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4/2/2023 DAB Transcript

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

Today is the second day of April, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It is wonderful to be here with you today, as we get ourselves moved into this brand-new month. And excited to see the seasons continue to change. I love it when the trees bud and it’s time for the leaves to come back and start showing its face in this month here in the South in the rolling hills of Tennessee. So, it is wonderful to be here with you at this point in time, and it is wonderful to be here around the Global Campfire with you today. And today is known as Palm Sunday. So, we are approaching the end of the Lenten season, one week from today is Easter Sunday. And so, this week that we are moving into now, is known as Holy Week and there are many traditions throughout the earth, throughout the different Christian traditions in different ways of observing Holy Week. We’re probably most familiar with Good Friday, which will be this Friday and there are often observations of Good Friday. But each of these days mean something and they lead us forward toward next week from today, Easter Sunday the great rejoicing, the great observation of the resurrection of Jesus, and our hope for salvation. And so, may we, may we drink deeply as we navigate through this week. But for now, let’s take the next step forward, we will read from the God’s Word translation this week. And moving back out into the Book of Deuteronomy we will pick up where we left off yesterday, and we’ll read Deuteronomy chapters 21 and 22 today.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word, we thank You for this brand-new month, we thank You for this sparkly, shiny, new week. We thank You, that we get to fully move into this month and spend the first full week of it, this week, right now and out in front of us are all of the choices and emotions that we will experience. All of the decisions, all of the contemplation, some things to think through and we submit them to You, and we lift our hands in surrender and open our hearts and ask that You would lead us in these choices, in these decisions and these actions, in all of our thoughts, words and deeds. Lead us into all truth, lead us through this week that we might reveal Your kingdom and fall more deeply in love with You. Come, Holy Spirit, we pray into all of this, we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Prayer and Encouragements:

This is Deb, All Alone in Texas. I come to you to ask for prayers for my daughter. I pray for healing. She suffers from a debilitating migraine that’s been ongoing since her father had died 3 years ago. She’s been on all different types of medications. She’s even had a surgery. She’s seems to just nothing is responding for her. They did try Botox, it did give her a little relief, but she continues to have the migraines. And now is missing work again. This is so debilitating. I pray and I ask for your prayers. To please be with her, please help them find something for her that will take care of this so that she no longer suffers and that she can live a normal life. I pray that you also pray for this family. We have had so much death in my family, over the last few years and ongoing struggles with her migraine and now additional cancer diagnosis in this family. I am so stressed that it’s affecting my health. And I pray that my biggest prayer, my prayer is for my daughter. Please pray for healing for her and for my sister, who suffering with metastatic cancer right now. I pray and I ask you to pray with me that they can be healed. In Jesus …

Morning DABers, this is Jerry from Wyoming. Any tears that you hear from me will be tears of gratitude. Anyone out there that does not know my situation is that I was involved in a pretty poor choice of drinking and then a DUI. Still awaiting the outcome legally. My I know the outcome spiritually. All of your prayers of encouragement has made me to grab the Lord’s hand. I started counseling on Monday and today will be first celebrate recovery meeting. It’s all because of the amazing leading of Brian. He listened and obeyed and we’re all here. All of you listened and obeyed in the calling of your prayers for me. There were so many prayers. I recorded all of your prayers on a recording app on my phone so when I can’t sleep at night, when the darkness starts to move in during the day, I listen to all of you again. I hear the love, the kisses, and the encouragement and it just blesses me. It’s Jesus through all of you. Please keep praying for the legal stuff. To me, that’s secondary. What’s important is that I’ve been restored in the hope of Jesus in my life. I’ve been praying this prayer that was given to me by one of the DABers it’s Jesus Son of God have mercy on me. Well I feel that mercy, every day coming through and I thank you again and again for those loving prayers. I live by myself so I hear you all the time and it’s such a blessing.

Hello, my DAB family. This is Yvonne from Ohio, Alberta. I had asked to be called His Beloved. But I seem to recall, now that there already is another Beloved. So, I’d ask that you call me His Little Songbird. I’m calling to give you an update. After, the surgery on my ear. Everything went well. And the tinnitus is still there cause everything of course is still swollen inside. And I have noticed that my hearing is a lot better than it was but it’s really sensitive which they say is to be expected. But I was wondering if, if you could pray that this tinnitus will calm down as the swelling dissipates. Cause, it’s getting rather difficult for me to deal with. And I’ve been finding that my temper has been flaring up again, after oh, having a fairly good handle on it over 10 years. I had pretty nasty melt down the other day. It goes well into the field of being embarrassing. And I’m ashamed. So, would you also be willing to pray that the Lord would bring up this draws and draw it out of me. I, I don’t want to be angry anymore. That’s not who He made me to be. Just praying for you all and loving you every day. Thank you.

Hello Daily Audio Bible Family. My name is Ari, I called a couple of days ago. Asked for prayers with regards to what’s happening at my work. And that I be placed with a new job. Yesterday, I got a call from my mother, things have not be so good at home. And now they are at risk of losing the home, their home. This home has not just been a shelter for them, my parents, but as well as a source of income because they’ve been renting out some rooms. And she risks at this ripe age to lose her home and her source of income cause she doesn’t have any other source of income. But there’s also other issues with regards to my parents and their relationship, their marriage, which has nothing to do by fidelity and lack of trust. And they’re at the point of giving up. But I’ve been listening to the 30th of March Daily Audio Bible. And it hit me how yesterday, instantly, as I was listening to what was happening at home and the anger started to brew in me. And the anxiety started to increase where I laid my hope in. And I just want to ask for forgiveness for that, my prayer is for that. Because instead of laying my hope and instantly just asking God to step in I started thinking about how to solve it myself. Or to ask for support in this family as she. So I would ask my Daily Audio Bible to please pray for me. Pray for me that I, I focus my hope on God. That I put my trust in Him. That He is putting me through these difficult times and that He is with me each and every step of the way.

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The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Sunday April 2, 2023 (NIV)

Deuteronomy 21-22

Unsolved Murder

Moses said to Israel:

21 Suppose the body of a murder victim is found in a field in the land the Lord your God is giving you, and no one knows who the murderer is. 2 The judges and other leaders from the towns around there must find out what town is the closest to where the body was found. 3 The leaders from that town will go to their cattle herds and choose a young cow that has never been put to work.[a] 4-5 They and some of the priests will take this cow to a nearby valley where there is a stream, but no crops. Once they reach the valley, the leaders will break the cow's neck.

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

6 The town leaders will wash their hands over the body of the dead cow 7 and say, “We had no part in this murder, and we don't know who did it. 8-9 But since an innocent person was murdered, we beg you, our Lord, to accept this sacrifice and forgive Israel. We are your people, and you rescued us. Please don't hold this crime against us.”

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

Marrying a Woman Taken Prisoner in War

Moses said to Israel:

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

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

Rights of a First-Born Son

Moses said to Israel:

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

A Son Who Rebels

Moses said to Israel:

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

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

The Body of a Criminal

Moses said to Israel:

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

Helping Others

Moses said to Israel:

22 (B) If you see a cow or sheep wandering around lost, take the animal back to its owner. 2 If the owner lives too far away, or if you don't know who the owner is, take the animal home with you and take care of it. The owner will come looking for the animal, and then you can give it back. 3 That's what you should do if you find anything that belongs to someone else. Do whatever you can to help, whether you find a cow or sheep or donkey or some clothing.

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

Don't Pretend To Be the Opposite Sex

Moses said to Israel:

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

Don't Take a Mother Bird

Moses said to Israel:

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

Put a Wall around Your Flat Roof

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

Laws against Mixing Different Things

Moses said to Israel:

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

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

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

When a Husband Accuses His Wife

Moses said to Israel:

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

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

18 The town leaders will beat the man with a whip 19 because he accused his bride of not being a virgin. He will have to pay her father 100 pieces of silver and will never be allowed to divorce her.

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

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

Laws about Illegal Sex

Moses said:

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

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

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

28 (F) Suppose a woman isn't engaged to be married, and a man forces her to have sex with him. If he is caught, 29 they will be forced to get married. He must give her father 50 pieces of silver as a bride-price and[f] can never divorce her.

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

Footnotes:

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

Cross references:

  1. 21.23 : Ga 3.13.
  2. 22.1-4 : Ex 23.4,5.
  3. 22.9-11 : Lv 19.19.
  4. 22.12 : Nu 15.37-41.
  5. 22.25-27 : 4 Macc 18.8.
  6. 22.28,29 : Ex 22.16,17.
  7. 22.30 : Lv 18.8; 20.11; Dt 27.14-26.
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.

Luke 9:51-10:12

A Samaritan Village Refuses To Receive Jesus

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

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

Three People Who Wanted To Be Followers

(Matthew 8.19-22)

57 Along the way someone said to Jesus, “I'll follow you anywhere!”

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

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

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

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

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

The Work of the Seventy-Two Followers

10 Later the Lord chose 72[d] other followers and sent them out two by two to every town and village where he was about to go. 2 (C) He said to them:

A large crop is in the fields, but there are only a few workers. Ask the Lord in charge of the harvest to send out workers to bring it in. 3 (D) Now go, but remember, I am sending you like lambs into a pack of wolves. 4 (E) Don't take along a moneybag or a traveling bag or sandals. And don't waste time greeting people on the road.[e] 5 As soon as you enter a home, say, “God bless this home with peace.” 6 If the people living there are peace-loving, your prayer for peace will bless them. But if they are not peace-loving, your prayer will return to you. 7 (F) Stay with the same family, eating and drinking whatever they give you, because workers are worth what they earn. Don't move around from house to house.

