Daily Bible CEV January 26 Scroll

Jesus Enters Jerusalem
(Matthew 21.1-11; Mark 11.1-11; John 12.12-19)

Luke 19 ²⁸When Jesus had finished saying all this, he went on toward Jerusalem. ²⁹As he was getting near Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples on ahead. ³⁰He told them, "Go into the next village, where you will find a young donkey that has never been ridden. Untie the donkey and bring it here. ³¹If anyone asks why you are doing that, just say, 'The Lord needs it.' "

³²They went off and found everything just as Jesus had said. ³³While they were untying the donkey, its owners asked, "Why are you doing that?"

³⁴They answered, "The Lord needs it."

³⁵Then they led the donkey to Jesus. They put some of their clothes on its back and helped Jesus get on. ³⁶And as he rode along, the people spread clothes on the road in front of him. ³⁷When Jesus was starting down the Mount of Olives, his large crowd of disciples were happy and praised God because of all the miracles they had seen. ³⁸They shouted,

"Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!

Peace in heaven and glory to God."

³⁹Some Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, make your disciples stop shouting!"

⁴⁰But Jesus answered, "If they keep quiet, these stones will start shouting."

⁴¹When Jesus came closer and could see Jerusalem, he cried ⁴²and said:

It is too bad that today your people don't know what will bring them peace! Now it is hidden from them. ⁴³Jerusalem, the time will come when your enemies will build walls around you to attack you. Armies will surround you and close in on you from every side. ⁴⁴They will level you to the ground and kill your people. Not one stone in your buildings will be left on top of another. This will happen because you did not see that God had come to save you.

Jesus in the Temple
(Matthew 21.12-17; Mark 11.15-19; John 2.13-22)

⁴⁵When Jesus entered the temple, he started chasing out the people who were selling things. ⁴⁶He told them, "The Scriptures say, 'My house should be a place of worship.' But you have made it a place where robbers hide!"

⁴⁷Each day, Jesus kept on teaching in the temple. So the chief priests, the teachers of the Law of Moses, and some other important people tried to have him killed. ⁴⁸But they could not find a way to do it, because everyone else was eager to listen to him.

Dinah Is Raped

Genesis 34 Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and Leah, went to visit some of the women who lived there. ²She was seen by Hamor's son Shechem, the leader of the Hivites, and he grabbed her and raped her. ³But Shechem was attracted to Dinah, so he told her how much he loved her. ⁴He even asked his father to get her for his wife.

⁵Meanwhile, Jacob heard what had happened. But his sons were out in the fields with the cattle, so he did not do anything at the time. ⁶Hamor arrived at Jacob's home ⁷just as Jacob's sons were coming in from work. When they learned that their sister had been raped, they became furiously angry. Nothing is more disgraceful than rape, and it should not be tolerated in Israel.

⁸Hamor said to Jacob and his sons:

My son Shechem really loves Dinah. Please let him marry her. ⁹Why don't you start letting your families marry into our families and ours marry into yours? ¹⁰You can share this land with us. Move freely about until you find the property you want; then buy it and settle down here.

¹¹Shechem added, "Do this favor for me, and I'll give whatever you want. ¹²Ask anything, no matter how expensive. I'll do anything, just let me marry Dinah."

¹³Jacob's sons wanted to get even with Shechem and his father because of what had happened to their sister. ¹⁴So they tricked them by saying:

You're not circumcised! It would be a disgrace for us to let you marry Dinah now. ¹⁵But we will let you marry her, if you and the other men in your tribe get circumcised. ¹⁶Then your families can marry into ours, and ours can marry into yours, and we can live together like one nation. ¹⁷But if you don't agree to get circumcised, we'll take Dinah and leave this place.

¹⁸Hamor and Shechem liked what was said. ¹⁹Shechem was the most respected person in his family, and he was so in love with Dinah that he hurried off to get everything done. ²⁰The two men met with the other leaders of their city and told them:

²¹These people really are friendly. Why not let them move freely about until they find the property they want? There's enough land here for them and for us. Then our families can marry into theirs, and theirs can marry into ours.

²²We have to do only one thing before they will agree to stay here and become one nation with us. Our men will have to be circumcised like their men. ²³Just think! We'll get their property, as well as their flocks and herds. All we have to do is to agree, and they will live here with us.

²⁴Every grown man followed this advice and got circumcised.

Dinah's Brothers Take Revenge

²⁵Three days later the men who had been circumcised were still weak from pain. So Simeon and Levi, two of Dinah's brothers, attacked with their swords and killed every man in town, ²⁶including Hamor and Shechem. Then they took Dinah and left. ²⁷Jacob's other sons came and took everything they wanted. All this was done because of the horrible thing that had happened to their sister. ²⁸They took sheep, goats, donkeys, and everything else that was in the town or the fields. ²⁹After taking everything of value from the houses, they dragged away the wives and children of their victims.

³⁰Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, "Look what you've done! Now I'm in real trouble with the Canaanites and Perizzites who live around here. There aren't many of us, and if they attack, they'll kill everyone in my household."

³¹They answered, "Was it right to let our own sister be treated that way?"

Psalm 26
[By David.]
The Prayer of an Innocent Person

¹Show that I am right, LORD!

I stay true to myself,

and I have trusted you without doubting.

²Test my thoughts and find out what I am like.

³I never forget your kindness,

and I am always faithful to you.

⁴I don't spend my time with worthless liars

⁵

or go with evil crowds.

⁶I wash my hands, LORD, to show my innocence,

and I worship at your altar,

⁷

while gratefully singing about your wonders.

⁸I love the temple where you live,

and where your glory shines.

⁹Don't sweep me away, as you do sinners.

Don't punish me with death as you do those people

who are brutal ¹⁰or full of meanness

or who bribe others.

¹¹I stay true to myself. Be kind and rescue me.

¹²Now I stand on solid ground!

And when your people meet, I will praise you, LORD.

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.