Genesis 6

• 1. When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them,
• 2. the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.
• 3. Then the LORD said, "My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years."
• 4. The Nephilim were on the earth in those days-and also afterward-when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.
• 5. The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.
• 6. The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.
• 7. So the LORD said, "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth-men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air-for I am grieved that I have made them."
• 8. But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.
• 9. This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.
• 10. Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth.
• 11. Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and was full of violence.
• 12. God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways.
• 13. So God said to Noah, "I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth.
• 14. So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out.
• 15. This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high.
• 16. Make a roof for it and finish the ark to within 18 inches of the top. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks.
• 17. I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish.
• 18. But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark-you and your sons and your wife and your sons' wives with you.
• 19. You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you.
• 20. Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive.
• 21. You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them."
• 22. Noah did everything just as God commanded him.

Matthew 5

• 1. Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him,
• 2. and he began to teach them saying:
• 3. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
• 4. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
• 5. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
• 6. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
• 7. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
• 8. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
• 9. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
• 10. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
• 11. "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
• 12. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
• 13. "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
• 14. "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.
• 15. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
• 16. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
• 17. "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
• 18. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.
• 19. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
• 20. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
• 21. "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.'
• 22. But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca, 'is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.
• 23. "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you,
• 24. leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.
• 25. "Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison.
• 26. I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.
• 27. "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.'
• 28. But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
• 29. If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.
• 30. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.
• 31. "It has been said, 'Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.'
• 32. But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.
• 33. "Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.'
• 34. But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne;
• 35. or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King.
• 36. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black.
• 37. Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
• 38. "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.'
• 39. But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.
• 40. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.
• 41. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.
• 42. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
• 43. "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'
• 44. But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
• 45. that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
• 46. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?
• 47. And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?
• 48. Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Ezra 5

• 1. Now Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the prophet, a descendant of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them.
• 2. Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak set to work to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. And the prophets of God were with them, helping them.
• 3. At that time Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates went to them and asked, "Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and restore this structure?"
• 4. They also asked, "What are the names of the men constructing this building?"
• 5. But the eye of their God was watching over the elders of the Jews, and they were not stopped until a report could go to Darius and his written reply be received.
• 6. This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates, the officials of Trans-Euphrates, sent to King Darius.
• 7. The report they sent him read as follows: To King Darius: Cordial greetings.
• 8. The king should know that we went to the district of Judah, to the temple of the great God. The people are building it with large stones and placing the timbers in the walls. The work is being carried on with diligence and is making rapid progress under their direction.
• 9. We questioned the elders and asked them, "Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and restore this structure?"
• 10. We also asked them their names, so that we could write down the names of their leaders for your information.
• 11. This is the answer they gave us: "We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, one that a great king of Israel built and finished.
• 12. But because our fathers angered the God of heaven, he handed them over to Nebuchadnezzar the Chaldean, king of Babylon, who destroyed this temple and deported the people to Babylon.
• 13. "However, in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, King Cyrus issued a decree to rebuild this house of God.
• 14. He even removed from the temple of Babylon the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to the temple in Babylon. "Then King Cyrus gave them to a man named Sheshbazzar, whom he had appointed governor,
• 15. and he told him, 'Take these articles and go and deposit them in the temple in Jerusalem. And rebuild the house of God on its site.'
• 16. So this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the house of God in Jerusalem. From that day to the present it has been under construction but is not yet finished."
• 17. Now if it pleases the king, let a search be made in the royal archives of Babylon to see if King Cyrus did in fact issue a decree to rebuild this house of God in Jerusalem. Then let the king send us his decision in this matter.

New International Version

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