Thursday, June 24

28And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;

29being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers,

30backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

31undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful;

32who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

2:1Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.

2But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things.

3And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God?

4Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?

5But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,

6who 'will render to each one according to his deeds':

7eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality;

8but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath,

9tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek;

11And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.

12The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.

13Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.

14But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

14:1Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things.

2For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables.

3Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him.

4Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.

27'You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.'

28But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

29If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

30And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

31'Furthermore it has been said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.'

32But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.

1Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us,

2just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us,

3it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus,

4that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.

5There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.

6And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.

7But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years.

8So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division,

9according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.

10And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense.

11Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense.

12And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.

13But the angel said to him, 'Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.

14And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.

15For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.

16And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.

17He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, 'to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,' and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.'

18And Zacharias said to the angel, 'How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.'

19And the angel answered and said to him, 'I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings.

20But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.'

21And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he lingered so long in the temple.

22But when he came out, he could not speak to them; and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless.

23So it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house.

24Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying,

25'Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.'

57Now Elizabeth's full time came for her to be delivered, and she brought forth a son.

58When her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had shown great mercy to her, they rejoiced with her.

59So it was, on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him by the name of his father, Zacharias.

60His mother answered and said, 'No; he shall be called John.'

61But they said to her, 'There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.'

62So they made signs to his father—what he would have him called.

63And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, saying, 'His name is John.' So they all marveled.

64Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, praising God.

65Then fear came on all who dwelt around them; and all these sayings were discussed throughout all the hill country of Judea.

66And all those who heard them kept them in their hearts, saying, 'What kind of child will this be?' And the hand of the Lord was with him.

67Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:

68'Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited and redeemed His people,

76'And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways,

80So the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel.

24Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying,

25'Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.'

57Now Elizabeth's full time came for her to be delivered, and she brought forth a son.

58When her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had shown great mercy to her, they rejoiced with her.

59So it was, on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him by the name of his father, Zacharias.

60His mother answered and said, 'No; he shall be called John.'

61But they said to her, 'There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.'

62So they made signs to his father—what he would have him called.

63And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, saying, 'His name is John.' So they all marveled.

64Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, praising God.

65Then fear came on all who dwelt around them; and all these sayings were discussed throughout all the hill country of Judea.

66And all those who heard them kept them in their hearts, saying, 'What kind of child will this be?' And the hand of the Lord was with him.

67Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:

68'Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited and redeemed His people,

76'And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways,

80So the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel.

15Then God said to Abraham, 'As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.

16And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; and I will bless him, and he shall become nations; and kings of peoples shall be from him.'

17Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his mind, 'Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old, and shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?'

19Then God said, 'No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.

18:11Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing.

12Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, 'I have not yet had a child until now, and my lord is old also?'

13Then the Lord said to Abraham, 'Why did Sarah laugh within herself, saying, 'Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?'

14Is anything impossible with God? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.'

21:1Now the Lord visited Sarah as He said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had spoken.

2For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in old age, at the set time, of which God had spoken to him.

3So Abraham called the name of his son born to him—whom Sarah bore to him—Isaac.

4Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God commanded him.

5Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.

6And Sarah said, 'God has made me laugh; all who hear will laugh with me.'

7She also said, 'Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? For I have borne a child in my old age.'

8So the child grew and was weaned; and Abraham made a great feast on the same day Isaac was weaned.

2Now there was a certain man from Zorah, from the tribe of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren and could not give birth.

3And the Angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, 'Indeed now, you are barren and have not given birth, but you shall conceive a son.

4Now therefore, be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, and do not eat anything unclean.

5For behold, you are pregnant and shall bear a son. And no razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.'

6So the woman went in and told her husband, saying, 'A Man of God came to me, and His appearance was like the appearance of an Angel of God, very frightening. But I did not ask Him where He was from, and He did not tell me His name.

7And He said to me, 'Behold, you are pregnant and shall bear a son. Now drink no wine or strong drink, and do not eat anything unclean, for the child shall be holy to God from the womb to the day of his death.' '

8Then Manoah prayed to the Lord and said, 'Lord Adonai, please let the Man of God whom You sent come to us again and teach us what we shall do for the child who will be born.'

13So the Angel of the Lord said to Manoah, 'The woman will guard herself from everything I have told her.

14She may not eat anything that comes from the vine of wine, and let her not drink wine or similar strong drink, nor eat anything unclean. All that I commanded her, let her observe.'

17Then Manoah said to the Angel of the Lord, 'What is Your name, so when Your words come to pass we may honor You?'

18And the Angel of the Lord said to him, 'Why do you ask My name, is it extraordinary?'

21When the Angel of the Lord appeared no more to Manoah and his wife, Manoah knew this to be the Angel of the Lord.