Embracing Wonder: A 5-Week Advent Devotional From Matthew West

Daily Reading Plan With Christian Mael (December)

Moving Toward Each Other in the Middle of a Divisive World

Giving Thanks in Every Season

Thankful Through the Struggle

Vote With Vision: Praying God’s Will Over Elections

Advent Guide: You Belong

Our Father

El-Roi the God Who Sees Me

5 Spiritual Practices for Healing and Transformation

The Listener’s Bible®: NIV Edition

New International Version™  (Anglicised), Audio Edition

Holy Bible, New International Version™ (Anglicised), South Asian Audio Edition

<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkLUK">
 <div class="chapter ch18" data-usfm="LUK.18">
 <div class="label">18</div><div class="s1">The Parable of the Persistent Widow</div><div class="p"> 1Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2He said: &#8220;In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, &#8216;Grant me justice against my adversary.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 4 &#8220;For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, &#8216;Even though I don&#8217;t fear God or care what people think, 5yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won&#8217;t eventually come and attack me!&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 6And the Lord said, &#8220;Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?&#8221;</div><div class="s1">The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector</div><div class="p"> 9To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10&#8220;Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: &#8216;God, I thank you that I am not like other people&#8212;robbers, evildoers, adulterers&#8212;or even like this tax collector. 12I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 13 &#8220;But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, &#8216;God, have mercy on me, a sinner.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 14 &#8220;I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">The Little Children and Jesus</div><div class="p"> 15People were also bringing babies to Jesus for him to place his hands on them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. 16But Jesus called the children to him and said, &#8220;Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 17Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">The Rich and the Kingdom of God</div><div class="p"> 18A certain ruler asked him, &#8220;Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 19 &#8220;Why do you call me good?&#8221; Jesus answered. &#8220;No one is good&#8212;except God alone. 20You know the commandments: &#8216;You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.&#8217;#18:20 Exodus 20:12-16; Deut. 5:16-20&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 21&#8220;All these I have kept since I was a boy,&#8221; he said.</div><div class="p"> 22When Jesus heard this, he said to him, &#8220;You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 23When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy. 24Jesus looked at him and said, &#8220;How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! 25Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 26Those who heard this asked, &#8220;Who then can be saved?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 27Jesus replied, &#8220;What is impossible with man is possible with God.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 28Peter said to him, &#8220;We have left all we had to follow you!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 29 &#8220;Truly I tell you,&#8221; Jesus said to them, &#8220;no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God 30will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">Jesus Predicts His Death a Third Time</div><div class="p"> 31Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, &#8220;We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. 32He will be delivered over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him and spit on him; 33they will flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 34The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about.</div><div class="s1">A Blind Beggar Receives His Sight</div><div class="p"> 35As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. 37They told him, &#8220;Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 38He called out, &#8220;Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 39Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, &#8220;Son of David, have mercy on me!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 40Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, 41&#8220;What do you want me to do for you?&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;Lord, I want to see,&#8221; he replied.</div><div class="p"> 42Jesus said to him, &#8220;Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.&#8221; 43Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkGEN">
 <div class="chapter ch35" data-usfm="GEN.35">
