The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Friday January 6, 2023 (NIV)

Genesis 13:5-15:21

Now Lot, who was traveling with Abram, also had flocks, herds, and tents. But the land was unable to support them as long as they stayed together, for they had so many possessions that they could not stay together,(A) and there was quarreling between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock.(B) (At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land.)(C)

So Abram said to Lot, “Please, let’s not have quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, since we are relatives. Isn’t the whole land before you? Separate from me: if you go to the left, I will go to the right; if you go to the right, I will go to the left.”

10 Lot looked out and saw that the entire plain[a] of the Jordan(D) as far as Zoar(E) was well watered everywhere like the Lord’s garden(F) and the land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)(G) 11 So Lot chose the entire plain of the Jordan for himself. Then Lot journeyed eastward, and they separated from each other. 12 Abram lived in the land of Canaan, but Lot lived in the cities on the plain and set up his tent near Sodom. 13 (Now the men of Sodom were evil, sinning immensely[b] against the Lord.)(H)

14 After Lot had separated from him, the Lord said to Abram, “Look from the place where you are. Look north and south, east and west,(I) 15 for I will give you and your offspring[c] forever all the land that you see.(J) 16 I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth,(K) so that if anyone could count the dust of the earth, then your offspring could be counted. 17 Get up and walk around the land, through its length and width, for I will give it to you.”

18 So Abram moved his tent and went to live near the oaks of Mamre at Hebron,(L) where he built an altar to the Lord.

Abram Rescues Lot

14 In those days King Amraphel of Shinar,(M) King Arioch of Ellasar, King Chedorlaomer of Elam,(N) and King Tidal of Goiim[d] waged war against King Bera of Sodom, King Birsha of Gomorrah, King Shinab of Admah, and King Shemeber of Zeboiim,(O) as well as the king of Bela (that is, Zoar(P)). All of these came as allies to the Siddim Valley (that is, the Dead Sea(Q)). They were subject to Chedorlaomer for twelve years, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled. In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him came and defeated the Rephaim(R) in Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham,(S) the Emim in Shaveh-kiriathaim, and the Horites(T) in the mountains of Seir, as far as El-paran(U) by the wilderness. Then they came back to invade En-mishpat (that is, Kadesh(V)), and they defeated the whole territory of the Amalekites, as well as the Amorites who lived in Hazazon-tamar.(W)

Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out and lined up for battle in the Siddim Valley against King Chedorlaomer of Elam, King Tidal of Goiim, King Amraphel of Shinar, and King Arioch of Ellasar—four kings against five. 10 Now the Siddim Valley contained many asphalt pits, and as the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some fell into them,[e] but the rest fled to the mountains.(X) 11 The four kings took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food and went on. 12 They also took Abram’s nephew Lot and his possessions, for he was living in Sodom,(Y) and they went on.

13 One of the survivors came and told Abram the Hebrew,(Z) who lived near the oaks belonging to Mamre the Amorite, the brother of Eshcol and the brother of Aner. They were bound by a treaty with Abram. 14 When Abram heard that his relative had been taken prisoner, he assembled[f] his 318 trained men, born in his household,(AA) and they went in pursuit as far as Dan.(AB) 15 And he and his servants deployed against them by night, defeated them, and pursued them as far as Hobah to the north of Damascus. 16 He brought back all the goods and also his relative Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the other people.

Melchizedek’s Blessing

17 After Abram returned from defeating Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him in the Shaveh Valley (that is, the King’s Valley(AC)). 18 Melchizedek, king of Salem,[g](AD) brought out bread and wine; he was a priest to God Most High.(AE) 19 He blessed him and said:

Abram is blessed by God Most High,
Creator[h] of heaven and earth,
20 and blessed be God Most High
who has handed over your enemies to you.

And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.(AF)

21 Then the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people, but take the possessions for yourself.”

22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand in an oath to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, 23 that I will not take a thread or sandal strap or anything that belongs to you, so you can never say, ‘I made Abram rich.’ 24 I will take nothing except what the servants have eaten. But as for the share of the men who came with me—Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre—they can take their share.”

The Abrahamic Covenant

15 After these events, the word of the Lord came(AG) to Abram in a vision:

Do not be afraid,(AH) Abram.
I am your shield;(AI)

your reward will be very great.

But Abram said, “Lord God, what can you give me, since I am childless and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” [i] Abram continued, “Look, you have given me no offspring, so a slave born in[j] my house will be my heir.”

Now the word of the Lord came to him: “This one will not be your heir; instead, one who comes from your own body[k] will be your heir.” He took him outside and said, “Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “Your offspring will be that numerous.”(AJ)

Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.(AK)

He also said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”(AL)

But he said, “Lord God, how can I know(AM) that I will possess it?”

