, who He knows He is and what He believes the Father sent Him to do. And I love these stories. I love reading the Old Testament because it really sets you up for understanding that we needed a savior genuinely and we still actively do. And then when we jump into the New Testament and we read about who Jesus is, man I don’t know how you can’t read these stories and not just completely fall in love with Him because of His kindness because of His is nature because of the authority that He just carried. He didn’t need to prove it by being the loudest in the room or by barking certain things. He just was who He was and that was enough. And, so, while we’re in holy week as we come to kind of an end where…where it’s like the weekend eve, I like to call it, man may we just really posture our hearts well. We don’t have to whip ourselves into some emotions that aren’t real, that we’re not like really feeling, but maybe be present and attentive with what is going on in our hearts, what are these emotions that are coming up. And I encourage you just to really read through the scripture that talks about Jesus, His last week, the holy week and allow yourself to really have that wonder and awe. And it’s okay if you don’t fully understand everything. Jesus constantly says, “let the little children come to me.” And that’s how we’re supposed to come to Him. And guess what, kids, they don’t always super understand everything the first times it’s said to them. And, so, I don’t think that the Lord is expecting that you would just totally grasp everything the first time that you hear it or the third time that you hear it. Like He’s patient with us. He understands the human mind and the human heart. He created it.

Prayer:

Father, I just thank You that You are for us. Your word today told us that there are more for us than there are against us, that someone is for us. And I just thank You that You are for us. I thank You so much that that’s the sweet truth and a suite reality, that You are for us, You love us. I thank You that in our conversation this past week talking about how this is Your week You reminded me that this week is for me, it’s for us. That’s exactly why You did it, is for us. And Lord I just thank You for the beautiful and sweet truth is, that You didn’t just come and live a great story and do great things, but You left a great legacy and then You sent us Your spirit and said that we could do even greater works than You. And, so, we just are attentive of our heats, we’re attentive of our minds and we take every thought captive, and we make it obedient to Christ and we choose to be present with You. And as our minds wander may we softly bring them back to You. Lord, I pray that we wouldn’t miss the things of this week, that we celebrate in reverence and honor what happened 2000 years ago. And may we hold this this week in true holy reverence for who You are because You are more than deserving and we thank You for who You are Lord. And it’s in Your name we pray. Amen.

Announcements:

Well, this was so fun. It was so good to be back and reading and man this is like, when…when do I get to come back? I love this and I’ve so enjoyed getting to step in for the day. Like I said, no jokes, no fooling here. Just wanted to come on and thank you all for praying for me and my family as our lives are totally about to change. And, gosh, I’m waiting in anticipation and wonder and awe and trying to come in childlike faith and not have it all figured out, parenthood or even just trying to know when she’s coming. That’s been the hard part. But we trust the Lord and that’s where our trust and hope is in and just believing for wholeness and health of our family and over our sweet one. And, you know, once she’s born, who knows, maybe I’ll come back on and be able to have her in my arms instead of kicking me the whole time I’m reading. She is very, very active and was kicking the whole time during reading. So, it’ll be fun to come on and just share her birth story and maybe she’ll make like a little coo or cute little noise or something…I don’t know. I won’t put that expectation on her. But yes, this…this was sweet. Thank you for letting me into your homes or your cars or your workplaces and reading with you. This was definitely a treat for me.

That is all for today. I’m China you. You are so so loved. I will not be waiting here for you tomorrow. Your regularly scheduled program will resume tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hi, my name is Crystal I’ve been listening to the Daily Audio Bible app for about two years, and this is the first time that I’ve ever called in. So, I would like to say that I would like to have prayer in my life. Just feel like a little bit of a failure with…with my kids lately. I just feel like a little bit. My son turns 18 tomorrow and he’s no longer living at my house with my husband and myself due to him deciding to keep lying to us and breaking the house rules and smoking weed in the house and vaping in the house. And we have other children in the home to think of. So, it’s been hard to deal with not having him here and then just…I don’t think it really hit me how hard that was going to be on me as his mother. I really don’t. But just something happened yesterday, and I really ended up kind of hurting my daughter’s feelings and been struggling with guilt about it since last night and I think it’s kind of been building what’s been going on with my son and I…well my son and the family, not being here, and just more than I think I realized. And I felt like it’s kind of been dammed up and now that it’s kind of broken with me realizing I hurt my daughter’s feelings last night it just really upset me, and I’ve been just crying on and off today about it. Just feel…

