the Fourth Week after Easter
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Bible Reading Plan
Daily Bible Reading
March 26 - Old & New Testament
niv
Deuteronomy 5,6,7
The Ten Commandments(a)
1 Moses summoned all Israel and said:
Hear, Israel, the decrees and laws(b) I declare in your hearing today. Learn them and be sure to follow them. 2 The Lord our God made a covenant(c) with us at Horeb.(d) 3 It was not with our ancestors[a] that the Lord made this covenant, but with us,(e) with all of us who are alive here today.(f) 4 The Lord spoke(g) to you face to face(h) out of the fire(i) on the mountain. 5 (At that time I stood between(j) the Lord and you to declare to you the word of the Lord , because you were afraid(k) of the fire and did not go up the mountain.) And he said:
6 "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt,(l) out of the land of slavery.(m)
7 "You shall have no other gods before[b] me.
8 "You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.(n) 9 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents(o) to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,(p) 10 but showing love to a thousand(q) generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.(r)
11 "You shall not misuse the name(s) of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.(t)
12 "Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy,(u) as the Lord your God has commanded you. 13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day(v) is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant,(w) nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do.(x) 15 Remember that you were slaves(y) in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand(z) and an outstretched arm.(aa) Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.
16 "Honor your father(ab) and your mother,(ac) as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long(ad) and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
17 "You shall not murder.(ae)
18 "You shall not commit adultery.(af)
19 "You shall not steal.(ag)
20 "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.(ah)
21 "You shall not covet your neighbor's wife. You shall not set your desire on your neighbor's house or land, his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."(ai)
22 These are the commandments the Lord proclaimed in a loud voice to your whole assembly there on the mountain from out of the fire, the cloud and the deep darkness;(aj) and he added nothing more. Then he wrote them on two stone tablets(ak) and gave them to me.
23 When you heard the voice out of the darkness, while the mountain was ablaze with fire, all the leaders of your tribes and your elders(al) came to me. 24 And you said, "The Lord our God has shown us(am) his glory and his majesty,(an) and we have heard his voice from the fire. Today we have seen that a person can live even if God speaks with them.(ao) 25 But now, why should we die? This great fire will consume us, and we will die if we hear the voice of the Lord our God any longer.(ap) 26 For what mortal has ever heard the voice of the living God speaking out of fire, as we have, and survived?(aq) 27 Go near and listen to all that the Lord our God says.(ar) Then tell us whatever the Lord our God tells you. We will listen and obey."(as)
28 The Lord heard you when you spoke to me, and the Lord said to me, "I have heard what this people said to you. Everything they said was good.(at) 29 Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me(au) and keep all my commands(av) always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!(aw)
30 "Go, tell them to return to their tents. 31 But you stay here(ax) with me so that I may give you all the commands, decrees and laws you are to teach them to follow in the land I am giving them to possess."
32 So be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you;(ay) do not turn aside to the right or to the left.(az) 33 Walk in obedience to all that the Lord your God has commanded you,(ba) so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days(bb) in the land that you will possess.
Love the Lord Your God
1 These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, 2 so that you, your children and their children after them may fear(a) the Lord your God as long as you live(b) by keeping all his decrees and commands(c) that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life.(d) 3 Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey(e) so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly(f) in a land flowing with milk and honey,(g) just as the Lord , the God of your ancestors, promised(h) you.
4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[a](i) 5 Love(j) the Lord your God with all your heart(k) and with all your soul and with all your strength.(l) 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.(m) 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.(n) 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.(o) 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.(p)
10 When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build,(q) 11 houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig,(r) and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied,(s) 12 be careful that you do not forget(t) the Lord , who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
13 Fear the Lord (u) your God, serve him only(v) and take your oaths(w) in his name.(x) 14 Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; 15 for the Lord your God(y), who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land. 16 Do not put the Lord your God to the test(z) as you did at Massah. 17 Be sure to keep(aa) the commands of the Lord your God and the stipulations and decrees he has given you.(ab) 18 Do what is right and good in the Lord 's sight,(ac) so that it may go well(ad) with you and you may go in and take over the good land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors, 19 thrusting out all your enemies(ae) before you, as the Lord said.
20 In the future, when your son asks you,(af) "What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the Lord our God has commanded you?" 21 tell him: "We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand.(ag) 22 Before our eyes the Lord sent signs and wonders—great and terrible—on Egypt and Pharaoh and his whole household. 23 But he brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land he promised on oath to our ancestors. 24 The Lord commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the Lord our God,(ah) so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today.(ai) 25 And if we are careful to obey all this law(aj) before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness.(ak)"
Driving Out the Nations
1 When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess(a) and drives out before you many nations(b)—the Hittites,(c) Girgashites,(d) Amorites,(e) Canaanites, Perizzites,(f) Hivites(g) and Jebusites,(h) seven nations larger and stronger than you— 2 and when the Lord your God has delivered(i) them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy(j) them totally.[a](k) Make no treaty(l) with them, and show them no mercy.(m) 3 Do not intermarry with them.(n) Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, 4 for they will turn your children away from following me to serve other gods,(o) and the Lord 's anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy(p) you. 5 This is what you are to do to them: Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles[b](q) and burn their idols in the fire.(r) 6 For you are a people holy(s) to the Lord your God.(t) The Lord your God has chosen(u) you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.(v)
7 The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous(w) than other peoples, for you were the fewest(x) of all peoples.(y) 8 But it was because the Lord loved(z) you and kept the oath he swore(aa) to your ancestors that he brought you out with a mighty hand(ab) and redeemed(ac) you from the land of slavery,(ad) from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9 Know therefore that the Lord your God is God;(ae) he is the faithful God,(af) keeping his covenant of love(ag) to a thousand generations(ah) of those who love him and keep his commandments.(ai) 10 But
those who hate him he will repay to their face by destruction;
he will not be slow to repay to their face those who hate him.(aj)
