Thursday, February 11, 2010

Genesis 15

Abram Promised a Son
1After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying,
"Do not fear, Abram,
I am a shield to you;
Your reward shall be very great."
2Abram said, "O Lord GOD, what will You give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?"
3And Abram said, "Since You have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir."
4Then behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir."
5And He took him outside and said, "Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them " And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be."
6Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.
7And He said to him, "I am the LORD who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it."
8He said, "O Lord GOD, how may I know that I will possess it?"
9So He said to him, "Bring Me a three year old heifer, and a three year old female goat, and a three year old ram, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon."
10Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, and laid each half opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds.
11The birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.
12Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him.
13God said to Abram, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years.
14"But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions.
15"As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age.
16"Then in the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete."
17It came about when the sun had set, that it was very dark, and behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a flaming torch which passed between these pieces.
18On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying,
"To your descendants I have given this land,
From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates:
19the Kenite and the Kenizzite and the Kadmonite
20and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Rephaim
21and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Girgashite and the Jebusite."

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Genesis 14

War of the Kings
1And it came about in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim,
2that 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 (that is, Zoar).
3All these came as allies to the valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea).
4Twelve years they had served Chedorlaomer, but the thirteenth year they rebelled.
5In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him, came and defeated the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim and the Zuzim in Ham and the Emim in Shaveh-kiriathaim,6and the Horites in their Mount Seir, as far as El-paran, which is by the wilderness.
7Then they turned back and came to En-mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and conquered all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, who lived in Hazazon-tamar.
8And the king of Sodom and the king of Gomorrah and the king of Admah and the king of Zeboiim and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) came out; and they arrayed for battle against them in the valley of Siddim, 9against Chedorlaomer king of Elam and Tidal king of Goiim and Amraphel king of Shinar and Arioch king of Ellasar--four kings against five.
10Now the valley of Siddim was full of tar pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and they fell into them But those who survived fled to the hill country.
11Then they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food supply, and departed.
12They also took Lot, Abram's nephew, and his possessions and departed, for he was living in Sodom.
13Then a fugitive came and told Abram the Hebrew Now he was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner, and these were allies with Abram.
14When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he led out his trained men, born in his house, three hundred and eighteen, and went in pursuit as far as Dan.
15He divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them, and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus.
16He brought back all the goods, and also brought back his relative Lot with his possessions, and also the women, and the people.

God's Promise to Abram
17Then after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley).
18And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High.
19He blessed him and said,
"Blessed be Abram of God Most High,
Possessor of heaven and earth;
20And blessed be God Most High,
Who has delivered your enemies into your hand."
He gave him a tenth of all.
21The king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give the people to me and take the goods for yourself."
22Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have sworn to the LORD God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth, 23that I will not take a thread or a sandal thong or anything that is yours, for fear you would say, 'I have made Abram rich.'
24"I will take nothing except what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their share."

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Genesis 13

Abram and Lot
1So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, he and his wife and all that belonged to him, and Lot with him.
2Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver and in gold.
3He went on his journeys from the Negev as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai,
4to the place of the altar which he had made there formerly; and there Abram called on the name of the Lord.
5Now Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents.
6And the land could not sustain them while dwelling together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to remain together.
7And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock Now the Canaanite and the Perizzite were dwelling then in the land.
8So Abram said to Lot, "Please let there be no strife between you and me, nor between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are brothers.
9"Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me; if to the left, then I will go to the right; or if to the right, then I will go to the left."
10Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the valley of the Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere--this was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah--like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go to Zoar.
11So Lot chose for himself all the valley of the Jordan, and Lot journeyed eastward. Thus they separated from each other.
12Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled in the cities of the valley, and moved his tents as far as Sodom.
13Now the men of Sodom were wicked exceedingly and sinners against the Lord.
14The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, "Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward;
15for all the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your descendants forever.
16"I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth, so that if anyone can number the dust of the earth, then your descendants can also be numbered.
17"Arise, walk about the land through its length and breadth; for I will give it to you."
18Then Abram moved his tent and came and dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and there he built an altar to the Lord.

