HOLY BIBLE NEW LIVING TRANSLATION Visit Group’s Web site at www.group.com Visit Tyndale’s Web site at www.tyndale.com LIVE features copyright © 2008 by Group Publishing, Inc., Loveland, Colorado 80539. All rights reserved. Cover illustration copyright © 2008 by Group Publishing, Inc., Loveland, Colorado 80539. All rights reserved. Produced with the assistance of The Livingstone Corporation (www.Livingstonecorp.com). Project staff includes Linda Taylor, Linda Washington, Jake Barton, and Joel Bartlett. LIVE is an edition of the Holy Bible, New Living Translation. Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. All rights reserved. The text of the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, may be quoted in any form (written, visual, electronic, or audio) up to and inclusive of fi ve hundred (500) verses without express written permission of the publisher, provided that the verses quoted do not account for more than 25 percent of the work in which they are quoted, and provided that a complete book of the Bible is not quoted. When the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, is quoted, one of the following credit lines must appear on the copyright page or title page of the work: Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. When quotations from the NLT text are used in nonsalable media, such as church bulletins, orders of service, newsletters, transparencies, or similar media, a complete copyright notice is not required, but the initials NLT must appear at the end of each quotation. Quotations in excess of fi ve hundred (500) verses or 25 percent of the work, or other permission requests, must be approved in writing by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Send requests by e-mail to: [email protected] or call 630-668-8300, ext. 8817. Publication of any commentary or other Bible reference work produced for commercial sale that uses the New Living Translation requires written permission for use of the NLT text. This Bible is typeset in the typeface Lucerna, designed by Brian Sooy & Co. exclusively for Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. TYNDALE, New Living Translation, NLT, the New Living Translation logo, and Tyndale’s quill logo are registered trademarks of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

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> A2 LIVE intro Copyediting andProofreadingofBibletext:PeachtreeEditorial Copyediting andProofreadingofBiblefeatures:TheLivingstoneCorporation of theircreators,namedonpageA4.Allrightsreserved. Student illustrations,photographs,poems,andwritingsfeaturedinLIVEarethecopyrightedproperty Student Artists,Photographers,Poets,andWriters Kelli B.Trujillo, JeffWhite Lawrence, JustinJamesMiller Jenny Baker, MikeDeVries, AndrewHodges,AmieHollmann,MikalKeefer, ShawnKeefer, Joy-Elizabeth Writers Gwen Elliott,AdamGraber, KimJohnson,PatLaCosse,KevinO’Brien,JonathanSchindler T Rebecca Tolle, KelliB.Trujillo, RoxanneWieman,T Patty Anderson,CraigCable,PamClifford,ScottKinner, KarlLeuthauser, JoaniSchultz,JeffStorm, Group Publishing,Inc. THE FOLLOWINGPEOPLECONTRIBUTEDTOLIVEBIBLE: yndale HousePublishers,Inc. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS , KristinPeach, ChristinaSchofi im Willms eld,AlisonT arka, JasonTarka, LIVE intro A3

> > ACKNOWLEDGMENTS > > STUDENT ART A4 Goswick, Clay:717,726,843,854, Gordon, Imani:125 Goldstein, Jill:703 Glenn, Alicia:932 Gills, Amari:522 German, Eliza:270,283,307,593, Gager, Allie:45,435,884,998 Furey, Rebekah:193,204 Frazier, Aieryon:554 Ford, Rachel:446,ColorSection Engle, Eric:1268 Eatman, Amanda:1230 Duckett, Katie:469,927,1173, Doyle, Cassie:ColorSection Douglas, Kate:73,93,849,863, Dobbs, Amy:455 Dawes, Justin:168,507,1240 Cuevas, Ezequiel:325,499 Crest, Angelique:225 Colasuonno, Leah:220,321,355 Celedonia, Justin:1044 Carlson, Cady:1118 Burton, Kim:653,1208,1250, Bukowiecki, Mateusz:928, Brown, Rachel:900 Brantl, Joy:17,738,ColorSection Blum, Katie:1220 Blackson, Jordan:199 Bishop, Logan:ColorSection Bernard, Jesse:369,410,777,936, Bedol, Lacy:66,422 Bardenhagen, Amy:1277 Anderson, Gabe:357,1258,1287, Allen, Josh:332 Akerley, Rachel:107,494,664,694, 961, ColorSection 857, 1234,1260,ColorSection 1192 Color Section 1262, 1279,1282, 1019, 1020,1039,1118,1142, Color Section Color Section 949, 1256 Color Section 825, 1056,1245,ColorSection LIVE intro STUDENT ART Montiel, MarvinJorge: Modlin, Chris: Miller, Hannah:458,1271 Martin, Josie:322 Martin, Acacia:730,ColorSection Maddox, Rachel:568 Lyons, Bailey:907 Lezotte, Sharon:291 LeBlanc, Andrena:91,557 Le, Jonathan:521 Lawrence, Jennifer:612,1102, Kwiatkowski, Katelyn:1210,1255 Knollenberg, Emily:471 Klink, Christy:A6,A9,78,134,139, Kidwell, Mallory:526,874,1087, Kenerson, Becca:661,889,1001 Katchuk, Morgan:234,598,628, Jozwiak, Michelle:346,374,417, Jordan, Lauren:330,377 Jones, Jessica:52,114,174,206, Johnson, Lucy:649,675,852,1070 John 3:16MissionFYC:273, Jauch, Daniel:1126 Hubbard, Maggie:75,163,171,310, Hoxie, Krista:1271 Houtchen, Megan:641,1148 Hostert, Rachel:129,195,304,309, Hiland, Lexi:29,36,51,53,280, Hastings, Anna:151,267 Hamilton, Paul:480 Graham, Michelle:733 1136, ColorSection 819, 1289,ColorSection 147, 180,245,547,623,760,769, 1225 691, 1148,1267,ColorSection 484, 1117,1288 1202, 1286,ColorSection 321, 379,638,845,1002,1108, Color Section Color Section 627, 950,1054,1107,1232,1246, 1079, 1129,ColorSection 525, 544,705,712,729,896,899, 1059, ColorSection 313, 344,402,480,737,782, 826, 836 156 Yancey, Taylor-Quinn: 572,682,832, Willms, Catherine:500,646,650, Williamson, Ricky:1182, White, Talitha: 98,412 Wallis, Erica:54,580,645,886, Verburg, Amanda:746 Tolentino, Orchid:943,Color Thomas, Rosa: Thomas, Mia: Testorff, Brady:1123 Stevens, Ariana:349 Stein, Katie:120,259,1011, Steckroth, Shelby:380,616,860 Stage, Ashly: Snook, Sarah:785,ColorSection Smith, Rakay:497 Smith, Bailey:229,583 Sicher, Kristin:63,511,1006, Saenz, Marlene:743 Russell, Adelee:1094,1185 Riling, Chrissy:136,584,1047 Riley, Shawna:ColorSection Reed, Randy:119,292,457,1166 Ramsey, Tyler: 1133 Price, Tasha: 966,1099 Piner, Andrea:986 Phillips, Hilary:1154,1207 Peterson, Samantha:A13,177 Perry, Samantha:1170, Paratore, Vito:246,596, Novak, Rebecca:1114 Noble, Olivia:1064 Nelson, Caitlin:337 Nappa, Tony: A11,185,262,656, 904, 940 1228, ColorSection 813, 959,975,995,1188,1226, Color Section Section 924, 968,1242,1285,Color Section Color Section Color Section Color Section Color Section 801, 977 1222 1178 22 CONTENTS

Alphabetical Listing of the Bible Books ...... A6 Habakkuk ...... 917 Features Guide ...... A7 Zephaniah ...... 921 Imagine: A Note from Thom and Joani ...... A12 Haggai ...... 925 The Story Behind the New Living Translation . . . . . A13 Zechariah ...... 929 Introduction to the New Living Translation ...... A14 Malachi ...... 941 NLT Bible Translation Team ...... A19 The New Testament The Old Testament Matthew ...... 947 Genesis ...... 3 Mark ...... 983 Exodus ...... 55 Luke ...... 1007 Leviticus...... 99 John ...... 1045 Numbers...... 131 Acts ...... 1073 Deuteronomy ...... 175 Romans ...... 1109 Joshua ...... 211 1 Corinthians ...... 1127 Judges ...... 237 2 Corinthians ...... 1143 Ruth ...... 263 Galatians ...... 1155 1 Samuel ...... 269 Ephesians ...... 1163 2 Samuel ...... 299 Philippians ...... 1171 1 Kings ...... 327 Colossians ...... 1177 2 Kings ...... 359 1 Thessalonians ...... 1183 1 Chronicles ...... 391 2 Thessalonians ...... 1189 2 Chronicles ...... 425 1 Timothy ...... 1193 Ezra ...... 461 2 Timothy ...... 1199 Nehemiah ...... 473 Titus ...... 1205 Esther...... 491 Philemon ...... 1209 Job ...... 501 Hebrews ...... 1213 Psalms ...... 533 James ...... 1227 Proverbs ...... 617 1 Peter ...... 1233 Ecclesiastes ...... 647 2 Peter ...... 1241 Song of Songs ...... 657 1 John...... 1247 Isaiah ...... 665 2 John...... 1253 Jeremiah...... 731 3 John...... 1257 Lamentations ...... 795 Jude ...... 1259 Ezekiel ...... 803 Revelation ...... 1263 Daniel...... 853 Hosea ...... 869 Bible GPS Joel ...... 881 Looking for Answers ...... 1283 Amos ...... 887 Where to Turn ...... 1284 Obadiah ...... 897 Real-Life Inspiration ...... 1289 Jonah ...... 901 One-Chapter-Per-Day Bible-Reading Plan ...... 1290 Micah ...... 905 Key Words and Where to Find Them Nahum ...... 913 (Concordance) ...... 1294 CONTENTS

LIVE intro A5 > > > ALPHABETICAL LISTING A6 941 . . Malachi Luke 1007 . 99 Leviticus. . Lamentations 795 . 2 Kings 359 . 1 Kings 327 . 237 . Judges 1259 Jude . 211 . Joshua 901 Jonah . 1257 3 John.. 1253 2 John.. 1247 1 John.. 1045 John . Joel 881 . 501 Job . 731 Jeremiah. . James 1227 . Isaiah 665 . Hosea 869 . Hebrews 1213 . Haggai 925 . Habakkuk 917 . 3 . Genesis Galatians 1155 . . 461 . Ezra 803 . Ezekiel 55 Exodus . 491 Esther. . 1163 . Ephesians Ecclesiastes 647 . 175 . Deuteronomy 853 Daniel. . 2 Corinthians 1143 . 1 Corinthians 1127 . 1177 Colossians . 2 Chronicles 425 . 1 Chronicles 391 . 887 . Amos 1073 . Acts Alphabetical ListingofBibleBooks LIVE ALPHABETICAL LISTING OF ALPHABETICAL LISTINGOF intro THE BIBLEBOOKS Zephaniah ...... 921 . Zephaniah Zechariah 929 . Titus 1205 . 2 Timothy1199 . 1 Timothy1193 . 2 Thessalonians 1189 . 1 Thessalonians 1183 . 657 . Song ofSongs 299 . 2 Samuel 269 . 1 Samuel Ruth 263 . 1109 . Romans 1263 . Revelation Psalms 533 . Proverbs 617 . Philippians 1171 . 1209 . Philemon 1241 2 Peter. 1233 1 Peter. Obadiah 897 . 131 Numbers. . Nehemiah 473 . Nahum 913 . Micah 905 . Matthew 947 . Mark 983 . relentless, compassionate,creative,andchallenging. and personallythatGodistheoneonlytrueGod.He’s real,passionate, encounter Godinwaysyoumaynothaveexpected.You’ll starttoknowdeeply church, yourfriendships,school,interests,veryself—you’ll As God’s Word permeateseverypartofyourlife—yourworld,family, your Encountering God… church. Your faithwillcometolife. compassion forhurtingpeople.You’ll senseGod’s purposeforhispeople,the You’ll catchGod’s visionforyouandtheplanet—you’llfeelGod’s loveand Your faithwillcometolife… moment ofyourlife. you. You’ll getarealsenseofhowreal,close,presentGodisinevery way youliveyourlife,relentlesslypursuinganever-deepening relationshipwith As youreadGod’s Word, you’llfeelGodtuggingatyourheart,challengingthe God tuggingatyourheart… passionately. know theonetrueGodofuniverse—thewhocreatedyouandloves It willspeakdirectlytoyourreallife.Inthesepages,you’lldiscoverandget It’s thelivingWord ofGod. This isyourBible… FEATURES GUIDE

