The Daily Audio Bible
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The Tower in Babylon
11 There was a time when the entire earth spoke a common language with an identical vocabulary. 2 As people[a] migrated westward,[b] they came across a plain in the region of Shinar[c] and settled there. 3 They told each other, “Come on! Let’s burn bricks thoroughly.” They used bricks for stone and tar for mortar. 4 Then they said, “Come on! Let’s build ourselves a city and a tower, with its summit in the heavens, and let’s make a name for ourselves[d] so we won’t be scattered over the surface of the whole earth.”
5 However, the Lord descended to look over the city and the tower that the humans were building. 6 The Lord said, “Look! They are one people with the same language for all of them, and this is only the beginning of what they will do.[e] Nothing that they have a mind to do will be impossible for them! 7 Come on! Let’s go down there and confuse their language, so that they won’t understand each other’s speech.”
8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the surface of the whole earth, so that they had to stop building the city. 9 Therefore it was called Babylon,[f] because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth, and from there the Lord scattered them over the surface of the entire earth.
Descendants of Shem
10 These are the family records[g] of Shem. When Shem had lived 100 years, he fathered Arpachshad two years after the flood. 11 Shem lived 500 years after he fathered Arpachshad and had other[h] sons and daughters.
12 When Arpachshad had lived 35 years, he fathered Cainan. 13 After he fathered Cainan, Arpachshad lived 430 years and had other[i] sons and daughters, and then died.
Cainan lived 130 years and fathered Shelah. After he fathered Shelah, Cainan lived 330 years and had other[j] sons and daughters, and then died.[k]
14 When Shelah had lived 30 years, he fathered Eber. 15 After he fathered Eber, Shelah lived 403 years and had other[l] sons and daughters.
16 When Eber had lived 34 years, he fathered Peleg. 17 After he fathered Peleg, Eber lived 430 years and had other[m] sons and daughters.
18 When Peleg had lived 30 years, he fathered Reu. 19 After he fathered Reu, Peleg lived 209 years and had other[n] sons and daughters.
20 When Reu had lived 32 years, he fathered Serug. 21 After he fathered Serug, Reu lived 207 years and had other[o] sons and daughters.
22 When Serug had lived 30 years, he fathered Nahor. 23 After he fathered Nahor, Serug lived 200 years and had other[p] sons and daughters.
24 When Nahor had lived 29 years, he fathered Terah. 25 After he fathered Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and had other[q] sons and daughters.
26 When Terah had lived 70 years, he fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
Descendants of Terah
27 Now these are the family records[r] of Terah: Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran fathered Lot. 28 Haran died during his father’s lifetime in the land of his birth, that is, in Ur of the Chaldeans. 29 Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah. She was the daughter of Haran, who was the father of Milcah and Iscah. 30 Sarai was barren, so she had not borne children.
31 Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot (Haran’s son), and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they journeyed together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan. But when they had gone as far as Haran, they settled there, 32 where Terah died at the age of 205 years.
God Calls Abram
12 The Lord told Abram, “You are to leave your land, your relatives, and your father’s house and go to the land that I’m going to show you. 2 I’ll make a great nation of your descendants, I’ll bless you, and I’ll make your reputation great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I’ll bless those who bless you, but I’ll curse the one who curses you, and through you all the people[s] of the earth will be blessed.”
4 So Abram left there, as the Lord had directed him, and Lot accompanied him. Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran. 5 Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated, and the servants[t] he had acquired while living[u] in Haran. Then they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they arrived in the land of Canaan, 6 Abram traveled through the land to the place called Shechem, as far as the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land.
7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “I’ll give this land to your descendants.”[v] So Abram[w] built an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. 8 From there Abram[x] traveled on to the hill country east of Bethel and set up his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord. 9 Then Abram traveled on, continuing into the Negev.[y]
Abram and Sarai in Egypt
10 There was a famine in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt to live because the famine was so severe. 11 When he was about to enter Egypt, he told his wife Sarai, “Look, I’m aware that you’re a beautiful woman. 12 When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘She is his wife.’ Then they’ll kill me, but allow you to live. 13 Please say that you are my sister, so things will go well for me for your sake. That way, you’ll be saving my life.”
14 As Abram was entering Egypt, the Egyptians noticed how beautiful Sarai[z] was. 15 When Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they brought her to the attention of Pharaoh and took the woman to Pharaoh’s palace. 16 He treated Abram well because of her, so Abram acquired sheep, oxen, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels. 17 But the Lord afflicted Pharaoh and his household with severe plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. 18 Pharaoh summoned Abram and asked, “What have you done to me! Why didn’t you tell me that she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her as a wife for myself? Now, here is your wife! Take her and get out!”
