One Year Pray for America Bible - Flipbook - Page 33
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three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old
female goat, a three-year-old ram, a
turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 So
Abram presented all these to him and
killed them. Then he cut each animal
down the middle and laid the halves
side by side; he did not, however,
cut the birds in half. 11 Some vultures
swooped down to eat the carcasses,
but Abram chased them away.
12 As the sun was going down,
Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a
terrifying darkness came down over
him. 13 Then the Lord said to Abram,
“You can be sure that your descendants will be strangers in a foreign
land, where they will be oppressed as
slaves for 400 years. 14 But I will punish the nation that enslaves them, and
in the end they will come away with
great wealth. 15 (As for you, you will die
in peace and be buried at a ripe old
age.) 16 After four generations your descendants will return here to this land,
for the sins of the Amorites do not yet
warrant their destruction.”
17 After the sun went down and darkness fell, Abram saw a smoking firepot
and a flaming torch pass between the
halves of the carcasses. 18 So the Lord
made a covenant with Abram that day
and said, “I have given this land to
your descendants, all the way from the
border of Egypt* to the great Euphrates River—19 the land now occupied
by the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmon
ites, 20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites,
21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites,
and Jebusites.”
13:15 Hebrew seed; also in 13:16. 14:1 Hebrew
Shinar; also in 14:9. 14:3 Hebrew Salt Sea.
14:8 Hebrew Siddim Valley (see 14:3); also in
14:10.
14:18 Hebrew El-Elyon; also in 14:19, 20, 22.
15:18 Hebrew the river of Egypt, referring either to an
eastern branch of the Nile River or to the Brook of
Egypt in the Sinai (see Num 34:5).
MATTHEW 5:2748
“You have heard the commandment
that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’* 28 But I say, anyone who even
looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in
his heart. 29 So if your eye—even your
good eye*—causes you to lust, gouge
it out and throw it away. It is better for
January 6
you to lose one part of your body than
for your whole body to be thrown into
hell. 30 And if your hand—even your
stronger hand*—causes you to sin,
cut it off and throw it away. It is better
for you to lose one part of your body
than for your whole body to be thrown
into hell.
31 “You have heard the law that
says, ‘A man can divorce his wife by
merely giving her a written notice of
divorce.’* 32 But I say that a man who
divorces his wife, unless she has been
unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman also commits adultery.
33 “You have also heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not break
your vows; you must carry out the
vows you make to the Lord.’* 34 But
I say, do not make any vows! Do not
say, ‘By heaven!’ because heaven is
God’s throne. 35 And do not say, ‘By the
earth!’ because the earth is his footstool. And do not say, ‘By Jerusalem!’
for Jerusalem is the city of the great
King. 36 Do not even say, ‘By my head!’
for you can’t turn one hair white or
black. 37 Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’
or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything beyond this
is from the evil one.
38 “You have heard the law that says
the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for
a tooth.’* 39 But I say, do not resist an
evil person! If someone slaps you on
the right cheek, offer the other cheek
also. 40 If you are sued in court and
your shirt is taken from you, give your
coat, too. 41 If a soldier demands that
you carry his gear for a mile,* carry
it two miles. 42 Give to those who ask,
and don’t turn away from those who
want to borrow.
43 “You have heard the law that
says, ‘Love your neighbor’* and hate
your enemy. 44 But I say, love your
enemies!* Pray for those who persecute you! 45 In that way, you will be
acting as true children of your Father
in heaven. For he gives his sunlight
to both the evil and the good, and he
sends rain on the just and the unjust
alike. 46 If you love only those who