8 If the people of a town welcome you, eat whatever they offer. 9 Heal their sick and say, “God's kingdom will soon be here!”[f]

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

Footnotes:

  1. 9.54 to destroy these people: Some manuscripts add “as Elijah did.”
  2. 9.55 what they had said: Some manuscripts add, “and said, ‘Don't you know what spirit you belong to? The Son of Man did not come to destroy people's lives, but to save them.’ ”
  3. 9.59 bury my father: The Jewish people taught that giving someone a proper burial was even more important than helping the poor.
  4. 10.1 72: Some manuscripts have “70.” According to Jewish tradition, there were 70 nations on earth. But the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament has “72” in place of “70.” Jesus probably chose this number of followers to show that his message was for everyone in the world.
  5. 10.4 waste time greeting people on the road: In those days a polite greeting could take a long time.
  6. 10.9 will soon be here: Or “is already here.”
  7. 10.11 shaking the dust from our feet: This was a way of showing rejection.
  8. 10.11 will soon be here: Or “is already here.”

Cross references:

  1. 9.54 : 2 K 1.9-16.
  2. 9.61 : 1 K 19.20.
  3. 10.2 : Mt 9.37,38.
  4. 10.3 : Mt 10.16.
  5. 10.4-11 : Mt 10.7-14; Mk 6.8-11; Lk 9.3-5.
  6. 10.7 : 1 Co 9.14; 1 Ti 5.18.
  7. 10.10,11 : Ac 13.51.
  8. 10.12 a : Gn 19.24-28; Mt 11.24; b Mt 10.15.
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.

Psalm 74

(A special psalm by Asaph.)

A Prayer for the Nation in Times of Trouble

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

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

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

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

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

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

Footnotes:

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

Cross references:

  1. 74.13 : Ex 14.21.
  2. 74.14 : Job 41.1; Ps 104.26; Is 27.1.
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.

Proverbs 12:11

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

Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.

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3/31/2023 DAB Transcript

Deuteronomy 16:1-17:20, Luke 9:7-27, Psalm 72:1-20, Proverbs 12:8-9

Today is the 31st day of March, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It is wonderful to be here with you today as we, as we approach the end of the third month of the year and so, when we get through today, we will have completed the first quarter of the year. I’m struggling to believe where the time has gone but that is where we are, 25% through the year and through the Bible. So, certainly, certainly well done, well done. We have made it this far and it is, is it is a rhythm now, and we can make it, and we can help each other make it. Not just through the Bible but through this year. And so, it is wonderful to be around the Global Campfire together with you today, as we step forward together. And our next step forward leads us back into the Book of Deuteronomy, and today we will read chapters 16 and 17.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word and we thank You for this marker that we have in time, that we have reached the quarter mark together each and every day, that we began this journey on the first day of the year. And now three months later we are concluding our first quarter together. So, we thank You and we have had enough time to look back and realize that immersing ourselves in the Scriptures and gathering ourselves at the Global Campfire, this does something within us. This begins a work of transformation within us and so, we open ourselves and say, come, Holy Spirit, into this next quarter. And again, continue the work that You have begun in us, that we might love You with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength and that we might love our neighbor as ourselves. Come, Jesus, show us how to live like this, as we were intended, as we were created, in Your name we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base, it is the website, it’s where you find out what’s going on around here and so, check that out. Check out the Daily Audio Bible Shop there are resources there, check out the Community Section. That’s where to get connected. There are different links there to the social media channels that we participate in. This is also the home of the Prayer Wall, that is always on and never off, always available for us to pray for each other and so be familiar with that.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible. Thank you. There is a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner, or the mailing address is P.O. Box 1996 Springhill, Tennessee 37174.

And as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button in the app or there are a number of numbers that you can dial: in the Americas 877-942-4253 is the number to call, if you are in the UK or Europe 44 2036 088078 is the number to dial, and if you are in Australia or that part of the world 61 3 8820 5459 is the number to call.

And that is it for today, well done. We have accomplished one quarter of the year if you can believe it, that’s just the facts, one quarter of the year is in the books and we have journeyed far together to get here and we have quite the adventure in front of us, but well done. That’s it for today, I’m Brian, I love you and I will be waiting for you here, tomorrow.

Prayer and Encouragements:

Hello DABers. This is Christopher in the Pretzel City. Could you please pray for a lady named Mary, a trucker friend of mine, met her in his travels. She is dealing with cancer for the 5th time and could use some prayer. God is with her but he asked me to pray for her and to bring in others to pray for her to be healed in her body and strengthened in her spirit. And also, we all just pray for finances, finances, finances. Because everybody, it seems like, you know, everybody I talk to is hurting in that area. And you know, not just inflation. Let not just pray that people can deal with inflation, but that they’ll have greater opportunity and that they’ll put their money in the right ground, so that it will benefit the kingdom and benefit them. And thanks for your prayers.

Good morning, dear DABers. Brian, first time caller going by Grace, Grandma Grace, living full time in an RV on the West Coast travelling up and down. And I felt led to call in for the first time. I’ve been listening for a couple months, thanks to my dear friend Kathy. Bless her. She’s a jewel of a friend and has been for decades. She told me about this and I’ve been telling everybody about this since I discovered ya’ll. It’s just my heart to intercede. And today when I heard Lost and Seeking, calling in for the first time, about her financial needs. I felt prompted to let her know that me along with many are praying for her behind the scenes. A cloud of witnesses, seen and unseen. Heavenly Father, thank you. We cry out to you for knowing that You care. And You want us to come to You. And to disciple folks to see how You’re gonna multiply the loaves and the fishes. And also, for Early Riser and his man cub, that touched my heart too, today. It was such a precious, we love our children, and You love them even more Father. I pray for my children who believe lies about me and I have 5 grandchildren, bless their hearts, they want play dates with grandmommy so I get to see them on occasion. They live around the country, and I get to adopt many people daily as I meet the ones I can’t be with. I share love and a cup of kindness and apples and bread and whatever you know, water mana from heaven. And God multiplies this grandma’s grace. I appreciate your prayers.

Good morning DAB Family. Excuse me. This is J from the Bay. It’s been, it’s been rough. On March 23rd and I woke up, I work in San Francisco. I was driving to San Francisco, the bridge was shut down, I had just had a really, really bad feeling about my little brother, because he hadn’t come home. It had been maybe a week that he hadn’t come home. I hadn’t heard from him, etc. etc. And I told him, don’t text me, don’t text me until you get yourself together. Literally, there is absolutely no reason for you to be staying out all night, weeks at a time, and so on and so forth. Being a big sister, tried to do tough love. And it’s not my things, okay. So, long story short, later in the day, we found an article that said that there was an argument with these two young men and it ended up, actually three young men in a car and that the shooter his name, which was my little brother was shot and taken to the hospital. Police had not called us, police did not tell us that he was shot, taken into custody. Or anything. And we knew absolutely nothing. I just broke down because I didn’t know where my little brother was. But to say the least, he’s okay. He was shot in his chest and through his back. The doctor just recently said that if it would have gone just a, literally just an inch over, he would have been dead. Either it would have hit him in his heart or his lung. But I’m just asking for prayers, not only for myself cause I can’t sleep. My anxiety is just so horrible, I feel like my ear drums are gonna pop out. But for my mom, she only has us two and she’s worried. And my little brother, he’s just not taking it serious. He just like, it’s okay, I’m alive, whatever. If you guys could pray for us, that would be great. His name is Nathan.

Hello DABers, this is Susan from the Colorado High Country. I was surprised to learn that Susie, who called in a couple of weeks ago, about her orphanage in Haiti, is a member of the same church that my husband and I have been attending for just a year now. Let’s pray. Father God, I come before You on behalf of Susie and her husband and their children in this orphanage in Haiti. Father God, You know their needs, You know the urgency of the hour. Father, You know the security issues, the provision issues, and I just come before You and I ask You Father, to bring Your angels around this orphanage, Father God. Let Your angels stand guard at every door and window of this orphanage. On every property corner, Lord God, let Your warrior angels stand guard, and protect these children and protect these workers, Lord. I pray Lord, that by Your supernatural ability, that You would bring provision to these people. That You would bring the food and the water, Lord. That You would bring the supplies that they need. But Father, I also go before You and I ask that You would open up a path that they could start removing and extracting the people from this orphanage and out of Haiti and into the surrounding, the surrounding nations, Lord. Or what needs to be done. Bring Your people together on this Lord. This is just a little war, we put You in charge as our general. Bring Your people together. And also, Lord, bring Susie and her husband, wisdom and discernment, knowledge and understanding, for this day, and peace. Jesus name.

Posted on

04/01/2023 DAB Transcript

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

Today is the 1st day of April welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. Welcome to the 91st day of the year. It is wonderful to be here with you today around the Global Campfire. And usually every April 1st for I guess as long as I can remember…well…not as long as I can remember…as long as the Daily Audio Bible’s been going on, we switch it up a little bit. I’ve read from some really obscure kind of paraphrases and translations before that are humorous and we’ve traded places, Jill and I in the past, or China and I in the past. This year I thought, you know, we’re not gonna play a joke. I;m not gonna play a joke on you or a trick. Nobody’s a fool here for April fool’s this year. I just ask Jill in China and Ezikiel if they would join us here at Daily Audio Bible today and each take a little section of our reading. And, so, that’s what we will do today as we commemorate the first day of April and then hang around at the end. There’s a brand-new item in the Shop I’ll tell you about. But we have come together to take the next step forward in the Scriptures. And, so, let’s do exactly that. Today Deuteronomy chapters 18, 19, and 20.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word and we thank You for another day and this special day. Thanks for bringing us all together as a family to read it, but as a community to absorb it and allow it to seep into our lives. So, here we are. We have completed a quarter of the year and we are entering the second quarter of the year and we look back and it’s funny how it goes, how the time goes, but we have gone every day for three months and we thank You Lord for all that we have learned, all that we have seen, all that we have absorbed, and for the work that You have done in our hearts by the power of Your Holy Spirit. And, so, as we begin this second quarter of the year, we recommit ourselves day by day step-by-step moving forward together through the Scriptures and we open ourselves to You and say come Holy Spirit and continue to plant the seeds from the Scriptures into our lives. May they reap a bountiful harvest of the fruit of Your Spirit that may be released into the world through us. We ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

Okay, so I mentioned at the beginning we gotta a…a new item in the Shop. So, back in February, just before we left for Israel, we introduced brand-new Daily Audio Bible snapback hats and brand-new Daily Audio Bible beanie hats. And then we went off to Israel and they went really fast. And, so, we were in Israel getting some…some more of them assembled. So, that has been great and I have very much enjoyed my own. Today I want to just let you know that we have added to that line and we have a special edition of the snapback hat and the…and the beanie as a response to a very popular suggestion. And, so, in the Shop now we have brand-new available today Daily Audio Bible camo snapback hats and beanies. The beanies are like the military green color and the snapback hats are like full camo and we love them. They’re supercool. So, check those out while the supplies last.

