ESV: Chronological

Reading: Genesis 12-15 Reading: Genesis 12-15 Genesis 12-15 Back to top Genesis 12-15 The Call of Abram 12 Now the LORD said1 to Abram, “Go from your country2 and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”3 So Abram went, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak4 of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him. From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD. And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb. Abram and Sarai in Egypt Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land. When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance, and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me, but they will let you live. Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared for your sake.” When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. And when the princes of Pharaoh saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house. And for her sake he dealt well with Abram; and he had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels. But the LORD afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife. So Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife; take her, and go.” And Pharaoh gave men orders concerning him, and they sent him away with his wife and all that he had. Abram and Lot Separate 13 So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb. Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. And he journeyed on from the Negeb as far as Bethel to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the LORD. And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together, and there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were dwelling in the land. Then Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen.5 Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.” And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) So Lot c

Reading: Job 40-42 Reading: Job 40-42 Job 40-42 Back to top Job 40-42 40 And the LORD said to Job:   “Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty?     He who argues with God, let him answer it.” Job Promises Silence Then Job answered the LORD and said:   “Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you?     I lay my hand on my mouth.   I have spoken once, and I will not answer;     twice, but I will proceed no further.” The Lord Challenges Job Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:   “Dress for action1 like a man;     I will question you, and you make it known to me.   Will you even put me in the wrong?     Will you condemn me that you may be in the right?   Have you an arm like God,     and can you thunder with a voice like his?   “Adorn yourself with majesty and dignity;     clothe yourself with glory and splendor.   Pour out the overflowings of your anger,     and look on everyone who is proud and abase him.   Look on everyone who is proud and bring him low     and tread down the wicked where they stand.   Hide them all in the dust together;     bind their faces in the world below.2   Then will I also acknowledge to you     that your own right hand can save you.   “Behold, Behemoth,3     which I made as I made you;     he eats grass like an ox.   Behold, his strength in his loins,     and his power in the muscles of his belly.   He makes his tail stiff like a cedar;     the sinews of his thighs are knit together.   His bones are tubes of bronze,     his limbs like bars of iron.   “He is the first of the works4 of God;     let him who made him bring near his sword!   For the mountains yield food for him     where all the wild beasts play.   Under the lotus plants he lies,     in the shelter of the reeds and in the marsh.   For his shade the lotus trees cover him;     the willows of the brook surround him.   Behold, if the river is turbulent he is not frightened;     he is confident though Jordan rushes against his mouth.   Can one take him by his eyes,5     or pierce his nose with a snare? 41   6 “Can you draw out Leviathan7 with a fishhook     or press down his tongue with a cord?   Can you put a rope in his nose     or pierce his jaw with a hook?   Will he make many pleas to you?     Will he speak to you soft words?   Will he make a covenant with you     to take him for your servant forever?   Will you play with him as with a bird,     or will you put him on a leash for your girls?   Will traders bargain over him?     Will they divide him up among the merchants?   Can you fill his skin with harpoons     or his head with fishing spears?   Lay your hands on him;     remember the battle—you will not do it again!   8 Behold, the hope of a man is false;     he is laid low even at the sight of him.   No one is so fierce that he dares to stir him up.     Who then is he who can stand before me?   Who has first given to me, that I should repay him?     Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine.   “I will not keep silence

