Daily Bible CEV January 25 Scroll

Zacchaeus

Luke 19 Jesus was going through Jericho, ²where a man named Zacchaeus lived. He was in charge of collecting taxes and was very rich. ^3-4Jesus was heading his way, and Zacchaeus wanted to see what he was like. But Zacchaeus was a short man and could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree.

⁵When Jesus got there, he looked up and said, "Zacchaeus, hurry down! I want to stay with you today." ⁶Zacchaeus hurried down and gladly welcomed Jesus.

⁷Everyone who saw this started grumbling, "This man Zacchaeus is a sinner! And Jesus is going home to eat with him."

⁸Later that day Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "I will give half of my property to the poor. And I will now pay back four times as much to everyone I have ever cheated."

⁹Jesus said to Zacchaeus, "Today you and your family have been saved, because you are a true son of Abraham. ¹⁰The Son of Man came to look for and to save people who are lost."

A Story about Ten Servants
(Matthew 25.14-30)

¹¹The crowd was still listening to Jesus as he was getting close to Jerusalem. Many of them thought that God's kingdom would soon appear, ¹²and Jesus told them this story:

A prince once went to a foreign country to be crowned king and then to return. ¹³But before leaving, he called in ten servants and gave each of them some money. He told them, "Use this to earn more money until I get back."

¹⁴But the people of his country hated him, and they sent messengers to the foreign country to say, "We don't want this man to be our king."

¹⁵After the prince had been made king, he returned and called in his servants. He asked them how much they had earned with the money they had been given.

¹⁶The first servant came and said, "Sir, with the money you gave me I have earned ten times as much."

¹⁷"That's fine, my good servant!" the king said. "Since you have shown that you can be trusted with a small amount, you will be given ten cities to rule."

¹⁸The second one came and said, "Sir, with the money you gave me, I have earned five times as much."

¹⁹The king said, "You will be given five cities."

²⁰Another servant came and said, "Sir, here is your money. I kept it safe in a handkerchief. ²¹You are a hard man, and I was afraid of you. You take what isn't yours, and you harvest crops you didn't plant."

²²"You worthless servant!" the king told him. "You have condemned yourself by what you have just said. You knew that I am a hard man, taking what isn't mine and harvesting what I've not planted. ²³Why didn't you put my money in the bank? On my return, I could have had the money together with interest."

²⁴Then he said to some other servants standing there, "Take the money away from him and give it to the servant who earned ten times as much."

²⁵But they said, "Sir, he already has ten times as much!"

²⁶The king replied, "Those who have something will be given more. But everything will be taken away from those who don't have anything. ²⁷Now bring me the enemies who didn't want me to be their king. Kill them while I watch!"

Jacob Gets Ready To Meet Esau

Genesis 32 As Jacob was on his way back home, some of God's angels came and met him. ²When Jacob saw them, he said, "This is God's camp." So he named the place Mahanaim.

³Jacob sent messengers on ahead to Esau, who lived in the land of Seir, also known as Edom. ⁴Jacob told them to say to Esau, "Master, I am your servant! I have lived with Laban all this time, ⁵and now I own cattle, donkeys, and sheep, as well as many slaves. Master, I am sending these messengers in the hope that you will be kind to me."

⁶When the messengers returned, they told Jacob, "We went to your brother Esau, and now he is heading this way with four hundred men."

⁷Jacob was so frightened that he divided his people, sheep, cattle, and camels into two groups. ⁸He thought, "If Esau attacks one group, perhaps the other can escape."

⁹Then Jacob prayed:

You, LORD, are the God who was worshiped by my grandfather Abraham and by my father Isaac. You told me to return home to my family, and you promised to be with me and make me successful. ¹⁰I don't deserve all the good things you have done for me, your servant. When I first crossed the Jordan, I had only my walking stick, but now I have two large groups of people and animals. ¹¹Please rescue me from my brother. I am afraid he will come and attack not only me, but my wives and children as well. ¹²But you have promised that I would be a success and that someday it will be as hard to count my descendants as it is to count the stars in the sky.

¹³After Jacob had spent the night there, he chose some animals as gifts for Esau: ^14-15two hundred female goats and twenty males, two hundred female sheep and twenty males, thirty female camels with their young, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty female donkeys and ten males.

¹⁶Jacob put servants in charge of each herd and told them, "Go ahead of me and keep a space between each herd." ¹⁷Then he said to the servant in charge of the first herd, "When Esau meets you, he will ask whose servant you are. He will want to know where you are going and who owns those animals in front of you. ¹⁸So tell him, 'They belong to your servant Jacob, who is coming this way. He is sending them as a gift to his master Esau.' "

¹⁹Jacob also told the men in charge of the second and third herds and those who followed to say the same thing when they met Esau. ²⁰And Jacob told them to be sure to say that he was right behind them. Jacob hoped the gifts would make Esau friendly, so Esau would be glad to see him when they met. ²¹Jacob's men took the gifts on ahead of him, but he spent the night in camp.

