Contemplative Bible Reading

Genesis 47:22 (New Living Translation) 47:22 The only land he did not buy was the land belonging to the priests. They received a regular allotment of food from Pharaoh, so they did not need to sell their land to buy food. This is part of the (hi)story of the seven-year famine in Egypt and how […]

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Genesis 43:18 (New Living Translation) The brothers were terrified when they saw that they were being taken into Joseph’s house. ‘It’s because of the money we found in our sacks last time,’ they said. ‘He plans to pretend that we stole it. Then he will seize us, make us slaves, and take our donkeys.’ This […]

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Genesis 35:5-6 (New Living Translation) 4 So they gave Jacob all their pagan idols and earrings, and he buried them under the great tree near Shechem. 5 As they set out, a terror from God spread over the people in all the towns of that area, so no one attacked Jacob’s family. This is part […]

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Genesis 28:16-17 (New Living Translation) 16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!” 17 But he was also afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is! It is none other than the house of God, the very gateway to […]

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Genesis 27:27-29 (New Living Translation) 27 So Jacob went over and kissed him. And when Isaac caught the smell of his clothes, he was finally convinced, and he blessed his son. He said, “Ah! The smell of my son is like the smell of the outdoors, which the Lord has blessed! 28 “From the dew […]

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Genesis 22:18 (New Living Translation) 18 And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me. An angel is talking to Abraham. Abraham had just followed God’s instructions to take his miracle son Isaac to a remote place and literally sacrifice the boy. Abraham showed faith—showed that […]

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Genesis 12:6-7 (New Living Translation) 6 Abram traveled through the land as far as Shechem. There he set up camp beside the oak of Moreh. At that time, the area was inhabited by Canaanites. 7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your descendants.” And Abram built an […]

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Genesis 24:7 (New Living Translation) 7 For the Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and my native land, solemnly promised to give this land to my descendants. He will send his angel ahead of you, and he will see to it that you find a wife there for my […]

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Genesis 12:1, 4b (New Living Translation) 1 The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. … 4b Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. God is speaking to Abram; God will later rename him Abraham. […]

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Genesis 3:8 (New Living Translation) 8 When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. There is something about hiding that we people do. There are games we play as children where hiding […]

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