the Week of Proper 21 / Ordinary 26
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Daily Bible Reading
January 18 - Bible-in-a-Year
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Genesis 25
Chapter 25
Abraham's Other Wife and Sons
1 Now Abraham had taken another wife, whose name was Keturah,(a) 2 and she bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. 3 Jokshan fathered Sheba and Dedan. Dedan's sons were the Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim. 4 And Midian's sons were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were sons of Keturah. 5 Abraham gave everything he owned to Isaac.(b) 6 And Abraham gave gifts to the sons of his concubines, but while he was still alive he sent them eastward, away from his son Isaac, to the land of the East.(c)
Abraham's Death
7 This is the length of Abraham's life:[a] 175 years. 8 He took his last breath and died at a ripe old age,(d) old and contented,[b] and he was gathered to his people.(e) 9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah(f) near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite. 10 This was the field that Abraham bought from the Hittites.(g) Abraham was buried there with his wife Sarah. 11 After Abraham's death, God blessed his son Isaac, who lived near Beer-lahai-roi.(h)
Ishmael's Family Records
12 These are the family records(i) of Abraham's son Ishmael,(j) whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's slave, bore to Abraham. 13 These are the names of Ishmael's sons; their names according to the family records are: Nebaioth, Ishmael's firstborn, then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. 16 These are Ishmael's sons, and these are their names by their villages and encampments: 12 leaders[c](k) of their clans.[d] 17 This is the length[e] of Ishmael's life: 137 years. He took his last breath and died, and was gathered to his people. 18 And they[f] settled from Havilah to Shur, which is opposite Egypt as you go toward Asshur. He[g] lived in opposition to[h] all his brothers.(l)
The Birth of Jacob and Esau
19 These are the family records of Isaac son of Abraham. Abraham fathered Isaac.(m) 20 Isaac was 40 years old when he took as his wife Rebekah(n) daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan-aram(o) and sister of Laban the Aramean.(p) 21 Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife because she was childless.(q) The Lord heard his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived.(r) 22 But the children inside her struggled with each other, and she said, "Why is this happening to me?"[i] So she went to inquire of the Lord .(s) 23 And the Lord said to her:
Two nations are in your womb;
two people will come from you and be separated.
One people will be stronger than the other,(t)
and the older will serve the younger.(u)
24 When her time came to give birth, there were indeed twins in her womb. 25 The first one came out red-looking,[j] covered with hair[k] like a fur coat, and they named him Esau.(v) 26 After this, his brother came out grasping Esau's heel with his hand.(w) So he was named Jacob.[l](x) Isaac was 60 years old when they were born.
Esau Sells His Birthright
27 When the boys grew up, Esau became an expert hunter, an outdoorsman,[m] but Jacob was a quiet man who stayed at home.[n] 28 Isaac loved Esau because he had a taste for wild game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.(y)
29 Once when Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau came in from the field exhausted. 30 He said to Jacob, "Let me eat some of that red stuff, because I'm exhausted." That is why he was also named Edom.[o]
31 Jacob replied, "First sell me your birthright."
32 "Look," said Esau, "I'm about to die, so what good is a birthright to me?"
33 Jacob said, "Swear to me first." So he swore to Jacob and sold his birthright to him. 34 Then Jacob gave bread and lentil stew to Esau; he ate, drank, got up, and went away. So Esau despised his birthright.(z)
Psalms 18
Chapter 18
Psalm 18
Praise for Deliverance
For the choir director. Of the servant of the Lord , David, who spoke the words of this song to the Lord on the day the Lord rescued him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.(a) He said:
1 I love You,
Lord
, my strength.
2 The
Lord
is my rock,
my fortress, and my deliverer,(b)
my God, my mountain where I seek refuge,
my shield(c) and the horn of my salvation,(d)
my stronghold.
3 I called to the
Lord
, who is worthy of praise,(e)
and I was saved from my enemies.(f)
4 The ropes of death were wrapped around me;
the torrents of destruction terrified me.(g)
5 The ropes of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.(h)
6 I called to the
Lord
in my distress,
and I cried to my God for help.
From His temple He heard my voice,(i)
and my cry to Him reached His ears.(j)
7 Then the earth shook and quaked;
the foundations of the mountains trembled;(k)
they shook because He burned with anger.
8 Smoke rose from His nostrils,
and consuming fire came from His mouth;
coals were set ablaze by it.[a](l)
9 He parted the heavens and came down,(m)
a dark cloud beneath His feet.
10 He rode on a cherub and flew,
soaring on the wings of the wind.(n)
11 He made darkness His hiding place,
dark storm clouds His canopy around Him.(o)
12 From the radiance of His presence,(p)
His clouds swept onward with hail and blazing coals.
13 The
Lord
thundered from[b] heaven;
the Most High projected His voice.[c](q)
14 He shot His arrows and scattered them;
He hurled[d] lightning bolts and routed them.(r)
15 The depths of the sea became visible,
the foundations of the world were exposed,
at Your rebuke,
Lord
,
at the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.(s)
16 He reached down from heaven
and took hold of me;
He pulled me out of deep waters.(t)
17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy
and from those who hated me,
for they were too strong for me.(u)
18 They confronted me in the day of my distress,
but the
Lord
was my support.(v)
19 He brought me out to a spacious place;(w)
He rescued me because He delighted in me.(x)
20 The
Lord
rewarded me
according to my righteousness;(y)
He repaid me
according to the cleanness of my hands.(z)
21 For I have kept the ways of the
Lord
and have not turned from my God to wickedness.(aa)
22 Indeed, I have kept all His ordinances in mind[e]
and have not disregarded His statutes.(ab)
23 I was blameless toward Him(ac)
and kept myself from sinning.