He said to him, “Bring me a three-year-old cow, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”

10 So he brought all these to him, cut them in half, and laid the pieces opposite each other, but he did not cut the birds(AN) in half. 11 Birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away. 12 As the sun was setting, a deep sleep(AO) came over Abram, and suddenly great terror and darkness descended on him.

13 Then the Lord said to Abram,(AP) “Know this for certain: Your offspring will be resident aliens(AQ) for four hundred years(AR) in a land that does not belong to them and will be enslaved and oppressed.[l] 14 However, I will judge the nation they serve,(AS) and afterward they will go out with many possessions.(AT) 15 But you will go to your ancestors in peace and be buried at a good old age.(AU) 16 In the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.”[m](AV)

17 When the sun had set and it was dark, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch appeared and passed between the divided animals. 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “I give this land to your offspring,(AW) from the Brook of Egypt(AX) to the great river, the Euphrates River: 19 the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20 Hethites, Perizzites, Rephaim, 21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.”

Footnotes:

  1. 13:10 Lit circle; i.e., probably the large round plain where the Jordan River empties into the Dead Sea, also in v. 11
  2. 13:13 Lit evil and sinful
  3. 13:15 Lit seed
  4. 14:1 Or nations
  5. 14:10 Sam, LXX; MT reads fell there
  6. 14:14 Sam; MT reads poured out
  7. 14:18 = Jerusalem
  8. 14:19 Or Possessor
  9. 15:2 Hb obscure
  10. 15:3 Lit a son of
  11. 15:4 Lit loins
  12. 15:13 Lit will serve them and they will oppress them
  13. 15:16 Lit Amorites is not yet complete

Cross references:

  1. 13:6 : Gn 36:7
  2. 13:7 : Gn 26:20
  3. 13:7 : Gn 12:6; 15:20–21
  4. 13:10 : Gn 19:17–29
  5. 13:10 : Gn 14:2,8; Dt 34:3
  6. 13:10 : Gn 2:8–10
  7. 13:10 : Gn 19:24–25
  8. 13:13 : Gn 18:20; Ezk 16:49; 2Pt 2:7–8
  9. 13:14 : Gn 28:14
  10. 13:15 : Gn 12:7; 15:18; 17:8; 24:7; 26:4; 28:13; 35:12; Dt 34:4; 2Ch 20:7; Ac 7:5
  11. 13:16 : Gn 16:10; 28:14; Nm 23:10
  12. 13:18 : Gn 14:13; 18:1; 23:17–19
  13. 14:1 : Gn 10:10; 11:2
  14. 14:1 : Gn 10:22; Is 11:11; Dn 8:2
  15. 14:2 : Hs 11:8
  16. 14:2 : Gn 19:22–23
  17. 14:3 : Nm 34:12; Dt 3:17; Jos 3:16
  18. 14:5 : Gn 15:20; Dt 2:11,20–21; 3:11,13; Jos 12:4
  19. 14:5 : Dt 1:4; Jos 9:10
  20. 14:6 : Gn 36:20; Dt 2:12,22
  21. 14:6 : Gn 21:21; Nm 10:12
  22. 14:7 : Nm 13:26
  23. 14:7 : 2Ch 20:2
  24. 14:10 : Gn 19:17
  25. 14:12 : Gn 13:12
  26. 14:13 : Gn 39:14; 40:15
  27. 14:14 : Gn 12:5; 15:3; 17:27; Ec 2:7
  28. 14:14 : Dt 34:1; Jdg 18:29; 1Kg 15:20
  29. 14:17 : 2Sm 18:18
  30. 14:18 : Ps 110:4; Heb 5:6; 7:1
  31. 14:18 : Ps 57:2
  32. 14:20 : Heb 7:4
  33. 15:1 : 1Sm 15:10; 2Sm 7:4; 1Kg 6:11; Is 38:4; Jr 1:2
  34. 15:1 : Gn 26:24; Is 41:10; Jr 30:10; Lk 1:13,30
  35. 15:1 : Dt 33:29; 2Sm 22:3,31; Ps 3:3; 7:10
  36. 15:5 : Gn 22:17; 26:4; Ex 32:13; Dt 1:10; 10:22; 1Ch 27:23; Rm 4:18; Heb 11:12
  37. 15:6 : Rm 4:3,9,22; Gl 3:6; Jms 2:23
  38. 15:7 : Gn 11:31; 12:1; Neh 9:7–8; Ac 7:2–4
  39. 15:8 : Jdg 6:17; 2Kg 20:8; Ps 86:17; Is 7:11–13; Lk 1:18
  40. 15:10 : Lv 1:17
  41. 15:12 : Gn 2:21
  42. 15:13–14 : Ac 7:6–7
  43. 15:13 : Ex 22:21; 23:9
  44. 15:13 : Ex 12:40; Gl 3:17
  45. 15:14 : Ex 6:6; 7:4; 12:12
  46. 15:14 : Ex 3:22
  47. 15:15 : Gn 25:8; 47:30
  48. 15:16 : Lv 18:24–28; Dn 8:23; Mt 23:32; 1Th 2:16
  49. 15:18 : Gn 12:7; 13:15; 17:8; 24:7; 26:4; Nm 34:2; Dt 34:4; Jos 21:43; Neh 9:8; Ac 7:5
  50. 15:18 : Ex 23:31; Nm 34:1–15; Dt 1:7–8; 2Kg 24:7
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

