The Daily Audio Bible
Today's audio is from the ESV. Switch to the ESV to read along with the audio.
The Ten Commandments
5 Moses called all the people of Israel together and said: Listen, Israel, to the ·commands [statutes; requirements; ordinances] and laws I am ·giving you [L speaking in your ears] today. Learn them and obey them carefully. 2 The Lord our God ·made [L cut] an ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty] with us at ·Mount Sinai [L Horeb; 1:6]. 3 He did not ·make [L cut] this ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty] with our ·ancestors [fathers], but he made it with us, with all of us who are alive here today. 4 The Lord spoke to you face to face from the fire on the mountain [Ex. 19]. 5 (At that time I stood between you and the Lord in order to tell you what the Lord said; you were afraid of the fire, so you would not go up on the mountain.) The Lord said:
6 “I am the Lord your God; I brought you out of the land of Egypt ·where you were slaves [L from the house of bondage].
7 “You must not have any other gods ·except [or before] me.
8 “You must not make for yourselves any idols or anything to worship that looks like something in the ·sky [heavens] above or on the earth below or in the water below the ·land [earth]. 9 You must not worship or serve ·any idol [L them], because I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God [4:24]. ·If people sin against me and hate me, I will punish their children, even their grandchildren and great-grandchildren [L I will visit/punish the guilt of the fathers on the sons until the third and fourth generations of those who hate me]. 10 But I will be very kind for a thousand lifetimes to those who love me and obey my commands.
11 “You must not ·use the name of the Lord your God thoughtlessly [take/lift up the name of the Lord your God in vain], because the Lord will ·punish [L not hold/treat as innocent; not acquit] anyone who ·uses [takes in vain] his name in this way.
12 “·Keep [Observe] the Sabbath ·as a holy day [L to consecrate/sanctify it], as the Lord your God has commanded you. 13 You may work and get everything done during six days each week, 14 but the seventh day is a ·day of rest to honor [Sabbath to] the Lord your God. On that day no one may do any work: not you, your son or daughter, your male or female slaves, your ox, your donkey, or any of your animals, or the ·foreigners [resident aliens] living in your cities. That way your servants may rest as you do. 15 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there by his ·great power [L strong hand] and ·strength [L extended arm]. So the Lord your God has commanded you to rest on the Sabbath day.
16 “Honor your father and your mother as the Lord your God has commanded you. Then you will live ·a long time [L for many days], and things will go well for you in the land that the Lord your God is going to give you.
17 “You must not murder anyone.
18 “You must not ·be guilty of [commit] adultery.
19 “You must not steal.
20 “You must not ·tell lies about [bear false witness against] your neighbor.
21 “You must not ·want to take [covet] your neighbor’s wife. You must not ·want to take [covet] your neighbor’s house or land, his male or female slaves, his ox or his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor [C this final commandment indicates that the previous commandments also involve attitudes, not just actions].”
22 The Lord spoke these ·commands [L words] to ·all of you [your whole community/congregation/assembly] on the mountain in a loud voice out of the fire, the cloud, and the deep darkness; he did not say anything else. Then he wrote them on two stone tablets, and he gave them to me.
23 When you heard the voice from the darkness, as the mountain was blazing with fire, all the leaders of your tribes and your elders ·came to [approached] me. 24 And you said, “The Lord our God has shown us his glory [C his manifest presence] and ·majesty [greatness], and we have heard his voice from the fire. Today we have seen that a person can live even if God speaks to him. 25 But now, ·we will [L why should we … ?] die! This great fire will burn us up, and we will die if we hear the Lord our God speak anymore. 26 ·No human being [L For who of all flesh…?] has ever heard the living God speaking from a fire and still lived, but we have. 27 Moses, you go near and listen to everything the Lord our God says. Then you tell us what the Lord our God tells you, and we will listen and obey.”
28 The Lord heard what you said to me, and he said to me, “I have heard what the people said to you. Everything they said was good. 29 ·I wish [L If only] their ·hearts [minds] would always ·respect [fear] me and that they would always obey my commands so that things would go well for them and their children forever!
30 “Go and tell the people to return to their tents, 31 but you stay here with me so that I may give you all the commands, ·rules [statutes; ordinances; requirements], and laws that you must teach the people to obey in the land I am giving them as their ·own [possession].”
32 So be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you, and ·follow the commands exactly [L do not turn aside to the right or to the left]. 33 ·Live the way [L Walk on the way/path that] the Lord your God has commanded you so that you may live and have what is good and have a long life in the land you will ·take [possess].
The Command to Love God
6 These are the commands, ·rules [statutes; ordinances; requirements], and laws that the Lord your God told me to teach you to obey in the land you are crossing the Jordan River to ·take [possess]. 2 You, your children, and your grandchildren must ·respect [fear] the Lord your God ·as long as you live [L all the days of your life]. Obey all his ·rules [statutes; ordinances; requirements] and commands I give you so that ·you will live a long time [L your days will be long]. 3 Listen, Israel, and carefully obey these laws. Then all will go well for you, and you will become a great nation in a ·fertile land [L land flowing with milk and honey; Ex. 3:8], just as the Lord, the God of your ·ancestors [fathers], has promised you [Gen. 12:1–3; 15:17–20].