20 So Pharaoh assigned men to Abram,[aa] and they escorted him, his wife, and all that he had out of the country.[ab]
Abram and Lot Part Ways
13 Abram traveled from Egypt, along with his wife and everyone who belonged to his household[ac]—including Lot—to the Negev.[ad]
2 Now Abram had become quite wealthy in livestock, silver, and gold. 3 He journeyed by stages from the Negev[ae] to Bethel, the place where his tent had formerly been, between Bethel and Ai, 4 where he had first built an altar. There Abram called on the name of the Lord.
Jesus Teaches about the Kingdom
5 When Jesus[a] saw the crowds, he went up on the hill. After taking his seat, his disciples came to him, 2 and he began[b] to teach them:
The Blessed Attitudes(A)
3 “How blessed are those who are destitute in spirit,
because the kingdom from[c] heaven belongs to them!
4 “How blessed are those who mourn,
because it is they who will be comforted!
5 “How blessed are those who are humble,[d]
because it is they who will inherit the earth!
6 “How blessed are those who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness,[e]
because it is they who will be satisfied!
7 “How blessed are those who are merciful,
because it is they who will receive mercy!
8 “How blessed are those who are pure in heart,
because it is they who will see God!
9 “How blessed are those who make peace,
because it is they who will be called God’s children!
10 “How blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
because the kingdom from[f] heaven belongs to them!
11 “How blessed are you whenever people[g] insult you, persecute you, and say all sorts of evil things against you falsely[h] because of me! 12 Rejoice and be extremely glad, because your reward in heaven is great! That’s how they persecuted the prophets who came before you.”
Salt and Light in the World(B)
13 “You are the salt of the world. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty again? It’s good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled on by people.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill can’t be hidden. 15 People[i] don’t light a lamp and put it under a basket but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before people in such a way that they will see your good actions and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Jesus Fulfills the Law and the Prophets
17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I didn’t come to destroy them, but to fulfill them, 18 because I tell all of you[j] with certainty that until heaven and earth disappear, not one letter[k] or one stroke of a letter will disappear from the Law until everything has been accomplished. 19 So whoever sets aside[l] one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom from[m] heaven. But whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom from[n] heaven 20 because I tell you, unless your righteousness greatly exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom from[o] heaven!”
Teaching about Anger
21 “You have heard that it was told those who lived long ago, ‘You are not to commit murder,’[p] and, ‘Whoever murders will be subject to punishment.’[q] 22 But I say to you, anyone who is angry with his brother without a cause[r] will be subject to punishment. And whoever says to his brother ‘Raka!’[s] will be subject to the Council.[t] And whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to hell[u] fire.
23 “So if you are presenting your gift at the altar and remember there that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and first go and be reconciled to your brother. Then come and offer your gift. 25 Come to terms quickly with your opponent while you are on the way to court,[v] or your opponent may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. 26 I tell you[w] with certainty, you will not get out of there until you pay back the last dollar!”[x]
To the Director: For flutes. A Davidic Psalm
A Prayer for God’s Help
5 Lord, listen to my words,
consider my groaning.
2 Pay attention to my cry for help,[a]
my king and my God,
for unto you will I pray.
3 Lord, in the morning you will hear my voice;
in the morning I will pray[b] to you,
and I will watch for your answer.[c]
4 Indeed, you aren’t a God who delights in wickedness;
evil will never dwell with you.
5 Boastful ones will not stand before you;
you hate all those who practice wickedness.
6 You will destroy those who speak lies.
The Lord abhors the person of bloodshed and deceit.
7 But I, because of the abundance of your gracious love,
may come into your house.
In awe of you, I will worship in your holy Temple.
8 Lord, lead me in your righteousness because of my enemies.
Make your path straight before me.
9 But as for the wicked,[d]
they do not speak truth at all.
Inside them there is only wickedness.
Their throat is an open grave,
on their tongue is deceitful flattery.
10 Declare them guilty, God!
Let them fall by their own schemes.
Drive them away because of their many transgressions,
for they have rebelled against you.
11 Let all those who take refuge in you rejoice!
Let them shout for joy forever,
and may you protect them.
Let those who love your name exult in you.
12 Indeed, you will bless the righteous one, Lord,
like a large shield, you will surround him with favor.
The Consequences of Refusing Wisdom
24 “Because I called out to you and you refused to respond—[a]
I appealed,[b] but no one paid attention—
25 because[c] you neglected all my advice
and did not want my correction,
26 I will laugh at your calamity.
I will mock when what you fear[d] comes,
27 when what you dread comes like a storm,
and your calamity comes on like a whirlwind,
when distress and anguish come upon you.
28 “Then they will call out to me,
but I will not answer;
they will seek me diligently,
but they will not find me.
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