Genesis 18-19
New King James Version
The Son of Promise(A)
18 Then the Lord appeared to him by [a]the (B)terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. 2 (C)So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; (D)and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground, 3 and said, “My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant. 4 Please let (E)a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. 5 And (F)I will bring a morsel of bread, that (G)you may refresh your hearts. After that you may pass by, (H)inasmuch as you have come to your servant.”
They said, “Do as you have said.”
6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quickly, make ready three measures of fine meal; knead it and make cakes.” 7 And Abraham ran to the herd, took a tender and good calf, gave it to a young man, and he hastened to prepare it. 8 So (I)he took butter and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree as they ate.
9 Then they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?”
So he said, “Here, (J)in the tent.”
10 And He said, “I will certainly return to you (K)according to the time of life, and behold, (L)Sarah your wife shall have a son.”
(Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.) 11 Now (M)Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and [b]Sarah (N)had passed the age of childbearing. 12 Therefore Sarah (O)laughed within herself, saying, (P)“After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my (Q)lord being old also?”
13 And the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?’ 14 (R)Is anything too hard for the Lord? (S)At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.”
15 But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid.
And He said, “No, but you did laugh!”
Abraham Intercedes for Sodom
16 Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them (T)to send them on the way. 17 And the Lord said, (U)“Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, 18 since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be (V)blessed in him? 19 For I have known him, in order (W)that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.” 20 And the Lord said, “Because (X)the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their (Y)sin is very grave, 21 (Z)I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, (AA)I will know.”
22 Then the men turned away from there (AB)and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord. 23 And Abraham (AC)came near and said, (AD)“Would You also (AE)destroy the (AF)righteous with the wicked? 24 Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it? 25 Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so (AG)that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! (AH)Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
26 So the Lord said, (AI)“If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.”
27 Then Abraham answered and said, “Indeed now, I who am (AJ)but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: 28 Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of five?”
So He said, “If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it.”
29 And he spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose there should be forty found there?”
So He said, “I will not do it for the sake of forty.”
30 Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Suppose thirty should be found there?”
So He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”
31 And he said, “Indeed now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose twenty should be found there?”
So He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty.”
32 Then he said, (AK)“Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?”
(AL)And He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.” 33 So the Lord went His way as soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.
Sodom’s Depravity
19 Now (AM)the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and (AN)Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground. 2 And he said, “Here now, my lords, please (AO)turn in to your servant’s house and spend the night, and (AP)wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.”
And they said, (AQ)“No, but we will spend the night in the open square.”
3 But he insisted strongly; so they turned in to him and entered his house. (AR)Then he made them a feast, and baked (AS)unleavened bread, and they ate.
4 Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. 5 (AT)And they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? (AU)Bring them out to us that we (AV)may know them carnally.”
6 So (AW)Lot went out to them through the doorway, shut the door behind him, 7 and said, “Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly! 8 (AX)See now, I have two daughters who have not known a man; please, let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you wish; only do nothing to these men, (AY)since this is the reason they have come under the shadow of my roof.”
9 And they said, “Stand back!” Then they said, “This one (AZ)came in to [c]stay here, (BA)and he keeps acting as a judge; now we will deal worse with you than with them.” So they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near to break down the door. 10 But the men reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. 11 And they (BB)struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they became weary trying to find the door.
Sodom and Gomorrah Destroyed(BC)
12 Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city—(BD)take them out of this place! 13 For we will destroy this place, because the (BE)outcry against them has grown great before the face of the Lord, and (BF)the Lord has sent us to destroy it.”
14 So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, (BG)who had married his daughters, and said, (BH)“Get up, get out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city!” (BI)But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking.
15 When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, (BJ)“Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.” 16 And while he lingered, the men (BK)took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the (BL)Lord being merciful to him, (BM)and they brought him out and set him outside the city. 17 So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that [d]he said, (BN)“Escape for your life! (BO)Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape (BP)to the mountains, lest you be [e]destroyed.”
18 Then Lot said to them, “Please, (BQ)no, my lords! 19 Indeed now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have increased your mercy which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, lest some evil overtake me and I die. 20 See now, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one; please let me escape there (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.”
21 And he said to him, “See, (BR)I have favored you concerning this thing also, in that I will not overthrow this city for which you have spoken. 22 Hurry, escape there. For (BS)I cannot do anything until you arrive there.”
Therefore (BT)the name of the city was called [f]Zoar.
23 The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar. 24 Then the Lord rained (BU)brimstone and (BV)fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens. 25 So He [g]overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and (BW)what grew on the ground.
26 But his wife looked back behind him, and she became (BX)a pillar of salt.
27 And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where (BY)he had stood before the Lord. 28 Then he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain; and he saw, and behold, (BZ)the smoke of the land which went up like the smoke of a furnace. 29 And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God (CA)remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot had dwelt.
The Descendants of Lot
30 Then Lot went up out of Zoar and (CB)dwelt in the mountains, and his two daughters were with him; for he was afraid to dwell in Zoar. And he and his two daughters dwelt in a cave. 31 Now the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man on the earth (CC)to come in to us as is the custom of all the earth. 32 Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we (CD)may preserve the [h]lineage of our father.” 33 So they made their father drink wine that night. And the firstborn went in and lay with her father, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose.
34 It happened on the next day that the firstborn said to the younger, “Indeed I lay with my father last night; let us make him drink wine tonight also, and you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve the [i]lineage of our father.” 35 Then they made their father drink wine that night also. And the younger arose and lay with him, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose.