4 ·Listen, people of [T Hear, O] Israel! The Lord our God is the ·only [or one] Lord. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. 6 Always ·remember [L keep in your heart] these commands I give you today. 7 ·Teach [Recite; Repeat] them to your children, and talk about them when you sit at home and walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 ·Write them down and tie [L Bind] them to your hands as a sign. Tie them ·on your forehead [L between your eyes] ·to remind you [as an emblem/headband/frontlet], 9 and write them on ·your doors [L the lintels/doorposts of your house] and gates.
10 The Lord your God will bring you into the land he promised to your ·ancestors [fathers], to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and he will give it to you [Gen. 12:1–3; 15:17–20]. The land has large, ·growing [L good; fine] cities you did not build, 11 houses full of good things you did not ·buy [L fill], ·wells [cisterns] you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees you did not plant. You will eat as much as you want. 12 But be careful! Do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt ·where you were slaves [L from the house of bondage].
13 ·Respect [Fear] the Lord your God. You must ·worship [serve] him and make your ·promises [oaths; vows] only in his name. 14 Do not ·worship [L go after] other gods as the people around you do, 15 because the Lord your God is a jealous God [4:24]. He is present with you, and if you worship other gods, he will become angry with you and destroy you from the earth. 16 Do not test the Lord your God as you did at Massah [Ex. 17:1–7; Ps. 95:8; Matt. 4:7]. 17 Be sure to obey the commands of the Lord your God and the ·rules [statutes; requirements; ordinances] and laws he has given you. 18 Do what ·the Lord says is good and right [L is good and right in the Lord’s eyes] so that things will go well for you. Then you may go in and ·take [possess] the good land the Lord promised to your ·ancestors [fathers; Gen. 12:1–3; 15:17–20]. 19 He will force all your enemies out as you go in, as the Lord has said.
20 In the future when your children ask you, “What is the meaning of the laws, ·commands [statutes; ordinances; requirements], and rules the Lord our God gave us?” 21 tell them, “We were slaves to the king of Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt ·by his great power [L with a strong hand]. 22 The Lord showed us great and terrible signs and miracles, which he did to Egypt, the king, and his whole ·family [L house]. 23 The Lord brought us out of Egypt to lead us here and to give us the land he promised our ·ancestors [fathers; Gen. 12:1–3; 15:17–20]. 24 The Lord ordered us to obey all these ·commands [statutes; ordinances; requirements] and to ·respect [fear] the Lord our God so that we will always do well and stay alive, as we are today. 25 The right thing for us to do is this: Obey all these rules in the presence of the Lord our God, as he has commanded.”
Jesus Brings a Man Back to Life
11 Soon afterwards Jesus went to a town called Nain [C a small village a few miles south of Nazareth], and his ·followers [disciples] and a large crowd traveled with him. 12 When he came near the town gate, ·he saw a funeral [L look/T behold, a dead man was being carried out]. A mother, who was a widow, had lost her only son. A large crowd from the town was with the mother while her son was being carried out. 13 When the Lord saw her, he felt ·very sorry [compassion] for her and said, “Don’t cry.” 14 He went up and touched the ·coffin [or bier; C the body was probably wrapped in cloths and lying on a wooden plank], and the people who were carrying it stopped. Jesus said, “Young man, I tell you, get up!” 15 And the ·son [L dead man] sat up and began to talk. Then Jesus gave him back to his mother.
16 All the people were ·amazed [seized with fear; filled with awe] and began ·praising [glorifying] God, saying, “A great prophet has ·come to [L appeared/arisen among] us! God has ·come to help [looked favorably on; visited; 1:68] his people.”
17 This ·news [account; word] about Jesus spread through all Judea and into all the ·places around there [surrounding region].
John Asks a Question(A)
18 John’s ·followers [disciples] told him about all these things. He called for two of his ·followers [disciples] 19 and sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the ·One who is to come [the Expected One; C the Messiah], or should we ·wait for [look for; expect] someone else?”
20 When the men came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to you with this question: ‘Are you the ·One who is to come [Expected One], or should we ·wait for [look for; expect] someone else?” 21 At that time, Jesus healed many people of their sicknesses, diseases, and ·evil [defiling; L unclean; 4:33] spirits, and he gave sight to many blind people. 22 Then Jesus answered John’s ·followers [disciples], “Go tell John what you saw and heard here. The blind can see, the ·crippled [lame] can walk, and ·people with skin diseases [T lepers; see 5:12] are ·healed [L cleansed]. The deaf can hear, the dead are raised to life, and the ·Good News [Gospel] is ·preached [announced; proclaimed] to the poor [C signs of God’s restoration of creation, predicted by the prophet Isaiah; Is. 29:18–19; 35:5–6; 61:1–2]. 23 Those who ·do not stumble in their faith [are not offended] because of me are blessed.”
