Daily Bible CEV April 02 Scroll

The Final Judgment

Matthew 25 ³¹When the Son of Man comes in his glory with all of his angels, he will sit on his royal throne. ³²The people of all nations will be brought before him, and he will separate them, as shepherds separate their sheep from their goats.

³³He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. ³⁴Then the king will say to those on his right, "My father has blessed you! Come and receive the kingdom that was prepared for you before the world was created. ³⁵When I was hungry, you gave me something to eat, and when I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink. When I was a stranger, you welcomed me, ³⁶and when I was naked, you gave me clothes to wear. When I was sick, you took care of me, and when I was in jail, you visited me."

³⁷Then the ones who pleased the Lord will ask, "When did we give you something to eat or drink? ³⁸When did we welcome you as a stranger or give you clothes to wear ³⁹or visit you while you were sick or in jail?"

⁴⁰The king will answer, "Whenever you did it for any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did it for me."

⁴¹Then the king will say to those on his left, "Get away from me! You are under God's curse. Go into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels! ⁴²I was hungry, but you did not give me anything to eat, and I was thirsty, but you did not give me anything to drink. ⁴³I was a stranger, but you did not welcome me, and I was naked, but you did not give me any clothes to wear. I was sick and in jail, but you did not take care of me."

⁴⁴Then the people will ask, "Lord, when did we fail to help you when you were hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in jail?"

⁴⁵The king will say to them, "Whenever you failed to help any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you failed to do it for me."

⁴⁶Then Jesus said, "Those people will be punished forever. But the ones who pleased God will have eternal life."

Land East of the Jordan River Is Settled
(Deuteronomy 3.12-22)

Numbers 32 The tribes of Reuben and Gad owned a lot of cattle and sheep, and they saw that the regions of Jazer and Gilead had good pastureland. ²So they went to Moses, Eleazar, and the other leaders of Israel and said, ^3-4"The LORD has helped us capture the land around the towns of Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon. That's good pastureland, and since we own cattle and sheep, ⁵would you let us stay here east of the Jordan River and have this land as our own?"

⁶Moses answered:

You mean you'd stay here while the rest of the Israelites go into battle? ⁷If you did that, it would discourage the others from crossing over into the land the LORD promised them. ⁸This is exactly what happened when I sent your ancestors from Kadesh-Barnea to explore the land. ⁹They went as far as Eshcol Valley, then returned and told the people that we should not enter it. ¹⁰The LORD became very angry. ¹¹And he said that no one who was twenty years or older when they left Egypt would enter the land he had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Not one of those people believed in the LORD's power, ¹²except Caleb and Joshua. They remained faithful to the LORD, ¹³but he was so angry with the others that he forced them to wander around in the desert forty years. By that time everyone who had sinned against him had died.

¹⁴Now you people of Reuben and Gad are doing the same thing and making the LORD even angrier. ¹⁵If you reject the LORD, he will once again abandon his people and leave them here in the desert. And you will be to blame!

¹⁶The men from Reuben and Gad replied:

Let us build places to keep our sheep and goats, and towns for our wives and children, ¹⁷where they can stay and be safe. Then we'll prepare to fight and lead the other tribes into battle. ¹⁸We will stay with them until they have settled in their own tribal lands. ¹⁹The land on this side of the Jordan River will be ours, so we won't expect to receive any on the other side.

²⁰Moses said:

You promised that you would be ready to fight for the LORD. ²¹You also agreed to cross the Jordan and stay with the rest of the Israelites, until the LORD forces our enemies out of the land. If you do these things, ²²then after the LORD helps Israel capture the land, you can return to your own land. You will no longer have to stay with the others. ²³But if you don't keep your promise, you will sin against the LORD and be punished.

²⁴Go ahead and build towns for your wives and children, and places for your sheep and goats. Just be sure to do what you have promised.

²⁵The men from Reuben and Gad answered:

Sir, we will do just what you have said. ²⁶Our wives and children and sheep and cattle will stay here in the towns in Gilead. ²⁷But those of us who are prepared for battle will cross the Jordan and fight for the LORD.

