Daily Bible CEV January 05 Scroll

John the Baptist
(Matthew 11.1-19)

Luke 7 ^18-19John's followers told John everything that was being said about Jesus. So he sent two of them to ask the Lord, "Are you the one we should be looking for? Or must we wait for someone else?"

²⁰When these messengers came to Jesus, they said, "John the Baptist sent us to ask, 'Are you the one we should be looking for? Or are we supposed to wait for someone else?' "

²¹At that time Jesus was healing many people who were sick or in pain or were troubled by evil spirits, and he was giving sight to a lot of blind people. ²²Jesus said to the messengers sent by John, "Go and tell John what you have seen and heard. Blind people are now able to see, and the lame can walk. People who have leprosy are being healed, and the deaf can now hear. The dead are raised to life, and the poor are hearing the good news. ²³God will bless everyone who doesn't reject me because of what I do."

²⁴After John's messengers had gone, Jesus began speaking to the crowds about John:

What kind of person did you go out to the desert to see? Was he like tall grass blown about by the wind? ²⁵What kind of man did you really go out to see? Was he someone dressed in fine clothes? People who wear expensive clothes and live in luxury are in the king's palace. ²⁶What then did you go out to see? Was he a prophet? He certainly was! I tell you that he was more than a prophet. ²⁷In the Scriptures, God calls John his messenger and says, "I am sending my messenger ahead of you to get things ready for you." ²⁸No one ever born on this earth is greater than John. But whoever is least important in God's kingdom is greater than John.

²⁹Everyone had been listening to John. Even the tax collectors had obeyed God and had done what was right by letting John baptize them. ³⁰But the Pharisees and the experts in the Law of Moses refused to obey God and be baptized by John.

³¹Jesus went on to say:

What are you people like? What kind of people are you? ³²You are like children sitting in the market and shouting to each other,

"We played the flute, but you would not dance!

We sang a funeral song, but you would not cry!"

³³John the Baptist did not go around eating and drinking, and you said, "John has a demon in him!" ³⁴But because the Son of Man goes around eating and drinking, you say, "Jesus eats and drinks too much! He is even a friend of tax collectors and sinners." ³⁵Yet Wisdom is shown to be right by what its followers do.

Simon the Pharisee

³⁶A Pharisee invited Jesus to have dinner with him. So Jesus went to the Pharisee's home and got ready to eat.

³⁷When a sinful woman in that town found out that Jesus was there, she bought an expensive bottle of perfume. ³⁸Then she came and stood behind Jesus. She cried and started washing his feet with her tears and drying them with her hair. The woman kissed his feet and poured the perfume on them.

³⁹The Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this and said to himself, "If this man really were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him! He would know that she is a sinner."

⁴⁰Jesus said to the Pharisee, "Simon, I have something to say to you."

"Teacher, what is it?" Simon replied.

⁴¹Jesus told him, "Two people were in debt to a moneylender. One of them owed him five hundred silver coins, and the other owed him fifty. ⁴²Since neither of them could pay him back, the moneylender said that they didn't have to pay him anything. Which one of them will like him more?"

⁴³Simon answered, "I suppose it would be the one who had owed more and didn't have to pay it back."

"You are right," Jesus said.

⁴⁴He turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Have you noticed this woman? When I came into your home, you didn't give me any water so I could wash my feet. But she has washed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. ⁴⁵You didn't greet me with a kiss, but from the time I came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet. ⁴⁶You didn't even pour olive oil on my head, but she has poured expensive perfume on my feet. ⁴⁷So I tell you that all her sins are forgiven, and that is why she has shown great love. But anyone who has been forgiven for only a little will show only a little love."

⁴⁸Then Jesus said to the woman, "Your sins are forgiven."

⁴⁹Some other guests started saying to one another, "Who is this who dares to forgive sins?"

⁵⁰But Jesus told the woman, "Because of your faith, you are now saved. May God give you peace!"