And while you’re checking that out you can check out the other resources that are available in the Daily Audio Bible Shop. These resources in a number of different categories for a number of different purposes are all intended to be companions on our journey through the Bible together in a year in community. So, check out all the resources there, but just wanted to let everybody know, brand-new here for the first day of April, as we go into the second quarter of the year, we have these brand-new camo snapback Daily Audio Bible hats and beanies and you can find them in the Lifestyle section of the Daily Audio Bible Shop which you can find dailyaudiobible.com or you can find it in the Daily Audio Bible app as well and that puts that right in the palm of your hand and the app is free and can be downloaded from the app store that works with whatever smart device or phone that you have.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible thank you. Thank you very, very humbly. There is a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner, or the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button in the app. That’s the little red button up at the top or you can dial 877-942-4253.

And that’s it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Coming soon…

Posted on

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Saturday April 1, 2023 (NIV)

Deuteronomy 18-20

Special Privileges for Priests and Levites

(Numbers 18.8-32)

Moses said to Israel:

18 The people of the Levi tribe, including the priests, will not receive any land. Instead, they will receive part of the sacrifices that are offered to the Lord, 2 (A) because he has promised to provide for them in this way.

3 When you sacrifice a bull or sheep, the priests will be given the shoulder, the jaws, and the stomach.[a] 4 In addition, they will receive the first part of your grain harvest and part of your first batches of wine and olive oil.[b] You must also give them the first wool that is cut from your sheep each year. 5 Give these gifts to the priests, because the Lord has chosen them and their descendants out of all the tribes of Israel to be his special servants at the place of worship.

6 Any Levite can leave his hometown, and go to the place where the Lord chooses to be worshiped, 7 and then be a special servant of the Lord[c] there, just like all the other Levites. 8 Some Levites may have money from selling family possessions, and others may not. But all Levites serving at the place of worship will receive the same amount of food from the sacrifices and gifts brought by the people.

Don't Do Disgusting Things

Moses said to Israel:

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

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

A Prophet like Moses

Moses said to Israel:

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

17 Then the Lord told me:

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

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

Moses said to Israel:

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

Safe Towns

(Numbers 35.9-28; Joshua 20.1-9)

Moses said to Israel:

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

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

5 For example, suppose you and a friend go into the forest to cut wood. You are chopping down a tree with an ax, when the ax head slips off the handle, hits your friend, and kills him. You can run to one of the Safe Towns and save your life. 6 You don't deserve to die, since you did not mean to harm your friend. But he did get killed, and his relatives might be very angry. They might even choose one of the men from their family to track you down and kill you. If it is too far to one of the Safe Towns, the victim's relative might be able to catch you and kill you. 7 That's why I said there must be three Safe Towns.

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

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

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

Property Lines

Moses said to Israel:

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

Witnesses Must Tell the Truth

Moses said to Israel:

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

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

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

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

Laws for Going to War

Moses said to Israel:

20 If you have to go to war, you may find yourselves facing an enemy army that is bigger than yours and that has horses and chariots. But don't be afraid! The Lord your God rescued you from Egypt, and he will help you fight. 2 Before you march into battle, a priest will go to the front of the army 3 and say, “Soldiers of Israel, listen to me! Today when you go into battle, don't be afraid of the enemy, and when you see them, don't panic. 4 The Lord your God will fight alongside you and help you win the battle.”

5 Then the tribal officials will say to the troops:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Footnotes:

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

Cross references:

  1. 18.2 : Nu 18.20.
  2. 18.10,11 a : Lv 19.26; b Ex 22.18; c Lv 19.31.
  3. 18.13 : Mt 5.48.
  4. 18.15 : Ac 3.22; 7.37.
  5. 18.19 : Ac 3.23.
  6. 19.1-13 : Js 20.1-9.
  7. 19.14 : Dt 27.14-26.
  8. 19.15 : Nu 35.30; Dt 17.5-7; Mt 18.16; Jn 8.17; 2 Co 13.1; 1 Ti 5.19; He 10.28.
  9. 19.19-21 : Ex 21.23-25; Lv 24.19,20; Mt 5.38.
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.

Luke 9:28-50

The True Glory of Jesus

(Matthew 17.1-8; Mark 9.2-8)

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

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

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

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

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

Jesus Heals a Boy

(Matthew 17.14-18; Mark 9.14-27)

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

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

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

Jesus Again Speaks about His Death

(Matthew 17.22,23; Mark 9.30-32)

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

Who Is the Greatest?

(Matthew 18.1-5; Mark 9.33-37)

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

For or against Jesus

(Mark 9.38-40)

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

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

Footnotes:

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

Cross references:

  1. 9.28-35 : 2 P 1.17,18.
  2. 9.35 : Is 42.1; Mt 3.17; 12.18; Mk 1.11; Lk 3.22.
  3. 9.46 : Lk 22.24.
  4. 9.48 : Mt 10.40; Lk 10.16; Jn 13.20.
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.

Psalm 73

BOOK III

(Psalms 73–89)

(A psalm by Asaph.)

God Is Good

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Footnotes:

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

Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.

Proverbs 12:10

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

Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.

Posted on

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Friday March 31, 2023 (NIV)

Deuteronomy 16-17

Passover

(Exodus 12.1-20; Leviticus 23.4-8)

Moses said:

16 (A) People of Israel, you must celebrate Passover in the month of Abib,[a] because one night in that month years ago, the Lord your God rescued you from Egypt. 2 The Passover sacrifice must be a cow, a sheep, or a goat, and you must offer it at the place where the Lord chooses to be worshiped. 3-4 Eat all of the meat of the Passover sacrifice that same night. But don't serve bread made with yeast at the Passover meal. Serve the same kind of thin bread that you ate when you were slaves suffering in Egypt[b] and when you had to leave Egypt quickly. As long as you live, this thin bread will remind you of the day you left Egypt.

For seven days following Passover,[c] don't make any bread with yeast. In fact, there should be no yeast anywhere in Israel.

5 Don't offer the Passover sacrifice in just any town where you happen to live. 6 It must be offered at the place where the Lord chooses to be worshiped. Kill the sacrifice at sunset, the time of day when you left Egypt.[d] 7 Then cook it and eat it there at the place of worship, returning to your tents the next morning.

8 Eat thin bread for the next six days. Then on the seventh day, don't do any work. Instead, come together and worship the Lord.

The Harvest Festival

(Exodus 34.22; Leviticus 23.15-21)

Moses said to Israel:

9 (B) Seven weeks after you start your grain harvest, 10-11 go to the place where the Lord chooses to be worshiped and celebrate the Harvest Festival[e] in honor of the Lord your God. Bring him an offering as large as you can afford, depending on how big a harvest he has given you. Be sure to take along your sons and daughters and all your servants. Also invite the poor, including Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows. 12 Remember that you used to be slaves in Egypt, so obey these laws.

The Festival of Shelters

(Leviticus 23.33-43; Numbers 29.12-38)

Moses said to Israel:

13-15 (C) After you have finished the grain harvest and the grape harvest,[f] take your sons and daughters and all your servants to the place where the Lord chooses to be worshiped. Celebrate the Festival of Shelters for seven days. Also invite the poor, including Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows.

The Lord will give you big harvests and make you successful in everything you do. You will be completely happy, so celebrate this festival in honor of the Lord your God.

Three Festivals at the Place of Worship

(Exodus 23.14-17)

Moses said:

16 Each year there are three festivals when all Israelite men must go to the place where the Lord chooses to be worshiped. These are the Festival of Thin Bread, the Harvest Festival,[g] and the Festival of Shelters. And don't forget to take along a gift for the Lord. 17 The bigger the harvest the Lord gives you, the bigger your gift should be.

Treat Everyone with Justice

Moses said to Israel:

18-19 (D) After you are settled in the towns that you will receive from the Lord your God, the people in each town must appoint judges and other officers. Those of you that become judges must be completely fair when you make legal decisions, even if someone important is involved. Don't take bribes to give unfair decisions. Bribes keep people who are wise from seeing the truth and turn honest people into liars.[h]

20 People of Israel, if you want to enjoy a long and successful life, make sure that everyone is treated with justice in the land the Lord is giving you.

Don't Set Up Sacred Poles or Stones

Moses said to Israel:

21 (E) When you build the altar for offering sacrifices to the Lord your God, don't set up a sacred pole[i] for the worship of the goddess Asherah. 22 (F) And don't set up a sacred stone! The Lord hates these things.

Sacrifices That Have Something Wrong with Them

Moses said to Israel:

17 If an ox or a sheep has something wrong with it, don't offer it as a sacrifice to the Lord your God—he will be disgusted!

Put To Death People Who Worship Idols

Moses said to Israel:

2-3 (G) The Lord your God is giving you towns to live in. But later, a man or a woman in your town may start worshiping other gods, or even the sun, moon, or stars.[j] I have warned you not to worship other gods, because whoever worships them is disobeying the Lord and breaking the agreement he made with you. 4 So when you hear that someone in your town is committing this disgusting sin, you must carefully find out if that person really is guilty. 5-7 (H) But you will need two or three witnesses—one witness isn't enough to prove a person guilty.

Get rid of those who are guilty of such evil. Take them outside your town gates and everyone must stone them to death. But the witnesses must be the first to throw stones.

Difficult Cases

Moses said to Israel:

8-12 It may be difficult to find out the truth in some legal cases in your town. You may not be able to decide if someone was killed accidentally or murdered. Or you may not be able to tell whether an injury or some property damage was done by accident or on purpose. If the case is too difficult, take it to the court at the place where the Lord your God chooses to be worshiped.