“For the word of God is alive and powerful” (Hebrews 4:12). LIVE intro A7

> > FEATURES GUIDE > > FEATURES GUIDE A8 design, orjournaling. expressions likeart,poetry, photography, graphic You’ll respondtoGod’s Word withothercreative pages, doodling,pastingpictures,andmore. feelings, orquestionsbywritingrightonthese this Bibleyourown,expressingthoughts, In theseExpressYourself sidebars,you’llmake you’ll fi ndchallengestoExpressYourself. is expressingyourselfinreturn.Inthesepages to you.AndanimportantpartoffaithinGod expression ofhimself—hislove letters—was inspiredbyGod.It’s God’s poems, worshipsongs,prophecies,andpersonal The Bible—thiscollectionofhistoricalbooks, LIVE intro

WHAT’S INSIDE

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spent some time talking about your your about talking time some spent

look at your faults and failings and failings and faults your at look

you took a hard hard a took you time last the was When

Confession is the way to do that. do to way the is Confession

ssy consequences. consequences. ssy me their and sins our

Write init.Expressyourself. go ahead—makethisBibleyourown.Drawinit. lists, songlyrics—whateveryouwanttosay. So your owncreativeexpressionsoffaith—prayers, own questionsordoubtsandtocomeupwith of CreativeSpaceinheretowritedownyour throughout thisBible.Andyou’llalsofi ndplenty frank discussionsofsomethesestickyissues Real Questionsisimportant.You’ll fi ndseveral facing thehardpartsoffaith.Dealingwiththese doubts, untanglingconfusions,authentically means askingGodhardquestions—tackling Sometimesexpressingyourselfhonestly

deal deal with with to need still we forgiven, we’re

never just go away completely. Though Though completely. away go just never

lives here on earth. It’s a problem that will will that problem a It’s earth. on here lives

and sinful patterns for the rest of our our of rest the for patterns sinful and

to deal with weaknesses, temptations, temptations, weaknesses, with deal to

if we have faith in Christ, we each have have each we Christ, in faith have we if

Though we’ve Though

of our lives. lives. our of

deadly infection spreads into every area area every into spreads infection deadly

just ignoring the sickness of sin while its its while sin of sickness the ignoring just

up—to ourselves and to others—we’re others—we’re to and ourselves up—to

aren’t willing to admit that we’ve messed messed we’ve that admit to willing aren’t

-169

not living in the truth.” And when we we when And truth.” the in living not

no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and and ourselves fooling only are we sin, no REAL REAL

First John 1:8 says, “If we claim we have have we claim we “If says, 1:8 John First

Ever been there? been Ever

they never happened. happened. never they

ones? I try to ignore them and act as if if as act and them ignore to try I ones?

“small” sins don’t matter. And the big big the And matter. don’t sins “small”

but I still sin. So I pretend my “petty” or or “petty” my pretend I So sin. still I but

I like to think I’m a pretty good person… good pretty a I’m think to like I

forgiven anyway? anyway? forgiven

my sins? Aren’t all of my sins already already sins my of all Aren’t sins? my

If I’m a Christian, do I still need to confess confess to need still I do Christian, a I’m If

QUESTIONS

been forgiven of our sins sins our of forgiven been

RQ the way, we’veincludedtruestoriesofpeople so justincaseyouneedsomeinspirationalong Puttingfaithintoactioncanbereallytough, real, everydaylife. but toputitintopracticeinwaysthatfi tyour they willpromptyounotonlytoreadScripture We’ve calledtheseideasTry This—because impact yourworldforhim. Things thatwillhelpyougrowclosertoGodand specifi cwaysyoucanputyourfaithintoaction. Sowe’vegotsomechallengesforyou— about Jesustoothers. comfort zones,ourdecisiontospeakthetruth relationships, ourwillingnesstostepoutof express throughouractions—ourchoicesin Faith issomethingwelive.It’s somethingwe than justholdingontoacertainsetofbeliefs. your thoughtsandfeelings—andit’s alotmore

> ESTHER 3 Faith ismuchmorethanjustexpressing

STOPPING THE HOLOCAUST Here’s an incident that sounds eerily familiar… and chilling. A government green-lights the systematic extermination of Jews. The date of the slaughter draws near…and a Jewish queen, who’s passed as a Persian, faces a no-win decision. Queen Esther can say nothing and watch her people be destroyed. Or she can reveal her heritage—hoping to stop the killing—and invite execution. Tough call. Read Esther 4:14 that cemented Esther’s resolve. The question wasn’t directed at you, but suppose it was? Would you risk it all for your family—your people? Mordecai took a risk too when he challenged Esther to take a stand. And that’s a risk you can take too: Will you gently, lovingly help your family trust and serve the living God? Please note: shrilly announcing your family’s faults doesn’t qualify. We’re talking gentle. Loving. Leading by example. How can you invite your family to trust and follow God by example? Ask a family member that question...and be open to the answer. Who knows? Perhaps you were placed in your family for such a time as this.

GOD IS REAL

MY FAMILY

. It’s the question

A Wrong (Right) Turn and brilliance of a Russian autumn in 1908, Sergius Bulgakov was seeking a change in his young life. Bulgakov, a professor of political economy and a rising star on the Marxist intellectual scene, found himself inexplicably drawn back to the faith of the six generations of priests in his family. And yet while on a retreat with a friend at a country hermitage, he was unable to experience anything but deadening formality in the prayers of the religious people around him—a reminder of the grim services that he endured before his doubts drove him from the seminary. Stumbling out of the church service with his mind in a cloud, Bulgakov thought he was returning to the guest- house, but instead found himself at the home of the wise and revered elder of the hermitage, a holy man similar to Father Zossima in Dostoevsky’s novel The Brothers Karamazov. It was in a conversation with this wise man that the avowed atheist’s change fi nally came.

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said means personallytrustinginhimtosaveyou for yoursins.HavingarelationshipwithJesus who diedonthecrosstotakepunishment the onlywaytoheavenisthroughfaithinJesus, save you.Acentralpartoftruefaithisbelieving doesn’t leaveyouhanging.GodsentJesusto short ofthebestGodwantsforus.But thr sinner—we all with beinghonestyourself:Y relationship withJesus.FollowingJesusstarts Attheheartoftruefaithisaliving (1 John4:15). have Godlivinginthem,andtheyliveGod” “All whoconfessthatJesusistheSonofGod circumstances thatcametheirway. chose tolivevibrantlyforJesus,nomatterthe countries anddifferenttimesinhistorywho Just LikeYou—men andwomenfromdifferent kee Th peo kin liv be of de

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mparison w i LIVE intro A9

> > FEATURESFEATURE’S GUIDE GUIDE > > FEATURES GUIDE A10 factoid that’s justfuntoknow. ...and everynowandthenthey’llhandyoua a deeperunderstandingofwhatyou’rereading Christian guys. wide rangeofsources—notjustfamousdead boring. To delivercompellingquotesfroma SoLIVEtakesgreatcaretobeanythingbut We didn’tthinkso. to hearthatDavidbeatsGoliath? many surprises.Forinstance,isitreallyaspoiler Unlessthisisyourfi rstBible,therearen’t unlikely places! may besurprisedtodiscoverJesusinsome of Jesusboxesoneachbook’s intropage.You through Revelation.You’ll fi ndthese7Degrees important truthsaboutJesusfoundfromGenesis in withKevinBacon,wewanttoshowyouthe to eachotherbynamingmoviesthey’vebeen go onacircuitousroutetoconnectvariousactors the gameSixDegreesofKevinBaconwhereyou wanted toshowyoutheconnection.Sortoflike EverybookoftheBiblepointstoJesus,andwe Sightings. Testament—and we’vecalledthemJesus- show upallovertheBible—notjustinNew of theimportantplaceswheretruthsaboutJesus and now. Sowewantedtopointoutforyousome relate toyourfriendshipwithJesusinthehere stuff likelawsorpropheciesancientletters Jesus?” Itcanbediffi cultsometimestoseehow “What intheworlddoesthishavetodowith Butasyoureadit,maywonderattimes, will helpyoudothat. Holy Spirit,youchoosetoliveforhim.ThisBible friend—here onearth.WiththehelpofGod’s him yournumber-one priority—andyourbest eternity withhiminheaven,butyoualsomake prayer andhisWord. Notonlywillyouspend life, andgettingtoknowhimbetterthrough from yoursins,followinghisguidancefor Text Messagessupplythefactsthatmakefor LIVE intro

CREATIVE SPACE

Him, the world would be transformed.” be would world the Him,

“If only we could be a bit more like like more bit a be could we only “If

eidn h ol htte rntgood aren’t they that world the reminding

the Temple, this one curtain will remain, remain, will curtain one this Temple, the

26 are replaced by the stone walls of of walls stone the by replaced are

Exodus Exodus of the Tabernacle described in in described Tabernacle the of

the Scriptures, when most of the curtains curtains the of most when Scriptures, the

presence of a perfect God. Even later in in later Even God. perfect a of presence

that keeps an unclean people out of the the of out people unclean an keeps that

Ark and the rest of the world is a curtain curtain a is world the of rest the and Ark

One curtain matters most. Between the the Between most. matters curtain One

presence is there. there. is presence

made of curtains, the Tabernacle. God’s Tabernacle. the curtains, of made

of the Covenant. The Ark is kept in a tent tent a in kept is Ark The Covenant. the of

overlaid with pure gold known as the Ark Ark the as known gold pure with overlaid

Ten Commandments in the wood box box wood the in TenCommandments

Moses puts the stone tablets of the the of tablets stone the puts Moses

Jacob was the world’s fi rst person. a kill could appearance very

allowed to stand before the One whose whose One the before stand to allowed

presenting the only fl awed human heart fl heart only the human awed presenting

makeup artist. With some help inside, step and sheet the aside pull and the fi nite. The high priest alone can can alone fipriest the high and The nite.

from his mom, Rebekah, and infi the nite separating cloth of piece a some fancy cosmetic work, he tricked his father, Isaac, into thinking he was his older

brother, Esau (Genesis 27:14- JESUS-SIGHTING 29). By mistakenly blessing Jacob instead of Esau, Isaac fulfi lled God’s promise to Rebekah in Genesis 25:23.

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of all being partofacommunity. You’ll fi ndone at Andoneofthekeystogrowinginfaithis day whenChristJesusreturns.” continue hisworkuntilitisfi nallyfi nishedonthe “God, whobeganthegoodworkwithinyou,will in progress.It’s theideabehindPhilippians1:6: book businesswouldcalla“roughedit”—awork the fi nishedproductyet.We’re whatsomeinthe growing andstrugglingchanging.We’re not When itcomestofaith,we’reallseekingand R teens, well...notlikeyou. Think ofitasanonlinegalleryshowinghowGod’s revealinghimselfthroughteenslikeyouand sketches, whateverimageshonestlyrefl ecthowGodisspeakingtoyou. Upload yourfaithexpressionstowww.group.com/roughedit—we’ll postyourphotos,poems, ough Edit http://group. MAKE CONTACT com/roughedit yourself andliveyourfaith. Edit isaplaceforyou—whereyoucanexpress expressions tobeapartofthenextLIVE!Rough in thesepages.We’d loveforyour creative more artandwritingfromRoughEdittoinclude EachtimewereprintthisBible,we’llselect upload photos,art,andvideos. and questions,chataboutimportantissues, your friendswhereyoucanpostthoughts group.com/roughedit—a Web site foryouand

Up on a Roof—© Tony Nappa, 17 LIVE intro A11

> > MAKEFEATURE’S CONTACT GUIDE > > IMAGINE > > 2 THESSALONIANS XXX A12 LIVE intro Imagine Go LIVE! back whatGod’s relationshipmeanstoyou. OurprayeristhatLIVEwillopenyourheart, soul,andmindtorefl ect breathing exampleofGodwithus. outside. See,LIVEisnotastatic,cementblockofBible—it’s aliving, it allout!Godwouldlovetoseewhat’s onyourinsidecometothe www.group.com/roughedit. Hey, maybeyou’vegotasonginyou?Let to captureyourthoughtsandfeelings.Thensharethemon you’re connecting.Orgrabyourcameraandusestillormovingimages scribble, doodle,ordraw. PlaywiththepagesasawaytoshowGod LetGodknowwhatyou’vegotonyourmindandheart.Markitup, of chancestodothat. you tocommunicate,givehimsomefeedback.SoLIVEgiveslots desperately wantstogetareply. Hewantstohearfromyou. and-feel messagefrom—andto—ourBestFriendofalltime.God communication street.It’s aninteractive,tell-me-what-you-think- message. We wanttoerasethat ideawithLIVE.ThisBibleisatwo-way InthepastwemighthavethoughtGod’s “lovenote”wasaone-way love note! And morethananything,hewantstobewithyouforever. Nowthat’s a through theBible.It’s God’s wayofmakingsureyouknowhelovesyou. exactly whatGodwantsfromYOU.sentyouanamazingloveletter It’s amazingtoconnectandbeconnected.Today thatconnectionis Andtheycan’twaittohearbackfromyou,either. feel aboutthem. them toknowyougottheirmessage.You wantthemtoknowhowyou you wanttocallonyourcellphone,textthem,orwriteanote.You want them andhowtheycan’tlivewithoutyou,youwanttorespond.Maybe friend? grandparent?Oncethey’vetoldyouhowmuchmeanto You pick:Isityourfather?mother?boyfriendorgirlfriend?best youjustheardfromsomeonewholovesyou. IMAGINE THE STORY BEHIND THE NEW LIVING TRANSLATION

