Thursday, June 24

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?'

18And Abraham said to God, 'Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!'

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.

20As for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him and will increase and multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve nations, and I will make him a great nation.

21But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.'

22So God finished talking with Abraham and departed from him.

23So Abraham took Ishmael his son, all who were born in his house, and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very same day, as God said to him.

24Now Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

25And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

26That very same day Abraham was circumcised, and his son Ishmael.

27Also, all the men of his house, born in the house or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

1Then God appeared to him at the oak of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door during the noon hour.

2So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men stood before him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground,

3and said, 'O Lord, if I have now found grace in Your sight, do not pass by Your servant.

4Let water be brought, and let them wash Your feet, while You cool Yourselves under the tree.

5And I will bring bread for You to eat. After that You may pass by, inasmuch as You have come to Your servant.' They said, 'Do as you have said.'

6So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, 'Quickly, make ready three measures of fine meal; knead it and make cakes.'

7Then Abraham ran to the herd, took a young calf, tender and good, gave it to his servant, and he hastened to prepare it.

8He also took butter and milk and the calf he prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree as they ate.

9Then He said to him, 'Where is Sarah your wife?' He replied, 'Here, in the tent.'

10Again He said, 'I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.' (Sarah was listening in the tent door behind him.)

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.'

15But Sarah denied she had laughed, for she was afraid, saying, 'I did not laugh'; but He said, 'No, but you did laugh.'

16Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and Abraham went along and escorted them on their journey.

17Then the Lord said, 'Shall I hide from Abraham, My servant, what I am about to do?

18But Abraham shall surely become a great and populous nation, and in him all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.

19For I know he will order his sons and his house after him. They will keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and judgment, that the Lord may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken to him.'

20Then the Lord said, 'The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah has been completed, and their sins are exceedingly great.

21Therefore, I will go down now and see whether or not they are carrying out the outcry coming to Me concerning them.'

22Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained before the Lord.

23So Abraham drew near and said, 'Would You also destroy the righteous with the ungodly?

24Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous in it?

25Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?'

26Then the Lord said, 'If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.'

27So Abraham answered and said, 'Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord:

28But suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of five?' He replied, 'If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it.'

29Again he spoke to Him and said, 'But suppose there should be forty found there?' So He said, 'I would not destroy it for the sake of forty.'

30Then he said, 'Let not the Lord be offended, and I will speak: Suppose thirty should be found there?' So He said, 'I would not destroy it if I should find thirty there.'

31Again he said, 'Since I have permission to speak to the Lord, suppose twenty should be found there?' So He said, 'I would not destroy it for the sake of twenty.'

32Then he said, 'Let not the Lord be offended, and I will speak but once more, suppose ten should be found there?' So He said, 'I would not destroy it for the sake of the ten.'

33So the Lord went His way as soon as He finished speaking with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.

1Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. So when he saw them, he rose to meet them, and bowed with his face toward the ground.

2Then he said, 'Behold, my lords, turn in to your servant's house and rest and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.' But they said, 'No, but we will spend the night in the open square.'

3But he insisted strongly; so they turned in to him and entered his house. Then he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.

4Now before they went to sleep, the men of the city, the Sodomites, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house.

5Thus they called to Lot and said to him, 'Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may have relations with them.'

6But Lot went out to them through the doorway, shut the door behind him,

7and said, 'By no means, my brethren, do not act wickedly.

8I have two daughters who have not known a man; let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you wish; only do nothing to these men, since this is the reason they have come under the protection of my roof.'

9But they said, 'Stand back! You came in to sojourn among us. Was it also to be making judgments? Now we will deal worse with you than with them.' So they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near to break down the door.

10But the men reached out their hands, pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door.

11Then they struck the men at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, and they became weary trying to find the door.

12Now the men said to Lot, 'Have you anyone else here in the city: sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone? —then take them out of this place!

13For we will destroy this place, because their outcry has become great before the Lord, and the Lord sent us to destroy it.'

14So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, 'Get up, get out of this place; for the Lord is about to wipe out this city!' But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking.

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.'

9And God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the Angel of God came to the woman again as she was sitting in the field, but Manoah her husband was not with her.

10Then the woman ran in haste and told her husband, and said to him, 'Look, the Man who came to me the other day has just now appeared to me!'

11So Manoah arose and followed his wife. When he came to the Man, he said to Him, 'Are You the Man who spoke to my wife?' And the Angel said, 'I am.'

12Manoah said, 'Now let Your words come to pass! What is to be the decision regarding the boy and his activities?'

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.'

15Then Manoah said to the Angel of the Lord, 'Let us delay You here, and we will prepare a young goat for You.'

16And the Angel of the Lord said to Manoah, 'Though you delay me, I will not eat your bread. But if you offer a burnt offering, you must offer it to the Lord'; for Manoah did not know he was the Angel of the Lord.

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?'

19So Manoah took the young goat and the sacrifice, and offered it upon the rock to the Lord. And the Angel wrought a distinct work, while Manoah and his wife were looking on.

20And it so happened when the flame went up above the altar toward heaven, that the Angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the altar. When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell upon their faces to the ground.

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

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.'

26Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,

27to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary.

28And having come in, the angel said to her, 'Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!'

29But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was.

30Then the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

31And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS.

32He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.

33And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.'

34Then Mary said to the angel, 'How can this be, since I do not know a man?'

35And the angel answered and said to her, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.

36Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.

37For with God nothing will be impossible.'

38Then Mary said, 'Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.' And the angel departed from her.

39Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah,

40and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.

41And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

42Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, 'Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!

43But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

44For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.

45Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.'

46'My soul magnifies the Lord,

47And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.

48For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.

49For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is His name.

50And His mercy is on those who fear Him From generation to generation.

51He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

52He has put down the mighty from their thrones, And exalted the lowly.

53He has filled the hungry with good things, And the rich He has sent away empty.

54He has helped His servant Israel, In remembrance of His mercy,

55As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and to his seed forever.'

56And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her house.

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,

69And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of His servant David,

70As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, Who have been since the world began,

71That we should be saved from our enemies And from the hand of all who hate us,

72To perform the mercy promised to our fathers And to remember His holy covenant,

73The oath which He swore to our father Abraham:

74To grant us that we, Being delivered from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear,

75In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.

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,

77To give knowledge of salvation to His people By the remission of their sins,

78Through the tender mercy of our God, With which the Dayspring from on high has visited us;

79To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace.'

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

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.

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.

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.'

26Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,

27to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary.

28And having come in, the angel said to her, 'Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!'

29But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was.

30Then the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

31And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS.

32He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.

33And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.'

34Then Mary said to the angel, 'How can this be, since I do not know a man?'

35And the angel answered and said to her, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.

36Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.

37For with God nothing will be impossible.'

38Then Mary said, 'Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.' And the angel departed from her.

39Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah,

40and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.

41And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

42Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, 'Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!

43But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

44For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.

45Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.'

46'My soul magnifies the Lord,

47And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.

48For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.

49For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is His name.

50And His mercy is on those who fear Him From generation to generation.

51He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

52He has put down the mighty from their thrones, And exalted the lowly.

53He has filled the hungry with good things, And the rich He has sent away empty.

54He has helped His servant Israel, In remembrance of His mercy,

55As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and to his seed forever.'

56And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her house.

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.'