The One Year Bible TLB (69 page)
Read The One Year Bible TLB Online
Authors: Tyndale
March 26Moses continued speaking to the people of Israel and said, “Listen carefully now to all these laws God has given you; learn them, and be sure to obey them!
2-3
“The Lord our God made a contract with you at Mount Horeb—
not with your ancestors, but with you who are here alive today.
4
He spoke with you face to face from the center of the fire, there at the mountain.
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I stood as an intermediary between you and Jehovah, for you were afraid of the fire and did not go up to him on the mountain. He spoke to me and I passed on his laws to you. This is what he said:
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“‘I am Jehovah your God who rescued you from slavery in Egypt.
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“‘Never worship any god but me.
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“‘Never make idols; don’t worship images, whether of birds, animals, or fish.
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You shall not bow down to any images nor worship them in any way, for I am the Lord your God. I am a jealous God, and I will bring the curse of a father’s sins upon even the third and fourth generation of the children of those who hate me; but I will show kindness to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
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“‘You must never use my name to make a vow you don’t intend to keep.
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I will not overlook that.
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“‘Keep the Sabbath day holy. This is my command.
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Work the other six days,
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but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God; no work shall be done that day by you or by any of your household—your sons, daughters, servants, oxen, donkeys, or cattle; even foreigners living among you must obey this law. Everybody must rest as you do.
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Why should you keep the Sabbath? It is because you were slaves in Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out with a great display of miracles.
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“‘Honor your father and mother (remember, this is a commandment of the Lord your God); if you do so, you shall have a long, prosperous life in the land he is giving you.
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“‘You must not murder.
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“‘You must not commit adultery.
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“‘You must not steal.
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“‘You must not tell lies.
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“‘You must not burn with desire for another man’s wife, nor envy him for his home, land, servants, oxen, donkeys, nor anything else he owns.’
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“The Lord has given these laws to each one of you from the heart of the fire, surrounded by the clouds and thick darkness that engulfed Mount Sinai. Those were the only commandments he gave you at that time,
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and he wrote them out on two stone tablets and gave them to me.
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But when you heard the loud voice from the darkness and saw the terrible fire at the top of the mountain, all your tribal leaders came to me
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and pleaded, ‘Today the Lord our God has shown us his glory and greatness; we have even heard his voice from the heart of the fire. Now we know that a man may speak to God and not die;
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but we will surely die if he speaks to us again. This awesome fire will consume us.
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What man can hear, as we have, the voice of the living God speaking from the heart of the fire, and live? You go and listen to all that God says, then come and tell us, and we will listen and obey.’
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“And the Lord agreed to your request and said to me, ‘I have heard what the people have said to you, and I agree.
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Oh, that they would always have such a heart for me, wanting to obey my commandments. Then all would go well with them in the future, and with their children throughout all generations!
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Go and tell them to return to their tents.
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Then you come back and stand here beside me, and I will give you all my commandments, and you shall teach them to the people; and they will obey them in the land I am giving to them.’”
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So Moses told the people, “You must obey all the commandments of the Lord your God, following his directions in every detail, going the whole way he has laid out for you;
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only then will you live long and prosperous lives in the land you are to enter and possess.
6:
1
“The Lord your God told me to give you all these commandments which you are to obey in the land you will soon be entering, where you will live.
2
The purpose of these laws is to cause you, your sons, and your grandsons to reverence the Lord your God by obeying all of his instructions as long as you live; if you do, you will have long, prosperous years ahead of you.
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Therefore, O Israel, listen closely to each command and be careful to obey it, so that all will go well with you, and so that you will have many children. If you obey these commands, you will become a great nation in a glorious land ‘flowing with milk and honey,’ even as the God of your fathers promised you.
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“O Israel, listen: Jehovah is our God, Jehovah alone.
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You must love him with
all
your heart, soul, and might.
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And you must think constantly about these commandments I am giving you today.
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You must teach them to your children and talk about them when you are at home or out for a walk; at bedtime and the first thing in the morning.
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Tie them on your finger, wear them on your forehead,
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and write them on the doorposts of your house!
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“When the Lord your God has brought you into the land he promised your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and when he has given you great cities full of good things—cities you didn’t build, wells you didn’t dig, and vineyards and olive trees you didn’t plant—and when you have eaten until you can hold no more, then beware lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, the land of slavery.
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When you are full, don’t forget to be reverent to him and to serve him and to use
his
name alone to endorse your promises.
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“You must not worship the gods of the neighboring nations,
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for Jehovah your God who lives among you is a jealous God, and his anger may rise quickly against you, and wipe you off the face of the earth.
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You must not provoke him and try his patience as you did when you complained against him at Massah.
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You must actively obey him in everything he commands.
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Only then will you be doing what is right and good in the Lord’s eyes. If you obey him, all will go well for you, and you will be able to go in and possess the good land that the Lord promised your ancestors.