The Holy Bible, New Living Translation (NLT), was fi rst published in 1996. It quickly became one of the most popular Bible translations in the English-speaking world. While the NLT’s infl uence was rapidly growing, the Bible Translation Committee determined that an additional investment in scholarly review and text refi nement could make it even better. So shortly after its initial publication, the committee began an eight-year process with the purpose of increasing the level of the NLT’s precision without sacrifi cing its easy-to-understand quality. This second-generation text was completed in 2004 and is refl ected in this edition of the New Living Translation. An additional update with minor changes was subsequently introduced in 2007. The goal of any Bible translation is to convey the meaning and content of the ancient Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts as accurately as possible to contemporary readers. The challenge for our translators was to create a text that would communicate as clearly and powerfully to today’s readers as the original texts did to readers and listeners in the ancient biblical world. The resulting translation is easy to read and understand, while also accurately communicating the meaning and content of the original biblical texts. The NLT is a general-purpose text especially good for study, devotional reading, and reading aloud in worship services. We believe that the New Living Translation—which combines the latest biblical scholarship with a clear, dynamic writing style—will communicate God’s word powerfully to all who read it. We publish it with the prayer that God will use it to speak his timeless truth to the church and the world in a fresh, new way. The Publishers October 2007 NLT STORY NLT

LIVE intro A13 > > > INTRODUCTION TO NLT A14 text, bothinmeaningandstyle. of themessageexpressed bytheoriginal-language produce inEnglishtheclosestnatural equivalent translation. The goalof thistranslation theoryisto “functional-equivalence,” or“thought-for-thought” ond theoryhasbeencalled“dynamic-equivalence,” ture asmuchpossibleintranslation. The sec- to preserve theoriginalsyntaxandsentencestruc- word of theoriginallanguageintoEnglishandseeks this theory, thetranslator attemptstorender each eral,” or“word-for-word” translation. According to theory hasbeencalled“formal-equivalence,” “lit- one of two general translation theories. The first English Bibletranslations tendtobegovernedby Translation PhilosophyandMethodology public reading. text’s messageandclarityinbothdevotional Italsofacilitatesward syntax. seriousstudyof the the reader tostruggle with foreign idiomsandawk- come through with immediacy, without requiring contemporary reader. This allowsthemessageto the meaningof thetext isreadily apparent tothe message of theoriginal-languagetext. Itensures that tion, ontheotherhand,focuses ontranslating the English translation. Adynamic-equivalence transla- ments of theoriginal-languagetext through the sional study. Itallowsareader totrace formal ele- syntax—that are valuable for scholarsandprofes- idioms, termconsistency, andoriginal-language serves aspectsof theoriginaltext—including ancient strengths. Aformal-equivalence translation pre- inal text isobscure. theory are sometimesquitedynamic when theorig- and thetranslations shapedbyformal-equivalence quite literal when theoriginaltext isrelatively clear, shaped bydynamic-equivalence theoryare usually unfaithful tothe original. That is why translations dynamic-equivalence translation would riskbeing would beunintelligibleinEnglish,andapurely losophies. Apurely formal-equivalence translation all translations containamixture of thesetwo phi- site endsof thetranslation spectrum.Butinreality, tion philosophies would create translations atoppo- the onehand,theytranslated assimplyandliter- equivalence anddynamic-equivalence inmind.On they didso, theykept the concernsof bothformal- of Scripture intoclear, contemporary English.As set outtorender themessageof theoriginaltexts Both of thesetranslation theorieshave their The pure applicationof eitherof thesetransla- The translators of theNewLiving Translation LIVE intro NEW LIVINGTRANSLATION INTRODUCTION TOTHE the basisfor several additionalphasesof exegetical draft revision of thebasetext. This draft servedas summarized thesesuggestionsandproposed afirst- Translator. The Senior Translator thenreviewed and ted suggestedrevisions totheappropriate Senior a thorough review of abasetranslation andsubmit- of tobereviewed. books Eachof thesescholarsmade scholars with proven expertise orgroup inthebook ofbook theBible was assignedtothree different ars are listed attheendof thisintroduction.) Each the worldwide evangelical community. (These schol- theological perspectives,andbackgrounds within represented abroad spectrumof denominations, tion Committeerecruited teamsof scholarsthat porary English. were neededtoshapethetext intoclear, contem- work alongsidethescholars,skilledEnglishstylists would employ thebestexegetical tools. Then to to represent adiverse group of evangelicals who sonal andtheologicalbiases,thescholarsneeded English translation. Inordertoguardagainst per- of theoriginaltext andtocheckitagainst ourbase lical scholars were neededtointerpret themeaning porary English. To beginthisprocess, qualified bib- ideas, connotations,andeffects intoclear, contem- terns of theancientauthorsandthentorender their the skillsnecessarytoenterintothoughtpat- contemporary English,thetranslation teamneeded To produce anaccurate translation of theBibleinto Translation Process andTeam accurate andidiomaticallypowerful. The result isatranslation thatisbothexegetically faithful totheancienttexts andeminentlyreadable. into clear, natural English. Their goal was tobeboth ancient context; thentheyrendered themessage with themeaningof the words andphrases inthe er’s understanding. The translators first struggled difficult metaphorsandtermstoaidintheread- yielded archaic orforeign wording. They clarified or dering was hardtounderstand, was misleading, message more dynamically when theliteral ren- echoes of meaningfrom onepassagetothenext. choices thatgivestructure tothetext andprovide rhetorical devices,ancientmetaphors,and word tently intoEnglish,preserving essentialliterary and and phrases were rendered literally andconsis- curate, clear, andnatural Englishtext. Many words ally aspossible when thatapproach yielded anac- With theseconcernsinmind,theBible Transla- On theotherhand,translators rendered the and Bible Societies(UBS,fourth revised edition,1993), difficult passages. or manuscriptsthatshedlightonthemeaningof Peshitta, theLatinVulgate, andanyother versions uscripts, theSamaritanPentateuch, theSyriac Sea Scrolls, theSeptuagintandotherGreek man- The translators alsofurther compared theDead standard editionsof theGreek New Testament: the Hebraica Stuttgartensia Greek NewTestament, Text of theHebrew Bible asrepresented in The Old Testament translators usedtheMasoretic The Texts behind the NewLivingTranslation ful impactonanylistener. public reading andmake animmediateandpower- butalsotoensureing, thatit would beexcellent for only tofacilitate private reading andunderstand- ity was aprimarygoalfor theNLTtranslators, not with clarityandpower when itisread publicly. Clar- Therefore, anewtranslation mustcommunicate in church thanare likely toread itfor themselves. that more people will heartheBibleread aloud thy 4:13;Revelation 1:3).Itisstillthecasetoday worship (seeNehemiah8;Luke 4:16-20;1 Timo- ments were written toberead aloud,often inpublic It isevidentinScripture thatthebiblicaldocu- Written to BeReadAloud ery verse of thefinal translation. lation Committeejointly reviewed andapproved ev- and stylisticcommitteereview. Then theBible Trans- understandable Englishtext. the originalbiblicaltexts, while alsocreating aclear, fined topreserve theessentialformal elementsof the process, theNewLiving Translation hasbeenre- a process thatallowed theirinteraction throughout fied scholarsandskilledstylistsbysettingup with thefinal result. ateamof Bychoosing quali- the entire Bible Translation Committee was happy would notbeintroduced lateintheprocess andthat team of stylists. This ensured thatexegetical errors given achancetoreview theeditingdoneby the Senior Translators andtheirscholarteams were Translation reflects theupdated2007text. introduced in2007. This printingof theNewLiving tional update with minorchanges was subsequently edition text was completedin2004,andanaddi- the text’s easy-to-understandquality. This second- crease thelevelof precision without sacrificing The purposeof thiscontinuedrevision was toin- ther committeereview andtranslation refinement. ble Translation Committeebegan aprocess of fur- in 1996.Shortlyafter itsinitialpublication,theBi- Rudolf Kittel’s sive systemof textual notes;thisisanupdateof The New Testament translators usedthetwo Throughout thetranslation andeditingprocess, The NewLiving Translation was first published Novum Testamentum Graece, Biblia Hebraica publishedbytheUnited (1977), with itsexten- (Stuttgart, 1937). editedby Nestle Biblia textual notesof theNewLiving Translation. textual variants of thissortare always notedinthe ings found inotherancient witnesses. Significant UBS andNAGreek texts andfollowed variant read- the translators sometimeschosetodiffer from the other scholarly evidencesupportedthedecision, arship. However, incases where strong textual or for themostpart,bestinmoderntextual schol- differ inpunctuationandtextual notes,represent, These two editions, which have thesametext but and Aland (NA,twenty-seventh edition,1993). stood. stood. To thisend: culture in ways that canbeimmediatelyunder- sought totranslate termsshrouded inhistoryand barriers tounderstandingtheBible, and we have are alsoconcernedabouthistoricalandcultural concerns of vocabulary andsentencestructure. We ly useful andtimelessaspossible. goal of makingtheNewLiving Translation asbroad- flects onlyanarrow sub-dialectof English, with the language likely tobecomequicklydatedorthatre- tures incommonusetoday. We avoided using sought touseonly vocabulary andlanguagestruc- typical reader of modernEnglish. To thisend, we provide atext bythe thatcanbeeasilyunderstood The translators have madeaconsciouseffort to Translation Issues • • • Sincethenamesof Hebrew monthsare Insteadof translating ancientcurrency values We have convertedancient weights and But ourconcernfor readability goesbeyond the tive rendering isgiveninthetext, atextual note as Abib) refer to. Whenanexpanded orinterpre- nicate thetimeof year theHebrew months(such today, we have looked for clear ways tocommu- year to year inrelation tothesolarcalendarused since theHebrew lunarcalendarfluctuatesfrom unknown tomostcontemporary readers, and footnote. literal Hebrew, Aramaic, orGreek inatextual give aclearEnglishrendering andthenstatethe payment for afull day’s wage.” Ingeneral, we Then afootnote offers: “Greek normal daily wage” tofacilitate understanding. we have often translated the“denarius” as“the the intendedmessage.InNew Testament, silver” becomes“tenpiecesof silver”toconvey example, intheOld Testament, “tenshekels of terms thatcommunicatethemessage.For literally, we have expressed themincommon lents. measures, along with modernmetricequiva- we offer theliteral Hebrew, Aramaic, orGreek to today’s readers. Then inthetextual footnotes ancient measures are notgenerally meaningful English (American) equivalents, sincethe volume] or“cubit” [a unitof length])tomodern measures (for example, “ephah” [aunitof dry a denarius, LIVE intro the A15

