April 5 - Matthew 26.47-75, Deuteronomy 3-4 and Job 5
April 5 - Matthew 26.47-75, Deuteronomy 3-4 and Job 5
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Jesus Is Arrested
 49Judas walked right up to Jesus and said, "Hello, teacher." Then Judas kissed him.
50Jesus replied, "My friend, why are you here?"
The men grabbed Jesus and arrested him. 51One of Jesus' followers pulled out a sword. He struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear.
52But Jesus told him, "Put your sword away. Anyone who lives by fighting will die by fighting. 53Don't you know that I could ask my Father, and right away he would send me more than twelve armies of angels? 54But then, how could the words of the Scriptures come true, which say that this must happen?"
55Jesus said to the mob, "Why do you come with swords and clubs to arrest me like a criminal? Day after day I sat and taught in the temple, and you didn't arrest me. 56But all this happened, so that what the prophets wrote would come true."
All of Jesus' disciples left him and ran away.
Jesus Is Questioned by the Council
57After Jesus had been arrested, he was led off to the house of Caiaphas the high priest. The nation's leaders and the teachers of the Law of Moses were meeting there. 58But Peter followed along at a distance and came to the courtyard of the high priest's palace. He went in and sat down with the guards to see what was going to happen.
59The chief priests and the whole council wanted to put Jesus to death. So they tried to find some people who would tell lies about him in court. 60But they could not find any, even though many did come and tell lies. At last, two men came forward 61and said, "This man claimed that he would tear down God's temple and build it again in three days."
62The high priest stood up and asked Jesus, "Why don't you say something in your own defense? Don't you hear the charges they are making against you?" 63But Jesus did not answer. So the high priest said, "With the living God looking on, you must tell the truth. Tell us, are you the Messiah, the Son of God?"
64"That is what you say!" Jesus answered. "But I tell all of you,
 'Soon you will see
the Son of Man
sitting at the right side
of God All-Powerful
 and coming on the clouds
of heaven.' "
65The high priest then tore his robe and said, "This man claims to be God! We don't need any more witnesses! You have heard what he said. 66What do you think?"
They answered, "He is guilty and deserves to die!" 67Then they spit in his face and hit him with their fists. Others slapped him 68and said, "You think you are the Messiah! So tell us who hit you!"
Peter Says He Doesn't Know Jesus
69While Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, a servant girl came up to him and said, "You were with Jesus from Galilee."
70But in front of everyone Peter said, "That isn't so! I don't know what you are talking about!"
71When Peter had gone out to the gate, another servant girl saw him and said to some people there, "This man was with Jesus from Nazareth."
72Again Peter denied it, and this time he swore, "I don't even know that man!"
73A little while later some people standing there walked over to Peter and said, "We know that you are one of them. We can tell it because you talk like someone from Galilee."
74Peter began to curse and swear, "I don't know that man!"
Right then a rooster crowed, 75and Peter remembered that Jesus had said, "Before a rooster crows, you will say three times that you don't know me." Then Peter went out and cried hard.
The Defeat of King Og of Bashan
Deuteronomy 3 When we turned onto the road that leads to Bashan, King Og of Bashan led out his whole army to fight us at Edrei. 2But the LORD told me, "Moses, don't be afraid of King Og. I am going to help you defeat him and his army and take over his land. Destroy him and his people, just as you did with the Amorite King Sihon of Heshbon." 3-6The LORD our God helped us destroy Og and his army and conquer his entire kingdom of Bashan, including the Argob region. His kingdom had lots of villages and sixty towns with high walls and gates that locked with bars. We completely destroyed them all, killing everyone, 7but keeping the livestock and everything else of value.
8Sihon and Og had ruled Amorite kingdoms east of the Jordan River. Their land stretched from the Arnon River gorge in the south to Mount Hermon in the north, and we captured it all. 9Mount Hermon is called Mount Sirion by the people of Sidon, and it is called Mount Senir by the Amorites. 10We captured all the towns in the highlands, all of Gilead, and all of Bashan as far as Salecah and Edrei, two of the towns that Og had ruled.
Og's Coffin 11King Og was the last of the Rephaim, and his coffin is in the town of Rabbah in Ammon. It is made of hard black rock and is thirteen and a half feet long and six feet wide.
