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The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Monday January 20, 2025 (NIV)

Genesis 41:17-42

17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream I was standing[a] by the edge of the Nile. 18 Then seven fat and fine-looking cows were coming up out of the Nile, and they grazed in the reeds.[b] 19 Then[c] seven other cows came up after them; they were scrawny, very bad looking, and lean. I had never seen such bad-looking cows[d] as these in all the land of Egypt! 20 The lean, bad-looking cows ate up the seven[e] fat cows. 21 When they had eaten them,[f] no one would have known[g] that they had done so, for they were just as bad-looking as before. Then I woke up. 22 I also saw in my dream[h] seven heads of grain growing on one stalk, full and good. 23 Then[i] seven heads of grain, withered and thin and burned with the east wind, were sprouting up after them. 24 The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads of grain. So I told all this[j] to the diviner-priests, but no one could tell me its meaning.”[k]

25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Both dreams of Pharaoh have the same meaning.[l] God has revealed[m] to Pharaoh what he is about to do.[n] 26 The seven good cows represent seven years, and the seven good heads of grain represent seven years. Both dreams have the same meaning.[o] 27 The seven lean, bad-looking cows that came up after them represent seven years, as do the seven empty heads of grain burned with the east wind. They represent[p] seven years of famine. 28 This is just what I told[q] Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. 29 Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the whole land of Egypt. 30 But seven years of famine will occur[r] after them, and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will devastate[s] the land. 31 The previous abundance of the land will not be remembered[t] because of the famine that follows, for the famine will be very severe.[u] 32 The dream was repeated to Pharaoh[v] because the matter has been decreed[w] by God, and God will make it happen soon.[x]

33 “So now Pharaoh should look[y] for a wise and discerning man[z] and give him authority[aa] over all the land of Egypt. 34 Pharaoh should do[ab] this—he should appoint[ac] officials[ad] throughout the land to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt[ae] during the seven years of abundance. 35 They should gather all the excess food[af] during these good years that are coming. By Pharaoh’s authority[ag] they should store up grain so the cities will have food,[ah] and they should preserve it.[ai] 36 This food should be held in storage for the land in preparation for the seven years of famine that will occur throughout the land of Egypt. In this way the land will survive the famine.”[aj]

37 This advice made sense to Pharaoh and all his officials.[ak] 38 So Pharaoh asked his officials, “Can we find a man like Joseph,[al] one in whom the Spirit of God is present?”[am] 39 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Because God has enabled you to know all this, there is no one as wise and discerning[an] as you are! 40 You will oversee my household, and all my people will submit to your commands.[ao] Only I, the king, will be greater than you.[ap]

41 “See here,” Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I place[aq] you in authority over all the land of Egypt.”[ar] 42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his own hand and put it on Joseph’s. He clothed him with fine linen[as] clothes and put a gold chain around his neck. 43 Pharaoh[at] had him ride in the chariot used by his second-in-command,[au] and they cried out before him, “Kneel down!”[av] So he placed him over all the land of Egypt. 44 Pharaoh also said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your permission[aw] no one[ax] will move his hand or his foot[ay] in all the land of Egypt.” 45 Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah.[az] He also gave him Asenath[ba] daughter of Potiphera, priest of On,[bb] to be his wife. So Joseph took charge of[bc] all the land of Egypt.

46 Now Joseph was 30 years old[bd] when he began serving[be] Pharaoh king of Egypt. Joseph was commissioned by[bf] Pharaoh and was in charge of[bg] all the land of Egypt. 47 During the seven years of abundance the land produced large, bountiful harvests.[bh] 48 Joseph[bi] collected all the excess food[bj] in the land of Egypt during the seven years and stored it in the cities.[bk] In every city he put the food gathered from the fields around it. 49 Joseph stored up a vast amount of grain, like the sand of the sea,[bl] until he stopped measuring it because it was impossible to measure.

50 Two sons were born to Joseph before the famine came.[bm] Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, was their mother.[bn] 51 Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh,[bo] saying,[bp] “Certainly[bq] God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s house.” 52 He named the second child Ephraim,[br] saying,[bs] “Certainly[bt] God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”

53 The seven years of abundance in the land of Egypt came to an end. 54 Then the seven years of famine began,[bu] just as Joseph had predicted. There was famine in all the other lands, but throughout the land of Egypt there was food. 55 When all the land of Egypt experienced the famine, the people cried out to Pharaoh for food. Pharaoh said to all the people of Egypt,[bv] “Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you.”

56 While the famine was over all the earth,[bw] Joseph opened the storehouses[bx] and sold grain to the Egyptians. The famine was severe throughout the land of Egypt. 57 People from every country[by] came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain because the famine was severe throughout the earth.

Joseph’s Brothers in Egypt

42 When Jacob heard[bz] there was grain in Egypt, he[ca] said to his sons, “Why are you looking at each other?”[cb] 2 He then said, “Look, I hear that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy grain for us[cc] so that we may live[cd] and not die.”[ce]

3 So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. 4 But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers,[cf] for he said,[cg] “What if some accident[ch] happens[ci] to him?” 5 So Israel’s sons came to buy grain among the other travelers,[cj] for the famine was severe in the land of Canaan.

6 Now Joseph was the ruler of the country, the one who sold grain to all the people of the country.[ck] Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down[cl] before him with[cm] their faces to the ground. 7 When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger[cn] to them and spoke to them harshly. He asked, “Where do you come from?” They answered,[co] “From the land of Canaan, to buy grain for food.”[cp]

8 Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. 9 Then Joseph remembered the dreams he had dreamed about them, and he said to them, “You are spies;[cq] you have come to see if our land is vulnerable!”[cr]

10 But they exclaimed,[cs] “No, my lord! Your servants have come to buy grain for food! 11 We are all the sons of one man; we are honest men! Your servants are not spies.”

12 “No,” he insisted, “but you have come to see if our land is vulnerable.”[ct] 13 They replied, “Your servants are from a family of twelve brothers.[cu] We are the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is with our father at this time,[cv] and one is no longer alive.”[cw]

14 But Joseph told them, “It is just as I said to you:[cx] You are spies! 15 You will be tested in this way: As surely as Pharaoh lives,[cy] you will not depart from this place unless your youngest brother comes here. 16 One of you must go and get[cz] your brother, while[da] the rest of you remain in prison.[db] In this way your words may be tested to see if[dc] you are telling the truth.[dd] If not, then, as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!” 17 He imprisoned[de] them all for three days.

Footnotes:

  1. Genesis 41:17 tn Heb “In my dream look, I was standing.” The use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) here (and also in vv. 18, 19, 22, 23) invites the hearer (within the context of the narrative, Joseph, but in the broader sense the reader or hearer of the Book of Genesis) to observe the scene through Pharaoh’s eyes.
  2. Genesis 41:18 tn Heb “and look, from the Nile seven cows were coming up, fat of flesh and attractive of appearance, and they grazed in the reeds.”
  3. Genesis 41:19 tn Heb “And look.”
  4. Genesis 41:19 tn The word “cows” is supplied here in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  5. Genesis 41:20 tn Heb “the seven first fat cows.”
  6. Genesis 41:21 tn Heb “when they went inside them.”
  7. Genesis 41:21 tn Heb “it was not known.”
  8. Genesis 41:22 tn Heb “and I saw in my dream and look.”
  9. Genesis 41:23 tn Heb “And look.”
  10. Genesis 41:24 tn The words “all this” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  11. Genesis 41:24 tn Heb “and there was no one telling me.”
  12. Genesis 41:25 tn Heb “the dream of Pharaoh is one.”
  13. Genesis 41:25 tn Heb “declared.”
  14. Genesis 41:25 tn The active participle here indicates what is imminent.
  15. Genesis 41:26 tn Heb “one dream it is.”
  16. Genesis 41:27 tn Heb “are.” Another option is to translate, “There will be seven years of famine.”
  17. Genesis 41:28 tn Heb “it is the word that I spoke.”
  18. Genesis 41:30 tn The perfect with the vav consecutive continues the time frame of the preceding participle, which has an imminent future nuance here.
  19. Genesis 41:30 tn The Hebrew verb כָּלָה (kalah) in the Piel stem means “to finish, to destroy, to bring an end to.” The severity of the famine will ruin the land of Egypt.
  20. Genesis 41:31 tn Heb “known.”
  21. Genesis 41:31 tn Or “heavy.”
  22. Genesis 41:32 tn Heb “and concerning the repeating of the dream to Pharaoh two times.” The Niphal infinitive here is the object of the preposition; it is followed by the subjective genitive “of the dream.”
  23. Genesis 41:32 tn Heb “established.”
  24. Genesis 41:32 tn The clause combines a participle and an infinitive construct: God “is hurrying…to do it,” meaning he is going to do it soon.
  25. Genesis 41:33 tn Heb “let Pharaoh look.” The jussive form expresses Joseph’s advice to Pharaoh.
  26. Genesis 41:33 tn Heb “a man discerning and wise.” The order of the terms is rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  27. Genesis 41:33 tn Heb “and let him set him.”
  28. Genesis 41:34 tn The imperfect verbal form has an obligatory nuance here. Smr has a jussive form here, “and let [Pharaoh] do.”
  29. Genesis 41:34 tn Heb “and let him appoint.” The jussive form expresses Joseph’s advice to Pharaoh.
  30. Genesis 41:34 tn Heb “appointees.” The noun is a cognate accusative of the preceding verb. Since “appoint appointees” would be redundant in English, the term “officials” was used in the translation instead.
  31. Genesis 41:34 tn Heb “and he shall collect a fifth of the land of Egypt.” The language is figurative (metonymy); it means what the land produces, i.e., the harvest.
  32. Genesis 41:35 tn Heb “all the food.”
  33. Genesis 41:35 tn Heb “under the hand of Pharaoh.”
  34. Genesis 41:35 tn Heb “[for] food in the cities.” The noun translated “food” is an adverbial accusative in the sentence.
  35. Genesis 41:35 tn The perfect with vav (ו) consecutive carries the same force as the sequence of jussives before it.
  36. Genesis 41:36 tn Heb “and the land will not be cut off in the famine.”
  37. Genesis 41:37 tn Heb “and the matter was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants.”
  38. Genesis 41:38 tn Heb “like this,” but the referent could be misunderstood to be a man like that described by Joseph in v. 33, rather than Joseph himself. For this reason the proper name “Joseph” has been supplied in the translation.
  39. Genesis 41:38 tn The rhetorical question expects the answer “No, of course not!”
  40. Genesis 41:39 tn Heb “as discerning and wise.” The order has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  41. Genesis 41:40 tn Heb “and at your mouth (i.e., instructions) all my people will kiss.” G. J. Wenham translates this “shall kowtow to your instruction” (Genesis [WBC], 2:395). Although there is some textual support for reading “will be judged, ruled by you,” this is probably an attempt to capture the significance of this word. Wenham lists a number of references where individuals have tried to make connections with other words or expressions—such as a root meaning “order themselves” lying behind “kiss,” or an idiomatic idea of “kiss” meaning “seal the mouth,” and so “be silent and submit to.” See K. A. Kitchen, “The Term Nsq in Genesis 41:40, ” ExpTim 69 (1957): 30; D. S. Sperling, “Genesis 41:40: A New Interpretation,” JANESCU 10 (1978): 113-19.
  42. Genesis 41:40 tn Heb “only the throne, I will be greater than you.”
  43. Genesis 41:41 tn The translation assumes that the perfect verbal form is descriptive of a present action. Another option is to understand it as rhetorical, in which case Pharaoh describes a still future action as if it had already occurred in order to emphasize its certainty. In this case one could translate “I have placed” or “I will place.” The verb נָתַן (natan) is translated here as “to place in authority [over].”
  44. Genesis 41:41 sn Joseph became the grand vizier of the land of Egypt. See W. A. Ward, “The Egyptian Office of Joseph,” JSS 5 (1960): 144-50; and R. de Vaux, Ancient Israel, 129-31.
  45. Genesis 41:42 tn The Hebrew word שֵׁשׁ (shesh) is an Egyptian loanword that describes the fine linen robes that Egyptian royalty wore. The clothing signified Joseph’s rank.
  46. Genesis 41:43 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Pharaoh) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  47. Genesis 41:43 tn Heb “and he caused him to ride in the second chariot which was his.”
  48. Genesis 41:43 tn The verb form appears to be a causative imperative from a verbal root meaning “to kneel.” It is a homonym of the word “bless” (identical in root letters but not related etymologically).
  49. Genesis 41:44 tn Heb “apart from you.”
  50. Genesis 41:44 tn Heb “no man,” but here “man” is generic, referring to people in general.
  51. Genesis 41:44 tn The idiom “lift up hand or foot” means “take any action” here.
  52. Genesis 41:45 sn The meaning of Joseph’s Egyptian name, Zaphenath-Paneah, is uncertain. Many recent commentators have followed the proposal of G. Steindorff that it means “the god has said, ‘he will live’” (“Der Name Josephs Saphenat-Pa‘neach,” ZÄS 31 [1889]: 41-42); others have suggested “the god speaks and lives” (see BDB 861 s.v. צָפְנָת פַּעְנֵחַ); “the man he knows” (J. Vergote, Joseph en Égypte, 145); or “Joseph [who is called] ʾIp-ʿankh” (K. A. Kitchen, NBD3 1262).
  53. Genesis 41:45 sn The name Asenath may mean “she belongs to the goddess Neit” (see HALOT 74 s.v. אָֽסְנַת). A novel was written at the beginning of the first century entitled Joseph and Asenath, which included a legendary account of the conversion of Asenath to Joseph’s faith in Yahweh. However, all that can be determined from this chapter is that their children received Hebrew names. See also V. Aptowitzer, “Asenath, the Wife of Joseph—a Haggadic Literary-Historical Study,” HUCA 1 (1924): 239-306.
  54. Genesis 41:45 sn On (also in v. 50) is another name for the city of Heliopolis.
  55. Genesis 41:45 tn Heb “and he passed through.”
  56. Genesis 41:46 tn Heb “a son of thirty years.”
  57. Genesis 41:46 tn Heb “when he stood before.”
  58. Genesis 41:46 tn Heb “went out from before.”
  59. Genesis 41:46 tn Heb “and he passed through all the land of Egypt”; this phrase is interpreted by JPS to mean that Joseph “emerged in charge of the whole land.”
  60. Genesis 41:47 tn Heb “brought forth by handfuls.”
  61. Genesis 41:48 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  62. Genesis 41:48 tn Heb “all the food.”
  63. Genesis 41:48 tn Heb “of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt and placed food in the cities.”
  64. Genesis 41:49 tn Heb “and Joseph gathered grain like the sand of the sea, multiplying much.” To emphasize the vast amount of grain he stored up, the Hebrew text modifies the verb “gathered” with an infinitive absolute and an adverb.
  65. Genesis 41:50 tn Heb “before the year of the famine came.”
  66. Genesis 41:50 tn Heb “gave birth for him.”
  67. Genesis 41:51 sn The name Manasseh (מְנַשֶּׁה, menasheh) describes God’s activity on behalf of Joseph, explaining in general the significance of his change of fortune. The name is a Piel participle, suggesting the meaning “he who brings about forgetfulness.” The Hebrew verb נַשַּׁנִי (nashani) may have been used instead of the normal נִשַּׁנִי (nishani) to provide a closer sound play with the name. The giving of this Hebrew name to his son shows that Joseph retained his heritage and faith; and it shows that a brighter future was in store for him.
  68. Genesis 41:51 tn The word “saying” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  69. Genesis 41:51 tn Or “for.”
  70. Genesis 41:52 sn The name Ephraim (אֶפְרַיִם, ʾefrayim), a form of the Hebrew verb פָּרָה (parah), means “to bear fruit.” The theme of fruitfulness is connected with this line of the family from Rachel (30:2) on down (see Gen 49:22, Deut 33:13-17, and Hos 13:15). But there is some difficulty with the name “Ephraim” itself. It appears to be a dual, for which F. Delitzsch simply said it meant “double fruitfulness” (New Commentary on Genesis, 2:305). G. J. Spurrell suggested it was a diphthongal pronunciation of a name ending in -an or -am, often thought to be dual suffixes (Notes on the text of the book of Genesis, 334). Many, however, simply connect the name to the territory of Ephraim and interpret it to be “fertile land” (C. Fontinoy, “Les noms de lieux en -ayim dans la Bible,” UF 3 [1971]: 33-40). The dual would then be an old locative ending. There is no doubt that the name became attached to the land in which the tribe settled, and it is possible that is where the dual ending came from, but in this story it refers to Joseph’s God-given fruitfulness.
  71. Genesis 41:52 tn The word “saying” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  72. Genesis 41:52 tn Or “for.”
  73. Genesis 41:54 tn Heb “began to arrive.”
  74. Genesis 41:55 tn Heb “to all Egypt.” The name of the country is used by metonymy for the inhabitants.
  75. Genesis 41:56 tn Or “over the entire land”; Heb “over all the face of the earth.” The disjunctive clause is circumstantial-temporal to the next clause.
  76. Genesis 41:56 tc The MT reads “he opened all that was in [or “among”] them.” The translation follows the reading of the LXX and Syriac versions.
  77. Genesis 41:57 tn Heb “all the earth,” which refers here (by metonymy) to the people of the earth. Note that the following verb is plural in form, indicating that the inhabitants of the earth are in view.
  78. Genesis 42:1 tn Heb “saw.”
  79. Genesis 42:1 tn Heb “Jacob.” Here the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  80. Genesis 42:1 sn Why are you looking at each other? The point of Jacob’s question is that his sons should be going to get grain rather than sitting around doing nothing. Jacob, as the patriarch, still makes the decisions for the whole clan.
  81. Genesis 42:2 tn Heb “and buy for us from there.” The word “grain,” the direct object of “buy,” has been supplied for clarity, and the words “from there” have been omitted in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  82. Genesis 42:2 tn Following the imperatives, the prefixed verbal form with prefixed vav expresses purpose of result.
  83. Genesis 42:2 tn The imperfect tense continues the nuance of the verb before it.
  84. Genesis 42:4 tn Heb “But Benjamin, the brother of Joseph, Jacob did not send with his brothers.” The disjunctive clause highlights the contrast between Benjamin and the other ten.
  85. Genesis 42:4 tn The Hebrew verb אָמַר (ʾamar, “to say”) could also be translated “thought” (i.e., “he said to himself”) here, giving Jacob’s reasoning rather than spoken words.
  86. Genesis 42:4 tn The Hebrew noun אָסוֹן (ʾason) is a rare word meaning “accident, harm.” Apart from its use in these passages it occurs in Exodus 21:22-23 of an accident to a pregnant woman. The term is a rather general one, but Jacob was no doubt thinking of his loss of Joseph.
  87. Genesis 42:4 tn Heb “encounters.”
  88. Genesis 42:5 tn Heb “in the midst of the coming ones.”
  89. Genesis 42:6 tn The disjunctive clause either introduces a new episode in the unfolding drama or provides the reader with supplemental information necessary to understanding the story.
  90. Genesis 42:6 sn Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down before him. Here is the beginning of the fulfillment of Joseph’s dreams (see Gen 37). But it is not the complete fulfillment, since all his brothers and his parents must come. The point of the dream, of course, was not simply to get the family to bow to Joseph, but that Joseph would be placed in a position of rule and authority to save the family and the world (41:57).
  91. Genesis 42:6 tn The word “faces” is an adverbial accusative, so the preposition has been supplied in the translation.
  92. Genesis 42:7 sn But pretended to be a stranger. Joseph intends to test his brothers to see if they have changed and have the integrity to be patriarchs of the tribes of Israel. He will do this by putting them in the same situations that they and he were in before. The first test will be to awaken their conscience.
  93. Genesis 42:7 tn Heb “said.”
  94. Genesis 42:7 tn The verb is denominative, meaning “to buy grain”; the word “food” could simply be the direct object, but may also be an adverbial accusative.
  95. Genesis 42:9 sn You are spies. Joseph wanted to see how his brothers would react if they were accused of spying.
  96. Genesis 42:9 tn Heb “to see the nakedness of the land you have come.”
  97. Genesis 42:10 tn Heb “and they said to him.” In context this is best understood as an exclamation.
  98. Genesis 42:12 tn Heb “and he said, ‘No, for the nakedness of the land you have come to see.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for clarity.
  99. Genesis 42:13 tn Heb “twelve [were] your servants, brothers [are] we.”
  100. Genesis 42:13 tn Heb “today.”
  101. Genesis 42:13 tn Heb “and the one is not.”
  102. Genesis 42:14 tn Heb “to you, saying.”
  103. Genesis 42:15 tn Heb “[By] the life of Pharaoh.”sn As surely as Pharaoh lives. Joseph uses an oath formula to let the brothers know the certainty of what he said. There is some discussion in the commentaries on swearing by the life of Pharaoh, but since the formulation here reflects the Hebrew practice, it would be hard to connect the ideas exactly to Egyptian practices. Joseph did this to make the point in a way that his Hebrew brothers would understand. See M. R. Lehmann, “Biblical Oaths,” ZAW 81 (1969): 74-92.
  104. Genesis 42:16 tn Heb “send from you one and let him take.” After the imperative, the prefixed verbal form with prefixed vav (ו) indicates purpose.
  105. Genesis 42:16 tn The disjunctive clause is here circumstantial-temporal.
  106. Genesis 42:16 tn Heb “bound.”
  107. Genesis 42:16 tn The words “to see” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  108. Genesis 42:16 tn Heb “the truth [is] with you.”
  109. Genesis 42:17 sn The same Hebrew word is used for Joseph’s imprisonment in 40:3, 4, 7. There is some mirroring going on in the narrative. The Hebrew word used here (אָסַף, ʾasaf, “to gather”) is not normally used in a context like this (for placing someone in prison), but it forms a wordplay on the name Joseph (יוֹסֵף, yosef) and keeps the comparison working.
New English Translation (NET)

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Matthew 13:24-46

The Parable of the Weeds

24 He presented them with another parable:[a] “The kingdom of heaven is like a person who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, an enemy came and sowed darnel[b] among the wheat and went away. 26 When[c] the plants sprouted and produced grain, then the darnel also appeared. 27 So the slaves[d] of the landowner[e] came and said to him, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Then where did the darnel come from?’ 28 He said, ‘An enemy has done this!’ So[f] the slaves replied, ‘Do you want us to go and gather it?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, since in gathering the darnel you may uproot the wheat along with it. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At[g] harvest time I will tell the reapers, “First collect the darnel and tie it in bundles to be burned, but then gather[h] the wheat into my barn.”’”

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

31 He gave[i] them another parable:[j] “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed[k] that a man took and sowed in his field. 32 It is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest garden plant and becomes a tree,[l] so that the wild birds[m] come and nest in its branches.”[n]

The Parable of the Yeast

33 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with[o] three measures[p] of flour until all the dough had risen.”[q]

The Purpose of Parables

34 Jesus spoke all these things in parables to the crowds; he did not speak to them without a parable. 35 This fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet:[r]

“I will open my mouth in parables,
I will announce what has been hidden from the foundation of the world.”[s]

Explanation for the Disciples

36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him saying, “Explain to us the parable of the darnel[t] in the field.” 37 He[u] answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world and the good seed are the people[v] of the kingdom. The poisonous weeds[w] are the people[x] of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 As[y] the poisonous weeds[z] are collected and burned with fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom everything that causes sin as well as all lawbreakers.[aa] 42 They will throw them into the fiery furnace,[ab] where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.[ac] The one who has ears had better listen![ad]

Parables on the Kingdom of Heaven

44 “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure, hidden in a field, that a person found and hid. Then because of joy he went and sold all that he had and bought that field.

45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. 46 When he found a pearl of great value, he went out and sold everything he had and bought it.

