Genesis 26

• 1. Now a severe famine struck the land, as had happened before in Abraham's time. So Isaac moved to Gerar, where Abimelech, king of the Philistines, lived.
• 2. The LORD appeared to him there and said, "Do not go to Egypt.
• 3. Do as I say, and stay here in this land. If you do, I will be with you and bless you. I will give all this land to you and your descendants, just as I solemnly promised Abraham, your father.
• 4. I will cause your descendants to become as numerous as the stars, and I will give them all these lands. And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed.
• 5. I will do this because Abraham listened to me and obeyed all my requirements, commands, regulations, and laws."
• 6. So Isaac stayed in Gerar.
• 7. And when the men there asked him about Rebekah, he said, "She is my sister." He was afraid to admit that she was his wife. He thought they would kill him to get her, because she was very beautiful.
• 8. But some time later, Abimelech, king of the Philistines, looked out a window and saw Isaac fondling Rebekah.
• 9. Abimelech called for Isaac and exclaimed, "She is obviously your wife! Why did you say she was your sister?Because I was afraid someone would kill me to get her from me," Isaac replied.
• 10. "How could you treat us this way!" Abimelech exclaimed. "Someone might have taken your wife and slept with her, and you would have made us guilty of great sin."
• 11. Then Abimelech made a public proclamation: "Anyone who harms this man or his wife will die!"
• 12. That year Isaac's crops were tremendous! He harvested a hundred times more grain than he planted, for the LORD blessed him.
• 13. He became a rich man, and his wealth only continued to grow.
• 14. He acquired large flocks of sheep and goats, great herds of cattle, and many servants. Soon the Philistines became jealous of him,
• 15. and they filled up all of Isaac's wells with earth. These were the wells that had been dug by the servants of his father, Abraham.
• 16. And Abimelech asked Isaac to leave the country. "Go somewhere else," he said, "for you have become too rich and powerful for us."
• 17. So Isaac moved to the Gerar Valley and lived there instead.
• 18. He reopened the wells his father had dug, which the Philistines had filled in after Abraham's death. Isaac renamed them, using the names Abraham had given them.
• 19. His shepherds also dug in the Gerar Valley and found a gushing spring.
• 20. But then the local shepherds came and claimed the spring. "This is our water," they said, and they argued over it with Isaac's herdsmen. So Isaac named the well "Argument," because they had argued about it with him.
• 21. Isaac's men then dug another well, but again there was a fight over it. So Isaac named it "Opposition."
• 22. Abandoning that one, he dug another well, and the local people finally left him alone. So Isaac called it "Room Enough," for he said, "At last the LORD has made room for us, and we will be able to thrive."
• 23. From there Isaac moved to Beersheba,
• 24. where the LORD appeared to him on the night of his arrival. "I am the God of your father, Abraham," he said. "Do not be afraid, for I am with you and will bless you. I will give you many descendants, and they will become a great nation. I will do this because of my promise to Abraham, my servant."
• 25. Then Isaac built an altar there and worshiped the LORD. He set up his camp at that place, and his servants dug a well.
• 26. One day Isaac had visitors from Gerar. King Abimelech arrived with his adviser, Ahuzzath, and also Phicol, his army commander.
• 27. "Why have you come?" Isaac asked them. "This is obviously no friendly visit, since you sent me from your land in a most unfriendly way."
• 28. They replied, "We can plainly see that the LORD is with you. So we decided we should have a treaty, a covenant between us.
• 29. Swear that you will not harm us, just as we did not harm you. We have always treated you well, and we sent you away from us in peace. And now look how the LORD has blessed you!"
• 30. So Isaac prepared a great feast for them, and they ate and drank in preparation for the treaty ceremony.
• 31. Early the next morning, they each took a solemn oath of nonaggression. Then Isaac sent them home again in peace.
• 32. That very day Isaac's servants came and told him about a well they had dug. "We've found water!" they said.
• 33. So Isaac named the well "Oath," and from that time to this, the town that grew up there has been called Beersheba--"well of the oath."
• 34. At the age of forty, Esau married a young woman named Judith, the daughter of Beeri the Hittite. He also married Basemath, the daughter of Elon the Hittite.
• 35. But Esau's wives made life miserable for Isaac and Rebekah.