The Land East of the Jordan River Is Divided
12-17I gave some of the land and towns we captured to the tribes of Reuben and Gad. Their share started at the Arnon River gorge in the south, took in the town of Aroer on the edge of the gorge, and went far enough north to include the southern half of the Gilead region. The northern part of their land went as far east as the upper Jabbok River gorge, which formed their border with the Ammonites. I also gave them the eastern side of the Jordan River valley, from Lake Galilee south to the Dead Sea below the slopes of Mount Pisgah.
I gave the northern half of Gilead and all of the Bashan region to half the tribe of Manasseh. Bashan had belonged to King Og, and the Argob region in Bashan used to be called the Land of the Rephaim. Jair from the Manasseh tribe conquered the Argob region as far west as the kingdoms of Geshur and Maacah. The Israelites even started calling Bashan by the name "Villages of Jair," and that is still its name. I gave the northern half of Gilead to the Machir clan.
18-19At that time I told the men of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh:
21-22Then I told Joshua, "You saw how the LORD our God helped us destroy King Sihon and King Og. So don't be afraid! Wherever you go, the LORD will fight on your side and help you destroy your enemies."
God Refused To Let Moses Enter Canaan Moses said to Israel:23At that time I prayed and begged, 24"Our LORD, it seems that you have just begun to show me your great power. No other god in the sky or on earth is able to do the mighty things that you do. 25The land west of the Jordan is such good land. Please let me cross the Jordan and see the hills and the Lebanon Mountains."
26But the LORD was angry with me because of you people, and he refused to listen. "That's enough!" he said. "I don't want to hear any more. 27Climb to the top of Mount Pisgah and look north, south, east, and west. Take a good look, but you are not going to cross the Jordan River. 28Joshua will lead Israel across the Jordan to take the land, so help him be strong and brave and tell him what he must do."
29After this we stayed in the valley at Beth-Peor.
Israel Must Obey God Moses said:Deuteronomy 4 Israel, listen to these laws and teachings! If you obey them, you will live, and you will go in and take the land that the LORD is giving you. He is the God your ancestors worshiped, 2and now he is your God. I am telling you everything he has commanded, so don't add anything or take anything away. 3You saw how he killed everyone who worshiped the god Baal-Peor. 4But all of you that were faithful to the LORD your God are still alive today.
5-8No other nation has laws that are as fair as the ones the Lord my God told me to give you. If you faithfully obey them when you enter the land, you will show other nations how wise you are. In fact, everyone that hears about your laws will say, "That great nation certainly is wise!" And what makes us greater than other nations? We have a God who is close to us and answers our prayers.
9You must be very careful not to forget the things you have seen God do for you. Keep reminding yourselves, and tell your children and grandchildren as well. 10Do you remember the day you stood in the LORD's presence at Mount Sinai? The LORD said, "Moses, bring the people of Israel here. I want to speak to them so they will obey me as long as they live, and so they will teach their children to obey me too."
11Mount Sinai was surrounded by deep dark clouds, and fire went up to the sky. You came to the foot of the mountain, 12and the LORD spoke to you from the fire. You could hear him and understand what he was saying, but you couldn't see him. 13The LORD said he was making an agreement with you, and he told you that your part of the agreement is to obey the Ten Commandments. Then the LORD wrote these Commandments on two flat stones.
14That's when the LORD commanded me to give you the laws and teachings you must obey in the land that you will conquer west of the Jordan River.
Don't Worship Idols Moses said to Israel:15When God spoke to you from the fire, he was invisible. So be careful 16not to commit the sin of worshiping idols. Don't make idols to be worshiped, whether they are shaped like men, women, 17animals, birds, 18reptiles, or fish. 19And when you see the sun or moon or stars, don't be tempted to bow down and worship them. The LORD put them there for all the other nations to worship. 20But you are the LORD's people, because he led you through fiery trials and rescued you from Egypt.
21The LORD was angry at me because of what you said, and he told me that he would not let me cross the Jordan River into the good land that he is giving you. 22So I must stay here and die on this side of the Jordan, but you will cross the river and take the land.
23Always remember the agreement that the LORD your God made with you, and don't make an idol in any shape or form. 24The LORD will be angry if you worship other gods, and he can be like a fire destroying everything in its path.
25-26Soon you will cross the Jordan River and settle down in the land. Then in the years to come, you will have children, and they will give you grandchildren. After many years, you might lose your sense of right and wrong and make idols, even though the LORD your God hates them. So I am giving you fair warning today, and I call the earth and the sky as witnesses. If you ever make idols, the LORD will be angry, and you won't have long to live, because the LORD will let you be wiped out. 27Only a few of you will survive, and the LORD will force you to leave the land and will scatter you among the nations. 28There you will have to worship gods made of wood and stone, and these are nothing but idols that can't see or hear or eat or smell.
