Genesis 46

• 1. So Jacob set out for Egypt with all his possessions. And when he came to Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father, Isaac.
• 2. During the night God spoke to him in a vision. "Jacob! Jacob!" he called. "Here I am," Jacob replied.
• 3. "I am God," the voice said, "the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will see to it that you become a great nation there.
• 4. I will go with you down to Egypt, and I will bring your descendants back again. But you will die in Egypt with Joseph at your side."
• 5. So Jacob left Beersheba, and his sons brought him to Egypt. They carried their little ones and wives in the wagons Pharaoh had provided for them.
• 6. They brought their livestock, too, and all the belongings they had acquired in the land of Canaan. Jacob and his entire family arrived in Egypt--
• 7. sons and daughters, grandsons and granddaughters--all his descendants.
• 8. These are the names of the Israelites, the descendants of Jacob, who went with him to Egypt: Reuben was Jacob's oldest son.
• 9. The sons of Reuben were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
• 10. The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul. (Shaul's mother was a Canaanite woman.)
• 11. The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
• 12. The sons of Judah were Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah. (But Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan.) The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.
• 13. The sons of Issachar were Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron.
• 14. The sons of Zebulun were Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.
• 15. These are the sons of Jacob who were born to Leah in Paddan-aram, along with their sister, Dinah. In all, Jacob's descendants through Leah numbered thirty-three.
• 16. The sons of Gad were Zephon, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.
• 17. The sons of Asher were Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah. Their sister was named Serah. Beriah's sons were Heber and Malkiel.
• 18. These sixteen were descendants of Jacob through Zilpah, the servant given to Leah by her father, Laban.
• 19. The sons of Jacob's wife Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.
• 20. Joseph's sons, born in the land of Egypt, were Manasseh and Ephraim. Their mother was Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, priest of Heliopolis.
• 21. Benjamin's sons were Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.
• 22. These fourteen were the descendants of Jacob and his wife Rachel.
• 23. The son of Dan was Hushim.
• 24. The sons of Naphtali were Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.
• 25. These seven were the descendants of Jacob through Bilhah, the servant given to Rachel by her father, Laban.
• 26. So the total number of Jacob's direct descendants who went with him to Egypt, not counting his sons' wives, was sixty-six.
• 27. Joseph also had two sons who had been born in Egypt. So altogether, there were seventy members of Jacob's family in the land of Egypt.
• 28. Jacob sent Judah on ahead to meet Joseph and get directions to the land of Goshen. And when they all arrived there,
• 29. Joseph prepared his chariot and traveled to Goshen to meet his father. As soon as Joseph arrived, he embraced his father and wept on his shoulder for a long time.
• 30. Then Jacob said to Joseph, "Now let me die, for I have seen you with my own eyes and know you are still alive."
• 31. And Joseph said to his brothers and to all their households, "I'll go and tell Pharaoh that you have all come from the land of Canaan to join me.
• 32. And I will tell him, `These men are shepherds and livestock breeders. They have brought with them their flocks and herds and everything they own.'
• 33. So when Pharaoh calls for you and asks you about your occupation,
• 34. tell him, `We have been livestock breeders from our youth, as our ancestors have been for many generations.' When you tell him this, he will let you live here in the land of Goshen, for shepherds are despised in the land of Egypt."

