One Year Bible.

Fairness and Mercy

¹If there is a dispute between men, they are to go to court to be judged, so that the innocent may be acquitted and the guilty condemned.

²If the guilty man deserves to be beaten, the judge shall have him lie down and be flogged in his presence with the number of lashes his crime warrants. ³He may receive no more than forty lashes, lest your brother be beaten any more than that and be degraded in your sight.

⁴Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.

Widowhood and Marriage

⁵When brothers dwell together and one of them dies without a son, the widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband’s brother is to take her as his wife and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law for her. ⁶The first son she bears will carry on the name of the dead brother, so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel.

⁷But if the man does not want to marry his brother’s widow, she is to go to the elders at the city gate and say, “My husband’s brother refuses to preserve his brother’s name in Israel. He is not willing to perform the duty of a brother-in-law for me.”

⁸Then the elders of his city shall summon him and speak with him. If he persists and says, “I do not want to marry her,” ⁹his brother’s widow shall go up to him in the presence of the elders, remove his sandal, spit in his face, and declare, “This is what is done to the man who will not maintain his brother’s line.” ¹⁰And his family name in Israel will be called “The House of the Unsandaled.”

¹¹If two men are fighting, and the wife of one comes to rescue her husband from the one striking him, and she reaches out her hand and grabs his genitals, ¹²you are to cut off her hand. You must show her no pity.

Standard Weights and Measures

¹³You shall not have two differing weights in your bag, one heavy and one light. ¹⁴You shall not have two differing measures in your house, one large and one small.

¹⁵You must maintain accurate and honest weights and measures, so that you may live long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. ¹⁶For everyone who behaves dishonestly in regard to these things is detestable to the LORD your God.

Revenge on the Amalekites

¹⁷Remember what the Amalekites did to you along your way from Egypt, ¹⁸how they met you on your journey when you were tired and weary, and they attacked all your stragglers; they had no fear of God.

¹⁹When the LORD your God gives you rest from the enemies around you in the land that He is giving you to possess as an inheritance, you are to blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget!

Offering Firstfruits and Tithes

¹When you enter the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, and you take possession of it and settle in it, ²you are to take some of the firstfruits of all your produce from the soil of the land that the LORD your God is giving you and put them in a basket. Then go to the place the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling for His Name, ³to the priest who is serving at that time, and say to him, “I declare today to the LORD your God that I have entered the land that the LORD swore to our fathers to give us.”

⁴Then the priest shall take the basket from your hands and place it before the altar of the LORD your God, ⁵and you are to declare before the LORD your God, “My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down to Egypt few in number and lived there and became a great nation, mighty and numerous. ⁶But the Egyptians mistreated us and afflicted us, putting us to hard labor. ⁷So we called out to the LORD, the God of our fathers; and the LORD heard our voice and saw our affliction, toil, and oppression. ⁸Then the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror, signs, and wonders. ⁹And He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. ¹⁰And now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land that You, O LORD, have given me.”

Then you are to place the basket before the LORD your God and bow down before Him. ¹¹So you shall rejoice — you, the Levite, and the foreigner dwelling among you — in all the good things the LORD your God has given to you and your household.

¹²When you have finished laying aside a tenth of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, you are to give it to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat and be filled within your gates.

¹³Then you shall declare in the presence of the LORD your God, “I have removed from my house the sacred portion and have given it to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow, according to all the commandments You have given me. I have not transgressed or forgotten Your commandments. ¹⁴I have not eaten any of the sacred portion while in mourning, or removed any of it while unclean, or offered any of it for the dead. I have obeyed the LORD my God; I have done everything You commanded me. ¹⁵Look down from Your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless Your people Israel and the land You have given us as You swore to our fathers— a land flowing with milk and honey.”

Obey the LORD’s Commands

¹⁶The LORD your God commands you this day to follow these statutes and ordinances. You must be careful to follow them with all your heart and with all your soul.

¹⁷Today you have proclaimed that the LORD is your God and that you will walk in His ways, keep His statutes and commandments and ordinances, and listen to His voice.

¹⁸And today the LORD has proclaimed that you are His people and treasured possession as He promised, that you are to keep all His commandments, ¹⁹that He will set you high in praise and name and honor above all the nations He has made, and that you will be a holy people to the LORD your God, as He has promised.

Dedication to Theophilus

¹Many have undertaken to compose an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, ²just as they were handed down to us by the initial eyewitnesses and servants of the word. ³Therefore, having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, ⁴so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

Gabriel Foretells John’s Birth

⁵In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah, and whose wife Elizabeth was a descendant of Aaron. ⁶Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and decrees of the Lord. ⁷But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well along in years.