24 So the
Lord
repaid me
according to my righteousness,(ad)
according to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.(ae)
25 With the faithful
You prove Yourself faithful;
with the blameless man
You prove Yourself blameless;
26 with the pure
You prove Yourself pure,
but with the crooked
You prove Yourself shrewd.(af)
27 For You rescue an afflicted people,(ag)
but You humble those with haughty eyes.(ah)
28
Lord
, You light my lamp;
my God illuminates my darkness.(ai)
29 With You I can attack a barrier,[f]
and with my God I can leap over a wall.(aj)
30 God—His way is perfect;(ak)
the word of the
Lord
is pure.(al)
He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.(am)
31 For who is God besides Yahweh?(an)
And who is a rock? Only our God.(ao)
32 God—He clothes me with strength(ap)
and makes my way perfect.
33 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer(aq)
and sets me securely on the heights.[g](ar)
34 He trains my hands for war;(as)
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.(at)
35 You have given me the shield of Your salvation;
Your right hand upholds me,(au)
and Your humility exalts me.
36 You widen a place beneath me for my steps,(av)
and my ankles do not give way.(aw)
37 I pursue my enemies and overtake them;
I do not turn back until they are wiped out.(ax)
38 I crush them, and they cannot get up;
they fall beneath my feet.(ay)
39 You have clothed me with strength for battle;(az)
You subdue my adversaries beneath me.(ba)
40 You have made my enemies retreat before me;[h](bb)
I annihilate those who hate me.(bc)
41 They cry for help, but there is no one to save them(bd)—
they cry to the
Lord
, but He does not answer them.(be)
42 I pulverize them like dust before the wind;(bf)
I trample them[i] like mud in the streets.(bg)
43 You have freed me from the feuds among the people;
You have appointed me the head of nations;(bh)
a people I had not known serve me.(bi)
44 Foreigners submit to me grudgingly;
as soon as they hear,[j] they obey me.(bj)
45 Foreigners lose heart
and come trembling from their fortifications.(bk)
46 The
Lord
lives—may my rock be praised!
The God of my salvation is exalted.(bl)
47 God—He gives me vengeance(bm)
and subdues peoples under me.(bn)
48 He frees me from my enemies.
You exalt me above my adversaries;
You rescue me from violent men.(bo)
49 Therefore I will praise You, Yahweh, among the nations;
I will sing about Your name.(bp)
50 He gives great victories to His king;(bq)
He shows loyalty to His anointed,
to David and his descendants forever.(br)
Luke 14:1-24
Chapter 14
A Sabbath Controversy
1 One Sabbath, when He went to eat[a] at the house of one of the leading Pharisees,(a) they were watching Him closely.(b) 2 There in front of Him was a man whose body was swollen with fluid.[b] 3 In response, Jesus asked the law experts(c) and the Pharisees, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?"(d) 4 But they kept silent. He took the man, healed him, and sent him away. 5 And to them, He said, "Which of you whose son or ox falls into a well, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?" (e) 6 To this they could find no answer.
Teachings on Humility
7 He told a parable(f) to those who were invited, when He noticed how they would choose the best places(g) for themselves: 8 "When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, don't recline at the best place, because a more distinguished person(h) than you may have been invited by your host.[c] 9 The one who invited both of you may come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this man,' and then in humiliation, you will proceed to take the lowest place.
10 "But when you are invited, go and recline in the lowest place, so that when the one who invited you comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.' You will then be honored(i) in the presence of all the other guests. (j) 11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted." (k)
12 He also said to the one who had invited Him, "When you give a lunch or a dinner, don't invite your friends, your brothers, your relatives, or your rich neighbors, because they might invite you back, and you would be repaid. 13 On the contrary, when you host a banquet,(l) invite those who are poor, maimed, lame, or blind. (m) 14 And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you will be repaid(n) at the resurrection of the righteous." (o)
The Parable of the Large Banquet
15 When(p) one of those who reclined at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, "The one who will eat bread in the kingdom of God(q) is blessed!"
16 Then He told him: "A man was giving a large banquet and invited many. 17 At the time of the banquet, he sent his slave to tell those who were invited, ‘Come, because everything is now ready.'
18 "But without exception[d] they all began to make excuses. The first one said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. I ask you to excuse me.'
19 "Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm going to try them out. I ask you to excuse me.'
20 "And another said, ‘I just got married, [e](r) and therefore I'm unable to come.'
21 "So the slave came back and reported these things to his master. Then in anger, the master of the house told his slave, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the city, and bring in here the poor, maimed, blind, and lame!'(s)
22 "‘Master,' the slave said, ‘what you ordered has been done, and there's still room.'
23 "Then the master told the slave, ‘Go out into the highways and lanes and make them come in, so that my house may be filled. 24 For I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will enjoy my banquet!'"
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