The Daily Audio Bible
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Worshiping False Gods
13 “A man who tells what is going to happen or a dreamer of dreams may come among you. He may give you something special to see or do a powerful work. 2 And what he tells you will happen might come true. But if he says to you, ‘Let us follow other gods (whom you have not known) and let us worship them,’ 3 do not listen to the words of that man who tells you what will happen or that dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God is putting you to the test to see if you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 Follow the Lord your God and fear Him. Keep His Laws, and listen to His voice. Work for Him, and hold on to Him. 5 But that man who tells what is going to happen or that dreamer of dreams must be put to death, because he has talked to you about turning away from the Lord your God Who brought you from the land of Egypt and set you free from the land where you were servants. That man tried to turn you from the way the Lord your God told you to walk. You must take the sinful away from you.
6 “Your brother, your mother’s son, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or your friend who is as your own soul, might tempt you in secret. They might say, ‘Let us go and worship other gods’ (whom you and your fathers have not known. 7 They might be gods of the nations who are around you, near you, or far from you, from one end of the earth to the other). 8 Do not agree with him or listen to him. Do not look on him with pity. And do not show him loving-kindness or hide him. 9 You must kill him. Your hand should be first against him to put him to death, and then the hand of all the people. 10 Kill him with stones, because he has tried to turn you away from the Lord your God Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the land where you were servants. 11 Then all Israel will hear and be afraid. No one will do such a sinful thing among you again.
12 “You might hear that in one of the cities the Lord your God has given you to live in 13 that some men of no worth have gone out from among you to tempt those who live in their city. They might say, ‘Let us go and worship other gods,’ (whom you have not known). 14 Then you should ask around and try to find out if this is true. If it is true that this sinful thing has been done among you, 15 you must be sure to go against those of that city with the sword. Destroy all of it, all that is in it, and its cattle, with the sword. 16 Then gather all that is left into the center of the city. Burn the city and all that is left in it with fire as a whole burnt gift to the Lord your God. It will be destroyed forever. It will never be built again. 17 Let nothing of the things to be destroyed be kept in your own hand so the Lord may turn from His burning anger and show loving-kindness to you. He will show you loving-pity and make you a nation of many, just as He promised your fathers. 18 But you must listen to the voice of the Lord your God. Obey all His Laws which I am telling you today. Do what is right in the eyes of the Lord your God.
Good and Bad Foods
14 “You are the sons of the Lord your God. Do not cut yourselves or cut the hair from your foreheads because of the dead. 2 For you are a holy nation to the Lord your God. The Lord has chosen you to be His own nation out of all the nations on the earth.
3 “Do not eat any hated thing. 4 These are the animals you may eat: the bull, the sheep, the goat, 5 the deer, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, and the mountain sheep. 6 And you may eat any animal that has a parted foot divided in two and that chews its food again. 7 But you must not eat of those that chew their food again or have a divided foot: the camel, the rabbit and the rock badger. For though they eat their food again, they do not have a divided foot. They are unclean to you. 8 And do not eat the pig, because it has a divided foot but does not chew its food again. It is unclean for you. Do not eat any of their flesh or touch their dead bodies.
9 “Of all that are in the water, you may eat anything that has fins and scales. 10 But do not eat anything that does not have fins and scales. It is unclean for you.
11 “You may eat any clean bird. 12 But these are the ones you may not eat: the eagle, the vulture, the buzzard, 13 the red kite, the falcon, every kind of kite, 14 every kind of raven, 15 the ostrich, the owl, the sea gull, every kind of hawk, 16 the little owl, the great owl, the white owl, 17 the pelican, the vulture that eats dead flesh, the cormorant, 18 the stork, every kind of heron, the hoopoe and the bat. 19 And all flying bugs are unclean for you. Do not eat them. 20 But you may eat any clean bird.
21 “Do not eat anything that dies of itself. You may give it to the stranger in your town, so he may eat it. Or you may sell it to a person from another land. For you are a holy nation to the Lord your God.
“Do not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.