Hey, my glorious precious DAB family this is Kingdom Seeker Daniel. In the words of the great Victoria Soldier, I’d like to pray for some of the DABbers beginning with miss Victoria Soldier. So, family let’s pray. Father I lift up our sister your daughter Victoria Soldier as she has a sister-in-law in Germany that is battling some illness and not feeling well. God, we pray that you will be the balm in Germany for this…this sister-in-law and be with a nephew that is incarcerated and having a tough battle of life. Lord would you show up where this young man is and allow him to hear your voice? And God would you begin to restore on both sides or the sister-in-law with her physical health and then for the nephew with his emotional health. And then for Rob Still Worship Dude in Nashville. Man of God I so appreciate you. The first time I’ve heard you call in you just you blessed my soul, and my wife Lady of Victory is in her doctoral program. And, so, I kind of know how you feel just watching her go through. So, I pray that the Lord will strengthen you he would surround you, he would allow you to catch up on your doctoral assignments and also he would favor you with that contract…that independent contract that you got going on. And I’m believing that God is causing all things to work together for your good because I know you love Him as a worship dude. And then DABber Danny, lifting up Micah. Lord be with Micah, continue to strengthen and reveal Yourself to him, save him, and do a work in his life in Jesus’ name. Love you family.

Hello DABbers, this is Sandy up in Ontario I’ve been listening for about 6 years and just introduced this to my friend, my new friend Jill. Can you say hello Jill? Hello. Anyways, we’d like you to pray for Jill’s family and her daughters. Pray protections over her daughters, especially her older daughter. It’s kind of private what’s occurring but you understand what can happen over the Internet and things do occur. So, we just ask prayer over this entire family and we pray for protection, especially over her older daughter named A. And we ask you also to a blessing over Jill herself that she would be held up by Jesus and that God would simply hold her when the boat rocks. And we thank you so much for Daily Audio Bible Brian and for your family and for the music and everything that you guys do. And we ask you all to have a beautiful, blessed day. Amen.

Good morning DAB this is Mommy’s Little Rock from Arkansas. I’m calling today to ask for prayers. A few months ago, I lost my mom in December and it’s been tough. It’s been hard. God has really been giving me the strength to go through each day, but I’ve had a lot of anxiety, a lot of fear of approaching life without my mom. It’s a weird world without my mom. I’m just asking for prayer to help me to continue on feeling like I can endure this life without her. There are so many things I have to do. I was working on a book and my mom knew about it and I just don’t have the desire to complete it. I don’t have the desire to do any of my goals any of the things that I know I should do. So, I just ask you all to pray for me and to pray that I continue being strong. I have great family and support and friends and people that my mom left behind to pray for us. But it’s not like mom, you know? So, I appreciate and love you all. Thank you. Bye-bye.

OK. I just…this is Beloved in Texas and I just want to share a little bit with you so that you can laugh at my expense but also along with me. And Brian feel free to not post this if you feel like this is inapropes but I just want you all…I just felt the need to share a story to make people laugh. So, I’m sitting at work. I work from home and about to go into a virtual meeting and I’d had a rumbly tummy that day and I thought, well, this is just gas. So, I go to release the gas. Turns out to be much more substantial than gas so I’m sitting there with more than gas and my meeting starts. I had to sit through the meeting in my own mess and pretend everything was OK before I could get up and go take a shower after that meeting was over. That was awful and I laughed so hard at myself because I thought, “what in the world? What is wrong with you? You’re a grown person, you hold the job, you pay bills and here you are messing in your own pants.” But I just wanted to share that stupid funny embarrassing story because just because sometimes I think we all just need to laugh and feel free to laugh at me because I was laughing at myself. You all be blessed. I love you. I love hearing from you every day, and I listened to the community prayer and encouragement every week and I’m praying along with all of you and celebrating along with all of you. You all have a wonderful, good rest of the day.

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Thursday April 1, 2021 (NIV)

Deuteronomy 18-20

Special Privileges for Priests and Levites

Moses said to Israel:

18 The people of the Levi tribe, including the priests, will not receive any land. Instead, they will receive part of the sacrifices that are offered to the Lord, because he has promised to provide for them in this way.