Friday, January 22, 2010

Genesis 10-12

Descendants of Noah
1Now these are the records of the generations of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah; and sons were born to them after the flood.
2The sons of Japheth were Gomer and Magog and Madai and Javan and Tubal and Meshech and Tiras.
3The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz and Riphath and Togarmah.
4The sons of Javan were Elishah and Tarshish, Kittim and Dodanim.
5From these the coastlands of the nations were separated into their lands, every one according to his language, according to their families, into their nations.
6The sons of Ham were Cush and Mizraim and Put and Canaan.
7The sons of Cush were Seba and Havilah and Sabtah and Raamah and Sabteca; and the sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan.
8Now Cush became the father of Nimrod; he became a mighty one on the earth.
9He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; therefore it is said, "Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the Lord."
10The beginning of his kingdom was Babel and Erech and Accad and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.
11From that land he went forth into Assyria, and built Nineveh and Rehoboth-Ir and Calah,
12and Resen between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city.
13Mizraim became the father of Ludim and Anamim and Lehabim and Naphtuhim
14and Pathrusim and Casluhim (from which came the Philistines) and Caphtorim.
15Canaan became the father of Sidon, his firstborn, and Heth
16and the Jebusite and the Amorite and the Girgashite
17and the Hivite and the Arkite and the Sinite
18and the Arvadite and the Zemarite and the Hamathite; and afterward the families of the Canaanite were spread abroad.
19The territory of the Canaanite extended from Sidon as you go toward Gerar, as far as Gaza; as you go toward Sodom and Gomorrah and Admah and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.
20These are the sons of Ham, according to their families, according to their languages, by their lands, by their nations.
21Also to Shem, the father of all the children of Eber, and the older brother of Japheth, children were born.
22The sons of Shem were Elam and Asshur and Arpachshad and Lud and Aram.
23The sons of Aram were Uz and Hul and Gether and Mash.
24Arpachshad became the father of Shelah; and Shelah became the father of Eber.
25Two sons were born to Eber; the name of the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother's name was Joktan.
26Joktan became the father of Almodad and Sheleph and Hazarmaveth and Jerah
27and Hadoram and Uzal and Diklah
28and Obal and Abimael and Sheba
29and Ophir and Havilah and Jobab; all these were the sons of Joktan.
30Now their settlement extended from Mesha as you go toward Sephar, the hill country of the east.
31These are the sons of Shem, according to their families, according to their languages, by their lands, according to their nations.
32These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, by their nations; and out of these the nations were separated on the earth after the flood.

Universal Language, Babel, Confusion
11:1Now the whole earth used the same language and the same words.
2It came about as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.
3They said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly." And they used brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar.
4They said, "Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth."
5The Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built.
6The Lord said, "Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them.
7"Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another's speech."
8So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city.
9Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of the whole earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of the whole earth.

Descendants of Shem
10These are the records of the generations of Shem. Shem was one hundred years old, and became the father of Arpachshad two years after the flood; 11and Shem lived five hundred years after he became the father of Arpachshad, and he had other sons and daughters.
12Arpachshad lived thirty-five years, and became the father of Shelah; 13and Arpachshad lived four hundred and three years after he became the father of Shelah, and he had other sons and daughters.
14Shelah lived thirty years, and became the father of Eber; 15and Shelah lived four hundred and three years after he became the father of Eber, and he had other sons and daughters.
16Eber lived thirty-four years, and became the father of Peleg; 17and Eber lived four hundred and thirty years after he became the father of Peleg, and he had other sons and daughters.
18Peleg lived thirty years, and became the father of Reu; 19and Peleg lived two hundred and nine years after he became the father of Reu, and he had other sons and daughters.
20Reu lived thirty-two years, and became the father of Serug; 21and Reu lived two hundred and seven years after he became the father of Serug, and he had other sons and daughters.
22Serug lived thirty years, and became the father of Nahor; 23and Serug lived two hundred years after he became the father of Nahor, and he had other sons and daughters.
24Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and became the father of Terah; 25and Nahor lived one hundred and nineteen years after he became the father of Terah, and he had other sons and daughters.
26Terah lived seventy years, and became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran.
27Now these are the records of the generations of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran; and Haran became the father of Lot.
28Haran died in the presence of his father Terah in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans.
29Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves The name of Abram's wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor's wife was Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and Iscah.
30Sarai was barren; she had no child.
31Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife; and they went out together from Ur of the Chaldeans in order to enter the land of Canaan; and they went as far as Haran, and settled there.
32The days of Terah were two hundred and five years; and Terah died in Haran.

Abram Journeys to Egypt
12:1Now the Lord said to Abram,
"Go forth from your country,
And from your relatives
And from your father's house,
To the land which I will show you;
2And I will make you a great nation,
And I will bless you,
And make your name great;
And so you shall be a blessing;
3And I will bless those who bless you,
And the one who curses you I will curse
And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed."
4So Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.
5Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his nephew, and all their possessions which they had accumulated, and the persons which they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan; thus they came to the land of Canaan.
6Abram passed through the land as far as the site of Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. Now the Canaanite was then in the land.
7The Lord appeared to Abram and said, "To your descendants I will give this land " So he built an altar there to the Lord who had appeared to him.
8Then he proceeded from there to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord.
9Abram journeyed on, continuing toward the Negev.
10Now there was a famine in the land; so Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land.
11It came about when he came near to Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, "See now, I know that you are a beautiful woman; 12and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, 'This is his wife'; and they will kill me, but they will let you live.
13"Please say that you are my sister so that it may go well with me because of you, and that I may live on account of you."
14It came about when Abram came into Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful.
15Pharaoh's officials saw her and praised her to Pharaoh; and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house.
16Therefore he treated Abram well for her sake; and gave him sheep and oxen and donkeys and male and female servants and female donkeys and camels.
17But the Lord struck Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife.
18Then Pharaoh called Abram and said, "What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife?
19"Why did you say, 'She is my sister,' so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife, take her and go."
20Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they escorted him away, with his wife and all that belonged to him. (NASB)

Friday, April 10, 2009

1 John 4:11

"Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." (NIV)

Colossians 3:13

"Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." (NIV)

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Malachi 2:10

"Have we not all one Father? Did not one God create us? Why do we profane the covenant of our fathers by breaking faith with one another?" (NIV)