Reading: Job 38-39 Reading: Job 38-39 Job 38-39 Back to top Job 38-39 The Lord Answers Job 38 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:   “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?   Dress for action1 like a man;     I will question you, and you make it known to me.   “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?     Tell me, if you have understanding.   Who determined its measurements—surely you know!     Or who stretched the line upon it?   On what were its bases sunk,     or who laid its cornerstone,   when the morning stars sang together     and all the sons of God shouted for joy?   “Or who shut in the sea with doors     when it burst out from the womb,   when I made clouds its garment     and thick darkness its swaddling band,   and prescribed limits for it     and set bars and doors,   and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther,     and here shall your proud waves be stayed’?   “Have you commanded the morning since your days began,     and caused the dawn to know its place,   that it might take hold of the skirts of the earth,     and the wicked be shaken out of it?   It is changed like clay under the seal,     and its features stand out like a garment.   From the wicked their light is withheld,     and their uplifted arm is broken.   “Have you entered into the springs of the sea,     or walked in the recesses of the deep?   Have the gates of death been revealed to you,     or have you seen the gates of deep darkness?   Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth?     Declare, if you know all this.   “Where is the way to the dwelling of light,     and where is the place of darkness,   that you may take it to its territory     and that you may discern the paths to its home?   You know, for you were born then,     and the number of your days is great!   “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow,     or have you seen the storehouses of the hail,   which I have reserved for the time of trouble,     for the day of battle and war?   What is the way to the place where the light is distributed,     or where the east wind is scattered upon the earth?   “Who has cleft a channel for the torrents of rain     and a way for the thunderbolt,   to bring rain on a land where no man is,     on the desert in which there is no man,   to satisfy the waste and desolate land,     and to make the ground sprout with grass?   “Has the rain a father,     or who has begotten the drops of dew?   From whose womb did the ice come forth,     and who has given birth to the frost of heaven?   The waters become hard like stone,     and the face of the deep is frozen.   “Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades     or loose the cords of Orion?   Can you lead forth the Mazzaroth2 in their season,     or can you guide the Bear with its children?   Do you know the ordinances of the heavens?     Can you establish their rule on the earth?   “Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,     that a flood of waters may cover you?   Can you

Reading: Job 35-37 Reading: Job 35-37 Job 35-37 Back to top Job 35-37 Elihu Condemns Job 35 And Elihu answered and said:   “Do you think this to be just?     Do you say, ‘It is my right before God,’   that you ask, ‘What advantage have I?     How am I better off than if I had sinned?’   I will answer you     and your friends with you.   Look at the heavens, and see;     and behold the clouds, which are higher than you.   If you have sinned, what do you accomplish against him?     And if your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to him?   If you are righteous, what do you give to him?     Or what does he receive from your hand?   Your wickedness concerns a man like yourself,     and your righteousness a son of man.   “Because of the multitude of oppressions people cry out;     they call for help because of the arm of the mighty.1   But none says, ‘Where is God my Maker,     who gives songs in the night,   who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth     and makes us wiser than the birds of the heavens?’   There they cry out, but he does not answer,     because of the pride of evil men.   Surely God does not hear an empty cry,     nor does the Almighty regard it.   How much less when you say that you do not see him,     that the case is before him, and you are waiting for him!   And now, because his anger does not punish,     and he does not take much note of transgression,2   Job opens his mouth in empty talk;     he multiplies words without knowledge.” Elihu Extols God's Greatness 36 And Elihu continued, and said:   “Bear with me a little, and I will show you,     for I have yet something to say on God's behalf.   I will get my knowledge from afar     and ascribe righteousness to my Maker.   For truly my words are not false;     one who is perfect in knowledge is with you.   “Behold, God is mighty, and does not despise any;     he is mighty in strength of understanding.   He does not keep the wicked alive,     but gives the afflicted their right.   He does not withdraw his eyes from the righteous,     but with kings on the throne     he sets them forever, and they are exalted.   And if they are bound in chains     and caught in the cords of affliction,   then he declares to them their work     and their transgressions, that they are behaving arrogantly.   He opens their ears to instruction     and commands that they return from iniquity.   If they listen and serve him,     they complete their days in prosperity,     and their years in pleasantness.   But if they do not listen, they perish by the sword     and die without knowledge.   “The godless in heart cherish anger;     they do not cry for help when he binds them.   They die in youth,     and their life ends among the cult prostitutes.   He delivers the afflicted by their affliction     and opens their ear by adversity.   He also allured you out of distress     into a broad place where there was no cramping,     and what was set on your table was full of fatness.   “But you are full of the judgment