⁸One day while Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, ⁹he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. ¹⁰And at the hour of the incense offering, the whole congregation was praying outside.

¹¹Just then an angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. ¹²When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and gripped with fear.

¹³But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. ¹⁴He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice at his birth, ¹⁵for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He shall never take wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb. ¹⁶Many of the sons of Israel he will turn back to the Lord their God. ¹⁷And he will go on before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous — to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

¹⁸“How can I be sure of this?” Zechariah asked the angel. “I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years.”

¹⁹“I am Gabriel,” replied the angel. “I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. ²⁰And now you will be silent and unable to speak until the day this comes to pass, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their proper time.”

²¹Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he took so long in the temple. ²²When he came out and was unable to speak to them, they realized he had seen a vision in the temple. He kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak. ²³And when the days of his service were complete, he returned home.

²⁴After these days, his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. She declared, ²⁵“The Lord has done this for me. In these days He has shown me favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”

Gabriel Foretells Jesus’ Birth

²⁶In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, ²⁷to a virgin pledged in marriage to a man named Joseph, who was of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸The angel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

²⁹Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. ³⁰So the angel told her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus. ³²He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, ³³and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end!”

³⁴“How can this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

³⁵The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God. ³⁶Look, even Elizabeth your relative has conceived a son in her old age, and she who was called barren is in her sixth month. ³⁷For no word from God will ever fail.”

³⁸“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it happen to me according to your word.” Then the angel left her.

Mary Visits Elizabeth

³⁹In those days Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judah, ⁴⁰where she entered the home of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.

⁴¹When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴²In a loud voice she exclaimed, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! ⁴³And why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴For as soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. ⁴⁵Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord’s word to her will be fulfilled.”

Mary’s Song

⁴⁶Then Mary said:

“My soul magnifies the Lord,

⁴⁷and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!

⁴⁸For He has looked with favor on the humble state of His servant.

From now on all generations will call me blessed.

⁴⁹For the Mighty One has done great things for me.

Holy is His name.

⁵⁰His mercy extends to those who fear Him,

from generation to generation.

⁵¹He has performed mighty deeds with His arm;

He has scattered those who are proud

in the thoughts of their hearts.

⁵²He has brought down rulers from their thrones,

but has exalted the humble.

⁵³He has filled the hungry with good things,

but has sent the rich away empty.

⁵⁴He has helped His servant Israel,

remembering to be merciful,

⁵⁵as He promised to our fathers,

to Abraham and his descendants forever.”

⁵⁶Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

The Birth of John the Baptist

⁵⁷When the time came for Elizabeth to have her child, she gave birth to a son. ⁵⁸Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they rejoiced with her.

⁵⁹On the eighth day, when they came to circumcise the child, they were going to name him after his father Zechariah. ⁶⁰But his mother replied, “No! He shall be called John.”

⁶¹They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who bears this name.” ⁶²So they made signs to his father to find out what he wanted to name the child.

⁶³Zechariah asked for a tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they were all amazed. ⁶⁴Immediately Zechariah’s mouth was opened and his tongue was released, and he began to speak, praising God.

⁶⁵All their neighbors were filled with awe, and people throughout the hill country of Judea were talking about these events. ⁶⁶And all who heard this wondered in their hearts and asked, “What then will this child become?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.

Zechariah’s Song

⁶⁷Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:

⁶⁸“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,

because He has visited and redeemed His people.

⁶⁹He has raised up a horn of salvation for us

in the house of His servant David,

⁷⁰as He spoke through His holy prophets,

those of ages past,

⁷¹salvation from our enemies

and from the hand of all who hate us,

⁷²to show mercy to our fathers

and to remember His holy covenant,

⁷³the oath He swore to our father Abraham,

to grant us ⁷⁴deliverance from hostile hands,

that we may serve Him without fear,

⁷⁵in holiness and righteousness before Him

all the days of our lives.

⁷⁶And you, child, will be called

a prophet of the Most High;

for you will go on before the Lord

to prepare the way for Him,

⁷⁷to give to His people the knowledge of salvation

through the forgiveness of their sins,

⁷⁸because of the tender mercy of our God,

by which the Dawn will visit us from on high,

⁷⁹to shine on those who live in darkness

and in the shadow of death,

to guide our feet

into the path of peace.”

⁸⁰And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until the time of his public appearance to Israel.