Today's Reading

¹The Lord said to Noah, "Come with all of your household into the ship, for I have seen your righteousness before me in this generation.

²You shall take seven pairs of every clean animal with you, the male and his female. Of the animals that are not clean, take two, the male and his female.

³Also of the birds of the sky, seven and seven, male and female, to keep seed alive on the surface of all the earth.

⁴In seven days, I will cause it to rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights. Every living thing that I have made, I will destroy from the surface of the ground."

⁵Noah did everything that the Lord commanded him.

⁶Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came on the earth.

⁷Noah went into the ship with his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives, because of the waters of the flood.

⁸Clean animals, animals that are not clean, birds, and everything that creeps on the ground

⁹went by pairs to Noah into the ship, male and female, as God commanded Noah.

¹⁰It happened after the seven days, that the waters of the flood came on the earth.

¹¹In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day all the fountains of the great deep were burst open, and the sky's windows were opened.

¹²The rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights.

¹³In the same day Noah, and Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, entered into the ship;

¹⁴they, and every animal after its kind, all the livestock after their kind, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, every bird of every sort.

¹⁵They went to Noah into the ship, by pairs of all flesh with the breath of life in them.

¹⁶Those who went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God commanded him; and the Lord shut him in.

¹⁷The flood was forty days on the earth. The waters increased, and lifted up the ship, and it was lifted up above the earth.

¹⁸The waters prevailed, and increased greatly on the earth; and the ship floated on the surface of the waters.

¹⁹The waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth. All the high mountains that were under the whole sky were covered.

²⁰The waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward, and the mountains were covered.

²¹All flesh died that moved on the earth, including birds, livestock, animals, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man.

²²All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, of all that was on the dry land, died.

²³Every living thing was destroyed that was on the surface of the ground, including man, livestock, creeping things, and birds of the sky. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ship.

²⁴The waters prevailed on the earth one hundred fifty days.

¹God remembered Noah, all the animals, and all the livestock that were with him in the ship; and God made a wind to pass over the earth. The waters subsided.

²The deep's fountains and the sky's windows were also stopped, and the rain from the sky was restrained.

³The waters receded from the earth continually. After the end of one hundred fifty days the waters decreased.

⁴The ship rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on Ararat's mountains.

⁵The waters receded continually until the tenth month. In the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen.

⁶It happened at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ship which he had made,

⁷and he sent forth a raven. It went back and forth, until the waters were dried up from the earth.

⁸He sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from the surface of the ground,

⁹but the dove found no place to rest her foot, and she returned to him into the ship; for the waters were on the surface of the whole earth. He put forth his hand, and took her, and brought her to him into the ship.

¹⁰He stayed yet another seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ship.

¹¹The dove came back to him at evening, and, behold, in her mouth was an olive leaf plucked off. So Noah knew that the waters were abated from the earth.

¹²He stayed yet another seven days, and sent forth the dove; and she did not return to him any more.

¹³It happened in the six hundred first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from the earth. Noah removed the covering of the ship, and looked. He saw that the surface of the ground was dried.

¹⁴In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry.

¹⁵God spoke to Noah, saying,

¹⁶"Go out of the ship, you, and your wife, and your sons, and your sons' wives with you.

¹⁷Bring forth with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh, including birds, livestock, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply on the earth."

¹⁸Noah went forth, with his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives with him.

¹⁹Every animal, every creeping thing, and every bird, whatever moves on the earth, after their families, went out of the ship.

²⁰Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal, and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

²¹The Lord smelled the pleasant aroma. The Lord said in his heart, "I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake, because the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I ever again strike everything living, as I have done.

²²While the earth remains, seed time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease."

¹God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.

²The fear of you and the dread of you will be on every animal of the earth, and on every bird of the sky. Everything that the ground teems with, and all the fish of the sea are delivered into your hand.

³Every moving thing that lives will be food for you. As the green herb, I have given everything to you.

⁴But flesh with its life, its blood, you shall not eat.

⁵I will surely require your blood of your lives. At the hand of every animal I will require it. At the hand of man, even at the hand of every man's brother, I will require the life of man.

⁶Whoever sheds man's blood, his blood will be shed by man, for God made man in his own image.

⁷Be fruitful and multiply. Bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply in it."

⁸God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying,

⁹"As for me, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your offspring after you,

¹⁰and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the livestock, and every animal of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ship, even every animal of the earth.

¹¹I will establish my covenant with you: all flesh will not be cut off any more by the waters of the flood, neither will there ever again be a flood to destroy the earth."

¹²God said, "This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:

¹³I set my rainbow in the cloud, and it will be for a sign of a covenant between me and the earth.

¹⁴It will happen, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow will be seen in the cloud,

¹⁵and I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh, and the waters will no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.

¹⁶The rainbow will be in the cloud. I will look at it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth."

