Daily Readings for January 6

Daily Readings for January 6
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Genesis 11

1.The whole earth was of one language and of one speech. 2.It happened, as they traveled east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they lived there. 3.They said one to another, "Come, let's make bricks, and burn them thoroughly." They had brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar. 4.They said, "Come, let's build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top reaches to the sky, and let's make ourselves a name, lest we be scattered abroad on the surface of the whole earth."

5.Yahweh came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men built. 6.Yahweh said, "Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is what they begin to do. Now nothing will be withheld from them, which they intend to do. 7.Come, let's go down, and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech." 8.So Yahweh scattered them abroad from there on the surface of all the earth. They stopped building the city. 9.Therefore its name was called Babel, because there Yahweh confused the language of all the earth. From there, Yahweh scattered them abroad on the surface of all the earth.

10.This is the history of the generations of Shem. Shem was one hundred years old and became the father of Arpachshad two years after the flood. 11.Shem lived five hundred years after he became the father of Arpachshad, and became the father of sons and daughters.

12.Arpachshad lived thirty-five years and became the father of Shelah. 13.Arpachshad lived four hundred three years after he became the father of Shelah, and became the father of sons and daughters.

14.Shelah lived thirty years, and became the father of Eber: 15.and Shelah lived four hundred three years after he became the father of Eber, and became the father of sons and daughters.

16.Eber lived thirty-four years, and became the father of Peleg. 17.Eber lived four hundred thirty years after he became the father of Peleg, and became the father of sons and daughters.

18.Peleg lived thirty years, and became the father of Reu. 19.Peleg lived two hundred nine years after he became the father of Reu, and became the father of sons and daughters.

20.Reu lived thirty-two years, and became the father of Serug. 21.Reu lived two hundred seven years after he became the father of Serug, and became the father of sons and daughters.

22.Serug lived thirty years, and became the father of Nahor. 23.Serug lived two hundred years after he became the father of Nahor, and became the father of sons and daughters.

24.Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and became the father of Terah. 25.Nahor lived one hundred nineteen years after he became the father of Terah, and became the father of sons and daughters.

26.Terah lived seventy years, and became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

27.Now this is the history of the generations of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran became the father of Lot. 28.Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldees. 29.Abram and Nahor took wives. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran who was also the father of Iscah. 30.Sarai was barren. She had no child. 31.Terah took Abram his son, Lot the son of Haran, his son's son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife. They went from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan. They came to Haran and lived there. 32.The days of Terah were two hundred five years. Terah died in Haran.

Genesis 12

1.Now Yahweh said to Abram, "Get out of your country, and from your relatives, and from your father's house, to the land that I will show you. 2.I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great. You will be a blessing. 3.I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you. All of the families of the earth will be blessed in you."

4.So Abram went, as Yahweh had spoken to him. Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed out of Haran. 5.Abram took Sarai his wife, Lot his brother's son, all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls whom they had gotten in Haran, and they went to go into the land of Canaan. Into the land of Canaan they came. 6.Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. The Canaanite was then in the land.

7.Yahweh appeared to Abram and said, "I will give this land to your seed⁴."

He built an altar there to Yahweh, who appeared to him. 8.He left from there to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to Yahweh and called on the name of Yahweh. 9.Abram traveled, going on still toward the South.

10.There was a famine in the land. Abram went down into Egypt to live as a foreigner there, for the famine was severe in the land. 11.It happened, when he had come near to enter Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, "See now, I know that you are a beautiful woman to look at. 12.It will happen, when the Egyptians will see you, that they will say, 'This is his wife.' They will kill me, but they will save you alive. 13.Please say that you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that my soul may live because of you."

14.It happened that when Abram had come into Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. 15.The princes of Pharaoh saw her, and praised her to Pharaoh; and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house. 16.He dealt well with Abram for her sake. He had sheep, cattle, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels. 17.Yahweh plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife. 18.Pharaoh called Abram and said, "What is this that you have done to me? Why didn't you tell me that she was your wife? 19.Why did you say, 'She is my sister,' so that I took her to be my wife? Now therefore, see your wife, take her, and go your way."

20.Pharaoh commanded men concerning him, and they brought him on the way with his wife and all that he had.