Luke 1

• 1. Most honorable Theophilus: Many people have written accounts about the events that took place among us.
• 2. They used as their source material the reports circulating among us from the early disciples and other eyewitnesses of what God has done in fulfillment of his promises.
• 3. Having carefully investigated all of these accounts from the beginning, I have decided to write a careful summary for you,
• 4. to reassure you of the truth of all you were taught.
• 5. It all begins with a Jewish priest, Zechariah, who lived when Herod was king of Judea. Zechariah was a member of the priestly order of Abijah. His wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron.
• 6. Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God's eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord's commandments and regulations.
• 7. They had no children because Elizabeth was barren, and now they were both very old.
• 8. One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week.
• 9. As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary and burn incense in the Lord's presence.
• 10. While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying.
• 11. Zechariah was in the sanctuary when an angel of the Lord appeared, standing to the right of the incense altar.
• 12. Zechariah was overwhelmed with fear.
• 13. But the angel said, "Don't be afraid, Zechariah! For God has heard your prayer, and your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son! And you are to name him John.
• 14. You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice with you at his birth,
• 15. for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or hard liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth.
• 16. And he will persuade many Israelites to turn to the Lord their God.
• 17. He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah, the prophet of old. He will precede the coming of the Lord, preparing the people for his arrival. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will change disobedient minds to accept godly wisdom."
• 18. Zechariah said to the angel, "How can I know this will happen? I'm an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years."
• 19. Then the angel said, "I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news!
• 20. And now, since you didn't believe what I said, you won't be able to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly come true at the proper time."
• 21. Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah to come out, wondering why he was taking so long.
• 22. When he finally did come out, he couldn't speak to them. Then they realized from his gestures that he must have seen a vision in the Temple sanctuary.
• 23. He stayed at the Temple until his term of service was over, and then he returned home.
• 24. Soon afterward his wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant and went into seclusion for five months.
• 25. "How kind the Lord is!" she exclaimed. "He has taken away my disgrace of having no children!"
• 26. In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee,
• 27. to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David.
• 28. Gabriel appeared to her and said, "Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you! "
• 29. Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean.
• 30. "Don't be frightened, Mary," the angel told her, "for God has decided to bless you!
• 31. You will become pregnant and have a son, and you are to name him Jesus.
• 32. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David.
• 33. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!"
• 34. Mary asked the angel, "But how can I have a baby? I am a virgin."
• 35. The angel replied, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby born to you will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.
• 36. What's more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she's already in her sixth month.
• 37. For nothing is impossible with God."
• 38. Mary responded, "I am the Lord's servant, and I am willing to accept whatever he wants. May everything you have said come true." And then the angel left.
• 39. A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town
• 40. where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth.
• 41. At the sound of Mary's greeting, Elizabeth's child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
• 42. Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, "You are blessed by God above all other women, and your child is blessed.
• 43. What an honor this is, that the mother of my Lord should visit me!
• 44. When you came in and greeted me, my baby jumped for joy the instant I heard your voice!
• 45. You are blessed, because you believed that the Lord would do what he said."
• 46. Mary responded, "Oh, how I praise the Lord.
• 47. How I rejoice in God my Savior!
• 48. For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and now generation after generation will call me blessed.
• 49. For he, the Mighty One, is holy, and he has done great things for me.
• 50. His mercy goes on from generation to generation, to all who fear him.
• 51. His mighty arm does tremendous things! How he scatters the proud and haughty ones!
• 52. He has taken princes from their thrones and exalted the lowly.
• 53. He has satisfied the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands.
• 54. And how he has helped his servant Israel! He has not forgotten his promise to be merciful.
• 55. For he promised our ancestors--Abraham and his children--to be merciful to them forever."
• 56. Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back to her own home.
• 57. Now it was time for Elizabeth's baby to be born, and it was a boy.
• 58. The word spread quickly to her neighbors and relatives that the Lord had been very kind to her, and everyone rejoiced with her.
• 59. When the baby was eight days old, all the relatives and friends came for the circumcision ceremony. They wanted to name him Zechariah, after his father.
• 60. But Elizabeth said, "No! His name is John!"
• 61. "What?" they exclaimed. "There is no one in all your family by that name."
• 62. So they asked the baby's father, communicating to him by making gestures.
• 63. He motioned for a writing tablet, and to everyone's surprise he wrote, "His name is John!"
• 64. Instantly Zechariah could speak again, and he began praising God.
• 65. Wonder fell upon the whole neighborhood, and the news of what had happened spread throughout the Judean hills.
• 66. Everyone who heard about it reflected on these events and asked, "I wonder what this child will turn out to be? For the hand of the Lord is surely upon him in a special way."
• 67. Then his father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy:
• 68. "Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited his people and redeemed them.
• 69. He has sent us a mighty Savior from the royal line of his servant David,
• 70. just as he promised through his holy prophets long ago.
• 71. Now we will be saved from our enemies and from all who hate us.
• 72. He has been merciful to our ancestors by remembering his sacred covenant with them,
• 73. the covenant he gave to our ancestor Abraham.
• 74. We have been rescued from our enemies, so we can serve God without fear,
• 75. in holiness and righteousness forever.
• 76. "And you, my little son, will be called the prophet of the Most High, because you will prepare the way for the Lord.
• 77. You will tell his people how to find salvation through forgiveness of their sins.
• 78. Because of God's tender mercy, the light from heaven is about to break upon us,
• 79. to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace."
• 80. John grew up and became strong in spirit. Then he lived out in the wilderness until he began his public ministry to Israel.

Job 13

• 1. "Look, I have seen many instances such as you describe. I understand what you are saying.
• 2. I know as much as you do. You are no better than I am.
• 3. Oh, how I long to speak directly to the Almighty. I want to argue my case with God himself.
• 4. For you are smearing me with lies. As doctors, you are worthless quacks.
• 5. Please be quiet! That's the smartest thing you could do.
• 6. Listen to my charge; pay attention to my arguments.
• 7. "Are you defending God by means of lies and dishonest arguments?
• 8. You should be impartial witnesses, but will you slant your testimony in his favor? Will you argue God's case for him?
• 9. Be careful that he doesn't find out what you are doing! Or do you think you can fool him as easily as you fool people?
• 10. No, you will be in serious trouble with him if even in your hearts you slant your testimony in his favor.
• 11. Doesn't his majesty strike terror into your heart? Does not your fear of him seize you?
• 12. Your statements have about as much value as ashes. Your defense is as fragile as a clay pot.
• 13. "Be silent now and leave me alone. Let me speak--and I will face the consequences.
• 14. Yes, I will take my life in my hands and say what I really think.
• 15. God might kill me, but I cannot wait. I am going to argue my case with him.
• 16. But this is what will save me: that I am not godless. If I were, I would be thrown from his presence.
• 17. "Listen closely to what I am about to say. Hear me out.
• 18. I have prepared my case; I will be proved innocent.
• 19. Who can argue with me over this? If you could prove me wrong, I would remain silent until I die.
• 20. "O God, there are two things I beg of you, and I will be able to face you.
• 21. Remove your hand from me, and don't terrify me with your awesome presence.
• 22. Now summon me, and I will answer! Or let me speak to you, and you reply.
• 23. Tell me, what have I done wrong? Show me my rebellion and my sin.
• 24. Why do you turn away from me? Why do you consider me your enemy?
• 25. Would you terrify a leaf that is blown by the wind? Would you chase a dry stalk of grass?
• 26. "You write bitter accusations against me and bring up all the sins of my youth.
• 27. You put my feet in stocks. You watch all my paths. You trace all my footprints.
• 28. I waste away like rotting wood, like a moth-eaten coat.

New Living Translation: 45 of 365 days.