¹⁷God said to Noah, "This is the token of the covenant which I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth."

¹⁸The sons of Noah who went forth from the ship were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham is the father of Canaan.

¹⁹These three were the sons of Noah, and from these, the whole earth was populated.

²⁰Noah began to be a farmer, and planted a vineyard.

²¹He drank of the wine and got drunk. He was uncovered within his tent.

²²Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside.

²³Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it on both their shoulders, went in backwards, and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were backwards, and they did not see their father's nakedness.

²⁴Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his youngest son had done to him.

²⁵He said, "Canaan is cursed. He will be servant of servants to his brothers."

²⁶He said, "Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem. Let Canaan be his servant.

²⁷May God enlarge Japheth. Let him dwell in the tents of Shem. Let Canaan be his servant."

²⁸Noah lived three hundred fifty years after the flood.

²⁹All the days of Noah were nine hundred fifty years, then he died.

¹And in those days John the Baptist came, proclaiming in the wilderness of Judea, saying,

²"Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near!"

³For this is he who was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness, make ready the way of the Lord. Make his paths straight."

⁴Now John himself wore clothing made of camel's hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.

⁵Then people from Jerusalem, all of Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him,

⁶and they were baptized by him in the Jordan river, confessing their sins.

⁷But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for his baptism he said to them, "You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

⁸Therefore bring forth fruit worthy of repentance,

⁹and do not think to yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father,' for I tell you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.

¹⁰"And even now the axe lies at the root of the trees. Therefore, every tree that does not bring forth good fruit is cut down, and cast into the fire.

¹¹I indeed baptize you in water for repentance, but the one who comes after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and with fire.

¹²His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor. He will gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire."

¹³Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him.

¹⁴But John would have hindered him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and you come to me?"

¹⁵But Jesus, answering, said to him, "Allow it now, for this is the fitting way for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he allowed him.

¹⁶And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up directly from the water: and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming on him.

¹⁷And behold, a voice out of the heavens said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."

¹ Lord, how my adversaries have increased! Many are those who rise up against me.

²Many there are who say of my soul, "There is no help for him in God." Selah.

³But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, and the one who lifts up my head.

⁴I cry to the Lord with my voice, and he answers me out of his holy hill. Selah.

⁵I laid myself down and slept. I awakened; for the Lord sustains me.

⁶I will not be afraid of tens of thousands of people who have set themselves against me on every side.

⁷Arise, Lord! Save me, my God! For you have struck all of my enemies on the cheek bone. You have broken the teeth of the wicked.

⁸Salvation belongs to the Lord. Your blessing be on your people. Selah.

¹My son, do not forget my teaching; but let your heart keep my commandments:

²for length of days, and years of life, and peace, will they add to you.

³Do not let kindness and truth forsake you. Bind them around your neck. Write them on the tablet of your heart.

⁴So you will find favor, and good understanding in the sight of God and man.

⁵Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

⁶In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

⁷Do not be wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord, and depart from evil.

⁸It will be health to your body, and nourishment to your bones.

⁹Honor the Lord with your substance, with the first fruits of all your increase:

¹⁰so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.

¹¹My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline, neither be weary of his reproof:

¹²for whom the Lord loves, he reproves; even as a father reproves the son in whom he delights.

¹³Happy is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gets understanding.

¹⁴For her good profit is better than getting silver, and her return is better than fine gold.

¹⁵She is more precious than rubies. None of the things you can desire are to be compared to her.

¹⁶Length of days is in her right hand. In her left hand are riches and honor.

¹⁷Her ways are ways of pleasantness. All her paths are peace.

¹⁸She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her. Happy is everyone who retains her.

¹⁹By wisdom the Lord founded the earth. By understanding, he established the heavens.

²⁰By his knowledge, the depths were broken up, and the skies drop down the dew.

²¹My son, let them not depart from your eyes. Keep sound wisdom and discretion:

²²so they will be life to your soul, and grace for your neck.

²³Then you shall walk in your way securely. Your foot won't stumble.

²⁴When you lie down, you will not be afraid. Yes, you will lie down, and your sleep will be sweet.

²⁵Do not be afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it comes:

²⁶for the Lord will be your confidence, and will keep your foot from being taken.

²⁷Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do it.

²⁸Do not say to your neighbor, "Go, and come again; tomorrow I will give it to you," when you have it by you.

²⁹Do not devise evil against your neighbor, seeing he dwells securely by you.

³⁰Do not strive with a man without cause, if he has done you no harm.

³¹Do not envy the man of violence. Choose none of his ways.

³²For the perverse is an abomination to the Lord, but his friendship is with the upright.

³³The Lord's curse is in the house of the wicked, but he blesses the habitation of the righteous.

³⁴Surely he is scornful to scoffers, but he gives grace to the humble.

³⁵The wise will inherit glory, but shame will be the promotion of fools.