> > INTRODUCTION TO NLT > > INTRODUCTION TO NLT > > 2 THESSALONIANS XXX A16 • • • Many words andphrases carryagreat dealof Whenthemeaningof aproper name(ora word- Sinceancientreferences tothetimeof day “Greek footnote with theliteral Greek, which reads: this, we would nothave includedatextual foot- that means‘tolift out.’” him Ishmael text atGenesis16:11reads: “You are toname theses within thetext itself. For example, the name isclear, thatmeaningisincludedinparen- home this phrase dynamicallyfor clarity:“They went ing. Inourtranslation we chosetotranslate that people were very upset,often inmourn- breasts” (Luke 23:48)inancienttimesmeant culture. For example, thephrase “theybeattheir nal readers butneedsexplanation inourown cultural meaningthat was obvioustotheorigi- ence thetext inasimilar way. with thesameinformation sotheycanexperi- “Ishmael,” we have provided modernreaders themeaningofinstantly understood thename original hearers andreaders would have Lord hasheard your cryof distress.” Sincethe note reads: “ him outof the water.’ ” The accompanyingfoot- named himMoses, for sheexplained, ‘Ilifted in Exodus 2:10thetext reads: “Theprincess minated with atextual footnote. For example, the messageof thetext, itsmeaningisoften illu- play inherent inaproper name)isrelevant to biblical reference ismore general. the sun was setting”have beenused when the tions suchas“atdawn thenext morning”or“as common “o’clock” system. Onoccasion,transla- using approximate equivalents intermsof our ingly, we have rendered specific timesof day by understandable tothemodernreader. Accord- time, we have usedrenderings thatare instantly differ from ourmodernmethodsof denoting Hebrew andidentifyingthe year as515b.c. date asMarch 12, with afootnote givingthe reign (thatis,515b.c.).We have translated that This was duringthesixth year of KingDarius’s in Jerusalem:“thethirdday of themonthAdar.” date when thepost-exilic Temple was completed rendering. For example, Ezra 6:15pinpointsthe Hebrew dateandstatestherationale for our text. Atextual footnote thengivestheliteral modern calendar, we usemoderndatesinthe to define aspecific ancientdateintermsof our gives theliteral rendering. Where itispossible beating theirbreasts literal Greek phrase to read: “They went home For example, here we mighthave expanded the sion tomake itimmediatelyunderstandable. chosen toilluminatetheexisting literal expres- other similarcases,however, we have sometimes LIVE Sometimes, when theactualmeaningof a intro in deepsorrow. went homebeating their breasts. Moses (which means‘Godhears’), soundslike aHebrew term in sorrow. ” Then we includeda ” If we haddone for the ” In • • • • The Greek term Whenthecontentof theoriginallanguagetext Metaphorical languageissometimesdifficult Onechallenge we faced was howtotranslate poetic English. to represent these parallel phrases innatural line orphrase. Wheneverpossible, we sought thethoughtexpressedsharpening, intheinitial lel phrases continue, while alsofurthering and In Hebrew parallelism, thesubsequentparal- fourth) echoestheinitialphrase insome way. second phrase (orinsomeinstancesathirdor often uses parallelism, aliterary form where a between phrases of thetext. Hebrew poetry ways that clarifyandhighlighttherelationships English poeticform. We soughttobreak linesin is poeticincharacter, we have rendered itin reader mightbeconfused bytheliteral text. such metaphorsonly when we believedatypical through the windows—see dimly.” We clarified ing; andbefore your eyes—the women looking teeth—your few remaining servants—stop grind- have rendered it:“Remember himbefore your throughwho look the windows seedimly.” We cease becausetheyare few, andthe women “Remember him. when thegrinding women siastes 12:3, which canbeliterally rendered: of thesimile.Another example comesinEccle- David” toclarifytheintendedpositivemeaning ancient poet writes, “Your neckis the meaningof ametaphor. For example, the times we have chosentotranslate orilluminate for contemporary readers tounderstand,soat translation. note, sincetheliteral Greek clearly appearsin note: Greek by usingtermssuchas“thepeople”(withafoot- capture themeaninginthesedifferent contexts Jewish religious leaders.We have attemptedto some contexts, itrefers more particularly tothe always refer totheJewishpeople generally. In the Gospelof John,however, thistermdoesn’t lated “theJews” inmanyEnglishtranslations. In it “Your neckis of David” (Songof Songs4:4).We have rendered it isclearfrom thecontentof theselettersthat believers are called“brothers” ( found intheNew Testament letters, where the to bothmenand women. Atypicalexample is clearly intendsthatthemessagebeapplied though usingmasculinenounsandpronouns, applying onlytomales.Often theoriginaltext, that tendstoread male-orientedlanguageas the translation cleartoamodernaudience the ancientcontext while alsotryingtomake generally. We neededtorespect the nature of oriented terms were usedtorefer tohumanity originally written inacontext where male- accurately theancientbiblicaltext that was leaders,” whereappropriate. the Jewishpeople as beautiful hoi Ioudaioi isliterally trans- ) or“thereligious thetower of adelphoi like thetower ). Yet been consistentlycalledJehoash, while King Joash/ of Israel andJudah.KingJoash/Jehoashof Israel has it. This isespeciallyhelpful in delineatingthekings noting theliteral spelling whenever we differ from to useasinglespellingfor anyoneindividual,foot- ziah/Azariah). For thesake of clarity, we have tried tament, are knownbymore thanonename(e.g.,Uz- Many individualsintheBible, especiallytheOld Tes- The SpellingofProper Names with God” and“madeholy.” we have provided renderings suchas“maderight from Latintranslations. Inplaceof these words, cation” and“sancti fication,” which are carryovers example, we avoided using words suchas“justifi- readily bymanymodernreaders. understood For have avoided sometheologicaltermsthatare not phrases for asingleHebrew orGreek word. We semantic range of acceptableEnglish words or For theologicalterms, we have allowed agreater legal, cultural, andbotanicalterms). zoological, theological technicalterminology(e.g.,liturgical, word categoriessuchasdivinenamesandnon- peated rhetorical phrases, and within certain within synopticpassagesandfor commonlyre- original-language termsconsistently, especially For thesake of clarity, we have translated certain Lexical Consistency inTerminology accurately. order torepresent thehistoricalsituationmore this Greek word as“brothers andsisters” in and female. Thus, we have usuallytranslated they were addressed toallthebelievers—male others, it will crush you instead.” in it yourself. If you roll aboulderdownon “If you setatrap for others, you will getcaught will comebackonhim.”We have rendered it: a pit will fall intoit,andhe who rolls astone, it rendering of Proverbs 26:27is:“He who digs second persontoensure clarity. Atraditional also replaced thirdpersonpronouns with the older, they will notleave it.”At times, we have dren ontotherightpath,and when theyare from it.”We have rendered it:“Direct your chil- should go, and when heisold will notturn Proverbs 22:6 is:“Train upachildinthe way he him). For example, atraditional rendering of them) inplaceof themasculinesingular(he, instances we have usedplural pronouns (they, beings ortothehumancondition.Insome where thetext appliesgenerally tohuman original texts of Scripture. reflect accurately theintendedmeaningof the this kindhave beendrivenbytheconcernto maintained without exception. All decisionsof sent God(for example, “Father”) have been masculine nounsandpronouns usedtorepre- We have alsobeensensitivetopassages We shouldemphasize, however, thatall rendered thetetragrammaton ( mands thetranslation “god(s).” We have generally translated “God,” except where thecontext de- dered “LordGod.”When dered it“LordG see Exod 3:15;6:2-3). name ortheof someothergod(for example, name isbeinginvoked incontrast toanotherdivine This alsodistinguishes together, we have rendered it“Sovereign L will distinguishitfrom thename that iscommonamongEnglishtranslations. This as “theLord,”utilizingaform with smallcapitals ence canbeassumed, assumes aJewishaudience.WhenGentileaudi- has beentranslated as“Messiah” when thecontext The RenderingofDivineNames • an asterisk: of textual footnotes, alldesignatedinthetext with The NewLiving Translation provides several kinds Textual Footnotes YHWH All appearances of the term where small capitals. from theOld Testament, andthetext there hasitin wherever theNew Testament text explicitly quotes translated “Lord,”except thatitistranslated “Lord” sometimes tothenation.” ferring sometimestotheindividualpatriarch and interchanged throughout theOld Testament, re- nation: “Thenames‘Jacob’and‘Israel’ are often vide atextual footnote, which includesthisexpla- differs from theunderlying Hebrew text, we pro- the individual.Whenourrendering of thename it refers tothenationand“Jacob” when itrefers to and thenation, we generally render it“Israel” when interchangeably for boththeindividualpatriarch explanatory footnote. the different nameshave beenmaintained with an choice of a variant name(e.g.,Esh-baal/Ishbosheth), cal writers clearly hadatheologicalpurposeintheir ing thetext for thereader. Whentheancientbibli- such decisions were made with thegoalof clarify- Jehoram of Israel andJoram/Jehoram of Judah.All tion hasbeenusedtodistinguishbetween Joram/ Jehoash of JudahiscalledJoash.Asimilardistinc- ation, name. Inafew cases, we have utilizedthetransliter- Heaven’s Armies” totranslate themeaningof the render “Lord.”When as “Christ.” The Greek word Whenfor thesake of claritytheNLTrenders In theNew Testament, theGreek word For thenames JacobandIsrael, which are used a difficult orpotentiallyconfusing phrase Yahweh, YHWH ) and tseba’oth, YHWH appears with when thepersonalcharacter of the od.” When ’el, ’elohim, we have rendered it“Lordof appeartogether, we have ren- christos ’adonai ’adonai YHWH YH ’elohim, kurios YHWH and hasbeentranslated or (theshortform of YHWH ’adonai, ’eloah isconsistently YHWH which isren- appears with LIVE ) consistently from cases have been intro whichwe christos appear ord.” A17

> > INTRODUCTION TO NLT > > INTRODUCTION TO NLT > > 2 THESSALONIANS XXX A18 • • • Whenourtranslators follow atextual vari- Textual footnotes are alsousedtoshow alterna- All Old Testament passagesthatare quotedin as the passage thatisincludedintheGreek text known also footnote cases when theNLTexcludes a document thatdifference with a footnote. We dard Hebrew orGreek texts (listedearlier), we ant thatdiffers significantly from ourstan- used todescribe various skindiseases.” Hebrew word usedthroughout thispassageis which reads: “Greek we attachedafootnote to“theLord’s Supper,” church rather thanjustanordinarymeal. Then verse refers totheceremonial practice of the Greek) as“theLord’s Supper”toclarifythatthis lated theliteral “breaking of bread” (from the source text. For example, inActs 2:42 we trans- identifying thelanguageof theunderlying aced with “Hebrew,” “Aramaic,” or“Greek,” more literal translations. These notesare pref- ing andhowourtranslation relates toother to seetheliteral source of ourdynamicrender- ing inatextual footnote. This allowsthereader dynamically, we generally givetheliteral render- 13:2 says: “Traditionally rendered translation “seriousskindisease”atLeviticus ally rendered.” For example, thefootnote tothe tion. These notesare prefaced with “Tradition- represent adeparture from long-standingtradi- we alsoprovide noteson words orphrases that aspect of themeaningisdebated.Onoccasion, These normallyoccurfor passages where an tive renderings, prefaced with the word “Or.” a rendering of theGreek version, along with a the Old Testament location. This noteincludes Hebrew text, we alsoplaceatextual footnote at when itdiffers significantly in wording from the Greek translation of theOld Testament, and the New Testament clearly quotesfrom the footnote attheNew Testament location.When the New Testament are identified byatextual New Testament. the Greek text andnotpartof theoriginalGreek it isgenerally recognized asalateradditionto of theexcluded text inafootnote, even though Version). Insuchcases, we offer atranslation ers through itstranslation intheKingJames LIVE intro Textus Receptus the breaking ofbread. (andfamiliar toread- leprosy. The ” • • A the Bibleandbeforever changedbyknowinghim. butmostofliving, allthatthey will meetthe Godof pray thatreaders will gain insightand wisdom for in theScriptures will gain afresh perspective.We and easytounderstandthatreaders well versed unfamiliar with theBible will find the words clear understanding God’s Word. We hopethatreaders language thathave kept peoplefrom reading and come someof thebarriersof history, culture, and for thebenefit of thechurch andof allpeople. he will acceptourefforts andusethistranslation wisdom throughout thisproject. Now we pray that ing theselimitations, we soughtGod’s guidanceand impossible tomake aperfect translation. Recogniz- God’s Word intoanotherlanguage will realize itis who hasattemptedtocommunicatetherichnessof subject tolimitationsandimperfections. Anyone recognize thatanytranslation of theScriptures is Whenthemeaningof aproper name(ora word- Sometextual footnotes provide cultural and S WESUBMIT mother of all who live.” which goesontosay thatEve“would bethe Hebrew illuminatesthemeaningof thetext, that means‘togivelife.’ ” This wordplay inthe 3:20 reads: “ footnote concerningthename“Eve”atGenesis parentheses inthetext itself. For example, the with atextual footnote orincluded within the meaningof thetext, itiseitherilluminated play inherent inaproper name)isrelevant to of Herod theGreat.” “the nephewof Herod Antipas andagrandson Agrippa” andisidentified inafootnote asbeing is namedinthistranslation as“KingHerod text. For example, inActs 12:1,“KingHerod” reader inunderstandingthemessageof the to modernreaders. Suchnotesshouldaidthe people intheBiblethatare probably obscure historical information onplaces,things,and erbs 3:12;Psalms8:2;53:3). where itiscited(for example, seenotesonProv- cross-reference totheNew Testament passage(s) We pray thattheNewLiving Translation will over- thistranslation for publication, we Eve The BibleTranslation Committee soundslike aHebrew term July 2007

GENESIS GOD AT THE STARTING LINE

Messy Faith the lives of these founders of our faith are the “How did we get here?” exact opposite of what you might expect. The men Everybody’s wondered it. And at the start of and women described in the next fi fty chapters Genesis, you’ll fi nd the answer. When there was aren’t always noble and heroic. In fact, they lie, nothing, God decided there should be something. cheat, steal, betray, get tricked, get drunk, pick God spoke, and things came to be. favorites, lust, commit sexual sins, act violently, But the universe and the human race aren’t hate passionately, behave arrogantly, and just the only things God launches in Genesis. The generally embarrass themselves. history of faith begins in these pages, starting The kind of faith we fi nd in Genesis isn’t with Abraham. Because of Abraham’s faith, dainty, proper, and Sunday-schoolish. Genesis God promises Abraham descendants and land. shows us raw faith. It’s faith that can get really The stories that follow about the Patriarchs— messy, crowded by doubts, temptation, and Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Jacob’s sons—show failure—and it’s faith that persists despite it us what real faith looked like at its very beginning. all, strengthened by stubborn belief, desperate And to be honest, it doesn’t look too good. Dig a repentance, and unwavering trust. It’s real faith little deeper into Genesis and you’ll discover that for real people…like you.

