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Daily Readings for January 7
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Genesis 13
1.Abram went up out of Egypt: he, his wife, all that he had, and Lot with him, into the South. 2.Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. 3.He went on his journeys from the South even to Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, 4.to the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first. There Abram called on the name of Yahweh. 5.Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents. 6.The land was not able to bear them, that they might live together: for their substance was great, so that they could not live together. 7.There was a strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite lived in the land at that time. 8.Abram said to Lot, "Please, let there be no strife between me and you, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are relatives. 9.Isn't the whole land before you? Please separate yourself from me. If you go to the left hand, then I will go to the right. Or if you go to the right hand, then I will go to the left."
10.Lot lifted up his eyes, and saw all the plain of the Jordan, that it was well-watered everywhere, before Yahweh destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, like the garden of Yahweh, like the land of Egypt, as you go to Zoar. 11.So Lot chose the Plain of the Jordan for himself. Lot traveled east, and they separated themselves the one from the other. 12.Abram lived in the land of Canaan, and Lot lived in the cities of the plain, and moved his tent as far as Sodom. 13.Now the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinners against Yahweh.
14.Yahweh said to Abram, after Lot was separated from him, "Now, lift up your eyes, and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, 15.for all the land which you see, I will give to you, and to your offspring forever. 16.I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then your seed may also be numbered. 17.Arise, walk through the land in its length and in its breadth; for I will give it to you."
18.Abram moved his tent, and came and lived by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to Yahweh.
Genesis 14
1.It happened in the days of Amraphel, king of Shinar, Arioch, king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, and Tidal, king of Goiim, 2.that they made war with Bera, king of Sodom, and with Birsha, king of Gomorrah, Shinab, king of Admah, and Shemeber, king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar). 3.All these joined together in the valley of Siddim (the same is the Salt Sea). 4.Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year, they rebelled. 5.In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer came, and the kings who were with him, and struck the Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzim in Ham, and the Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim, 6.and the Horites in their Mount Seir, to Elparan, which is by the wilderness. 7.They returned, and came to En Mishpat (the same is Kadesh), and struck all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, that lived in Hazazon Tamar. 8.The king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar) went out; and they set the battle in array against them in the valley of Siddim; 9.against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings against the five. 10.Now the valley of Siddim was full of tar pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and they fell there, and those who remained fled to the hills. 11.They took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their food, and went their way. 12.They took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who lived in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.
13.One who had escaped came and told Abram, the Hebrew. Now he lived by the oaks of Mamre, the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner; and these were allies of Abram. 14.When Abram heard that his relative was taken captive, he led out his trained men, born in his house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued as far as Dan. 15.He divided himself against them by night, he and his servants, and struck them, and pursued them to Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus. 16.He brought back all the goods, and also brought back his relative, Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.
17.The king of Sodom went out to meet him, after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, at the valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). 18.Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine: and he was priest of God Most High. 19.He blessed him, and said, "Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth: 20.and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand."
Abram gave him a tenth of all.
21.The king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the people, and take the goods to yourself."
22.Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have lifted up my hand to Yahweh, God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth, 23.that I will not take a thread nor a sandal strap nor anything that is yours, lest you should say, 'I have made Abram rich.' 24.I will accept nothing from you except that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me: Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre. Let them take their portion."
Psalm 17
1.Hear, Yahweh, my righteous plea; Give ear to my prayer, that doesn't go out of deceitful lips. 2.Let my sentence come forth from your presence. Let your eyes look on equity. 3.You have proved my heart. You have visited me in the night. You have tried me, and found nothing. I have resolved that my mouth shall not disobey. 4.As for the works of men, by the word of your lips, I have kept myself from the ways of the violent. 5.My steps have held fast to your paths. My feet have not slipped. 6.I have called on you, for you will answer me, God. Turn your ear to me. Hear my speech. 7.Show your marvelous loving kindness, you who save those who take refuge by your right hand from their enemies. 8.Keep me as the apple of your eye. Hide me under the shadow of your wings, 9.from the wicked who oppress me, my deadly enemies, who surround me. 10.They close up their callous hearts. With their mouth they speak proudly. 11.They have now surrounded us in our steps. They set their eyes to cast us down to the earth. 12.He is like a lion that is greedy of his prey, as it were a young lion lurking in secret places. 13.Arise, Yahweh, confront him. Cast him down. Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword; 14.from men by your hand, Yahweh, from men of the world, whose portion is in this life. You fill the belly of your cherished ones. Your sons have plenty, and they store up wealth for their children. 15.As for me, I shall see your face in righteousness. I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with seeing your form.
Matthew 9
1.He entered into a boat, and crossed over, and came into his own city. 2.Behold, they brought to him a man who was paralyzed, lying on a bed. Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, "Son, cheer up! Your sins are forgiven you."
3.Behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, "This man blasphemes."
4.Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5.For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven;' or to say, 'Get up, and walk?' 6.But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins..." (then he said to the paralytic), "Get up, and take up your mat, and go up to your house."
7.He arose and departed to his house. 8.But when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such authority to men.
9.As Jesus passed by from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax collection office. He said to him, "Follow me." He got up and followed him. 10.It happened as he sat in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples. 11.When the Pharisees saw it, they said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"
12.When Jesus heard it, he said to them, "Those who are healthy have no need for a physician, but those who are sick do. 13.But you go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,'[45] for I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.46"
14.Then John's disciples came to him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples don't fast?"
15.Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16.No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch would tear away from the garment, and a worse hole is made. 17.Neither do people put new wine into old wineskins, or else the skins would burst, and the wine be spilled, and the skins ruined. No, they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved."
18.While he told these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped him, saying, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live."
19.Jesus got up and followed him, as did his disciples. 20.Behold, a woman who had an issue of blood for twelve years came behind him, and touched the fringe47 of his garment; 21.for she said within herself, "If I just touch his garment, I will be made well."
22.But Jesus, turning around and seeing her, said, "Daughter, cheer up! Your faith has made you well." And the woman was made well from that hour.
23.When Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the flute players, and the crowd in noisy disorder, 24.he said to them, "Make room, because the girl isn't dead, but sleeping."
They were ridiculing him. 25.But when the crowd was put out, he entered in, took her by the hand, and the girl arose. 26.The report of this went out into all that land. 27.As Jesus passed by from there, two blind men followed him, calling out and saying, "Have mercy on us, son of David!"
28.When he had come into the house, the blind men came to him. Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?"
They told him, "Yes, Lord."
29.Then he touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith be it done to you." 30.Their eyes were opened. Jesus strictly commanded them, saying, "See that no one knows about this." 31.But they went out and spread abroad his fame in all that land.
32.As they went out, behold, a mute man who was demon possessed was brought to him. 33.When the demon was cast out, the mute man spoke. The multitudes marveled, saying, "Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!"
34.But the Pharisees said, "By the prince of the demons, he casts out demons."
35.Jesus went about all the cities and the villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Good News of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness among the people. 36.But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed48 and scattered, like sheep without a shepherd. 37.Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest indeed is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38.Pray therefore that the Lord of the harvest will send out laborers into his harvest."