The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Thursday January 5, 2023 (NIV)

Genesis 11:1-13:4

The Tower of Babylon

11 The whole earth had the same language and vocabulary. As people migrated from the east,[a] they found a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there.(A) They said to each other, “Come, let’s make oven-fired bricks.” (They used brick for stone and asphalt(B) for mortar.) And they said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky.(C) Let’s make a name for ourselves; otherwise, we will be scattered throughout the earth.”

Then the Lord came down(D) to look over the city and the tower that the humans[b] were building. The Lord said, “If they have begun to do this as one people all having the same language, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let’s go down there and confuse their language so that they will not understand one another’s speech.” So from there the Lord scattered them throughout the earth,(E) and they stopped building the city. Therefore it is called Babylon,[c][d](F) for there the Lord confused the language of the whole earth, and from there the Lord scattered them throughout the earth.

From Shem to Abram

10 These are the family records(G) of Shem. Shem lived 100 years and fathered Arpachshad two years after the flood. 11 After he fathered Arpachshad, Shem lived 500 years and fathered other sons and daughters. 12 Arpachshad lived 35 years[e] and fathered Shelah. 13 After he fathered Shelah, Arpachshad lived 403 years and fathered other sons and daughters. 14 Shelah lived 30 years and fathered Eber. 15 After he fathered Eber, Shelah lived 403 years and fathered other sons and daughters. 16 Eber lived 34 years and fathered Peleg. 17 After he fathered Peleg, Eber lived 430 years and fathered other sons and daughters. 18 Peleg lived 30 years and fathered Reu. 19 After he fathered Reu, Peleg lived 209 years and fathered other sons and daughters. 20 Reu lived 32 years and fathered Serug. 21 After he fathered Serug, Reu lived 207 years and fathered other sons and daughters. 22 Serug lived 30 years and fathered Nahor. 23 After he fathered Nahor, Serug lived 200 years and fathered other sons and daughters. 24 Nahor lived 29 years and fathered Terah.(H) 25 After he fathered Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and fathered other sons and daughters. 26 Terah lived 70 years and fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

27 These are the family records of Terah. Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran, and Haran fathered Lot. 28 Haran died in his native land, in Ur of the Chaldeans, during his father Terah’s lifetime. 29 Abram and Nahor took wives: Abram’s wife was named Sarai,(I) and Nahor’s wife was named Milcah.(J) She was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milcah and Iscah. 30 Sarai was unable to conceive;(K) she did not have a child.

31 Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot (Haran’s son), and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they set out together from Ur of the Chaldeans(L) to go to the land of Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there. 32 Terah lived 205 years and died in Haran.

The Call of Abram

12 The Lord said to Abram:

Go from your land,
your relatives,
and your father’s house
to the land that I will show you.(M)
I will make you into a great nation,(N)
I will bless you,(O)
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.(P)
I will bless those who bless you,
I will curse anyone who treats you with contempt,(Q)
and all the peoples on earth
will be blessed[f] through you.[g](R)

So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.(S) He took his wife, Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated, and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, Abram passed through the land to the site of Shechem,(T) at the oak of Moreh. (At that time the Canaanites were in the land.) The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring[h](U) I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the Lord who had appeared to him. From there he moved on to the hill country east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. He built an altar to the Lord there, and he called on the name of the Lord.(V) Then Abram journeyed by stages to the Negev.

Abram in Egypt

10 There was a famine in the land,(W) so Abram went down to Egypt to stay there for a while because the famine in the land was severe. 11 When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife, Sarai, “Look, I know what a beautiful woman you are. 12 When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ They will kill me but let you live.(X) 13 Please say you’re my sister so it will go well for me because of you, and my life will be spared on your account.” 14 When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. 15 Pharaoh’s officials saw her and praised her to Pharaoh, so the woman was taken to Pharaoh’s household. 16 He treated Abram well because of her, and Abram acquired flocks and herds, male and female donkeys, male and female slaves, and camels.

17 But the Lord struck Pharaoh and his household with severe plagues because of Abram’s wife, Sarai.(Y) 18 So Pharaoh sent for Abram and said, “What have you done to me? Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, ‘She’s my sister,’ so that I took her as my wife? Now, here is your wife. Take her and go!” 20 Then Pharaoh gave his men orders about him, and they sent him away with his wife and all he had.