Footnotes:

  1. Matthew 13:24 tn Grk “He set before them another parable, saying.” The participle λέγων (legōn) is redundant and has not been translated.
  2. Matthew 13:25 tn Or “sowed poisonous weeds”; KJV “tares.” The Greek term ζιζάνιον (zizanion) is generally understood to refer to darnel (Lolium temulentum), an especially undesirable weed that bears an uncanny resemblance to wheat until the ears of grain appear (L&N 3.30; BDAG 429 s.v.). So close is the resemblance to genuine wheat that darnel is sometimes called “false wheat.” Darnel is considered poisonous; ingesting the weed causes feelings of drunkenness and can prove fatal. Under Roman law the sowing of such poisonous plants in someone else’s field was specifically prohibited (C. Keener, The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary [Eerdmans, 2009], 387). A number of recent English translations use “weeds,” but this does not convey the poisonous nature of darnel or the similarity in appearance to wheat.
  3. Matthew 13:26 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
  4. Matthew 13:27 tn See the note on the word “slave” in 8:9.
  5. Matthew 13:27 sn The term landowner here refers to the owner and manager of a household.
  6. Matthew 13:28 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the owner’s statement.
  7. Matthew 13:30 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
  8. Matthew 13:30 tn Grk “burned, but gather”; “then” has been added to the English translation to complete the sequence begun by “First collect.”
  9. Matthew 13:31 tn Grk “put before.”
  10. Matthew 13:31 tn Grk “He set before them another parable, saying.” The participle λέγων (legōn) is redundant and has not been translated.
  11. Matthew 13:31 sn The mustard seed was noted for its tiny size.
  12. Matthew 13:32 sn This is rhetorical hyperbole, since technically a mustard plant is not a tree. This could refer to one of two types of mustard plant popular in Palestine and would be either ten or twenty-five ft (3 or 7.5 m) tall.
  13. Matthew 13:32 tn Grk “the birds of the sky” or “the birds of the heaven”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated either “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context. The idiomatic expression “birds of the sky” refers to wild birds as opposed to domesticated fowl (cf. BDAG 809 s.v. πετεινόν).
  14. Matthew 13:32 sn The point of the parable seems to be that while the kingdom of God may appear to have insignificant and unnoticeable beginnings (i.e., in the ministry of Jesus), it will someday (i.e., at the second advent) be great and quite expansive. The kingdom, however, is not to be equated with the church, but rather the church is an expression of the kingdom. Also, there is important OT background in the image of a small plant that grew and became a tree: Ezek 17:22-24 pictures the reemergence of the Davidic house where people can find calm and shelter. Like the mustard seed, it would start out small but grow to significant size.
  15. Matthew 13:33 tn Grk “hid in.”
  16. Matthew 13:33 sn This measure was a saton, the Greek name for the Hebrew term “seah.” Three of these was a very large quantity of flour, since a saton is a little over 16 pounds (7 kg) of dry measure (or 13.13 liters). So this was over 47 lbs (21 kg) of flour total, enough to feed over a hundred people.
  17. Matthew 13:33 tn Grk “it was all leavened.”sn The parable of the yeast and the dough teaches that the kingdom of God will start small but eventually grow to permeate everything. Jesus’ point was not to be deceived by its seemingly small start, the same point made in the parable of the mustard seed, which preceded this one.
  18. Matthew 13:35 tc A few significant mss (א* Θ ƒ1, 13 33) identify the prophet as Isaiah, a reading that is significantly harder than the generic “prophet” because the source of this prophecy is not Isaiah but Asaph in Ps 78. Jerome mentioned some mss that had “Asaph” here, though none are known to exist today. This problem is difficult because of the temptation for scribes to delete the reference to Isaiah in order to clear up a discrepancy. Indeed, the vast majority of witnesses have only “the prophet” here (א1 B C D L W Γ Δ 0233 0242 565 579 700 1241 1424 M lat sy co). However, as B. M. Metzger points out, “if no prophet were originally named, more than one scribe might have been prompted to insert the name of the best known prophet—something which has, in fact, happened elsewhere more than once” (TCGNT 27). In light of the paucity of evidence for the reading ᾿Ησαΐου, as well as the proclivity of scribes to add his name, it is probably best to consider the shorter reading as authentic.tn Grk “was spoken by the prophet, saying.” The participle λέγοντος (legontos) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
  19. Matthew 13:35 sn A quotation from Ps 78:2.
  20. Matthew 13:36 tn Or “poisonous weeds.” See the note on the word “darnel” in 13:25.
  21. Matthew 13:37 tn Grk “And answering, he said.” This construction is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
  22. Matthew 13:38 tn Grk “the sons of the kingdom.” This idiom refers to people who should properly be, or were traditionally regarded as, a part of God’s kingdom. L&N 11.13 translates the phrase: “people of God’s kingdom, God’s people.”
  23. Matthew 13:38 tn Or “The darnels.” Here “poisonous weeds” contrasts with “the good seed” mentioned previously in the verse.
  24. Matthew 13:38 tn Grk “the sons of the evil one.” See the preceding note on the phrase “people of the kingdom” earlier in this verse, which is the opposite of this phrase. See also L&N 9.4; 11.13; 11.14.
  25. Matthew 13:40 tn Grk “Therefore as.” Here οὖν (oun) has not been translated.
  26. Matthew 13:40 tn Or “the darnels.”
  27. Matthew 13:41 tn Grk “the ones who practice lawlessness.”
  28. Matthew 13:42 sn A quotation from Dan 3:6.
  29. Matthew 13:43 sn An allusion to Dan 12:3.
  30. Matthew 13:43 tn The translation “had better listen!” captures the force of the third person imperative more effectively than the traditional “let him hear,” which sounds more like a permissive than an imperative to the modern English reader. This was Jesus’ common expression to listen and heed carefully (cf. Matt 11:15; 13:9; Mark 4:9, 23; Luke 8:8; 14:35).
New English Translation (NET)

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Psalm 18:1-15

Psalm 18[a]

For the music director, by the Lord’s servant David, who sang[b] to the Lord the words of this song when[c] the Lord rescued him from the power[d] of all his enemies, including Saul.[e]

18 He said:[f]
“I love[g] you, Lord, my source of strength![h]
2 The Lord is my high ridge,[i] my stronghold,[j] my deliverer.
My God is my rocky summit where[k] I take shelter,[l]
my shield, the horn that saves me,[m] and my refuge.[n]
3 I called[o] to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,[p]
and I was delivered from my enemies.
4 The waves[q] of death engulfed me,
the currents[r] of chaos[s] overwhelmed me.[t]
5 The ropes of Sheol tightened around me,[u]
the snares of death trapped me.[v]
6 In my distress I called to the Lord;
I cried out to my God.[w]
From his heavenly temple[x] he heard my voice;
he listened to my cry for help.[y]
7 The earth heaved and shook.[z]
The roots of the mountains[aa] trembled;[ab]
they heaved because he was angry.
8 Smoke ascended from[ac] his nose;[ad]
fire devoured as it came from his mouth.[ae]
He hurled down fiery coals.[af]
9 He made the sky sink[ag] as he descended;
a thick cloud was under his feet.
10 He mounted[ah] a winged angel[ai] and flew;
he glided[aj] on the wings of the wind.[ak]
11 He shrouded himself in darkness,[al]
in thick rain clouds.[am]
12 From the brightness in front of him came
hail and fiery coals.[an]
13 The Lord thundered[ao] in[ap] the sky;
the Most High[aq] shouted.[ar]
14 He shot his[as] arrows and scattered them,[at]
many lightning bolts[au] and routed them.[av]
15 The depths[aw] of the sea[ax] were exposed;
the inner regions[ay] of the world were uncovered
by[az] your battle cry,[ba] Lord,
by the powerful breath from your nose.[bb]

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 18:1 sn Psalm 18. In this long song of thanks, the psalmist (a Davidic king, traditionally understood as David himself) affirms that God is his faithful protector. He recalls in highly poetic fashion how God intervened in awesome power and delivered him from death. The psalmist’s experience demonstrates that God vindicates those who are blameless and remain loyal to him. True to his promises, God gives the king victory on the battlefield and enables him to subdue nations. A parallel version of the psalm appears in 2 Sam 22:1-51.
  2. Psalm 18:1 tn Heb “spoke.”
  3. Psalm 18:1 tn Heb “in the day,” or “at the time.”
  4. Psalm 18:1 tn Heb “hand.”
  5. Psalm 18:1 tn Heb “and from the hand of Saul.”
  6. Psalm 18:1 tn A number of translations (e.g., NASB, NIV, NRSV) assign the words “he said” to the superscription, in which case the entire psalm is in first person. Other translations (e.g., NAB) include the introductory “he said” at the beginning of v. 1.
  7. Psalm 18:1 tn The verb רָחַם (rakham) elsewhere appears in the Piel (or Pual) verbal stem with the basic meaning, “have compassion.” The verb occurs only here in the basic (Qal) stem. The basic stem of the verbal root also occurs in Aramaic with the meaning “love” (see DNWSI 2:1068-69; Jastrow 1467 s.v. רָחַם; G. Schmuttermayr, “rhm: eine lexikalische Studie,” Bib 51 [1970]: 515-21). Since this introductory statement does not appear in the parallel version in 2 Sam 22:1-51, it is possible that it is a later addition to the psalm, made when the poem was revised for use in worship.
  8. Psalm 18:1 tn Heb “my strength.” “Strength” is metonymic here, referring to the Lord as the one who bestows strength to the psalmist; thus the translation “my source of strength.”
  9. Psalm 18:2 sn My high ridge. This metaphor pictures God as a rocky, relatively inaccessible summit, where one would be able to find protection from enemies. See 1 Sam 23:25, 28.
  10. Psalm 18:2 sn My stronghold. David often found safety in such strongholds. See 1 Sam 22:4-5; 24:22; 2 Sam 5:9, 17; 23:14.
  11. Psalm 18:2 tn Or “in whom.”
  12. Psalm 18:2 sn Take shelter. “Taking shelter” in the Lord is an idiom for seeking his protection. Seeking his protection presupposes and even demonstrates the subject’s loyalty to the Lord. In the psalms those who “take shelter” in the Lord are contrasted with the wicked and equated with those who love, fear and serve the Lord (Pss 5:11-12; 31:17-20; 34:21-22).
  13. Psalm 18:2 tn Heb “the horn of my salvation”; or “my saving horn.”sn Though some see “horn” as referring to a horn-shaped peak of a hill, or to the “horns” of an altar where one could find refuge, it is more likely that the horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (cf. Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Ps 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 89:17, 24; 92:10; Lam 2:17). In the ancient Near East powerful warrior-kings would sometimes compare themselves to a goring bull that uses its horns to kill its enemies. For examples, see P. Miller, “El the Warrior,” HTR 60 (1967): 422-25, and R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 135-36. Ps 18:2 uses the metaphor of the horn in a slightly different manner. Here the Lord himself is compared to a horn. He is to the psalmist what the horn is to the ox, a source of defense and victory.
  14. Psalm 18:2 tn Or “my elevated place.” The parallel version of this psalm in 2 Sam 22:3 adds at this point, “my refuge, my savior, [you who] save me from violence.”
  15. Psalm 18:3 tn In this song of thanksgiving, where the psalmist recalls how the Lord delivered him, the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not an imperfect.
  16. Psalm 18:3 tn Heb “worthy of praise, I cried out [to] the Lord.” Some take מְהֻלָּל (mehullal, “worthy of praise”) with what precedes and translate, “the praiseworthy one,” or “praiseworthy.” However, the various epithets in vv. 1-2 have the first person pronominal suffix, unlike מְהֻלָּל. If one follows the traditional verse division and takes מְהֻלָּל with what follows, it is best understood as substantival and as appositional to יְהוָה (yehvah): “[to the] praiseworthy one I cried out, [to the] Lord.”
  17. Psalm 18:4 tc Ps 18:4 reads “ropes,” while 2 Sam 22:5 reads “waves.” The reading of the psalm has been influenced by the next verse (note “ropes of Sheol”) and perhaps also by Ps 116:3 (where “ropes of death” appears, as here, with the verb אָפַף, ʾafaf). However, the parallelism of v. 4 (note “currents” in the next line) favors the reading “waves.” While the verb אָפַף is used with “ropes” as subject in Ps 116:3, it can also be used with engulfing “waters” as subject (see Jonah 2:5). Death is compared to surging waters in v. 4 and to a hunter in v. 5.
  18. Psalm 18:4 tn The Hebrew noun נַחַל (nakhal) usually refers to a river or stream, but in this context the plural form likely refers to the currents of the sea (see vv. 15-16).
  19. Psalm 18:4 tn The noun בְלִיַּעַל (veliyyaʿal) is used here as an epithet for death. Elsewhere it is a common noun meaning “wickedness, uselessness.” It is often associated with rebellion against authority and other crimes that result in societal disorder and anarchy. The phrase “man/son of wickedness” refers to one who opposes God and the order he has established. The term becomes an appropriate title for death, which, through human forces, launches an attack against God’s chosen servant.
  20. Psalm 18:4 tn In this poetic narrative context the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not an imperfect. (Note the perfect verbal form in the parallel/preceding line.) The verb בָּעַת (baʿat) sometimes by metonymy carries the nuance “frighten,” but the parallelism (see “engulfed”) favors the meaning “overwhelm” here.
  21. Psalm 18:5 tn Heb “surrounded me.”
  22. Psalm 18:5 tn Heb “confronted me.”
  23. Psalm 18:6 tn In this poetic narrative context the four prefixed verbal forms in v. 6 are best understood as preterites indicating past tense, not imperfects.
  24. Psalm 18:6 tn Heb “from his temple.” Verse 10, which pictures God descending from the sky, indicates that the heavenly temple is in view, not the earthly one.
  25. Psalm 18:6 tc Heb “and my cry for help before him came into his ears.” 2 Sam 22:7 has a shorter reading, “my cry for help, in his ears.” It is likely that Ps 18:6 MT as it now stands represents a conflation of two readings: (1) “my cry for help came before him,” (2) “my cry for help came into his ears.” See F. M. Cross and D. N. Freedman, Studies in Ancient Yahwistic Poetry (SBLDS), 144, n. 13.
  26. Psalm 18:7 sn The earth heaved and shook. The imagery pictures an earthquake in which the earth’s surface rises and falls. The earthquake motif is common in OT theophanies of God as warrior and in ancient Near Eastern literary descriptions of warring gods and kings. See R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 160-62.
  27. Psalm 18:7 tn 2 Sam 22:8 has “heavens” which forms a merism with “earth” in the preceding line. The “foundations of the heavens” would be the mountains. However, the reading “foundations of the mountains” has a parallel in Deut 32:22.
  28. Psalm 18:7 tn In this poetic narrative context the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not an imperfect. Note the three prefixed verbal forms with vav (ו) consecutive in the verse.
  29. Psalm 18:8 tn Heb “within”; or “[from] within.” For a discussion of the use of the preposition ב (bet) here, see R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 163-64.
  30. Psalm 18:8 tn Or “in his anger.” The noun אַף (ʾaf) can carry the abstract meaning “anger,” but the parallelism (note “from his mouth”) suggests the more concrete meaning “nose” here. See also v. 15, “the powerful breath of your nose.”
  31. Psalm 18:8 tn Heb “fire from his mouth devoured.” In this poetic narrative context the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not an imperfect. Note the two perfect verbal forms in the verse.sn Fire devoured as it came from his mouth. For other examples of fire as a weapon in OT theophanies and ancient Near Eastern portrayals of warring gods and kings, see R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 165-67.
  32. Psalm 18:8 tn Heb “coals burned from him.” Perhaps the psalmist pictures God’s fiery breath igniting coals (cf. Job 41:21), which he then hurls as weapons (cf. Ps 120:4).
  33. Psalm 18:9 tn The Hebrew verb נָטָה (natah) can carry the sense “[cause to] bend, bow down.” For example, Gen 49:15 pictures Issachar as a donkey that “bends” its shoulder or back under a burden. Here the Lord causes the sky, pictured as a dome or vault, to sink down as he descends in the storm.
  34. Psalm 18:10 tn Or “rode upon.”
  35. Psalm 18:10 tn Heb “a cherub.” Because of the typical associations of the word “cherub” in English with chubby winged babies, the term has been rendered “winged angel” in the translation.sn Winged angel (Heb “cherub”). Cherubim, as depicted in the OT, possess both human and animal (lion, ox, and eagle) characteristics (see Ezek 1:10; 10:14, 21; 41:18). They are pictured as winged creatures (Exod 25:20; 37:9; 1 Kgs 6:24-27; Ezek 10:8, 19) and serve as the very throne of God when the ark of the covenant is in view (Pss 80:1; 99:1; see Num 7:89; 1 Sam 4:4; 2 Sam 6:2; 2 Kgs 19:15). The picture of the Lord seated on the cherubim suggests they might be used by him as a vehicle, a function they carry out in Ezek 1:22-28 (the “living creatures” mentioned here are identified as cherubim in Ezek 10:20). In Ps 18:10 the image of a cherub serves to personify the wind (see the next line of the psalm).
  36. Psalm 18:10 tc 2 Sam 22:11 reads “appeared” (from רָאָה, raʾah); the relatively rare verb דָאָה (daʾah, “glide”) is more difficult and probably the original reading here in Ps 18.
  37. Psalm 18:10 sn The wings of the wind. Verse 10 may depict (1) the Lord riding a cherub, which is in turn propelled by the wind current. Another option (2) is that two different vehicles (a cherub and the wind) are envisioned. Yet another option (3) is that the wind is personified as a cherub. For a discussion of ancient Near Eastern parallels to the imagery in v. 10, see M. Weinfeld, “‘Rider of the Clouds’ and ‘Gatherer of the Clouds’,” JANESCU 5 (1973): 422-24.
  38. Psalm 18:11 tc Heb “he made darkness his hiding place around him, his covering.” 2 Sam 22:12 reads, “he made darkness around him coverings,” omitting “his hiding place” and pluralizing “covering.” Ps 18:11 may include a conflation of synonyms (“his hiding place” and “his covering”) or 2 Sam 22:12 may be the result of haplography/homoioarcton. Note that three successive words in Ps 18:11 begin with the Hebrew letter samek: סִתְרוֹ סְבִיבוֹתָיו סֻכָּתוֹ (sitro sevivotayv sukkato).
  39. Psalm 18:11 tc Heb “darkness of water, clouds of clouds.” The noun “darkness” (חֶשְׁכַת, kheshekhat) may need to be emended to an original reading חַשְׁרַת (khashrat), a form that is preserved in 2 Sam 22:12. The latter is a construct form of חַשְׁרָה (khashrah, “sieve”) which occurs only here in the OT. A cognate Ugaritic noun means “sieve,” and the related verb חָשַׁר (khashar, “to sift”) is attested in postbiblical Hebrew and Aramaic. The phrase חַשְׁרַת מַיִם (khashrat mayim) means literally “a sieve of water.” It pictures the rain clouds as a sieve through which the rain falls to the ground (see F. M. Cross and D. N. Freedman, Studies in Ancient Yahwistic Poetry [SBLDS], 146, n. 33).
  40. Psalm 18:12 tc Heb “from the brightness in front of him his clouds came, hail and coals of fire.” 2 Sam 22:13 reads, “from the brightness in front of him burned coals of fire.” The Lucianic family of texts within the Greek tradition of 2 Sam 22:13 seems to assume the underlying Hebrew text: מנגה נגדו עברו ברד וגחלי אשׁ, “from the brightness in front of him came hail and coals of fire” (the basis for the present translation). The textual situation is perplexing and the identity of the original text uncertain. The verbs עָבָרוּ (ʿavaru; Ps 18:12) and בָּעֲרוּ (baʿaru; 2 Sam 22:13) appear to be variants involving a transposition of the first two letters. The noun עָבָיו (ʿavayv, “his clouds,” Ps 18:12) may be virtually dittographic (note the following עָבְרוּ, ʿaveru), or it could have accidentally dropped out from the text of 2 Sam 22:13 by virtual haplography (note the preceding בָּעֲרוּ, which might have originally read עָבְרוּ). The noun בָּרָד (barad, “hail,” Ps 18:12) may be virtually dittographic (note the preceding עָבְרוּ), or it could have dropped out from 2 Sam 22:13 by virtual haplography (note the preceding בָּעֲרוּ, which might have originally read עָבְרוּ). For a fuller discussion of the text and its problems, see R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 74-76.
  41. Psalm 18:13 sn Thunder is a common motif in OT theophanies and in ancient Near Eastern portrayals of the storm god and warring kings. See R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 179-83.
  42. Psalm 18:13 tn 2 Sam 22:14 has “from.”
  43. Psalm 18:13 sn This divine title (עֶלְיוֹן, ʿelyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Ps 47:2.
  44. Psalm 18:13 tc The text of Ps 18:13 adds at this point, “hail and coals of fire.” These words are probably accidentally added from v. 12b; they do not appear in 2 Sam 22:14.tn Heb “offered his voice.” In this poetic narrative context the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not an imperfect. Note the prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive in the preceding line.
  45. Psalm 18:14 tn 2 Sam 22:15 omits the pronominal suffix (“his”).
  46. Psalm 18:14 tn The pronominal suffixes on the verbs “scattered” and “routed” (see the next line) refer to the psalmist’s enemies. Some argue that the suffixes refer to the arrows, in which case one might translate “shot them far and wide” and “made them move noisily,” respectively. They argue that the enemies have not been mentioned since v. 4 and are not again mentioned until v. 17. However, usage of the verbs פוּץ (puts, “scatter”) and הָמַם (hamam, “rout”) elsewhere in Holy War accounts suggests the suffixes refer to enemies. Enemies are frequently pictured in such texts as scattered and/or routed (see Exod 14:24; 23:27; Num 10:35; Josh 10:10; Judg 4:15; 1 Sam 7:10; 11:11; Ps 68:1).
  47. Psalm 18:14 sn Lightning is a common motif in in OT theophanies and in ancient Near Eastern portrayals of the storm god and warring kings. See R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 190-92.
  48. Psalm 18:14 tn Heb “lightning bolts, many.” 2 Sam 22:15 has simply “lightning” (בָּרָק, baraq). The identity of the word רָב (rav) in Ps 18:14 is problematic. (1) It may be a form of a rare verb רָבַב (ravav, “to shoot”), perhaps attested in Gen 49:23 as well. In this case one might translate, “he shot lightning bolts and routed them.” Other options include (2) understanding רָב (rav) as an adverbial use of the adjective, “lightning bolts in abundance,” or (3) emending the form to רַבּוּ (rabbu), from רָבַב (ravav, “be many”) or to רָבוּ (ravu), from רָבָה (ravah, “be many”)—both a haplography of the vav (ו); note the initial vav on the immediately following form—and translating “lightning bolts were in abundance.”sn Arrows and lightning bolts are associated in other texts (see Pss 77:17-18; 144:6; Zech 9:14), as well as in ancient Near Eastern art (see R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” [Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983], 187).
  49. Psalm 18:15 tn Or “channels.”
  50. Psalm 18:15 tc Ps 18:15 reads “water” (cf. Ps 42:1); “sea” is the reading of 2 Sam 22:16.
  51. Psalm 18:15 tn Or “foundations.”
  52. Psalm 18:15 tn Heb “from.” The preposition has a causal sense here.
  53. Psalm 18:15 tn The noun is derived from the verb גָּעַר (gaʿar), which is often understood to mean “rebuke.” In some cases it is apparent that scolding or threatening is in view (see Gen 37:10; Ruth 2:16; Zech 3:2). However, in militaristic contexts this translation is inadequate, for the verb refers in this setting to the warrior’s battle cry, which terrifies and paralyzes the enemy. See A. Caquot, TDOT 3:53, and note the use of the verb in Pss 68:30; 106:9; and Nah 1:4, as well as the related noun in Job 26:11; Pss 9:5; 76:6; 104:7; Isa 50:2; 51:20; 66:15.
  54. Psalm 18:15 tn 2 Sam 22:16 reads “by the battle cry of the Lord, by the blast of the breath of his nose.” The phrase “blast of the breath” (Heb “breath of breath”) employs an appositional genitive. Synonyms are joined in a construct relationship to emphasize the single idea. For a detailed discussion of the grammatical point with numerous examples, see Y. Avishur, “Pairs of Synonymous Words in the Construct State (and in Appositional Hendiadys) in Biblical Hebrew,” Semitics 2 (1971): 17-81.
New English Translation (NET)

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Proverbs 4:1-6

Admonition to Follow Righteousness and Avoid Wickedness[a]

4 Listen, children,[b] to a father’s instruction,[c]
and pay attention so that you may gain[d] discernment.
2 Because I hereby give[e] you good instruction,
do not forsake my teaching.

3 When I was a son to my father,[f]
a tender, only child[g] before my mother,
4 he taught me, and he said to me:
“Let your heart lay hold of my words;
keep my commands so that[h] you will live.
5 Acquire wisdom, acquire understanding;
do not forget and do not turn aside from the words I speak.[i]
6 Do not forsake wisdom,[j] and she will protect you;
love her, and she will guard you.

Footnotes:

  1. Proverbs 4:1 sn The chapter includes an exhortation to acquire wisdom (1-4a), a list of the benefits of wisdom (4b-9), a call to pursue a righteous lifestyle (10-13), a warning against a wicked lifestyle (14-19), and an exhortation to righteousness (20-27).
  2. Proverbs 4:1 tn Heb “sons.” See note at 1:8.
  3. Proverbs 4:1 tn Or “warning.” See note at 1:2.
  4. Proverbs 4:1 tn Heb “in order to come to know.” As a stative verb, יָדַע (yadaʿ) can mean “to know” or “to come to know,” the latter essentially meaning “to learn.” The infinitive indicates the purpose of the earlier imperatives.
  5. Proverbs 4:2 tn The perfect tense has the nuance of instantaneous (or performative) perfect; the sage is now calling the disciples to listen. It could also be a perfect of resolve, indicating what he is determined to do, or a present perfect reflecting his proven past history, “Indeed I have given you X.”
  6. Proverbs 4:3 tn Or “a boy with my father.”
  7. Proverbs 4:3 tc The LXX introduces the ideas of “obedient” and “beloved” for these two terms. This seems to be a free rendering, if not a translation of a different Hebrew textual tradition. The MT makes good sense and requires no emendation.tn Heb “tender and only one.” The phrase רַךְ וְיָחִיד (rakh veyakhid, “tender and only one”) is a hendiadys meaning “tender only child.” The adjective רַךְ (rakh) means “tender; delicate” (BDB 940 s.v. רַךְ), and describes a lad who is young and undeveloped in character (e.g., 2 Sam 3:39). The adjective יָחִיד (yakhid) means “only one” (BDB 402 s.v. יָחִיד) and refers to a beloved and prized only child (e.g., Gen 22:2).
  8. Proverbs 4:4 tn The vav plus imperative “and live” expresses purpose, as is common with volitional verbs in a series.
  9. Proverbs 4:5 tn Heb “from the words of my mouth” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); TEV, CEV “what I say.”sn The verse repeats the imperative “acquire” to underscore the importance of getting wisdom.
  10. Proverbs 4:6 tn Heb “her.” The referent of the pronoun is personified “wisdom,” which has been specified in the translation for clarity.
New English Translation (NET)

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The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Sunday January 19, 2025 (NIV)

Genesis 39:1-41:16

Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife

39 Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt.[a] An Egyptian named Potiphar, an official of Pharaoh and the captain of the guard,[b] purchased him from[c] the Ishmaelites who had brought him there. 2 The Lord was with Joseph. He was successful[d] and lived[e] in the household of his Egyptian master. 3 His master observed that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made everything he was doing successful.[f] 4 So Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal attendant.[g] Potiphar appointed Joseph[h] overseer of his household and put him in charge[i] of everything he owned. 5 From the time[j] Potiphar[k] appointed him over his household and over all that he owned, the Lord blessed[l] the Egyptian’s household for Joseph’s sake. The blessing of the Lord was on everything that he had, both[m] in his house and in his fields.[n] 6 So Potiphar[o] left[p] everything he had in Joseph’s care;[q] he gave no thought[r] to anything except the food he ate.[s]

Now Joseph was well built and good-looking.[t] 7 Soon after these things, his master’s wife took notice of[u] Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me.”[v] 8 But he refused, saying[w] to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not give any thought[x] to his household with me here,[y] and everything that he owns he has put into my care.[z] 9 There is no one greater in this household than I am. He has withheld nothing from me except you because you are his wife. So how could I do[aa] such a great evil and sin against God?” 10 Even though she continued to speak[ab] to Joseph day after day, he did not respond[ac] to her invitation to go to bed with her.[ad]

11 One day[ae] he went into the house to do his work when none of the household servants[af] were there in the house. 12 She grabbed him by his outer garment, saying, “Come to bed[ag] with me!” But he left his outer garment in her hand and ran[ah] outside.[ai] 13 When she saw that he had left his outer garment in her hand and had run outside, 14 she called for her household servants and said to them, “See, my husband brought[aj] in a Hebrew man[ak] to us to humiliate us.[al] He tried to go to bed with me,[am] but I screamed loudly.[an] 15 When he heard me raise[ao] my voice and scream, he left his outer garment beside me and ran outside.”