29-30In all of your troubles, you may finally decide that you want to worship only the LORD. And if you turn back to him and obey him completely, he will again be your God. 31The LORD your God will have mercy--he won't destroy you or desert you. The LORD will remember his promise, and he will keep the agreement he made with your ancestors.
32-34When the LORD your God brought you out of Egypt, you saw how he fought for you and showed his great power by performing terrifying miracles. You became his people, and at Mount Sinai you heard him talking to you out of fiery flames. And yet you are still alive! Has anything like this ever happened since the time God created humans? No matter where you go or who you ask, you will get the same answer. No one has ever heard of another god even trying to do such things as the LORD your God has done for you.
35-36The LORD wants you to know he is the only true God, and he wants you to obey him. That's why he let you see his mighty miracles and his fierce fire on earth, and why you heard his voice from that fire and from the sky.
37The LORD loved your ancestors and decided that you would be his people. So the LORD used his great power to bring you out of Egypt. 38Now you face other nations more powerful than you are, but the LORD has already started forcing them out of their land and giving it to you.
39So remember that the LORD is the only true God, whether in the sky above or on the earth below. 40Today I am explaining his laws and teachings. And if you always obey them, you and your descendants will live long and be successful in the land the LORD is giving you.
Safe Towns 41-43Moses said, "People of Israel, you must set aside the following three towns east of the Jordan River as Safe Towns: Bezer in the desert highlands belonging to the Reuben tribe; Ramoth in Gilead, belonging to the Gad tribe; and Golan in Bashan, belonging to the Manasseh tribe. If you kill a neighbor without meaning to, and if you had not been angry with that person, you can run to one of these towns and find safety."
THE SECOND SPEECH: MOSES TELLS WHAT THE LORD DEMANDS Israel at Beth-Peor 44-46The Israelites had come from Egypt and were camped east of the Jordan River near Beth-Peor, when Moses gave these laws and teachings. The land around their camp had once belonged to King Sihon of Heshbon. But Moses and the Israelites defeated him 47and King Og of Bashan, and took their lands. These two Amorite kings had ruled the territory east of the Jordan River 48from the town of Aroer on the edge of the Arnon River gorge, north to Mount Hermon. 49Their land included the eastern side of the Jordan River valley, as far south as the Dead Sea below the slopes of Mount Pisgah.
Eliphaz Continues
Call Out for Help Job 5 Job, call out for help and see if an angel comes!
 2Envy and jealousy
will kill a stupid fool.
 3 I have seen fools take root.
But God sends a curse,
suddenly uprooting them
4and leaving their children
helpless in court.
5Then hungry and greedy people
gobble down their crops
and grab up their wealth.
6Our suffering isn't caused
by the failure of crops;
7it's all part of life,
like sparks shooting skyward.
8Job, if I were you,
I would ask God for help.
9His miracles are marvelous,
more than we can count.
10God sends showers on earth
and waters the fields.
11He protects the sorrowful
and lifts up those
who have been disgraced.
*12God swiftly traps the wicked
13in their own evil schemes,
and their wisdom fails.
14Darkness is their only companion,
hiding their path at noon.
15God rescues the needy
from the words of the wicked
and the fist of the mighty.
16The poor are filled with hope,
and injustice is silenced.
Consider Yourself Fortunate 17Consider yourself fortunate
if God All-Powerful
chooses to correct you.
18He may cause injury and pain,
but he will bandage and heal
your cuts and bruises.
19God will protect you from harm,
no matter how often
trouble may strike.
20In times of war and famine,
God will keep you safe.
21You will be sheltered,
without fear of hurtful words
or any other weapon.
22You will laugh at the threat
of destruction and famine.
And you won't be afraid
of wild animals--
23they will no longer be fierce,
and your rocky fields
will become friendly.
24Your home will be secure,
and your sheep will be safe.
25You will have more descendants
than there are blades of grass
on the face of the earth.
26You will live a long life,
and your body will be strong
until the day you die.
27Our experience has proven
these things to be true,
so listen and learn.
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This reading is from The
Holy Bible, Contemporary English Version, copyright © American
Bible Society, 1995.
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