WHO Possibly recorded by Moses, though it likely > >> KEY KEY VERSE VERSE existed as an oral tradition before being written down “And Abram believed the LORD, and the WHEN Begins with the creation of the world and LORD counted him as righteous because extends up to about 1800 B.C. of his faith.” Genesis 15:6 WHERE Various locations in what we now call the Middle East, including Ur (Iraq), Canaan (Palestine/Israel), and Egypt WHAT The story of creation, pre-history, and the lives of the Patriarchs

7 DEGREES OF JESUS The spiritual center of the book of Genesis may be chapter 22, when God tells Abraham to sacrifi ce his son Isaac on a hill in the Holy Land. SPOILER ALERT: At the last minute God spares Isaac. Unlike the god Molech, a popular deity in Abraham’s day who required child sacrifi ces, Abraham’s God was different. And here, Abraham’s God put him to the ultimate test: Would Abraham withhold from God his only son? (Read Genesis 22 for the details.) Centuries later, on another hill in the Holy Land, God would give his Son as a sacrifi ce for humanity. He paid the cost that he would not require of us. God’s love for us is matchless; he loves us more than we could ever love him. 1 The Account of Creation and swarms in the water, and every sort of In the beginning God created the heavens and bird—each producing offspring of the same the earth.* 2The earth was formless and empty, kind. And God saw that it was good. 22Then and darkness covered the deep waters. And the God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of multiply. Let the fish fill the seas, and let the the waters. birds multiply on the earth.” 23And evening passed and morning came, 3 Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there marking the fifth day. was light. 4And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the 24Then God said, “Let the earth produce every darkness. 5God called the light “day” and the sort of animal, each producing offspring of darkness “night.” the same kind—livestock, small animals that And evening passed and morning came, scurry along the ground, and wild animals.” marking the first day. And that is what happened. 25God made all sorts of wild animals, livestock, and small 6 Then God said, “Let there be a space between animals, each able to produce offspring of the waters, to separate the waters of the the same kind. And God saw that it was good. 7 heavens from the waters of the earth.” And 26Then God said, “Let us make human that is what happened. God made this space beings* in our image, to be like us. They will to separate the waters of the earth from the reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the 8 waters of the heavens. God called the space sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the “sky.” earth, and the small animals that scurry along And evening passed and morning came, the ground.” marking the second day. 27 So God created human beings* in his own 9Then God said, “Let the waters beneath the sky image. flow together into one place, so dry ground In the image of God he created them; may appear.” And that is what happened. male and female he created them. 10God called the dry ground “land” and the waters “seas.” And God saw that it was good. 28Then God blessed them and said, “Be 11Then God said, “Let the land sprout with fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern vegetation— every sort of seed-bearing plant, it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. These the sky, and all the animals that scurry along seeds will then produce the kinds of plants the ground.” and trees from which they came.” And that 29Then God said, “Look! I have given you is what happened. 12The land produced every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth vegetation—all sorts of seed-bearing plants, and all the fruit trees for your food. 30And I and trees with seed-bearing fruit. Their seeds have given every green plant as food for all produced plants and trees of the same kind. the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the And God saw that it was good. small animals that scurry along the ground— 13And evening passed and morning came, every thing that has life.” And that is what marking the third day. happened. 31Then God looked over all he had made, 14Then God said, “Let lights appear in the sky to and he saw that it was very good! separate the day from the night. Let them be And evening passed and morning came, signs to mark the seasons, days, and years. marking the sixth day. 15Let these lights in the sky shine down on the 16 earth.” And that is what happened. God made 2 So the creation of the heavens and the earth two great lights—the larger one to govern the and every thing in them was completed. 2On day, and the smaller one to govern the night. the seventh day God had finished his work of 17 He also made the stars. God set these lights creation, so he rested* from all his work. 3And in the sky to light the earth, 18to govern the God blessed the seventh day and declared it day and night, and to separate the light from holy, because it was the day when he rested the darkness. And God saw that it was good. from all his work of creation. 19And evening passed and morning came, 4 marking the fourth day. This is the account of the creation of the heavens and the earth. 20Then God said, “Let the waters swarm with fish and other life. Let the skies be filled with birds The Man and Woman in Eden of every kind.” 21So God created great sea When the Lord God made the earth and the heav- creatures and every living thing that scurries ens, 5neither wild plants nor grains were growing 1:1 Or In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, . . . Or When God began to create the heavens and the earth, . . . 1:26 Or man; Hebrew reads adam. 1:27 Or the man; Hebrew reads ha-adam. 2:2 Or ceased; also in 2:3. GENESIS 1

> 4 LIVE old testament on the earth. For the Lord God had not yet sent rain to water the earth, and there were no people to cul- tivate the soil. 6Instead, springs* came up from the TRUTH BY CANDLELIGHT ground and watered all the land. 7Then the Lord Find a quiet place where you won’t be God formed the man from the dust of the ground. interrupted. Light a few candles—enough He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nos- so that you can read what follows. trils, and the man became a living person. 8Then the Lord God planted a garden in Eden Read Genesis 1:26-27. Several times. Out loud. in the east, and there he placed the man he had Emphasize different words. Savor the feel of made. 9The Lord God made all sorts of trees grow truth rolling around your mouth. Hear it drift up from the ground—trees that were beautiful and into the shadows as you speak. that produced delicious fruit. In the middle of the You are wondrously made. garden he placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Deliberately made. 10A river flowed from the land of Eden, water- Not a creature of coincidence. ing the garden and then dividing into four branch- es. 11The first branch, called the Pi shon, flowed Not a random consequence. around the entire land of Hav i lah, where gold is Wondrously. found. 12The gold of that land is exceptionally pure; aromatic resin and onyx stone are also found there. Deliberately. 13The second branch, called the Gihon, flowed Made. around the entire land of Cush. 14The third branch, called the Ti gris, flowed east of the land of As shur. Crafted by God. The fourth branch is called the Eu phra tes. Crafted for a purpose, a promise. 15 ord The L God placed the man in the Garden A gift not to be squandered. of Eden to tend and watch over it. 16But the Lord God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of Or cheapened. every tree in the garden—17except the tree of the Or tossed aside by others…or yourself. knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.” Wondrous. 18Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the Deliberate. man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” 19So the Lord God formed from Loved. the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of Loved in a way that cannot be ignored. the sky. He brought them to the man* to see what he would call them, and the man chose a name for Loved with a passion that inspires a response. each one. 20He gave names to all the livestock, all How will you respond to God’s love? the birds of the sky, and all the wild animals. But Embrace it? Reject it? still there was no helper just right for him. 21So the Lord God caused the man to fall into Either way, it’s a response. ord a deep sleep. While the man slept, the L God Respond. took out one of the man’s ribs* and closed up the opening. 22Then the Lord God made a woman Respond now…right now. from the rib, and he brought her to the man. With words…or tears…or laughter. 23“At last!” the man exclaimed. Soak in God’s love. Open your hands, your heart, “This one is bone from my bone, to it. and flesh from my flesh! She will be called ‘woman,’ You were made for it. because she was taken from ‘man.’” GOD IS CREATIVE MY SELF 24This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one. the woman, “Did God real ly say you must not eat 25Now the man and his wife were both naked, the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” 2 but they felt no shame. “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. 3“It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden 3 The Man and Woman Sin that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild ani- not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’” mals the Lord God had made. One day he asked 4“You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the 2:6 Or mist. 2:19 Or Adam, and so throughout the chapter. 2:21 Or took a part of the man’s side. GENESIS 3

LIVE old testament 5 > CREATIVE SPACE 7At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. 8When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man* and his wife heard the Lord God walk- ing about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. 9Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” 10He replied, “I heard you walking in the gar- den, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.” 11“Who told you that you were naked?” the Lord God asked. “Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?” 12The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.” 13Then the Lord God asked the woman, “What have you done?” “The serpent deceived me,” she replied. “That’s why I ate it.” 14Then the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all animals, domestic and wild. You will crawl on your belly, groveling in the dust as long as you live. 15 And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike* your head, and you will strike his heel.” 16Then he said to the woman, “I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy, and in pain you will give birth. And you will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you.*” 17And to the man he said, “Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it. 18 It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains. 19 By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. woman. 5“God knows that your eyes will be For you were made from dust, opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like and to dust you will return.” God, knowing both good and evil.” 6The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree Par a dise Lost: God’s Judgment was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she 20Then the man—Adam—named his wife Eve, wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took because she would be the mother of all who live.* some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to 21And the Lord God made clothing from animal her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. skins for Adam and his wife. 3:8 Or Adam, and so throughout the chapter. 3:15 Or bruise; also in 3:15b. 3:16 Or And though you will have desire for your husband, / he will rule over you. 3:20 Eve sounds like a Hebrew term that means “to give life.” GENESIS 3

> 6 LIVE old testament 22Then the Lord God said, “Look, the human might try to kill him. 16So Cain left the Lord’s pres- beings* have become like us, knowing both good ence and settled in the land of Nod,* east of Eden. and evil. What if they reach out, take fruit from the tree of life, and eat it? Then they will live for- The Descendants of Cain ever!” 23So the Lord God banished them from the 17Cain had sexual relations with his wife, and she Garden of Eden, and he sent Adam out to cultivate became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Then the ground from which he had been made. 24After Cain founded a city, which he named Enoch, sending them out, the Lord God stationed mighty after his son. 18Enoch had a son named Irad. cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden. And Irad became the father of* Me hu ja el. Me hu ja el he placed a flaming sword that flashed back and became the father of Me thu sha el. Me thu sha el forth to guard the way to the tree of life. became the father of Lamech. 19 La mech married two women. The first was 4 Cain and Abel named Adah, and the second was Zil lah. 20Adah Now Adam* had sexual relations with his wife, gave birth to Ja bal, who was the first of those who Eve, and she became pregnant. When she gave raise livestock and live in tents. 21His brother’s birth to Cain, she said, “With the Lord’s help, I name was Ju bal, the first of all who play the harp have produced* a man!” 2Later she gave birth to and flute. 22 La mech’s other wife, Zil lah, gave birth his brother and named him Abel. to a son named Tu bal-cain. He became an expert When they grew up, Abel became a shepherd, in forging tools of bronze and iron. Tu bal-cain while Cain cultivated the ground. 3When it was had a sister named Na a mah. 23One day La mech time for the harvest, Cain pre sent ed some of his said to his wives, ord 4 crops as a gift to the L . Abel also brought a “Adah and Zil lah, hear my voice; gift—the best of the firstborn lambs from his listen to me, you wives of La mech. ord 5 flock. The L accepted Abel and his gift, but I have killed a man who attacked me, he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made a young man who wounded me. Cain very angry, and he looked dejected. 24 If someone who kills Cain is punished seven 6 ord “Why are you so angry?” the L asked Cain. times, “Why do you look so dejected? 7You will be ac- then the one who kills me will be punished cepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse seventy-seven times!” to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouch- ing at the door, eager to control you. But you must The Birth of Seth subdue it and be its master.” 25Adam had sexual relations with his wife again, 8One day Cain suggested to his brother, “Let’s and she gave birth to another son. She named go out into the fields.”* And while they were in him Seth,* for she said, “God has granted me the field, Cain attacked his brother, Abel, and another son in place of Abel, whom Cain killed.” killed him. 26When Seth grew up, he had a son and named 9Afterward the Lord asked Cain, “Where is him Enosh. At that time people first began to wor- your brother? Where is Abel?” ship the Lord by name. “I don’t know,” Cain responded. “Am I my brother’s guardian?” 5 The Descendants of Adam 10But the Lord said, “What have you done? Lis- This is the written account of the descendants ten! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the of Adam. When God created human beings,* he ground! 11Now you are cursed and banished from made them to be like himself. 2He created them the ground, which has swallowed your brother’s male and female, and he blessed them and called blood. 12No longer will the ground yield good them “human.” crops for you, no matter how hard you work! From now on you will be a homeless wanderer on the 3When Adam was 130 years old, he became earth.” the father of a son who was just like him— 13Cain replied to the Lord, “My punishment* in his very image. He named his son Seth. is too great for me to bear! 14You have banished 4After the birth of Seth, Adam lived another me from the land and from your presence; you 800 years, and he had other sons and have made me a homeless wanderer. Anyone who daughters. 5Adam lived 930 years, and then finds me will kill me!” he died. 15The Lord replied, “No, for I will give a seven- 6When Seth was 105 years old, he became the fold punishment to anyone who kills you.” Then father of* Enosh. 7After the birth of* Enosh, the Lord put a mark on Cain to warn anyone who Seth lived another 807 years, and he had 3:22 Or the man; Hebrew reads ha-adam. 4:1a Or the man; also in 4:25. 4:1b Or I have acquired. Cain sounds like a Hebrew term that can mean “produce” or “acquire.” 4:8 As in Sa mar i tan Pen ta teuch, Greek and Syr iac versions, and Latin Vulgate; Mas o ret ic Text lacks “Let’s go out into the fields.” 4:13 Or My sin. 4:16 Nod means “wandering.” 4:18 Or the ancestor of, and so throughout the verse. 4:25 Seth probably means “granted”; the name may also mean “appointed.” 5:1 Or man; Hebrew reads adam; similarly in 5:2. 5:6 Or the ancestor of; also in 5:9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 25. 5:7 Or the birth of this ancestor of; also in 5:10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 26. GENESIS 5