16 So she laid his outer garment beside her until his master came home. 17 This is what she said to him:[ap] “That Hebrew slave[aq] you brought to us tried to humiliate me,[ar] 18 but when I raised my voice and screamed, he left his outer garment and ran outside.”

19 When his master heard his wife say,[as] “This is the way[at] your slave treated me,”[au] he became furious.[av] 20 Joseph’s master took him and threw him into the prison,[aw] the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. So he was there in the prison.[ax]

21 But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him kindness.[ay] He granted him favor in the sight of the prison warden.[az] 22 The warden put all the prisoners under Joseph’s care. He was in charge of whatever they were doing.[ba] 23 The warden did not concern himself[bb] with anything that was in Joseph’s[bc] care because the Lord was with him and whatever he was doing the Lord was making successful.

The Cupbearer and the Baker

40 After these things happened, the cupbearer[bd] to the king of Egypt and the royal baker[be] offended[bf] their master, the king of Egypt. 2 Pharaoh was enraged with his two officials,[bg] the cupbearer and the baker, 3 so he imprisoned them in the house of the captain of the guard in the same facility where Joseph was confined. 4 The captain of the guard appointed Joseph to be their attendant, and he served them.[bh]

They spent some time in custody.[bi] 5 Both of them, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison, had a dream[bj] the same night.[bk] Each man’s dream had its own meaning.[bl] 6 When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were looking depressed.[bm] 7 So he asked Pharaoh’s officials, who were with him in custody in his master’s house, “Why do you look so sad today?”[bn] 8 They told him, “We both had dreams,[bo] but there is no one to interpret them.” Joseph responded, “Don’t interpretations belong to God? Tell them[bp] to me.”

9 So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph:[bq] “In my dream, there was a vine in front of me. 10 On the vine there were three branches. As it budded, its blossoms opened and its clusters ripened into grapes. 11 Now Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, so I took the grapes, squeezed them into his[br] cup, and put the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.”[bs]

12 “This is its meaning,” Joseph said to him. “The three branches represent[bt] three days. 13 In three more days Pharaoh will reinstate you[bu] and restore you to your office. You will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you did before[bv] when you were cupbearer. 14 But remember me[bw] when it goes well for you, and show[bx] me kindness.[by] Make mention[bz] of me to Pharaoh and bring me out of this prison,[ca] 15 for I really was kidnapped[cb] from the land of the Hebrews and I have done nothing wrong here for which they should put me in a dungeon.”

16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation of the first dream was favorable,[cc] he said to Joseph, “I also appeared in my dream and there were three baskets of white bread[cd] on my head. 17 In the top basket there were baked goods of every kind for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them from the basket that was on my head.”

18 Joseph replied, “This is its meaning: The three baskets represent[ce] three days. 19 In three more days Pharaoh will decapitate you[cf] and impale you on a pole. Then the birds will eat your flesh from you.”

20 On the third day it was Pharaoh’s birthday, so he gave a feast for all his servants. He “lifted up”[cg] the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker in the midst of his servants. 21 He restored the chief cupbearer to his former position[ch] so that he placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand, 22 but the chief baker he impaled, just as Joseph had predicted.[ci] 23 But the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph—he forgot him.[cj]

Joseph’s Rise to Power

41 At the end of two full years[ck] Pharaoh had a dream.[cl] As he was standing by the Nile, 2 seven fine-looking, fat cows were coming up out of the Nile,[cm] and they grazed in the reeds. 3 Then seven bad-looking, thin cows were coming up after them from the Nile,[cn] and they stood beside the other cows at the edge of the river.[co] 4 The bad-looking, thin cows ate the seven fine-looking, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up.

5 Then he fell asleep again and had a second dream: There were seven heads of grain growing[cp] on one stalk, healthy[cq] and good. 6 Then[cr] seven heads of grain, thin and burned by the east wind, were sprouting up after them. 7 The thin heads swallowed up the seven healthy and full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up and realized it was a dream.[cs]

8 In the morning he[ct] was troubled, so he called for[cu] all the diviner-priests[cv] of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams,[cw] but no one could interpret[cx] them for him.[cy] 9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I recall my failures.[cz] 10 Pharaoh was enraged with his servants, and he put me in prison in the house of the captain of the guards—me and the chief baker. 11 We each had a dream one night; each of us had a dream with its own meaning.[da] 12 Now a young man, a Hebrew, a servant[db] of the captain of the guards,[dc] was with us there. We told him our dreams,[dd] and he interpreted the meaning of each of our respective dreams for us.[de] 13 It happened just as he had said[df] to us—Pharaoh[dg] restored me to my office, but he impaled the baker.”[dh]

14 Then Pharaoh summoned[di] Joseph. So they brought him quickly out of the dungeon; he shaved himself, changed his clothes, and came before Pharaoh. 15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream,[dj] and there is no one who can interpret[dk] it. But I have heard about you, that[dl] you can interpret dreams.”[dm] 16 Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “It is not within my power,[dn] but God will speak concerning[do] the welfare of Pharaoh.”[dp]

Footnotes:

  1. Genesis 39:1 tn The disjunctive clause resumes the earlier narrative pertaining to Joseph by recapitulating the event described in 37:36. The perfect verbal form is given a past perfect translation to restore the sequence of the narrative for the reader.
  2. Genesis 39:1 sn Captain of the guard. See the note on this phrase in Gen 37:36.
  3. Genesis 39:1 tn Heb “from the hand of.”
  4. Genesis 39:2 tn Heb “and he was a prosperous man.” This does not mean that Joseph became wealthy, but that he was successful in what he was doing, or making progress in his situation (see 24:21).
  5. Genesis 39:2 tn Heb “and he was.”
  6. Genesis 39:3 tn The Hebrew text adds “in his hand,” a phrase not included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  7. Genesis 39:4 sn The Hebrew verb translated became his personal attendant refers to higher domestic service, usually along the lines of a personal attendant. Here Joseph is made the household steward, a position well-attested in Egyptian literature.
  8. Genesis 39:4 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  9. Genesis 39:4 tn Heb “put into his hand.”
  10. Genesis 39:5 tn Heb “and it was from then.”
  11. Genesis 39:5 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Potiphar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  12. Genesis 39:5 sn The Hebrew word translated blessed carries the idea of enrichment, prosperity, success. It is the way believers describe success at the hand of God. The text illustrates the promise made to Abraham that whoever blesses his descendants will be blessed (Gen 12:1-3).
  13. Genesis 39:5 tn Heb “in the house and in the field.” The word “both” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  14. Genesis 39:5 sn The passage gives us a good picture of Joseph as a young man who was responsible and faithful, both to his master and to his God. This happened within a very short time of his being sold into Egypt. It undermines the view that Joseph was a liar, a tattletale, and an arrogant adolescent.
  15. Genesis 39:6 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Potiphar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  16. Genesis 39:6 sn The Hebrew verb translated left indicates he relinquished the care of it to Joseph. This is stronger than what was said earlier. Apparently Potiphar had come to trust Joseph so much that he knew it was in better care with Joseph than with anyone else.
  17. Genesis 39:6 tn Heb “hand.” This is a metonymy for being under the control or care of Joseph.
  18. Genesis 39:6 tn Heb “did not know.”
  19. Genesis 39:6 sn The expression except the food he ate probably refers to Potiphar’s private affairs and should not be limited literally to what he ate.
  20. Genesis 39:6 tn Heb “handsome of form and handsome of appearance.” The same Hebrew expressions were used in Gen 29:17 for Rachel.
  21. Genesis 39:7 tn Heb “she lifted up her eyes toward,” an expression that emphasizes her deliberate and careful scrutiny of him.
  22. Genesis 39:7 tn Heb “lie down with.” The verb שָׁכַב (shakhav) “to lie down” can be a euphemism for going to bed for sexual relations.sn The story of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife has long been connected with the wisdom warnings about the strange woman who tries to seduce the young man with her boldness and directness (see Prov 5-7, especially 7:6-27). This is part of the literary background of the story of Joseph that gives it a wisdom flavor. See G. von Rad, God at Work in Israel, 19-35; and G. W. Coats, “The Joseph Story and Ancient Wisdom: A Reappraisal,” CBQ 35 (1973): 285-97.
  23. Genesis 39:8 tn Heb “and he said.”
  24. Genesis 39:8 tn Heb “know.”
  25. Genesis 39:8 tn The word “here” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  26. Genesis 39:8 tn Heb “hand.” This is a metonymy for being under the control or care of Joseph.
  27. Genesis 39:9 tn The nuance of potential imperfect fits this context.
  28. Genesis 39:10 tn The verse begins with the temporal indicator, followed by the infinitive construct with the preposition כ (kaf). This clause could therefore be taken as temporal.
  29. Genesis 39:10 tn Heb “listen to.”
  30. Genesis 39:10 tn Heb “lie down with her to be with her.” See note at v. 7.
  31. Genesis 39:11 tn Heb “and it was about this day.”
  32. Genesis 39:11 tn Heb “the men of the house.”
  33. Genesis 39:12 tn Heb “lie down with.” See note at v. 7.
  34. Genesis 39:12 tn Heb “he fled and he went out.” The construction emphasizes the point that Joseph got out of there quickly.
  35. Genesis 39:12 sn For discussion of this episode, see A. M. Honeyman, “The Occasion of Joseph’s Temptation,” VT 2 (1952): 85-87.
  36. Genesis 39:14 tn The verb has no expressed subject, and so it could be treated as a passive (“a Hebrew man was brought in”; cf. NIV). But it is clear from the context that her husband brought Joseph into the household, so Potiphar is the apparent referent here. Thus the translation supplies “my husband” as the referent of the unspecified pronominal subject of the verb (cf. NEB, NRSV).
  37. Genesis 39:14 sn A Hebrew man. Potiphar’s wife raises the ethnic issue when talking to her servants about what their boss had done.
  38. Genesis 39:14 tn Heb “to make fun of us.” The verb translated “to humiliate us” here means to hold something up for ridicule, or to toy with something harmfully. Attempted rape would be such an activity, for it would hold the victim in contempt.
  39. Genesis 39:14 tn Heb “He approached me to lie down with me.” Both expressions can be a euphemism for sexual relations. See the note at 2 Sam 12:24.
  40. Genesis 39:14 tn Heb “and I cried out with a loud voice.”
  41. Genesis 39:15 tn Heb “that I raised.”
  42. Genesis 39:17 tn Heb “and she spoke to him according to these words, saying.”
  43. Genesis 39:17 sn That Hebrew slave. Now, when speaking to her husband, Potiphar’s wife refers to Joseph as a Hebrew slave, a very demeaning description.
  44. Genesis 39:17 tn Heb “came to me to make fun of me.” The statement needs no explanation because of the connotations of “came to me” and “to make fun of me.” See the note on the expression “humiliate us” in v. 14.
  45. Genesis 39:19 tn Heb “and when his master heard the words of his wife which she spoke to him, saying.”
  46. Genesis 39:19 tn Heb “according to these words.”
  47. Genesis 39:19 tn Heb “did to me.”
  48. Genesis 39:19 tn Heb “his anger burned.”
  49. Genesis 39:20 tn Heb “the house of roundness,” suggesting that the prison might have been a fortress or citadel.
  50. Genesis 39:20 sn The story of Joseph is filled with cycles and repetition: He has two dreams (chap. 37), he interprets two dreams in prison (chap. 40) and the two dreams of Pharaoh (chap. 41), his brothers make two trips to see him (chaps. 42-43), and here, for the second time (see 37:24), he is imprisoned for no good reason, with only his coat being used as evidence. For further discussion see H. Jacobsen, “A Legal Note on Potiphar’s Wife,” HTR 69 (1976): 177.
  51. Genesis 39:21 tn Heb “and he extended to him loyal love.”
  52. Genesis 39:21 tn Or “the chief jailer” (also in the following verses).
  53. Genesis 39:22 tn Heb “all which they were doing there, he was doing.” This probably means that Joseph was in charge of everything that went on in the prison.
  54. Genesis 39:23 tn Heb “was not looking at anything.”
  55. Genesis 39:23 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  56. Genesis 40:1 sn The Hebrew term cupbearer corresponds to the Egyptian wb’, an official (frequently a foreigner) who often became a confidant of the king and wielded political power (see K. A. Kitchen, NBD3 248). Nehemiah held this post in Persia.
  57. Genesis 40:1 sn The baker may be the Egyptian retehti, the head of the bakers, who had privileges in the royal court.
  58. Genesis 40:1 sn The Hebrew verb translated offended here is the same one translated “sin” in 39:9. Perhaps there is an intended contrast between these officials, who deserve to be imprisoned, and Joseph, who refused to sin against God, but was thrown into prison in spite of his innocence.
  59. Genesis 40:2 tn The Hebrew word סָרִיס (saris), used here of these two men and of Potiphar (see 39:1), normally means “eunuch.” But evidence from Akkadian texts shows that in early times the title was used of a court official in general. Only later did it become more specialized in its use.
  60. Genesis 40:4 sn He served them. This is the same Hebrew verb, meaning “to serve as a personal attendant,” that was translated “became [his] servant” in 39:4.
  61. Genesis 40:4 tn Heb “they were days in custody.”
  62. Genesis 40:5 tn Heb “dreamed a dream.”
  63. Genesis 40:5 tn Heb “a man his dream in one night.”
  64. Genesis 40:5 tn Heb “a man according to the interpretation of his dream.”
  65. Genesis 40:6 tn The verb זָעַף (zaʿaf) only occurs here and Dan 1:10. It means “to be sick, to be emaciated,” probably in this case because of depression.
  66. Genesis 40:7 tn Heb “why are your faces sad today?”
  67. Genesis 40:8 tn Heb “a dream we dreamed.”
  68. Genesis 40:8 tn The word “them” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  69. Genesis 40:9 tn The Hebrew text adds “and he said to him.” This has not been translated because it is redundant in English.
  70. Genesis 40:11 tn Heb “the cup of Pharaoh.” The pronoun “his” has been used here in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  71. Genesis 40:11 sn The cupbearer’s dream is dominated by sets of three: three branches, three stages of growth, and three actions of the cupbearer.
  72. Genesis 40:12 tn Heb “the three branches [are].”
  73. Genesis 40:13 tn Heb “Pharaoh will lift up your head.” This Hebrew idiom usually refers to restoring dignity, office, or power. It is comparable to the modern saying “someone can hold his head up high.”
  74. Genesis 40:13 tn Heb “according to the former custom.”
  75. Genesis 40:14 tn Heb “but you have remembered me with you.” The perfect verbal form may be used rhetorically here to emphasize Joseph’s desire to be remembered. He speaks of the action as already being accomplished in order to make it clear that he expects it to be done. The form can be translated as volitional, expressing a plea or a request.
  76. Genesis 40:14 tn This perfect verbal form with the prefixed conjunction (and the two that immediately follow) carry the same force as the preceding perfect.
  77. Genesis 40:14 tn Heb “deal with me [in] kindness.”
  78. Genesis 40:14 tn The verb זָכַר (zakhar) in the Hiphil stem means “to cause to remember, to make mention, to boast.” The implication is that Joseph would be pleased for them to tell his story and give him the credit due him so that Pharaoh would release him. Since Pharaoh had never met Joseph, the simple translation of “cause him to remember me” would mean little.
  79. Genesis 40:14 tn Heb “house.” The word “prison” has been substituted in the translation for clarity.
  80. Genesis 40:15 tn The verb גָּנַב (ganav) means “to steal,” but in the Piel/Pual stem “to steal away.” The idea of “kidnap” would be closer to the sense, meaning he was stolen and carried off. The preceding infinitive absolute underscores the point Joseph is making.
  81. Genesis 40:16 tn Heb “that [the] interpretation [was] good.” The words “the first dream” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
  82. Genesis 40:16 tn Or “three wicker baskets.” The meaning of the Hebrew noun חֹרִי (khori, “white bread, cake”) is uncertain; some have suggested the meaning “wicker” instead. Comparison with texts from Ebla suggests the meaning “pastries made with white flour” (M. Dahood, “Eblaite ḫa-rí and Genesis 40, 16 ḥōrî,” BN 13 [1980]: 14-16).
  83. Genesis 40:18 tn Heb “the three baskets [are].”
  84. Genesis 40:19 tn Heb “Pharaoh will lift up your head from upon you.” Joseph repeats the same expression from the first interpretation (see v. 13), but with the added words “from upon you,” which allow the statement to have a more literal and ominous meaning—the baker will be decapitated.
  85. Genesis 40:20 tn The translation puts the verb in quotation marks because it is used rhetorically here and has a double meaning. With respect to the cupbearer it means “reinstate” (see v. 13), but with respect to the baker it means “decapitate” (see v. 19).
  86. Genesis 40:21 tn Heb “his cupbearing.”
  87. Genesis 40:22 tn Heb “had interpreted for them.”sn The dreams were fulfilled exactly as Joseph had predicted, down to the very detail. Here was confirmation that Joseph could interpret dreams and that his own dreams were still valid. It would have been a tremendous encouragement to his faith, but it would also have been a great disappointment to spend two more years in jail.
  88. Genesis 40:23 tn The wayyiqtol verbal form here has a reiterative or emphasizing function.
  89. Genesis 41:1 tn Heb “two years, days.”
  90. Genesis 41:1 tn Heb “was dreaming.”
  91. Genesis 41:2 tn Heb “And look, he was standing by the Nile, and look, from the Nile were coming up seven cows, attractive of appearance and fat of flesh.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the audience to see the dream through Pharaoh’s eyes.
  92. Genesis 41:3 tn Heb “And look, seven other cows were coming up after them from the Nile, bad of appearance and thin of flesh.”
  93. Genesis 41:3 tn Heb “the Nile.” This has been replaced by “the river” in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  94. Genesis 41:5 tn Heb “coming up.”
  95. Genesis 41:5 tn Heb “fat.”
  96. Genesis 41:6 tn Heb “And look.”
  97. Genesis 41:7 tn Heb “And look, a dream.”sn Pharaoh’s two dreams, as explained in the following verses, pertained to the economy of Egypt. Because of the Nile River, the land of Egypt weathered all kinds of famines—there was usually grain in Egypt, and if there was grain and water the livestock would flourish. These two dreams, however, indicated that poverty would overtake plenty and that the blessing of the herd and the field would cease.
  98. Genesis 41:8 tn Heb “his spirit.”
  99. Genesis 41:8 tn Heb “he sent and called,” which indicates an official summons.
  100. Genesis 41:8 tn The Hebrew term חַרְטֹם (khartom) is an Egyptian loanword (hyr-tp) that describes a class of priests who were skilled in such interpretations.
  101. Genesis 41:8 tn The Hebrew text has the singular (though Smr reads the plural). If retained, the singular must be collective for the set of dreams. Note the plural pronoun “them,” referring to the dreams, in the next clause. However, note that in v. 15 Pharaoh uses the singular to refer to the two dreams. In vv. 17-24 Pharaoh seems to treat the dreams as two parts of one dream (see especially v. 22).
  102. Genesis 41:8 tn “there was no interpreter.”
  103. Genesis 41:8 tn Heb “for Pharaoh.” The pronoun “him” has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  104. Genesis 41:9 tn Heb “sins, offenses.” He probably refers here to the offenses that landed him in prison (see 40:1).
  105. Genesis 41:11 tn Heb “and we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he, each according to the interpretation of his dream we dreamed.”
  106. Genesis 41:12 tn Or “slave.”
  107. Genesis 41:12 tn Heb “a servant to the captain of the guards.” On this construction see GKC 419-20 §129.c.
  108. Genesis 41:12 tn The words “our dreams” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  109. Genesis 41:12 tn Heb “and he interpreted for us our dreams, each according to his dream he interpreted.”
  110. Genesis 41:13 tn Heb “interpreted.”
  111. Genesis 41:13 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Pharaoh) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  112. Genesis 41:13 tn Heb “him”; the referent (the baker) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  113. Genesis 41:14 tn Heb “and Pharaoh sent and called,” indicating a summons to the royal court.
  114. Genesis 41:15 tn Heb “dreamed a dream.”
  115. Genesis 41:15 tn Heb “there is no one interpreting.”
  116. Genesis 41:15 tn Heb “saying.”
  117. Genesis 41:15 tn Heb “you hear a dream to interpret it,” which may mean, “you only have to hear a dream to be able to interpret it.”
  118. Genesis 41:16 tn Heb “not within me.”
  119. Genesis 41:16 tn Heb “God will answer.”
  120. Genesis 41:16 tn The expression שְׁלוֹם פַּרְעֹה (shelom parʿoh) is here rendered “the welfare of Pharaoh” because the dream will be about life in his land. Some interpret it to mean an answer of “peace”—one that will calm his heart, or give him the answer that he desires (cf. NIV, NRSV, NLT).
New English Translation (NET)

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Matthew 12:46-13:23

Jesus’ True Family

46 While Jesus[a] was still speaking to the crowds,[b] his mother and brothers[c] came and stood outside, asking[d] to speak to him. 47 [e] Someone[f] told him, “Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside wanting[g] to speak to you.” 48 To the one who had said this, Jesus[h] replied,[i] “Who is my mother and who are my brothers?” 49 And pointing[j] toward his disciples he said, “Here[k] are my mother and my brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is[l] my brother and sister and mother.”

The Parable of the Sower

13 On that day after Jesus went out of the house, he sat by the lake.[m] 2 And such a large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat[n] to sit while[o] the whole crowd stood on the shore. 3 He[p] told them many things in parables,[q] saying: “Listen![r] A sower went out to sow.[s] 4 And as he sowed, some seeds[t] fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other[u] seeds fell on rocky ground[v] where they did not have much soil. They sprang up quickly because the soil was not deep.[w] 6 But when the sun came up, they were scorched, and because they did not have sufficient root, they withered. 7 Other seeds fell among the thorns,[x] and they grew up and choked them.[y] 8 But other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty. 9 The one who has ears had better listen!”[z]

10 Then[aa] the disciples came to him and said, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 He replied,[ab] “You have been given[ac] the opportunity to know[ad] the secrets[ae] of the kingdom of heaven, but they have not. 12 For whoever has will be given more, and will have an abundance. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.[af] 13 For this reason I speak to them in parables: Although they see they do not see, and although they hear they do not hear nor do they understand. 14 And concerning them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:

‘You will listen carefully[ag] yet will never understand,
you will look closely[ah] yet will never comprehend.
15 For the heart of this people has become dull;
they are hard of hearing,
and they have shut their eyes,
so that they would not see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’[ai]

16 “But your eyes are blessed[aj] because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17 For I tell you the truth,[ak] many prophets and righteous people longed to see[al] what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

18 “So listen to the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one[am] comes and snatches what was sown in his heart;[an] this is the seed sown along the path. 20 The[ao] seed sown on rocky ground[ap] is the person who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. 21 But he has no root in himself and does not endure;[aq] when[ar] trouble or persecution comes because of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 The[as] seed sown among thorns is the person who hears the word, but worldly cares and the seductiveness of wealth[at] choke the word,[au] so it produces nothing. 23 But as for the seed sown on good soil, this is the person who hears the word and understands. He bears fruit, yielding a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown.”[av]

Footnotes:

