Genesis 25

• 1. Now Abraham married again. Keturah was his new wife,
• 2. and she bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.
• 3. Jokshan's two sons were Sheba and Dedan. Dedan's descendants were the Asshurites, Letushites, and Leummites.
• 4. Midian's sons were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. These were all descendants of Abraham through Keturah.
• 5. Abraham left everything he owned to his son Isaac.
• 6. But before he died, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them off to the east, away from Isaac.
• 7. Abraham lived for 175 years,
• 8. and he died at a ripe old age, joining his ancestors in death.
• 9. His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite.
• 10. This was the field Abraham had purchased from the Hittites, where he had buried his wife Sarah.
• 11. After Abraham's death, God poured out rich blessings on Isaac, who settled near Beer-lahairoi in the Negev.
• 12. This is the history of the descendants of Ishmael, the son of Abraham through Hagar, Sarah's Egyptian servant.
• 13. Here is a list, by their names and clans, of Ishmael's descendants: The oldest was Nebaioth, followed by Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,
• 14. Mishma, Dumah, Massa,
• 15. Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah.
• 16. These twelve sons of Ishmael became the founders of twelve tribes that bore their names, listed according to the places they settled and camped.
• 17. Ishmael finally died at the age of 137 and joined his ancestors in death.
• 18. Ishmael's descendants were scattered across the country from Havilah to Shur, which is east of Egypt in the direction of Asshur. The clans descended from Ishmael camped close to one another.
• 19. This is the history of the family of Isaac, the son of Abraham.
• 20. When Isaac was forty years old, he married Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan-aram and the sister of Laban.
• 21. Isaac pleaded with the LORD to give Rebekah a child because she was childless. So the LORD answered Isaac's prayer, and his wife became pregnant with twins.
• 22. But the two children struggled with each other in her womb. So she went to ask the LORD about it. "Why is this happening to me?" she asked.
• 23. And the LORD told her, "The sons in your womb will become two rival nations. One nation will be stronger than the other; the descendants of your older son will serve the descendants of your younger son."
• 24. And when the time came, the twins were born.
• 25. The first was very red at birth. He was covered with so much hair that one would think he was wearing a piece of clothing. So they called him Esau.
• 26. Then the other twin was born with his hand grasping Esau's heel. So they called him Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when the twins were born.
• 27. As the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open fields, while Jacob was the kind of person who liked to stay at home.
• 28. Isaac loved Esau in particular because of the wild game he brought home, but Rebekah favored Jacob.
• 29. One day when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau arrived home exhausted and hungry from a hunt.
• 30. Esau said to Jacob, "I'm starved! Give me some of that red stew you've made." (This was how Esau got his other name, Edom--"Red.")
• 31. Jacob replied, "All right, but trade me your birthright for it."
• 32. "Look, I'm dying of starvation!" said Esau. "What good is my birthright to me now?"
• 33. So Jacob insisted, "Well then, swear to me right now that it is mine." So Esau swore an oath, thereby selling all his rights as the firstborn to his younger brother.
• 34. Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew. Esau ate and drank and went on about his business, indifferent to the fact that he had given up his birthright.

