Previous Prev Day Next DayNext

Old/New Testament

Each day includes a passage from both the Old Testament and New Testament.
Duration: 365 days
New King James Version (NKJV)
Version
Genesis 13-15

Abram Inherits Canaan

13 Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and (A)Lot with him, (B)to the [a]South. (C)Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. And he went on his journey (D)from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the (E)place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram (F)called on the name of the Lord.

Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents. Now (G)the land was not able to [b]support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together. And there was (H)strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. (I)The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land.

So Abram said to Lot, (J)“Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren. (K)Is not the whole land before you? Please (L)separate from me. (M)If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.”

10 And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all (N)the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the Lord (O)destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) (P)like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go toward (Q)Zoar. 11 Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other. 12 Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot (R)dwelt in the cities of the plain and (S)pitched his tent even as far as Sodom. 13 But the men of Sodom (T)were exceedingly wicked and (U)sinful against the Lord.

14 And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot (V)had separated from him: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—(W)northward, southward, eastward, and westward; 15 for all the land which you see (X)I give to you and (Y)your [c]descendants forever. 16 And (Z)I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered. 17 Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.”

18 (AA)Then Abram moved his tent, and went and (AB)dwelt by [d]the terebinth trees of Mamre, (AC)which are in Hebron, and built an (AD)altar there to the Lord.

Lot’s Captivity and Rescue

14 And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king (AE)of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of (AF)Elam, and Tidal king of [e]nations, that they made war with Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of (AG)Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, (AH)Zoar). All these joined together in the Valley of Siddim (AI)(that is, the Salt Sea). Twelve years (AJ)they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled.

In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him came and attacked (AK)the Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim, (AL)the Zuzim in Ham, (AM)the Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim, (AN)and the Horites in their mountain of Seir, as far as El Paran, which is by the wilderness. Then they turned back and came to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and attacked all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who dwelt (AO)in Hazezon Tamar.

And the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out and joined together in battle in the Valley of Siddim against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of [f]nations, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar—four kings against five. 10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of (AP)asphalt pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled; some fell there, and the remainder fled (AQ)to the mountains. 11 Then they took (AR)all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way. 12 They also took Lot, Abram’s (AS)brother’s son (AT)who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.

13 Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the (AU)Hebrew, for (AV)he dwelt by [g]the terebinth trees of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner; (AW)and they were allies with Abram. 14 Now (AX)when Abram heard that (AY)his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were (AZ)born in his own house, and went in pursuit (BA)as far as Dan. 15 He divided his forces against them by night, and he and his servants (BB)attacked them and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is [h]north of Damascus. 16 So he (BC)brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the people.

17 And the king of Sodom (BD)went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the (BE)King’s Valley), (BF)after his return from the [i]defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him.

Abram and Melchizedek(BG)

18 Then (BH)Melchizedek king of Salem brought out (BI)bread and wine; he was (BJ)the priest of (BK)God Most High. 19 And he blessed him and said:

(BL)“Blessed be Abram of God Most High,
(BM)Possessor of heaven and earth;
20 And (BN)blessed be God Most High,
Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.”

And he (BO)gave him [j]a tithe of all.

21 Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the [k]persons, and take the goods for yourself.”

22 But Abram (BP)said to the king of Sodom, “I (BQ)have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, (BR)the Possessor of heaven and earth, 23 that (BS)I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich’— 24 except only what the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me: Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.”

God’s Covenant with Abram(BT)

15 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram (BU)in a vision, saying, (BV)“Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your (BW)shield, [l]your exceedingly (BX)great reward.”

(BY)But Abram said, “Lord God, what will You give me, (BZ)seeing I [m]go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed (CA)one[n] born in my house is my heir!”

And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who (CB)will come from your own body shall be your heir.” Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and (CC)count the (CD)stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, (CE)“So shall your (CF)descendants be.”

And he (CG)believed in the Lord, and He (CH)accounted it to him for righteousness.

Then He said to him, “I am the Lord, who (CI)brought you out of (CJ)Ur of the Chaldeans, (CK)to give you this land to inherit it.”

And he said, “Lord God, (CL)how shall I know that I will inherit it?”

So He said to him, “Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 Then he brought all these to Him and (CM)cut them in two, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite the other; but he did not cut (CN)the birds in two. 11 And when the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

12 Now when the sun was going down, (CO)a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him. 13 Then He said to Abram: “Know certainly (CP)that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and (CQ)they will afflict them four hundred years. 14 And also the nation whom they serve (CR)I will judge; afterward (CS)they shall come out with great possessions. 15 Now as for you, (CT)you shall [o]go (CU)to your fathers in peace; (CV)you shall be buried at a good old age. 16 But (CW)in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity (CX)of the Amorites (CY)is not yet complete.”

17 And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that (CZ)passed between those pieces. 18 On the same day the Lord (DA)made a covenant with Abram, saying:

(DB)“To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates— 19 the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”

Matthew 5:1-26

The Beatitudes(A)

And seeing the multitudes, (B)He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and (C)taught them, saying:

“Blessed(D) are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
(E)Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
(F)Blessed are the meek,
For (G)they shall inherit the [a]earth.
Blessed are those who (H)hunger and thirst for righteousness,
(I)For they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
(J)For they shall obtain mercy.
(K)Blessed are the pure in heart,
For (L)they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.
10 (M)Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 (N)Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of (O)evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 (P)Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for (Q)so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Believers Are Salt and Light(R)

13 “You are the salt of the earth; (S)but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.

14 (T)“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they (U)light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, (V)that they may see your good works and (W)glorify your Father in heaven.

Christ Fulfills the Law

17 (X)“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, (Y)till heaven and earth pass away, one [b]jot or one [c]tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. 19 (Z)Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds (AA)the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

Murder Begins in the Heart(AB)

21 “You have heard that it was said to those [d]of old, (AC)‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that (AD)whoever is angry with his brother [e]without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, (AE)‘Raca!’[f] shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, [g]‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of [h]hell fire. 23 Therefore (AF)if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 (AG)leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 (AH)Agree with your adversary quickly, (AI)while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. 26 Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.

New King James Version (NKJV)

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.