Matthew 25

• 1. "The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.
• 2. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.
• 3. The five who were foolish took no oil for their lamps,
• 4. but the other five were wise enough to take along extra oil.
• 5. When the bridegroom was delayed, they all lay down and slept.
• 6. At midnight they were roused by the shout, 'Look, the bridegroom is coming! Come out and welcome him!'
• 7. "All the bridesmaids got up and prepared their lamps.
• 8. Then the five foolish ones asked the others, 'Please give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out.'
• 9. But the others replied, 'We don't have enough for all of us. Go to a shop and buy some for yourselves.'
• 10. "But while they were gone to buy oil, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was locked.
• 11. Later, when the other five bridesmaids returned, they stood outside, calling, 'Sir, open the door for us!'
• 12. But he called back, 'I don't know you!'
• 13. "So stay awake and be prepared, because you do not know the day or hour of my return.
• 14. "Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a trip. He called together his servants and gave them money to invest for him while he was gone.
• 15. He gave five bags of gold to one, two bags of gold to another, and one bag of gold to the last--dividing it in proportion to their abilities--and then left on his trip.
• 16. The servant who received the five bags of gold began immediately to invest the money and soon doubled it.
• 17. The servant with two bags of gold also went right to work and doubled the money.
• 18. But the servant who received the one bag of gold dug a hole in the ground and hid the master's money for safekeeping.
• 19. "After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money.
• 20. The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of gold said, 'Sir, you gave me five bags of gold to invest, and I have doubled the amount.'
• 21. The master was full of praise. 'Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let's celebrate together!'
• 22. "Next came the servant who had received the two bags of gold, with the report, 'Sir, you gave me two bags of gold to invest, and I have doubled the amount.'
• 23. The master said, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let's celebrate together!'
• 24. "Then the servant with the one bag of gold came and said, 'Sir, I know you are a hard man, harvesting crops you didn't plant and gathering crops you didn't cultivate.
• 25. I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth and here it is.'
• 26. "But the master replied, 'You wicked and lazy servant! You think I'm a hard man, do you, harvesting crops I didn't plant and gathering crops I didn't cultivate?
• 27. Well, you should at least have put my money into the bank so I could have some interest.
• 28. Take the money from this servant and give it to the one with the ten bags of gold.
• 29. To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who are unfaithful, even what little they have will be taken away.
• 30. Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
• 31. "But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne.
• 32. All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate them as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
• 33. He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.
• 34. Then the King will say to those on the right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
• 35. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home.
• 36. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.'
• 37. "Then these righteous ones will reply, 'Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink?
• 38. Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing?
• 39. When did we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit you?'
• 40. And the King will tell them, 'I assure you, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!'
• 41. "Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, 'Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his demons!
• 42. For I was hungry, and you didn't feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn't give me anything to drink.
• 43. I was a stranger, and you didn't invite me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me no clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn't visit me.'
• 44. "Then they will reply, 'Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?'
• 45. And he will answer, 'I assure you, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.'
• 46. And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life."

Esther 2

• 1. But after Xerxes' anger had cooled, he began thinking about Vashti and what she had done and the decree he had made.
• 2. So his attendants suggested, "Let us search the empire to find beautiful young virgins for the king.
• 3. Let the king appoint agents in each province to bring these beautiful young women into the royal harem at Susa. Hegai, the eunuch in charge, will see that they are all given beauty treatments.
• 4. After that, the young woman who pleases you most will be made queen instead of Vashti." This advice was very appealing to the king, so he put the plan into effect immediately.
• 5. Now at the fortress of Susa there was a certain Jew named Mordecai son of Jair. He was from the tribe of Benjamin and was a descendant of Kish and Shimei.
• 6. His family had been exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar, along with King Jehoiachin of Judah and many others.
• 7. This man had a beautiful and lovely young cousin, Hadassah, who was also called Esther. When her father and mother had died, Mordecai adopted her into his family and raised her as his own daughter.
• 8. As a result of the king's decree, Esther, along with many other young women, was brought to the king's harem at the fortress of Susa and placed in Hegai's care.
• 9. Hegai was very impressed with Esther and treated her kindly. He quickly ordered a special menu for her and provided her with beauty treatments. He also assigned her seven maids specially chosen from the king's palace, and he moved her and her maids into the best place in the harem.
• 10. Esther had not told anyone of her nationality and family background, for Mordecai had told her not to.
• 11. Every day Mordecai would take a walk near the courtyard of the harem to ask about Esther and to find out what was happening to her.
• 12. Before each young woman was taken to the king's bed, she was given the prescribed twelve months of beauty treatments--six months with oil of myrrh, followed by six months with special perfumes and ointments.
• 13. When the time came for her to go in to the king, she was given her choice of whatever clothing or jewelry she wanted to enhance her beauty.
• 14. That evening she was taken to the king's private rooms, and the next morning she was brought to the second harem, where the king's wives lived. There she would be under the care of Shaashgaz, another of the king's eunuchs. She would live there for the rest of her life, never going to the king again unless he had especially enjoyed her and requested her by name.
• 15. When it was Esther's turn to go to the king, she accepted the advice of Hegai, the eunuch in charge of the harem. She asked for nothing except what he suggested, and she was admired by everyone who saw her.
• 16. When Esther was taken to King Xerxes at the royal palace in early winter of the seventh year of his reign,
• 17. the king loved her more than any of the other young women. He was so delighted with her that he set the royal crown on her head and declared her queen instead of Vashti.
• 18. To celebrate the occasion, he gave a banquet in Esther's honor for all his princes and servants, giving generous gifts to everyone and declaring a public festival for the provinces.
• 19. Even after all the young women had been transferred to the second harem and Mordecai had become a palace official,
• 20. Esther continued to keep her nationality and family background a secret. She was still following Mordecai's orders, just as she did when she was living in his home.
• 21. One day as Mordecai was on duty at the palace, two of the king's eunuchs, Bigthana and Teresh--who were guards at the door of the king's private quarters--became angry at King Xerxes and plotted to assassinate him.
• 22. But Mordecai heard about the plot and passed the information on to Queen Esther. She then told the king about it and gave Mordecai credit for the report.
• 23. When an investigation was made and Mordecai's story was found to be true, the two men were hanged on a gallows. This was all duly recorded in The Book of the History of King Xerxes' Reign.

New Living Translation: 25 of 365 days.