The Law of the Tenth Part
22 “Be sure to give a tenth part to the Lord of all you plant that comes from your field every year. 23 Before the Lord your God, at the place He chooses to put His name, you may eat the tenth part of your grain, your new wine, your oil, and the first-born of your cattle and your flock. Then you may learn to fear the Lord your God always. 24 If the place where the Lord your God chooses to put His name is too far away for you to bring the tenth part of all the good things you have received, 25 you should trade it for money. Then tie the money in your hand and go to the place which the Lord your God chooses. 26 You may spend the money for whatever your heart may desire, for bulls, sheep, wine, strong drink, or whatever you desire. And there you and those of your house may eat before the Lord and be full of joy. 27 Do not stop caring for the Levite who is in your town for he has no share of what is given to you.
28 “At the end of every third year you should bring the tenth part of that year’s grain into your towns. 29 And the Levite who has no share of what is given to you, and the stranger, and the child without parents, and the woman whose husband has died, who are in your towns, may come and eat and be filled. Then the Lord your God will bring good to you in all the work done by your hands.
The Seventh Year
15 “At the end of every seven years you must do away with debts that are owed. 2 This is the way you are to do it: Every man who has loaned money must forget the debt. He cannot make his neighbor and his brother pay it because the Lord has said that all should be forgotten. 3 You may make a stranger pay what he owes, but not your brother. 4 Yet there will be no poor among you for the Lord will be sure to bring good to you in the land the Lord your God is giving you for your own. 5 But you must listen and obey the voice of the Lord your God. Be careful to do all the Law which I am telling you today. 6 The Lord your God will bring good to you as He has promised. You will let many nations use what belongs to you but you will not use what belongs to them. You will rule over many nations but they will not rule over you.
7 “In any of the towns in your land the Lord your God is giving you, if there is anyone poor among you, do not let your heart be hard and not be willing to help him. 8 Be free to give to him. Let him use what is yours of anything he needs. 9 Be careful that there is no sinful thought in your heart, saying, ‘It is almost the seventh year, the time to do away with the debt owed to me,’ so you look on your brother with hate and give him nothing. Then he may cry to the Lord against you and you may be guilty of sin. 10 Give much to him, without being sorry that you do. Because the Lord your God will bring good to you for this, in all your work and in everything you do. 11 The poor will always be in the land. So I tell you to be free in giving to your brother, to those in need, and to the poor in your land.
12 “If your brother, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you, he will work for you six years. But you must set him free in the seventh year. 13 When you set him free, do not send him away with nothing. 14 Give him much from your flock, from your grain, and from your wine. Give to him as the Lord your God has given to you. 15 Remember that you were servants in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God set you free. And so I am telling you today to do this. 16 But he may say to you, ‘I will not leave you,’ because he loves you and those of your house and gets along well with you. 17 Then take a sharp tool and put it through his ear into the door. And he will be your servant forever. Do the same with your woman servant. 18 It should not be hard for you to set him free for he has worked for you six years. He has been worth twice as much as a man paid to work for you. The Lord your God will bring good to you in whatever you do.
19 “Set apart for the Lord your God all the first-born males among your cattle and your flock. Do no work with the first-born of your cattle. Do not cut the wool from the first-born of your flock. 20 You and those of your house will eat it every year before the Lord your God in the place the Lord chooses. 21 But do not kill it and give it to the Lord your God if it is not perfect, such as not being able to walk or see, or anything else wrong with it. 22 Eat it within your towns. Both the clean and the unclean may eat it, as if it were a gazelle or deer. 23 But do not eat its blood. You must pour it out on the ground like water.
Two Were Healed through Faith (A)
40 Many people were glad to see Jesus when He got back. They were waiting for Him. 41 A man named Jairus was a leader of the Jewish place of worship. As he came to Jesus, he got down at His feet. He asked Jesus if He would come to his house. 42 He had only one daughter and she was dying. This girl was about twelve years old. As Jesus went, the people pushed Him from every side.
