One Year Pray for the Persecuted Bible - Flipbook - Page 34
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January 5
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22
She calls to the crowds along the main
street,
to those gathered in front of the city
gate:
“How long, you simpletons,
will you insist on being simpleminded?
23
How long will you mockers relish your
mocking?
How long will you fools hate knowledge?
Come and listen to my counsel.
I’ll share my heart with you
and make you wise.”
JESUS DOESN’T HIDE THE TRUTH: Follow him and you’ll encounter conflict. It’s a natural consequence when followers of Christ live out biblical
values that run counter to their culture. But what’s not natural—what
takes God’s supernatural help—is to be joyful about experiencing
persecution. To endure it with grace. To see suffering as a way to glorify
God. • LORD, YOUR CHILDREN SUFFER in large and small ways for
their faith. Comfort them. Fill them with joy as they walk in the truth,
knowing that you are with them, right beside them. Amen.
GENESIS 11:1–13:4
At one time all the people of the world spoke
the same language and used the same words.
2 As the people migrated to the east, they
found a plain in the land of B
abylonia* and
settled there.
3 They began saying to each other, “Let’s
make bricks and harden them with fire.” (In
this region bricks were used instead of stone,
and tar was used for mortar.) 4 Then they said,
“Come, let’s build a great city for ourselves
with a tower that reaches into the sky. This
will make us famous and keep us from being
scattered all over the world.”
5 But the Lord came down to look at the
city and the tower the people were building.
6 “Look!” he said. “The people are united, and
they all speak the same language. After this,
nothing they set out to do will be impossible
for them! 7 Come, let’s go down and confuse
the people with different languages. Then
they won’t be able to understand each other.”
8 In that way, the Lord scattered them all
over the world, and they stopped building the
city. 9 That is why the city was called Babel,*
because that is where the Lord confused the
people with different languages. In this way
he scattered them all over the world.
10 This is the account of Shem’s family.
Two years after the great flood, when Shem
was 100 years old, he became the father of*
Arphaxad. 11 After the birth of* Arphaxad,
Shem lived another 500 years and had
other sons and daughters.
12 When Arphaxad was 35 years old, he
became the father of Shelah. 13 After the
birth of Shelah, Arphaxad lived another
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403 years and had other sons and
daughters.*
14 When Shelah was 30 years old, he became
the father of Eber. 15 After the birth of Eber,
Shelah lived another 403 years and had
other sons and daughters.
16 When Eber was 34 years old, he became the
father of Peleg. 17 After the birth of Peleg,
Eber lived another 430 years and had other
sons and daughters.
18 When Peleg was 30 years old, he became
the father of Reu. 19 After the birth of Reu,
Peleg lived another 209 years and had
other sons and daughters.
20 When Reu was 32 years old, he became the
father of Serug. 21 After the birth of Serug,
Reu lived another 207 years and had other
sons and daughters.
22 When Serug was 30 years old, he became
the father of Nahor. 23 After the birth of
Nahor, Serug lived another 200 years and
had other sons and daughters.
24 When Nahor was 29 years old, he became
the father of Terah. 25 After the birth of
Terah, Nahor lived another 119 years and
had other sons and daughters.
26 After Terah was 70 years old, he became
the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
27 This is the account of Te
rah’s family.
erah was the father of Abram, Nahor, and
T
Haran; and Haran was the father of Lot.
28 But Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, the
land of his birth, while his father, Terah, was
still living. 29 Meanwhile, Abram and Nahor
both married. The name of Abram’s wife
was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was
Milcah. (Milcah and her sister Iscah were
