Contemplative Bible Reading

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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Isaiah 2:1-5 (New Living Translation) 1 Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot—yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root.2 And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,the Spirit of counsel and might,the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.3 […]

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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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1 Chronicles 4:9–10 (New Living Translation) 9 There was a man named Jabez who was more honorable than any of his brothers. His mother named him Jabez because his birth had been so painful. 10 He was the one who prayed to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and expand my […]

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2 Chronicles 3:5 (New Living Translation) He paneled the main room of the Temple with cypress wood, overlaid it with fine gold, and decorated it with carvings of palm trees and chains. This verse describes how Solomon built the Temple in Jerusalem. The main room was decorated with carving of palm trees. Palm trees? How […]

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Genesis 2: 8 (New Living Translation) Then the Lord God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there he placed the man he had made. As the (hi)story of the creation continues, we read that God the Creator planted a garden and put Adam in that place. We see earlier in verses four […]

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Deuteronomy 13:5 (New Living Translation) The false prophets or visionaries who try to lead you astray must be put to death God is instructing the people with regards to prophets or visionaries—literally persons who predicted the future and the future came true. These were persons who had words from God that were relayed to the […]

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Numbers 17:10 (New Living Translation) And the Lord said to Moses: “Place Aaron’s staff permanently before the Ark of the Covenant to serve as a warning to rebels. This should put an end to their complaints against me and prevent any further deaths.” In Numbers 16, we have the (hi)story of people who complained that […]

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