Today's Reading

¹Now this is the history of the generations of the sons of Noah and of Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons were born to them after the flood.

²The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.

³The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah.

⁴The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.

⁵Of these were the islands of the nations divided in their lands, everyone after his language, after their families, in their nations.

⁶The sons of Ham: Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.

⁷The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan.

⁸Cush became the father of Nimrod. He began to be a mighty one in the earth.

⁹He was a mighty hunter before the Lord. Therefore it is said, "Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord."

¹⁰The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.

¹¹Out of that land he went forth into Assyria, and built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah,

¹²and Resen between Nineveh and Calah (the same is the great city).

¹³Mizraim became the father of Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim,

¹⁴Pathrusim, Casluhim (which the Philistines descended from), and Caphtorim.

¹⁵Canaan became the father of Sidon (his firstborn), Heth,

¹⁶the Jebusite, the Amorite, the Girgashite,

¹⁷the Hivite, the Arkite, the Sinite,

¹⁸the Arvadite, the Zemarite, and the Hamathite. Afterward the families of the Canaanites were spread abroad.

¹⁹The border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as you go toward Gerar, to Gaza; as you go toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, to Lasha.

²⁰These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their languages, in their lands, in their nations.

²¹To Shem, the father of all the children of Eber, the elder brother of Japheth, to him also were children born.

²²The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram.

²³The sons of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash.

²⁴Arpachshad became the father of Shelah. Shelah became the father of Eber.

²⁵To Eber were born two sons. The name of the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided. His brother's name was Joktan.

²⁶Joktan became the father of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah,

²⁷Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah,

²⁸Obal, Abimael, Sheba,

²⁹Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan.

³⁰Their dwelling was from Mesha, as you go toward Sephar, the mountain of the east.

³¹These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their languages, in their lands, after their nations.

³²These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations. Of these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.

¹The whole earth was of one language and of one speech.

²It happened, as they traveled east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they lived there.

³They said one to another, "Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly." They had brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar.

⁴They said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top reaches to the sky, and let us make ourselves a name, lest we be scattered abroad on the surface of the whole earth."

⁵The Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men built.

⁶The Lord said, "Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is what they begin to do. Now nothing will be withheld from them, which they intend to do.

⁷Come, let us go down, and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech."

⁸So the Lord scattered them abroad from there on the surface of all the earth. They stopped building the city.

⁹Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. From there, the Lord scattered them abroad on the surface of all the earth.

¹⁰This is the history of the generations of Shem. Shem was one hundred years old and became the father of Arpachshad two years after the flood.

¹¹Shem lived five hundred years after he became the father of Arpachshad, and became the father of sons and daughters.

¹²Arpachshad lived thirty-five years and became the father of Shelah.

¹³Arpachshad lived four hundred three years after he became the father of Shelah, and became the father of sons and daughters.

¹⁴Shelah lived thirty years, and became the father of Eber:

¹⁵and Shelah lived four hundred three years after he became the father of Eber, and became the father of sons and daughters.

¹⁶Eber lived thirty-four years, and became the father of Peleg.

¹⁷Eber lived four hundred thirty years after he became the father of Peleg, and became the father of sons and daughters.

¹⁸Peleg lived thirty years, and became the father of Reu.

¹⁹Peleg lived two hundred nine years after he became the father of Reu, and became the father of sons and daughters.

²⁰Reu lived thirty-two years, and became the father of Serug.

²¹Reu lived two hundred seven years after he became the father of Serug, and became the father of sons and daughters.

²²Serug lived thirty years, and became the father of Nahor.

²³Serug lived two hundred years after he became the father of Nahor, and became the father of sons and daughters.

²⁴Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and became the father of Terah.

²⁵Nahor lived one hundred nineteen years after he became the father of Terah, and became the father of sons and daughters.

²⁶Terah lived seventy years, and became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

²⁷Now this is the history of the generations of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran became the father of Lot.

²⁸Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans.

²⁹Abram and Nahor took wives. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran who was also the father of Iscah.

³⁰Sarai was barren. She had no child.

³¹Terah took Abram his son, Lot the son of Haran, his son's son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife. They went forth from Ur of the Chaldeans, to go into the land of Canaan. They came to Haran and lived there.

³²The days of Terah were two hundred five years. Terah died in Haran.

¹Now the Lord said to Abram, "Get out of your country, and from your relatives, and from your father's house, to the land that I will show you.

²I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great. You will be a blessing.

³I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you. In you will all of the families of the earth be blessed."

⁴So Abram went, as the Lord had spoken to him. Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed out of Haran.

⁵Abram took Sarai his wife, Lot his brother's son, all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls whom they had gotten in Haran, and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan. Into the land of Canaan they came.

⁶Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. The Canaanite was then in the land.

⁷The Lord appeared to Abram and said, "I will give this land to your seed." He built an altar there to the Lord, who appeared to him.

⁸He left from there to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having 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.

⁹Abram traveled, going on still toward the Negev.

¹⁰There was a famine in the land. Abram went down into Egypt to live as a foreigner there, for the famine was severe in the land.

