Wednesday, 22 Tevet 5784 / January 3, 2024
Day 368 Readings
Torah: Shemot, 4th Portion Shemot (Exodus) 3:1-15
Exodus 3:1-15
New American Standard Bible
The Burning Bush
1 Now Moses was pasturing the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the [a]west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 Then the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of [b]a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not being consumed. 3 So Moses said, “I must turn aside and see this [c]marvelous sight, why the bush is not burning up!” 4 When the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then He said, “Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6 And He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
7 And the Lord said, “I have certainly seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their outcry because of their taskmasters, for I am aware of their sufferings. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the [d]power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. 9 And now, behold, the cry of the sons of Israel has come to Me; furthermore, I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians are oppressing them.
The Mission of Moses
10 And now come, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 And He said, “Assuredly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall [e]worship God at this mountain.”
13 Then Moses said to God, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?” 14 And God said to Moses, “[f]I AM WHO [g]I AM”; and He said, “This is what you shall say to the sons of Israel: ‘[h]I AM has sent me to you.’” 15 God furthermore said to Moses, “This is what you shall say to the sons of Israel: ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is the [i]name for [j]all generations to use to call upon Me.
Bible Study Together
2 Samuel 13
New American Standard Bible
Amnon and Tamar
13 Now it was after this that Absalom the son of David had a beautiful sister whose name was Tamar, and Amnon the son of David was in love with her. 2 But Amnon was so frustrated on account of his sister Tamar that he made himself ill, for she was a virgin, and it [a]seemed too difficult to Amnon to do anything to her. 3 But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab, the son of [b]Shimeah, David’s brother; and Jonadab was a very clever man. 4 And he said to him, “Why are you, the king’s son, so depressed morning after morning? Will you not tell me?” So Amnon said to him, “I am in love with Tamar, the sister of my brother Absalom.” 5 Jonadab then said to him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend to be ill; when your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘Please have my sister Tamar come and give me food to eat, and have her prepare the [c]food in my sight, so that I may see it and eat from her hand.’” 6 So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill; when the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, “Please have my sister Tamar come and make me a couple of pastries in my sight, so that I may eat from her hand.”
7 Then David sent a messenger to the house for Tamar, saying, “Go now to your brother Amnon’s house, and prepare [d]food for him.” 8 So Tamar went to her brother Amnon’s house, and he was lying in bed. And she took dough, kneaded it, made pastries in his sight, and baked the pastries. 9 Then she took the tray and served them to him, but he refused to eat. And Amnon said, “Have everyone leave me.” So everyone left him. 10 Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food into the [e]bedroom, so that I may eat from your hand.” So Tamar took the pastries which she had made and brought them into the bedroom to her brother Amnon. 11 When she brought them to him to eat, he took hold of her and said to her, “Come, sleep with me, my sister.” 12 But she said to him, “No, my brother, do not violate me, for such a thing is not done in Israel; do not do this disgraceful sin! 13 As for me, where could I [f]get rid of my shame? And as for you, you will be like one of the [g]fools in Israel. Now then, please speak to the king, for he will not [h]withhold me from you.” 14 However, he would not listen to [i]her; since he was stronger than she, he violated her and slept with her.
15 Then Amnon hated her with a very great hatred; indeed, the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, “Get up, go away!” 16 But she said to him, “No, because this wrong in sending me away is greater than the other that you have done to me!” Yet he would not listen to her. 17 Then he called his young man who attended him and said, “Now throw this woman out of my presence, and lock the door behind her!” 18 Now she had on a [j]long-sleeved garment; for this is how the virgin daughters of the king dressed themselves in robes. Then his attendant took her out and locked the door behind her. 19 Tamar took ashes and put them on her head, and tore her [k]long-sleeved garment which was on her; and she put her hand on her head and went on her way, crying out as she went.
20 Then Absalom her brother said to her, “Has Amnon your brother been with you? But now keep silent, my sister, he is your brother; do not take this matter to heart.” So Tamar remained and was isolated in her brother Absalom’s house. 21 Now when King David heard about all these matters, he became very angry. 22 But Absalom did not speak with Amnon either good or bad; for Absalom hated Amnon because he had violated his sister Tamar.
