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Bible Reading Plan
Daily Bible Reading
January 20 - Old & New Testament
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Job 30,31
Job's Present State Is Humiliating
1 "But now those who are younger than I (C1)mock me,
Whose fathers I refused to put with the dogs of my flock.
2 "Indeed, what good was the strength of their hands to me?
Vigor had perished from them.
3 "From poverty and famine they are gaunt,
They who gnaw at the dry ground by night in waste and desolation,
4 Who pluck saltweed by the bushes,
And whose food is the root of the broom shrub.
5 "They are driven from the community;
They shout against them as against a thief,
6 So that they live on the slopes of ravines,
In holes in the ground and among the rocks.
7 "Among the bushes they (F1)cry out;
Under the weeds they are gathered together.
8 "Worthless (F1)fellows, even (F2)those without a name,
They were cast out from the land.
9 "And now I have become their (F1)(C1)taunt,
And I have become a (F2)(C2)byword to them.
10 "They loathe me and stand aloof from me,
And they do not (F1)refrain from (C1)spitting in my face.
11 "Because He has undone (F1)my (F2)bowstring and (C1)afflicted me,
They have cast off (C2)the bridle before me.
12 "On the right hand their (F1)mob arises;
They (C1)push aside my feet (C2)and pile up their ways of destruction against me.
13 "They (C1)break up my path,
They promote my destruction;
No one restrains them.
14 "As through a wide gap they come,
(F1)Amid the storm they roll on.
15 "(C1)Sudden terrors are turned upon me;
They chase away my dignity like the wind,
And my (F1)prosperity has passed away (C2)like a cloud.
16 "And now (C1)my soul is poured out (F1)within me;
Days of misery have seized me.
17 "At night it pierces (C1)my bones (F1)within me,
And my gnawing pains do not rest.
18 "By a great force my garment is (C1)distorted;
It ties me up like the collar of my coat.
19 "He has thrown me into the (C1)mire,
And I have become like dust and ashes.
20 "I (C1)cry out to You for help, but You do not answer me;
I stand up, and You turn Your attention against me.
21 "You have (F1)become cruel to me;
With the strength of Your hand You (C1)persecute me.
22 "You (C1)lift me up to the wind and make me ride it;
And You dissolve me in a storm.
23 "For I know that You (C1)will bring me to death,
And to the (C2)house of meeting for all living.
24 "Yet does one in a heap of ruins not reach out with his hand,
Or in his disaster does he not (C1)cry out for help?
25 "Have I not (C1)wept for the (F1)one whose life is hard?
Was my soul not grieved for (C2)the needy?
26 "When I (C1)expected good, evil came;
When I waited for light, (C2)darkness came.
27 "(F1)I am seething (C1)within and cannot rest;
Days of misery confront me.
28 "I go about (F1)(C1)mourning without comfort;
I stand up in the assembly and (C2)cry out for help.
29 "I have become a brother to (C1)jackals,
And a companion of ostriches.
30 "My (C1)skin turns black (F1)on me,
And my (C2)bones burn with (F2)fever.
31 "Therefore my (C1)harp (F1)is turned to mourning,
And my flute to the sound of those who weep.
Job Asserts His Integrity
1 "I have made a covenant with my (C1)eyes;
How then could I look at a virgin?
2 "And what is (C1)the portion of God from above,
Or the inheritance of the Almighty from on high?
3 "Is it not (C1)disaster to the criminal,
And misfortune to (C2)those who practice injustice?
4 "Does He not (C1)see my ways,
And (C2)count all my steps?
5 "If I have (C1)walked with deception,
And my foot has hurried after deceit,
6 Let Him (C1)weigh me with (F1)accurate scales,
And let God know (C2)my integrity.
7 "If my step has (C1)turned from the way,
Or my heart (F1)followed my eyes,
Or if any (C2)spot has stuck to my hands,
8 Let me (C1)sow and another eat,
And let my (F1)(C2)crops be uprooted.
9 "If my heart has been (C1)enticed by a woman,
Or I have lurked at my neighbor's doorway,
10 May my wife (C1)grind grain for another,
And let (C2)others (F1)kneel down over her.
11 "For that would be a (C1)lustful crime;
Moreover, it would be (C2)wrongdoing punishable by judges.
12 "For it would be (C1)fire that consumes to (F1)(C2)Abaddon,
And would (C3)uproot all my (F2)increase.
13 "If I have (C1)rejected the claim of my male or female slaves
When they filed a complaint against me,
14 What then could I do when God arises?
And when He calls me to account, how am I to answer Him?
15 "Did (C1)He who made me in the womb not make him,
And the same One create us in the womb?