  1. Matthew 12:46 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  2. Matthew 12:46 tn Grk “crowds, behold, his mother.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
  3. Matthew 12:46 sn The issue of whether Jesus had brothers (siblings) has had a long history in the church. Epiphanius, in the 4th century, argued that Mary was a perpetual virgin and had no offspring other than Jesus. Others argued that these brothers were really cousins. Nothing in the text suggests any of this. See also John 7:3.
  4. Matthew 12:46 tn Grk “seeking.”
  5. Matthew 12:47 tc A few ancient mss and versions lack this verse (א* B L Γ ff1 k sys,c sa), while almost all the rest have it. The witness of א and B is especially strong, but internal considerations override this external evidence. Both v. 46 and v. 47 end with the word λαλῆσαι (“to speak”), so early scribes probably omitted the verse through homoioteleuton. Without v. 47 the passage is nonsensical: v. 46 says Jesus’ family members wanted to speak to him, and v. 48 begins with “to the one who said this.” The antecedent of “the one who said this” must surely be “someone” in v. 47. Thus, the omission of v. 47 is too hard a reading. This verse therefore should be regarded as part of the Ausgangstext.
  6. Matthew 12:47 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
  7. Matthew 12:47 tn Grk “seeking.”
  8. Matthew 12:48 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  9. Matthew 12:48 tn Grk “And answering, he said to the one who had said this.” This construction is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation. Here δέ (de) at the beginning of the clause has not been translated.
  10. Matthew 12:49 tn Grk “extending his hand.”
  11. Matthew 12:49 tn Grk “Behold my mother and my brothers.”
  12. Matthew 12:50 tn The pleonastic pronoun αὐτός (autos, “he”) which precedes this verb has not been translated.
  13. Matthew 13:1 sn Here lake refers to the Sea of Galilee.
  14. Matthew 13:2 sn See the note at Matt 4:21 for a description of the first-century fishing boat discovered in 1986 near Tiberias on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee.
  15. Matthew 13:2 tn Grk “and all the crowd.” The clause in this phrase, although coordinate in terms of grammar, is logically subordinate to the previous clause.
  16. Matthew 13:3 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
  17. Matthew 13:3 sn Though parables can contain a variety of figures of speech (cf. the remainder of chapter 13), many times they are simply stories that attempt to teach spiritual truth (which is unknown to the hearers) by using a comparison with something known to the hearers. In general, parables usually advance a single idea, though there may be many parts and characters in a single parable and subordinate ideas may expand the main idea further. The beauty of using the parable as a teaching device is that it draws the listener into the story, elicits an evaluation, and demands a response.
  18. Matthew 13:3 tn Grk “Behold.”
  19. Matthew 13:3 sn A sower went out to sow. The background for this well-known parable, drawn from a typical scene in the Palestinian countryside, is a field through which a well-worn path runs. Sowing would occur in late fall or early winter (October to December) in the rainy season, looking for sprouting in April or May and a June harvest. The use of seed as a figure for God’s giving life has OT roots (Isa 55:10-11). The point of the parable of the sower is to illustrate the various responses to the message of the kingdom of God.
  20. Matthew 13:4 tn In Matthew’s version of this parable, plural pronouns are used to refer to the seed in v. 4 (ἅ…αὐτά [ha…auta]), although the collective singular is used in v. 5 and following (indicated by the singular verbs like ἔπεσεν [epesen]). For the sake of consistency in English, plural pronouns referring to the seed are used in the translation throughout the Matthean account. In both Mark and Luke the collective singular is used consistently throughout (cf. Mark 4:1-9; Luke 8:4-8).
  21. Matthew 13:5 tn Here and in vv. 7 and 8 δέ (de) has not been translated.
  22. Matthew 13:5 sn The rocky ground in Palestine would be a limestone base lying right under the soil.
  23. Matthew 13:5 tn Grk “because it did not have depth of earth.”
  24. Matthew 13:7 sn Palestinian weeds like these thorns could grow up to 6 feet in height and have a major root system.
  25. Matthew 13:7 sn That is, crowded out the good plants.
  26. Matthew 13:9 tn The translation “had better listen!” captures the force of the third person imperative more effectively than the traditional “let him hear,” which sounds more like a permissive than an imperative to the modern English reader. This was Jesus’ common expression to listen and heed carefully (cf. Matt 11:15; 13:43; Mark 4:9, 23; Luke 8:8; 14:35).
  27. Matthew 13:10 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
  28. Matthew 13:11 tn Grk “And answering, he said to them.” This construction is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
  29. Matthew 13:11 tn This is an example of a “divine passive,” with God understood to be the source of the revelation (see ExSyn 437-38).
  30. Matthew 13:11 tn Grk “to you it has been given to know.” The dative pronoun occurs first, in emphatic position in the Greek text, although this position is awkward in contemporary English.
  31. Matthew 13:11 tn Grk “the mysteries.”sn The key term secrets (μυστήριον, mustērion) can mean either (1) a new revelation or (2) a revealing interpretation of existing revelation as in Dan 2:17-23, 27-30. Jesus seems to be explaining how current events develop old promises, since the NT consistently links the events of Jesus’ ministry and message with old promises (Rom 1:1-4; Heb 1:1-2). The traditional translation of this word, “mystery,” is misleading to the modern English reader because it suggests a secret which people have tried to uncover but which they have failed to understand (L&N 28.77).
  32. Matthew 13:12 sn What he has will be taken from him. The meaning is that the one who accepts Jesus’ teaching concerning his person and the kingdom will receive a share in the kingdom now and even more in the future, but for the one who rejects Jesus’ words, the opportunity that that person presently possesses with respect to the kingdom will someday be taken away forever.
  33. Matthew 13:14 tn Grk “with hearing,” a cognate dative that intensifies the action of the main verb “you will listen” (ExSyn 168-69).
  34. Matthew 13:14 tn Grk “look by looking.” The participle is redundant, functioning to intensify the force of the main verb.
  35. Matthew 13:15 sn A quotation from Isa 6:9-10. Thus parables both conceal or reveal depending on whether one is open to hearing what they teach.
  36. Matthew 13:16 sn This beatitude highlights the great honor bestowed on the disciples to share in this salvation.
  37. Matthew 13:17 tn Grk “truly (ἀμήν, amēn) I say to you.”
  38. Matthew 13:17 sn This is what past prophets and righteous people had wanted very much to see, yet the fulfillment had come to the disciples. This remark is like 1 Pet 1:10-12 or Heb 1:1-2.
  39. Matthew 13:19 sn Interestingly, the synoptic parallels each use a different word for Satan here: Mark 4:15 has “Satan,” while Luke 8:12 has “the devil.” This illustrates the fluidity of the gospel tradition in often using synonyms at the same point of the parallel tradition.
  40. Matthew 13:19 sn The word of Jesus has the potential to save if it germinates in a person’s heart, something the devil is very much against.
  41. Matthew 13:20 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
  42. Matthew 13:20 tn Grk “The one sown on rocky ground, this is the one.” The next two statements like this one have this same syntactical structure.
  43. Matthew 13:21 tn Grk “is temporary.”
  44. Matthew 13:21 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
  45. Matthew 13:22 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
  46. Matthew 13:22 tn Grk “the deceitfulness of riches.” Cf. BDAG 99 s.v. ἀπάτη 1, “the seduction which comes from wealth.”
  47. Matthew 13:22 sn That is, their concern for spiritual things is crowded out by material things.
  48. Matthew 13:23 tn The Greek is difficult to translate because it switches from a generic “he” to three people within this generic class (thus, something like: “Who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one instance a hundred times, in another, sixty times, in another, thirty times”).
New English Translation (NET)

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Psalm 17

Psalm 17[a]

A prayer of David.

17 Lord, consider my just cause.[b]
Pay attention to my cry for help.
Listen to the prayer
I sincerely offer.[c]
2 Make a just decision on my behalf.[d]
Decide what is right.[e]
3 You have scrutinized my inner motives;[f]
you have examined me during the night.[g]
You have carefully evaluated me, but you find no sin.
I am determined I will say nothing sinful.[h]
4 As for the actions of people[i]—
just as you have commanded,
I have not followed in the footsteps of violent men.[j]
5 I carefully obey your commands;[k]
I do not deviate from them.[l]
6 I call to you because you will answer me, O God.
Listen to me![m]
Hear what I say![n]
7 Accomplish awesome, faithful deeds,[o]
you who powerfully deliver those who look to you for protection from their enemies.[p]
8 Protect me as you would protect the pupil of your eye.[q]
Hide me in the shadow of your wings.[r]
9 Protect me from[s] the wicked men who attack[t] me,
my enemies who crowd around me for the kill.[u]
10 They are calloused;[v]
they speak arrogantly.[w]
11 They attack me, now they surround me;[x]
they intend to throw me to the ground.[y]
12 He[z] is like a lion[aa] that wants to tear its prey to bits,[ab]
like a young lion crouching[ac] in hidden places.
13 Rise up, Lord!
Confront him.[ad] Knock him down.[ae]
Use your sword to rescue me from the wicked man.[af]
14 Lord, use your power to deliver me from these murderers,[ag]
from the murderers of this world.[ah]
They enjoy prosperity;[ai]
you overwhelm them with the riches they desire.[aj]
They have many children,
and leave their wealth to their offspring.[ak]
15 As for me, because I am innocent I will see your face;[al]
when I awake you will reveal yourself to me.[am]

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 17:1 sn Psalm 17. The psalmist asks God to intervene on his behalf because his life is threatened by dangerous enemies. He appeals to divine justice, for he is certain of his own innocence. Because he is innocent, he expects to encounter God and receive an assuring word.
  2. Psalm 17:1 tn Heb “hear, Lord, what is just.”
  3. Psalm 17:1 tn Heb “Listen to my prayer, [made] without lips of deceit.”
  4. Psalm 17:2 tn Heb “From before you may my justice come out.” The prefixed verbal form יָצָא (yatsaʾ) could be taken as an imperfect, but following the imperatives in v. 1, it is better understood as a jussive of prayer.
  5. Psalm 17:2 tn Heb “May your eyes look at what is right.” The prefixed verbal form is understood as jussive. (See also the preceding note on the word “behalf.”)
  6. Psalm 17:3 tn Heb “you tested my heart.”
  7. Psalm 17:3 tn Heb “you visited [at] night.”
  8. Psalm 17:3 tc Heb “you tested me, you do not find, I plan, my mouth will not cross over.” The Hebrew verbal form זַמֹּתִי (zammoti) is a Qal perfect, first person singular from the root זָמַם (zamam, “plan, plan evil”). Some emend the form to a suffixed form of the noun, זִמָּתִי (zimmati, “my plan/evil plan”), and take it as the object of the preceding verb “find.” However, the suffix seems odd, since the psalmist is denying that he has any wrong thoughts. If one takes the form with what precedes, it might make better sense to read זִמּוֹת (zimmot, “evil plans”). However, this emendation leaves an unclear connection with the next line. The present translation maintains the verbal form found in the MT and understands it in a neutral sense, “I have decided” (see Jer 4:28). The words “my mouth will not cross over” (i.e., “transgress, sin”) can then be taken as a noun clause functioning as the object of the verb.
  9. Psalm 17:4 tn Heb “with regard to the deeds of man[kind].”
  10. Psalm 17:4 tn Heb “by the word of your lips, I, I have watched the paths of the violent” (i.e., “watched” in the sense of “watched for the purpose of avoiding”).
  11. Psalm 17:5 tn Heb “my steps stay firm in your tracks.” The infinitive absolute functions here as a finite verb (see GKC 347 §113.gg). God’s “tracks” are his commands, i.e., the moral pathways he has prescribed for the psalmist.
  12. Psalm 17:5 tn Heb “my footsteps do not stagger.”
  13. Psalm 17:6 tn Heb “Turn your ear toward me.”
  14. Psalm 17:6 tn Heb “my word.”
  15. Psalm 17:7 tn Heb “Set apart faithful acts.”
  16. Psalm 17:7 tn Heb “[O] one who delivers those who seek shelter from the ones raising themselves up, by your right hand.” The Lord’s “right hand” here symbolizes his power to protect and deliver.sn Those who look to you for protection from their enemies. “Seeking shelter” in the Lord is an idiom for seeking his protection. Seeking his protection presupposes and even demonstrates the subject’s loyalty to the Lord. In the psalms those who “take shelter” in the Lord are contrasted with the wicked and equated with those who love, fear and serve the Lord (Pss 5:11-12; 31:17-20; 34:21-22).
  17. Psalm 17:8 tc Heb “Protect me like the pupil, a daughter of an eye.” The noun בַּת (bat, “daughter”) should probably be emended to בָּבַת (bavat, “pupil”). See Zech 2:12 HT (2:8 ET) and HALOT 107 s.v. *בָּבָה.
  18. Psalm 17:8 sn Your wings. The metaphor compares God to a protective mother bird.
  19. Psalm 17:9 tn Heb “from before”; or “because.” In the Hebrew text v. 9 is subordinated to v. 8. The words “protect me” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  20. Psalm 17:9 tn Heb “destroy.” The psalmist uses the perfect verbal form to emphasize the degree of danger. He describes the wicked as being already in the process of destroying him.
  21. Psalm 17:9 tn Heb “my enemies, at the risk of life they surround me.” The Hebrew phrase בְּנֶפֶשׁ (benefesh) sometimes has the nuance “at the risk of [one’s] life” (see 1 Kgs 2:23; Prov 7:23; Lam 5:9).
  22. Psalm 17:10 tn Heb “their fat they close.” The Hebrew term חֵלֶב (khelev, “fat”) appears to stand by metonymy for their calloused hearts. They attack the psalmist without feeling any pity or remorse. Some propose emending the text to חֵלֶב לִבָּמוֹ (khelev libbamo, “fat of their heart[s]; cf. Ps 119:70, “their heart is insensitive like fat”). This assumes haplography of the לב (lamed-bet) consonantal sequence.
  23. Psalm 17:10 tn Heb “[with] their mouth they speak with arrogance.”
  24. Psalm 17:11 tc Heb “our steps, now they surround me.” The Kethib (consonantal text) has “surround me,” while the Qere (marginal reading) has “surround us,” harmonizing the pronoun to the preceding “our steps.” The first person plural pronoun does not fit the context, where the psalmist speaks as an individual. In the preceding verses the psalmist uses a first person singular verbal or pronominal form twenty times. For this reason it is preferable to emend “our steps” to אִשְּׁרוּנִי (ʾisheruni, “they attack me”) from the verbal root אָשַׁר (ʾashar, “march, stride, track”).
  25. Psalm 17:11 tn Heb “their eyes they set to bend down in the ground.”
  26. Psalm 17:12 tn Here the psalmist switches to the singular pronoun; he views his enemies collectively, or singles out a representative of the group, perhaps its leader.
  27. Psalm 17:12 tn Heb “his likeness [is] like a lion.”
  28. Psalm 17:12 tn Heb “[that] longs to tear.”
  29. Psalm 17:12 tn Heb “sitting.”
  30. Psalm 17:13 tn Heb “Be in front of his face.”
  31. Psalm 17:13 tn Or “bring him to his knees.”
  32. Psalm 17:13 tn Heb “rescue my life from the wicked [one] [by] your sword.”
  33. Psalm 17:14 tc Heb “from men [by] your hand, Lord.” The translation assumes an emendation (both here and in the following line) of מִמְתִים (mimetim, “from men”) to מִמְּמִתִים (mimmemitim, “from those who kill”). For other uses of the plural form of the Hiphil participle of מוּת (mut, “die”), see 2 Kgs 17:26 (used with lions as subject), Job 33:22 (apparently referring to the agents of death), and Jer 26:15 (used of those seeking Jeremiah’s life).
  34. Psalm 17:14 tn Heb “from men, from [the] world.” On the emendation of “men” to “murderers,” see the preceding note on the word “murderers.”
  35. Psalm 17:14 tn Heb “their portion, in life.”
  36. Psalm 17:14 tn Heb “and [with] your treasures you fill their belly.”sn You overwhelm them with the riches they desire. The psalmist is not accusing God of being unjust; he is simply observing that the wicked often prosper and that God is the ultimate source of all blessings that human beings enjoy (see Matt 5:45). When the wicked are ungrateful for God’s blessings, they become even more culpable and deserving of judgment. So this description of the wicked actually supports the psalmist’s appeal for deliverance. God should rescue him because he is innocent (see vv. 3-5) and because the wicked, though blessed abundantly by God, still have the audacity to attack God’s people.
  37. Psalm 17:14 tn Heb “they are satisfied [with] sons and leave their abundance to their children.”
  38. Psalm 17:15 tn Heb “I, in innocence, I will see your face.” To “see” God’s “face” means to have access to his presence and to experience his favor (see Ps 11:7; see also Job 33:26 [where רָאָה (ra’ah), not חָזַה (khazah), is used]). Here, however, the psalmist may be anticipating a mystical experience. See the following note on the word “me.”
  39. Psalm 17:15 tn Heb “I will be satisfied, when I awake, [with] your form.” The noun תְּמוּנָה (temunah) normally carries the nuance “likeness” or “form.” In Job 4:16 it refers to a ghostlike spiritual entity (see Job 4:15) that revealed itself to Eliphaz during the night. The psalmist may anticipate a mystical encounter with God in which he expects to see a manifestation of God’s presence (i.e., a theophany), perhaps in conjunction with an oracle of deliverance. During the quiet darkness of the night, God examines the psalmist’s inner motives and finds them to be pure (see v. 3). The psalmist is confident that when he awakens, perhaps sometime during the night or in the morning, he will be visited by God and assured of vindication.sn When I awake you will reveal yourself to me. Some see in this verse an allusion to resurrection. According to this view, when the psalmist awakens from the sleep of death, he will see God. It is unlikely that the psalmist had such a highly developed personal eschatology. As noted above, it is more likely that he is anticipating a divine visitation and mystical encounter as a prelude to his deliverance from his enemies.
New English Translation (NET)

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Proverbs 3:33-35

33 The Lord’s curse[a] is on the household[b] of the wicked,[c]
but he blesses[d] the home[e] of the righteous.[f]
34 With[g] arrogant scoffers[h] he is scornful,
yet he shows favor to the humble.[i]
35 The wise inherit honor,
but he holds fools up to[j] public contempt.[k]

Footnotes:

  1. Proverbs 3:33 tn Or “the curse of the Lord,” a subjective genitive indicating the curse that the Lord makes. The noun מְאֵרַה (meʾerah, “curse”) is the opposite, or antonym, of בְּרָכָה (berakhah, “blessing”). It is associated with poverty and affliction. The curse of God brings ruin and failure to crops, land in general, an individual, or the nation (Deut 28:20; Mal 2:2; 3:9; see BDB 76 s.v.; HALOT 541 s.v.).
  2. Proverbs 3:33 tn Heb “house.” The term בֵּית (bet, “house”) functions as a synecdoche of container (= house) for the persons contained (= household). See, e.g., Exod 1:21; Deut 6:22; Josh 22:15 (BDB 109 s.v. 5.a).
  3. Proverbs 3:33 sn The term “wicked” is singular; the term “righteous” in the second half of the verse is plural. In scripture such changes often hint at God’s reluctance to curse, but eagerness to bless (e.g., Gen 12:3).
  4. Proverbs 3:33 sn The term “bless” (בָּרַךְ, barakh) is the antithesis of “curse.” A blessing is a gift, enrichment, or endowment. The blessing of God empowers one with the ability to succeed, and brings vitality and prosperity in the material realm, but especially in one’s spiritual relationship with God.
  5. Proverbs 3:33 tn Heb “habitation.” The noun נָוֶה (naveh, “habitation; abode”), which is the poetic parallel to בֵּית (bet, “house”), usually refers to the abode of a shepherd in the country: “habitation” in the country (BDB 627 s.v. נָוֶה). It functions as a synecdoche of container (= habitation) for the contents (= people in the habitation and all they possess).
  6. Proverbs 3:33 tn The Hebrew is structured chiastically (AB:BA): “The curse of the Lord / is on the house of the wicked // but the home of the righteous / he blesses.” The word order in the translation is reversed for the sake of smoothness and readability.
  7. Proverbs 3:34 tc The MT reads אִם (ʾim, “if”) and the syntax is אִם (ʾim) plus imperfect verb followed by vav plus perfect consecutive. This particle can introduce a realizable or unrealizable condition, or a concessive clause (HALOT 60-61 s.v.). A realizable condition presents the circumstance in which the apodosis is realized, “if/when he is scornful…, then he will show favor.” An unrealizable condition or a concessive clause should be rendered “even if” or “although [X would be],” referring to something that is not the case, as in, “even if he would be scornful…, then…” (cf. Num 22:18, 1 Kgs 13:8; Job 9:15; Jer 15:1). Neither of these options fit the context well. The content of the second half of the verse does not depend on the first half. And the first half is not to be understood as an unrealizable or unexpected condition, rather both are truisms. An alternative is to read the similarly sounding term עִם (ʿim, “with”), “with the scorners he is scornful” (cf. Ps 18:25-26). The LXX does not have a conditional particle, so it may not have read אִם (ʾim, “if”), but also it does not have μετὰ (meta, “with”) so it is not clear that it read עִם (ʾim, “with”). The translation presumes the particle עִם.
  8. Proverbs 3:34 tn Heb “with those who mock he will mock.” The repetition of the root לִיץ (lits, “to scorn; to mock”) connotes poetic justice; the punishment fits the crime. Scoffers are characterized by arrogant pride (e.g., Prov 21:24), as the antithetical parallelism with “the humble” here emphasizes.
  9. Proverbs 3:34 tc The Kethib reads וְלַעֲנִיִּים (velaʿaniyyim) from עָנִי (ʿani, “afflicted”), followed by the NASB. The Qere, supported by the LXX, Targum, and Latin Vulgate reads וְלַעֲנָוִים (velaʿanavim) from עָנָו (ʿanav, “meek, humble”) followed by the NIV, ESV, NRSV and others.
  10. Proverbs 3:35 tc MT reads מֵרִים (merim, “he lifts up”): singular Hiphil participle of רוּם (rum, “to rise; to exalt”), functioning verbally with the Lord as the implied subject: “but he lifts up fools to shame.” The LXX and Vulgate reflect the plural מְרִימִים (merimim, “they exalt”) with “fools” (כְּסִילִים, kesilim) as the explicit subject: “but fools exalt shame.” The textual variant was caused by haplography or dittography of ים (yod and mem), depending on whether MT or the alternate tradition is original.
  11. Proverbs 3:35 tn The noun קָלוֹן (qalon, “ignominy; dishonor; contempt”) is from קָלָה (qalah) which is an alternate form of קָלַל (qalal) which means (1) “to treat something lightly,” (2) “to treat with contempt [or, with little esteem]” or (3) “to curse.” The noun refers to personal disgrace or shame. While the wise will inherit honor, fools will be made a public display of dishonor. God lets fools entangle themselves in their folly in a way for all to see.
New English Translation (NET)

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The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Saturday January 18, 2025 (NIV)

Genesis 37-38

Joseph’s Dreams

37 Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan.(A) 2 These are the family records of Jacob.

At seventeen years of age, Joseph tended sheep with his brothers. The young man was working with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives,(B) and he brought a bad report about them to their father.(C)

3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than his other sons because Joseph was a son born to him in his old age,(D) and he made a long-sleeved robe[a] for him. 4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not bring themselves to speak peaceably to him.

5 Then Joseph had a dream. When he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. 6 He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: 7 There we were, binding sheaves of grain in the field. Suddenly my sheaf stood up, and your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.”(E)

8 “Are you really going to reign over us?” his brothers asked him. “Are you really going to rule us?” So they hated him even more because of his dream and what he had said.

9 Then he had another dream and told it to his brothers. “Look,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun, moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”

10 He told his father and brothers, and his father rebuked him. “What kind of dream is this that you have had?” he said. “Am I and your mother and your brothers really going to come and bow down to the ground before you?” 11 His brothers were jealous of him,(F) but his father kept the matter in mind.(G)

Joseph Sold into Slavery

12 His brothers had gone to pasture their father’s flocks at Shechem. 13 Israel said to Joseph, “Your brothers, you know, are pasturing the flocks at Shechem. Get ready. I’m sending you to them.”

“I’m ready,” Joseph replied.

14 Then Israel said to him, “Go and see how your brothers and the flocks are doing, and bring word back to me.” So he sent him from the Hebron(H) Valley, and he went to Shechem.

15 A man found him there, wandering in the field, and asked him, “What are you looking for?”

16 “I’m looking for my brothers,” Joseph said. “Can you tell me where they are pasturing their flocks?”

17 “They’ve moved on from here,” the man said. “I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’”(I) So Joseph set out after his brothers and found them at Dothan.

18 They saw him in the distance, and before he had reached them, they plotted to kill him.(J) 19 They said to one another, “Oh, look, here comes that dream expert![b] 20 So now, come on, let’s kill him and throw him into one of the pits.[c] We can say that a vicious animal ate him. Then we’ll see what becomes of his dreams!”

21 When Reuben heard this, he tried to save him from them.[d] He said, “Let’s not take his life.”(K) 22 Reuben also said to them, “Don’t shed blood. Throw him into this pit in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him”—intending to rescue him from them and return him to his father.

23 When Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped off Joseph’s robe, the long-sleeved robe that he had on. 24 Then they took him and threw him into the pit. The pit was empty, without water.(L)

25 They sat down to eat a meal,(M) and when they looked up, there was a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead.(N) Their camels were carrying aromatic gum, balsam, and resin, going down to Egypt.(O)

26 Judah said to his brothers, “What do we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? 27 Come on, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay a hand on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh,” and his brothers agreed. 28 When Midianite(P) traders passed by, his brothers pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him for twenty pieces of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took Joseph to Egypt.(Q)

29 When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes.(R) 30 He went back to his brothers and said, “The boy is gone! What am I going to do?” [e] 31 So they took Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a male goat, and dipped the robe in its blood. 32 They sent the long-sleeved robe to their father and said, “We found this. Examine it. Is it your son’s robe or not?”

33 His father recognized it. “It is my son’s robe,” he said. “A vicious animal has devoured him. Joseph has been torn to pieces!” (S) 34 Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son many days. 35 All his sons and daughters tried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said. “I will go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” And his father wept for him.

36 Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and the captain of the guards.

Judah and Tamar

38 At that time Judah left his brothers and settled near an Adullamite(T) named Hirah. 2 There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite named Shua; he took her as a wife and slept with her. 3 She conceived and gave birth to a son, and he named him Er.(U) 4 She conceived again, gave birth to a son, and named him Onan. 5 She gave birth to another son and named him Shelah. It was at Chezib that[f][g] she gave birth to him.

6 Judah got a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. 7 Now Er, Judah’s firstborn, was evil in the Lord’s sight, and the Lord put him to death.(V) 8 Then Judah said to Onan, “Sleep with your brother’s wife. Perform your duty as her brother-in-law(W) and produce offspring for your brother.”(X) 9 But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his, so whenever he slept with his brother’s wife, he released his semen on the ground so that he would not produce offspring for his brother. 10 What he did was evil in the Lord’s sight, so he put him to death also.

11 Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Remain a widow in your father’s house until my son Shelah grows up.”(Y) For he thought, “He might die too, like his brothers.” So Tamar went to live in her father’s house.

12 After a long time[h] Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died. When Judah had finished mourning, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went up to Timnah(Z) to his sheepshearers. 13 Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.” 14 So she took off her widow’s clothes, veiled her face,(AA) covered herself, and sat at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah. For she saw that, though Shelah had grown up, she had not been given to him as a wife. 15 When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face.

16 He went over to her and said, “Come, let me sleep with you,” for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law.(AB)

She said, “What will you give me for sleeping with me?”

17 “I will send you a young goat from my flock,” he replied.

But she said, “Only if you leave something with me until you send it.”

18 “What should I give you?” he asked.

She answered, “Your signet ring, your cord, and the staff in your hand.” So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him. 19 She got up and left, then removed her veil and put her widow’s clothes back on.

20 When Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite in order to get back the items he had left with the woman, he could not find her. 21 He asked the men of the place, “Where is the cult prostitute who was beside the road at Enaim?”

“There has been no cult prostitute here,” they answered.

22 So the Adullamite returned to Judah, saying, “I couldn’t find her, and besides, the men of the place said, ‘There has been no cult prostitute here.’”

23 Judah replied, “Let her keep the items for herself; otherwise we will become a laughingstock. After all, I did send this young goat, but you couldn’t find her.”

24 About three months later Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law, Tamar, has been acting like a prostitute, and now she is pregnant.”

“Bring her out,” Judah said, “and let her be burned to death!” (AC)

25 As she was being brought out, she sent her father-in-law this message: “I am pregnant by the man to whom these items belong.” And she added, “Examine them. Whose signet ring, cord, and staff are these?”

26 Judah recognized them and said, “She is more in the right[i] than I,(AD) since I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not know her intimately again.