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You will also be able to throw out all the enemies living in your land, as the Lord agreed to help you do.
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“In the years to come when your son asks you, ‘What is the purpose of these laws which the Lord our God has given us?’
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you must tell him, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt, and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with great power
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and mighty miracles—with terrible blows against Egypt and Pharaoh and all his people. We saw it all with our own eyes.
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He brought us out of Egypt so that he could give us this land he had promised to our ancestors.
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And he has commanded us to obey all of these laws and to reverence him so that he can preserve us alive as he has until now.
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For it always goes well with us when we obey all the laws of the Lord our God.”’
Not long afterwards Jesus went with his disciples to the village of Nain, with the usual great crowd at his heels.
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A funeral procession was coming out as he approached the village gate. The boy who had died was the only son of his widowed mother, and many mourners from the village were with her.
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When the Lord saw her, his heart overflowed with sympathy.
“Don’t cry!”
he said.
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Then he walked over to the coffin and touched it, and the bearers stopped.
“Laddie,”
he said,
“come back to life again.”
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Then the boy sat up and began to talk to those around him! And Jesus gave him back to his mother.
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A great fear swept the crowd, and they exclaimed with praises to God, “A mighty prophet has risen among us,” and, “We have seen the hand of God at work today.”
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The report of what he did that day raced from end to end of Judea and even out across the borders.
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The disciples of John the Baptist soon heard of all that Jesus was doing. When they told John about it,
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he sent two of his disciples to Jesus to ask him, “Are you really the Messiah?
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Or shall we keep on looking for him?”
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The two disciples found Jesus while he was curing many sick people of their various diseases—healing the lame and the blind and casting out evil spirits. When they asked him John’s question, this was his reply:
“Go back to John and tell him all you have seen and heard here today: how those who were blind can see. The lame are walking without a limp. The lepers are completely healed. The deaf can hear again. The dead come back to life. And the poor are hearing the Good News.
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And tell him, ‘Blessed is the one who does not lose his faith in me.’”
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24
After they left, Jesus talked to the crowd about John.
“Who is this man you went out into the Judean wilderness to see?”
he asked.
“Did you find him weak as grass, moved by every breath of wind?
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Did you find him dressed in expensive clothes? No! Men who live in luxury are found in palaces, not out in the wilderness.
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But did you find a prophet? Yes! And more than a prophet.
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He is the one to whom the Scriptures refer when they say, ‘Look! I am sending my messenger ahead of you, to prepare the way before you.’
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In all humanity there is no one greater than John. And yet the least citizen of the Kingdom of God is greater than he.”
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And all who heard John preach—even the most wicked of them
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—agreed that God’s requirements were right, and they were baptized by him.
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All, that is, except the Pharisees and teachers of Moses’ law. They rejected God’s plan for them and refused John’s baptism.
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“What can I say about such men?”
Jesus asked.
“With what shall I compare them?
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They are like a group of children who complain to their friends, ‘You don’t like it if we play “wedding” and you don’t like it if we play “funeral”!’
*
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For John the Baptist used to go without food and never took a drop of liquor all his life, and you said, ‘He must be crazy!’
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But I eat my food and drink my wine, and you say, ‘What a glutton Jesus is! And he drinks! And has the lowest sort of friends!’
*
35
But I am sure you can always justify your inconsistencies.”
*
What a glorious Lord! He who daily bears our burdens also gives us our salvation.
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He frees us! He rescues us from death.
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But he will crush his enemies, for they refuse to leave their guilty, stubborn ways.
22
The Lord says, “Come,” to all his people’s enemies;
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they are hiding on Mount Hermon’s highest slopes and deep within the sea!
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His people must destroy them. Cover your feet with their blood; dogs will eat them.
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The procession of God my King moves onward to the sanctuary—
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singers in front, musicians behind, girls playing the timbrels in between.
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Let all the people of Israel praise the Lord, who is Israel’s fountain.
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The little tribe of Benjamin leads the way. The princes and elders of Judah, and the princes of Zebulun and Naphtali are right behind.
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28
Summon your might; display your strength, O God, for you have done such mighty things for us.
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The kings of the earth are bringing their gifts to your Temple in Jerusalem.
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Rebuke our enemies, O Lord. Bring them—submissive, tax in hand.
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Scatter all who delight in war.
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Egypt will send gifts of precious metals. Ethiopia will stretch out her hands to God in adoration.
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Sing to the Lord, O kingdoms of the earth—sing praises to the Lord,
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to him who rides upon the ancient heavens, whose mighty voice thunders from the sky.
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Power belongs to God! His majesty shines down on Israel; his strength is mighty in the heavens.
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What awe we feel, kneeling here before him in the sanctuary. The God of Israel gives strength and mighty power to his people. Blessed be God!