The Tower of Babel

Genesis 11 At first everyone spoke the same language, ²but after some of them moved from the east and settled in Babylonia, ^3-4they said:

Let's build a city with a tower that reaches to the sky! We'll use hard bricks and tar instead of stone and mortar. We'll become famous, and we won't be scattered all over the world.

⁵But when the LORD came down to look at the city and the tower, ⁶he said:

These people are working together because they all speak the same language. This is just the beginning. Soon they will be able to do anything they want. ⁷Come on! Let's go down and confuse them by making them speak different languages--then they won't be able to understand each other.

^8-9So the people had to stop building the city, because the LORD confused their language and scattered them all over the earth. That's how the city of Babel got its name.

The Descendants of Shem

^10-11Two years after the flood, when Shem was one hundred, he had a son named Arpachshad. He had more children and died at the age of six hundred. This is a list of his descendants:

¹²When Arpachshad was thirty-five, he had a son named Shelah. ¹³Arpachshad had more children and died at the age of four hundred thirty-eight.

¹⁴When Shelah was thirty, he had a son named Eber. ¹⁵Shelah had more children and died at the age of four hundred thirty-three.

¹⁶When Eber was thirty-four, he had a son named Peleg. ¹⁷Eber had more children and died at the age of four hundred sixty-four.

¹⁸When Peleg was thirty, he had a son named Reu. ¹⁹Peleg had more children and died at the age of two hundred thirty-nine.

²⁰When Reu was thirty-two he had a son named Serug. ²¹Reu had more children and died at the age of two hundred thirty-nine.

²²When Serug was thirty, he had a son named Nahor. ²³Serug had more children and died at the age of two hundred thirty.

²⁴When Nahor was twenty-nine, he had a son named Terah. ²⁵Nahor had more children and died at the age of one hundred forty-eight.

The Descendants of Terah

^26-28After Terah was seventy years old, he had three sons: Abram, Nahor, and Haran, who became the father of Lot. Terah's sons were born in the city of Ur in Chaldea, and Haran died there before the death of his father. The following is the story of Terah's descendants.

^29-30Abram married Sarai, but she was not able to have any children. And Nahor married Milcah, who was the daughter of Haran and the sister of Iscah.

³¹Terah decided to move from Ur to the land of Canaan. He took along Abram and Sarai and his grandson Lot, the son of Haran. But when they came to the city of Haran, they decided to settle there instead. ³²Terah lived to be two hundred five years old and died in Haran.

Psalm 5
[A psalm by David for the music leader. Use flutes.]
A Prayer for Help

¹Listen, LORD, as I pray! Pay attention when I groan.

²You are my King and my God. Answer my cry for help

because I pray to you.

³Each morning you listen to my prayer,

as I bring my requests to you

and wait for your reply.

⁴You are not the kind of God who is pleased with evil.

Sinners can't stay with you.

⁵No one who boasts can stand in your presence, LORD,

and you hate evil people.

⁶You destroy every liar,

and you despise violence and deceit.

⁷Because of your great mercy,

I come to your house, LORD,

and I am filled with wonder as I bow down

to worship at your holy temple.

⁸You do what is right, and I ask you to guide me.

Make your teaching clear because of my enemies.

⁹Nothing they say is true! They just want to destroy.

Their words are deceitful like a hidden pit,

and their tongues are good only for telling lies.

¹⁰Punish them, God,

and let their own plans bring their downfall.

Get rid of them!

They keep committing crimes and turning against you.

¹¹Let all who run to you for protection

always sing joyful songs.

Provide shelter for those who truly love you

and let them rejoice.

¹²Our LORD, you bless those who live right,

and you shield them with your kindness.

These daily Bible readings from the Contemporary English Version (CEV) are published by BibleNetUSA. The web site and BibleCard® designs are by iCreative. BibleCard® images copyright iCreative. All rights reserved.