27 When the time came for her to give birth, there were twins in her womb. 28 As she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand, and the midwife took it and tied a scarlet thread around it, announcing, “This one came out first.” 29 But then he pulled his hand back, out came his brother, and she said, “What a breakout you have made for yourself!” So he was named Perez.[j](AE) 30 Then his brother, who had the scarlet thread tied to his hand, came out, and was named Zerah.[k]

Footnotes:

  1. 37:3 Or an ornate robe; see 2Sm 13:18,19
  2. 37:19 Lit comes the lord of the dreams
  3. 37:20 Or cisterns
  4. 37:21 Lit their hands
  5. 37:30 Lit And I, where am I going?
  6. 38:5 LXX reads She was at Chezib when
  7. 38:5 Or He was at Chezib when
  8. 38:12 Lit And there were many days, and
  9. 38:26 Or more righteous
  10. 38:29 = Breaking Out
  11. 38:30 = Brightness of Sunrise; perhaps related to the scarlet thread

Cross references:

  1. 37:1 : Gn 26:3
  2. 37:2 : Gn 30:1–13
  3. 37:2 : 1Sm 2:22–24
  4. 37:3 : Gn 44:20
  5. 37:7 : Gn 42:6,9; 43:26; 44:14
  6. 37:11 : Ac 7:9
  7. 37:11 : Dn 7:28; Lk 2:19,51
  8. 37:14 : Gn 13:18; 35:27
  9. 37:17 : 2Kg 6:13
  10. 37:18 : Ps 31:13; 37:12,32; Mk 14:1; Jn 11:53; Ac 23:12
  11. 37:21 : Gn 42:22
  12. 37:24 : Jr 38:6
  13. 37:25 : Gn 42:21
  14. 37:25 : Gn 39:1
  15. 37:25 : Gn 43:11; Jr 8:22; 46:11
  16. 37:28 : Dt 25:5,7; Jdg 8:22–24; Mt 22:24; Mk 12:19; Lk 20:28
  17. 37:28 : Gn 45:4–5; Ps 105:17; Ac 7:9
  18. 37:29 : Gn 44:13; Nm 14:6; 2Sm 1:11; 3:31; Jb 1:20
  19. 37:33 : Gn 44:28
  20. 38:1 : Jos 15:35; 1Sm 22:1
  21. 38:3 : Gn 46:12; Nm 26:19
  22. 38:7 : 1Ch 2:3
  23. 38:8 : Dt 25:5–10
  24. 38:8 : Mt 22:24
  25. 38:11 : Ru 1:12–13
  26. 38:12 : Jos 15:10,57
  27. 38:14 : Gn 24:65
  28. 38:16 : Lv 18:15
  29. 38:24 : Lv 20:14
  30. 38:26 : 1Sm 24:17
  31. 38:29 : Gn 46:12; Nm 26:20; 1Ch 2:4; Mt 1:3
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

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Matthew 12:22-45

A House Divided

22 Then a demon-possessed man(A) who was blind and unable to speak was brought to him. He healed him, so that the man[a] could both speak and see.(B) 23 All the crowds were astounded and said, “Could this be the Son of David?” (C)

24 When the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man drives out demons only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.”(D)

25 Knowing their thoughts,(E) he told them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is headed for destruction, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26 If Satan(F) drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? For this reason they will be your judges.(G) 28 If I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.(H) 29 How can someone enter a strong man’s house and steal his possessions unless he first ties up(I) the strong man? Then he can plunder his house. 30 Anyone who is not with me is against me,(J) and anyone who does not gather with me scatters. 31 Therefore,(K) I tell you, people will be forgiven every sin and blasphemy,(L) but the blasphemy against[b] the Spirit will not be forgiven.[c] 32 Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man,(M) it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the one to come.(N)

A Tree and Its Fruit

33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit will be good, or make the tree bad[d] and its fruit will be bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.(O) 34 Brood of vipers! How can you speak good things when you are evil? For the mouth speaks from the overflow(P) of the heart. 35 A good person produces good things from his storeroom of good, and an evil person produces evil things from his storeroom of evil.(Q) 36 I tell you that on the day of judgment(R) people will have to account(S) for every careless[e] word they speak.[f] 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

The Sign of Jonah

38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”(T)

39 He answered them,(U) “An evil and adulterous generation demands a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.(V) 40 For as Jonah was in the belly of the huge fish[g](W) three days and three nights,(X) so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. 41 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it,(Y) because they repented at Jonah’s preaching; and look—something greater than Jonah is here.(Z) 42 The queen of the south(AA) will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and look—something greater than Solomon is here.

An Unclean Spirit’s Return

43 “When an unclean spirit comes out of a person, it roams through waterless places looking for rest but doesn’t find any.(AB) 44 Then it says, ‘I’ll go back to my house that I came from.’ Returning, it finds the house vacant, swept, and put in order. 45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and settle down there. As a result, that person’s last condition is worse than the first.(AC) That’s how it will also be with this evil generation.”

Footnotes:

  1. 12:22 Lit mute
  2. 12:31 Or of
  3. 12:31 Other mss add people
  4. 12:33 Or decayed; lit rotten
  5. 12:36 Lit worthless
  6. 12:36 Lit will speak
  7. 12:40 Or sea creature; Jnh 1:17

Cross references:

  1. 12:22–24 : Lk 11:14–15
  2. 12:22 : Mt 4:24; 9:32–34
  3. 12:23 : 2Ch 1:1; Mt 1:1; Rm 1:3
  4. 12:24 : Mt 9:34; 10:25; Mk 3:22
  5. 12:25–29 : Mk 3:23–27; Lk 11:17–22
  6. 12:26 : Mt 4:1,10; 13:19; Ac 13:10
  7. 12:27 : 2Kg 2:7; Ac 19:13
  8. 12:28 : Lk 17:21; 1Jn 3:8
  9. 12:29 : Is 49:24; 53:12
  10. 12:30 : Mk 9:40; Lk 9:50; 11:23
  11. 12:31–32 : Mk 3:28–30; Lk 12:10
  12. 12:31 : Heb 6:4–6; 10:26; 1Jn 5:16
  13. 12:32 : Mt 11:19; Mk 2:10; Jn 7:12; 9:24
  14. 12:32 : Mk 10:30; Lk 12:10; 20:34–35; Eph 1:21; Ti 2:12; Heb 6:5
  15. 12:33 : Mt 7:18–19,23; Lk 6:43–44; Jn 15:4–7
  16. 12:34 : 1Sm 24:13; Mt 3:7; 23:33; Lk 6:45; Eph 4:29
  17. 12:35 : Mt 13:52; Col 4:6
  18. 12:36 : Mt 12:41; Jn 5:29; 1Jn 4:17
  19. 12:36 : Lk 16:2; Ac 19:40; Rm 14:12; Heb 13:17; 1Pt 4:5
  20. 12:38 : Mt 16:1; Mk 8:11–12; Lk 11:16; Jn 2:18; 6:30; 1Co 1:22
  21. 12:39 : Mk 8:11–12; Lk 11:29–32
  22. 12:39 : Is 57:3; Mt 16:4; Mk 8:38
  23. 12:40 : Jnh 1:17
  24. 12:40 : Jnh 1:17
  25. 12:41 : Jr 3:11; Ezk 16:51; Rm 2:27
  26. 12:41 : Jnh 1:2; 3:5
  27. 12:42 : 1Kg 10:1; 2Ch 9:1
  28. 12:43–45 : Lk 11:24–26
  29. 12:45 : Heb 6:4; 2Pt 2:20
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

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Psalm 16

Psalm 16

Confidence in the Lord

A Miktam of David.(A)

1 Protect me, God, for I take refuge in you.(B)
2 I[a] said to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
I have nothing good besides you.”[b](C)
3 As for the holy people who are in the land,(D)
they are the noble ones.
All my delight is in them.
4 The sorrows of those who take another god
for themselves will multiply;
I will not pour out their drink offerings of blood,
and I will not speak their names with my lips.(E)

5 Lord, you are my portion[c]
and my cup of blessing;
you hold my future.(F)
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me
in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.(G)

7 I will bless the Lord who counsels me(H)—
even at night when my thoughts trouble me.[d](I)
8 I always let the Lord guide me.[e]
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.(J)

9 Therefore my heart is glad
and my whole being rejoices;
my body also rests securely.(K)
10 For you will not abandon me to Sheol;(L)
you will not allow your faithful one to see decay.(M)
11 You reveal the path of life to me;
in your presence is abundant joy;(N)
at your right hand are eternal pleasures.(O)

Footnotes:

  1. 16:2 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr, Jer; other Hb mss read You
  2. 16:2 Or “Lord, my good; there is none besides you.”
  3. 16:5 Or allotted portion
  4. 16:7 Or at night my heart instructs me
  5. 16:8 Lit I place the Lord in front of me always

Cross references:

  1. 16:0 : Ps 56–60
  2. 16:1 : Ps 94:22
  3. 16:2 : Ps 73:25
  4. 16:3 : Dt 7:6; 14:2; 26:19
  5. 16:4 : Ex 23:13; Jos 23:7
  6. 16:5 : Nm 18:20; Ps 119:57; Lm 3:24
  7. 16:6 : Jr 3:19
  8. 16:7 : Ps 73:24
  9. 16:7 : Ps 77:6
  10. 16:8 : Ps 15:5; 112:6
  11. 16:9 : Ps 4:7–8; 13:5
  12. 16:10 : Ps 49:10; 86:13
  13. 16:10 : Jb 33:18,28; Ps 30:3; 103:4; Ac 13:35
  14. 16:11 : Ps 21:6
  15. 16:8–11 : Ac 2:25–28
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

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Proverbs 3:27-32

Treat Others Fairly

27 When it is in your power,[a]
don’t withhold good(A) from the one to whom it belongs.
28 Don’t say to your neighbor, “Go away! Come back later.
I’ll give it tomorrow”—when it is there with you.(B)
29 Don’t plan any harm against your neighbor,(C)
for he trusts you and lives near you.
30 Don’t accuse anyone without cause,(D)
when he has done you no harm.
31 Don’t envy a violent man(E)
or choose any of his ways;
32 for the devious are detestable to the Lord,
but he is a friend[b] to the upright.(F)

Footnotes:

  1. 3:27 Lit in the power of your hands
  2. 3:32 Or confidential counsel

Cross references:

  1. 3:27 : Gl 6:10
  2. 3:28 : Lv 19:13; Dt 24:15
  3. 3:29 : Pr 6:14; 14:22
  4. 3:30 : Pr 24:28; Rm 12:18
  5. 3:31 : Ps 37:1; Pr 23:17; 24:1,19
  6. 3:32 : Ps 25:14; Pr 11:20; 12:22; 15:8–9
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

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The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Friday January 17, 2025 (NIV)

Genesis 35-36

Return to Bethel

35 God said to Jacob, “Get up! Go to Bethel and settle there.(A) Build an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.”(B)

2 So Jacob said to his family and all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods that are among you.(C) Purify yourselves and change your clothes.(D) 3 We must get up and go to Bethel. I will build an altar there to the God who answered me in my day of distress.(E) He has been with me everywhere I have gone.”(F)

4 Then they gave Jacob all their foreign gods and their earrings, and Jacob hid them under the oak near Shechem. 5 When they set out, a terror from God came over the cities around them, and they did not pursue Jacob’s sons.(G) 6 So Jacob and all who were with him came to Luz (that is, Bethel(H)) in the land of Canaan. 7 Jacob built an altar there and called the place El-bethel[a] because it was there that God had revealed himself to him when he was fleeing from his brother.

8 Deborah, the one who had nursed and raised Rebekah,[b](I) died and was buried under the oak south of Bethel. So Jacob named it Allon-bacuth.[c]

9 God appeared to Jacob again after he returned from Paddan-aram, and he blessed him. 10 God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; you will no longer be named Jacob, but your name will be Israel.”(J) So he named him Israel. 11 God also said to him, “I am God Almighty.(K) Be fruitful and multiply.(L) A nation, indeed an assembly of nations, will come from you,(M) and kings will descend from you.[d](N) 12 I will give to you the land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac.(O) And I will give the land to your future descendants.” 13 Then God withdrew[e](P) from him at the place where he had spoken to him.

14 Jacob set up a marker at the place where he had spoken to him—a stone marker. He poured a drink offering on it and poured oil on it.(Q) 15 Jacob named the place where God had spoken with him Bethel.

Rachel’s Death

16 They set out from Bethel. When they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth, and her labor was difficult. 17 During her difficult labor, the midwife said to her, “Don’t be afraid, for you have another son.”(R) 18 With her last breath—for she was dying—she named him Ben-oni,[f] but his father called him Benjamin.[g] 19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem(S)). 20 Jacob set up a marker on her grave; it is the marker at Rachel’s grave still today.

Israel’s Sons

21 Israel set out again and pitched his tent beyond the Tower of Eder.[h] 22 While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard about it.(T)

Jacob had twelve sons:(U)

23 Leah’s sons were Reuben (Jacob’s firstborn),

Simeon, Levi, Judah,

Issachar, and Zebulun.

24 Rachel’s sons were

Joseph and Benjamin.

25 The sons of Rachel’s slave Bilhah

were Dan and Naphtali.

26 The sons of Leah’s slave Zilpah

were Gad and Asher.

These are the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan-aram.

Isaac’s Death

27 Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre(V) in Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron(W)), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. 28 Isaac lived 180 years. 29 He took his last breath and died, and was gathered to his people,(X) old and full of days. His sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

Esau’s Family

36 These are the family records(Y) of Esau (that is, Edom(Z)). 2 Esau took his wives from the Canaanite women: Adah daughter of Elon the Hethite,(AA) Oholibamah daughter of Anah and granddaughter[i] of Zibeon the Hivite, 3 and Basemath daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth.(AB) 4 Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, Basemath bore Reuel, 5 and Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These were Esau’s sons, who were born to him in the land of Canaan.

6 Esau took his wives, sons, daughters, and all the people of his household, as well as his herds, all his livestock, and all the property he had acquired in Canaan; he went to a land away from his brother Jacob. 7 For their possessions were too many for them to live together,(AC) and because of their herds, the land where they stayed could not support them.(AD) 8 So Esau (that is, Edom) lived in the mountains of Seir.(AE)

9 These are the family records of Esau, father of the Edomites in the mountains of Seir.

10 These are the names of Esau’s sons:(AF)

Eliphaz son of Esau’s wife Adah,

and Reuel son of Esau’s wife Basemath.

11 The sons of Eliphaz were

Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz.

12 Timna, a concubine of Esau’s son Eliphaz,

bore Amalek to Eliphaz.

These are the sons of Esau’s wife Adah.

13 These are Reuel’s sons:

Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.

These are the sons of Esau’s wife Basemath.

14 These are the sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah

daughter of Anah and granddaughter[j] of Zibeon:

She bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah to Edom.

15 These are the chiefs among Esau’s sons:

the sons of Eliphaz, Esau’s firstborn:

chief Teman, chief Omar, chief Zepho, chief Kenaz,

16 chief Korah,[k] chief Gatam, and chief Amalek.

These are the chiefs descended from Eliphaz

in the land of Edom.

These are the sons of Adah.

17 These are the sons of Reuel, Esau’s son:

chief Nahath, chief Zerah, chief Shammah, and chief Mizzah.

These are the chiefs descended from Reuel

in the land of Edom.

These are the sons of Esau’s wife Basemath.

18 These are the sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah:

chief Jeush, chief Jalam, and chief Korah.

These are the chiefs descended from Esau’s wife Oholibamah

daughter of Anah.

19 These are the sons of Esau (that is, Edom),

and these are their chiefs.

Seir’s Family

20 These are the sons of Seir the Horite,(AG)

the inhabitants of the land:

Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,

21 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan.

These are the chiefs among the Horites,

the sons of Seir, in the land of Edom.

22 The sons of Lotan were Hori and Heman.

Timna was Lotan’s sister.

23 These are Shobal’s sons:

Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam.

24 These are Zibeon’s sons: Aiah and Anah.

This was the Anah who found the hot springs[l] in the wilderness

while he was pasturing the donkeys of his father Zibeon.

25 These are the children of Anah:

Dishon and Oholibamah daughter of Anah.

26 These are Dishon’s sons:

Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran.

27 These are Ezer’s sons:

Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.

28 These are Dishan’s sons: Uz and Aran.

29 These are the chiefs among the Horites:

chief Lotan, chief Shobal, chief Zibeon, chief Anah,

30 chief Dishon, chief Ezer, and chief Dishan.

These are the chiefs among the Horites,

clan by clan,[m] in the land of Seir.

Rulers of Edom

31 These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom(AH)

before any king reigned over the Israelites:

32 Bela son of Beor reigned in Edom;

the name of his city was Dinhabah.

33 When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah reigned in his place.

34 When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites reigned in his place.

35 When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad reigned in his place.

He defeated Midian in the field of Moab;

the name of his city was Avith.

36 When Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah reigned in his place.

37 When Samlah died, Shaul from Rehoboth on the Euphrates River reigned in his place.

38 When Shaul died, Baal-hanan son of Achbor reigned in his place.

39 When Baal-hanan son of Achbor died, Hadar[n] reigned in his place.

His city was Pau, and his wife’s name was Mehetabel

daughter of Matred daughter of Me-zahab.

40 These are the names of Esau’s chiefs,

according to their families and their localities,

by their names:

chief Timna, chief Alvah, chief Jetheth,

41 chief Oholibamah, chief Elah, chief Pinon,

42 chief Kenaz, chief Teman, chief Mibzar,

43 chief Magdiel, and chief Iram.

These are Edom’s chiefs,

according to their settlements in the land they possessed.

Esau[o] was father of the Edomites.

Footnotes:

  1. 35:7 = God of Bethel
  2. 35:8 Lit Deborah, Rebekah’s wet nurse; Gn 24:59
  3. 35:8 = Oak of Weeping
  4. 35:11 Lit will come from your loins
  5. 35:13 Lit went up
  6. 35:18 = Son of My Sorrow
  7. 35:18 = Son of the Right Hand
  8. 35:21 Or beyond Migdal-eder
  9. 36:2 Sam, LXX read Anah son
  10. 36:14 Sam, LXX read Anah son
  11. 36:16 Sam omits Korah
  12. 36:24 Syr, Vg; Tg reads the mules; Hb obscure
  13. 36:30 Lit Horites, for their chiefs
  14. 36:39 Many Hb mss, Sam, Syr read Hadad
  15. 36:43 Lit He Esau

Cross references:

  1. 35:1 : Gn 28:19
  2. 35:1 : Gn 27:43
  3. 35:2 : Gn 31:19; Jos 24:23; 1Sm 7:3
  4. 35:2 : Ex 19:10
  5. 35:3 : 1Sm 7:9; 2Sm 24:25; Jb 12:4; Ps 20:1; 34:4
  6. 35:3 : Gn 28:10–22
  7. 35:5 : Ex 23:27
  8. 35:6 : Gn 28:19; 48:3
  9. 35:8 : Gn 24:59
  10. 35:10 : Gn 17:5; 32:28
  11. 35:11 : Gn 17:1; 28:3; Ex 6:3
  12. 35:11 : Gn 9:1,7
  13. 35:11 : Gn 48:4
  14. 35:11 : Gn 17:6,16; 36:31
  15. 35:12 : Gn 12:7; 13:15; 26:3–4; 28:13; Ex 32:13
  16. 35:13 : Gn 17:22; 18:33
  17. 35:14 : Gn 28:18–19; 31:45
  18. 35:17 : Gn 30:24
  19. 35:19 : Mc 5:2; Mt 2:18
  20. 35:22 : Gn 49:3–4
  21. 35:22–26 : 1Ch 2:1–2
  22. 35:27 : Gn 13:18; 18:1; 23:19
  23. 35:27 : Jos 14:15
  24. 35:29 : Gn 25:8,17; 49:33; Nm 20:24,26; Dt 32:50
  25. 36:1 : Gn 2:4; 36:9
  26. 36:1 : Gn 25:30
  27. 36:2 : Gn 26:34
  28. 36:3 : Gn 28:9
  29. 36:7 : Gn 13:6
  30. 36:7 : Gn 17:8; Heb 11:9
  31. 36:8 : Dt 2:5
  32. 36:10–14 : 1Ch 1:35–37
  33. 36:20–28 : Gn 14:6; Dt 2:12,22; 1Ch 1:38–42
  34. 36:31–43 : Gn 17:6,16; 35:11; 1Ch 1:43–54
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

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Matthew 12:1-21

Lord of the Sabbath

12 At that time Jesus passed through the grainfields on the Sabbath.(A) His disciples(B) were hungry and began to pick and eat some heads of grain. 2 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “See, your disciples are doing what is not lawful(C) to do on the Sabbath.”

3 He said to them, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and those who were with him were hungry: 4 how he entered the house of God, and they ate[a] the bread of the Presence—which is not lawful for him or for those with him to eat, but only for the priests?(D) 5 Or haven’t you read in the law that on Sabbath days the priests in the temple violate the Sabbath and are innocent?(E) 6 I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.(F) 7 If you had known what this means, I desire mercy and not sacrifice,[b](G) you would not have condemned the innocent. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”(H)

The Man with the Shriveled Hand

9 Moving on from there, he entered their synagogue.(I) 10 There he saw a man who had a shriveled hand, and in order to accuse him they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” (J)

11 He replied to them, “Who among you, if he had a sheep that fell into a pit on the Sabbath, wouldn’t take hold of it and lift it out?(K) 12 A person is worth far more than a sheep; (L) so it is lawful to do what is good on the Sabbath.”

13 Then he told the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and it was restored,(M) as good as the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and plotted against him, how they might kill him.(N)

The Servant of the Lord

15 Jesus was aware of this and withdrew. Large crowds[c] followed him, and he healed them all.(O) 16 He warned them not to make him known,(P) 17 so that what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

18 Here is my servant whom I have chosen,
my beloved in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will proclaim justice to the nations.(Q)
19 He will not argue or shout,
and no one will hear his voice in the streets.
20 He will not break a bruised reed,
and he will not put out a smoldering wick,
until he has led justice to victory.[d]
21 The nations will put their hope in his name.[e](R)

Footnotes:

  1. 12:4 Other mss read he ate
  2. 12:7 Hs 6:6
  3. 12:15 Other mss read Many
  4. 12:20 Or until he has successfully put forth justice
  5. 12:18–21 Is 42:1–4

Cross references:

  1. 12:1–8 : Mk 2:23–28; Lk 6:1–5
  2. 12:1 : Mt 10:1; 26:56; Mk 3:7; 16:20; Lk 6:13; Jn 12:16
  3. 12:2 : Mt 12:10; Lk 13:14; 14:3; Jn 5:10; 7:23; 9:16
  4. 12:4 : Ex 25:30; Lv 24:5–9; 1Sm 21:6
  5. 12:5 : Nm 28:9–10; 1Ch 9:32; Jn 7:22–23
  6. 12:6 : 2Ch 6:18; Mal 3:1; Mt 12:41–42
  7. 12:7 : Hs 6:6; Mc 6:8; Mt 9:13
  8. 12:8 : Mt 8:20; 9:6; 12:32,40
  9. 12:9–14 : Mk 3:1–6; Lk 6:6–11
  10. 12:10 : Mt 12:2; Lk 13:14; 14:3; Jn 9:16
  11. 12:11 : Ex 23:4–5; Dt 22:4; Lk 14:5
  12. 12:12 : Mt 6:26; 10:31
  13. 12:13 : 1Kg 13:4; Mt 8:3; Ac 28:8
  14. 12:14 : Mt 26:4; 27:1; Mk 3:6; Lk 6:11; Jn 10:39; 11:53
  15. 12:15 : Mt 4:23; 10:23; 19:2; Mk 3:7
  16. 12:16 : Mt 8:4; 9:30
  17. 12:18 : Mt 3:17; 17:5; Lk 4:18; Jn 3:34
  18. 12:18–21 : Is 42:1–4; Jn 10:25
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

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Psalm 15

Psalm 15

A Description of the Godly

A psalm of David.

1 Lord, who can dwell in your tent?(A)
Who can live on your holy mountain?(B)

2 The one who lives blamelessly, practices righteousness,
and acknowledges the truth in his heart(C)—
3 who does not slander with his tongue,(D)
who does not harm his friend
or discredit his neighbor,(E)
4 who despises the one rejected by the Lord[a]
but honors those who fear the Lord,(F)
who keeps his word whatever the cost,(G)
5 who does not lend his silver at interest(H)
or take a bribe against the innocent(I)—
the one who does these things will never be shaken.(J)

Footnotes:

  1. 15:4 Lit in his eyes the rejected is despised

Cross references:

  1. 15:1 : Ps 61:4
  2. 15:1 : Ps 43:3
  3. 15:1–2 : Ps 24:3–5; Is 33:14–16
  4. 15:3 : Pr 10:18
  5. 15:3 : Pr 3:29
  6. 15:4 : Gn 14:17–24; Ps 119:63
  7. 15:4 : Lv 5:4; Dt 23:21–23
  8. 15:5 : Lv 25:35–38; Dt 33:19
  9. 15:5 : Ex 23:18; Dt 16:19
  10. 15:5 : Ps 16:8; 112:6
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

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Proverbs 3:21-26

21 Maintain sound wisdom and discretion.
My son, don’t lose sight of them.(A)
22 They will be life for you[a](B)
and adornment[b] for your neck.
23 Then you will go safely on your way;
your foot will not stumble.(C)
24 When you lie[c] down, you will not be afraid;(D)
you will lie down, and your sleep will be pleasant.
25 Don’t fear sudden danger
or the ruin of the wicked when it comes,(E)
26 for the Lord will be your confidence[d]
and will keep your foot from a snare.(F)

Footnotes:

  1. 3:22 Or be your throat
  2. 3:22 Or grace
  3. 3:24 LXX reads sit
  4. 3:26 Or be at your side

Cross references:

  1. 3:21 : Pr 4:21
  2. 3:22 : Pr 4:22
  3. 3:23 : Ps 91:12; Pr 4:12
  4. 3:24 : Jb 11:19; Ps 3:5; Pr 6:22
  5. 3:25 : Jb 5:21; Ps 91:5; 1Pt 3:14
  6. 3:26 : 1Sm 2:9
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

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Posted on

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Thursday January 16, 2025 (NIV)

Genesis 32:13-34:31

13 He spent the night there and took part of what he had brought with him as a gift for his brother Esau:(A) 14 two hundred female goats, twenty male goats, two hundred ewes, twenty rams, 15 thirty milk camels with their young, forty cows, ten bulls, twenty female donkeys, and ten male donkeys. 16 He entrusted them to his slaves as separate herds and said to them, “Go on ahead of me, and leave some distance between the herds.”

