Contemplative Bible Reading

Genesis 27:21-22 (New Living Translation) 21 But when Reuben heard of their scheme, he came to Joseph’s rescue. “Let’s not kill him,” he said. 22 “Why should we shed any blood? Let’s just throw him into this empty cistern here in the wilderness. Then he’ll die without our laying a hand on him.” Reuben was […]

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Genesis 41:16 (New Living Translation) 16 “It is beyond my power to do this,” Joseph replied. “But God can tell you what it means and set you at ease.” Joseph was talking to Pharaoh. We read earlier that Pharaoh was “very disturbed by the dreams.” He was so disturbed that on the advice of a […]

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Genesis 31:14-15 (New Living Translation) 14 Rachel and Leah responded, “That’s fine with us! We won’t inherit any of our father’s wealth anyway. 15 He has reduced our rights to those of foreign women. And after he sold us, he wasted the money you paid him for us. Laban was the father of Rachel and […]

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Genesis 1:1-3 (New Living Translation) 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. The […]

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Genesis 20:11 (New Living Translation) Abraham replied, “I thought, ‘This is a godless place. They will want my wife and will kill me to get her.’ This is part of the (hi)story of Abraham and his wife Sarah. For a while, they moved into the territory of King Abimelech of Gerar. Abraham, fearing death, told […]

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Genesis 9:5-7 (New Living Translation) 5 “And I will require the blood of anyone who takes another person’s life. If a wild animal kills a person, it must die. And anyone who murders a fellow human must die. 6 If anyone takes a human life, that person’s life will also be taken by human hands. […]

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Genesis 2:18–20 (New Living Translation) 18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” 19 So the Lord God formed from the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the sky. He brought them […]

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Genesis 41:50 (New Living Translation) During this time, before the first of the famine years, two sons were born to Joseph and his wife, Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On. This is a key part of the (hi)story of Joseph in Egypt. He married Asenath. They had two sons: Manasseh and Ephraim. […]

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Genesis 42:7 (New Living Translation) Joseph recognized his brothers instantly, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them. “Where are you from?” he demanded. This is part of the (hi)story of Joseph, his brothers, and the eventual 430 years of life in Egypt for the family of Jacob. Joseph is where […]

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Genesis 3:1 (New Living Translation) The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” Consider the language used at the start of this passage. The […]

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