 <div class="label">35</div><div class="s1">Jacob Returns to Bethel</div><div class="p"> 1Then God said to Jacob, &#8220;Go up to Bethel and settle there, and build an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 2So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, &#8220;Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes. 3Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and who has been with me wherever I have gone.&#8221; 4So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had and the rings in their ears, and Jacob buried them under the oak at Shechem. 5Then they set out, and the terror of God fell on the towns all around them so that no one pursued them.</div><div class="p"> 6Jacob and all the people with him came to Luz (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan. 7There he built an altar, and he called the place El Bethel,#35:7 El Bethel means God of Bethel. because it was there that God revealed himself to him when he was fleeing from his brother.</div><div class="p"> 8Now Deborah, Rebekah&#8217;s nurse, died and was buried under the oak outside Bethel. So it was named Allon Bakuth.#35:8 Allon Bakuth means oak of weeping.</div><div class="p"> 9After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram,#35:9 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia; also in verse 26 God appeared to him again and blessed him. 10God said to him, &#8220;Your name is Jacob,#35:10 Jacob means he grasps the heel, a Hebrew idiom for he deceives. but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel.#35:10 Israel probably means he struggles with God.&#8221; So he named him Israel.</div><div class="p"> 11And God said to him, &#8220;I am God Almighty#35:11 Hebrew El-Shaddai; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will be among your descendants. 12The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.&#8221; 13Then God went up from him at the place where he had talked with him.</div><div class="p"> 14Jacob set up a stone pillar at the place where God had talked with him, and he poured out a drink offering on it; he also poured oil on it. 15Jacob called the place where God had talked with him Bethel.#35:15 Bethel means house of God.</div><div class="s1">The Deaths of Rachel and Isaac</div><div class="p"> 16Then they moved on from Bethel. While they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth and had great difficulty. 17And as she was having great difficulty in childbirth, the midwife said to her, &#8220;Don&#8217;t despair, for you have another son.&#8221; 18As she breathed her last&#8212;for she was dying&#8212;she named her son Ben-Oni.#35:18 Ben-Oni means son of my trouble. But his father named him Benjamin.#35:18 Benjamin means son of my right hand.</div><div class="p"> 19So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). 20Over her tomb Jacob set up a pillar, and to this day that pillar marks Rachel&#8217;s tomb.</div><div class="p"> 21Israel moved on again and pitched his tent beyond Migdal Eder. 22While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father&#8217;s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard of it.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="m">Jacob had twelve sons:</div><div class="li1"> 23The sons of Leah:</div><div class="li2">Reuben the firstborn of Jacob,</div><div class="li2">Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun.</div><div class="li1"> 24The sons of Rachel:</div><div class="li2">Joseph and Benjamin.</div><div class="li1"> 25The sons of Rachel&#8217;s servant Bilhah:</div><div class="li2">Dan and Naphtali.</div><div class="li1"> 26The sons of Leah&#8217;s servant Zilpah:</div><div class="li2">Gad and Asher.</div><div class="p">These were the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan Aram.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="p"> 27Jacob came home to his father Isaac in Mamre, near Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. 28Isaac lived a hundred and eighty years. 29Then he breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people, old and full of years. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkGEN">
 <div class="chapter ch36" data-usfm="GEN.36">
 <div class="label">36</div><div class="s1">Esau&#8217;s Descendants</div><div class="p"> 1This is the account of the family line of Esau (that is, Edom).</div><div class="pm"> 2Esau took his wives from the women of Canaan: Adah daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Oholibamah daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite&#8212; 3also Basemath daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth.</div><div class="pm"> 4Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, Basemath bore Reuel, 5and Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam and Korah. These were the sons of Esau, who were born to him in Canaan.</div><div class="pm"> 6Esau took his wives and sons and daughters and all the members of his household, as well as his livestock and all his other animals and all the goods he had acquired in Canaan, and moved to a land some distance from his brother Jacob. 7Their possessions were too great for them to remain together; the land where they were staying could not support them both because of their livestock. 8So Esau (that is, Edom) settled in the hill country of Seir.</div><div class="p"> 9This is the account of the family line of Esau the father of the Edomites in the hill country of Seir.