17 And he told the first one, “When my brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘Who do you belong to? Where are you going? And whose animals are these ahead of you?’ 18 then tell him, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a gift sent to my lord Esau. And look, he is behind us.’”

19 He also told the second one, the third, and everyone who was walking behind the animals, “Say the same thing to Esau when you find him. 20 You are also to say, ‘Look, your servant Jacob is right behind us.’” For he thought, “I want to appease Esau with the gift that is going ahead of me. After that, I can face him, and perhaps he will forgive me.”

21 So the gift was sent on ahead of him while he remained in the camp that night. 22 During the night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two slave women, and his eleven sons, and crossed the ford of Jabbok.(B) 23 He took them and sent them across the stream, along with all his possessions.

Jacob Wrestles with God

24 Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak.(C) 25 When the man saw that he could not defeat him, he struck Jacob’s hip socket as they wrestled and dislocated his hip. 26 Then he said to Jacob, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”

But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

27 “What is your name?” the man asked.

“Jacob,” he replied.

28 “Your name will no longer be Jacob,”(D) he said. “It will be Israel[a] because you have struggled with God(E) and with men and have prevailed.”

29 Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.”

But he answered, “Why do you ask my name?” (F) And he blessed him there.

30 Jacob then named the place Peniel,[b] “For I have seen God face to face,” he said, “yet my life has been spared.”(G) 31 The sun shone on him as he passed by Penuel[c](H)—limping because of his hip. 32 That is why, still today, the Israelites don’t eat the thigh muscle that is at the hip socket: because he struck Jacob’s hip socket at the thigh muscle.[d]

Jacob Meets Esau

33 Now Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming toward him with four hundred men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two slave women. 2 He put the slaves and their children first, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph last. 3 He himself went on ahead and bowed to the ground(I) seven times until he approached his brother.

4 But Esau ran to meet him, hugged him, threw his arms around him, and kissed him. Then they wept.(J) 5 When Esau looked up and saw the women and children, he asked, “Who are these with you?”

He answered, “The children God has graciously given your servant.”(K) 6 Then the slaves and their children approached him and bowed down. 7 Leah and her children also approached and bowed down, and then Joseph and Rachel approached and bowed down.

8 So Esau said, “What do you mean by this whole procession[e] I met?” (L)

“To find favor with you, my lord,”(M) he answered.

9 “I have enough, my brother,” Esau replied. “Keep what you have.”

10 But Jacob said, “No, please! If I have found favor with you, take this gift from me. For indeed, I have seen your face, and it is like seeing God’s face, since you have accepted me. 11 Please take my present that was brought to you, because God has been gracious to me and I have everything I need.” So Jacob urged him until he accepted.

12 Then Esau said, “Let’s move on, and I’ll go ahead of you.”

13 Jacob replied, “My lord knows that the children are weak, and I have nursing flocks and herds. If they are driven hard for one day, the whole herd will die. 14 Let my lord go ahead of his servant. I will continue on slowly, at a pace suited to the livestock and the children, until I come to my lord at Seir.”

15 Esau said, “Let me leave some of my people with you.”

But he replied, “Why do that? Please indulge me,[f] my lord.”(N)

16 That day Esau started on his way back to Seir, 17 but Jacob went to Succoth. He built a house for himself and shelters for his livestock; that is why the place was called Succoth.[g](O)

18 After Jacob came from Paddan-aram, he arrived safely(P) at Shechem(Q) in the land of Canaan and camped in front of the city. 19 He purchased a section of the field where he had pitched his tent from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of silver.[h](R) 20 And he set up an altar there and called it God, the God of Israel.[i]

Dinah Defiled

34 Leah’s daughter(S) Dinah, whom Leah bore to Jacob, went out to see some of the young women of the area. 2 When Shechem—son of Hamor the Hivite, who was the region’s chieftain—saw her, he took her and raped her. 3 He became infatuated with Jacob’s daughter Dinah. He loved the young girl and spoke tenderly to her.[j] 4 “Get me this girl as a wife,”(T) he told his father.

5 Jacob heard that Shechem had defiled his daughter Dinah, but since his sons were with his livestock in the field, he remained silent until they returned. 6 Meanwhile, Shechem’s father Hamor came to speak with Jacob. 7 Jacob’s sons returned from the field when they heard about the incident. They were deeply grieved and very angry, for Shechem had committed an outrage against Israel by raping Jacob’s daughter,(U) and such a thing should not be done.

8 Hamor said to Jacob’s sons, “My son Shechem has his heart set on your[k] daughter. Please give her to him as a wife. 9 Intermarry with us; give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves. 10 Live with us. The land is before you. Settle here, move about, and acquire property in it.”

11 Then Shechem said to Dinah’s father and brothers, “Grant me this favor,[l] and I’ll give you whatever you say. 12 Demand of me a high compensation[m] and gift; I’ll give you whatever you ask me. Just give the girl to be my wife!”

13 But Jacob’s sons answered Shechem and his father Hamor deceitfully because he had defiled their sister Dinah. 14 “We cannot do this thing,” they said to them. “Giving our sister to an uncircumcised man is a disgrace to us. 15 We will agree with you only on this condition: if all your males are circumcised as we are.(V) 16 Then we will give you our daughters, take your daughters for ourselves, live with you, and become one people. 17 But if you will not listen to us and be circumcised, then we will take our daughter and go.”

18 Their words seemed good to Hamor and his son Shechem. 19 The young man did not delay doing this, because he was delighted with Jacob’s daughter. Now he was the most important in all his father’s family. 20 So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of their city(W) and spoke to the men of their city.

21 “These men are peaceful toward us,” they said. “Let them live in our land and move about in it, for indeed, the region is large enough for them. Let’s take their daughters as our wives and give our daughters to them. 22 But the men will agree to live with us and be one people only on this condition: if all our men are circumcised as they are. 23 Won’t their livestock, their possessions, and all their animals become ours? Only let’s agree with them, and they will live with us.”

24 All the men(X) who had come to the city gates listened to Hamor and his son Shechem, and all those men were circumcised. 25 On the third day, when they were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi,(Y) Dinah’s brothers, took their swords, went into the unsuspecting city, and killed every male. 26 They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with their swords, took Dinah from Shechem’s house, and went away. 27 Jacob’s sons came to the slaughter and plundered the city because their sister had been defiled. 28 They took their flocks, herds, donkeys, and whatever was in the city and in the field. 29 They captured all their possessions, dependents, and wives and plundered everything in the houses.

30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me,(Z) making me odious to the inhabitants of the land,(AA) the Canaanites and the Perizzites.(AB) We are few in number; if they unite against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed.”(AC)

31 But they answered, “Should he treat our sister like a prostitute?”

Footnotes:

  1. 32:28 In Hb, the name Israel sounds like “he struggled (with) God.”
  2. 32:30 = Face of God
  3. 32:31 Variant of Peniel
  4. 32:32 Or tendon
  5. 33:8 Lit camp
  6. 33:15 Lit May I find favor in your eyes
  7. 33:17 = Stalls or Huts
  8. 33:19 Lit 100 qesitahs; the value of this currency is unknown
  9. 33:20 = El-Elohe-Israel
  10. 34:3 Lit spoke to her heart
  11. 34:8 The Hb word for your is pl, showing that Hamor is speaking to Jacob and his sons.
  12. 34:11 Lit “May I find favor in your eyes
  13. 34:12 Or bride-price, or betrothal present

Cross references:

  1. 32:13 : Gn 43:11
  2. 32:22 : Dt 2:37; 3:16; Jos 12:2
  3. 32:24 : Hs 12:3–4
  4. 32:28 : Gn 35:10; 2Kg 17:34
  5. 32:28 : Hs 12:3–4
  6. 32:29 : Jdg 13:18
  7. 32:30 : Gn 16:13; Ex 24:10–11; 33:20; Nm 12:8; Jdg 6:22; 13:22
  8. 32:31 : Jdg 8:8
  9. 33:3 : Gn 18:2; 42:6; 43:26
  10. 33:4 : Gn 45:14
  11. 33:5 : Gn 48:9; Ps 127:3; Is 8:18
  12. 33:8 : Gn 32:13–16
  13. 33:8 : Gn 32:5
  14. 33:15 : Gn 34:11; 47:25; Ru 2:13
  15. 33:17 : Jos 13:27; Jdg 8:5; Ps 60:6
  16. 33:18 : Gn 28:21
  17. 33:18 : Jos 24:1; Jdg 9:1; Ps 60:6; Ac 7:16
  18. 33:19 : Jos 24:32; Jn 4:5
  19. 34:1 : Gn 30:21
  20. 34:4 : Jdg 14:2
  21. 34:7 : Dt 22:20–30; Jdg 20:6; 2Sm 13:12
  22. 34:15 : Gn 17:23–27
  23. 34:20 : Ru 4:1; 2Sm 15:2
  24. 34:24 : Gn 23:10
  25. 34:25 : Gn 49:5–7
  26. 34:30 : Jos 7:25
  27. 34:30 : Ex 5:21; 1Sm 13:4; 2Sm 10:6
  28. 34:30 : Gn 13:7; 34:2
  29. 34:30 : Gn 46:26–27; Dt 4:27; 1Ch 16:19; Ps 105:12
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

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Matthew 11:7-30

7 As these men were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swaying in the wind?(A) 8 What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothes? See, those who wear soft clothes are in royal palaces. 9 What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.(B) 10 This is the one about whom it is written:

See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you;
he will prepare your way before you.[a](C)

11 “Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one greater than John the Baptist has appeared,[b] but the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been suffering violence,[c] and the violent have been seizing it by force. 13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. 14 And if you’re willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who is to come.(D) 15 Let anyone who has ears[d] listen.(E)

An Unresponsive Generation

16 “To what should I compare this generation? It’s like children sitting in the marketplaces who call out to other children:

17 We played the flute for you,
but you didn’t dance;
we sang a lament,
but you didn’t mourn![e]

18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’(F) 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard,(G) a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’(H) Yet wisdom is vindicated[f] by her deeds.”[g]

20 Then he proceeded to denounce the towns where most of his miracles were done, because they did not repent: 21 “Woe to you, Chorazin!(I) Woe to you, Bethsaida!(J) For if the miracles that were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon,(K) they would have repented in sackcloth and ashes long ago. 22 But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment(L) than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will go down to Hades.(M) For if the miracles that were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until today. 24 But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”

The Son Gives Knowledge and Rest

25 At that time Jesus said,(N) “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and revealed them to infants.(O) 26 Yes, Father, because this was your good pleasure.[h] 27 All things have been entrusted to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son desires[i] to reveal him.(P)

28 “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.(Q) 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,(R) because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.(S) 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Footnotes:

  1. 11:10 Mal 3:1
  2. 11:11 Lit arisen
  3. 11:12 Or has been forcefully advancing
  4. 11:15 Other mss add to hear
  5. 11:17 Or beat your chests in grief
  6. 11:19 Or declared right
  7. 11:19 Other mss read children
  8. 11:26 Lit was well-pleasing in your sight
  9. 11:27 Or wills, or chooses

Cross references:

  1. 11:7 : Mt 3:1; Eph 4:14
  2. 11:9 : Mt 14:5; 21:26; Lk 1:76
  3. 11:10 : Mal 3:1; Mk 1:2
  4. 11:14 : Mal 4:5; Mt 17:10–13; Mk 9:11–13; Lk 1:17; Jn 1:21
  5. 11:15 : Mt 13:9; Mk 4:23; Lk 8:8; 14:35; Rv 2:7
  6. 11:18 : Mt 3:4; Lk 1:15
  7. 11:19 : Mt 9:10; Lk 7:36; 14:1; Jn 2:1; 12:2
  8. 11:19 : Mt 9:11; 18:17; Lk 15:2; 19:7
  9. 11:21–24 : Lk 10:12–15
  10. 11:21 : Mk 6:45; Lk 9:10; Jn 12:21
  11. 11:21 : Mt 15:21; Lk 6:17; Ac 12:20
  12. 11:22 : Ezk 28:2–4; Am 1:9–10; Mt 10:15; 15:21; Mk 3:8
  13. 11:23 : Is 14:13,15; Mt 4:13
  14. 11:25–27 : Lk 10:21–22
  15. 11:25 : Ps 8:2; Lk 22:42; Jn 11:41; 1Co 1:26; 2Co 3:14
  16. 11:27 : Mt 28:18; Jn 1:18; 7:29; 8:19; 10:15; 17:25–26
  17. 11:28 : Jr 31:25; Jn 7:37
  18. 11:29 : Jn 13:15; Eph 4:20; Php 2:5; 1Pt 2:21; 1Jn 2:6
  19. 11:29 : Jr 6:16; Zch 9:9; 2Co 10:1; Php 2:7–8
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

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Psalm 14

Psalm 14

A Portrait of Sinners

For the choir director. Of David.

1 The fool says in his heart, “There’s no God.”(A)
They are corrupt; they do vile deeds.
There is no one who does good.
2 The Lord looks down from heaven on the human race[a](B)
to see if there is one who is wise,
one who seeks God.
3 All have turned away;
all alike have become corrupt.
There is no one who does good,
not even one.(C)

4 Will evildoers never understand?
They consume my people as they consume bread;(D)
they do not call on the Lord.(E)

5 Then[b] they will be filled with dread,
for God is with those who are[c] righteous.(F)
6 You sinners frustrate the plans of the oppressed,(G)
but the Lord is his refuge.(H)

7 Oh, that Israel’s deliverance would come from Zion!
When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people,[d]
let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.(I)

Footnotes:

  1. 14:2 Or the descendants of Adam
  2. 14:5 Or There
  3. 14:5 Lit with the generation of the
  4. 14:7 Or restores his captive people

Cross references:

  1. 14:1 : Ps 10:4; 53:1
  2. 14:2 : Ps 33:13–15
  3. 14:1–3 : Ps 12:1; 53:1–3; Mc 7:2; Rm 3:10–12
  4. 14:4 : Ps 27:2; Mc 3:3
  5. 14:4 : Is 64:7
  6. 14:5 : Ps 53:5
  7. 14:6 : Ezr 4:5
  8. 14:6 : Ps 9:9; 94:22
  9. 14:7 : Ps 53:6
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

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Proverbs 3:19-20

19 The Lord founded the earth by wisdom(A)
and established the heavens by understanding.
20 By his knowledge the watery depths broke open,(B)
and the clouds dripped with dew.(C)

Cross references:

  1. 3:19 : Ps 104:24; Pr 8:27
  2. 3:20 : Gn 7:11
  3. 3:20 : Dt 33:28; Jb 36:28
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The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Wednesday January 15, 2025 (NIV)

Genesis 31:17-32:12

17 So Jacob got up and put his children and wives on the camels. 18 He took all the livestock and possessions he had acquired in Paddan-aram, and he drove his herds to go to the land of Canaan, to his father Isaac. 19 When Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Rachel stole her father’s household idols.(A) 20 And Jacob deceived[a] Laban the Aramean, not telling him that he was fleeing. 21 He fled with all his possessions, crossed the Euphrates, and headed for[b] the hill country of Gilead.

Laban Overtakes Jacob

22 On the third day Laban was told that Jacob had fled. 23 So he took his relatives with him, pursued Jacob for seven days, and overtook him in the hill country of Gilead. 24 But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night. “Watch yourself!” God warned him. “Don’t say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.”(B)

25 When Laban overtook Jacob, Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country, and Laban and his relatives also pitched their tents in the hill country of Gilead. 26 Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done? You have deceived me and taken my daughters away like prisoners of war! 27 Why did you secretly flee from me, deceive me, and not tell me? I would have sent you away with joy and singing, with tambourines and lyres, 28 but you didn’t even let me kiss my grandchildren and my daughters. You have acted foolishly. 29 I could do you great harm, but last night the God of your father said to me, ‘Watch yourself! Don’t say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’ 30 Now you have gone off because you long for your father’s family—but why have you stolen my gods?” (C)

31 Jacob answered, “I was afraid, for I thought you would take your daughters from me by force. 32 If you find your gods with anyone here, he will not live!(D) Before our relatives, point out anything that is yours and take it.” Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the idols.

33 So Laban went into Jacob’s tent, Leah’s tent, and the tents of the two concubines,[c] but he found nothing. When he left Leah’s tent, he went into Rachel’s tent. 34 Now Rachel had taken Laban’s household idols, put them in the saddlebag of the camel, and sat on them. Laban searched the whole tent but found nothing.

35 She said to her father, “Don’t be angry, my lord, that I cannot stand up in your presence;(E) I am having my period.” So Laban searched, but could not find the household idols.

Jacob’s Covenant with Laban

36 Then Jacob became incensed and brought charges against Laban. “What is my crime?” he said to Laban. “What is my sin, that you have pursued me? 37 You’ve searched all my possessions! Have you found anything of yours?[d] Put it here before my relatives and yours, and let them decide between the two of us. 38 I’ve been with you these twenty years. Your ewes and female goats have not miscarried, and I have not eaten the rams from your flock. 39 I did not bring you any of the flock torn by wild beasts; I myself bore the loss. You demanded payment from me for what was stolen by day or by night. 40 There I was—the heat consumed me by day and the frost by night, and sleep fled from my eyes. 41 For twenty years in your household I served you—fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks(F)—and you have changed my wages ten times! 42 If the God of my father, the God of Abraham, the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, certainly now you would have sent me off empty-handed. But God has seen my affliction and my hard work,[e] and he issued his verdict last night.”

43 Then Laban answered Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters; the children, my children; and the flocks, my flocks! Everything you see is mine! But what can I do today for these daughters of mine or for the children they have borne? 44 Come now, let’s make a covenant, you and I.(G) Let it be a witness between the two of us.”

45 So Jacob picked out a stone and set it up as a marker.(H) 46 Then Jacob said to his relatives, “Gather stones.” And they took stones and made a mound, then ate there by the mound. 47 Laban named the mound Jegar-sahadutha, but Jacob named it Galeed.[f]

48 Then Laban said, “This mound is a witness between you and me today.” Therefore the place was called Galeed 49 and also Mizpah,[g](I) for he said, “May the Lord watch between you and me when we are out of each other’s sight. 50 If you mistreat my daughters or take other wives, though no one is with us, understand that God will be a witness between you and me.”(J) 51 Laban also said to Jacob, “Look at this mound and the marker I have set up between you and me. 52 This mound is a witness and the marker is a witness that I will not pass beyond this mound to you, and you will not pass beyond this mound and this marker to do me harm. 53 The God of Abraham, and the gods(K) of Nahor—the gods of their father[h]—will judge between us.” And Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac. 54 Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain and invited his relatives to eat a meal. So they ate a meal and spent the night on the mountain. 55 Laban got up early in the morning, kissed his grandchildren and daughters, and blessed them. Then Laban left to return home.

Preparing to Meet Esau

32 Jacob went on his way, and God’s angels met him.(L) 2 When he saw them, Jacob said, “This is God’s camp.” So he called that place Mahanaim.[i](M)

3 Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the territory of Edom. 4 He commanded them, “You are to say to my lord Esau, ‘This is what your servant Jacob says. I have been staying with Laban and have been delayed until now. 5 I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, and male and female slaves. I have sent this message to inform my lord, in order to seek your favor.’”(N)

6 When the messengers returned to Jacob, they said, “We went to your brother Esau; he is coming to meet you—and he has four hundred men with him.”(O) 7 Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; he divided the people with him into two camps, along with the flocks, herds, and camels. 8 He thought, “If Esau comes to one camp and attacks it, the remaining one can escape.”(P)

9 Then Jacob said, “God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac,(Q) the Lord who said to me, ‘Go back to your land and to your family, and I will cause you to prosper,’(R) 10 I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. Indeed, I crossed over the Jordan with my staff, and now I have become two camps. 11 Please rescue me from my brother Esau, for I am afraid of him; otherwise, he may come and attack me, the mothers, and their children. 12 You have said, ‘I will cause you to prosper, and I will make your offspring like the sand of the sea, too numerous to be counted.’”(S)

Footnotes:

  1. 31:20 Lit And he stole the heart of
  2. 31:21 Lit and set his face to
  3. 31:33 Lit servants
  4. 31:37 Lit What have you found from all of the possessions of your house?
  5. 31:42 Lit and the work of my hands
  6. 31:47 Jegar-sahadutha is Aramaic, and Galeed is Hb; both names = Mound of Witness
  7. 31:49 = Watchtower
  8. 31:53 Two Hb mss, LXX omit the gods of their father
  9. 32:2 = Two Camps

Cross references:

  1. 31:19 : Jdg 17:5; 1Sm 15:23; 19:13; Ezk 21:21; Hs 3:4; Zch 10:2
  2. 31:24 : Gn 24:50; 31:29; 2Sm 13:22
  3. 31:30 : Gn 31:19; Jos 24:2; Jdg 18:24
  4. 31:32 : Gn 44:9
  5. 31:35 : Lv 19:32
  6. 31:41 : Gn 29:27,30
  7. 31:44 : Gn 21:27,32; 26:28
  8. 31:45 : Jos 24:26–27
  9. 31:49 : Jdg 11:29; 1Sm 7:5–6
  10. 31:50 : Jdg 11:10; 1Sm 12:5; Jb 16:19; Jr 42:5; Mc 1:2
  11. 31:53 : Jos 24:2
  12. 32:1 : Ps 91:9–11
  13. 32:2 : Jos 21:38; 2Sm 2:8; 17:24,27; 1Kg 2:8
  14. 32:5 : Gn 33:8,15
  15. 32:6 : Gn 33:1
  16. 32:8 : Gn 27:41
  17. 32:9 : Gn 28:13; 31:42,53
  18. 32:9 : Gn 31:3,13
  19. 32:12 : Gn 28:13–15
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

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Matthew 10:24-11:6

24 A disciple[a] is not above his teacher, or a slave above his master.(A) 25 It is enough for a disciple to become like his teacher and a slave like his master. If they called the head of the house ‘Beelzebul,’ how much more the members of his household!(B)

Fear God

26 “Therefore,(C) don’t be afraid of them, since there is nothing covered that won’t be uncovered and nothing hidden that won’t be made known.(D) 27 What I tell you in the dark, speak in the light. What you hear in a whisper,[b] proclaim on the housetops.(E) 28 Don’t fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; (F) rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.(G) 29 Aren’t two sparrows sold for a penny?[c] Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s(H) consent.[d] 30 But even the hairs of your head have all been counted.(I) 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.(J)

Acknowledging Christ

32 “Therefore, everyone who will acknowledge me before others, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.(K) 33 But whoever denies me before others,(L) I will also deny him before my Father in heaven. 34 Don’t assume that I came to bring peace on the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.(M) 35 For I came to turn

a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
36 and a man’s enemies will be
the members of his household.[e](N)

37 The one who loves a father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; (O) the one who loves a son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And whoever doesn’t take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Anyone who finds his life will lose it,(P) and anyone who loses his life because of me will find it.(Q)

A Cup of Cold Water

40 “The one who welcomes you welcomes me,(R) and the one who welcomes me welcomes him who sent me.(S) 41 Anyone who welcomes a prophet(T) because he is a prophet[f] will receive a prophet’s reward. And anyone who welcomes a righteous person because he’s righteous[g] will receive a righteous person’s reward. 42 And whoever gives(U) even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is a disciple,[h](V) truly I tell you, he will never lose his reward.”

John the Baptist Doubts

11 When Jesus had finished giving instructions to his twelve disciples, he moved on from there to teach and preach in their towns.(W) 2 Now when John heard in prison what the Christ was doing, he sent a message through his disciples(X) 3 and asked him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” (Y)

4 Jesus replied to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: 5 The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those with leprosy[i] are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor are told the good news,(Z) 6 and blessed is the one who isn’t offended by me.”(AA)

Footnotes:

  1. 10:24 Or student
  2. 10:27 Lit in the ear
  3. 10:29 Gk assarion, a small copper coin
  4. 10:29 Lit ground apart from your Father
  5. 10:35–36 Mc 7:6
  6. 10:41 Lit prophet in the name of a prophet
  7. 10:41 Lit person in the name of a righteous person
  8. 10:42 Lit little ones in the name of a disciple
  9. 11:5 Gk lepros; a term for various skin diseases; see Lv 13–14

Cross references:

  1. 10:24 : Lk 6:40; Jn 13:16; 15:20
  2. 10:25 : 2Kg 1:2; Mt 12:24,27; Mk 3:22; Lk 11:15,18–19
  3. 10:26–33 : Lk 12:2–9
  4. 10:26 : Mk 4:22; Lk 8:17; 12:2
  5. 10:27 : Mt 24:17; Lk 5:19; 12:3; Ac 5:20
  6. 10:28 : Is 8:12–13; 51:12–13; Jr 1:8; 1Pt 3:14
  7. 10:28 : Mt 5:22; Lk 12:5; Heb 10:31; Jms 4:12
  8. 10:29 : Mt 5:16; 11:27; Lk 11:13; Jn 8:42
  9. 10:30 : 1Sm 14:45; 2Sm 14:11; Lk 21:18; Ac 27:34
  10. 10:31 : Mt 6:26; 12:12
  11. 10:32 : Lk 12:8; Rm 10:9–10; Rv 3:5
  12. 10:33 : Mk 8:38; Lk 9:26; 2Tm 2:12; 2Pt 2:1
  13. 10:34–36 : Lk 12:51–53
  14. 10:36 : Ps 41:9; 55:12–13; Mc 7:6; Jn 13:18
  15. 10:37–39 : Lk 14:25–27
  16. 10:39 : Mt 16:25; Mk 8:35; Lk 9:24; 17:33; Jn 12:25
  17. 10:39 : Mt 9:9; Jn 8:12; 12:26; 21:19
  18. 10:40 : Mt 18:5; Lk 10:16; Jn 13:20; Gl 4:14
  19. 10:40 : Mk 9:37; Lk 9:48; Jn 12:44
  20. 10:41 : 1Kg 17:10–15; 18:4; 2Kg 4:8; 3Jn 5–8
  21. 10:42 : Mt 25:40; Mk 9:41; Heb 6:10
  22. 10:42 : Mt 28:19; Lk 14:26; Jn 8:31; 13:35; 15:8; Ac 6:1
  23. 11:1 : Mt 7:28; 9:35; Lk 23:5
  24. 11:2–19 : Lk 7:18–35
  25. 11:3 : Ps 118:26; Jn 6:14; 11:27; Heb 10:37
  26. 11:5 : Is 35:5; 61:1; Lk 4:18; Jms 2:5
  27. 11:6 : Is 8:14–15; Mt 13:21; Jn 6:61; 16:1
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Psalm 13

Psalm 13

A Plea for Deliverance

For the choir director. A psalm of David.