23 Now it came about after two full years that Absalom had sheepshearers in Baal-hazor, which is near Ephraim, and Absalom invited all the king’s sons to celebrate.
Absalom Avenges Tamar
24 And Absalom came to the king and said, “Behold now, your servant has sheepshearers; may the king and his servants please go with your servant.” 25 But the king said to Absalom, “No, my son, we should not all go, so that we will not be a burden to you.” Though he urged him, he would not go; but he blessed him. 26 Then Absalom said, “If not, please have my brother Amnon go with us.” But the king said to him, “Why should he go with you?” 27 Nevertheless Absalom urged him, so he let Amnon and all the king’s sons go with him.
28 Then Absalom commanded his servants, saying, “See now, when Amnon’s heart is cheerful with wine, and I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon,’ then put him to death. Do not fear; have I not commanded you myself? Be courageous and be [l]valiant.” 29 And the servants of Absalom did to Amnon just as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king’s sons got up and each mounted his mule and fled.
30 Now it was while they were on the way that the report came to David, saying, “Absalom has struck and killed all the king’s sons, and not one of them is left.” 31 Then the king stood up, tore his clothes, and lay on the ground; and all his servants were standing by with clothes torn. 32 And Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David’s brother, [m]responded, “Let my lord not [n]assume that they have put to death all the young men, the king’s sons, for only Amnon is dead; because this has been set up by the [o]intent of Absalom since the day that he violated his sister Tamar. 33 So now, may my lord the king not take the report to [p]heart, [q]claiming, ‘all the king’s sons are dead’; but only Amnon is dead.”
34 Now Absalom had fled. And the young man who was the watchman raised his eyes and looked, and behold, many people were coming from the road behind him by the side of the mountain. 35 And Jonadab said to the king, “Behold, the king’s sons have come; so it has happened according to your servant’s word.” 36 As soon as he had finished speaking, behold, the king’s sons came and raised their voices and wept; and the king and all his servants also wept [r]very profusely.
37 Now Absalom had fled and gone to Talmai the son of Ammihud, the king of Geshur. And David mourned for his son every day. 38 So Absalom had fled and gone to Geshur, and was there for three years. 39 And the heart of King David longed to go out to Absalom; for he was comforted regarding Amnon, since he was dead.
1 Corinthians 7:25-40
New American Standard Bible
25 Now concerning virgins, I have no command of the Lord, but I am offering direction as one who [a]by the mercy of the Lord is trustworthy. 26 I think, then, that this is good in view of the [b]present distress, that it is good for a man [c]to remain as he is. 27 Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be released. Are you released from a wife? Do not seek a wife. 28 But if you marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. Yet such people as yourselves will have [d]trouble in this life, and I am trying to spare you. 29 But this I say, brothers, the time has been shortened, so that from now on those who have wives should be as though they had none; 30 and those who weep, as though they did not weep; and those who rejoice, as though they did not rejoice; and those who buy, as though they did not possess; 31 and those who use the world, as though they did not make full use of it; for the present form of this world is passing away.
32 But I want you to be free from concern. One who is unmarried is concerned about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord; 33 but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how he may please his wife, 34 and his interests are divided. The woman who is unmarried, and the virgin, is concerned about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and spirit; but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how she may please her husband. 35 I say this for your own benefit, not to put a restraint on you, but [e]to promote what is appropriate and to secure undistracted devotion to the Lord.
36 But if anyone thinks that he is acting dishonorably toward his virgin, if she is [f]past her youth and it ought to be so, let him do what he wishes, he is not sinning; let [g]them marry. 37 But the one who stands firm in his heart, [h]if he is not under constraint, but has authority [i]over his own will, and has decided this in his own heart, to keep his own virgin, he will do well. 38 So then, both the one who gives his own virgin in marriage does well, and the one who does not give her in marriage will do better.
39 A wife is bound as long as her husband lives; but if her husband [j]dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. 40 But in my opinion she is [k]happier if she remains as she is; and I think that I also have the Spirit of God.
365 Daily Kingdom Living
Psalm 1
New American Standard Bible
BOOK 1
The Righteous and the Wicked Contrasted.
