Daily Readings for January 4

Daily Readings for January 4
Click the arrow above to the left of the audio strip to start audio for today

Genesis 7

1.Yahweh said to Noah, "Come with all of your household into the ship, for I have seen your righteousness before me in this generation. 2.You shall take seven pairs of every clean animal with you, the male and his female. Of the animals that are not clean, take two, the male and his female. 3.Also of the birds of the sky, seven and seven, male and female, to keep seed alive on the surface of all the earth. 4.In seven days, I will cause it to rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights. Every living thing that I have made, I will destroy from the surface of the ground."

5.Noah did everything that Yahweh commanded him.

6.Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came on the earth. 7.Noah went into the ship with his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives, because of the waters of the flood. 8.Clean animals, animals that are not clean, birds, and everything that creeps on the ground 9.went by pairs to Noah into the ship, male and female, as God commanded Noah. 10.It happened after the seven days, that the waters of the flood came on the earth. 11.In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day all the fountains of the great deep were burst open, and the sky's windows were opened. 12.The rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights.

13.In the same day Noah, and Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, entered into the ship; 14.they, and every animal after its kind, all the livestock after their kind, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, every bird of every sort. 15.They went to Noah into the ship, by pairs of all flesh with the breath of life in them. 16.Those who went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God commanded him; and Yahweh shut him in. 17.The flood was forty days on the earth. The waters increased, and lifted up the ship, and it was lifted up above the earth. 18.The waters prevailed, and increased greatly on the earth; and the ship floated on the surface of the waters. 19.The waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth. All the high mountains that were under the whole sky were covered. 20.The waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward, and the mountains were covered. 21.All flesh died that moved on the earth, including birds, livestock, animals, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man. 22.All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, of all that was on the dry land, died. 23.Every living thing was destroyed that was on the surface of the ground, including man, livestock, creeping things, and birds of the sky. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ship. 24.The waters prevailed on the earth one hundred fifty days.

Genesis 8

1.God remembered Noah, all the animals, and all the livestock that were with him in the ship; and God made a wind to pass over the earth. The waters subsided. 2.The deep's fountains and the sky's windows were also stopped, and the rain from the sky was restrained. 3.The waters receded from the earth continually. After the end of one hundred fifty days the waters decreased. 4.The ship rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on Ararat's mountains. 5.The waters receded continually until the tenth month. In the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen.

6.It happened at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ship which he had made, 7.and he sent out a raven. It went back and forth, until the waters were dried up from the earth. 8.He sent out a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from the surface of the ground, 9.but the dove found no place to rest her foot, and she returned to him into the ship; for the waters were on the surface of the whole earth. He put out his hand, and took her, and brought her to him into the ship. 10.He stayed yet another seven days; and again he sent the dove out of the ship. 11.The dove came back to him at evening, and, behold, in her mouth was an olive leaf plucked off. So Noah knew that the waters were abated from the earth. 12.He stayed yet another seven days, and sent out the dove; and she didn't return to him any more.

13.It happened in the six hundred first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from the earth. Noah removed the covering of the ship, and looked. He saw that the surface of the ground was dried. 14.In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry.

15.God spoke to Noah, saying, 16."Go out of the ship, you, and your wife, and your sons, and your sons' wives with you. 17.Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh, including birds, livestock, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply on the earth."

18.Noah went out, with his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives with him. 19.Every animal, every creeping thing, and every bird, whatever moves on the earth, after their families, went out of the ship.

20.Noah built an altar to Yahweh, and took of every clean animal, and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21.Yahweh smelled the pleasant aroma. Yahweh said in his heart, "I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake, because the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I ever again strike everything living, as I have done. 22.While the earth remains, seed time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease."