Matthew 24

• 1. As Jesus was leaving the Temple grounds, his disciples pointed out to him the various Temple buildings.
• 2. But he told them, "Do you see all these buildings? I assure you, they will be so completely demolished that not one stone will be left on top of another!"
• 3. Later, Jesus sat on the slopes of the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him privately and asked, "When will all this take place? And will there be any sign ahead of time to signal your return and the end of the world?"
• 4. Jesus told them, "Don't let anyone mislead you.
• 5. For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Messiah.' They will lead many astray.
• 6. And wars will break out near and far, but don't panic. Yes, these things must come, but the end won't follow immediately.
• 7. The nations and kingdoms will proclaim war against each other, and there will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world.
• 8. But all this will be only the beginning of the horrors to come.
• 9. "Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because of your allegiance to me.
• 10. And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other.
• 11. And many false prophets will appear and will lead many people astray.
• 12. Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold.
• 13. But those who endure to the end will be saved.
• 14. And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then, finally, the end will come.
• 15. "The time will come when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about: the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing in the Holy Place"--reader, pay attention!
• 16. "Then those in Judea must flee to the hills.
• 17. A person outside the house must not go inside to pack.
• 18. A person in the field must not return even to get a coat.
• 19. How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for mothers nursing their babies in those days.
• 20. And pray that your flight will not be in winter or on the Sabbath.
• 21. For that will be a time of greater horror than anything the world has ever seen or will ever see again.
• 22. In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, the entire human race will be destroyed. But it will be shortened for the sake of God's chosen ones.
• 23. "Then if anyone tells you, 'Look, here is the Messiah,' or 'There he is,' don't pay any attention.
• 24. For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great miraculous signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God's chosen ones.
• 25. See, I have warned you.
• 26. "So if someone tells you, 'Look, the Messiah is out in the desert,' don't bother to go and look. Or, 'Look, he is hiding here,' don't believe it!
• 27. For as the lightning lights up the entire sky, so it will be when the Son of Man comes.
• 28. Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near.
• 29. "Immediately after those horrible days end, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of heaven will be shaken.
• 30. And then at last, the sign of the coming of the Son of Man will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the nations of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man arrive on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
• 31. And he will send forth his angels with the sound of a mighty trumpet blast, and they will gather together his chosen ones from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.
• 32. "Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its buds become tender and its leaves begin to sprout, you know without being told that summer is near.
• 33. Just so, when you see the events I've described beginning to happen, you can know his return is very near, right at the door.
• 34. I assure you, this generation will not pass from the scene before all these things take place.
• 35. Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will remain forever.
• 36. "However, no one knows the day or the hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.
• 37. "When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah's day.
• 38. In those days before the Flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat.
• 39. People didn't realize what was going to happen until the Flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.
• 40. "Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left.
• 41. Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left.
• 42. So be prepared, because you don't know what day your Lord is coming.
• 43. "Know this: A homeowner who knew exactly when a burglar was coming would stay alert and not permit the house to be broken into.
• 44. You also must be ready all the time. For the Son of Man will come when least expected.
• 45. "Who is a faithful, sensible servant, to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his household and feeding his family?
• 46. If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward.
• 47. I assure you, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns.
• 48. But if the servant is evil and thinks, 'My master won't be back for a while,'
• 49. and begins oppressing the other servants, partying, and getting drunk--
• 50. well, the master will return unannounced and unexpected.
• 51. He will tear the servant apart and banish him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Esther 1

• 1. This happened in the days of King Xerxes, who reigned over 127 provinces stretching from India to Ethiopia.
• 2. At that time he ruled his empire from his throne at the fortress of Susa.
• 3. In the third year of his reign, he gave a banquet for all his princes and officials. He invited all the military officers of Media and Persia, as well as the noblemen and provincial officials.
• 4. The celebration lasted six months--a tremendous display of the opulent wealth and glory of his empire.
• 5. When it was all over, the king gave a special banquet for all the palace servants and officials--from the greatest to the least. It lasted for seven days and was held at Susa in the courtyard of the palace garden.
• 6. The courtyard was decorated with beautifully woven white and blue linen hangings, fastened by purple ribbons to silver rings embedded in marble pillars. Gold and silver couches stood on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl, and other costly stones.
• 7. Drinks were served in gold goblets of many designs, and there was an abundance of royal wine, just as the king had commanded.
• 8. The only restriction on the drinking was that no one should be compelled to take more than he wanted. But those who wished could have as much as they pleased, for the king had instructed his staff to let everyone decide this matter for himself.
• 9. Queen Vashti gave a banquet for the women of the palace at the same time.
• 10. On the seventh day of the feast, when King Xerxes was half drunk with wine, he told Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven eunuchs who attended him,
• 11. to bring Queen Vashti to him with the royal crown on her head. He wanted all the men to gaze on her beauty, for she was a very beautiful woman.
• 12. But when they conveyed the king's order to Queen Vashti, she refused to come. This made the king furious, and he burned with anger.
• 13. He immediately consulted with his advisers, who knew all the Persian laws and customs, for he always asked their advice.
• 14. The names of these men were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan--seven high officials of Persia and Media. They were his closest associates and held the highest positions in the empire.
• 15. "What must be done to Queen Vashti?" the king demanded. "What penalty does the law provide for a queen who refuses to obey the king's orders, properly sent through his eunuchs?"
• 16. Memucan answered the king and his princes, "Queen Vashti has wronged not only the king but also every official and citizen throughout your empire.
• 17. Women everywhere will begin to despise their husbands when they learn that Queen Vashti has refused to appear before the king.
• 18. Before this day is out, the wife of every one of us, your officials throughout the empire, will hear what the queen did and will start talking to their husbands the same way. There will be no end to the contempt and anger throughout your realm.
• 19. So if it please the king, we suggest that you issue a written decree, a law of the Persians and Medes that cannot be revoked. It should order that Queen Vashti be forever banished from your presence and that you choose another queen more worthy than she.
• 20. When this decree is published throughout your vast empire, husbands everywhere, whatever their rank, will receive proper respect from their wives!"
• 21. The king and his princes thought this made good sense, so he followed Memucan's counsel.
• 22. He sent letters to all parts of the empire, to each province in its own script and language, proclaiming that every man should be the ruler of his home.

New Living Translation: 24 of 365 days.