1 Blessed is the person who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,Nor stand in the [a]path of sinners,Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!2 But his delight is in the Law of the Lord,And on His Law he meditates day and night.3 He will be like a tree planted by [b]streams of water,Which yields its fruit in its season,And its [c]leaf does not wither;And [d]in whatever he does, he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so,But they are like chaff which the wind blows away.5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.6 For the Lord [e]knows the way of the righteous,But the way of the wicked will perish.
Genesis 2
New American Standard Bible
2 And so the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their heavenly [a]lights. 2 By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because on it He rested from all His work which God had created [b]and made.
The Creation of Man and Woman
4 [c]This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made earth and heaven. 5 Now no shrub of the field was yet on the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the Lord God had not sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to [d]cultivate the ground. 6 But a [e]mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole [f]surface of the ground. 7 Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living [g]person. 8 The Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed. 9 Out of the ground the Lord God caused every tree to grow that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
10 Now a river [h]flowed out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it divided and became four [i]rivers. 11 The name of the first is Pishon; it [j]flows around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 The gold of that land is good; the bdellium and the onyx stone are there as well. 13 The name of the second river is Gihon; it [k]flows around the whole land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is [l]Tigris; it [m]flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the [n]Euphrates.
15 Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and tend it. 16 The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not [o]eat, for on the day that you eat from it you will certainly die.”
18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper [p]suitable for him.” 19 And out of the ground the Lord God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all the livestock, and to the birds of the sky, and to every animal of the field, but for [q]Adam there was not found a helper [r]suitable for him. 21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. 22 And the Lord God [s]fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said,
“At last this is bone of my bones,And flesh of my flesh;[t]She shall be called [u]‘woman,’Because [v]she was taken out of [w]man.”
24 For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked, but they were not ashamed.
1 Chronicles 2
New American Standard Bible
Genealogy: Twelve Sons of Israel (Jacob)
2 These were the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, 2 Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
3 The sons of Judah were Er, Onan, and Shelah; these three were born to him by Bath-shua the Canaanitess. But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was evil in the sight of the Lord, so He put him to death. 4 His daughter-in-law Tamar bore him Perez and Zerah. Judah had five sons in all.
5 The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul. 6 The sons of Zerah were [a]Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol, and [b]Dara; five of them in all. 7 The [c]son of Carmi was [d]Achar, the one who brought disaster on Israel [e]by violating the [f]ban. 8 The [g]son of Ethan was Azariah.
Genealogy of David
9 Now the sons of Hezron who were born to him were Jerahmeel, Ram, and Chelubai. 10 Ram fathered Amminadab, and Amminadab fathered Nahshon, leader of the sons of Judah; 11 Nahshon fathered Salma, Salma fathered Boaz, 12 Boaz fathered Obed, and Obed fathered Jesse; 13 and Jesse fathered Eliab his firstborn, then Abinadab, the second, [h]Shimea, the third, 14 Nethanel, the fourth, Raddai, the fifth, 15 Ozem, the sixth, and David, the seventh. 16 Their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. And the three sons of Zeruiah were [i]Abshai, Joab, and Asahel. 17 Abigail gave birth to Amasa, and the father of Amasa was [j]Jether the Ishmaelite.
18 Now Caleb the son of Hezron had sons by Azubah his wife, and by Jerioth; and these were her sons: Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon. 19 When Azubah died, Caleb married Ephrath, who bore to him Hur. 20 Hur fathered Uri, and Uri fathered Bezalel.
21 Later, Hezron had relations with the daughter of Machir the father of Gilead, whom he married when he was sixty years old; and she bore to him Segub. 22 Segub fathered Jair, who had twenty-three cities in the land of Gilead. 23 But Geshur and Aram took [k]the villages of Jair from them, with Kenath and its villages, sixty settlements. All of these were the sons of Machir, the father of Gilead. 24 After the death of Hezron in Caleb-ephrathah, Abijah, Hezron’s wife, bore to him Ashhur the father of Tekoa.