Psalm 9

1.I will give thanks to Yahweh with my whole heart. I will tell of all your marvelous works. 2.I will be glad and rejoice in you. I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. 3.When my enemies turn back, they stumble and perish in your presence. 4.For you have maintained my just cause. You sit on the throne judging righteously. 5.You have rebuked the nations. You have destroyed the wicked. You have blotted out their name forever and ever. 6.The enemy is overtaken by endless ruin. The very memory of the cities which you have overthrown has perished. 7.But Yahweh reigns forever. He has prepared his throne for judgment. 8.He will judge the world in righteousness. He will administer judgment to the peoples in uprightness. 9.Yahweh will also be a high tower for the oppressed; a high tower in times of trouble. 10.Those who know your name will put their trust in you, for you, Yahweh, have not forsaken those who seek you. 11.Sing praises to Yahweh, who dwells in Zion, and declare among the people what he has done. 12.For he who avenges blood remembers them. He doesn't forget the cry of the afflicted. 13.Have mercy on me, Yahweh. See my affliction by those who hate me, and lift me up from the gates of death; 14.that I may show forth all your praise. In the gates of the daughter of Zion, I will rejoice in your salvation. 15.The nations have sunk down in the pit that they made. In the net which they hid, their own foot is taken. 16.Yahweh has made himself known. He has executed judgment. The wicked is snared by the work of his own hands. Meditation. Selah. 17.The wicked shall be turned back to Sheol⁸, even all the nations that forget God. 18.For the needy shall not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the poor perish forever. 19.Arise, Yahweh! Don't let man prevail. Let the nations be judged in your sight. 20.Put them in fear, Yahweh. Let the nations know that they are only men. Selah.

Psalm 10

1.Why do you stand far off, Yahweh? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? 2.In arrogance, the wicked hunt down the weak. They are caught in the schemes that they devise. 3.For the wicked boasts of his heart's cravings. He blesses the greedy, and condemns Yahweh. 4.The wicked, in the pride of his face, has no room in his thoughts for God. 5.His ways are prosperous at all times. He is haughty, and your laws are far from his sight. As for all his adversaries, he sneers at them. 6.He says in his heart, "I shall not be shaken. For generations I shall have no trouble." 7.His mouth is full of cursing, deceit, and oppression. Under his tongue is mischief and iniquity. 8.He lies in wait near the villages. From ambushes, he murders the innocent. His eyes are secretly set against the helpless. 9.He lurks in secret as a lion in his ambush. He lies in wait to catch the helpless. He catches the helpless, when he draws him in his net. 10.The helpless are crushed. They collapse. They fall under his strength. 11.He says in his heart, "God has forgotten. He hides his face. He will never see it."

12.Arise, Yahweh! God, lift up your hand! Don't forget the helpless. 13.Why does the wicked person condemn God, and say in his heart, "God won't call me into account?" 14.But you do see trouble and grief. You consider it to take it into your hand. You help the victim and the fatherless. 15.Break the arm of the wicked. As for the evil man, seek out his wickedness until you find none. 16.Yahweh is King forever and ever! The nations will perish out of his land. 17.Yahweh, you have heard the desire of the humble. You will prepare their heart. You will cause your ear to hear, 18.to judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that man who is of the earth may terrify no more.

Matthew 6

1."Be careful that you don't do your charitable giving before men, to be seen by them, or else you have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2.Therefore when you do merciful deeds, don't sound a trumpet before yourself, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may get glory from men. Most certainly I tell you, they have received their reward. 3.But when you do merciful deeds, don't let your left hand know what your right hand does, 4.so that your merciful deeds may be in secret, then your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

5."When you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Most certainly, I tell you, they have received their reward. 6.But you, when you pray, enter into your inner room, and having shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. 7.In praying, don't use vain repetitions, as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their much speaking. 8.Therefore don't be like them, for your Father knows what things you need, before you ask him. 9.Pray like this: 'Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. 10.Let your Kingdom come. Let your will be done, as in heaven, so on earth. 11.Give us today our daily bread. 12.Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. 13.Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.³⁹'

14."For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15.But if you don't forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

16."Moreover when you fast, don't be like the hypocrites, with sad faces. For they disfigure their faces, that they may be seen by men to be fasting. Most certainly I tell you, they have received their reward. 17.But you, when you fast, anoint your head, and wash your face; 18.so that you are not seen by men to be fasting, but by your Father who is in secret, and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.

19."Don't lay up treasures for yourselves on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal; 20.but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves don't break through and steal; 21.for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

22."The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light. 23.But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

24."No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You can't serve both God and Mammon. 25.Therefore, I tell you, don't be anxious for your life: what you will eat, or what you will drink; nor yet for your body, what you will wear. Isn't life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26.See the birds of the sky, that they don't sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren't you of much more value than they?

27."Which of you, by being anxious, can add one moment⁴⁰ to his lifespan? 28.Why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They don't toil, neither do they spin, 29.yet I tell you that even Solomon in all his glory was not dressed like one of these. 30.But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today exists, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, won't he much more clothe you, you of little faith?

31."Therefore don't be anxious, saying, 'What will we eat?', 'What will we drink?' or, 'With what will we be clothed?' 32.For the Gentiles seek after all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33.But seek first God's Kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well. 34.Therefore don't be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Each day's own evil is sufficient.