Read The One Year Bible TLB Online
Authors: Tyndale
The One Year Bible TLB (61 page)
March 15So the next morning he [Balaam] saddled his donkey and started off with them.
22-23
But God was angry about Balaam’s eager attitude,
*
so he sent an Angel to stand in the road to kill him. As Balaam and two servants were riding along, Balaam’s donkey suddenly saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword. She bolted off the road into a field, but Balaam beat her back onto the road.
24
Now the Angel of the Lord stood at a place where the road went between two vineyard walls.
25
When the donkey saw him standing there, she squirmed past by pressing against the wall, crushing Balaam’s foot in the process. So he beat her again.
26
Then the Angel of the Lord moved farther down the road and stood in a place so narrow that the donkey couldn’t get by at all.
27
So she lay down in the road! In a great fit of temper Balaam beat her again with his staff.
28
Then the Lord caused the donkey to speak! “What have I done that deserves your beating me these three times?” she asked.
29
“Because you have made me look like a fool!” Balaam shouted. “I wish I had a sword with me, for I would kill you.”
30
“Have I ever done anything like this before in my entire life?” the donkey asked.
“No,” he admitted.
31
Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes and he saw the Angel standing in the roadway with drawn sword, and he fell flat on the ground before him.
32
“Why did you beat your donkey those three times?” the Angel demanded. “I have come to stop you because you are headed for destruction.
33
Three times the donkey saw me and shied away from me; otherwise I would certainly have killed you by now and spared her.”
34
Then Balaam confessed, “I have sinned. I didn’t realize you were there. I will go back home if you don’t want me to go on.”
35
But the Angel told him, “Go with the men, but say only what I tell you to say.” So Balaam went on with them.
36
When King Balak heard that Balaam was on the way, he left the capital and went out to meet him at the Arnon River, at the border of his land.
37
“Why did you delay so long?” he asked Balaam. “Didn’t you believe me when I said I would give you great honors?”
38
Balaam replied, “I have come, but I have no power to say anything except what God tells me to say; and that is what I shall speak.”
39
Balaam accompanied the king to Kiriathhuzoth,
40
where King Balak sacrificed oxen and sheep, and gave animals to Balaam and the ambassadors for their sacrifices.
41
The next morning Balak took Balaam to the top of Mount Bamoth-baal, from which he could see the people of Israel spread out before him.
23:
1
Balaam said to the king, “Build seven altars here, and prepare seven young bulls and seven rams for sacrifice.”
2
Balak followed his instructions, and a young bull and a ram were sacrificed on each altar.
3-4
Then Balaam said to the king, “Stand here by your burnt offerings and I will see if the Lord will meet me; and I will tell you what he says to me.” So he went up to a barren height, and God met him there. Balaam told the Lord, “I have prepared seven altars and have sacrificed a young bull and a ram on each.”
5
Then the Lord gave Balaam a message for King Balak.
6
When Balaam returned, the king was standing beside the burnt offerings with all the princes of Moab.
7-10
This was Balaam’s message:
“King Balak, king of Moab, has brought me
From the land of Aram,
From the eastern mountains.
‘Come,’ he told me, ‘curse Jacob for me!
Let your anger rise on Israel.’
But how can I curse
What God has not cursed?
How can I denounce
A people God has not denounced?
I see them from the cliff tops,
I watch them from the hills.
They live alone,
And prefer to remain distinct
From every other nation.
They are as numerous as dust!
They are beyond numbering.
If only I could die as happy as an Israelite!
Oh, that my end might be like theirs!”
11
“What have you done to me?” demanded King Balak. “I told you to curse my enemies, and now you have blessed them!”
12
But Balaam replied, “Can I say anything except what Jehovah tells me to?”
13
Then Balak told him, “Come with me to another place; there you will see only a portion of the nation of Israel. Curse at least that many!”
14
So King Balak took Balaam into the fields of Zophim at the top of Mount Pisgah, and built seven altars there; and he offered up a young bull and a ram on each altar.
15
Then Balaam said to the king, “Stand here by your burnt offering while I go to meet the Lord.”
16
And the Lord met Balaam and told him what to say.
17
So he returned to where the king and the princes of Moab were standing beside their burnt offerings.
“What has Jehovah said?” the king eagerly inquired.
18-24
And he replied,
“Rise up, Balak, and hear:
Listen to me, you son of Zippor.