Reading: Job 32-34 Reading: Job 32-34 Job 32-34 Back to top Job 32-34 Elihu Rebukes Job's Three Friends 32 So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. Then Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, burned with anger. He burned with anger at Job because he justified himself rather than God. He burned with anger also at Job's three friends because they had found no answer, although they had declared Job to be in the wrong. Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because they were older than he. And when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, he burned with anger. And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said:   “I am young in years,     and you are aged;   therefore I was timid and afraid     to declare my opinion to you.   I said, ‘Let days speak,     and many years teach wisdom.’   But it is the spirit in man,     the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand.   It is not the old1 who are wise,     nor the aged who understand what is right.   Therefore I say, ‘Listen to me;     let me also declare my opinion.’   “Behold, I waited for your words,     I listened for your wise sayings,     while you searched out what to say.   I gave you my attention,     and, behold, there was none among you who refuted Job     or who answered his words.   Beware lest you say, ‘We have found wisdom;     God may vanquish him, not a man.’   He has not directed his words against me,     and I will not answer him with your speeches.   “They are dismayed; they answer no more;     they have not a word to say.   And shall I wait, because they do not speak,     because they stand there, and answer no more?   I also will answer with my share;     I also will declare my opinion.   For I am full of words;     the spirit within me constrains me.   Behold, my belly is like wine that has no vent;     like new wineskins ready to burst.   I must speak, that I may find relief;     I must open my lips and answer.   I will not show partiality to any man     or use flattery toward any person.   For I do not know how to flatter,     else my Maker would soon take me away. Elihu Rebukes Job 33   “But now, hear my speech, O Job,     and listen to all my words.   Behold, I open my mouth;     the tongue in my mouth speaks.   My words declare the uprightness of my heart,     and what my lips know they speak sincerely.   The Spirit of God has made me,     and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.   Answer me, if you can;     set your words in order before me; take your stand.   Behold, I am toward God as you are;     I too was pinched off from a piece of clay.   Behold, no fear of me need terrify you;     my pressure will not be heavy upon you.   “Surely you have spoken in my ears,     and I have heard the sound of your words.   You say, ‘I am pure, without transgression;     I am clean, and there is no iniquity in me.   Behold, he finds occasions against me,     he counts me as his enemy,   he puts my feet in the stocks     and watches all my paths.’   

Reading: Job 29-31 Reading: Job 29-31 Job 29-31 Back to top Job 29-31 Job's Summary Defense 29 And Job again took up his discourse, and said:   “Oh, that I were as in the months of old,     as in the days when God watched over me,   when his lamp shone upon my head,     and by his light I walked through darkness,   as I was in my prime,1     when the friendship of God was upon my tent,   when the Almighty was yet with me,     when my children were all around me,   when my steps were washed with butter,     and the rock poured out for me streams of oil!   When I went out to the gate of the city,     when I prepared my seat in the square,   the young men saw me and withdrew,     and the aged rose and stood;   the princes refrained from talking     and laid their hand on their mouth;   the voice of the nobles was hushed,     and their tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth.   When the ear heard, it called me blessed,     and when the eye saw, it approved,   because I delivered the poor who cried for help,     and the fatherless who had none to help him.   The blessing of him who was about to perish came upon me,     and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.   I put on righteousness, and it clothed me;     my justice was like a robe and a turban.   I was eyes to the blind     and feet to the lame.   I was a father to the needy,     and I searched out the cause of him whom I did not know.   I broke the fangs of the unrighteous     and made him drop his prey from his teeth.   Then I thought, ‘I shall die in my nest,     and I shall multiply my days as the sand,   my roots spread out to the waters,     with the dew all night on my branches,   my glory fresh with me,     and my bow ever new in my hand.’   “Men listened to me and waited     and kept silence for my counsel.   After I spoke they did not speak again,     and my word dropped upon them.   They waited for me as for the rain,     and they opened their mouths as for the spring rain.   I smiled on them when they had no confidence,     and the light of my face they did not cast down.   I chose their way and sat as chief,     and I lived like a king among his troops,     like one who comforts mourners. 30   “But now they laugh at me,     men who are younger than I,   whose fathers I would have disdained     to set with the dogs of my flock.   What could I gain from the strength of their hands,     men whose vigor is gone?   Through want and hard hunger     they gnaw the dry ground by night in waste and desolation;   they pick saltwort and the leaves of bushes,     and the roots of the broom tree for their food.2   They are driven out from human company;     they shout after them as after a thief.   In the gullies of the torrents they must dwell,     in holes of the earth and of the rocks.   Among the bushes they bray;     under the nettles they huddle together.   A senseless, a nameless brood,     they have been whipped out of the land.   “And now I have become