When you sacrifice a bull or sheep, the priests will be given the shoulder, the jaws, and the stomach.[a] In addition, they will receive the first part of your grain harvest and part of your first batches of wine and olive oil.[b] You must also give them the first wool that is cut from your sheep each year. Give these gifts to the priests, because the Lord has chosen them and their descendants out of all the tribes of Israel to be his special servants at the place of worship.

Any Levite can leave his hometown, and go to the place where the Lord chooses to be worshiped, and then be a special servant of the Lord[c] there, just like all the other Levites. Some Levites may have money from selling family possessions, and others may not. But all Levites serving at the place of worship will receive the same amount of food from the sacrifices and gifts brought by the people.

Don’t Do Disgusting Things

Moses said to Israel:

Soon you will go into the land that the Lord your God is giving you. The nations that live there do things that are disgusting to the Lord, and you must not follow their example. 10-11 Don’t sacrifice your son or daughter. And don’t try to use any kind of magic or witchcraft to tell fortunes[d] or to cast spells or to talk with spirits of the dead.

12 The Lord is disgusted with anyone who does these things, and that’s why he will help you destroy the nations that are in the land. 13 Never be guilty of doing any of these disgusting things!

A Prophet like Moses

Moses said to Israel:

14 You will go in and take the land from nations that practice magic and witchcraft. But the Lord your God won’t allow you to do those things. 15 Instead, he will choose one of your own people to be a prophet just like me, and you must do what that prophet says. 16 You were asking for a prophet the day you were gathered at Mount Sinai[e] and said to the Lord, “Please don’t let us hear your voice or see this terrible fire again—if we do, we will die!”

17 Then the Lord told me:

Moses, they have said the right thing. 18 So when I want to speak to them, I will choose one of them to be a prophet like you. I will give my message to that prophet, who will tell the people exactly what I have said. 19 Since the message comes from me, anyone who doesn’t obey the message will have to answer to me.

20 But if I haven’t spoken, and a prophet claims to have a message from me, you must kill that prophet, and you must also kill any prophet who claims to have a message from another god.

Moses said to Israel:

21 You may be asking yourselves, “How can we tell if a prophet’s message really comes from the Lord?” 22 You will know, because if the Lord says something will happen, it will happen. And if it doesn’t, you will know that the prophet was falsely claiming to speak for the Lord. Don’t be afraid of any prophet whose message doesn’t come from the Lord.

Safe Towns

Moses said to Israel:

19 Soon you will go into the land and attack the nations. The Lord your God will destroy them and give you their lands, towns, and homes. Then after you are settled, 2-4 you must choose three of your towns to be Safe Towns. Divide the land into three regions with one Safe Town near the middle of each, so that a Safe Town can be easily reached from anywhere in your land.

Then, if one of you accidentally kills someone, you can run to a Safe Town and find protection from being put to death. But you must not have been angry with the person you killed.

For example, suppose you and a friend go into the forest to cut wood. You are chopping down a tree with an ax, when the ax head slips off the handle, hits your friend, and kills him. You can run to one of the Safe Towns and save your life. You don’t deserve to die, since you did not mean to harm your friend. But he did get killed, and his relatives might be very angry. They might even choose one of the men from their family to track you down and kill you. If it is too far to one of the Safe Towns, the victim’s relative might be able to catch you and kill you. That’s why I said there must be three Safe Towns.

8-9 Israel, the Lord your God has promised that if you obey his laws and teachings I’m giving you, and if you always love him, then he will give you the land he promised your ancestors. When that happens, you must name three more Safe Towns in the new territory. 10 You will need them, so innocent people won’t be killed on your land while they are trying to reach a Safe Town that is too far away. You will be guilty of murder, if innocent people lose their lives because you didn’t name enough Safe Towns in the land the Lord your God will give you.

11 But what if you really do commit murder? Suppose one of you hates a neighbor. So you wait in a deserted place, kill the neighbor, and run to a Safe Town. 12 If that happens, the leaders of your town must send messengers to bring you back from the Safe Town. They will hand you over to one of the victim’s relatives, who will put you to death.