Abram and Lot Separate

13 Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev(Z)—he, his wife, and all he had, and Lot with him. Abram was very rich in livestock, silver, and gold. He went by stages from the Negev to Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had formerly been, to the site where he had built the altar. And Abram called on the name of the Lord there.(AA)

Footnotes:

  1. 11:2 Or migrated eastward
  2. 11:5 Or the descendants of Adam
  3. 11:9 Hb Babel
  4. 11:9 In Hb, the name for “Babylon,” babel sounds like the word for “confuse,” balal.
  5. 11:12–13 LXX reads years and fathered Cainan. 13 After he fathered Cainan, Arpachshad lived 430 years and fathered other sons and daughters, and he died. Cainan lived 130 years and fathered Shelah. After he fathered Shelah, Cainan lived 330 years and fathered other sons and daughters, and he died; Gn 10:24; Lk 3:35–36
  6. 12:3 Or will find blessing
  7. 12:3 Or will bless themselves by you
  8. 12:7 Lit seed
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.

Matthew 5:1-26

The Sermon on the Mount

When he saw the crowds, he went up on the mountain,(A) and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then[a] he began to teach them, saying:(B)

The Beatitudes

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,(C)
for the kingdom of heaven(D) is theirs.
Blessed are those who mourn,(E)
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the humble,(F)
for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,(G)
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.(H)
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.(I)
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.(J)
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for the kingdom of heaven(K) is theirs.

11 “You are blessed when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of me. 12 Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted(L) the prophets who were before you.(M)

Believers Are Salt and Light

13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty?[b] It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.(N)

14 “You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden.(O) 15 No one lights a lamp(P) and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house.(Q) 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.(R)

Christ Fulfills the Law

17 “Don’t think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.(S) 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter[c] or one stroke of a letter will pass away from the law until all things are accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.(T) 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.

Murder Begins in the Heart

21 “You have heard that it was said to our ancestors, Do not murder,[d](U) and whoever murders will be subject to judgment.(V) 22 But I tell you, everyone who is angry with his brother or sister[e] will be subject to judgment. Whoever insults[f] his brother or sister will be subject to the court.[g] Whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to hellfire.[h](W) 23 So if you are offering your gift on the altar, and there you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled with your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Reach a settlement quickly with your adversary while you’re on the way with him to the court, or your adversary will hand you over to the judge, and the judge to[i] the officer, and you will be thrown into prison.(X) 26 Truly I tell you, you will never get out of there until you have paid the last penny.[j]

Footnotes:

  1. 5:2 Lit Then opening his mouth
  2. 5:13 Or how can the earth be salted?
  3. 5:18 Or not one iota; iota is the smallest letter of the Gk alphabet.
  4. 5:21 Ex 20:13; Dt 5:17
  5. 5:22 Other mss add without a cause
  6. 5:22 Lit Whoever says ‘Raca’; an Aramaic term of abuse that puts someone down, insulting one’s intelligence
  7. 5:22 Lit Sanhedrin
  8. 5:22 Lit the gehenna of fire
  9. 5:25 Other mss read judge will hand you over to
  10. 5:26 Lit quadrans, the smallest and least valuable Roman coin, worth 1/64 of a daily wage
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 5

Psalm 5

The Refuge of the Righteous

For the choir director: with the flutes. A psalm of David.

Listen to my words, Lord;
consider my sighing.(A)
Pay attention to the sound of my cry,(B)
my King and my God,(C)
for I pray to you.

In the morning,(D) Lord, you hear my voice;
in the morning I plead my case to you(E) and watch expectantly.

For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
evil cannot dwell with you.(F)
The boastful cannot stand in your sight;(G)
you hate all evildoers.(H)
You destroy those who tell lies;(I)
the Lord abhors violent and treacherous people.(J)

But I enter your house
by the abundance of your faithful love;(K)
I bow down toward your holy temple
in reverential awe of you.(L)
Lord, lead me in your righteousness(M)
because of my adversaries;
make your way straight before me.(N)

For there is nothing reliable in what they say;(O)
destruction is within them;
their throat is an open grave;
they flatter with their tongues.(P)
10 Punish them, God;
let them fall by their own schemes.(Q)
Drive them out(R) because of their many crimes,
for they rebel against you.(S)

11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;(T)
let them shout for joy forever.
May you shelter them,(U)
and may those who love your name boast about you.(V)
12 For you, Lord, bless the righteous one;
you surround him with favor like a shield.(W)

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 1:24-28

24 Since I called out and you refused,(A)
extended my hand and no one paid attention,(B)
25 since you neglected all my counsel(C)
and did not accept my correction,
26 I, in turn, will laugh at your calamity.(D)
I will mock when terror strikes you,
27 when terror strikes you like a storm
and your calamity comes like a whirlwind,
when trouble and stress overcome you.
28 Then they will call me, but I won’t answer;
they will search for me, but won’t find me.(E)

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.