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

Matthew 5:27-48

Adultery Begins in the Heart

27 “You have heard that it was said, Do not commit adultery.[a](A) 28 But I tell you, everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.(B) 29 If your right eye causes you to sin,(C) gouge it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.(D) 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

Divorce Practices Censured

31 “It was also said, Whoever divorces(E) his wife must give her a written notice of divorce.[b](F) 32 But I tell you, everyone who divorces his wife, except in a case of sexual immorality, causes her to commit adultery. And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.(G)

Tell the Truth

33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to our ancestors,You must not break your oath, but you must keep your oaths to the Lord.[c](H) 34 But I tell you, don’t take an oath at all: either by heaven, because it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, because it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King.(I) 36 Do not swear by your head, because you cannot make a single hair white or black. 37 But let your ‘yes’ mean ‘yes,’ and your ‘no’ mean ‘no.’ Anything more than this is from the evil one.(J)

Go the Second Mile

38 “You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.[d](K) 39 But I tell you, don’t resist[e] an evildoer. On the contrary, if anyone slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.(L) 40 As for the one who wants to sue you and take away your shirt, let him have your coat as well. 41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and don’t turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.(M)

Love Your Enemies

43 “You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor[f](N) and hate your enemy. 44 But I tell you, love your enemies[g] and pray for those who[h] persecute you,(O) 45 so that you may be[i] children of your Father in heaven. For he causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.(P) 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what are you doing out of the ordinary?[j](Q) Don’t even the Gentiles[k] do the same? 48 Be perfect,(R) therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Footnotes:

  1. 5:27 Ex 20:14; Dt 5:18
  2. 5:31 Dt 24:1
  3. 5:33 Lv 19:12; Nm 30:2; Dt 23:21
  4. 5:38 Ex 21:24; Lv 24:20; Dt 19:21
  5. 5:39 Or don’t set yourself against, or don’t retaliate against
  6. 5:43 Lv 19:18
  7. 5:44 Other mss add bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you,
  8. 5:44 Other mss add mistreat you and
  9. 5:45 Or may become, or may show yourselves to be
  10. 5:47 Or doing that is superior; lit doing more
  11. 5:47 Other mss read tax collectors
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

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

Psalm 6

Psalm 6

A Prayer for Mercy

For the choir director: with stringed instruments, according to Sheminith.(A) A psalm of David.

Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger;
do not discipline me in your wrath.(B)
Be gracious to me, Lord, for I am weak;[a](C)
heal me,(D) Lord, for my bones are shaking;(E)
my whole being is shaken with terror.(F)
And you, Lord—how long?(G)

Turn, Lord! Rescue me;
save me because of your faithful love.(H)
For there is no remembrance of you in death;
who can thank you in Sheol?(I)

I am weary from my groaning;(J)
with my tears I dampen my bed
and drench my couch every night.(K)
My eyes are swollen from grief;(L)
they grow old because of all my enemies.

Depart from me, all evildoers,
for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.(M)
The Lord has heard my plea for help;(N)
the Lord accepts my prayer.(O)
10 All my enemies will be ashamed and shake with terror;
they will turn back(P) and suddenly be disgraced.(Q)

Footnotes:

  1. 6:2 Or sick
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

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

Proverbs 1:29-33

29 Because they hated knowledge,
didn’t choose to fear the Lord,(A)
30 were not interested in my counsel,
and rejected all my correction,(B)
31 they will eat the fruit of their way(C)
and be glutted with their own schemes.(D)
32 For the apostasy of the inexperienced will kill them,(E)
and the complacency of fools will destroy them.
33 But whoever listens to me will live securely
and be undisturbed by the dread of danger.”(F)

Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

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