This court will be made up of one judge and several priests[k] who serve at the Lord's altar. They will explain the law to you and give you their decision about the case. Do exactly what they tell you, or you will be put to death. 13 When other Israelites hear about it, they will be afraid and obey the decisions of the court.

The King

Moses said:

14 (I) People of Israel, after you capture the land the Lord your God is giving you, and after you settle on it, you will say, “We want a king, just like the nations around us.”

15 Go ahead and appoint a king, but make sure that he is an Israelite and that he is the one the Lord has chosen.

16 (J) The king should not have many horses, especially those from Egypt. The Lord has said never to go back there again. 17 (K) And the king must not have a lot of wives—they might tempt him to be unfaithful to the Lord.[l] Finally, the king must not try to get huge amounts of silver and gold.

18 The official copy of God's laws[m] will be kept by the priests of the Levi tribe. So, as soon as anyone becomes king, he must go to the priests and write out a copy of these laws while they watch. 19 Each day the king must read and obey these laws, so that he will learn to worship the Lord with fear and trembling 20 and not think that he's better than everyone else.

If the king completely obeys the Lord's commands, he and his descendants will rule Israel for many years.

Footnotes:

  1. 16.1 in the month of Abib: Abib (also called Nisan), the first month of the Hebrew calendar, from about mid-March to mid-April. Passover was celebrated on the evening of the fourteenth of Abib (see Exodus 12.6; Leviticus 23.4,5).
  2. 16.3,4 the same kind … in Egypt: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  3. 16.3,4 seven days following Passover: This period was called the Festival of Thin Bread (see also verse 16).
  4. 16.6 sunset, the time of day when you left Egypt: Or “sunset on the same date as when you left Egypt.”
  5. 16.10,11 Harvest Festival: Traditionally called the “Festival of Weeks,” and known in New Testament times as “Pentecost.”
  6. 16.13-15 After you … harvest: Leviticus 23.34 gives the exact date as the fifteenth day of the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar, which would be early in October.
  7. 16.16 Harvest Festival: See the note at 16.10,11.
  8. 16.18,19 turn … liars: Or “keep innocent people from getting justice.”
  9. 16.21 sacred pole: See the note at 12.3.
  10. 17.2,3 sun, moon, or stars: Some people thought these were gods and worshiped them.
  11. 17.8-12 several priests: The Hebrew text has “the priests, the Levites”; priests belonged to the Levi tribe.
  12. 17.17 a lot of wives … unfaithful to the Lord: A king would often marry the daughter of another king that he was making a treaty with. These foreign women would naturally want to worship their own gods, and would want their husband the king to do so as well.
  13. 17.18 God's laws: Or “God's laws for the king.”

Cross references:

  1. 16.1-8 : Ex 12.1-20; Lv 23.4-8; Nu 28.16-25.
  2. 16.9-12 : Lv 23.15-21; Nu 28.26-31.
  3. 16.13-15 : Lv 23.33-36,39-43; Nu 29.12-38.
  4. 16.18,19 : Ex 23.6-8; Lv 19.15.
  5. 16.21 : Ex 34.13.
  6. 16.22 : Lv 26.1.
  7. 17.2,3 : Ex 22.20.
  8. 17.5-7 a : Nu 35.30; Dt 19.15; Mt 18.16; 2 Co 13.1; 1 Ti 5.19; He 10.28; b 1 Co 5.13.
  9. 17.14 : 1 S 8.5.
  10. 17.16 : 1 K 10.28; 2 Ch 1.16,17; 9.28.
  11. 17.17 a : 1 K 11.1-8; b 1 K 10.14-22,27; 2 Ch 1.15; 9.27.
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.

Luke 9:7-27

Herod Is Worried

(Matthew 14.1-12; Mark 6.14-29)

7 (A) Herod[a] the ruler heard about all that was happening, and he was worried. Some people were saying John the Baptist had come back to life. 8 Others were saying Elijah had come[b] or one of the prophets from long ago had come back to life. 9 But Herod said, “I had John's head cut off! Who is this I hear so much about?” Herod was eager to meet Jesus.

Jesus Feeds Five Thousand

(Matthew 14.13-21; Mark 6.30-44; John 6.1-14)

10 The apostles came back and told Jesus everything they had done. He then took them with him to the village of Bethsaida, where they could be alone. 11 But a lot of people found out about this and followed him. Jesus welcomed them. He spoke about God's kingdom and healed everyone who was sick.

12 Late in the afternoon the twelve apostles came to Jesus and said, “Send the crowd to the villages and farms around here. They need to find a place to stay and something to eat. There is nothing in this place. It's like a desert!”

13 Jesus answered, “You give them something to eat.”

But they replied, “We have only five small loaves of bread[c] and two fish. If we are going to feed all these people, we will have to go and buy food.” 14 There were about 5,000 men in the crowd.

Jesus said to his disciples, “Tell the people to sit in groups of 50.” 15 They did this, and all the people sat down. 16 Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish. He looked up toward heaven and blessed the food. Then he broke the bread and fish and handed them to his disciples to give to the people.

17 Everyone ate all they wanted. What was left over filled twelve baskets.

Who Is Jesus?

(Matthew 16.13-19; Mark 8.27-29)

18 When Jesus was alone praying, his disciples came to him, and he asked them, “What do people say about me?”

19 (B) They answered, “Some say you are John the Baptist or Elijah[d] or a prophet from long ago who has come back to life.”

20 (C) Jesus then asked, “But who do you say I am?”

Peter answered, “You are the Messiah sent from God.”

21 Jesus strictly warned his disciples not to tell anyone about this.

Jesus Speaks about His Suffering and Death

(Matthew 16.20-28; Mark 8.30—9.1)

22 Jesus told his disciples, “The nation's leaders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law of Moses will make the Son of Man suffer terribly. They will reject him and kill him, but three days later he will rise to life.”

23 (D) Then Jesus said to all the people:

If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross every day and follow me. 24 (E) If you want to save your life,[e] you will destroy it. But if you give up your life for me, you will save it. 25 What will you gain, if you own the whole world but destroy yourself or waste your life? 26 If you are ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of you when he comes in his glory and in the glory of his Father and the holy angels. 27 You can be sure some of the people standing here will not die before they see God's kingdom.

Footnotes:

  1. 9.7 Herod: Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great.
  2. 9.8 Elijah had come: Many of the Jewish people expected the prophet Elijah to come and prepare the way for the Messiah.
  3. 9.13 small loaves of bread: These would have been flat and round or in the shape of a bun.
  4. 9.19 Elijah: See the note at 9.8.
  5. 9.24 life: In verses 24,25 a Greek word which often means “soul” is translated “life” and “yourself.”

Cross references:

  1. 9.7,8 : Mt 16.14; Mk 8.28; Lk 9.19.
  2. 9.19 : Mt 14.1,2; Mk 6.14,15; Lk 9.7-8.
  3. 9.20 : Jn 6.68,69.
  4. 9.23 : Mt 10.38; Lk 14.27.
  5. 9.24 : Mt 10.39; Lk 17.33; Jn 12.25.
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.

Psalm 72

(By Solomon.)

A Prayer for God To Guide and Help the King

1 Please help the king
to be honest and fair
just like you, our God.
2 Let him be honest and fair
with all your people,
especially the poor.
3 Let peace and justice rule
every mountain and hill.
4 Let the king defend the poor,
rescue the homeless, and crush
everyone who hurts them.
5 Let the king live[a] forever
like the sun and the moon.
6 Let him be as helpful as rain
that refreshes the meadows
and the ground.
7 Let the king be fair
with everyone,
and let there be peace
until the moon
falls from the sky.

8 (A) Let his kingdom reach
from sea to sea,
from the Euphrates River
across all the earth.
9 Force the desert tribes
to accept his rule,
and make his enemies
crawl in the dirt.
10 Force the rulers of Tarshish[b]
and of the islands
to pay taxes to him.
Make the kings of Sheba
and of Seba[c] bring gifts.
11 Make other rulers bow down
and all nations serve him.

12 Do this because the king
rescues the homeless
when they cry out,
and he helps everyone
who is poor and in need.
13 The king has pity
on the weak and the helpless
and protects those in need.
14 He cares when they hurt,
and he saves them from cruel
and violent deaths.

15 Long live the king!
Give him gold from Sheba.
Always pray for the king
and praise him each day.
16 Let cities overflow with food
and hills be covered with grain,
just like Mount Lebanon.
Let the people in the cities
prosper like wild flowers.
17 May the glory of the king
shine brightly forever
like the sun in the sky.
Let him make nations prosper
and learn to praise him.

18 Lord God of Israel,
we praise you.
Only you can work miracles.
19 We will always praise
your glorious name.
Let your glory be seen
everywhere on earth.
Amen and amen.

20 This ends the prayers
of David, the son of Jesse.

Footnotes:

  1. 72.5 Let the king live: One ancient translation; Hebrew “Let them worship you.”
  2. 72.10 Tarshish: Possibly a city in Spain.
  3. 72.10 Sheba … Seba: Sheba may have been a place in what is now southwest Arabia, and Seba may have been in southern Arabia.

Cross references:

  1. 72.8 : Zec 9.10; Si 44.21.
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.

Proverbs 12:8-9

8 Good sense is worthy of praise,
but stupidity is a curse.
9 It's better to be ordinary
and have only one servant[a]
than to think you are somebody
and starve to death.

Footnotes:

  1. 12.9 It's … servant: Or “It is better just to have an ordinary job.”
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.

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03/30/2023 DAB Transcript

Deuteronomy 13:1-15:23, Luke 8:40-9:6, Psalms 71:1-24, Proverbs 12:5-7

Today is the 30th day of March welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian it is wonderful to be here with you today and every day as we gather around the Global Campfire and take the next step forward together in life in this year and in the Scriptures. And, so, our next step forward, as always…always leads us to right where we left off. And, so, that’s where we’re going today and that will lead us back into the book of Deuteronomy and all of the last things that Moses has to say. And today we will read chapters 13, 14 and 15.