God is not a man, that he should lie;
He doesn’t change his mind like humans do.
Has he ever promised,
Without doing what he said?
Look! I have received a command to bless them,
For God has blessed them,
And I cannot reverse it!
He has not seen sin in Jacob.
He will not trouble Israel!
Jehovah their God is with them.
He is their king!
God has brought them out of Egypt.
Israel has the strength of a wild ox.
No curse can be placed on Jacob,
And no magic shall be done against him.
For now it shall be said of Israel,
‘What wonders God has done for them!’
These people rise up as a lion;
They shall not lie down
Until they have eaten what they capture
And have drunk the blood of the slain!”
25
“If you aren’t going to curse them, at least don’t
bless
them!” the king exclaimed to Balaam.
26
But Balaam replied, “Didn’t I tell you that I must say whatever Jehovah tells me to?”
27
Then the king said to Balaam, “I will take you to yet another place. Perhaps it will please God to let you curse them from there.”
28
So King Balak took Balaam to the top of Mount Peor, overlooking the desert.
29
Balaam again told the king to build seven altars, and to prepare seven young bulls and seven rams for the sacrifice.
30
The king did as Balaam said, and offered a young bull and ram on every altar.
By now Elizabeth’s waiting was over, for the time had come for the baby to be born—and it was a boy.
58
The word spread quickly to her neighbors and relatives of how kind the Lord had been to her, and everyone rejoiced.
59
When the baby was eight days old, all the relatives and friends came for the circumcision ceremony. They all assumed the baby’s name would be Zacharias, after his father.
60
But Elizabeth said, “No! He must be named John!”
61
“What?” they exclaimed. “There is no one in all your family by that name.”
62
So they asked the baby’s father, talking to him by gestures.
*
63
He motioned for a piece of paper and to everyone’s surprise wrote, “His name is
John!”
64
Instantly Zacharias could speak again, and he began praising God.
65
Wonder fell upon the whole neighborhood, and the news of what had happened spread through the Judean hills.
66
And everyone who heard about it thought long thoughts and asked, “I wonder what this child will turn out to be? For the hand of the Lord is surely upon him in some special way.”
67
Then his father, Zacharias, was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy:
68
“Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has come to visit his people and has redeemed them.
69
He is sending us a Mighty Savior from the royal line of his servant David,
70
just as he promised through his holy prophets long ago—
71
someone to save us from our enemies, from all who hate us.
72-73
“He has been merciful to our ancestors, yes, to Abraham himself, by remembering his sacred promise to him,
74
and by granting us the privilege of serving God fearlessly, freed from our enemies,
75
and by making us holy and acceptable, ready to stand in his presence forever.
76
“And you, my little son, shall be called the prophet of the glorious God, for you will prepare the way for the Messiah.
77
You will tell his people how to find salvation through forgiveness of their sins.
78
All this will be because the mercy of our God is very tender, and heaven’s dawn is about to break upon us,
79
to give light to those who sit in darkness and death’s shadow, and to guide us to the path of peace.”
80
The little boy greatly loved God
*
and when he grew up he lived out in the lonely wilderness until he began his public ministry to Israel.
Justice? You high and mighty politicians don’t even know the meaning of the word! Fairness? Which of you has any left? Not one! All your dealings are crooked: you give “justice” in exchange for bribes.
*
3
These men are born sinners, lying from their earliest words!
4-5
They are poisonous as deadly snakes, cobras that close their ears to the most expert of charmers.
6
O God, break off their fangs. Tear out the teeth of these young lions, Lord.
7
Let them disappear like water into thirsty ground. Make their weapons useless in their hands.
*
8
Let them be as snails that dissolve into slime and as those who die at birth, who never see the sun.
9
God will sweep away both old and young. He will destroy them more quickly than a cooking pot can feel the blazing fire of thorns beneath it.
10
The godly shall rejoice in the triumph of right;
*
they shall walk the bloodstained fields of slaughtered, wicked men.
11
Then at last everyone will know that good is rewarded, and that there is a God who judges justly here on earth.
To quarrel with a neighbor is foolish; a man with good sense holds his tongue.
13
A gossip goes around spreading rumors, while a trustworthy man tries to quiet them.
March 16Balaam realized by now that Jehovah planned to bless Israel, so he didn’t even go to meet the Lord as he had earlier. Instead, he went at once and looked out toward the camp of Israel
2
which stretched away across the plains, divided by tribal areas.