LIVE old testament 7 > other sons and daughters. 8Seth lived sons of God had intercourse with women, they 912 years, and then he died. gave birth to children who became the heroes and 9When Enosh was 90 years old, he became the famous warriors of ancient times. father of Ke nan. 10After the birth of Kenan, 5The Lord observed the extent of human wick- Enosh lived another 815 years, and he had edness on the earth, and he saw that every thing other sons and daughters. 11 Enosh lived they thought or imagined was consistently and to- 905 years, and then he died. tally evil. 6So the Lord was sorry he had ever made 12When Ke nan was 70 years old, he became the them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart. father of Ma ha la lel. 13After the birth of Ma ha- 7And the Lord said, “I will wipe this human race I la lel, Ke nan lived another 840 years, and he have created from the face of the earth. Yes, and I had other sons and daughters. 14 Ke nan lived will destroy every living thing—all the people, the 910 years, and then he died. large animals, the small animals that scurry along 15When Ma ha la lel was 65 years old, he became the ground, and even the birds of the sky. I am sor- the father of Ja red. 16After the birth of Ja red, ry I ever made them.” 8But Noah found favor with Ma ha la lel lived another 830 years, and he had the Lord. other sons and daughters. 17 Ma ha la lel lived 895 years, and then he died. The Story of Noah 18When Ja red was 162 years old, he became the 9This is the account of Noah and his fam i ly. Noah father of Enoch. 19After the birth of Enoch, was a righteous man, the only blameless person Ja red lived another 800 years, and he had living on earth at the time, and he walked in close other sons and daughters. 20 Ja red lived fellow ship with God. 10Noah was the father of 962 years, and then he died. three sons: Shem, Ham, and Ja pheth. 21When Enoch was 65 years old, he became the 11Now God saw that the earth had become cor- father of Me thu se lah. 22After the birth of rupt and was filled with violence. 12God observed Me thu se lah, Enoch lived in close fellow ship all this corruption in the world, for every one on with God for another 300 years, and he had earth was corrupt. 13So God said to Noah, “I have other sons and daughters. 23Enoch lived decided to destroy all living creatures, for they have 365 years, 24walking in close fellow ship with filled the earth with violence. Yes, I will wipe them God. Then one day he disappeared, because all out along with the earth! God took him. 14“Build a large boat* from cypress wood* and 25When Me thu se lah was 187 years old, he waterproof it with tar, inside and out. Then con- became the father of Lamech. 26After the struct decks and stalls throughout its interior. birth of La mech, Me thu se lah lived another 15Make the boat 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 782 years, and he had other sons and 45 feet high.* 16Leave an 18-inch opening* below daughters. 27 Me thu se lah lived 969 years, the roof all the way around the boat. Put the door and then he died. on the side, and build three decks inside the boat— 28When La mech was 182 years old, he became lower, middle, and upper. the father of a son. 29 La mech named his son 17“Look! I am about to cover the earth with Noah, for he said, “May he bring us relief* from a flood that will destroy every living thing that our work and the painful labor of farming this breathes. Everything on earth will die. 18But I ground that the Lord has cursed.” 30After the will confirm my cov enant with you. So enter the birth of Noah, La mech lived another 595 years, boat—you and your wife and your sons and their and he had other sons and daughters. wives. 19Bring a pair of every kind of animal—a 31 La mech lived 777 years, and then he died. male and a female—into the boat with you to keep 32By the time Noah was 500 years old, he was them alive during the flood. 20Pairs of every kind the ather of Shem, Ham, and Japheth. of bird, and every kind of animal, and every kind of small animal that scurries along the ground, will 6 A World Gone Wrong come to you to be kept alive. 21And be sure to take Then the people began to multiply on the earth, and on board enough food for your fam i ly and for all daughters were born to them. 2The sons of God saw the animals.” the beautiful women* and took any they wanted as 22So Noah did every thing exactly as God had their wives. 3Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not commanded him. put up with* humans for such a long time, for they are only mortal flesh. In the future, their normal 7 The Flood Covers the Earth lifespan will be no more than 120 years.” When every thing was ready, the Lord said to 4In those days, and for some time after, giant Noah, “Go into the boat with all your fam i ly, for Nephilites lived on the earth, for whenever the among all the people of the earth, I can see that 5:29 Noah sounds like a Hebrew term that can mean “relief” or “comfort.” 6:2 Hebrew daughters of men; also in 6:4. 6:3 Greek version reads will not remain in. 6:14a Traditionally rendered an ark. 6:14b Or gopher wood. 6:15 Hebrew 300 cubits [138 meters] long, 50 cubits [23 meters] wide, and 30 cubits [13.8 meters] high. 6:16 Hebrew an opening of 1 cubit [46 centimeters]. GENESIS 6

> 8 LIVE old testament

MATTHEW THE NEW WORD ON THE OLD LAW

Come Follow Me You are Matthew, and the pages that follow are You sit on the side of the road at the tax table, your words. collecting from those who pass by you on the way Matthew’s Gospel account focuses particularly on into Jerusalem for the Passover. Jesus’ ministry and words taking on the role of a “new “Due to Caesar!” you call out. “Hail Caesar, who law” for the Jewish people—a new way of living, is glorifi ed!” worshiping, and pleasing God. Some scholars think You have long since tuned out the taunts of the that the fi ve major groupings of Jesus’ teachings in passersby who roll past you like waves. Matthew—chapters 5–7, chapter 10, chapter 13, “Sellout,” they mutter. “Traitor.” chapter 18, and chapters 24–25—are meant to You will pass the garnishings on to Herod’s parallel the fi rst fi ve books of the Bible (called the court, who will take what they want and then pass Pentateuch). In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus talked the rest on to Caesar’s men. This is how they keep about several of the Old Testament commandments, the world in order. So with spite for their gluttony but instead of focusing on rule-keeping, Jesus and resentment for your own people’s mockery, you challenged his listeners to take their obedience to pocket a little yourself. This is how the world works, commandments a step further by striving to have and if the whole world is on its way to hades, you pure thoughts, not just “righteous” actions (chapters might as well take what you can along the way. 5–7). Jesus addressed his Jewish audience with a You’ve never hoped for adventure, to be tapped by new law, grounded in the ideas of loving God and a rabbi for a ministry opportunity that has long since one’s neighbor rather than ritual and pride. passed you by. So when one of them comes walking The calling of Matthew (9:9-13) shows you how by, you drop your head. “Due to Caesar!” you call out. serious the moment was for him. Matthew chose There is silence. No coins fall on your table. You to place it right in the middle of a series of healing look up to meet the eyes of the man you’ve heard of. stories. This, in a sense, was the moment of ultimate “Come follow me,” he tells you. In an instant, you healing for him. Following Jesus, for Matthew, was rise from your place. not a new line of work—it was a new kind of life.

WHO Matthew was one of Jesus’ twelve disciples. Before deciding to follow Jesus, Matthew worked as a tax collector.

> > KEYKEY VERSE VERSE WHEN Matthew lived in the fi rst century A.D. This “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. Gospel account was probably written in the late 60s I did not come to abolish the law of Moses (though some believe it may have been written earlier). or the writings of the prophets. No, I came WHERE Jesus and his disciples traveled within Israel, to accomplish their purpose.” most likely using Capernaum as a center of activity. Matthew 5:17 WHAT This is Matthew’s fi rsthand account of the life of Jesus Christ and the historical events that took place during that time. 7 DEGREES OF JESUS Who’s been your favorite teacher? Was it your third-grade teacher who always told great jokes? Was it a history teacher who brought boring dates and facts to life? Here in Matthew’s Gospel, you’ll see a portrait of Jesus as the greatest of all teachers. Crowds mob around him to hear him speak; his words and stories are unusual, amazing, and challenging. They’re the kind of things you’d never forget. As you dive into Matthew, imagine you’re there, in the crowd, listening to Jesus’ life-changing words. What is he teaching you? How will you respond? 1 The Ancestors of Jesus the Messiah Da vid to the Bab ylonian exile, and fourteen from This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Mes- the Bab ylonian exile to the Messiah. siah, a descendant of Da vid* and of Abra ham: The Birth of Jesus the Messiah 2 Abra ham was the father of Isaac. 18 This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His Isaac was the father of Jacob. mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Jacob was the father of Ju dah and his brothers. Jo seph. But before the marriage took place, 3 Ju dah was the father of Pe rez and Ze rah while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant (whose mother was Ta mar). through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19 Jo seph, Pe rez was the father of Hez ron. her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to Hez ron was the father of Ram.* 4 disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the Ram was the father of Am min a dab. engagement* quietly. Am min a dab was the father of Nah shon. 20As he considered this, an angel of the Lord Nah shon was the father of Salmon. appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of Da- 5 Salmon was the father of Boaz (whose vid,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary mother was Ra hab). as your wife. For the child within her was con- Boaz was the father of Obed (whose mother ceived by the Holy Spirit. 21And she will have a was Ruth). son, and you are to name him Jesus,* for he will Obed was the father of Jes se. save his people from their sins.” 6 Jes se was the father of King Da vid. 22All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s mes- Da vid was the father of Sol o mon (whose sage through his prophet: mother was Bath she ba, the widow of Uri ah). 7 Sol o mon was the father of Re hoboam. 23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! Re hoboam was the father of Abi jah. She will give birth to a son, Abi jah was the father of Asa.* and they will call him Im man u el,* 8 Asa was the father of Je hosh a phat. which means ‘God is with us.’” Je hosh a phat was the father of Je ho ram.* 24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of Je ho ram was the father* of Uz ziah. the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. 9 Uz ziah was the father of Jo tham. 25 But he did not have sexual relations with her Jo tham was the father of Ahaz. until her son was born. And Joseph named him Ahaz was the father of Hez e ki ah. Jesus. 10 Hez e ki ah was the father of Ma nas seh. Ma nas seh was the father of Amon.* Amon was the father of Jo si ah. 2 Visitors from the East 11 Jo si ah was the father of Je hoi a chin* and his Jesus was born in Bethle hem in Ju dea, during the brothers (born at the time of the exile to reign of King Her od. About that time some wise Bab ylon). men* from eastern lands arrived in Jeru sa lem, 2 12 After the Bab ylonian exile: asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? Je hoi a chin was the father of She altiel. We saw his star as it rose,* and we have come to She altiel was the father of Ze rub ba bel. worship him.” 3 13 Ze rub ba bel was the father of Abi ud. King Herod was deeply disturbed when he 4 Abi ud was the father of Eli a kim. heard this, as was every one in Je ru sa lem. He Eli a kim was the father of Azor. called a meeting of the leading priests and teach- 14 Azor was the father of Za dok. ers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Mes- Za dok was the father of Akim. siah supposed to be born?” 5 “In Bethle hem in Judea,” they said, “for this is Akim was the father of Eli ud. what the prophet wrote: 15 Eli ud was the father of El e a zar. El e a zar was the father of Mat than. 6 ‘And you, O Beth le hem in the land of Ju dah, Mat than was the father of Jacob. are not least among the ruling cities* of 16 Jacob was the father of Jo seph, the husband Ju dah, of Mary. for a ruler will come from you Mary gave birth to Jesus, who is called the who will be the shepherd for my people Messiah. Is ra el.’*” 17All those listed above include fourteen gen- 7 Then Herod called for a private meeting erations from Abraham to David, fourteen from with the wise men, and he learned from them 1:1 Greek Jesus the Messiah, son of Da vid. 1:3 Greek Aram, a variant spelling of Ram; also in 1:4. See 1 Chr 2:9-10. 1:7 Greek Asaph, a variant spelling of Asa; also in 1:8. See 1 Chr 3:10. 1:8a Greek Joram, a variant spelling of Je ho ram; also in 1:8b. See 1 Kgs 22:50 and note at 1 Chr 3:11. 1:8b Or ancestor; also in 1:11. 1:10 Greek Amos, a variant spelling of Amon; also in 1:10b. See 1 Chr 3:14. 1:11 Greek Jeco ni ah, a variant spelling of Je hoi a chin; also in 1:12. See 2 Kgs 24:6 and note at 1 Chr 3:16. 1:19 Greek to divorce her. 1:21 Jesus means “The Lord saves.” 1:23 Isa 7:14; 8:8, 10 (Greek version). 2:1 Or royal astrologers; Greek reads magi; also in 2:7, 16. 2:2 Or star in the east. 2:6a Greek the rulers. 2:6b Mic 5:2; 2 Sam 5:2. MATTHEW MATTHEW 1