Commentary:

Okay. So, in the book of Deuteronomy today we read, “if a prophet or an interpreter of dreams arises among you, and he predicts a sign or wonder for you and the sign or wonder that he promised you comes true” Like I’m putting a dot dot dot right there so we pause for a second. Let’s imagine that that happens. Typically, we might find ourselves compelled to hear more, and maybe even to…to follow this person who has these gifts. And we might begin to follow them because of the gift, or because of the sign without even considering where the road may be leading us to, where the path will go if we…if we do this. But as we will see, blindly following a sign or wonder or a person who claims to be a prophet, and then following them on a path that leads us away from God, that’s not gonna work. And, so, rereading what I just read in its entirety, “f a prophet”, Moses is saying this, “if a prophet or an interpreter of dreams arises among you and he predicts a sign or wonder for you and the sign or wonder that he promised you comes true and then he says let’s go after other gods that you do not know, let’s serve them do not listen to the words of that Prophet or that interpreter of dreams because the Lord your God is testing you to see whether you really love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Follow the Lord your God. Fear Him. Keep His commandments. Listen to His voice. Serve Him and cling to Him.” I mean, Moses goes on to say that, even if it’s a family member that is enticing us toward idolatry then we should be very intentional about getting them out of our lives. That is…like this is a big deal what’s being said here. And, so, if this is such a big deal, then we need to probably understand what idolatry is. We have already seen it in the Scriptures. We will see it throughout the rest of our journey. And, so, it’s important for us to understand what we dealing with here. In the time of Moses in the surrounding cultures and nations around the children of Israel, they…well…they literally made images that they indeed bowed down and worshiped and sacrificed and even sacrificing their children to these statues. They performed all kinds of acts of devotion that God hated as we learned from our reading today. And we should remember back at the mountain of God, right? The golden calf that the children of Israel created and bowed down and worshiped and said this is the god who brought you out of Egypt. This was a normal thing at that time. Like, if an enemy attacked the land or the crops didn’t come in and famine came the peoples of that day believed that the local gods weren’t pleased. And if there was a battle or something then the strongest god was the victorious one. Whoever won the battle, it’s that god that’s more powerful. And we might think that’s weird. That’s odd because that’s not a normal practice for most of us in the world today. Although idol worship still certainly does exist in the world today. But idolatry is more than kind of creating a piece of art and then deifying the piece of art, and believing the…the craftsmanship is a god and worshiping the god. Idolatry is essentially submitting ourselves and offering our heart and offering our hope to a person or a thing with the expectation that that person or thing will give us life, will give us what we want. And, so, if we take a step back and just think about it in those terms it’s not hard to find idolatry, even in a modern western world. An idol can be anything - money, sex, power, stuff, control. You name it. Whatever we turn to and offer ourselves to and place our hope in hoping that this thing will bring us life and that we put our hope in this thing then we have an idol and anything that we offer our hearts devotion to in our allegiance to, our loyalty to, our reverence to and place our hope in that is not God will lead us away from God and toward destruction. And this is why it’s such a big deal. Moses is commanding the people specific to his time, specific to the culture that exists and specific to the culture that is being created, a new culture, a new way of being among the Israelites. And idolatry was a huge piece that needed to be absent from this new culture in this new way being formed in the wilderness. In fact it was such a big deal that it carries the death penalty for the children of Israel, But we don't…we don’t live in nations now likely, none of us live in nations now where somebody would be executed for their religious beliefs, although believe me, it’s in the world today and we all know it. But why is this such a severe threat that it has to carry with it a capital offense in ancient Israel. It’s for all the things we just talked about. There is a newly forming culture, one that is intended and designed to reveal the one most-high God to the rest of the world. If they just deviate and begin to worship the local gods of the region, they’re not revealing the only most-high God. And if this gets into the people it will become cancer in this new culture that is being formed. It would destroy them from within and would make them forget the message of the wilderness, that they are utterly dependent upon God. It would make them forget what they were, it would make them forget how they got where they are, where they came from, and who their source of life actually is. And that gives us pause and opportunity. What are we giving our life to? What have we placed our hope in expecting that that rescue and life is the result? If…if we have things that begin to bubble up and come to mind and they’re not God alone then we may be looking at an idol in our lives and we should pause. We’re not going to get away from idolatry in the Bible. And we’re going to be able to see clearly what the repercussions of idolatry in the Scriptures are. But we already know that anything that will lead us away from God will lead us on the pathway of destruction. We’ll forget who we are. We’ll forget the lessons of the wilderness. We’ll forget our identity. We’ll be seduced into darkness. It was a big deal for God and the children of Israel in the wilderness as they prepared to go into the promised land. It should be a big deal to us as well.

Prayer:

Holy Spirit, we invite you into that. It’s unlikely any of us are gonna bow our knee to a statue of some sort today but we are seduced into all kinds of things that promise us relief and release and life and happiness and when we have placed our hope in those things and you have not led us to follow that path then we are willfully walking away from you watching the blinking lights. But behind all that we’ll find ourselves in the darkness once again. So, Holy Spirit come. What are the things that we are elevating in our lives and putting our faith and hope and trust in that are not you. Reveal these things to us we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.

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Community Prayer and Praise:

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The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Thursday March 30, 2023 (NIV)

Deuteronomy 13-15

Don't Worship Other Gods

Moses said to Israel:

13 1-2 Someday a prophet[a] may come along who is able to perform miracles or tell what will happen in the future. Then the prophet may say, “Let's start worshiping some new gods—some gods that we know nothing about.” 3 If the prophet says this, don't listen! The Lord your God will be watching to find out whether or not you love him with all your heart and soul. 4 You must be completely faithful to the Lord. Worship and obey only the Lord and do this with fear and trembling, 5 because he rescued you from slavery in Egypt.

If a prophet tells you to disobey the Lord your God and to stop worshiping him, then that prophet is evil and must be put to death.

6-10 (A) Someone else may say to you, “Let's worship other gods.” That person may be your best friend, your brother or sister, your son or daughter, or your own dear wife or husband. But you must not listen to people who say such things. Instead, you must stone them to death. You must be the first to throw the stones, then others from the community will finish the job. Don't show any pity.

The gods worshiped by other nations have never done anything for you or your ancestors. People who ask you to worship other gods are trying to get you to stop worshiping the Lord, who rescued you from slavery in Egypt. So put to death anyone who asks you to worship another god. 11 And when the rest of Israel hears about it, they will be afraid, and no one else will ever do such an evil thing again.

12 After the Lord your God gives you towns to live in, you may hear a rumor about one of the towns. 13 You may hear that some worthless people have talked everyone there into worshiping other gods, even though these gods had never done anything for them. 14 You must carefully find out if the rumor is true. Then if the people of that town have actually done such a disgusting thing in your own country, 15 you must take your swords and kill every one of them, and their livestock too. 16-17 Gather all the possessions of the people who lived there, and pile them up in the marketplace, without keeping anything for yourself. Set the pile and the whole town on fire, and don't ever rebuild the town. The whole town will be a sacrifice to the Lord your God. Then he won't be angry anymore, and he will have mercy on you and make your nation stronger, just as he promised your ancestors. 18 That's why you must do what the Lord your God says is right. I am giving you his laws and teachings today, and you must obey them.

Don't Mourn like Other Nations

Moses said:

14 (B) People of Israel, you are the Lord's children, so when you mourn for the dead, you must not cut yourselves or shave your forehead.[b] 2 (C) Out of all the nations on this earth, the Lord your God chose you to be his own. You belong to the Lord, so don't behave like those who worship other gods.

Animals That Can Be Eaten

(Leviticus 11.1-47)

3 (D) Don't eat any disgusting animals.

4-5 You may eat the meat of cattle, sheep, and goats; wild sheep and goats; and gazelles, antelopes, and all kinds of deer. 6 It is all right to eat meat from any animals that have divided hoofs and also chew the cud.[c]

7 But don't eat camels, rabbits, and rock badgers. These animals chew the cud but do not have divided hoofs. You must treat them as unclean. 8 And don't eat pork, since pigs have divided hoofs, but they do not chew their cud. Don't even touch a dead pig!

9 You can eat any fish that has fins and scales. But there are other creatures that live in the water, 10 and if they do not have fins and scales, you must not eat them. Treat them as unclean.

11 You can eat any clean bird. 12-18 But don't eat the meat of any of the following birds: eagles, vultures, falcons, kites, ravens, ostriches, owls, sea gulls, hawks, pelicans, ospreys, cormorants, storks, herons, and hoopoes.[d] You must not eat bats. 19 Swarming insects are unclean, so don't eat them. 20 However, you are allowed to eat certain kinds of winged insects.[e]

21 (E) You belong to the Lord your God, so if you happen to find a dead animal, don't eat its meat. You may give it to foreigners who live in your town or sell it to foreigners who are visiting your town.

Don't boil a young goat in its mother's milk.

Give the Lord Ten Percent of Your Harvest

Moses said:

22 (F) People of Israel, every year you must set aside ten percent of your grain harvest. 23 Also set aside ten percent of your wine and olive oil, and the first-born of every cow, sheep, and goat. Take these to the place where the Lord chooses to be worshiped, and eat them there. This will teach you to always respect the Lord your God.

24 But suppose you can't carry that ten percent of your harvest to the place where the Lord chooses to be worshiped. If you live too far away, or if the Lord gives you a big harvest, 25 then sell this part and take the money there instead. 26 When you and your family arrive, spend the money on food for a big celebration. Buy cattle, sheep, goats, wine, beer, and if there are any other kinds of food that you want, buy those too. 27 And since people of the Levi tribe won't own any land for growing crops, remember to ask the Levites to celebrate with you.

28 Every third year, instead of using the ten percent of your harvest for a big celebration, bring it into town and put it in a community storehouse. 29 The Levites have no land of their own, so you must give them food from the storehouse. You must also give food to the poor who live in your town, including orphans, widows, and foreigners. If they have enough to eat, then the Lord your God will be pleased and make you successful in everything you do.

Loans

(Leviticus 25.1-7)

Moses said:

15 1-2 Every seven years you must announce, “The Lord says loans do not need to be paid back.” Then if you have loaned money to another Israelite, you can no longer ask for payment.[f] 3 This law applies only to loans you have made to other Israelites. Foreigners will still have to pay back what you have loaned them.

