Genesis 6

• 1. When the human population began to grow rapidly on the earth,
• 2. the sons of God saw the beautiful women of the human race and took any they wanted as their wives.
• 3. Then the LORD said, "My Spirit will not put up with humans for such a long time, for they are only mortal flesh. In the future, they will live no more than 120 years."
• 4. In those days, and even afterward, giants lived on the earth, for whenever the sons of God had intercourse with human women, they gave birth to children who became the heroes mentioned in legends of old.
• 5. Now the LORD observed the extent of the people's wickedness, and he saw that all their thoughts were consistently and totally evil.
• 6. So the LORD was sorry he had ever made them. It broke his heart.
• 7. And the LORD said, "I will completely wipe out this human race that I have created. Yes, and I will destroy all the animals and birds, too. I am sorry I ever made them."
• 8. But Noah found favor with the LORD.
• 9. This is the history of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless man living on earth at the time. He consistently followed God's will and enjoyed a close relationship with him.
• 10. Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
• 11. Now the earth had become corrupt in God's sight, and it was filled with violence.
• 12. God observed all this corruption in the world, and he saw violence and depravity everywhere.
• 13. So God said to Noah, "I have decided to destroy all living creatures, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. Yes, I will wipe them all from the face of the earth!
• 14. "Make a boat from resinous wood and seal it with tar, inside and out. Then construct decks and stalls throughout its interior.
• 15. Make it 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high.
• 16. Construct an opening all the way around the boat, 18 inches below the roof. Then put three decks inside the boat--bottom, middle, and upper--and put a door in the side.
• 17. "Look! I am about to cover the earth with a flood that will destroy every living thing. Everything on earth will die!
• 18. But I solemnly swear to keep you safe in the boat, with your wife and your sons and their wives.
• 19. Bring a pair of every kind of animal--a male and a female--into the boat with you to keep them alive during the flood.
• 20. Pairs of each kind of bird and each kind of animal, large and small alike, will come to you to be kept alive.
• 21. And remember, take enough food for your family and for all the animals."
• 22. So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him.

Matthew 5

• 1. One day as the crowds were gathering, Jesus went up the mountainside with his disciples and sat down to teach them.
• 2. This is what he taught them:
• 3. "God blesses those who realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is given to them.
• 4. God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
• 5. God blesses those who are gentle and lowly, for the whole earth will belong to them.
• 6. God blesses those who are hungry and thirsty for justice, for they will receive it in full.
• 7. God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
• 8. God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.
• 9. God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.
• 10. God blesses those who are persecuted because they live for God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
• 11. "God blesses you when you are mocked and persecuted and lied about because you are my followers.
• 12. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted, too.
• 13. "You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it useful again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.
• 14. You are the light of the world--like a city on a mountain, glowing in the night for all to see.
• 15. Don't hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all.
• 16. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.
• 17. "Don't misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to fulfill them.
• 18. I assure you, until heaven and earth disappear, even the smallest detail of God's law will remain until its purpose is achieved.
• 19. So if you break the smallest commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God's laws and teaches them will be great in the Kingdom of Heaven.
• 20. "But I warn you--unless you obey God better than the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees do, you can't enter the Kingdom of Heaven at all!
• 21. "You have heard that the law of Moses says, 'Do not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.'
• 22. But I say, if you are angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the high council. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.
• 23. "So if you are standing before the altar in the Temple, offering a sacrifice to God, and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you,
• 24. leave your sacrifice there beside the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.
• 25. Come to terms quickly with your enemy before it is too late and you are dragged into court, handed over to an officer, and thrown in jail.
• 26. I assure you that you won't be free again until you have paid the last penny.
• 27. "You have heard that the law of Moses says, 'Do not commit adultery.'
• 28. But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust in his eye has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
• 29. So if your eye--even if it is your good eye--causes you to lust, 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 hand--even if it is your stronger 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 be thrown into hell.
• 31. "You have heard that the law of Moses says, 'A man can divorce his wife by merely giving her a letter of divorce.'
• 32. But I say that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
• 33. "Again, you have heard that the law of Moses says, 'Do not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.'
• 34. But I say, don't make any vows! If you say, 'By heaven!' it is a sacred vow because heaven is God's throne.
• 35. And if you say, 'By the earth!' it is a sacred vow because the earth is his footstool. And don't swear, 'By Jerusalem!' for Jerusalem is the city of the great King.
• 36. Don't even swear, 'By my head!' for you can't turn one hair white or black.
• 37. Just say a simple, 'Yes, I will,' or 'No, I won't.' Your word is enough. To strengthen your promise with a vow shows that something is wrong.
• 38. "You have heard that the law of Moses says, 'If an eye is injured, injure the eye of the person who did it. If a tooth gets knocked out, knock out the tooth of the person who did it.'
• 39. But I say, don't resist an evil person! If you are slapped on the right cheek, turn the other, too.
• 40. If you are ordered to court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too.
• 41. If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles.
• 42. Give to those who ask, and don't turn away from those who want to borrow.
• 43. "You have heard that the law of Moses says, 'Love your neighbor' and hate your enemy.
• 44. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!
• 45. In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and on the unjust, too.
• 46. If you love only those who love you, what good is that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much.
• 47. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that.
• 48. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Ezra 5

• 1. At that time the prophets Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo prophesied in the name of the God of Israel to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem.
• 2. Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jehozadak responded by beginning the task of rebuilding the Temple of God in Jerusalem. And the prophets of God were with them and helped them.
• 3. But Tattenai, governor of the province west of the Euphrates, and Shethar-bozenai and their colleagues soon arrived in Jerusalem and asked, "Who gave you permission to rebuild this Temple and restore this structure?"
• 4. They also asked for a list of the names of all the people who were working on the Temple.
• 5. But because their God was watching over them, the leaders of the Jews were not prevented from building until a report was sent to Darius and he returned his decision.
• 6. This is the letter that Tattenai the governor, Shethar-bozenai, and the other officials of the province west of the Euphrates River sent to King Darius:
• 7. "Greetings to King Darius.
• 8. We wish to inform you that we went to the construction site of the Temple of the great God in the province of Judah. It is being rebuilt with specially prepared stones, and timber is being laid in its walls. The work is going forward with great energy and success.
• 9. We asked the leaders, `Who gave you permission to rebuild this Temple and restore this structure?'
• 10. And we demanded their names so that we could tell you who the leaders were.
• 11. "This was their answer: `We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the Temple that was built here many years ago by a great king of Israel.
• 12. But because our ancestors angered the God of heaven, he abandoned them to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, who destroyed this Temple and exiled the people to Babylonia.
• 13. However, King Cyrus of Babylon, during the first year of his reign, issued a decree that the Temple of God should be rebuilt.
• 14. King Cyrus returned the gold and silver utensils that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Temple of God in Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of Babylon. These items were taken from that temple and delivered into the safekeeping of a man named Sheshbazzar, whom King Cyrus appointed as governor of Judah.
• 15. The king instructed him to return the utensils to their place in Jerusalem and to rebuild the Temple of God there as it had been before.
• 16. So this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the Temple of God in Jerusalem. The people have been working on it ever since, though it is not yet completed.'
• 17. "So now, if it pleases the king, we request that you search in the royal archives of Babylon to discover whether King Cyrus ever issued a decree to rebuild God's Temple in Jerusalem. And then let the king send us his decision in this matter."

New Living Translation: 5 of 365 days.