¹¹It happened, when he had come near to enter Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, "See now, I know that you are a beautiful woman to look at.

¹²It will happen, when the Egyptians will see you, that they will say, 'This is his wife.' They will kill me, but they will save you alive.

¹³Please say that you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that my soul may live because of you."

¹⁴It happened that when Abram had come into Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful.

¹⁵The princes of Pharaoh saw her, and praised her to Pharaoh; and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house.

¹⁶He dealt well with Abram for her sake. He had sheep, cattle, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels.

¹⁷The Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife.

¹⁸Pharaoh called Abram and said, "What is this that you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife?

¹⁹Why did you say, 'She is my sister,' so that I took her to be my wife? Now therefore, see your wife, take her, and go your way."

²⁰Pharaoh commanded men concerning him, and they brought him on the way with his wife and all that he had.

¹Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

²And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry afterward.

³And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread."

⁴But he answered, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'"

⁵Then the devil took him into the holy city. He set him on the pinnacle of the temple,

⁶and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, 'He will put his angels in charge of you.' and, 'On their hands they will bear you up, so that you do not dash your foot against a stone.'"

⁷Jesus said to him, "Again, it is written, 'You shall not test the Lord, your God.'"

⁸Again, the devil took him to an exceedingly high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory.

⁹And he said to him, "I will give you all of these things, if you will fall down and worship me."

¹⁰Then Jesus said to him, "Go away, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and you shall serve him only.'"

¹¹Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and served him.

¹²Now when he heard that John was delivered up, he withdrew into Galilee.

¹³And leaving Nazareth, he came and lived in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,

¹⁴that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying,

¹⁵"The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, toward the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles,

¹⁶the people who sat in darkness saw a great light, and to those who sat in the region and shadow of death, to them light has dawned."

¹⁷From that time, Jesus began to proclaim, and to say, "Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is near."

¹⁸And walking by the sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers: Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew, his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.

¹⁹And he said to them, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers for men."

²⁰And they immediately left their nets and followed him.

²¹Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, Jacob the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them.

²²And they immediately left the boat and their father, and followed him.

²³And he went about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness among the people.

²⁴And the report about him went out into all Syria, and they brought to him all who were sick, afflicted with various diseases and torments, possessed with demons, epileptics, and paralytics; and he healed them.

²⁵And great multitudes from Galilee, and Decapolis, and Jerusalem, and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan followed him.

¹ Answer me when I call, God of my righteousness. Give me relief from my distress. Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.

²You sons of men, how long shall my glory be turned into dishonor? Will you love vanity, and seek after falsehood? Selah.

³But know that the Lord has set apart for himself him who is godly: The Lord will hear when I call to him.

⁴When agitated, do not sin. Search your own heart on your bed, and be still. Selah.

⁵Offer the sacrifices of righteousness. Put your trust in the Lord.

⁶Many say, "Who will show us any good?" Lord, let the light of your face shine on us.

⁷You have put gladness in my heart, more than when their grain and their new wine are increased.

⁸In peace I will both lay myself down and sleep, for you, the Lord alone, make me live in safety.

¹Listen, sons, to a father's instruction. Pay attention and know understanding;

²for I give you sound learning. Do not forsake my law.

³For I was a son to my father, tender and an only child in the sight of my mother.

⁴He taught me, and said to me: "Let your heart retain my words. Keep my commandments, and live.

⁵Get wisdom. Get understanding. Do not forget, neither swerve from the words of my mouth.

⁶Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you. Love her, and she will keep you.

⁷Wisdom is supreme. Get wisdom. Yes, though it costs all your possessions, get understanding.

⁸Esteem her, and she will exalt you. She will bring you to honor, when you embrace her.

⁹She will give to your head a garland of grace. She will deliver a crown of splendor to you."

¹⁰Listen, my son, and receive my sayings. The years of your life will be many.

¹¹I have taught you in the way of wisdom. I have led you in straight paths.

¹²When you go, your steps will not be hampered. When you run, you will not stumble.

¹³Take firm hold of instruction. Do not let her go. Keep her, for she is your life.

¹⁴Do not enter into the path of the wicked. Do not walk in the way of evil men.

¹⁵Avoid it, and do not pass by it. Turn from it, and pass on.

¹⁶For they do not sleep, unless they do evil. Their sleep is taken away, unless they make someone fall.

¹⁷For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.

¹⁸But the path of the righteous is like the dawning light, that shines more and more until the perfect day.

¹⁹The way of the wicked is like darkness. They do not know what they stumble over.

²⁰My son, attend to my words. Turn your ear to my sayings.

²¹Let them not depart from your eyes. Keep them in the midst of your heart.

²²For they are life to those who find them, and health to their whole body.

²³Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it is the wellspring of life.

²⁴Put away from yourself a perverse mouth. Put corrupt lips far from you.

²⁵Let your eyes look straight ahead. Fix your gaze directly before you.

²⁶Make the path of your feet level. Let all of your ways be established.

²⁷Do not turn to the right hand nor to the left. Remove your foot from evil.