4-6 No one in Israel should ever be poor. The Lord your God is giving you this land, and he has promised to make you very successful, if you obey his laws and teachings that I'm giving you today. You will lend money to many nations, but you won't have to borrow. You will rule many nations, but they won't rule you.

7 (G) After the Lord your God gives land to each of you, there may be poor Israelites in the town where you live. If there are, then don't be mean and selfish with your money. 8 Instead, be kind and lend them what they need. 9 Be careful! Don't say to yourself, “Soon it will be the seventh year, and then I won't be able to get my money back.” It would be horrible for you to think that way and to be so selfish that you refuse to help the poor. They are your relatives, and if you don't help them, they may ask the Lord to decide whether you have done wrong. And he will say that you are guilty. 10 You should be happy to give the poor what they need, because then the Lord will make you successful in everything you do.

11 (H) There will always be some Israelites who are poor and needy. That's why I am commanding you to be generous with them.

Setting Slaves Free

(Exodus 21.1-11)

Moses said to Israel:

12 (I) If any of you buy Israelites as slaves, you must set them free after six years. 13 And don't just tell them they are free to leave— 14 give them sheep and goats and a good supply of grain and wine. The more the Lord has given you, the more you should give them. 15 I am commanding you to obey the Lord as a reminder that you were slaves in Egypt before he set you free. 16 But one of your slaves may say, “I love you and your family, and I would be better off staying with you, so please don't make me leave.” 17 Take the slave to the door of your house and push a sharp metal rod through one earlobe and into the door. Such slaves will belong to you for life, whether they are men or women.

18 Don't complain when you have to set a slave free. After all, you got six years of service at half the cost of hiring someone to do the work.[g]

First-Born Animals

(Leviticus 27.26,27; Numbers 18.15-18)

Moses said to Israel:

19 (J) If the first-born animal of a cow or sheep or goat is a male, it must be given to the Lord. Don't put first-born cattle to work or cut wool from first-born sheep. 20 Instead, each year you must take the first-born of these animals to the place where the Lord your God chooses to be worshiped. You and your family will sacrifice them to the Lord and then eat them as part of a sacred meal.

21 But if the animal is lame or blind or has something else wrong with it, you must not sacrifice it to the Lord your God. 22 You can butcher it where you live, and eat it just like the meat of a deer or gazelle that you kill while hunting. Even those people who are unclean and unfit for worship can have some. 23 (K) But you must never eat the blood of an animal—let it drain out on the ground.

Footnotes:

  1. 13.1,2 a prophet: Hebrew adds “or a dreamer of dreams,” another name for a prophet.
  2. 14.1 when you mourn … forehead: Or “you must not worship Baal, cutting yourselves and shaving your forehead.”
  3. 14.6 chew the cud: Some animals that eat grass and leaves have more than one stomach, and they chew their food a second time, after it has been partly digested in the first stomach. This partly digested food is called “cud.”
  4. 14.12-18 eagles … hoopoes: Some of the birds in this list are difficult to identify.
  5. 14.20 certain kinds of winged insects: These were locusts, crickets, and grasshoppers; see Leviticus 11.21,22.
  6. 15.1,2 The Lord says … no longer ask for payment: Or “ ‘The Lord says loans do not need to be paid back this year.’ Then if you have loaned money to another Israelite, you cannot ask for payment until the next year.”
  7. 15.18 six years … work: Or “six years of service, and it cost you no more than if you had hired someone to do the work”; or “six years of service, for what you would have had to pay a worker for two years.”

Cross references:

  1. 13.6-18 : 3 Macc 7.10.
  2. 14.1 : Lv 19.27,28; 21.5.
  3. 14.2 : Ex 19.5,6; Dt 4.20; 7.6; 26.18; Titus 2.14; 1 P 2.9.
  4. 14.3-21 : 4 Macc 1.34.
  5. 14.21 : Ex 23.19; 34.26.
  6. 14.22-29 : Lv 27.30-33; Nu 18.21.
  7. 15.7,8 : Lv 25.35.
  8. 15.11 : Mt 26.11; Mk 14.7; Jn 12.8.
  9. 15.12-18 : Lv 25.39-46.
  10. 15.19 : Ex 13.12.
  11. 15.23 : Gn 9.4; Lv 7.26,27; 17.10-14; 19.26; Dt 12.5-19,23,24.
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.

Luke 8:40-9:6

A Dying Girl and a Sick Woman

(Matthew 9.18-26; Mark 5.21-43)

40 Everyone had been waiting for Jesus, and when he came back, a crowd was there to welcome him. 41 Just then the man in charge of the synagogue came and knelt down in front of Jesus. His name was Jairus, and he begged Jesus to come to his home 42 because his twelve-year-old child was dying. She was his only daughter.

While Jesus was on his way, people were crowding all around him. 43 In the crowd was a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years. She had spent everything she had on doctors,[a] but none of them could make her well.

44 As soon as she came up behind Jesus and barely touched his clothes, her bleeding stopped.

45 “Who touched me?” Jesus asked.

While everyone was denying it, Peter said, “Master, people are crowding all around and pushing you from every side.”[b]

46 But Jesus answered, “Someone touched me, because I felt power going out from me.” 47 The woman knew that she could not hide, so she came trembling and knelt down in front of Jesus. She told everyone why she had touched him and that she had been healed at once.

48 Jesus said to the woman, “You are now well because of your faith. May God give you peace!”

49 While Jesus was speaking, someone came from Jairus' home and said, “Your daughter has died! Why bother the teacher anymore?”

50 When Jesus heard this, he told Jairus, “Don't worry! Have faith, and your daughter will get well.”

51 Jesus went into the house, but he did not let anyone else go with him, except Peter, John, James, and the girl's father and mother. 52 Everyone was crying and weeping for the girl. But Jesus said, “The child isn't dead. She is just asleep.” 53 The people laughed at him because they knew she was dead.

54 Jesus took hold of the girl's hand and said, “Child, get up!” 55 She came back to life and got right up. Jesus told them to give her something to eat. 56 Her parents were surprised, but Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.

Instructions for the Twelve Apostles

(Matthew 10.5-15; Mark 6.7-13)

9 Jesus called together his twelve apostles and gave them complete power over all demons and diseases. 2 Then he sent them to tell about God's kingdom and to heal the sick. 3 (A) He told them, “Don't take anything with you! Don't take a walking stick or a traveling bag or food or money or even a change of clothes. 4 When you are welcomed into a home, stay there until you leave that town. 5 (B) If people won't welcome you, leave the town and shake the dust from your feet[c] as a warning to them.”

6 The apostles left and went from village to village, telling the good news and healing people everywhere.

Footnotes:

  1. 8.43 She had spent everything she had on doctors: Some manuscripts do not have these words.
  2. 8.45 from every side: Some manuscripts add “and you ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ”
  3. 9.5 shake the dust from your feet: This was a way of showing rejection.

Cross references:

  1. 9.3-5 : Lk 10.4-11.
  2. 9.5 : Ac 13.51.
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.

Psalm 71

A Prayer for God's Protection

1 I run to you, Lord,
for protection.
Don't disappoint me.
2 You do what is right,
so come to my rescue.
Listen to my prayer
and keep me safe.
3 Be my mighty rock,[a] the place
where I can always run
for protection.
Save me by your command!
You are my mighty rock
and my fortress.

4 Come and save me, Lord God,
from vicious and cruel
and brutal enemies!
5 I depend on you,
and I have trusted you
since I was young.
6 I have relied on you[b]
from the day I was born.
You brought me safely
through birth,
and I always praise you.

7 Many people think of me
as something evil.
But you are my mighty protector,
8 and I praise and honor you
all day long.
9 Don't throw me aside
when I am old;
don't desert me
when my strength is gone.
10 My enemies are plotting
because they want me dead.
11 They say, “Now we'll catch you!
God has deserted you,
and no one can save you.”
12 Come closer, God!
Please hurry and help.
13 Embarrass and destroy
all who want me dead;
disgrace and confuse
all who want to hurt me.
14 I will never give up hope
or stop praising you.
15 All day long I will tell
the wonderful things you do
to save your people.
But you have done much more
than I could possibly know.
16 I will praise you, Lord God,
for your mighty deeds
and your power to save.

17 You have taught me
since I was a child,
and I never stop telling about
your marvelous deeds.
18 Don't leave me when I am old
and my hair turns gray.
Let me tell future generations
about your mighty power.
19 Your deeds of kindness
are known in the heavens.
No one is like you!

20 You made me suffer a lot,
but you will bring me
back from this deep pit
and give me new life.
21 You will make me truly great
and take my sorrow away.

22 I will praise you, God,
the Holy One of Israel.
You are faithful.
I will play the harp
and sing your praises.
23 You have rescued me!
I will celebrate and shout,
singing praises to you
with all my heart.
24 All day long I will announce
your power to save.
I will tell how you disgraced
and disappointed those
who wanted to hurt me.

Footnotes:

  1. 71.3 mighty rock: See the note at 18.2.
  2. 71.6 I … you: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.

Proverbs 12:5-7

5 Good people have kind thoughts,
but you should never trust
the advice of someone evil.
6 Bad advice is a deadly trap,
but good advice
is like a shield.
7 Once the wicked are defeated,
they are gone forever,
but no one who obeys God
will ever be thrown down.

Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.

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3/29/2023 DAB Transcript

Deuteronomy 11:1-12:32, Luke 8:22-39, Psalm 70:1-5, Proverbs 12:4

Today is the 29th day of March, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It is wonderful to be here with you today, as we gather around the Global Campfire, and get cozy, and take the next step forward together. And our next step forward is going to lead us back into the Book of Deuteronomy and back to the last things that Moses is imparting to the children of Israel. And so, let’s dive in today. Deuteronomy chapters 11 and 12.