Reading: Job 24-28 Reading: Job 24-28 Job 24-28 Back to top Job 24-28 24   “Why are not times of judgment kept by the Almighty,     and why do those who know him never see his days?   Some move landmarks;     they seize flocks and pasture them.   They drive away the donkey of the fatherless;     they take the widow's ox for a pledge.   They thrust the poor off the road;     the poor of the earth all hide themselves.   Behold, like wild donkeys in the desert     the poor1 go out to their toil, seeking game;     the wasteland yields food for their children.   They gather their2 fodder in the field,     and they glean the vineyard of the wicked man.   They lie all night naked, without clothing,     and have no covering in the cold.   They are wet with the rain of the mountains     and cling to the rock for lack of shelter.   (There are those who snatch the fatherless child from the breast,     and they take a pledge against the poor.)   They go about naked, without clothing;     hungry, they carry the sheaves;   among the olive rows of the wicked3 they make oil;     they tread the winepresses, but suffer thirst.   From out of the city the dying groan,     and the soul of the wounded cries for help;     yet God charges no one with wrong.   “There are those who rebel against the light,     who are not acquainted with its ways,     and do not stay in its paths.   The murderer rises before it is light,     that he may kill the poor and needy,     and in the night he is like a thief.   The eye of the adulterer also waits for the twilight,     saying, ‘No eye will see me’;     and he veils his face.   In the dark they dig through houses;     by day they shut themselves up;     they do not know the light.   For deep darkness is morning to all of them;     for they are friends with the terrors of deep darkness.   “You say, ‘Swift are they on the face of the waters;     their portion is cursed in the land;     no treader turns toward their vineyards.   Drought and heat snatch away the snow waters;     so does Sheol those who have sinned.   The womb forgets them;     the worm finds them sweet;   they are no longer remembered,     so wickedness is broken like a tree.’   “They wrong the barren, childless woman,     and do no good to the widow.   Yet God4 prolongs the life of the mighty by his power;     they rise up when they despair of life.   He gives them security, and they are supported,     and his eyes are upon their ways.   They are exalted a little while, and then are gone;     they are brought low and gathered up like all others;     they are cut off like the heads of grain.   If it is not so, who will prove me a liar     and show that there is nothing in what I say?” Bildad Speaks: Man Cannot Be Righteous 25 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:   “Dominion and fear are with God;5     he makes peace in his high heaven.   Is there any number to his armies?     Upon whom does his light not arise?   How then can man be in the ri

Reading: Genesis 1-3 Reading: Genesis 1-3 Genesis 1-3 Back to top Genesis 1-3 The Creation of the World 1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. And God said, “Let there be an expanse1 in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” And God made2 the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. And God called the expanse Heaven.3 And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. God called the dry land Earth,4 and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants5 yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day. And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons,6 and for days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day. And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds7 fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day. And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let us make man8 in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”   So God created man in his own image,     in the image of God he created him;     male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.

Reading: Revelation 1-5 Reading: Revelation 1-5 Revelation 1-5 Back to top Revelation 1-5 Prologue 1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants1 the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant2 John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. Greeting to the Seven Churches John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail3 on account of him. Even so. Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” Vision of the Son of Man I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.” Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this. As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. To the Church in Ephesus 2 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. “‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’ To the Church in Smyrna “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of the first and the last,

Reading: 2 John Reading: 3 John Reading: 2 John 2 John Back to top 2 John Greeting 1 The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all who know the truth, because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever: Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father's Son, in truth and love. Walking in Truth and Love I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father. And now I ask you, dear lady—not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another. And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it. For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we1 have worked for, but may win a full reward. Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works. Final Greetings Though I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink. Instead I hope to come to you and talk face to face, so that our joy may be complete. The children of your elect sister greet you. Footnotes [1] 1:8 Some manuscripts you (ESV) Reading: 3 John 3 John Back to top 3 John Greeting 1 The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth. Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul. For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers1 came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. Support and Opposition Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God. For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth. I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority. So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, talking wicked nonsense against us. And not content with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers, and also stops those who want to and puts them out of the church. Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God. Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself. We also add our testimony, and you know that our testimony is true. Final Greetings I had much to write to you, but I would rather not write with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face. Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends, each by name. Footnotes [1] 1:3 Or brothers and sisters. The plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) refers to siblings in a family. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, adelphoi may refer either to men or to both men and women who are siblings (brothers and sisters) in God's family, the church; also verses 5, 10 (ESV) This reading plan is copyright © Back to the Bible.