1 How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?(A)
2 How long will I store up anxious concerns[a] within me,
agony in my mind every day?
How long will my enemy dominate me?(B)

3 Consider me and answer, Lord my God.
Restore brightness to my eyes;(C)
otherwise, I will sleep in death.
4 My enemy will say, “I have triumphed over him,”
and my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.(D)

5 But I have trusted in your faithful love;(E)
my heart will rejoice in your deliverance.(F)
6 I will sing to the Lord
because he has treated me generously.(G)

Footnotes:

  1. 13:2 Or up counsels

Cross references:

  1. 13:1 : Jb 13:24; Ps 44:24; 89:46
  2. 13:2 : Ps 6:3; 38:6; 42:9
  3. 13:3 : Ezr 9:8; Ps 19:8; Pr 29:13
  4. 13:4 : Ps 89:42
  5. 13:5 : Ps 52:8
  6. 13:5 : Ps 9:14
  7. 13:6 : Ps 119:17; 142:7
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

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Proverbs 3:16-18

16 Long life[a] is in her right hand;
in her left, riches and honor.(A)
17 Her ways are pleasant,(B)
and all her paths, peaceful.
18 She is a tree of life(C) to those who embrace her,
and those who hold on to her are happy.

Footnotes:

  1. 3:16 Lit Length of days

Cross references:

  1. 3:16 : Pr 8:18; 21:21; 22:4
  2. 3:17 : Mt 11:19
  3. 3:18 : Gn 2:9; Pr 11:30; 13:12; 15:4; Rv 2:7
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The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Tuesday January 14, 2025 (NIV)

Genesis 30:1-31:16

30 When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she envied her sister. “Give me sons, or I will die!” (A) she said to Jacob.

2 Jacob became angry with Rachel and said, “Am I in the place of God? He has withheld offspring[a] from you!”

3 Then she said, “Here is my maid Bilhah. Go sleep with her, and she’ll bear children for me[b](B) so that through her I too can build a family.” 4 So Rachel gave her slave Bilhah to Jacob as a wife, and he slept with her. 5 Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son. 6 Rachel said, “God has vindicated me; yes, he has heard me and given me a son,” so she named him Dan.[c]

7 Rachel’s slave Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. 8 Rachel said, “In my wrestlings with God,[d] I have wrestled with my sister and won,” and she named him Naphtali.[e]

9 When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she took her slave Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. 10 Leah’s slave Zilpah bore Jacob a son. 11 Then Leah said, “What good fortune!” [f] and she named him Gad.[g]

12 When Leah’s slave Zilpah bore Jacob a second son, 13 Leah said, “I am happy that the women call me happy,”(C) so she named him Asher.[h]

14 Reuben went out during the wheat harvest and found some mandrakes in the field.(D) When he brought them to his mother Leah, Rachel asked, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”

15 But Leah replied to her, “Isn’t it enough that you have taken my husband? Now you also want to take my son’s mandrakes?”

“Well then,” Rachel said, “he can sleep with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.”

16 When Jacob came in from the field that evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must come with me, for I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So Jacob slept with her that night.

17 God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18 Leah said, “God has rewarded me for giving my slave to my husband,” and she named him Issachar.[i]

19 Then Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. 20 “God has given me a good gift,” Leah said. “This time my husband will honor me because I have borne six sons for him,” and she named him Zebulun.[j] 21 Later, Leah bore a daughter and named her Dinah.

22 Then God remembered Rachel. He listened to her and opened her womb.(E) 23 She conceived and bore a son, and she said, “God has taken away my disgrace.”(F) 24 She named him Joseph[k] and said, “May the Lord add another son to me.”(G)

Jacob’s Flocks Multiply

25 After Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me on my way so that I can return to my homeland. 26 Give me my wives and my children that I have worked for, and let me go.(H) You know how hard I have worked for you.”

27 But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor with you, stay. I have learned by divination that the Lord has blessed me because of you.” 28 Then Laban said, “Name your wages, and I will pay them.”(I)

29 So Jacob said to him, “You know how I have served you and how your herds have fared with me.(J) 30 For you had very little before I came, but now your wealth has increased. The Lord has blessed you because of me. And now, when will I also do something for my own family?”

31 Laban asked, “What should I give you?”

And Jacob said, “You don’t need to give me anything. If you do this one thing for me, I will continue to shepherd and keep your flock. 32 Let me go through all your sheep today and remove every sheep that is speckled or spotted, every dark-colored sheep among the lambs, and the spotted and speckled among the female goats. Such will be my wages. 33 In the future when you come to check on my wages, my honesty will testify for me. If I have any female goats that are not speckled or spotted, or any lambs that are not black, they will be considered stolen.”

34 “Good,” said Laban. “Let it be as you have said.”

35 That day Laban removed the streaked and spotted male goats and all the speckled and spotted female goats—every one that had any white on it—and every dark-colored one among the lambs, and he placed his sons in charge of them. 36 He put a three-day journey between himself and Jacob. Jacob, meanwhile, was shepherding the rest of Laban’s flock.

37 Jacob then took branches of fresh poplar, almond, and plane wood, and peeled the bark, exposing white stripes on the branches. 38 He set the peeled branches in the troughs in front of the sheep—in the water channels where the sheep came to drink. And the sheep bred when they came to drink. 39 The flocks bred in front of the branches and bore streaked, speckled, and spotted young.(K) 40 Jacob separated the lambs and made the flocks face the streaked sheep and the completely dark sheep in Laban’s flocks. Then he set his own stock apart and didn’t put them with Laban’s sheep.

41 Whenever the stronger of the flock were breeding, Jacob placed the branches in the troughs, in full view of the flocks, and they would breed in front of the branches. 42 As for the weaklings of the flocks, he did not put out the branches. So it turned out that the weak sheep belonged to Laban and the stronger ones to Jacob. 43 And the man became very rich.[l] He had many flocks, female and male slaves, and camels and donkeys.(L)

Jacob Separates from Laban

31 Now Jacob heard what Laban’s sons were saying: “Jacob has taken all that was our father’s and has built this wealth from what belonged to our father.” 2 And Jacob saw from Laban’s face that his attitude toward him was not the same as before.

3 The Lord said to him, “Go back to the land of your ancestors and to your family, and I will be with you.”(M)

4 Jacob had Rachel and Leah called to the field where his flocks were. 5 He said to them, “I can see from your father’s face that his attitude toward me is not the same as before, but the God of my father has been with me. 6 You know that with all my strength I have served your father(N) 7 and that he has cheated me and changed my wages ten times. But God has not let him harm me. 8 If he said, ‘The spotted sheep will be your wages,’ then all the sheep were born spotted. If he said, ‘The streaked sheep will be your wages,’ then all the sheep were born streaked.(O) 9 God has taken away your father’s herds and given them to me.

10 “When the flocks were breeding, I saw in a dream that the streaked, spotted, and speckled males were mating with the females. 11 In that dream the angel of God said to me, ‘Jacob!’ and I said, ‘Here I am.’ 12 And he said, ‘Look up and see: all the males that are mating with the flocks are streaked, spotted, and speckled, for I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you.(P) 13 I am the God of Bethel, where you poured oil on the stone marker and made a solemn vow to me.(Q) Get up, leave this land, and return to your native land.’”

14 Then Rachel and Leah answered him, “Do we have any portion or inheritance in our father’s family? 15 Are we not regarded by him as outsiders? For he has sold us(R) and has certainly spent our purchase price. 16 In fact, all the wealth that God has taken away from our father belongs to us and to our children. So do whatever God has said to you.”

Footnotes:

  1. 30:2 Lit the fruit of the womb
  2. 30:3 Lit bear on my knees
  3. 30:6 In Hb, the name Dan sounds like “has vindicated,” or “has judged.”
  4. 30:8 Or “With mighty wrestlings
  5. 30:8 In Hb, the name Naphtali sounds like “my wrestling.”
  6. 30:11 Alt Hb tradition, LXX, Vg read “Good fortune has come!”
  7. 30:11 = Good Fortune
  8. 30:13 = Happy
  9. 30:18 In Hb, the name Issachar sounds like “reward.”
  10. 30:20 In Hb, the name Zebulun sounds like “honored.”
  11. 30:24 = He Adds
  12. 30:43 Lit The man spread out very much, very much

Cross references:

  1. 30:1 : 1Sm 1:5–6
  2. 30:3 : Gn 50:23
  3. 30:13 : Lk 1:48
  4. 30:14 : Sg 7:13
  5. 30:22 : Gn 29:31
  6. 30:23 : Is 4:1; Lk 1:25
  7. 30:24 : Gn 35:17
  8. 30:26 : Gn 29:18,20,27; Hs 12:12
  9. 30:28 : Gn 29:15; 31:7,41
  10. 30:29 : Gn 31:6,38–40
  11. 30:39 : Gn 31:10–12
  12. 30:43 : Gn 12:16; 13:2; 24:35; 26:13–14; 30:30
  13. 31:3 : Gn 28:15; 32:10
  14. 31:6 : Gn 30:29
  15. 31:8 : Gn 30:32
  16. 31:12 : Gn 30:37–40; Ex 3:7
  17. 31:13 : Gn 28:18–19
  18. 31:15 : Gn 29:19–30
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

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Matthew 10:1-23

Commissioning the Twelve

10 Summoning his twelve disciples,(A) he gave them authority over unclean spirits, to drive them out and to heal every[a] disease and sickness.[b](B) 2 These are the names of the twelve apostles:(C) First, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;[c] 4 Simon the Zealot,[d] and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.(D)

5 Jesus sent out these twelve after giving them instructions: “Don’t take the road that leads to the Gentiles, and don’t enter any Samaritan(E) town. 6 Instead, go to the lost sheep(F) of the house of Israel.(G) 7 As you go, proclaim, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’(H) 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with leprosy,[e] drive out demons.(I) Freely you received, freely give. 9 Don’t acquire gold, silver, or copper for your money-belts.(J) 10 Don’t take a traveling bag for the road, or an extra shirt, sandals, or a staff, for the worker(K) is worthy of his food. 11 When you enter any town or village, find out who is worthy, and stay there until you leave. 12 Greet a household when you enter it,(L) 13 and if the household is worthy, let your peace be on it; but if it is unworthy, let your peace return to you.(M) 14 If anyone does not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet(N) when you leave that house or town. 15 Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment(O) for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.(P)

Persecutions Predicted

16 “Look, I’m sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as serpents and as innocent as doves.(Q) 17 Beware of them, because they will hand you over to local courts[f] and flog you in their synagogues.(R) 18 You will even be brought before governors and kings because of me, to bear witness to them and to the Gentiles.(S) 19 But when they hand you over, don’t worry about how or what you are to speak.(T) For you will be given what to say at that hour, 20 because it isn’t you speaking, but the Spirit(U) of your Father is speaking through you.(V)

21 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.(W) 22 You will be hated by everyone because of my name.(X) But the one who endures to the end will be saved.(Y) 23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to another.(Z) For truly I tell you, you will not have gone through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

Footnotes:

  1. 10:1 Or every kind of
  2. 10:1 Or physical ailment
  3. 10:3 Other mss read and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus
  4. 10:4 Lit the Cananaean
  5. 10:8 Gk lepros; a term for various skin diseases; see Lv 13–14
  6. 10:17 Or sanhedrins

Cross references:

  1. 10:1–4 : Mk 3:13–19; 6:13–16
  2. 10:1 : Mt 9:35; Mk 6:7; Lk 9:1
  3. 10:2 : Mt 4:18,21; 16:18; Jn 1:42
  4. 10:4 : Mt 26:14; Lk 22:3; Jn 6:71; 13:2,26
  5. 10:5 : 2Kg 17:24; Lk 9:52; 17:16; Jn 4:9; Ac 8:25
  6. 10:6 : Ps 119:36; Is 53:6; Jr 50:6; Mt 9:36; 18:12
  7. 10:6 : Ac 2:36; 7:42; Heb 8:8,10
  8. 10:7 : Mt 3:2–3; 4:17; Lk 10:9
  9. 10:8 : Mk 3:15; Rv 9:20; 18:2
  10. 10:9–15 : Mk 6:6–8; Lk 9:3–5; 10:4–12
  11. 10:10 : Lk 10:7; 1Co 9:14; 1Tm 5:18
  12. 10:12 : 1Sm 25:6; 1Ch 12:18; Ps 122:7–8
  13. 10:13 : Ps 35:13; Mt 8:8; Ac 16:15
  14. 10:14 : Neh 5:13; Lk 10:11; Ac 13:51
  15. 10:15 : Mt 12:36; Ac 17:31; Heb 10:25; 2Pt 2:9; 1Jn 4:17
  16. 10:15 : Mt 11:22,24; 2Pt 2:6; Jd 6–7
  17. 10:16 : Gn 3:1; Lk 10:3; Rm 16:19; Php 2:15
  18. 10:17 : Mk 13:9,11; Lk 12:11–12; Ac 5:40; 26:11
  19. 10:18 : Mt 28:19; Rm 1:5; Gl 1:16
  20. 10:19 : Ex 4:12; Nm 23:5; Dt 18:18; Mt 6:25
  21. 10:20 : Ps 51:11; Jn 1:33; Ac 2:4; Rm 8:9; Gl 5:25; Ti 3:5
  22. 10:20 : Lk 12:12; Ac 4:8; 13:9; 2Co 13:3
  23. 10:21 : Mc 7:6; Mt 10:35–36; Mk 13:12
  24. 10:22 : Mt 24:9; Lk 21:17; Jn 15:18
  25. 10:22 : Mt 24:13; Mk 13:13; Jn 12:12–13
  26. 10:23 : Mt 12:15; Ac 8:1; 9:25; 14:6; 17:10
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Psalm 12

Psalm 12

Oppression by the Wicked

For the choir director: according to Sheminith.(A) A psalm of David.

1 Help, Lord, for no faithful one remains;
the loyal have disappeared from the human race.[a](B)
2 They lie to one another;
they speak with flattering lips and deceptive hearts.(C)
3 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips
and the tongue that speaks boastfully.(D)
4 They say, “Through our tongues we have power;
our lips are our own—who can be our master?” (E)

5 “Because of the devastation of the needy
and the groaning of the poor,
I will now rise up,” says the Lord.
“I will provide safety for the one who longs for it.”(F)

6 The words of the Lord are pure words,
like silver refined in an earthen furnace,
purified seven times.(G)

7 You, Lord, will guard us;[b]
you will protect us[c] from this generation forever.(H)
8 The wicked prowl[d] all around,
and what is worthless is exalted by the human race.(I)

Footnotes:

  1. 12:1 Or the descendants of Adam, also in v. 8
  2. 12:7 Some Hb mss, LXX, Jer; other Hb mss read them
  3. 12:7 Some Hb mss, LXX; other Hb mss read him
  4. 12:8 Lit walk about

Cross references:

  1. 12:0 : 1Ch 15:21; Ps 6
  2. 12:1 : Ps 14:2–3; 53:2–3; Mc 7:2
  3. 12:2 : Ps 41:6; 144:8; Jr 9:8
  4. 12:3 : Ps 5:9
  5. 12:4 : Ps 73:8–9
  6. 12:5 : Ps 9:18; 72:4
  7. 12:6 : Ps 18:30; 119:140; Pr 30:5
  8. 12:7 : Ps 37:28; 97:10
  9. 12:8 : Ps 4:2; 119:37
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Proverbs 3:13-15

Wisdom Brings Happiness

13 Happy is a man who finds wisdom(A)
and who acquires understanding,
14 for she is more profitable than silver,
and her revenue is better than gold.(B)
15 She is more precious than jewels;(C)
nothing you desire can equal her.(D)

Cross references:

  1. 3:13 : Pr 8:32,34
  2. 3:14 : Jb 28:15–19; Pr 8:10,19; 16:16; 22:1
  3. 3:15 : Jb 28:18
  4. 3:15 : Pr 8:11; 20:15
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The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Monday January 13, 2025 (NIV)

Genesis 28-29

Jacob’s Departure

28 So Isaac summoned Jacob, blessed him, and commanded him, “Do not marry a Canaanite girl. 2 Go at once to Paddan-aram, to the house of Bethuel, your mother’s father. Marry one of the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother. 3 May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you(A) so that you become an assembly of peoples.(B) 4 May God give you and your offspring the blessing of Abraham(C) so that you may possess the land where you live as a foreigner, the land God gave to Abraham.”(D) 5 So Isaac sent Jacob to Paddan-aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau.

6 Esau noticed that Isaac blessed Jacob and sent him to Paddan-aram to get a wife there. When he blessed him, Isaac commanded Jacob, “Do not marry a Canaanite girl.” 7 And Jacob listened to his father and mother and went to Paddan-aram. 8 Esau realized that his father Isaac disapproved of the Canaanite women,(E) 9 so Esau went to Ishmael and married, in addition to his other wives, Mahalath daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s son. She was the sister of Nebaioth.

Jacob at Bethel

10 Jacob left Beer-sheba and went toward Haran. 11 He reached a certain place and spent the night there because the sun had set. He took one of the stones from the place, put it there at his head, and lay down in that place. 12 And he dreamed:(F) A stairway was set on the ground with its top reaching the sky, and God’s angels were going up and down on it.(G) 13 The Lord was standing there beside him,[a] saying, “I am the Lord,(H) the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your offspring the land on which you are lying. 14 Your offspring will be like the dust of the earth,(I) and you will spread out toward the west, the east, the north, and the south. All the peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.(J) 15 Look, I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go. I will bring you back to this land,(K) for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

16 When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.”(L) 17 He was afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is! This is none other than the house of God. This is the gate of heaven.”

18 Early in the morning Jacob took the stone that was near his head and set it up as a marker. He poured oil on top of it 19 and named the place Bethel,[b] though previously the city was named Luz.(M) 20 Then Jacob made a vow:(N) “If God will be with me and watch over me during this journey I’m making, if he provides me with food to eat and clothing to wear, 21 and if I return safely to my father’s family,(O) then the Lord will be my God.(P) 22 This stone that I have set up as a marker will be God’s house, and I will give to you a tenth of all that you give me.”(Q)

Jacob Meets Rachel

29 Jacob resumed his journey[c] and went to the eastern country.[d](R) 2 He looked and saw a well in a field. Three flocks of sheep were lying there beside it because the sheep were watered from this well. But a large stone covered the opening of the well. 3 The shepherds would roll the stone from the opening of the well and water the sheep when all the flocks[e] were gathered there. Then they would return the stone to its place over the well’s opening.

4 Jacob asked the men at the well, “My brothers! Where are you from?”

“We’re from Haran,” they answered.

5 “Do you know Laban, Nahor’s grandson?” Jacob asked them.

They answered, “We know him.”

6 “Is he well?” Jacob asked.

“Yes,” they said, “and here is his daughter Rachel, coming with his sheep.”

7 Then Jacob said, “Look, it is still broad daylight. It’s not time for the animals to be gathered. Water the flock, then go out and let them graze.”

8 But they replied, “We can’t until all the flocks have been gathered and the stone is rolled from the well’s opening. Then we will water the sheep.”

9 While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherdess. 10 As soon as Jacob saw his uncle Laban’s daughter Rachel with his sheep,[f] he went up and rolled the stone from the opening and watered his uncle Laban’s sheep. 11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and wept loudly.[g] 12 He told Rachel that he was her father’s relative, Rebekah’s son. She ran and told her father.

Jacob Deceived

13 When Laban heard the news about his sister’s son Jacob, he ran to meet him, hugged him, and kissed him. Then he took him to his house, and Jacob told him all that had happened.

14 Laban said to him, “Yes, you are my own flesh and blood.”[h](S)

After Jacob had stayed with him a month, 15 Laban said to him, “Just because you’re my relative, should you work for me for nothing? Tell me what your wages should be.”

16 Now Laban had two daughters: the older was named Leah, and the younger was named Rachel. 17 Leah had tender eyes, but Rachel was shapely and beautiful. 18 Jacob loved Rachel, so he answered Laban, “I’ll work for you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.”(T)

19 Laban replied, “Better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay with me.” 20 So Jacob worked seven years for Rachel, and they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.

21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Since my time is complete, give me my wife, so I can sleep with[i] her.” 22 So Laban invited all the men of the place and sponsored a feast. 23 That evening, Laban took his daughter Leah and gave her to Jacob, and he slept with her. 24 And Laban gave his slave Zilpah to his daughter Leah as her slave.

25 When morning came, there was Leah! So he said to Laban, “What have you done to me? Wasn’t it for Rachel that I worked for you? Why have you deceived me?”

26 Laban answered, “It is not the custom in our country to give the younger daughter in marriage before the firstborn. 27 Complete this week of wedding celebration, and we will also give you this younger one in return for working yet another seven years for me.”

28 And Jacob did just that. He finished the week of celebration, and Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as his wife. 29 And Laban gave his slave Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her slave. 30 Jacob slept with Rachel also, and indeed, he loved Rachel more than Leah. And he worked for Laban another seven years.(U)

Jacob’s Sons

31 When the Lord saw that Leah was neglected,(V) he opened her womb;(W) but Rachel was unable to conceive.(X) 32 Leah conceived, gave birth to a son, and named him Reuben,[j] for she said, “The Lord has seen my affliction;(Y) surely my husband will love me now.”

33 She conceived again, gave birth to a son, and said, “The Lord heard that I am neglected and has given me this son also.” So she named him Simeon.[k]

34 She conceived again, gave birth to a son, and said, “At last, my husband will become attached to me because I have borne three sons for him.” Therefore he was named Levi.[l]

35 And she conceived again, gave birth to a son, and said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” Therefore she named him Judah.[m](Z) Then Leah stopped having children.

Footnotes:

  1. 28:13 Or there above it
  2. 28:19 = House of God
  3. 29:1 Lit Jacob picked up his feet
  4. 29:1 Lit the land of the children of the east
  5. 29:3 Sam, some LXX mss read flocks and the shepherds
  6. 29:10 Lit with the sheep of Laban his mother’s brother
  7. 29:11 Lit and he lifted his voice and wept
  8. 29:14 Lit my bone and my flesh
  9. 29:21 Lit can go to
  10. 29:32 = See, a Son; in Hb, the name Reuben sounds like “has seen my affliction.”
  11. 29:33 In Hb, the name Simeon sounds like “has heard.”
  12. 29:34 In Hb, the name Levi sounds like “attached to.”
  13. 29:35 In Hb, the name Judah sounds like “praise.”

Cross references:

  1. 28:3 : Gn 1:28
  2. 28:3 : Gn 48:4
  3. 28:4 : Gn 12:1–3
  4. 28:4 : Gn 12:7; 15:18
  5. 28:8 : Gn 24:3; 26:34–35; 27:46
  6. 28:12 : Gn 41:1; Nm 12:6; Jb 33:15–16
  7. 28:12 : Jn 1:51
  8. 28:13 : Gn 15:7; Ex 6:8
  9. 28:14 : Gn 13:16
  10. 28:14 : Gn 12:3
  11. 28:15 : Gn 48:21; Dt 30:3; 1Kg 8:34; Zph 3:20
  12. 28:16 : Ex 3:4–6; Jos 5:13–15; Ps 139:7–12
  13. 28:19 : Gn 35:6; 48:3; Jdg 1:23,26
  14. 28:20 : Gn 31:13
  15. 28:21 : Gn 33:18; Jdg 11:31; 2Sm 15:7–9
  16. 28:21 : Dt 26:17
  17. 28:22 : Gn 14:20; Lv 27:30; Dt 14:22
  18. 29:1 : Nm 23:7; Jdg 6:3
  19. 29:14 : Gn 2:23; 37:27; Jdg 9:2; 2Sm 5:1; 19:12–13; 1Ch 11:1
  20. 29:18 : Gn 30:26; 31:41; Hs 12:12
  21. 29:30 : Gn 31:41
  22. 29:31 : Gn 25:28; Dt 21:15–16; 22:13; 24:3; Lk 14:26; 16:13
  23. 29:31 : Gn 30:22
  24. 29:31 : Gn 11:30; 25:21; Jdg 13:2–3; 1Sm 2:5; Lk 1:36
  25. 29:32 : Gn 31:42; Ex 3:7; 4:31; Dt 26:7
  26. 29:35 : Gn 49:8; Mt 1:2
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Matthew 9:18-38

A Girl Restored and a Woman Healed

18 As he was telling them these things,(A) suddenly one of the leaders came and knelt down before him, saying, “My daughter just died,[a] but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.”(B) 19 So Jesus and his disciples got up and followed(C) him.

20 Just then, a woman who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years approached from behind and touched the end of his robe,(D) 21 for she said to herself, “If I can just touch his robe, I’ll be made well.”[b](E)

22 Jesus turned and saw her. “Have courage, daughter,” he said. “Your faith has saved you.”[c](F) And the woman was made well from that moment.[d]

23 When Jesus came to the leader’s house, he saw the flute players and a crowd lamenting loudly.(G) 24 “Leave,” he said, “because the girl is not dead but asleep.”(H) And they laughed at him. 25 After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up.(I) 26 Then news of this spread throughout that whole area.(J)

Healing the Blind

27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” (K)

28 When he entered the house, the blind men approached him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe(L) that I can do this?”

They said to him, “Yes, Lord.”

29 Then he touched their eyes, saying, “Let it be done for you according to your faith.” 30 And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus warned them sternly, “Be sure that no one finds out.”(M) 31 But they went out and spread the news about him throughout that whole area.

Driving Out a Demon

32 Just as they were going out, a demon-possessed man who was unable to speak was brought to him.(N) 33 When the demon had been driven out, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were amazed, saying, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!”

34 But the Pharisees said, “He drives out demons by the ruler of the demons.”(O)

The Lord of the Harvest

35 Jesus continued going around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom,(P) and healing every[e] disease and every sickness.[f][g] 36 When he saw the crowds, he felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dejected,(Q) like sheep without a shepherd.(R) 37 Then he said to his disciples,(S) “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. 38 Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.”