Commentary:

Okay so, in the Gospel of Luke, we encounter a story that we’ve seen in other Gospels, where Jesus travels to the other side of the lake to the land of the Gerasenes, this would be the eastern side of the lake, kind of northeastern side of the lake, Gentile territory, a city of the Decapolis. Actually, there are ruins of the Decapolis city are over their city, it was called Hippos Sussita. So, Jesus comes to the land and basically doesn’t make it past the shore. He gets greeted by a man running down toward him, screeching at Him. Why are You interfering with me, why are You messing with me, don’t, are you, don’t send me to the abyss. Are You here to judge me? And through the conversation we find there’s a legion of…of demonic activity around this person. And we talked about this. The man is set free and there, the pig herders after the demons are thrown into the swine and they go down and drown into the lake. The swine herders they…they run and let everybody kind of in the area know. And so, people are kind of racing down toward the shore to see what has happened. And that’s when they are gripped with fear. We…we talked about this before. Their response to the activity, the miraculous activity of God in their presence, cause them to ask Jesus to leave. And we contemplated that. Another facet of this story that is really interesting to me is that Jesus made that whole trip and never got off the beach and really only encountered one person directly before He was asked by the others to leave. And as the Gospel narrative goes, it wasn’t an easy crossing. So, they’re crossing the Sea of Galilee. And Jesus is exhausted from ministry and so, He falls asleep in the boat and a storm comes down upon the upon the Sea of Galilee and it’s gonna capsize them and so, He wakes up and calms the storm and of course that brings incredible amount amazing of amazement around the disciples. But then, then they make it to the other side. And when they make it to the other side and get out of the boat, this man comes. And this man is set free and wants to go with Jesus, but it’s as if Jesus gave him his life back and said, go tell everyone what God has done for you, go back to your family. He gave his life back to this guy and then got in the boat and left, because they asked Him to leave. This whole scene, this whole thing happened for one person. This is almost a living representation of the parable of leaving the 99 to find the one. And if we take some time to consider this story and replay it in our minds today, and meditate upon it today, we realize we are the one also. Jesus has come for us to set us free as well. And we find ourselves back in the story going, who am? I am I the one that’s afraid asking Jesus to leave. Am I the one that got set free and just got his life for her life back? How do I live that I experience the power of God and respond in fear, that it was gonna interfere with my life, and I sent it away. Or did I get my life back, and now I can’t help but tell the story.

Prayer:

Holy Spirit, come into that as we contemplate again, a beautiful scene in life of the Savior, one that is intended to show us how to live, one that is intended to show us what You are like. Lead us to find ourselves in these stories and transform them as we become aware, where You are leading and where You are guiding us. May we find that You have rescued us and gave our lives back to us, and that it is such good news that’s we can’t help but tell it. Come Holy Spirit, we pray, in the name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.

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And as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button, or we can dial 877-942-4253.

And that’s it for today, I’m Brian, I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here, tomorrow.

Prayer and Encouragements:

This is Brian from Huber Heights. I just wanted to praise God for this ministry and for the Daily Audio Bible and Brian Hardin and his family. And I listen every day and I would ask that you would pray for my son Mitchell, who’s in a mental hospital in Cincinnati and they’re going to be making decisions concerning him, Lord. I pray that You would just lead with Your Holy Spirit, everyone that is making these decisions. The people at the mental facility, the people in the court system, that they would make the right decisions concerning him, as to whether he’s found competent, incompetent or he’s innocent by reason of insanity. And that he would be blessed by the right help and the right place to live. He would never be homeless. He’s been a drug addict, homeless, mentally ill and it’s just been hard for his mother and I. His mother is on her way to go visit him right now and I pray for her safety, and I pray for a good visit. I pray that, pray that Mitchell, the right thing would happen for him. I pray my daughter Ashley; I’ve been praying for concerning a job for her at the VA hospital that I worked at. That there’s one coming up that would really suite her, it would be the right for her skill set. I pray that if it’s God’s will that He would bless her with that. I’ve been praying for several years, concerning this position. And also praying for, after six years, that there would be some reconciliation between their mother, Kathy and I. That we would be together, and God would heal and restore us. Heal the past and restore our marriage. Thank you very much. God bless you all.

Hey DAB Family, this is God’s Life Speaker. I am calling for something that’s going on right now. My husband’s currently on his way down to the memory care unit that his 93-year-old mother is in. But it’s been ongoing. It’s just things that are happening constantly. And so, even though, God does not work in the time that we do, I know, your hearts will just pray this when you hear it. So, his mother is lucid so often. And then, she will slip into this memory issue and dementia. And she’s in a really nice facility. She has lots of caregivers. There’s only 16 people living there. There’s 4 caregivers, it’s a beautiful place. It’s, she enjoys it, when she’s lucid. But she just called my husband up and told him she was gonna disown him, that she found some things that he had done, and he better come and get the rest of the things that she has that are his. And we recognize this as the dementia. And she only lives 11 minutes from here so, he’s on his way. We prayed, before he left. And it’s just really hard with aging parents. So, Heavenly Father, I know You go before Doug. I know that You are already in this situation, and You’re not surprised by this dementia. You’re not surprised by today. Lord, I just pray for Helen. That You would just bless her mind, that You would give her peace and a calmness that surpasses all understanding. And Lord, for the DAB families that also are just dealing with this, with parents. This is so hard Lord. But You know. So, we put our trust in You and we thank You Jesus. In Your name we pray. Amen.

Hey my outstanding DAB fam, this is Kingdom Seeker Daniel and Lady of Victory. We just wanted to stop by and pray for a couple of marriages. We’re praying for Shelley in Central California, I believe, who is experiencing marital discord. God, we are coming on behalf of Your daughter and Your son, God because we know that You are for their marriage more than they are. You’re concerned about everything that they’re concerns, the big and the small. God, know that we ask that Shelley will submit herself to You and then God, to her husband and allow You to do the work. Now sometimes, while we’re saying it’s the other person, it’s them, them, them. God, You’re saying, I got them, but this is what I wanted you to do. So, as Shelley submits herself to You God, and what You would have her to do, I pray God, that You would, that she would experience peace in the marriage in what You are doing and that she’ll begin to see, as she submits herself to You, get out of his face and get in Your face. That she’ll begin to see the fruits of her labor. And we trust that You’ll do it for their good and for Your glory. In Jesus name. And for first time caller Jason, whose wife left for a false religion. God, we ask that You would go after that wife. You know what has gotten her trapped and deceived into false religion. Lord, we pray that You would break through the stoney heart, that You would open her eyes, give her eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to receive the truth. We know, Lord, that You came to set the captives free and He whom the Son sets free, is free indeed. Will You free this wife from this religion that is a false belief. And Lord, we thank You God, that You are helping Jason to yield to You, to surrender to You, and to entrust his marriage and his wife to You. In Jesus name. Amen. Love you family.

Hello Bible family, this is Verna from Gainesville, Florida. I’m calling in to request prayer for my daughter GG. She and her husband live with me, and they have a baby that just turned 1 year old last month. She’s also expecting another baby that’s due in three months. GG’s in her last semester of school to get her RN license. And they’re starting transition. Transition is when you work in the hospital 12-hour shifts, so that you can do that, have some experience when you get out of school. She is totally wiped out today because of doing the past two days of 12-hour shifts in the hospital. And in two days from now, she has to do 6 days of 12-hour shifts in a period of 10 days. So, I don’t see how she’s gonna be able to do that without the supernatural grace of God. So, I’m just asking that you all pray for her. And that she would have God’s peace throughout it. And just not worry about it. Thank you all, God bless you. Bye.

Posted on

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Wednesday March 29, 2023 (NIV)

Deuteronomy 11-12

If You Are Loyal to the Lord, He Will Bless You

Moses said to Israel:

11 The Lord is your God, so you must always love him and obey his laws and teachings. 2 Remember, he corrected you and not your children. You are the ones who saw the Lord use his great power 3 (A) when he worked miracles in Egypt, making terrible things happen to the king and all his people. 4 (B) And when the Egyptian army chased you in their chariots, you saw the Lord drown them and their horses in the Red Sea.[a] Egypt still suffers from that defeat!

5 You saw what the Lord did for you while you were in the desert, right up to the time you arrived here. 6 (C) And you saw how the Lord made the ground open up in the middle of our camp underneath the tents of Dathan and Abiram,[b] who were swallowed up along with their families, their animals, and their tents.

7 With your own eyes, you saw the Lord's mighty power do all these things.

8 Soon you will cross the Jordan River, and if you obey the laws and teachings I'm giving you today, you will be strong enough to conquer the land 9 that the Lord promised your ancestors and their descendants. It's rich with milk and honey, and you will live there and enjoy it for a long time. 10 It's better land than you had in Egypt, where you had to struggle just to water your crops.[c] 11 But the hills and valleys in the promised land are watered by rain from heaven,[d] 12 because the Lord your God keeps his eye on this land and takes care of it all year long.

13 (D) The Lord your God commands you to love him and to serve him with all your heart and soul. If you obey him, 14-15 he will send rain at the right seasons,[e] so you will have more than enough food, wine, and olive oil, and there will be plenty of grass for your cattle.

16 But watch out! You will be tempted to turn your backs on the Lord. And if you worship other gods, 17 the Lord will become angry and keep the rain from falling. Nothing will grow in your fields, and you will die and disappear from the good land that the Lord is giving you.

18 (E) Memorize these laws and think about them. Write down copies and tie them to your wrists and your foreheads to help you obey them. 19 Teach them to your children. Talk about them all the time—whether you're at home or walking along the road or going to bed at night, or getting up in the morning. 20 Write them on the door frames of your homes and on your town gates. 21 Then you and your descendants will live a long time in the land that the Lord promised your ancestors. Your families will live there as long as the sky is above the earth.

22 Love the Lord your God faithfully and obey all the laws and teachings I'm giving you today. If you live the way the Lord wants, 23 he will help you take the land. And even though the nations there are more powerful than you, the Lord will force them to leave when you attack. 24 (F) You will capture the land everywhere you go, from the Southern Desert to the Lebanon Mountains, and from the Euphrates River west to the Mediterranean Sea. 25 No one will be able to stand up to you. The Lord will make everyone terrified of you, just as he promised.