Then the Spirit of God came upon him,
3-9
and he spoke this prophecy concerning them:
“Balaam the son of Beor says—
The man whose eyes are open says—
‘I have listened to the word of God,
I have seen what God Almighty showed me;
I fell, and my eyes were opened:
Oh, the joys awaiting Israel,
Joys in the homes of Jacob.
I see them spread before me as green valleys,
And fruitful gardens by the riverside;
As aloes planted by the Lord himself;
As cedar trees beside the waters.
They shall be blessed with an abundance of water,
And they shall live in many places.
Their king will be greater than Agag;
Their kingdom is exalted.
God has brought them from Egypt.
Israel has the strength of a wild ox,
And shall eat up the nations that oppose him;
He shall break their bones in pieces,
And shall shoot them with many arrows.
Israel sleeps as a lion or a lioness—
Who dares arouse him?
Blessed is everyone who blesses you, O Israel,
And curses shall fall upon everyone who curses you.’”
10
King Balak was livid with rage by now. Striking his hands together in anger and disgust he shouted, “I called you to curse my enemies and instead you have blessed them three times.
11
Get out of here! Go back home! I had planned to promote you to great honor, but Jehovah has kept you from it!”
12
Balaam replied, “Didn’t I tell your messengers
13
that even if you gave me a palace filled with silver and gold, I could not go beyond the words of Jehovah, and could not say a word of my own? I said that I would say only what Jehovah says!
14
Yes, I shall return now to my own people. But first, let me tell you what the Israelites are going to do to your people!”
15-19
So he spoke this prophecy to him:
“Balaam the son of Beor is the man
Whose eyes are open!
He hears the words of God
And has knowledge from the Most High;
He sees what Almighty God has shown him;
He fell, and his eyes were opened:
I see in the future of Israel,
Far down the distant trail,
That there shall come a star from Jacob!
This ruler of Israel
Shall smite the people of Moab,
And destroy the sons of Sheth.
Israel shall possess all Edom and Seir.
They shall overcome their enemies.
Jacob shall arise in power
And shall destroy many cities.”
20
Then Balaam looked over at the homes of the people of Amalek and prophesied:
“Amalek was the first of the nations,
But its destiny is destruction!”
21-22
Then he looked over at the Kenites:
“Yes, you are strongly situated,
Your nest is set in the rocks!
But the Kenites shall be destroyed,
And the mighty army of the king of Assyria shall deport you from this land!”
23-24
He concluded his prophecies by saying:
“Alas, who can live when God does this?
Ships shall come from the coasts of Cyprus,
And shall oppress both Eber and Assyria.
They too must be destroyed.”
25
So Balaam and Balak returned to their homes.
*
25:
1
While Israel was camped at Acacia, some of the young men began going to wild parties with the local Moabite girls.
2
These girls also invited them to attend the sacrifices to their gods, and soon the men were not only attending the feasts, but also bowing down and worshiping the idols.
3
Before long all Israel was joining freely in the worship of Baal, the god of Moab; and the anger of the Lord was hot against his people.
4
He issued the following command to Moses:
“Execute all the tribal leaders of Israel. Hang them up before the Lord in broad daylight, so that his fierce anger will turn away from the people.”
5
So Moses ordered the judges to execute all who had worshiped Baal.
6
But one of the Israeli men insolently brought a Midianite girl into the camp, right before the eyes of Moses and all the people, as they were weeping at the door of the Tabernacle.
7
When Phinehas (son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron the priest) saw this, he jumped up, grabbed a spear,
8
and rushed after the man into his tent, where he had taken the girl. He thrust the spear all the way through the man’s body and into her stomach. So the plague was stopped,
9
but only after 24,000 people had already died.
10-11
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Phinehas (son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron the priest) has turned away my anger for he was angry with my anger, and would not tolerate the worship of any God but me. So I have stopped destroying all Israel as I had intended.
12-13
Now because of what he has done—because of his zeal for his God, and because he has made atonement for the people of Israel by what he did—I promise that he and his descendants shall be priests forever.”
14
The name of the man who was killed with the Midianite girl was Zimri, son of Salu, a leader of the tribe of Simeon.
15
The girl’s name was Cozbi, daughter of Zur, a Midianite prince.
16-17
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Destroy the Midianites,
18
for they are destroying you with their wiles. They are causing you to worship Baal, and they are leading you astray, as you have just seen by the death of Cozbi.”