Psalm 14

1.The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt. They have done abominable works. There is none who does good. 2.Yahweh looked down from heaven on the children of men, to see if there were any who understood, who sought after God. 3.They have all gone aside. They have together become corrupt. There is none who does good, no, not one. 4.Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and don't call on Yahweh? 5.There they were in great fear, for God is in the generation of the righteous. 6.You frustrate the plan of the poor, because Yahweh is his refuge. 7.Oh that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! When Yahweh restores the fortunes of his people, then Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.

Psalm 15

1.Yahweh, who shall dwell in your sanctuary? Who shall live on your holy hill? 2.He who walks blamelessly does what is right, and speaks truth in his heart; 3.He who doesn't slander with his tongue, nor does evil to his friend, nor casts slurs against his fellow man; 4.In whose eyes a vile man is despised, but who honors those who fear Yahweh; he who keeps an oath even when it hurts, and doesn't change; 5.he who doesn't lend out his money for usury, nor take a bribe against the innocent.

He who does these things shall never be shaken.

Psalm 16

1.Preserve me, God, for in you do I take refuge. 2.My soul, you have said to Yahweh, "You are my Lord. Apart from you I have no good thing." 3.As for the saints who are in the earth, they are the excellent ones in whom is all my delight.

4.Their sorrows shall be multiplied who give gifts to another god. Their drink offerings of blood I will not offer, nor take their names on my lips. 5.Yahweh assigned my portion and my cup. You made my lot secure.

6.The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places. Yes, I have a good inheritance. 7.I will bless Yahweh, who has given me counsel. Yes, my heart instructs me in the night seasons. 8.I have set Yahweh always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. 9.Therefore my heart is glad, and my tongue rejoices. My body shall also dwell in safety. 10.For you will not leave my soul in Sheol⁹, neither will you allow your holy one to see corruption. 11.You will show me the path of life. In your presence is fullness of joy. In your right hand there are pleasures forevermore.

Matthew 8

1.When he came down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. 2.Behold, a leper came to him and worshiped him, saying, "Lord, if you want to, you can make me clean."

3.Jesus stretched out his hand, and touched him, saying, "I want to. Be made clean." Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4.Jesus said to him, "See that you tell nobody, but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."

5.When he came into Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking him, 6.and saying, "Lord, my servant lies in the house paralyzed, grievously tormented."

7.Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."

8.The centurion answered, "Lord, I'm not worthy for you to come under my roof. Just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9.For I am also a man under authority, having under myself soldiers. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and tell another, 'Come,' and he comes; and tell my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."

10.When Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to those who followed, "Most certainly I tell you, I haven't found so great a faith, not even in Israel. 11.I tell you that many will come from the east and the west, and will sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven, 12.but the children of the Kingdom will be thrown out into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." 13.Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way. Let it be done for you as you have believed." His servant was healed in that hour.

14.When Jesus came into Peter's house, he saw his wife's mother lying sick with a fever. 15.He touched her hand, and the fever left her. She got up and served him.⁴² 16.When evening came, they brought to him many possessed with demons. He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick; 17.that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying: "He took our infirmities, and bore our diseases."[43] 18.Now when Jesus saw great multitudes around him, he gave the order to depart to the other side.

19.A scribe came, and said to him, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go."

20.Jesus said to him, "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head."

21.Another of his disciples said to him, "Lord, allow me first to go and bury my father."

22.But Jesus said to him, "Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead."

23.When he got into a boat, his disciples followed him. 24.Behold, a violent storm came up on the sea, so much that the boat was covered with the waves, but he was asleep. 25.They came to him, and woke him up, saying, "Save us, Lord! We are dying!"

26.He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?" Then he got up, rebuked the wind and the sea, and there was a great calm.

27.The men marveled, saying, "What kind of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"

28.When he came to the other side, into the country of the Gergesenes,⁴⁴ two people possessed by demons met him there, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that nobody could pass that way. 29.Behold, they cried out, saying, "What do we have to do with you, Jesus, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?" 30.Now there was a herd of many pigs feeding far away from them. 31.The demons begged him, saying, "If you cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of pigs."

32.He said to them, "Go!"

They came out, and went into the herd of pigs: and behold, the whole herd of pigs rushed down the cliff into the sea, and died in the water. 33.Those who fed them fled, and went away into the city, and told everything, including what happened to those who were possessed with demons. 34.Behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus. When they saw him, they begged that he would depart from their borders.