Jacob's Name Is Changed to Israel

^22-23Jacob got up in the middle of the night and took his wives, his eleven children, and everything he owned across to the other side of the Jabbok River for safety. ²⁴Afterwards, Jacob went back and spent the rest of the night alone.

A man came and fought with Jacob until just before daybreak. ²⁵When the man saw that he could not win, he struck Jacob on the hip and threw it out of joint. ²⁶They kept on wrestling until the man said, "Let go of me! It's almost daylight."

"You can't go until you bless me," Jacob replied.

²⁷Then the man asked, "What is your name?"

"Jacob," he answered.

²⁸The man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob. You have wrestled with God and with men, and you have won. That's why your name will be Israel."

²⁹Jacob said, "Now tell me your name."

"Don't you know who I am?" he asked. And he blessed Jacob.

³⁰Jacob said, "I have seen God face to face, and I am still alive." So he named the place Peniel. ³¹The sun was coming up as Jacob was leaving Peniel. He was limping because he had been struck on the hip, ³²and the muscle on his hip joint had been injured. That's why even today the people of Israel don't eat the hip muscle of any animal.

Jacob Meets Esau

Genesis 33 Later that day Jacob met Esau coming with his four hundred men. So Jacob had his children walk with their mothers. ²The two servant women, Zilpah and Bilhah, together with their children went first, followed by Leah and her children, then by Rachel and Joseph. ³Jacob himself walked in front of them all, bowing to the ground seven times as he came near his brother.

⁴But Esau ran toward Jacob and hugged and kissed him. Then the two brothers started crying.

⁵When Esau noticed the women and children he asked, "Whose children are these?"

Jacob answered, "These are the ones the LORD has been kind enough to give to me, your servant."

⁶Then the two servant women and their children came and bowed down to Esau. ⁷Next, Leah and her children came and bowed down; finally, Joseph and Rachel also came and bowed down.

⁸Esau asked Jacob, "What did you mean by these herds I met along the road?"

"Master," Jacob answered, "I sent them so that you would be friendly to me."

⁹"But, brother, I already have plenty," Esau replied. "Keep them for yourself."

¹⁰"No!" Jacob said. "Please accept these gifts as a sign of your friendship for me. When you welcomed me and I saw your face, it was like seeing the face of God. ¹¹Please accept these gifts I brought to you. God has been good to me, and I have everything I need." Jacob kept insisting until Esau accepted the gifts.

¹²"Let's get ready to travel," Esau said. "I'll go along with you."

¹³But Jacob answered, "Master, you know traveling is hard on children, and I have to look after the sheep and goats that are nursing their young. If my animals travel too much in one day, they will all die. ¹⁴Why don't you go on ahead and let me travel along slowly with the children, the herds, and the flocks. We can meet again in the country of Edom."

¹⁵Esau replied, "Let me leave some of my men with you."

"You don't have to do that," Jacob answered. "I am happy, simply knowing that you are friendly to me."

¹⁶So Esau left for Edom. ¹⁷But Jacob went to Succoth, where he built a house for himself and set up shelters for his animals. That's why the place is called Succoth.

Jacob Arrives at Shechem

¹⁸After leaving northern Syria, Jacob arrived safely at Shechem in Canaan and set up camp outside the city. ¹⁹The land where he camped was owned by the descendants of Hamor, the father of Shechem. So Jacob paid them one hundred pieces of silver for the property, ²⁰then he set up his tents and built an altar there to honor the God of Israel.

Psalm 25
[By David.]
A Prayer for Guidance and Help

¹I offer you my heart, LORD God, ²and I trust you.

Don't make me ashamed or let enemies defeat me.

³Don't disappoint any of your worshipers,

but disappoint all deceitful liars.

⁴Show me your paths and teach me to follow;

⁵

guide me by your truth and instruct me.

You keep me safe, and I always trust you.

⁶Please, LORD, remember,

you have always been patient and kind.

⁷Forget each wrong I did when I was young.

Show how truly kind you are and remember me.

⁸You are honest and merciful,

and you teach sinners how to follow your path.

⁹You lead humble people to do what is right

and to stay on your path.

¹⁰In everything you do, you are kind and faithful

to everyone who keeps our agreement with you.

¹¹Be true to your name, LORD,

by forgiving each one of my terrible sins.

¹²You will show the right path to all who worship you.

¹³They will have plenty,

and then their children will receive the land.

¹⁴Our LORD, you are the friend of your worshipers,

and you make an agreement with all of us.

¹⁵I always look to you,

because you rescue me from every trap.

¹⁶I am lonely and troubled.

Show that you care and have pity on me.

¹⁷My awful worries keep growing.

Rescue me from sadness.

¹⁸See my troubles and misery and forgive my sins.

¹⁹Look at all my enemies! See how much they hate me.

²⁰I come to you for shelter. Protect me, keep me safe,

and don't disappoint me.

²¹I obey you with all my heart,

and I trust you, knowing that you will save me.

²²Our God, please save Israel from all of its troubles.

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