> 948 LIVE new testament the time when the star first appeared. 8 Then he told them, “Go to Bethle hem and search careful- ly for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!” 9After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guid- ed them to Beth le hem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! 11 They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had MEXICAN BLANKET warned them in a dream not to return to Her od. Some of my relatives are library-cemetery-dead- The Escape to Egypt person obsessed. They are really into researching 13After the wise men were gone, an angel of the our family tree, which doesn’t excite me. Lord appeared to Jo seph in a dream. “Get up! Typically when I’m reading my Bible, I skip right Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother,” the over the genealogies and get onto the good angel said. “Stay there until I tell you to return, stuff (like Jesus wiping spit in somebody’s eye; because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” see Mark 8:22-26). Read Matthew 1:1-17. The 14 That night Joseph left for Egypt with the verses remind me of a Mexican blanket with its child and Mary, his mother, 15 and they stayed unmistakable stripes and bold patterns. (If you there until Her od’s death. This fulfilled what the ever go to Mexico, you need to buy one. We hung Lord had spoken through the prophet: “I called ours on the wall to cover a gaping hole.) my Son out of Egypt.”* Throughout time, God was endlessly weaving 16 Her od was furious when he realized that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent sol- together lives in unexpected ways to bring his diers to kill all the boys in and around Beth le hem Man into the world to cover a multitude of sins. who were two years old and under, based on the He must have stood back and thought it looked wise men’s report of the star’s first appearance. fantastic. 17 Her od’s brutal action fulfilled what God had Try this: Make a blanket fort like when you were spoken through the prophet Jere mi ah: a kid. Go inside and think about this God who 18 “A cry was heard in Ra mah— has gone to such great lengths to send his Son weeping and great mourning. to save you, to know you, to love you, to win Ra chel weeps for her children, you—to blanket you with love. refusing to be comforted, for they are dead.”* GOD IS RELENTLESS MY FAMILY The Return to Nazareth 19 When Herod died, an angel of the Lord 3 John the Baptist Prepares the Way appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt. 20 “Get In those days John the Baptist came to the Ju dean up!” the angel said. “Take the child and his moth- wilderness and began preaching. His message er back to the land of Isra el, because those who was, 2 “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for were trying to kill the child are dead.” the Kingdom of Heaven is near.*” 3 The prophet 21 So Jo seph got up and returned to the land Isa iah was speaking about John when he said, of Is ra el with Jesus and his mother. 22 But when “He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, he learned that the new ruler of Ju dea was Her- ord od’s son Arche la us, he was afraid to go there. ‘Prepare the way for the L ’s coming! Then, after being warned in a dream, he left for Clear the road for him!’”* the region of Gal i lee. 23 So the fam i ly went and 4 John’s clothes were woven from coarse camel lived in a town called Naz a reth. This fulfilled hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. what the prophets had said: “He will be called For food he ate locusts and wild honey. 5 People a Naz a rene.” from Je ru sa lem and from all of Ju dea and all over 2:15 Hos 11:1. 2:18 Jer 31:15. 3:2 Or has come, or is coming soon. 3:3 Isa 40:3 (Greek version). MATTHEW MATTHEW 3

LIVE new testament 949 > water, the heavens were opened* and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. 17And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”

4 The Temptation of Jesus Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilder- ness to be tempted there by the devil. 2 For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry. 3 During that time the devil* came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’*” 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, Je ru- salem, to the highest point of the Temple, 6 and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the the Jor dan Valley went out to see and hear John. Scriptures say, 6And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jor dan River. ‘He will order his angels to protect you. 7 But when he saw many Phar i sees and Saddu- And they will hold you up with their hands cees coming to watch him baptize,* he denounced so you won’t even hurt your foot on a them. “You brood of snakes!” he exclaimed. “Who stone.’*” warned you to flee God’s coming wrath? 8 Prove by 7 Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, the way you live that you have repented of your sins ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’*” and turned to God. 9 Don’t just say to each other, 8 Next the devil took him to the peak of a very ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms That means nothing, for I tell you, God can cre- of the world and their glory. 9 “I will give it all to ate children of Abraham from these very stones. you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and wor- 10 Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ship me.” ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree 10 “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For that does not produce good fruit will be chopped the Scriptures say, down and thrown into the fire. 11 “I baptize with* water those who repent of ‘You must worship the Lord your God their sins and turn to God. But someone is com- and serve only him.’*” ing soon who is greater than I am—so much 11 Then the devil went away, and angels came greater that I’m not worthy even to be his slave and took care of Jesus. and carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.* 12 He is ready to sepa- The Ministry of Jesus Begins rate the chaff from the wheat with his winnow- 12 When Jesus heard that John had been arrest- ing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, ed, he left Ju dea and returned to Gal i lee. 13 He gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the went first to Naz a reth, then left there and moved chaff with never-ending fire.” to Caper na um, beside the Sea of Gali lee, in the region of Ze bulun and Naphta li. 14 This fulfilled The Baptism of Jesus what God said through the prophet Isa iah: 13 Then Jesus went from Gali lee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to 15 “In the land of Ze bulun and of Naph ta li, talk him out of it. “I am the one who needs to be beside the sea, beyond the Jor dan River, baptized by you,” he said, “so why are you com- in Gal i lee where so many Gentiles live, ing to me?” 16 the people who sat in darkness 15 But Jesus said, “It should be done, for we have seen a great light. must carry out all that God requires.*” So John And for those who lived in the land where agreed to baptize him. death casts its shadow, 16After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the a light has shined.”* 3:7 Or coming to be baptized. 3:11a Or in. 3:11b Or in the Holy Spirit and in fire. 3:15 Or for we must fulfill all righteousness. 3:16 Some manuscripts read opened to him. 4:3 Greek the tempter. 4:4 Deut 8:3. 4:6 Ps 91:11-12. 4:7 Deut 6:16.

MATTHEW MATTHEW 4 4:10 Deut 6:13. 4:15-16 Isa 9:1-2 (Greek version).

> 950 LIVE new testament 17 From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent 10 God blesses those who are persecuted for of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of doing right, Heaven is near.*” for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. 11 “God blesses you when people mock you The First Disciples and persecute you and lie about you* and say all 18 One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of sorts of evil things against you because you are the Sea of Gal i lee, he saw two brothers—Si mon, my followers. 12 Be happy about it! Be very glad! also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And re- into the water, for they fished for a living. 19 Jesus member, the ancient prophets were persecuted called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will in the same way. show you how to fish for people!” 20And they left their nets at once and followed him. Teaching about Salt and Light 21A little farther up the shore he saw two oth- 13 “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is er brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty their father, Zebe dee, repairing their nets. And again? It will be thrown out and trampled under- he called them to come, too. 22 They immediate- foot as worthless. ly followed him, leaving the boat and their father 14 “You are the light of the world—like a city behind. on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. In- Crowds Follow Jesus stead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives 23 Jesus traveled throughout the region of Gali lee, light to every one in the house. 16 In the same way, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed that every one will praise your heavenly Father. every kind of disease and illness. 24 News about him spread as far as Syr ia, and people soon began Teaching about the Law bringing to him all who were sick. And whatever 17 “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did their sickness or disease, or if they were demon not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writ- possessed or epileptic or paralyzed—he healed ings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish 25 them all. Large crowds followed him wherever their purpose. 18 I tell you the truth, until heaven he went—people from Gali lee, the Ten Towns,* and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail Jeru sa lem, from all over Judea, and from east of of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is the Jor dan River. achieved. 19 So if you ignore the least command- ment and teach others to do the same, you will 5 The Sermon on the Mount be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them went up on the mountainside and sat down. His will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. disciples gathered around him, 2 and he began to 20 “But I warn you—unless your righteousness teach them. is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Phari sees, you will never The Beatitudes enter the Kingdom of Heaven! 3 “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,* Teaching about Anger for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. 21 “You have heard that our ancestors were told, 4 God blesses those who mourn, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, for they will be comforted. you are subject to judgment.’* 22 But I say, if you 5 God blesses those who are humble, are even angry with someone,* you are subject to for they will inherit the whole earth. judgment! If you call someone an idiot,* you are 6 God blesses those who hunger and thirst for in danger of being brought before the court. And justice,* if you curse someone,* you are in danger of the for they will be satisfied. fires of hell.* 7 God blesses those who are merciful, 23 “So if you are pre sent ing a sacrifice* at the for they will be shown mercy. altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember 8 God blesses those whose hearts are pure, that someone has something against you, 24 leave for they will see God. your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be recon- 9 God blesses those who work for peace, ciled to that person. Then come and offer your for they will be called the children of God. sacrifice to God. 4:17 Or has come, or is coming soon. 4:25 Greek Decapolis. 5:3 Greek poor in spirit. 5:6 Or for righteousness. 5:11 Some manuscripts do not include and lie about you. 5:21 Exod 20:13; Deut 5:17. 5:22a Some manuscripts add without cause. 5:22b Greek uses an Ar a ma ic term of contempt: If you say to your brother, ‘Raca.’ 5:22c Greek if you say, ‘You fool.’ 5:22d Greek Gehenna; also in 5:29, 30. 5:23 Greek gift; also in 5:24. MATTHEW MATTHEW 5

LIVE new testament 951 > LOOKING FOR ANSWERS?

Sometimes matters of faith are not easy to fi gure out. Do you wonder about some of these questions? If so, fl ip to the pages indicated to explore more.

What do I do with my doubts about God? ...... 33 Why is there so much hypocrisy among Christians? ...... 109 Why does God seem so distant? ...... 153 If I’m a Christian, do I still need to confess my sins? ...... 223 Do I have to go to church to be a Christian? ...... 319 How do I know what God’s will is for my life? ...... 449 Is there really just one path to God? ...... 487 Why is there pain and suffering in the world if God says he loves us so much? ...... 575 How can I know that what I read in the Bible is true? ...... 601 Is it possible to believe in God and science? ...... 635 Is it fair for God to send people to hell? ...... 751 Does God really want us to love evil people? ...... 953 Does God really answer our prayers? ...... 1067 Why is there so much division among Christians? ...... 1153 How can I understand the Trinity? ...... 1238 How do I make sense of the end times? ...... 1274 ANSWERS

LIVE bible gps 1283 > WHERE TO TURN

Sometimes life can get confusing…discouraging…depressing…stressful. Sometimes the questions in life seem overwhelming…and the answers are hard to fi nd. Well, here’s a place to start. Discover what God has to say!

Where to Turn in the Bible When I’m… Afraid Joshua 1:9 “This is my command…” Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know…” 91:11 “For he will order his angels…” 118:6 “The LORD is for me…” Isaiah 41:10 “Don’t be afraid, for…” Romans 8:28 “And we know that God…” Ephesians 6:11-12 “Put on all of God’s armor…” James 1:2-3 “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come…” Alone Joshua 1:9 “This is my command…” Psalm 139:1-6 “O LORD, you have examined…” Isaiah 41:10 “Don’t be afraid, for…” Matthew 28:20 “Teach these new disciples…” Philippians 4:13 “For I can do everything through Christ…”

Angry Proverbs 15:1 “A gentle answer…” 19:11 “Sensible people control…” Luke 6:27-30 “But to you who are willing…” 6:31 “Do to others…” John 13:34-35 “So now I am giving you…” Ephesians 4:26-27 “And ‘don’t sin by…’” 4:31-32 “Get rid of all bitterness…” Colossians 3:8-10 “But now is the time…” Anxious Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know…” Isaiah 40:31 “But those who trust…” Matthew 6:25-26 “That is why I tell you…” 6:33-34 “Seek the Kingdom of God…” 11:28 “Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me…’” Romans 8:28 “And we know that God…” WHERE TO TURN

> 1284 LIVE back matter Philippians 4:6-7 “Don’t worry about anything…” 1 Peter 5:7 “Give all your worries and cares…” Ashamed Luke 15:10 “In the same way…” John 1:12 “But to all who believed him…” 3:17-18 “God sent his Son into the world…” 2 Corinthians 5:17 “This means that anyone…” 1 John 1:9 “But if we confess our sins…” Depressed Nehemiah 9:17b “But you are a God of forgiveness…” Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know…” 2 Corinthians 5:17 “This means that anyone…” Philippians 4:4 “Always be full of joy…” 4:6-7 “Don’t worry about anything…” Jealous Psalm 37:8 “Stop being angry…” Proverbs 23:17-18 “Don’t envy sinners…” Matthew 6:19-21 “Don’t store up treasures here…” Ephesians 4:29 “Don’t use foul or abusive language…” Untitled—© Erica Wallis, 17 Colossians 3:13 “Make allowance for each other’s faults…” 1 Thessalonians 5:11 “So encourage each other…” Tempted Matthew 26:41 “Keep watch and pray…” 1 Corinthians 10:13 “The temptations in your life…” Galatians 6:1 “Dear brothers and sisters, if…” Ephesians 6:11-12 “Put on all of God’s armor…” Hebrews 2:18 “Since he himself has gone through…”