26 You have a choice—do you want the Lord to bless you, or do you want him to put a curse on you? 27 Today I am giving you his laws, and if you obey him, he will bless you. 28 But if you disobey him and worship those gods that have never done anything for you, the Lord will put a curse on you.

29 (G) After the Lord your God helps you take the land, you must have a ceremony where you announce his blessings from Mount Gerizim and his curses from Mount Ebal. 30 You know that these two mountains are west of the Jordan River in land now controlled by the Canaanites living in the Jordan River valley. The mountains are west of the road near the sacred trees of Moreh on the other side of Gilgal.

31 Soon you will cross the Jordan River to conquer the land that the Lord your God is giving you. And when you have settled there, 32 be careful to obey his laws and teachings that I am giving you today.

Only One Place To Worship the Lord

Moses said to Israel:

12 Now I'll tell you the laws and teachings that you have to obey as long as you live. Your ancestors worshiped the Lord, and he is giving you this land. 2 But the nations that live there worship other gods. So after you capture the land, you must completely destroy their places of worship—on mountains and hills or in the shade of large trees. 3 (H) Wherever these nations worship their gods, you must tear down their altars, break their sacred stones, burn the sacred poles[f] used in worshiping the goddess Asherah, and smash their idols to pieces. Destroy these places of worship so completely that no one will remember they were ever there. 4 Don't worship the Lord your God in the way those nations worship their gods.

5-19 (I) Soon you will cross the Jordan, and the Lord will help you conquer your enemies and let you live in peace, there in the land he has given you. But after you are settled, life will be different. You must not offer sacrifices just anywhere you want to. Instead, the Lord will choose a place somewhere in Israel where you must go to worship him. All of your sacrifices and offerings must be taken there, including sacrifices to please the Lord[g] and any gift you promise or voluntarily give him. That's where you must also take one tenth of your grain, wine, and olive oil,[h] as well as the first-born of your cattle, sheep, and goats.[i] You and your family and servants will eat your gifts and sacrifices[j] and celebrate there at the place of worship, because the Lord your God has made you successful in everything you have done. And since Levites will not have any land of their own, you must ask some of them to come along and celebrate with you.

Sometimes you may want to kill an animal for food and not as a sacrifice. If the Lord has blessed you and given you enough cows or sheep or goats, then you can butcher one of them where you live. You can eat it just like the meat from a deer or gazelle that you kill when you go hunting. And even those people who are unclean and unfit for worship can have some of the meat. But you must not eat the blood of any animal—let the blood drain out on the ground.

20-21 The Lord has promised that later on he will give Israel more land, and some of you may not be able to travel all the way from your homes to the place of worship each time you are hungry for meat.[k] But the Lord will give you cattle, sheep, and goats, and you can butcher any of those animals at home and eat as much as you want. 22 It is the same as eating the meat from a deer or a gazelle that you kill when you go hunting. And in this way, anyone who is unclean and unfit for worship can have some of the meat.[l]

23-24 (J) But don't eat the blood. It is the life of the animal, so let it drain out on the ground before you eat the meat. 25 Do you want the Lord to make you successful? Do you want your children to be successful even after you are gone? Then do what pleases the Lord and don't eat blood.

26-27 All sacrifices and offerings to the Lord must be taken to the place where he chooses to be worshiped. If you offer a sacrifice to please the Lord, all of its meat must be burned on the altar. You can eat the meat from certain kinds of sacrifices, but you must always pour out the animal's blood on the altar.

28 If you obey these laws, you will be doing what the Lord your God says is right and good. Then he will help you and your descendants be successful.

Worship the Lord in the Right Way

Moses said:

29 Israel, as you go into the land and attack the nations that are there, the Lord will get rid of them, and you can have their land.

30 But that's when you must be especially careful not to ask, “How did those nations worship their gods? Shouldn't we worship the Lord in the same way?” 31 No, you should not! The Lord hates the disgusting way those nations worship their gods, because they even burn their sons and daughters as sacrifices.

32 (K) Obey all the laws and teachings I am giving you. Don't add any, and don't take any away.

Footnotes:

  1. 11.4 Red Sea: Hebrew yam suph, “Sea of Reeds,” one of the marshes or fresh water lakes near the eastern part of the Nile Delta. This identification is based on Exodus 13.7—14.9, which lists towns on the route of the Israelites before crossing the sea. In the Greek translation of the Scriptures made about 200 b.c., the “Sea of Reeds” was named “Red Sea.”
  2. 11.6 Dathan and Abiram: Hebrew “Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab from the Reuben tribe.”
  3. 11.10 where … crops: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  4. 11.10,11 to water your crops … rain from heaven: Egypt was flat and had very little rain. All water for crops had to come from the Nile River.
  5. 11.14,15 rain … seasons: In Palestine, almost all the rain for the year comes during the months from October through April.
  6. 12.3 sacred poles: Or “trees,” used as symbols of Asherah, the goddess of fertility.
  7. 12.5-19 sacrifices to please the Lord: These sacrifices have traditionally been called “whole burnt offerings” because the whole animal was burned on the altar. A main purpose of such sacrifices was to please the Lord with the smell of the sacrifice, and so in the CEV they are often called “sacrifices to please the Lord.”
  8. 12.5-19 one tenth of your grain, wine, and olive oil: The Israelites had to give one tenth of their harvest of these products to the Lord each year (see 14.22-29; 26.12,13; Leviticus 27.30-33).
  9. 12.5-19 the first-born of your cattle, sheep, and goats: The Israelites had to sacrifice these to the Lord (see 15.19-22).
  10. 12.5-19 sacrifices: Some sacrifices were completely burned on the altar; in other sacrifices, part of the animal was burned and part was given to the priests, but most of the meat was eaten by the worshipers as a sacred meal.
  11. 12.20,21 meat: Usually eaten only on special occasions, such as during a sacred meal when sacrifices were offered to the Lord.
  12. 12.22 anyone … the meat: Only those who were properly prepared for worship, or “clean,” could eat a sacred meal, but anyone could eat this kind of meat.

Cross references:

  1. 11.3 : Ex 7.8—12.13.
  2. 11.4 : Ex 14.28.
  3. 11.6 : Nu 16.31-33.
  4. 11.13-17 : Lv 26.3-5; Dt 7.12-16; 28.1-14.
  5. 11.18-20 : Dt 6.6-9.
  6. 11.24,25 : Js 1.3-5.
  7. 11.29 : Dt 27.11-26; Js 8.33-35.
  8. 12.3 : Dt 7.5.
  9. 12.5-19 : Gn 9.4; Lv 7.26,27; 17.10-14; 19.26; Dt 15.23.
  10. 12.23,24 : Lv 17.10-14.
  11. 12.32 : Dt 4.2; Rev 22.18,19.
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.

Luke 8:22-39

A Storm

(Matthew 8.23-27; Mark 4.35-41)

22 One day, Jesus and his disciples got into a boat, and he said, “Let's cross the lake.”[a] They started out, 23 and while they were sailing across, he went to sleep.

Suddenly a storm struck the lake, and the boat started sinking. They were in danger. 24 So they went to Jesus and woke him up, “Master, Master! We are about to drown!”

Jesus got up and ordered the wind and waves to stop. They obeyed, and everything was calm. 25 Then Jesus asked the disciples, “Don't you have any faith?”

But they were frightened and amazed. They said to each other, “Who is this? He can give orders to the wind and the waves, and they obey him!”

A Man with Demons in Him

(Matthew 8.28-34; Mark 5.1-20)

26 Jesus and his disciples sailed across Lake Galilee and came to shore near the town of Gerasa.[b] 27 As Jesus was getting out of the boat, he was met by a man from this town. The man had demons in him. He had gone naked for a long time and no longer lived in a house, but in the graveyard.[c]

28 The man saw Jesus and screamed. He knelt down in front of him and shouted, “Jesus, Son of God Most High, what do you want with me? I beg you not to torture me!” 29 He said this because Jesus had already told the evil spirit to go out of him.

The man had often been attacked by the demon. And even though he had been bound with chains and leg irons and kept under guard, he smashed whatever bound him. Then the demon would force him out into lonely places.

30 Jesus asked the man, “What is your name?”

He answered, “My name is Lots.” He said this because there were “lots” of demons in him. 31 They begged Jesus not to send them to the deep pit,[d] where they would be punished.

32 A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. So the demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and Jesus let them go. 33 Then the demons left the man and went into the pigs. The whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned.

34 When the men taking care of the pigs saw this, they ran to spread the news in the town and on the farms. 35 The people went out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they also found the man. The demons had gone out of him, and he was sitting there at the feet of Jesus. He had clothes on and was in his right mind. But the people were terrified.

36 Then all who had seen the man healed told about it. 37 Everyone from around Gerasa[e] begged Jesus to leave, because they were so frightened.

When Jesus got into the boat to start back, 38 the man who had been healed begged to go with him. But Jesus sent him off and said, 39 “Go back home and tell everyone how much God has done for you.” The man then went all over town, telling everything that Jesus had done for him.

Footnotes:

  1. 8.22 cross the lake: To the eastern shore of Lake Galilee, where most of the people were not Jewish.
  2. 8.26 Gerasa: Some manuscripts have “Gergesa.”
  3. 8.27 graveyard: It was thought that demons and evil spirits lived in graveyards.
  4. 8.31 deep pit: The place where evil spirits are kept and punished.
  5. 8.37 Gerasa: See the note at 8.26.
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.

Psalm 70

(By David for the music leader. To be used when an offering is made.)

God Is Wonderful

1 Save me, Lord God!
Hurry and help.
2 Disappoint and confuse
all who want to kill me.
Turn away and disgrace
all who want to hurt me.
3 Embarrass and shame those
who say, “We told you so!”

4 Let your worshipers celebrate
and be glad because of you.
They love your saving power,
so let them always say,
“God is wonderful!”
5 I am poor and needy,
but you, the Lord God,
care about me.

You are the one who saves me.
Please hurry and help!

Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.

Proverbs 12:4

4 A helpful wife is a jewel
for her husband,
but a shameless wife
will make his bones rot.

Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.