43 A woman had been sick for twelve years with a flow of blood. (*She had spent all the money she had on doctors.) But she could not be healed by anyone. 44 She came behind Jesus and touched the bottom of His coat. At once the flow of blood stopped. 45 Jesus said, “Who touched Me?” Everyone said that they had not touched Him. Peter said, “Teacher, so many people are pushing You from every side and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’” 46 Then Jesus said, “Someone touched Me because I know power has gone from Me.” 47 When the woman saw she could not hide it, she came shaking. She got down before Jesus. Then she told Jesus in front of all the people why she had touched Him. She told how she was healed at once. 48 Jesus said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”
49 While Jesus was yet talking, a man came from the house of the leader of the place of worship. This man said to Jairus, “Your daughter is dead. Do not make the Teacher use anymore of His time.” 50 Jesus heard it and said to Jairus, “Do not be afraid, only believe. She will be made well.”
51 Jesus went into the house. He let only Peter and James and John and the father and mother of the girl go in with Him. 52 Everyone was crying and full of sorrow because of her. Jesus said, “Do not cry. She is not dead, but is sleeping.” 53 Then they laughed at Jesus because they knew she was dead. 54 Jesus sent them all out. He took the girl by the hand and said, “Child, get up!” 55 Her spirit came back and she got up at once. Jesus told them to bring her food. 56 Her parents were surprised and wondered about it. Then Jesus told them they should tell no one what had happened.
Jesus Sends His Twelve Followers Out (B)
9 Jesus called His twelve followers to Him. He gave them the right and the power over all demons and to heal diseases. 2 He sent them to preach about the holy nation of God and to heal the sick. 3 Then He said to them, “Take nothing along for the trip. Do not take a walking stick or a bag or bread or money. Do not take two coats. 4 Whatever house you go into, stay there until you are ready to go on. 5 If anyone will not take you in, as you leave that city, shake its dust off your feet. That will speak against them.”
6 They went out, going from town to town. They preached the Good News and healed the sick everywhere.
A Prayer of an Old Man
71 I have a safe place in you, O Lord. Let me never be ashamed. 2 Because You are right and good, take me out of trouble. Turn Your ear to me and save me. 3 Be a rock to me where I live, where I may always come and where I will be safe. For You are my rock and my safe place. 4 O my God, take me from the hand of the sinful, from the hand of the wrong-doer and the man without pity. 5 For You are my hope, O Lord God. You are my trust since I was young. 6 You have kept me safe from birth. It was You Who watched over me from the day I was born. My praise is always of You.
7 I have become a wonder and surprise to many. For You are my strong safe place. 8 My mouth is filled with Your praise and with Your honor all day long. 9 Do not let me fall by the way when I am old. Do not leave me alone when my strength is gone. 10 For those who hate me talk against me. Those who want to kill make plans together. 11 They say, “God has turned away from him. Run and catch him, for there is no one to take him out of trouble.”
12 O God, do not be far from me! O my God, hurry to help me! 13 Let those who are against me be ashamed and destroyed. Let those who want to hurt me be without honor and covered with shame. 14 But as for me, I will always have hope and I will praise You more and more. 15 My mouth will tell about how right and good You are and about Your saving acts all day long. For there are more than I can know. 16 I will come in the strength of the Lord God. I will tell about how right and good You are, and You alone.
17 O God, You have taught me from when I was young. And I still tell about Your great works. 18 Even when I am old and my hair is turning white, O God, do not leave me alone. Let me tell about Your strength to all the people living now, and about Your power to all who are to come. 19 O God, You are right and good, as the heavens are high. You have done great things, O God. Who is like You? 20 You have shown me many troubles of all kinds. But You will make me strong again. And You will bring me up again from deep in the earth. 21 Add to my greatness, and turn to comfort me.
22 O my God, I will praise You with a harp. I will praise Your truth. I will sing praises to You with different kinds of harps, O Holy One of Israel. 23 My lips will call out for joy when I sing praises to You. You have set my soul free. 24 My tongue will tell about how right and good You are all day long. For those who want to hurt me are ashamed and troubled.
5 The thoughts of those who are right with God can be trusted, but the words of the sinful are false.
6 The words of the sinful lie in wait for blood, but the mouth of the faithful will take them away from trouble.
7 The sinful are destroyed and are no more, but the house of those who are right with God will stand.
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