²⁸Then Moses said to Eleazar, Joshua, and the family leaders, ²⁹"Make sure that the tribes of Gad and Reuben prepare for battle and cross the Jordan River with you. If they do, then after the land is in your control, give them the region of Gilead as their tribal land. ³⁰But if they break their promise, they will receive land on the other side of the Jordan, like the rest of the tribes."

³¹The tribes of Gad and Reuben replied, "We are your servants and will do whatever the LORD has commanded. ³²We will cross the Jordan River, ready to fight for the LORD in Canaan. But the land we will inherit as our own will be on this side of the river."

³³So Moses gave the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and half of Manasseh the territory and towns that King Sihon the Amorite had ruled, as well as the territory and towns that King Og of Bashan had ruled.

³⁴The tribe of Gad rebuilt the towns of Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, ³⁵Atroth-Shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, ³⁶Beth-Nimrah, and Beth-Haran. They built walls around them and also built places to keep their sheep and goats.

³⁷The tribe of Reuben rebuilt Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim, ³⁸Sibmah, as well as the towns that used to be known as Nebo and Baal-Meon. They renamed all those places.

³⁹The clan of Machir from the tribe of East Manasseh went to the region of Gilead, captured its towns, and forced out the Amorites. ⁴⁰So Moses gave the Machirites the region of Gilead, and they settled there.

⁴¹Jair from the Manasseh tribe captured villages and renamed them "Villages of Jair."

⁴²Nobah captured the town of Kenath with its villages and renamed it Nobah.

Israel's Journey from Egypt to Moab

Numbers 33 As Israel traveled from Egypt under the command of Moses and Aaron, ²Moses kept a list of the places they camped, just as the LORD had instructed. Here is the record of their journey:

^3-4Israel left the Egyptian city of Rameses on the fifteenth day of the first month. This was the day after the LORD had punished Egypt's gods by killing the first-born sons in every Egyptian family. So while the Egyptians were burying the bodies, they watched the Israelites proudly leave their country.

⁵After the Israelites left Rameses, they camped at Succoth, ⁶and from there, they moved their camp to Etham on the edge of the desert. ⁷Then they turned back toward Pi-Hahiroth, east of Baal-Zephon, and camped near Migdol. ⁸They left Pi-Hahiroth, crossed the Red Sea, then walked three days into the Etham Desert and camped at Marah. ⁹Next, they camped at Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees. ¹⁰They left Elim and camped near the Red Sea, ¹¹then turned east and camped along the western edge of the Sinai Desert. ^12-14From there they went to Dophkah, Alush, and Rephidim, where they had no water. ¹⁵They left Rephidim and finally reached the Sinai Desert.

^16-36As Israel traveled from the Sinai Desert to Kadesh in the Zin Desert, they camped at Kibroth-Hattaavah, Hazeroth, Rithmah, Rimmon-Perez, Libnah, Rissah, Kehelathah, Mount Shepher, Haradah, Makheloth, Tahath, Terah, Mithkah, Hashmonah, Moseroth, Bene-Jaakan, Hor-Haggidgad, Jotbathah, Abronah, Ezion-Geber, and finally Kadesh. ³⁷When they left Kadesh, they came to Mount Hor, on the border of Edom.

³⁸That's where the LORD commanded Aaron the priest to go to the top of the mountain. Aaron died there on the first day of the fifth month, forty years after the Israelites left Egypt. ³⁹He was one hundred twenty-three years old at the time.

⁴⁰It was then that the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Southern Desert of Canaan, heard that Israel was headed that way.

^41-47The Israelites left Mount Hor and headed toward Moab. Along the way, they camped at Zalmonah, Punon, Oboth, Iye-Abarim in the territory of Moab, Dibon-Gad, Almon-Diblathaim, at a place near Mount Nebo in the Abarim Mountains, ⁴⁸and finally in the lowlands of Moab across the Jordan River from Jericho. ⁴⁹Their camp stretched from Beth-Jeshimoth to Acacia.

The LORD's Command To Conquer Canaan

⁵⁰While Israel was camped in the lowlands of Moab across the Jordan River from Jericho, the LORD told Moses ⁵¹to give the people of Israel this message:

When you cross the Jordan River and enter Canaan, ⁵²you must force out the people living there. Destroy their idols and tear down their altars. ⁵³Then settle in the land--I have given it to you as your own.

