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First Reading: Genesis Chapter 13 and 14Genesis 13
13:1 So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, with his wife and everything
he had, and Lot went with him. 2 Abram had become very wealthy in livestock
and in silver and gold.
3 From the Negev he went from place to place until he came to Bethel, to the
place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had been earlier 4 and where he had
first built an altar. There Abram called on the name of the LORD.
5 Now Lot, who was moving about with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents.
6 But the land could not support them while they stayed together, for their
possessions were so great that they were not able to stay together. 7 And quarreling
arose between Abram's herdsmen and the herdsmen of Lot. The Canaanites and Perizzites
were also living in the land at that time.
8 So Abram said to Lot, "Let's not have any quarreling between you and
me, or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are brothers. 9 Is not the whole
land before you? Let's part company. If you go to the left, I'll go to the right;
if you go to the right, I'll go to the left."
10 Lot looked up and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan was well watered,
like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, toward Zoar. (This was
before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11 So Lot chose for himself the
whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company:
12 Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the
plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. 13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked
and were sinning greatly against the LORD.
14 The LORD said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, "Lift up your
eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west. 15 All the
land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. 16 I will make
your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the
dust, then your offspring could be counted. 17 Go, walk through the length and
breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you."
18 So Abram moved his tents and went to live near the great trees of Mamre at
Hebron, where he built an altar to the LORD.
Genesis 14
14:1 At this time Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer
king of Elam and Tidal king of Goiim 2 went to war against Bera king of Sodom,
Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and
the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). 3 All these latter kings joined forces in
the Valley of Siddim (the Salt Sea). 4 For twelve years they had been subject
to Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled.
5 In the fourteenth year, Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him went out
and defeated the Rephaites in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, the Emites
in Shaveh Kiriathaim 6 and the Horites in the hill country of Seir, as far as
El Paran near the desert. 7 Then they turned back and went to En Mishpat (that
is, Kadesh), and they conquered the whole territory of the Amalekites, as well
as the Amorites who were living in Hazazon Tamar.
8 Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king
of Zeboiim and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) marched out and drew up their
battle lines in the Valley of Siddim 9 against Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal
king of Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar and Arioch king of Ellasar four
kings against five. 10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits, and when
the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some of the men fell into them and the
rest fled to the hills. 11 The four kings seized all the goods of Sodom and
Gomorrah and all their food; then they went away. 12 They also carried off Abram's
nephew Lot and his possessions, since he was living in Sodom.
13 One who had escaped came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram
was living near the great trees of Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshcol and
Aner, all of whom were allied with Abram. 14 When Abram heard that his relative
had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained men born in his household
and went in pursuit as far as Dan. 15 During the night Abram divided his men
to attack them and he routed them, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus.
16 He recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions,
together with the women and the other people.
17 After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with
him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is,
the King's Valley).
18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest
of God Most High, 19 and he blessed Abram, saying,
"Blessed be Abram by God Most High,Creator of heaven and earth. 20 And
blessed be God Most High,who delivered your enemies into your hand."
Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
21 The king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the people and keep the goods
for yourself."
22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have raised my hand to the LORD,
God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and have taken an oath 23 that I
will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the thong of a sandal,
so that you will never be able to say, 'I made Abram rich.' 24 I will accept
nothing but what my men have eaten and the share that belongs to the men who
went with me to Aner, Eshcol and Mamre. Let them have their share."
Matthew 7
7:1 "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you
judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured
to you.
3 "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay
no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother,
'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank
in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye,
and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
6 "Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If
you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to
pieces.
7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the
door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds;
and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
9 "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or
if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are
evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your
Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything,
do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and
the Prophets.
13 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the
road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the
gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
15 "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing,
but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize
them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise
every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good
tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every
tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20
Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of
heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many
will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and
in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23 Then I will tell
them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'
24 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into
practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came
down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet
it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone
who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a
foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams
rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great
crash."
28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his
teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers
of the law.
BOOKS OF THE BIBLE
GENESIS
Part 4 of 4
Some Points to Consider from Genesis:
- Harmony of the Creation account. Genesis 1 - 2
- God's First Promise to Man. Genesis 3:15
- God called Abram. Genesis 12:1
- God's Covenant (Promise) with Abram/Abraham. Genesis 12, 13, 15, 22
- How Israel Came to be in Egypt. Genesis 15, 37-50.
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