25 Now the sons of Jerahmeel, the firstborn of Hezron, were Ram the firstborn, then Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah. 26 Jerahmeel had another wife, whose name was Atarah; she was the mother of Onam. 27 The sons of Ram, the firstborn of Jerahmeel, were Maaz, Jamin, and Eker. 28 The sons of Onam were Shammai and Jada. And the sons of Shammai were Nadab and Abishur. 29 The name of Abishur’s wife was Abihail, and she bore to him Ahban and Molid. 30 The sons of Nadab were Seled and Appaim, and Seled died without sons. 31 The [l]son of Appaim was Ishi. And the [m]son of Ishi was Sheshan, and the [n]son of Sheshan, Ahlai. 32 The sons of Jada the brother of Shammai were Jether and Jonathan, and Jether died without sons. 33 The sons of Jonathan were Peleth and Zaza. These were the [o]descendants of Jerahmeel. 34 Now Sheshan had no sons, only daughters. Sheshan also had an Egyptian servant, whose name was Jarha. 35 Sheshan gave his daughter to his servant Jarha in marriage, and she bore to him Attai. 36 Attai fathered Nathan, Nathan fathered Zabad, 37 Zabad fathered Ephlal, Ephlal fathered Obed, 38 Obed fathered Jehu, Jehu fathered Azariah, 39 Azariah fathered Helez, Helez fathered Eleasah, 40 Eleasah fathered Sismai, Sismai fathered Shallum, 41 Shallum fathered Jekamiah, and Jekamiah fathered Elishama.
42 Now the sons of Caleb, the brother of Jerahmeel, were Mesha his firstborn, who was the father of Ziph; and [p]his son was Mareshah, the father of Hebron. 43 The sons of Hebron were Korah, Tappuah, Rekem, and Shema. 44 Shema fathered Raham, the father of Jorkeam; and Rekem fathered Shammai. 45 The son of Shammai was Maon, and Maon was the father of Bethzur. 46 Ephah, Caleb’s concubine, gave birth to Haran, Moza, and Gazez; and Haran fathered Gazez. 47 The sons of Jahdai were Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah, and Shaaph. 48 Maacah, Caleb’s concubine, gave birth to Sheber and Tirhanah. 49 She also gave birth to Shaaph the father of Madmannah, Sheva the father of Machbena and the father of Gibea; and the daughter of Caleb was Achsah. 50 These were the sons of Caleb.
The [q]sons of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah, were Shobal the father of Kiriath-jearim, 51 Salma the father of Bethlehem, and Hareph the father of Beth-gader. 52 Shobal the father of Kiriath-jearim had sons: Haroeh, half of the Manahathites, 53 and the families of Kiriath-jearim: the Ithrites, the Puthites, the Shumathites, and the Mishraites; from these came the Zorathites and the Eshtaolites. 54 The sons of Salma were Bethlehem and the Netophathites, Atroth-beth-joab, and half of the Manahathites, the Zorites. 55 The families of scribes who lived at Jabez were the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, and the Sucathites. Those are the Kenites who came from Hammath, the father of the house of Rechab.
Luke 1:26-56
New American Standard Bible
Jesus’ Birth Foretold
26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin [a]betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the [b]descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was [c]Mary. 28 And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord [d]is with you.” 29 But she was very perplexed at this statement, and was pondering what kind of greeting this was. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” 34 But Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I [e]am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; for that reason also the [f]holy Child will be called the Son of God. 36 And behold, even your relative Elizabeth herself has conceived a son in her old age, and [g]she who was called infertile is now in her sixth month. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, the Lord’s bond-servant; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
Mary Visits Elizabeth
39 Now [h]at this time Mary set out and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And [i]how has it happened to me that the mother of my Lord would come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. 45 And blessed is she who [j]believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her [k]by the Lord.”
Mary’s Song: The Magnificat
46 And Mary said:
“My soul [l]exalts the Lord,47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.48 For He has had regard for the humble state of His bond-servant;For behold, from now on all generations will [m]call me blessed.49 For the Mighty One has done great things for me;And holy is His name.50 And His mercy is to generation [n]after generationToward those who fear Him.51 He has done [o]mighty deeds with His arm;He has scattered those who were proud in the [p]thoughts of their hearts.52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones,And has exalted those who were humble.53 He has filled the hungry with good things,And sent the rich away empty-handed.54 He has given help to His servant Israel,[q]In remembrance of His mercy,55 Just as He spoke to our fathers,To Abraham and his [r]descendants forever.”
56 Mary stayed with her about three months, and then returned to her home.