About this time Caesar Augustus, the Roman emperor, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the nation.
2
(This census was taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.)
3
Everyone was required to return to his ancestral home for this registration.
4
And because Joseph was a member of the royal line, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, King David’s ancient home—journeying there from the Galilean village of Nazareth.
5
He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was obviously pregnant by this time.
6
And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born;
7
and she gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him in a blanket
*
and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the village inn.
8
That night some shepherds were in the fields outside the village, guarding their flocks of sheep.
9
Suddenly an angel appeared among them, and the landscape shone bright with the glory of the Lord. They were badly frightened,
10
but the angel reassured them.
“Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you the most joyful news ever announced, and it is for everyone!
11
The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born tonight in Bethlehem!
*
12
How will you recognize him? You will find a baby wrapped in a blanket,
*
lying in a manger!”
13
Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God:
14
“Glory to God in the highest heaven,” they sang,
*
“and peace on earth for all those pleasing him.”
15
When this great army of angels had returned again to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Come on! Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this wonderful thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
16
They ran to the village and found their way to Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger.
17
The shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child.
18
All who heard the shepherds’ story expressed astonishment,
19
but Mary quietly treasured these things in her heart and often thought about them.
20
Then the shepherds went back again to their fields and flocks, praising God for the visit of the angels, and because they had seen the child, just as the angel had told them.
21
Eight days later, at the baby’s circumcision ceremony, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel before he was even conceived.
22
When the time came for Mary’s purification offering at the Temple, as required by the laws of Moses after the birth of a child, his parents took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord;
23
for in these laws God had said, “If a woman’s first child is a boy, he shall be dedicated to the Lord.”
24
At that time Jesus’ parents also offered their sacrifice for purification—“either a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons” was the legal requirement.
25
That day a man named Simeon, a Jerusalem resident, was in the Temple. He was a good man, very devout, filled with the Holy Spirit and constantly expecting the Messiah
*
to come soon.
26
For the Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen him—God’s anointed King.
27
The Holy Spirit had impelled him to go to the Temple that day; and so, when Mary and Joseph arrived to present the baby Jesus to the Lord in obedience to the law,
28
Simeon was there and took the child in his arms, praising God.
29-31
“Lord,” he said, “now I can die content! For I have seen him as you promised me I would. I have seen the Savior you have given to the world.
32
He is the Light that will shine upon the nations, and he will be the glory of your people Israel!”
33
Joseph and Mary just stood there, marveling at what was being said about Jesus.
34-35
Simeon blessed them but then said to Mary, “A sword shall pierce your soul, for this child shall be rejected by many in Israel, and this to their undoing. But he will be the greatest joy of many others. And the deepest thoughts of many hearts shall be revealed.”
Written by David at the time King Saul set guards at his home to capture and kill him. (1 Samuel 19:11)
O my God, save me from my enemies. Protect me from these who have come to destroy me.
2
Preserve me from these criminals, these murderers.
3
They lurk in ambush for my life. Strong men are out there waiting. And not, O Lord, because I’ve done them wrong.
4
Yet they prepare to kill me. Lord, waken! See what is happening! Help me!
5
(And O Jehovah, God of heaven’s armies, God of Israel, arise and punish the heathen nations surrounding us.) Do not spare these evil, treacherous men.
6
At evening they come to spy, slinking around like dogs that prowl the city.
7
I hear them shouting insults and cursing God, for “No one will hear us,” they think.
8
Lord, laugh at them! (And scoff at these surrounding nations too.)
9
O God my Strength! I will sing your praises, for you are my place of safety.
10
My God is changeless in his love for me, and he will come and help me. He will let me see my wish come true upon my enemies.
11
Don’t kill them—for my people soon forget such lessons—but stagger them with your power and bring them to their knees. Bring them to the dust, O Lord our shield.
12-13
They are proud, cursing liars. Angrily destroy them. Wipe them out. (And let the nations find out, too, that God rules in Israel and will reign throughout the world.)
14-15
Let these evil men slink back at evening and prowl the city all night before they are satisfied, howling like dogs and searching for food.
16
But as for me, I will sing each morning about your power and mercy. For you have been my high tower of refuge, a place of safety in the day of my distress.
17
O my Strength, to you I sing my praises; for you are my high tower of safety, my God of mercy.
Without wise leadership, a nation is in trouble; but with good counselors there is safety.