36 Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father. 37 The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab; (CE)he is the father of the Moabites to this day. 38 And the younger, she also bore a son and called his name Ben-Ammi; (CF)he is the father of the people of Ammon to this day.
Footnotes
- Genesis 18:1 Heb. Alon Mamre
- Genesis 18:11 Lit. the manner of women had ceased to be with Sarah
- Genesis 19:9 As a resident alien
- Genesis 19:17 LXX, Syr., Vg. they
- Genesis 19:17 Lit. swept away
- Genesis 19:22 Lit. Little or Insignificant
- Genesis 19:25 devastated
- Genesis 19:32 Lit. seed
- Genesis 19:34 Lit. seed
Matthew 6-7
New King James Version
Do Good to Please God
6 “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 Therefore, (A)when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 3 But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret (B)will Himself reward you [a]openly.
The Model Prayer(C)
5 “And when you pray, you shall not be like the [b]hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But you, when you pray, (D)go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you [c]openly. 7 And when you pray, (E)do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. (F)For they think that they will be heard for their many words.
8 “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father (G)knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. 9 In this (H)manner, therefore, pray:
(I)Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your (J)name.
10 Your kingdom come.
(K)Your will be done
On earth (L)as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our (M)daily bread.
12 And (N)forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
13 (O)And do not lead us into temptation,
But (P)deliver us from the evil one.
[d]For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
14 (Q)“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But (R)if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Fasting to Be Seen Only by God
16 “Moreover, (S)when you fast, do not be like the [e]hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 17 But you, when you fast, (T)anoint your head and wash your face, 18 so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you [f]openly.
Lay Up Treasures in Heaven(U)
19 (V)“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 (W)but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
The Lamp of the Body(X)
22 (Y)“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is [g]good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is [h]bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
You Cannot Serve God and Riches
24 (Z)“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. (AA)You cannot serve God and [i]mammon.
Do Not Worry(AB)
25 “Therefore I say to you, (AC)do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 (AD)Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one [j]cubit to his [k]stature?
28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not [l]arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But (AE)seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Do Not Judge(AF)
7 “Judge[m] (AG)not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what [n]judgment you judge, you will be judged; (AH)and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 (AI)And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
6 (AJ)“Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.
Keep Asking, Seeking, Knocking(AK)
7 (AL)“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For (AM)everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 (AN)Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If you then, (AO)being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! 12 Therefore, (AP)whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for (AQ)this is the Law and the Prophets.
The Narrow Way(AR)
13 (AS)“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 [o]Because narrow is the gate and [p]difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
You Will Know Them by Their Fruits(AT)
15 (AU)“Beware of false prophets, (AV)who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 (AW)You will know them by their fruits. (AX)Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, (AY)every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 (AZ)Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
I Never Knew You(BA)
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, (BB)‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who (BC)does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we (BD)not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And (BE)then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; (BF)depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
Build on the Rock(BG)
24 “Therefore (BH)whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”
28 And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that (BI)the people were astonished at His teaching, 29 (BJ)for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
Footnotes
- Matthew 6:4 NU omits openly
- Matthew 6:5 pretenders
- Matthew 6:6 NU omits openly
- Matthew 6:13 NU omits the rest of v. 13.
- Matthew 6:16 pretenders
- Matthew 6:18 NU, M omit openly
- Matthew 6:22 Clear, or healthy
- Matthew 6:23 Evil, or unhealthy
- Matthew 6:24 Lit., in Aram., riches
- Matthew 6:27 About 18 inches
- Matthew 6:27 height
- Matthew 6:29 dressed
- Matthew 7:1 Condemn
- Matthew 7:2 Condemnation
- Matthew 7:14 NU, M How narrow . . . !
- Matthew 7:14 confined
Psalm 8
New King James Version
The Glory of the Lord in Creation
To the Chief Musician. [a]On the instrument of Gath. A Psalm of David.
8 O Lord, our Lord,
How (A)excellent is Your name in all the earth,
Who have (B)set Your glory above the heavens!
2 (C)Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have [b]ordained strength,
Because of Your enemies,
That You may silence (D)the enemy and the avenger.
3 When I (E)consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
4 (F)What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You (G)visit[c] him?
5 For You have made him a little lower than [d]the angels,
And You have crowned him with glory and honor.
6 (H)You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;
(I)You have put all things under his feet,
7 All sheep and oxen—
Even the beasts of the field,
8 The birds of the air,
And the fish of the sea
That pass through the paths of the seas.
9 (J)O Lord, our Lord,
How excellent is Your name in all the earth!
Proverbs 2:6-15
New King James Version
6 (A)For the Lord gives wisdom;
From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;
7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
(B)He is a shield to those who walk uprightly;
8 He guards the paths of justice,
And (C)preserves the way of His saints.
9 Then you will understand righteousness and justice,
Equity and every good path.
10 When wisdom enters your heart,
And knowledge is pleasant to your soul,
11 Discretion will preserve you;
(D)Understanding will keep you,
12 To deliver you from the way of evil,
From the man who speaks perverse things,
13 From those who leave the paths of uprightness
To (E)walk in the ways of darkness;
14 (F)Who rejoice in doing evil,
And delight in the perversity of the wicked;
15 (G)Whose ways are crooked,
And who are devious in their paths;
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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