Footnotes:

  1. 9:18 Lit daughter has now come to the end
  2. 9:21 Or be saved
  3. 9:22 Or has made you well
  4. 9:22 Lit hour
  5. 9:35 Or every kind of
  6. 9:35 Other mss add among the people
  7. 9:35 Or physical ailment

Cross references:

  1. 9:18–26 : Mk 5:22–43; Lk 8:41–56
  2. 9:18 : Mt 8:2–3; Mk 5:23
  3. 9:19 : Lk 5:11; Jn 8:12
  4. 9:20 : Lv 15:25; Nm 15:38; Dt 22:12; Mt 14:36; 23:5
  5. 9:21 : Mt 14:36; Mk 3:10; Lk 6:19
  6. 9:22 : Mt 15:28; Mk 10:52; Lk 7:50; 17:19; 18:42
  7. 9:23 : 2Ch 35:25; Jr 9:17; 16:6; Ezk 24:17; Rv 18:22
  8. 9:24 : Jn 11:13; Ac 20:10
  9. 9:25 : Mk 9:27; Ac 3:7; 9:40–41
  10. 9:26 : Mt 4:24; 9:31; 14:1; Mk 1:28; Lk 4:14
  11. 9:27 : Mt 1:1; 12:23; 15:22; 20:30–31; Mk 10:47; Lk 18:38–39
  12. 9:28 : Mk 11:24; Jn 3:16; Ac 10:43; Rm 10:9; 1Pt 1:8–10
  13. 9:29–30 : Mt 8:4,13; 9:22; Mk 8:25; Jn 9:26
  14. 9:32–34 : Mt 12:22–24; Lk 11:14–15
  15. 9:34 : Mk 3:22; Jn 7:20
  16. 9:35 : Mt 4:23; Mk 1:15
  17. 9:36 : Mt 14:14; 15:32; Mk 6:34; 8:2
  18. 9:36 : Nm 27:17; 1Kg 22:17; Ezk 34:5; Zch 10:2
  19. 9:37 : Mt 10:1; 26:56; Mk 3:7; 16:20; Lk 6:13; Jn 12:16
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Psalm 11

Psalm 11

Refuge in the Lord

For the choir director. Of David.

1 I have taken refuge in the Lord.(A)
How can you say to me,
“Escape to the mountains[a] like a bird!(B)
2 For look, the wicked string bows;
they put their arrows on bowstrings
to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart.(C)
3 When the foundations are destroyed,
what can the righteous do?” (D)

4 The Lord is in his holy temple;(E)
the Lord—his throne is in heaven.(F)
His eyes watch;
his gaze[b] examines everyone.[c]
5 The Lord examines the righteous,
but he hates the wicked
and[d] those who love violence.(G)
6 Let him rain burning coals[e] and sulfur on the wicked;
let a scorching wind be the portion in their cup.(H)
7 For the Lord is righteous; he loves righteous deeds.
The upright will see his face.(I)

Footnotes:

  1. 11:1 Lit your mountain
  2. 11:4 Lit eyelids
  3. 11:4 Or examines the descendants of Adam
  4. 11:5 Or righteous and the wicked, and he hates
  5. 11:6 Sym; MT reads rain snares, fire

Cross references:

  1. 11:1 : Ps 7:1; 31:1; 71:1
  2. 11:1 : Ps 121:1
  3. 11:2 : Ps 37:14; 64:4
  4. 11:3 : Ps 82:5
  5. 11:4 : Ps 27:4; Hab 2:20
  6. 11:4 : Ps 103:19; Is 66:1; Ac 7:49
  7. 11:4–5 : Ps 33:13–15
  8. 11:6 : Ezk 38:22
  9. 11:7 : Ps 17:15; Rv 22:4
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Proverbs 3:11-12

11 Do not despise the Lord’s instruction, my son,
and do not loathe his discipline;(A)
12 for the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
just as a father disciplines the son in whom he delights.(B)

Cross references:

  1. 3:11 : Pr 5:11–13; 15:5,31–33
  2. 3:12 : Dt 8:5; Jb 5:17–18; Pr 13:24; Heb 12:5–7
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The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Sunday January 12, 2025 (NIV)

Genesis 26:17-27:46

17 So Isaac left there, camped in the Gerar Valley, and lived there. 18 Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the days of his father Abraham and that the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died. He gave them the same names his father had given them. 19 Then Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and found a well of spring[a] water there. 20 But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen and said, “The water is ours!” So he named the well Esek[b] because they argued with him.(A) 21 Then they dug another well and quarreled over that one also, so he named it Sitnah.[c] 22 He moved from there and dug another, and they did not quarrel over it. He named it Rehoboth[d] and said, “For now the Lord has made space for us, and we will be fruitful in the land.”

The Lord Appears to Isaac

23 From there he went up to Beer-sheba, 24 and the Lord appeared to him that night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham.(B) Do not be afraid, for I am with you.(C) I will bless you and multiply your offspring because of my servant Abraham.”

25 So he built an altar there,(D) called on the name of the Lord, and pitched his tent there. Isaac’s servants also dug a well there.(E)

Covenant with Abimelech

26 Now Abimelech came to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath his adviser and Phicol the commander of his army.(F) 27 Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me? You hated me and sent me away from you.”

28 They replied, “We have clearly seen how the Lord has been with you. We think there should be an oath between two parties—between us and you. Let us make a covenant with you: 29 You will not harm us, just as we have not harmed you but have done only what was good to you, sending you away in peace. You are now blessed by the Lord.”(G)

30 So he prepared a banquet for them, and they ate and drank. 31 They got up early in the morning and swore an oath to each other.[e](H) Isaac sent them on their way, and they left him in peace. 32 On that same day Isaac’s servants came to tell him about the well they had dug, saying to him, “We have found water!” (I) 33 He called it Sheba.[f] Therefore the name of the city is still Beer-sheba[g](J) today.

Esau’s Wives

34 When Esau was forty years old, he took as his wives Judith daughter of Beeri the Hethite, and Basemath daughter of Elon the Hethite.(K) 35 They made life bitter[h] for Isaac and Rebekah.(L)

The Stolen Blessing

27 When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could not see,(M) he called his older son Esau and said to him, “My son.”

And he answered, “Here I am.”

2 He said, “Look, I am old and do not know the day of my death. 3 So now take your hunting gear, your quiver and bow, and go out in the field to hunt some game for me.(N) 4 Then make me a delicious meal that I love and bring it to me to eat, so that I can bless you before I die.”(O)

5 Now Rebekah was listening to what Isaac said to his son Esau. So while Esau went to the field to hunt some game to bring in, 6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Listen! I heard your father talking with your brother Esau. He said, 7 ‘Bring me game and make a delicious meal for me to eat so that I can bless you in the Lord’s presence before I die.’ 8 Now, my son, listen to me and do what I tell you. 9 Go to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, and I will make them into a delicious meal for your father—the kind he loves. 10 Then take it to your father to eat so that he may bless you before he dies.”

11 Jacob answered Rebekah his mother, “Look, my brother Esau is a hairy man, but I am a man with smooth skin.(P) 12 Suppose my father touches me. Then I will be revealed to him as a deceiver and bring a curse rather than a blessing on myself.”

13 His mother said to him, “Your curse be on me, my son. Just obey me and go get them for me.”

14 So he went and got the goats and brought them to his mother, and his mother made the delicious food his father loved. 15 Then Rebekah took the best clothes of her older son Esau, which were in the house, and had her younger son Jacob wear them. 16 She put the skins of the young goats on his hands and the smooth part of his neck. 17 Then she handed the delicious food and the bread she had made to her son Jacob.

18 When he came to his father, he said, “My father.”

And he answered, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?”

19 Jacob replied to his father, “I am Esau, your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game so that you may bless me.”

20 But Isaac said to his son, “How did you ever find it so quickly, my son?”

He replied, “Because the Lord your God made it happen for me.”

21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come closer so I can touch you, my son. Are you really my son Esau or not?”

22 So Jacob came closer to his father Isaac. When he touched him, he said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” 23 He did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he blessed him. 24 Again he asked, “Are you really my son Esau?”

And he replied, “I am.”

25 Then he said, “Bring it closer to me, and let me eat some of my son’s game so that I can bless you.” Jacob brought it closer to him, and he ate; he brought him wine, and he drank.

26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Please come closer and kiss me, my son.” 27 So he came closer and kissed him. When Isaac smelled[i] his clothes, he blessed him and said:

Ah, the smell of my son
is like the smell of a field
that the Lord has blessed.
28 May God give to you—
from the dew of the sky(Q)
and from the richness of the land(R)—
an abundance of grain and new wine.(S)
29 May peoples serve you(T)
and nations bow in homage to you.
Be master over your relatives;
may your mother’s sons bow in homage to you.
Those who curse you will be cursed,
and those who bless you will be blessed.(U)

30 As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob and Jacob had left the presence of his father Isaac, his brother Esau arrived from his hunting. 31 He had also made some delicious food and brought it to his father. He said to his father, “Let my father get up and eat some of his son’s game, so that you may bless me.”

32 But his father Isaac said to him, “Who are you?”

He answered, “I am Esau your firstborn son.”

33 Isaac began to tremble uncontrollably. “Who was it then,” he said, “who hunted game and brought it to me? I ate it all before you came in, and I blessed him. Indeed, he will be blessed!”

34 When Esau heard his father’s words, he cried out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me too, my father!” (V)

35 But he replied, “Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing.”

36 So he said, “Isn’t he rightly named Jacob?[j](W) For he has cheated me twice now. He took my birthright, and look, now he has taken my blessing.” Then he asked, “Haven’t you saved a blessing for me?”

37 But Isaac answered Esau, “Look, I have made him a master over you, have given him all of his relatives as his servants, and have sustained him with grain and new wine. What then can I do for you, my son?”

38 Esau said to his father, “Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!” And Esau wept loudly.[k]

39 His father Isaac answered him,

Look, your dwelling place will be
away from the richness of the land,
away from the dew of the sky above.
40 You will live by your sword,
and you will serve your brother.
But when you rebel,[l]
you will break his yoke from your neck.

Esau’s Anger

41 Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. And Esau determined in his heart, “The days of mourning for my father are approaching; then I will kill my brother Jacob.”

42 When the words of her older son Esau were reported to Rebekah, she summoned her younger son Jacob and said to him, “Listen, your brother Esau is consoling himself by planning to kill you. 43 So now, my son, listen to me. Flee at once to my brother Laban in Haran, 44 and stay with him for a few days until your brother’s anger subsides— 45 until your brother’s rage turns away from you and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send for you and bring you back from there. Why should I lose you both in one day?”

46 So Rebekah said to Isaac, “I’m sick of my life because of these Hethite girls.(X) If Jacob marries someone from around here,[m] like these Hethite girls, what good is my life?” (Y)

Footnotes:

  1. 26:19 Lit living
  2. 26:20 = Argument
  3. 26:21 = Hostility
  4. 26:22 = Open Spaces
  5. 26:31 Lit swore, each man to his brother
  6. 26:33 Or Shibah
  7. 26:33 = Well of the Oath
  8. 26:35 Lit And they became bitterness of spirit
  9. 27:27 Lit smelled the smell of
  10. 27:36 = He Grasps the Heel
  11. 27:38 Lit Esau lifted up his voice and wept
  12. 27:40 Hb obscure
  13. 27:46 Lit someone like these daughters of the land

Cross references:

  1. 26:20 : Gn 21:25
  2. 26:24 : Gn 17:7–8; 24:12; Ex 3:6; Ac 7:32
  3. 26:24 : Gn 21:17; Ex 20:20; 2Kg 6:16; Is 41:10; 43:1,5
  4. 26:25 : Gn 8:20; 12:7; 13:18; 35:7; Ex 17:15; Jos 8:30
  5. 26:25 : Gn 26:32
  6. 26:26 : Gn 21:22
  7. 26:29 : Gn 24:31; Ps 115:15
  8. 26:31 : Gn 21:31
  9. 26:32 : Gn 26:19
  10. 26:33 : Gn 21:30–31
  11. 26:34 : Gn 28:9; 36:2–3
  12. 26:35 : Gn 27:46
  13. 27:1 : Gn 48:10; 1Sm 3:2
  14. 27:3 : Gn 25:27–28
  15. 27:4 : Gn 27:19,25,31; 48:9,15–16; Dt 33:1; Heb 11:20
  16. 27:11 : Gn 25:25
  17. 27:28 : Gn 27:39; Dt 32:2; 33:13,28; 2Sm 1:21; Pr 3:20; Is 18:4; Hs 14:5; Hg 1:10; Zch 8:12
  18. 27:28 : Nm 18:12
  19. 27:28 : Dt 7:13; Jl 2:19
  20. 27:29 : Gn 25:23; Is 45:14; 49:7,23; 60:12–14
  21. 27:29 : Gn 12:3; Nm 24:9
  22. 27:34 : Heb 12:17
  23. 27:36 : Gn 25:26,32–34
  24. 27:46 : Gn 26:34–35; 28:8
  25. 27:46 : Gn 24:3
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 9:1-17

The Son of Man Forgives and Heals

9 So he got into a boat, crossed over, and came to his own town.(A) 2 Just then(B) some men[a] brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, “Have courage, son, your sins are forgiven.”(C)

3 At this, some of the scribes said to themselves, “He’s blaspheming!” (D)

4 Perceiving their thoughts,(E) Jesus said, “Why are you thinking evil things in your hearts?[b] 5 For which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 6 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—then he told the paralytic, “Get up, take your stretcher, and go home.” 7 So he got up and went home. 8 When the crowds saw this, they were awestruck[c][d] and gave glory(F) to God, who had given such authority to men.

The Call of Matthew

9 As Jesus went on from there,(G) he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office, and he said to him, “Follow me,” and he got up and followed him.(H)

10 While he was reclining at the table in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came to eat with Jesus and his disciples.(I) 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” (J)

12 Now when he heard this, he said, “It is not those who are well who need a doctor, but those who are sick.(K) 13 Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice.[e](L) For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.”[f]

A Question about Fasting

14 Then John’s disciples came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?” (M)

15 Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests[g] be sad while the groom is with them? The time[h] will come when the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16 No one patches an old garment with unshrunk cloth, because the patch pulls away from the garment and makes the tear worse. 17 And no one puts[i] new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined. No, they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”

Footnotes:

  1. 9:2 Lit then they
  2. 9:4 Or minds
  3. 9:8 Other mss read amazed
  4. 9:8 Lit afraid
  5. 9:13 Hs 6:6
  6. 9:13 Other mss add to repentance
  7. 9:15 Lit the sons of the bridal chamber
  8. 9:15 Lit days
  9. 9:17 Lit And they do not put

Cross references:

  1. 9:1 : Mt 4:13; Mk 5:21
  2. 9:2–8 : Mk 2:3–12; Lk 5:18–26
  3. 9:2 : Mt 4:24; 8:10,13; 9:22; Lk 7:48; Jn 16:33
  4. 9:3 : Mt 26:65; Jn 10:36
  5. 9:4 : Mt 12:25; Lk 6:8; 9:47; 11:17
  6. 9:8 : Mt 5:16; 15:31; Lk 7:16; 13:13; Jn 15:8; Ac 4:21
  7. 9:9–17 : Mk 2:14–22; Lk 5:27–38
  8. 9:9 : Mt 10:3; Mk 2:14; 3:18; Lk 6:15; Ac 1:13
  9. 9:10 : Mt 10:42; 28:19; Lk 14:26; Jn 8:31; 13:35; 15:8; Ac 6:1
  10. 9:11 : Mt 11:19; Lk 5:30; 15:2; Gl 2:15
  11. 9:12 : Mk 2:17; Lk 5:31
  12. 9:13 : Hs 6:6; Mc 6:6–8; Mt 12:7
  13. 9:14 : Mt 11:2; 14:12; 15:2; Lk 11:1; 18:12
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 10:16-18

16 The Lord is King forever and ever;(A)
the nations will perish from his land.(B)
17 Lord, you have heard the desire of the humble;
you will strengthen their hearts.
You will listen carefully,(C)
18 doing justice for the fatherless and the oppressed
so that mere humans from the earth may terrify them no more.(D)

Cross references:

  1. 10:16 : Ex 15:18; Ps 29:10; Rv 11:15
  2. 10:16 : Dt 8:20
  3. 10:17 : 2Ch 7:14; Ps 34:15
  4. 10:18 : Ex 22:22–24; Dt 10:18
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 3:9-10

9 Honor the Lord with your possessions
and with the first produce of your entire harvest;(A)
10 then your barns will be completely filled,
and your vats will overflow with new wine.(B)

Cross references:

  1. 3:9 : Ex 23:19; Lv 23:9–14; Dt 26:2
  2. 3:10 : Dt 28:8; Mal 3:10
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.

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The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Saturday January 11, 2025 (NIV)

Genesis 24:52-26:16

52 When Abraham’s servant heard their answer, he bowed down to the ground and worshiped the Lord. 53 Then he brought out silver and gold jewelry and clothing and presented them to Rebekah. He also gave expensive presents to her brother and mother. 54 Then they ate their meal, and the servant and the men with him stayed there overnight.

But early the next morning, Abraham’s servant said, “Send me back to my master.”

55 “But we want Rebekah to stay with us at least ten days,” her brother and mother said. “Then she can go.”

56 But he said, “Don’t delay me. The Lord has made my mission successful; now send me back so I can return to my master.”

57 “Well,” they said, “we’ll call Rebekah and ask her what she thinks.” 58 So they called Rebekah. “Are you willing to go with this man?” they asked her.

And she replied, “Yes, I will go.”

59 So they said good-bye to Rebekah and sent her away with Abraham’s servant and his men. The woman who had been Rebekah’s childhood nurse went along with her. 60 They gave her this blessing as she parted:

“Our sister, may you become
the mother of many millions!
May your descendants be strong
and conquer the cities of their enemies.”

61 Then Rebekah and her servant girls mounted the camels and followed the man. So Abraham’s servant took Rebekah and went on his way.

62 Meanwhile, Isaac, whose home was in the Negev, had returned from Beer-lahai-roi. 63 One evening as he was walking and meditating in the fields, he looked up and saw the camels coming. 64 When Rebekah looked up and saw Isaac, she quickly dismounted from her camel. 65 “Who is that man walking through the fields to meet us?” she asked the servant.

And he replied, “It is my master.” So Rebekah covered her face with her veil. 66 Then the servant told Isaac everything he had done.

67 And Isaac brought Rebekah into his mother Sarah’s tent, and she became his wife. He loved her deeply, and she was a special comfort to him after the death of his mother.

The Death of Abraham

25 Abraham married another wife, whose name was Keturah. 2 She gave birth to Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. 3 Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan. Dedan’s descendants were the Asshurites, Letushites, and Leummites. 4 Midian’s sons were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. These were all descendants of Abraham through Keturah.

5 Abraham gave everything he owned to his son Isaac. 6 But before he died, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them off to a land in the east, away from Isaac.

7 Abraham lived for 175 years, 8 and he died at a ripe old age, having lived a long and satisfying life. He breathed his last and joined his ancestors in death. 9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite. 10 This was the field Abraham had purchased from the Hittites and where he had buried his wife Sarah. 11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who settled near Beer-lahai-roi in the Negev.

Ishmael’s Descendants

12 This is the account of the family of Ishmael, the son of Abraham through Hagar, Sarah’s Egyptian servant. 13 Here is a list, by their names and clans, of Ishmael’s descendants: The oldest was Nebaioth, followed by Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. 16 These twelve sons of Ishmael became the founders of twelve tribes named after them, listed according to the places they settled and camped. 17 Ishmael lived for 137 years. Then he breathed his last and joined his ancestors in death. 18 Ishmael’s descendants occupied the region from Havilah to Shur, which is east of Egypt in the direction of Asshur. There they lived in open hostility toward all their relatives.[a]

The Births of Esau and Jacob

19 This is the account of the family of Isaac, the son of Abraham. 20 When Isaac was forty years old, he married Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan-aram and the sister of Laban the Aramean.

21 Isaac pleaded with the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was unable to have children. The Lord answered Isaac’s prayer, and Rebekah became pregnant with twins. 22 But the two children struggled with each other in her womb. So she went to ask the Lord about it. “Why is this happening to me?” she asked.

23 And the Lord told her, “The sons in your womb will become two nations. From the very beginning, the two nations will be rivals. One nation will be stronger than the other; and your older son will serve your younger son.”

24 And when the time came to give birth, Rebekah discovered that she did indeed have twins! 25 The first one was very red at birth and covered with thick hair like a fur coat. So they named him Esau.[b] 26 Then the other twin was born with his hand grasping Esau’s heel. So they named him Jacob.[c] Isaac was sixty years old when the twins were born.

Esau Sells His Birthright

27 As the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter. He was an outdoorsman, but Jacob had a quiet temperament, preferring to stay at home. 28 Isaac loved Esau because he enjoyed eating the wild game Esau brought home, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

29 One day when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau arrived home from the wilderness exhausted and hungry. 30 Esau said to Jacob, “I’m starved! Give me some of that red stew!” (This is how Esau got his other name, Edom, which means “red.”)

31 “All right,” Jacob replied, “but trade me your rights as the firstborn son.”

32 “Look, I’m dying of starvation!” said Esau. “What good is my birthright to me now?”

33 But Jacob said, “First you must swear that your birthright is mine.” So Esau swore an oath, thereby selling all his rights as the firstborn to his brother, Jacob.

34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew. Esau ate the meal, then got up and left. He showed contempt for his rights as the firstborn.

Isaac Deceives Abimelech

26 A severe famine now struck the land, as had happened before in Abraham’s time. So Isaac moved to Gerar, where Abimelech, king of the Philistines, lived.

2 The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt, but do as I tell you. 3 Live here as a foreigner in this land, and I will be with you and bless you. I hereby confirm that I will give all these lands to you and your descendants,[d] just as I solemnly promised Abraham, your father. 4 I will cause your descendants to become as numerous as the stars of the sky, and I will give them all these lands. And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed. 5 I will do this because Abraham listened to me and obeyed all my requirements, commands, decrees, and instructions.” 6 So Isaac stayed in Gerar.

7 When the men who lived there asked Isaac about his wife, Rebekah, he said, “She is my sister.” He was afraid to say, “She is my wife.” He thought, “They will kill me to get her, because she is so beautiful.” 8 But some time later, Abimelech, king of the Philistines, looked out his window and saw Isaac caressing Rebekah.

9 Immediately, Abimelech called for Isaac and exclaimed, “She is obviously your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?”

“Because I was afraid someone would kill me to get her from me,” Isaac replied.

10 “How could you do this to us?” Abimelech exclaimed. “One of my people might easily have taken your wife and slept with her, and you would have made us guilty of great sin.”

11 Then Abimelech issued a public proclamation: “Anyone who touches this man or his wife will be put to death!”

Conflict over Water Rights

12 When Isaac planted his crops that year, he harvested a hundred times more grain than he planted, for the Lord blessed him. 13 He became a very rich man, and his wealth continued to grow. 14 He acquired so many flocks of sheep and goats, herds of cattle, and servants that the Philistines became jealous of him. 15 So the Philistines filled up all of Isaac’s wells with dirt. These were the wells that had been dug by the servants of his father, Abraham.

16 Finally, Abimelech ordered Isaac to leave the country. “Go somewhere else,” he said, “for you have become too powerful for us.”

Footnotes:

  1. 25:18 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
  2. 25:25 Esau sounds like a Hebrew term that means “hair.”
  3. 25:26 Jacob sounds like the Hebrew words for “heel” and “deceiver.”
  4. 26:3 Hebrew seed; also in 26:4, 24.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Matthew 8:18-34

The Cost of Following Jesus

18 When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he instructed his disciples to cross to the other side of the lake.

19 Then one of the teachers of religious law said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”

20 But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man[a] has no place even to lay his head.”

21 Another of his disciples said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.”

22 But Jesus told him, “Follow me now. Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead.[b]”

Jesus Calms the Storm

23 Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples. 24 Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”

26 Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm.

27 The disciples were amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked. “Even the winds and waves obey him!”

Jesus Heals Two Demon-Possessed Men

28 When Jesus arrived on the other side of the lake, in the region of the Gadarenes,[c] two men who were possessed by demons met him. They came out of the tombs and were so violent that no one could go through that area.

29 They began screaming at him, “Why are you interfering with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torture us before God’s appointed time?”

30 There happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding in the distance. 31 So the demons begged, “If you cast us out, send us into that herd of pigs.”

32 “All right, go!” Jesus commanded them. So the demons came out of the men and entered the pigs, and the whole herd plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned in the water.

33 The herdsmen fled to the nearby town, telling everyone what happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 Then the entire town came out to meet Jesus, but they begged him to go away and leave them alone.

Footnotes:

  1. 8:20 “Son of Man” is a title Jesus used for himself.
  2. 8:22 Greek Let the dead bury their own dead.
  3. 8:28 Other manuscripts read Gerasenes; still others read Gergesenes. Compare Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Psalm 10:1-15

Psalm 10

1 O Lord, why do you stand so far away?
Why do you hide when I am in trouble?
2 The wicked arrogantly hunt down the poor.
Let them be caught in the evil they plan for others.
3 For they brag about their evil desires;
they praise the greedy and curse the Lord.

4 The wicked are too proud to seek God.
They seem to think that God is dead.
5 Yet they succeed in everything they do.
They do not see your punishment awaiting them.
They sneer at all their enemies.
6 They think, “Nothing bad will ever happen to us!
We will be free of trouble forever!”

7 Their mouths are full of cursing, lies, and threats.[a]
Trouble and evil are on the tips of their tongues.
8 They lurk in ambush in the villages,
waiting to murder innocent people.
They are always searching for helpless victims.
9 Like lions crouched in hiding,
they wait to pounce on the helpless.
Like hunters they capture the helpless
and drag them away in nets.
10 Their helpless victims are crushed;
they fall beneath the strength of the wicked.
11 The wicked think, “God isn’t watching us!
He has closed his eyes and won’t even see what we do!”

12 Arise, O Lord!
Punish the wicked, O God!
Do not ignore the helpless!
13 Why do the wicked get away with despising God?
They think, “God will never call us to account.”
14 But you see the trouble and grief they cause.
You take note of it and punish them.
The helpless put their trust in you.
You defend the orphans.

15 Break the arms of these wicked, evil people!
Go after them until the last one is destroyed.

Footnotes:

  1. 10:7 Greek version reads cursing and bitterness. Compare Rom 3:14.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Proverbs 3:7-8

7 Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom.
Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
8 Then you will have healing for your body
and strength for your bones.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.