16 "If I have kept (C1)the poor from their desire,
Or have caused the eyes of (C2)the widow to fail,
17 Or have (C1)eaten my morsel alone,
And (C2)the orphan has not (F1)shared it
18 (But from my youth he grew up with me as with a father,
And from (F1)my infancy I guided her),
19 If I have seen anyone perish (C1)for lack of clothing,
Or that (C2)the needy had no covering,
20 If his waist has not (F1)thanked me,
And if he has not been warmed with the fleece of my sheep,
21 If I have lifted up my hand against (C1)the orphan,
Because I saw (F1)I had support (C2)in the gate,
22 May my shoulder fall from its (F1)socket,
And my (C1)arm be broken off (F2)at the elbow.
23 "For (C1)disaster from God is a terror to me,
And because of (C2)His majesty I can do nothing.
24 "If I have put my confidence in (C1)gold,
And called fine gold my trust,
25 If I have (C1)gloated because my wealth was great,
And because my hand had obtained so much;
26 If I have (C1)looked at the (F1)sun when it shone,
Or the moon going in splendor,
27 And my heart was secretly enticed,
And my hand (F1)threw a kiss from my mouth,
28 That too would have been (C1)a guilty deed calling for (F1)judgment,
For I would have (C2)denied God above.
29 "Have I (C1)rejoiced at the misfortune of my enemy,
Or become excited when evil found him?
30 "(F1)No, (C1)I have not (F2)allowed my mouth to sin
By asking for his life in (C2)a curse.
31 "Have the people of my tent not said,
'Who can (F1)find one who has not been (C1)satisfied with his meat'?
32 "The stranger has not spent the night outside,
For I have opened my doors to the (F1)traveler.
33 "Have I (C1)covered my wrongdoings like a man,
By hiding my guilt in my shirt pocket,
34 Because I (C1)feared the great multitude
And the contempt of families terrified me,
And I kept silent and did not go out of doors?
35 "Oh that I had one to hear me!
Here is my (F1)signature;
(C1)Let the Almighty answer me!
And the indictment which my (C2)adversary has written,
36 I would certainly carry it on my shoulder,
I would tie it to myself like a garland.
37 "I would declare to Him (C1)the number of my steps;
Like (C2)a prince, I would approach Him.
38 "If my (C1)land cries out against me,
And its furrows weep together;
39 If I have (C1)eaten its (F1)fruit without money,
Or have (C2)caused (F2)its owners to lose their lives,
40 May the (C1)thorn-bush (F1)grow instead of wheat,
And stinkweed instead of barley."
The words of Job are ended.
Matthew 13:31-58
Chapter 13
31 He presented another parable to them, saying, "(C1)The kingdom of heaven is like (C2)a mustard seed, which a person took and sowed in his field;32 and this is smaller than all the other seeds, but when it is fully grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that (C1)THE BIRDS OF THE SKY come and NEST IN ITS BRANCHES."
The Leaven
33 He spoke another parable to them: "(C1)The kingdom of heaven is like (F1)leaven, which a woman took and hid in (C2)three (F2)sata of flour until it was all leavened."
34 All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables, and He did not speak anything to them (C1)without a parable.35 This was so that what was spoken through the prophet would be (F1)fulfilled: "(C1)I WILL OPEN MY MOUTH IN PARABLES;
I WILL PROCLAIM THINGS HIDDEN SINCE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD."
The Weeds Explained
36 Then He left the crowds and went into (C1)the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, "(C2)Explain to us the parable of the (F1)weeds of the field."37 And He said, "The one who sows the good seed is (C1)the Son of Man,38 and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are (C1)the sons of the kingdom; and the weeds are (C2)the sons of (C3)the evil one;39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is (C1)the (F1)end of the age; and the reapers are angels.40 "So just as the weeds are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at (C1)the (F1)end of the age.41 "(C1)The Son of Man (C2)will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom (F1)all (C3)stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness,42 and they (C1)will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place (C2)there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.43 "(C1)Then THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SHINE FORTH LIKE THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father. (C2)The one who has ears, (F1)let him hear.
Hidden Treasure
44 "(C1)The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from (F1)joy over it he goes and (C2)sells everything that he has, and buys that field.
A Costly Pearl
45 "Again, (C1)the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls,46 and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold everything that he had and bought it.
A Dragnet
47 "Again, (C1)the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered fish of every kind;48 and when it was filled, they pulled it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away.49 "So it will be at (C1)the (F1)end of the age: the angels will come forth and remove the wicked from among the righteous,50 and they (C1)will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place (C2)there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
51 "Have you understood all these things?" They (*)said to Him, "Yes."52 And (F1)Jesus said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings out of his treasure new things and old."
Jesus Revisits Nazareth
53 (C1)When Jesus had finished these parables, He departed from there.54 And (C1)He came to (F1)His hometown and (C2)began teaching them in their synagogue, with the result that (C3)they were astonished, and said, "Where did this man acquire this wisdom and these (F2)miraculous powers?55 "Is this not the carpenter's son? Is (C1)His mother not called Mary, and His (C1)brothers, James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?56 "And (C1)His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man acquire all these things?"57 And they took (C1)offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, "(C2)A prophet is not dishonored except in his (F1)hometown and in his own household."58 And He did not do many (F1)miracles there because of their unbelief.
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