NLT One Year Bible - Flipbook - Page 78
J A N U A R Y
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“‘Should we pull out the weeds?’ they
asked.
29“ ‘No,’ he replied, ‘you’ll uproot the
wheat if you do. 30Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell
the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie
them into bundles, and burn them, and
to put the wheat in the barn.’”
31Here is another illustration Jesus
used: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a
mustard seed planted in a field. 32It is
the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes
the largest of garden plants; it grows
into a tree, and birds come and make
nests in its branches.”
33 Jesus also used this illustration:
“The Kingdom of Heaven is like the
yeast a woman used in making bread.
Even though she put only a little yeast in
three measures of flour, it permeated
every part of the dough.”
34 Jesus always used stories and illustrations like these when speaking to the
crowds. In fact, he never spoke to them
without using such parables. 35 This fulfilled what God had spoken through the
prophet:
“I will speak to you in parables.
I will explain things hidden since
the creation of the world.*”
36Then, leaving the crowds outside,
Jesus went into the house. His disciples
said, “Please explain to us the story of
the weeds in the field.”
37 Jesus replied, “The Son of Man* is
the farmer who plants the good seed.
38The field is the world, and the good
seed represents the people of the Kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the evil one. 39 The enemy who
planted the weeds among the wheat is
the devil. The harvest is the end of the
world,* and the harvesters are the angels.
40“Just as the weeds are sorted out
and burned in the fire, so it will be at the
end of the world. 41The Son of Man will
send his angels, and they will remove
from his Kingdom everything that
causes sin and all who do evil. 42And the
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angels will throw them into the fiery
furnace, where there will be weeping
and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their
Father’s Kingdom. Anyone with ears to
hear should listen and understand!
44“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a
treasure that a man discovered hidden
in a field. In his excitement, he hid it
again and sold everything he owned to
get enough money to buy the field.
45“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is
like a merchant on the lookout for
choice pearls. 46When he discovered
a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!”
13:35 Some manuscripts do not include of the world.
Ps 78:2. 13:37 “Son of Man” is a title Jesus used for
himself. 13:39 Or the age; also in 13:40, 49.
PSALM 18:1-15
For the choir director: A psalm of David, the
servant of the LORD. He sang this song to the
LORD on the day the LORD rescued him from
all his enemies and from Saul. He sang:
I love you, Lord;
you are my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress,
and my savior;
my God is my rock, in whom
I find protection.
He is my shield, the power that
saves me,
and my place of safety.
3 I called on the Lord, who is worthy
of praise,
and he saved me from my
enemies.
1
The ropes of death entangled me;
floods of destruction swept
over me.
5 The grave* wrapped its ropes
around me;
death laid a trap in my path.
6 But in my distress I cried out
to the Lord;
yes, I prayed to my God for help.
He heard me from his sanctuary;
my cry to him reached his ears.
4
7
Then the earth quaked and
trembled.