⁵⁴I will show you how to divide the land among the tribes, according to the number of clans in each one, so that the larger tribes will have more land than the smaller ones.

⁵⁵If you don't force out all the people there, they will be like pointed sticks in your eyes and thorns in your back. They will always be trouble for you, ⁵⁶and I will treat you as cruelly as I planned on treating them.

Israel's Borders

Numbers 34 The LORD told Moses ²to tell the people of Israel that their land in Canaan would have the following borders:

³The southern border will be the Zin Desert and the northwest part of Edom. This border will begin at the south end of the Dead Sea. ⁴It will go west from there, but will turn southward to include Scorpion Pass, the village of Zin, and the town of Kadesh-Barnea. From there, the border will continue to Hazar-Addar and on to Azmon. ⁵It will run along the Egyptian Gorge and end at the Mediterranean Sea.

⁶The western border will be the Mediterranean Sea.

⁷The northern border will begin at the Mediterranean, then continue eastward to Mount Hor. ⁸After that, it will run to Lebo-Hamath and across to Zedad, which is the northern edge of your land. ⁹From Zedad, the border will continue east to Ziphron and end at Hazar-Enan.

¹⁰The eastern border will begin at Hazar-Enan in the north, then run south to Shepham, ¹¹and on down to Riblah on the east side of Ain. From there, it will go south to the eastern hills of Lake Galilee, ¹²then follow the Jordan River down to the north end of the Dead Sea.

The land within those four borders will belong to you.

¹³Then Moses told the people, "You will receive the land inside these borders. It will be yours, but the LORD has commanded you to divide it among the nine and a half tribes. ¹⁴The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh have already been given their land ¹⁵across from Jericho, east of the Jordan River."

The Leaders Who Will Divide the Land

¹⁶The LORD said to Moses, ¹⁷"Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun will divide the land for the Israelites. ¹⁸One leader from each tribe will help them, ^19-28and here is the list of their names:

Caleb son of Jephunneh

from Judah,

Shemuel son of Ammihud

from Simeon,

Elidad son of Chislon

from Benjamin,

Bukki son of Jogli

from Dan,

Hanniel son of Ephod

from Manasseh,

Kemuel son of Shiphtan

from Ephraim,

Elizaphan son of Parnach

from Zebulun,

Paltiel son of Azzan

from Issachar,

Ahihud son of Shelomi

from Asher,

and Pedahel son of Ammihud

from Naphtali."

²⁹These are the men the LORD commanded to help Eleazar and Joshua divide the land for the Israelites.

Job Loses His Health

Job 2 When the angels gathered around the LORD again, Satan was there with them, ²and the LORD asked, "Satan, where have you been?"

Satan replied, "I have been going all over the earth."

³Then the LORD asked, "What do you think of my servant Job? No one on earth is like him--he is a truly good person, who respects me and refuses to do evil. And he hasn't changed, even though you persuaded me to destroy him for no reason."

⁴Satan answered, "There's no pain like your own. People will do anything to stay alive. ⁵Try striking Job's own body with pain, and he will curse you to your face."

⁶"All right!" the LORD replied. "Make Job suffer as much as you want, but just don't kill him." ⁷Satan left and caused painful sores to break out all over Job's body--from head to toe.

⁸Then Job sat on the ash-heap to show his sorrow. And while he was scraping his sores with a broken piece of pottery, ⁹his wife asked, "Why do you still trust God? Why don't you curse him and die?"

¹⁰Job replied, "Don't talk like a fool! If we accept blessings from God, we must accept trouble as well." In all that happened, Job never once said anything against God.

Job's Three Friends

¹¹Eliphaz from Teman, Bildad from Shuah, and Zophar from Naamah were three of Job's friends, and they heard about his troubles. So they agreed to visit Job and comfort him. ¹²When they came near enough to see Job, they could hardly recognize him. And in their great sorrow, they tore their clothes, then sprinkled dust on their heads and cried bitterly. ¹³For seven days and nights, they sat silently on the ground beside him, because they realized what terrible pain he was in.

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