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="li1"> 10These are the names of Esau&#8217;s sons:</div><div class="li2">Eliphaz, the son of Esau&#8217;s wife Adah, and Reuel, the son of Esau&#8217;s wife Basemath.</div><div class="li1"> 11The sons of Eliphaz:</div><div class="li2">Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam and Kenaz.</div><div class="li2"> 12Esau&#8217;s son Eliphaz also had a concubine named Timna, who bore him Amalek. These were grandsons of Esau&#8217;s wife Adah.</div><div class="li1"> 13The sons of Reuel:</div><div class="li2">Nahath, Zerah, Shammah and Mizzah. These were grandsons of Esau&#8217;s wife Basemath.</div><div class="li4"> 14The sons of Esau&#8217;s wife Oholibamah daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon, whom she bore to Esau:</div><div class="li2">Jeush, Jalam and Korah.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="p"> 15These were the chiefs among Esau&#8217;s descendants:</div><div class="li1">The sons of Eliphaz the firstborn of Esau:</div><div class="li2">Chiefs Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz, 16Korah,#36:16 Masoretic Text; Samaritan Pentateuch (also verse 11 and 1 Chron. 1:36) does not have Korah. Gatam and Amalek. These were the chiefs descended from Eliphaz in Edom; they were grandsons of Adah.</div><div class="li1"> 17The sons of Esau&#8217;s son Reuel:</div><div class="li2">Chiefs Nahath, Zerah, Shammah and Mizzah. These were the chiefs descended from Reuel in Edom; they were grandsons of Esau&#8217;s wife Basemath.</div><div class="li1"> 18The sons of Esau&#8217;s wife Oholibamah:</div><div class="li2">Chiefs Jeush, Jalam and Korah. These were the chiefs descended from Esau&#8217;s wife Oholibamah daughter of Anah.</div><div class="p"> 19These were the sons of Esau (that is, Edom), and these were their chiefs.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="p"> 20These were the sons of Seir the Horite, who were living in the region:</div><div class="li2">Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 21Dishon, Ezer and Dishan. These sons of Seir in Edom were Horite chiefs.</div><div class="li1"> 22The sons of Lotan:</div><div class="li2">Hori and Homam.#36:22 Hebrew Hemam, a variant of Homam (see 1 Chron. 1:39) Timna was Lotan&#8217;s sister.</div><div class="li1"> 23The sons of Shobal:</div><div class="li2">Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho and Onam.</div><div class="li1"> 24The sons of Zibeon:</div><div class="li2">Aiah and Anah. This is the Anah who discovered the hot springs#36:24 Vulgate; Syriac discovered water; the meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain. in the desert while he was grazing the donkeys of his father Zibeon.</div><div class="li1"> 25The children of Anah:</div><div class="li2">Dishon and Oholibamah daughter of Anah.</div><div class="li1"> 26The sons of Dishon#36:26 Hebrew Dishan, a variant of Dishon:</div><div class="li2">Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran and Keran.</div><div class="li1"> 27The sons of Ezer:</div><div class="li2">Bilhan, Zaavan and Akan.</div><div class="li1"> 28The sons of Dishan:</div><div class="li2">Uz and Aran.</div><div class="li1"> 29These were the Horite chiefs:</div><div class="li2">Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 30Dishon, Ezer and Dishan. These were the Horite chiefs, according to their divisions, in the land of Seir.</div><div class="s1">The Rulers of Edom</div><div class="p"> 31These were the kings who reigned in Edom before any Israelite king reigned:</div><div class="li1"> 32Bela son of Beor became king of Edom. His city was named Dinhabah.</div><div class="li1"> 33When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah succeeded him as king.</div><div class="li1"> 34When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites succeeded him as king.</div><div class="li1"> 35When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad, who defeated Midian in the country of Moab, succeeded him as king. His city was named Avith.</div><div class="li1"> 36When Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah succeeded him as king.</div><div class="li1"> 37When Samlah died, Shaul from Rehoboth on the river succeeded him as king.</div><div class="li1"> 38When Shaul died, Baal-Hanan son of Akbor succeeded him as king.</div><div class="li1"> 39When Baal-Hanan son of Akbor died, Hadad#36:39 Many manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Samaritan Pentateuch and Syriac (see also 1 Chron. 1:50); most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text Hadar succeeded him as king. His city was named Pau, and his wife&#8217;s name was Mehetabel daughter of Matred, the daughter of Me-Zahab.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="p"> 40These were the chiefs descended from Esau, by name, according to their clans and regions:</div><div class="li2">Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, 41Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, 42Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, 43Magdiel and Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom, according to their settlements in the land they occupied.</div><div class="p">This is the family line of Esau, the father of the Edomites.</div>
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