11 Therefore, take care to follow the commands, decrees and laws I give you today.
12 If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the Lord your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your ancestors.(ak) 13 He will love you and bless you(al) and increase your numbers.(am) He will bless the fruit of your womb,(an) the crops of your land—your grain, new wine(ao) and olive oil(ap)—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you.(aq) 14 You will be blessed more than any other people; none of your men or women will be childless, nor will any of your livestock be without young.(ar) 15 The Lord will keep you free from every disease.(as) He will not inflict on you the horrible diseases you knew in Egypt,(at) but he will inflict them on all who hate you.(au) 16 You must destroy all the peoples the Lord your God gives over to you.(av) Do not look on them with pity(aw) and do not serve their gods,(ax) for that will be a snare(ay) to you.
17 You may say to yourselves, "These nations are stronger than we are. How can we drive them out?(az)" 18 But do not be afraid(ba) of them; remember well what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt.(bb) 19 You saw with your own eyes the great trials, the signs and wonders, the mighty hand(bc) and outstretched arm, with which the Lord your God brought you out. The Lord your God will do the same to all the peoples you now fear.(bd) 20 Moreover, the Lord your God will send the hornet(be) among them until even the survivors who hide from you have perished. 21 Do not be terrified by them, for the Lord your God, who is among you,(bf) is a great and awesome God.(bg) 22 The Lord your God will drive out those nations before you, little by little.(bh) You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals will multiply around you. 23 But the Lord your God will deliver them over to you, throwing them into great confusion until they are destroyed.(bi) 24 He will give their kings(bj) into your hand,(bk) and you will wipe out their names from under heaven. No one will be able to stand up against you;(bl) you will destroy them.(bm) 25 The images of their gods you are to burn(bn) in the fire. Do not covet(bo) the silver and gold on them, and do not take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared(bp) by it, for it is detestable(bq) to the Lord your God. 26 Do not bring a detestable thing into your house or you, like it, will be set apart for destruction.(br) Regard it as vile and utterly detest it, for it is set apart for destruction.
Luke 3
Chapter 3
John the Baptist Prepares the Way(a)(b)
1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate(c) was governor of Judea, Herod(d) tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene— 2 during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas,(e) the word of God came to John(f) son of Zechariah(g) in the wilderness. 3 He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.(h) 4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:
"A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.
5 Every valley shall be filled in,
every mountain and hill made low.
The crooked roads shall become straight,
the rough ways smooth.
6 And all people will see God's salvation.'"[a](i)
7 John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers!(j) Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?(k) 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.'(l) For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 9 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire."(m)
10 "What should we do then?"(n) the crowd asked.
11 John answered, "Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same."(o)
12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized.(p) "Teacher," they asked, "what should we do?"
13 "Don't collect any more than you are required to,"(q) he told them.
14 Then some soldiers asked him, "And what should we do?"
He replied, "Don't extort money and don't accuse people falsely(r)—be content with your pay."
15 The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John(s) might possibly be the Messiah.(t) 16 John answered them all, "I baptize you with[b] water.(u) But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with[c] the Holy Spirit and fire.(v) 17 His winnowing fork(w) is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."(x) 18 And with many other words John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them.
19 But when John rebuked Herod(y) the tetrarch because of his marriage to Herodias, his brother's wife, and all the other evil things he had done, 20 Herod added this to them all: He locked John up in prison.(z)
The Baptism and Genealogy of Jesus(aa)(ab)
21 When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying,(ac) heaven was opened 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him(ad) in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son,(ae) whom I love; with you I am well pleased."(af)
23 Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry.(ag) He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph,(ah)
the son of Heli, 24 the son of Matthat,
the son of Levi, the son of Melki,
the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph,
25 the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos,
the son of Nahum, the son of Esli,
the son of Naggai, 26 the son of Maath,
the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein,
the son of Josek, the son of Joda,
27 the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa,
the son of Zerubbabel,(ai) the son of Shealtiel,
the son of Neri, 28 the son of Melki,
the son of Addi, the son of Cosam,
the son of Elmadam, the son of Er,
29 the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer,
the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat,
the son of Levi, 30 the son of Simeon,
the son of Judah, the son of Joseph,
the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim,
31 the son of Melea, the son of Menna,
the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan,(aj)
the son of David, 32 the son of Jesse,
the son of Obed, the son of Boaz,
the son of Salmon,[d] the son of Nahshon,
33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram,[e]
the son of Hezron, the son of Perez,(ak)
the son of Judah, 34 the son of Jacob,
the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham,
the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,(al)
35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu,
the son of Peleg, the son of Eber,
the son of Shelah, 36 the son of Cainan,
the son of Arphaxad,(am) the son of Shem,
the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,(an)
37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch,
the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel,
the son of Kenan,(ao) 38 the son of Enosh,
the son of Seth, the son of Adam,
the son of God.(ap)
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