Jesus Comments on John(B)
24 When John’s ·followers [L messengers] left, Jesus began talking to the ·people [crowds] about John: “What did you go out into the ·desert [wilderness] to see? A reed ·blown by [shaken by; swaying in] the wind [C something fragile and easily swept away]? 25 [L But] What did you go out to see? A man dressed in ·fine [expensive; L soft] clothes? No, people who have ·fine [glorious; splendid] clothes and much ·wealth [luxury] ·live [are] in ·kings’ palaces [royal courts]. 26 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, and I tell you, ·John is [L one who is] more than a prophet. 27 This was written about him:
‘[L Look; T Behold] I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare ·the [your] way ·for [before; in front of] you
[Mal. 3:1].’
28 I tell you, John is greater than any other person ·ever born [L born to women], but even the least important person in the kingdom of God is greater than John [C because John was part of the old age of preparation, those in the new kingdom age have greater blessings and status].”
29 (When the people, including the tax collectors, heard this, they all agreed that God’s ·teaching was good [way was right/just], because they had been baptized by John. 30 But the Pharisees and experts on the law ·refused to accept [rejected] God’s ·plan [purpose] for themselves; they did not let John baptize them.)
31 Then Jesus said, “·What shall I say about [L To what, therefore, shall I compare] the people of this ·time [L generation]? What are they like? 32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace, calling to one another and saying,
‘We played ·music [L the pipe/flute] for you, but you did not dance;
we sang a ·sad song [funeral song; dirge], but you did not ·cry [weep].’ [C The religious leaders wanted John to “dance” (lighten up his severe message) and wanted Jesus to “mourn” (follow their restrictive lifestyle).]
33 [L For] John the Baptist came and did not eat bread or drink wine, and you say, ‘He ·has [is possessed by] a demon in him.’ 34 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! ·He eats too much and drinks too much wine [L A glutton and a drunkard], and he is a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ 35 But wisdom is ·proved to be right [vindicated] by ·what it does [or the behavior of her followers; L all her/its children; C Wisdom is personified as a woman (Prov. 8), her “children” being those who respond favorably to the message of John and Jesus].”
19 ·Praise [Blessed be] the Lord, God our ·Savior [Victor],
who ·helps us [L bears our burdens] every day. ·
20 Our God is a God who ·saves us [gives us victory];
the Lord God ·saves us [L brings us out] from death.
21 God will ·crush [shatter] his enemies’ heads,
the hairy ·skulls [pates; C tops of their heads] of those who continue to ·sin [L walk in their guilt].
22 The Lord said, “I will bring ·the enemy [L them] back from Bashan [v. 15];
I will bring them back from the depths of the sea [C representing chaos].
23 Then you can ·stick [bathe; or shatter] your feet in their blood,
and ·your dogs can lick [L the tongues of your dogs can have] their share.”
24 God, people have seen your victory ·march [procession];
God my King marched into the holy place [C the Tabernacle].
25 The singers are in front and the ·instruments [musicians] are behind.
In the middle are the girls with the tambourines.
26 ·Praise [Bless] God in the ·meeting place [assembly];
·praise [bless] the Lord ·in the gathering [or the fountain] of Israel.
27 There is the smallest tribe, Benjamin, ·leading them [L bringing them down].
And there are the ·leaders [princes] of Judah with their group.
There also are the ·leaders [princes] of Zebulun and of Naphtali.
28 God, ·order up [command] your power;
show the mighty power you have used for us before.
29 Kings will bring their ·wealth [L presents; gifts] to you,
·to [or because of] your Temple in Jerusalem.
30 ·Punish [Reprimand; Rebuke] the beast in the ·tall grass along the river [L reed; C crocodile or hippopotamus representing Egypt].
·Punish [Reprimand; Rebuke] ·those bulls among the cows [L the herd of bulls among the calves of the peoples; C leaders of other nations].
·Defeated [Trampled], they will bring you their silver.
Scatter those ·nations [peoples] that ·love [delight in] war.
31 Messengers will come from Egypt;
the people of ·Cush [Ethiopia] will ·pray [L stretch their hands] to God.
32 Kingdoms of the earth, sing to God;
·sing praises [make a psalm] to the Lord. ·
33 Sing to the one who rides through the ·skies [heavens], ·which are from long ago [the ancient heavens; v. 4].
He ·speaks with a thundering voice [L puts forth his voice, his strong voice].
34 ·Announce [Ascribe] that God is ·powerful [strong].
·He rules [L His majesty is] over Israel,
and his power is in the ·skies [clouds].
35 God, you are ·wonderful [awesome] in your ·Temple [sanctuary; L Holy Place].
The God of Israel gives his people strength and power.
·Praise [Bless] God!
29 Whoever brings trouble to his family
will ·be left with nothing but the [L inherit the] wind.
A fool will be a servant to the wise of heart.
30 ·A good person gives life to others [L The fruit of the righteous is the tree of life];
the wise person ·teaches others how to live [gathers lives/souls].
31 If ·good [righteous] people will get their due on earth,
How much more the wicked and the sinners.
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.