13 Israel, for the good of the whole country, you must kill anyone who murders an innocent person. Never show mercy to a murderer!

Property Lines

Moses said to Israel:

14 In the land the Lord is giving you, there are already stones set up to mark the property lines between fields. So don’t move those stones.

Witnesses Must Tell the Truth

Moses said to Israel:

15 Before you are convicted of a crime, at least two witnesses must be able to testify that you did it.

16 If you accuse someone of a crime, but seem to be lying, 17-18 then both you and the accused must be taken to the court at the place where the Lord is worshiped. There the priests and judges will find out if you are lying or telling the truth.

If you are lying and the accused is innocent, 19-21 then you will be punished without mercy. You will receive the same punishment the accused would have received if found guilty, whether it means losing an eye, a tooth, a hand, a foot, or even your life.

Israel, the crime of telling lies in court must be punished. And when people hear what happens to witnesses that lie, everyone else who testifies in court will tell the truth.

Laws for Going to War

Moses said to Israel:

20 If you have to go to war, you may find yourselves facing an enemy army that is bigger than yours and that has horses and chariots. But don’t be afraid! The Lord your God rescued you from Egypt, and he will help you fight. Before you march into battle, a priest will go to the front of the army and say, “Soldiers of Israel, listen to me! Today when you go into battle, don’t be afraid of the enemy, and when you see them, don’t panic. The Lord your God will fight alongside you and help you win the battle.”

Then the tribal officials will say to the troops:

If any of you have built a new house, but haven’t yet moved in, you may go home. It isn’t right for you to die in battle and for somebody else to live in your new house.

If any of you have planted a vineyard but haven’t had your first grape harvest, you may go home. It isn’t right for you to die in battle and for somebody else to enjoy your grapes.

If any of you are engaged to be married, you may go back home and get married. It isn’t right for you to die in battle and for somebody else to marry the woman you are engaged to.

Finally, if any of you are afraid, you may go home. We don’t want you to discourage the other soldiers.

When the officials are finished giving these orders, they will appoint officers to be in command of the army.

10-15 Before you attack a town that is far from your land, offer peace to the people who live there. If they surrender and open their town gates, they will become your slaves. But if they reject your offer of peace and try to fight, surround their town and attack. Then, after the Lord helps you capture it, kill all the men. Take the women and children as slaves and keep the livestock and everything else of value.

16 Whenever you capture towns in the land the Lord your God is giving you, be sure to kill all the people and animals. 17 He has commanded you to completely wipe out the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 18 If you allow them to live, they will persuade you to worship their disgusting gods, and you will be unfaithful to the Lord.

19 When you are attacking a town, don’t chop down its fruit trees, not even if you have had the town surrounded for a long time. Fruit trees aren’t your enemies, and they produce food that you can eat, so don’t cut them down. 20 You may need wood to make ladders and towers to help you get over the walls and capture the town. But use only trees that you know are not fruit trees.

Footnotes:

  1. 18.3 stomach: Certain portions of the stomach were considered a delicacy.
  2. 18.4 grain. . . olive oil: An Israelite was supposed to offer the first part of the harvest as a gift to the Lord (see Leviticus 23.10,11).
  3. 18.7 a special servant of the Lord: Or “one of the Lord’s priests.”
  4. 18.10,11 tell fortunes: Fortunetellers thought they could learn secrets or learn about the future by watching the flight of birds or looking at the livers of animals or in many other ways.
  5. 18.16 Mount Sinai: See the note at 1.1-5.

Luke 9:28-50

The True Glory of Jesus

28 About eight days later Jesus took Peter, John, and James with him and went up on a mountain to pray. 29 While he was praying, his face changed, and his clothes became shining white. 30 Suddenly Moses and Elijah were there speaking with him. 31 They appeared in heavenly glory and talked about all that Jesus' death[a] in Jerusalem would mean.

32 Peter and the other two disciples had been sound asleep. All at once they woke up and saw how glorious Jesus was. They also saw the two men who were with him.

33 Moses and Elijah were about to leave, when Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here! Let us make three shelters, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” But Peter did not know what he was talking about.

34 While Peter was still speaking, a shadow from a cloud passed over them, and they were frightened as the cloud covered them. 35 From the cloud a voice spoke, “This is my chosen Son. Listen to what he says!”