Reading: 1 John 1-5 Reading: 1 John 1-5 1 John 1-5 Back to top 1 John 1-5 The Word of Life 1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our1 joy may be complete. Walking in the Light This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. Christ Our Advocate 2 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. The New Commandment Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because2 the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him3 there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.   I am writing to you, little children,     because your sins are forgiven for his name's sake.   I am writing to you, fathers,     because you know him who is from the beginning.   I am writing to you, young men,     because you have overcome the evil one.   I write to you, children,     because you know the Father.   I write to you, fathers,     because you know him who is from the beginning.   I write to you, young men,     because you are strong,     and the word of God abides in you,     and you have overcome the evil one. Do Not Love the World Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life4—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. Warning Concerning Antichrists Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last

Reading: 2 Peter 1-3 Reading: Jude Reading: 2 Peter 1-3 2 Peter 1-3 Back to top 2 Peter 1-3 Greeting 1 Simeon1 Peter, a servant2 and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. Confirm Your Calling and Election His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to3 his own glory and excellence,4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue,5 and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities6 are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers,7 be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. I think it right, as long as I am in this body,8 to stir you up by way of reminder, since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things. Christ's Glory and the Prophetic Word For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son,9 with whom I am well pleased,” we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. False Prophets and Teachers 2 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell10 and committed them to chains11 of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly;12 and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (for as that

Reading: 2 Timothy 1-4 Reading: 2 Timothy 1-4 2 Timothy 1-4 Back to top 2 Timothy 1-4 Greeting 1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus, To Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. Guard the Deposit Entrusted to You I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to1 a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,2 and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me.3 Follow the pattern of the sound4 words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you. You are aware that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains, but when he arrived in Rome he searched for me earnestly and found me—may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that Day!—and you well know all the service he rendered at Ephesus. A Good Soldier of Christ Jesus 2 You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men5 who will be able to teach others also. Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything. Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. The saying is trustworthy, for:   If we have died with him, we will also live with him;   if we endure, we will also reign with him;   if we deny him, he also will deny us;   if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself. A Worker Approved by God Remind them of these things, and charge them before God6 not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved,7 a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already

Reading: Hebrews 7-10 Reading: Hebrews 7-10 Hebrews 7-10 Back to top Hebrews 7-10 The Priestly Order of Melchizedek 7 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace. He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever. See how great this man was to whom Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the spoils! And those descendants of Levi who receive the priestly office have a commandment in the law to take tithes from the people, that is, from their brothers,1 though these also are descended from Abraham. But this man who does not have his descent from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior. In the one case tithes are received by mortal men, but in the other case, by one of whom it is testified that he lives. One might even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him. Jesus Compared to Melchizedek Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron? For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well. For the one of whom these things are spoken belonged to another tribe, from which no one has ever served at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life. For it is witnessed of him,   “You are a priest forever,     after the order of Melchizedek.” For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness (for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God. And it was not without an oath. For those who formerly became priests were made such without an oath, but this one was made a priest with an oath by the one who said to him:   “The Lord has sworn     and will not change his mind,   ‘You are a priest forever.’” This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant. The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost2 those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever. Jesus, High Priest of a Better Covenant 8 Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in the true tent3 that the Lord set up, not man

Reading: 1 Peter 1-5 Reading: 1 Peter 1-5 1 Peter 1-5 Back to top 1 Peter 1-5 Greeting 1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you. Born Again to a Living Hope Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look. Called to Be Holy Therefore, preparing your minds for action,1 and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for   “All flesh is like grass     and all its glory like the flower of grass.   The grass withers,     and the flower falls,   but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you. A Living Stone and a Holy People 2 So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scriptu