Where to Turn in the Bible When I Need… Confi dence Psalm 139:14 “Thank you for making me…” Matthew 5:16 “In the same way, let your…” John 15:5 “Yes, I am the vine…” 2 Corinthians 5:17 “This means that anyone…” Ephesians 6:11-12 “Put on all of God’s armor…” Philippians 4:13 “For I can do everything through Christ…” Hebrews 4:16 “So let us come boldly to the throne…” Encouragement Matthew 6:33-34 “Seek the Kingdom of God…” 11:28 “Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me…’” Luke 11:9 “And so I tell you, keep on asking…” John 1:12 “But to all who believed him…” Romans 8:28 “And we know that God causes…” Philippians 4:6-7 “Don’t worry about anything…” 4:13 “For I can do everything through Christ…” WHERE TO TURN

LIVE bible gps 1285 > REAL-LIFE INSPIRATION

The true Just Like You stories in this Bible will Fanny Crosby (page 548) inspire you in profound, life-changing ways. Physical limitations (blindness)…hope… Check out these stories that deal with music and poetry issues like… Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca (page 583) Sergius Bulgakov (page 134) Racism and prejudice…courage… Atheism…doubts…a changed life evangelism…leadership Augustine (page 195) Pandita Ramabai (page 598) Temptation to sin…and the desire to keep Hinduism…death and loss…reaching out doing it to those in need Hannah More (page 255) Toyohiko Kagawa (page 782) A bad breakup…singleness…limited Buddhism…intellectual achievement…taking opportunities…slavery a stand…giving up privileges…caring for Oscar Romero (page 332) the poor Poverty…injustice…violence…persecution Bakhita (page 822) Jarena Lee (page 412) Slavery…courage…serving others Racial injustice…God’s call…courage… Catherine of Siena (page 843) preaching Courage…determination…boldly Blaise Pascal (page 442) speaking truth Mathematics…illness…doubts…committing Albert Simpson (page 899) to Jesus Having big dreams…following God’s Wandaro (page 526) call…leadership Persecution…slavery…violence… Corrie ten Boom (page 931) courage…evangelism Nazi concentration camp…courage… forgiveness Perpetua (page 1070) Persecution…martyrdom…hope

A Wrong (Right) Turn the chill and brilliance —Amidof a Russian autumn in 1908, Sergius Bulgakov was seeking a change in his young life. Bulgakov, a professor of political economy and a rising star on the Marxist intellectual scene, found himself inexplicably drawn back to the faith of the six generations of priests in his family. And yet while on a retreat with a friend at a country hermitage, he was unable to experience anything but deadening formality in the prayers of the religious people around him—a reminder of the grim services that he endured before his doubts drove him from the seminary. but instead found himself at th Stumbling out of the church home of the wise and revered elder of the hermitage, a holy service with his mind in man simil

l INSPIRATION REAL-LIFE

LIVE bible gps 1289 > ONE-CHAPTER-PER-DAY BIBLE-READING PLAN

Want to get a good overview of the Bible? Commit to read a chapter each day using this plan. You can start anytime you want—just pick out today’s date on this list and start reading!

January † 27: Exodus 19 † 21: 1 Samuel 1 † 1: Genesis 1 † 28: Exodus 20 † 22: 1 Samuel 2 † 2: Genesis 2 † 29: Exodus 32 † 23: 1 Samuel 3 † 3: Genesis 3 † 30: Leviticus 4 † 24: 1 Samuel 8 † 4: Genesis 6 † 31: Leviticus 19 † 25: 1 Samuel 9 † 5: Genesis 7 † 26: 1 Samuel 10 † 6: Genesis 8 February † 27: 1 Samuel 15 † 7: Genesis 9 † 1: Numbers 9 † 28: 1 Samuel 16 † 8: Genesis 17 † 2: Deuteronomy 1 † 29: 1 Samuel 17 † 9: Genesis 18 † 3: Deuteronomy 2 † 10: Genesis 19 † 4: Deuteronomy 5 March † 11: Genesis 21 † 5: Deuteronomy 6 † 1: 1 Samuel 18 † 12: Genesis 22 † 6: Deuteronomy 34 † 2: 1 Samuel 19 † 13: Genesis 24 † 7: Joshua 1 † 3: 1 Samuel 20 † 14: Genesis 27 † 8: Joshua 2 † 4: 2 Samuel 1 † 15: Genesis 28 † 9: Joshua 3 † 5: 2 Samuel 6 † 16: Genesis 37 † 10: Joshua 4 † 6: 2 Samuel 11 † 17: Genesis 42 † 11: Joshua 6 † 7: 2 Samuel 12 † 18: Genesis 43 † 12: Joshua 10 † 8: 2 Samuel 13 † 19: Genesis 44 † 13: Judges 4 † 9: 1 Kings 1 † 20: Genesis 45 † 14: Judges 6 † 10: 1 Kings 2 † 21: Exodus 2 † 15: Judges 7 † 11: 1 Kings 3 † 22: Exodus 3 † 16: Judges 16 † 12: 1 Kings 17 † 23: Exodus 4 † 17: Ruth 1 † 13: 1 Kings 18 † 24: Exodus 11 † 18: Ruth 2 † 14: 1 Kings 19 † 25: Exodus 12 † 19: Ruth 3 † 15: 2 Kings 2 † 26: Exodus 14 † 20: Ruth 4 † 16: 2 Kings 4 BIBLE-READING PLAN

> 1290 LIVE back matter NLT DICTIONARY/CONCORDANCE

ABANDON, ABANDONED, ABANDONS (v) Luke 23:14 . . . a-ing him of leading a Gen 26:24 . . . Do not be a, for I am to desert or forsake revolt. Exod 3:6 . . . he was a to look at God. Josh 1:5 . . . will not fail you or a you. John 5:45 . . . it isn’t I who will a Deut 1:21 . . . Don’t be a! Josh 24:16 . . . We would never a the LORD John 7:7 . . . because I a it of doing evil. Deut 20:1 . . . your own, do not be a. Ezra 9:9 . . . God did not a us in our slavery. John 8:46 . . . can truthfully a me of sin? Ps 23:4 . . . I will not be a, for you are Neh 9:31 . . . completely or a them forever. Acts 18:13 . . . a-d Paul of “persuading Isa 10:24 . . . do not be a of the Assyrians Ps 22:1 . . . why have you a-ed me? Rom 2:15 . . . and thoughts either a them Isa 41:10 . . . Don’t be a, for I am Ps 37:25 . . . never seen the godly a-ed Rom 8:33 . . . Who dares a us whom God Isa 43:1 . . . Do not be a, for I have Ps 37:28 . . . he will never a the godly. Rev 12:10 . . . who a-s them before our God Matt 8:26 . . . Why are you a? Prov 15:10 . . . Whoever a-s the right path Matt 10:31 . . . So don’t be a; Matt 27:46 . . . why have you a-ed me? ADOPT, ADOPTED (v) Mark 5:36 . . . Don’t be a. John 16:1 . . . you won’t a your faith. to take another’s child into one’s own John 14:27 . . . don’t be troubled or a. Rom 1:24 . . . So God a-ed them to do family 2 Tim 4:5 . . . Don’t be a of suffering Rom 1:28 . . . a-ed them to their foolish Rom 8:15 . . . when he a-ed you as his own 1 Pet 3:14 . . . don’t worry or be a 2 Cor 4:9 . . . down, but never a-ed by God. Rom 8:23 . . . rights as his a-ed children, ALCOHOL (n) Heb 13:5 . . . I will never a you. Rom 9:4 . . . to be God’s a-ed children. Gal 4:5 . . . so that he could a us as drink (as wine or beer) containing ethanol ABUNDANCE (n) Eph 1:5 . . . decided in advance to a us Prov 20:1 . . . a leads to brawls. great quantity, affl uence; more than ample Isa 5:22 . . . boast about all the a they Job 36:31 . . . giving them food in a. ADULTERY (n) ALIVE (adj) Ps 66:12 . . . a place of great a. unlawful sexual relations between a animate, having life; active; aware Jer 31:14 . . . The priests will enjoy a, married and an unmarried person; symbol- Gen 45:7 . . . keep you and your families a Matt 13:12 . . . have an a of knowledge. ic of idolatry Ps 41:2 . . . them and keeps them a. Matt 25:29 . . . they will have an a. Exod 20:14 . . . You must not commit a. Luke 24:23 . . . Jesus is a! John 1:16 . . . From his a we have all Deut 5:18 . . . You must not commit a. Prov 6:32 . . . who commits a is an utter Acts 1:3 . . . ways that he was actually a. ABUSIVE (adj) fool, Rom 6:11 . . . the power of sin and a to God using harsh, insulting language; charac- Matt 5:27 . . . You must not commit a. Rev 2:8 . . . who was dead but is now a: terized by wrong or improper use or action Matt 19:18 . . . You must not commit a. ALMIGHTY (n) 1 Cor 5:11 . . . worships idols, or is a, Mark 10:11 . . . someone else commits a having absolute power over all; God 1 Cor 6:10 . . . drunkards, or are a, or Luke 18:20 . . . You must not commit a. Gen 17:1 . . . I am El-Shaddai—‘God A.’ Eph 4:29 . . . use foul or a language. John 8:4 . . . caught in the act of a. Exod 6:3 . . . as El-Shaddai—‘God A’— ACCEPT, ACCEPTED, ACCEPTS (v) 1 Cor 6:9 . . . a, or are male prostitutes, Ruth 1:20 . . . A has made life very bitter to receive willingly ADVICE (n) Job 6:14 . . . without any fear of the A. Gen 4:4 . . . The LORD a-ed Abel recommendation regarding a decision Job 33:4 . . . breath of the A gives me life. Gen 4:7 . . . be a-ed if you do what is or course of conduct; counsel Ps 91:1 . . . rest in the shadow of the A. right. 1 Kgs 12:8 . . . rejected the a of Rev 4:8 . . . the A—the one who always Deut 16:19 . . . Never a a bribe, for bribes 2 Chr 10:8 . . . rejected the a of was, Job 42:8 . . . I will a his prayer Prov 12:5 . . . a of the wicked is Rev 15:3 . . . O Lord God, the A. Job 42:9 . . . the LORD a-ed Job’s prayer. Prov 12:26 . . . godly give good a to their Rev 19:6 . . . our God, the A, reigns. Eccl 5:18 . . . to a their lot in life. Prov 15:22 . . . Plans go wrong for lack of a; ALTAR, ALTARS (n) Luke 4:24 . . . no prophet is a-ed in his Isa 44:25 . . . I cause the wise to give high places of worship on which sacrifi ces Luke 10:16 . . . who a-s your message bad a, are offered or incense is burned John 1:12 . . . believed him and a-ed him, Rom 11:34 . . . enough to give him a? Gen 8:20 . . . Noah built an a to the LORD, John 17:8 . . . They a-ed it and know that Gen 12:7 . . . Abram built an a there Rom 11:12 . . . when they fi nally a it. ADVOCATE (n) Gen 22:9 . . . Abraham built an a and Gal 2:9 . . . they a-ed Barnabas and me one who pleads the cause of another; Gen 26:25 . . . Isaac built an a there Col 2:6 . . . just as you a-ed Christ Jesus defender Exod 27:1 . . . construct a square a 7½ feet 1 Tim 1:15 . . . everyone should a it: Job 16:19 . . . My a is there on high. Exod 30:1 . . . make another a of acacia 1 Tim 4:9 . . . everyone should a it. John 14:16 . . . he will give you another A, Exod 37:25 . . . incense a of acacia wood. Jas 1:21 . . . a the word God has planted John 14:26 . . . the Father sends the A Josh 8:30 . . . Joshua built an to the LORD, John 15:26 . . . I will send you the A— a Josh 22:10 . . . a large and imposing a. ACCUSE, ACCUSED, ACCUSES, John 16:7 . . . if I don’t, the A won’t come. ACCUSING (v) 1 Sam 7:17 . . . Samuel built an a to the 1 Jn 2:1 . . . an a who pleads our case to charge with fault or offense; blame 2 Chr 4:1 . . . made a bronze a 30 feet long, Job 22:4 . . . he a-s you and brings AFRAID (adj) 2 Chr 4:19 . . . Temple of God: the gold a; judgment fearful or apprehensive about an unwanted 2 Chr 32:12 . . . only at the a at the Temple Ps 27:12 . . . For they a me of things or uncertain situation 2 Chr 33:16 . . . restored the a of the LORD

CONCORDANCE Dan 6:5 . . . grounds for a-ing Daniel Gen 3:10 . . . I was a because I was naked. Ezra 3:2 . . . rebuilding the a of the God

> 1294 LIVE bible gps