36 After the voice had spoken, Peter, John, and James saw only Jesus. For some time they kept quiet and did not say anything about what they had seen.

Jesus Heals a Boy

37 The next day Jesus and his three disciples came down from the mountain and were met by a large crowd. 38 Just then someone in the crowd shouted, “Teacher, please do something for my son! He is my only child! 39 A demon often attacks him and makes him scream. It shakes him until he foams at the mouth, and it won’t leave him until it has completely worn the boy out. 40 I begged your disciples to force out the demon, but they couldn’t do it.”

41 Jesus said to them, “You people are stubborn and don’t have any faith! How much longer must I be with you? Why do I have to put up with you?”

Then Jesus said to the man, “Bring your son to me.” 42 While the boy was being brought, the demon attacked him and made him shake all over. Jesus ordered the demon to stop. Then he healed the boy and gave him back to his father. 43 Everyone was amazed at God’s great power.

Jesus Again Speaks about His Death

While everyone was still amazed at what Jesus was doing, he said to his disciples, 44 “Pay close attention to what I am telling you! The Son of Man will be handed over to his enemies.” 45 But the disciples did not know what he meant. The meaning was hidden from them. They could not understand it, and they were afraid to ask.

Who Is the Greatest?

46 Jesus' disciples were arguing about which one of them was the greatest. 47 Jesus knew what they were thinking, and he had a child stand there beside him. 48 Then he said to his disciples, “When you welcome even a child because of me, you welcome me. And when you welcome me, you welcome the one who sent me. Whichever one of you is the most humble is the greatest.”

For or against Jesus

49 John said, “Master, we saw a man using your name to force demons out of people. But we told him to stop, because he isn’t one of us.”

50 “Don’t stop him!” Jesus said. “Anyone who isn’t against you is for you.”

Footnotes:

  1. 9.31 Jesus' death: In Greek this is “his departure,” which probably includes his rising to life and his return to heaven.

Psalm 73

BOOK III

(Psalms 73-89)

(A psalm by Asaph.)

God Is Good

73 God is truly good to Israel,[a]
especially to everyone
with a pure heart.
But I almost stumbled and fell,
because it made me jealous
to see proud and evil people
and to watch them prosper.
They never have to suffer,[b]
they stay healthy,
and they don’t have troubles
like everyone else.

Their pride is like a necklace,
and they commit sin
more often
than they dress themselves.
Their eyes poke out with fat,
and their minds are flooded
with foolish thoughts.
They sneer and say cruel things,
and because of their pride,
they make violent threats.
They dare to speak against God
and to order others around.

10 God will bring his people back,
and they will drink the water
he so freely gives.[c]

11 Only evil people would say,
“God Most High cannot
know everything!”
12 Yet all goes well for them,
and they live in peace.
13 What good did it do me
to keep my thoughts pure
and refuse to do wrong?
14 I am sick all day,
and I am punished
each morning.
15 If I had said evil things,
I would not have been loyal
to your people.

16 It was hard for me
to understand all this!
17 Then I went to your temple,
and there I understood
what will happen
to my enemies.
18 You will make them stumble,
never to get up again.
19 They will be terrified,
suddenly swept away
and no longer there.
20 They will disappear, Lord,
despised like a bad dream
the morning after.

21 Once I was bitter
and brokenhearted.
22 I was stupid and ignorant,
and I treated you
as a wild animal would.
23 But I never really left you,
and you hold my right hand.
24 Your advice has been my guide,
and later you will welcome me
in glory.[d]
25 In heaven I have only you,
and on this earth
you are all I want.
26 My body and mind may fail,
but you are my strength
and my choice forever.

27 Powerful Lord God,
all who stay far from you
will be lost,
and you will destroy those
who are unfaithful.
28 It is good for me
to be near you.
I choose you as my protector,
and I will tell about
your wonderful deeds.

Footnotes:

  1. 73.1 to Israel: Or “to those who do right.”
  2. 73.4 They. . . suffer: Or “They die a painless death.”
  3. 73.10 gives: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 10.
  4. 73.24 in glory: Or “with honor.”

Proverbs 12:10

10 Good people are kind
to their animals,
but a mean person is cruel.