One Year Bible.

The People of Jerusalem

¹So all Israel was recorded in the genealogies written in the Book of the Kings of Israel. But Judah was exiled to Babylon because of their unfaithfulness.

²Now the first to resettle their own property in their cities were Israelites, priests, Levites, and temple servants.

³Some of the descendants of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh lived in Jerusalem:

⁴Uthai son of Ammihud, the son of Omri, the son of Imri, the son of Bani, a descendant of Perez son of Judah.

⁵From the Shilonites:

Asaiah the firstborn and his sons.

⁶From the Zerahites:

Jeuel and 690 relatives.

⁷From the Benjamites:

Sallu son of Meshullam, the son of Hodaviah, the son of Hassenuah;

⁸Ibneiah son of Jeroham;

Elah son of Uzzi, the son of Michri;

Meshullam son of Shephatiah, the son of Reuel, the son of Ibnijah;

⁹and 956 of their relatives according to their genealogy. All these men were heads of their families.

¹⁰From the priests:

Jedaiah, Jehoiarib, and Jachin;

¹¹Azariah son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, the chief official of God’s temple;

¹²Adaiah son of Jeroham, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malchijah;

Maasai son of Adiel, the son of Jahzerah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Meshillemith, the son of Immer;

¹³and 1,760 of their relatives, the heads of their families, able men for the work of the service of the house of God.

¹⁴From the Levites:

Shemaiah son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, a descendant of Merari;

¹⁵Bakbakkar, Heresh, Galal, and Mattaniah son of Mica, the son of Zichri, the son of Asaph;

¹⁶Obadiah son of Shemaiah, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun;

and Berechiah son of Asa, the son of Elkanah, who lived in the villages of the Netophathites.

¹⁷These were the gatekeepers:

Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, Ahiman, and their relatives.

Shallum was their chief; ¹⁸he was previously stationed at the King’s Gate on the east side. These were the gatekeepers from the camp of the Levites. ¹⁹Shallum son of Kore, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, and his relatives from the Korahites were assigned to guard the thresholds of the Tent, just as their fathers had been assigned to guard the entrance to the dwelling of the LORD.

²⁰In earlier times Phinehas son of Eleazar had been in charge of the gatekeepers, and the LORD was with him.

²¹Zechariah son of Meshelemiah was the gatekeeper at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

²²The number of those chosen to be gatekeepers at the thresholds was 212. They were registered by genealogy in their villages. David and Samuel the seer had appointed them to their positions of trust.

²³So they and their descendants were assigned to guard the gates of the house of the LORD — the house called the Tent. ²⁴The gatekeepers were stationed on the four sides: east, west, north, and south. ²⁵Their relatives came from their villages at fixed times to serve with them for seven-day periods. ²⁶But the four chief gatekeepers, who were Levites, were entrusted with the rooms and the treasuries of the house of God. ²⁷They would spend the night stationed around the house of God, because they were responsible for guarding it and opening it every morning.

²⁸Some of them were in charge of the articles used in worship, to count them whenever they were brought in or taken out. ²⁹Others were put in charge of the furnishings and other articles of the sanctuary, as well as the fine flour, wine, oil, frankincense, and spices. ³⁰And some of the sons of the priests mixed the spices.

³¹A Levite named Mattithiah, the firstborn son of Shallum the Korahite, was entrusted with baking the bread. ³²Some of their Kohathite relatives were responsible for preparing the rows of the showbread every Sabbath.

³³Those who were musicians, the heads of Levite families, stayed in the temple chambers and were exempt from other duties because they were on duty day and night. ³⁴All these were heads of Levite families, chiefs according to their genealogies, and they lived in Jerusalem.

The Descendants of Saul

³⁵Jeiel the father of Gibeon lived in Gibeon. His wife’s name was Maacah.

³⁶Abdon was his firstborn son, then Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab, ³⁷Gedor, Ahio, Zechariah, and Mikloth.

³⁸Mikloth was the father of Shimeam. They too lived alongside their relatives in Jerusalem.

³⁹Ner was the father of Kish, Kish was the father of Saul, and Saul was the father of Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Esh-baal.

⁴⁰The son of Jonathan:

Merib-baal, who was the father of Micah.

⁴¹The sons of Micah:

Pithon, Melech, Tahrea, and Ahaz.

⁴²Ahaz was the father of Jarah; Jarah was the father of Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri; and Zimri was the father of Moza. ⁴³Moza was the father of Binea. Rephaiah was his son, Elasah his son, and Azel his son.

⁴⁴And Azel had six sons, and these were their names:

Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan. These were the sons of Azel.

The Twelve Apostles

¹And calling His twelve disciples to Him, Jesus gave them authority over unclean spirits, so that they could drive them out and heal every disease and sickness.

²These are the names of the twelve apostles: first Simon, called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; ³Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; ⁴Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus.

The Ministry of the Twelve

⁵These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go onto the road of the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. ⁶Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. ⁷As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ ⁸Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.

⁹Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts. ¹⁰Take no bag for the road, or second tunic, or sandals, or staff; for the worker is worthy of his provisions.

¹¹Whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy there and stay at his house until you move on. ¹²As you enter the home, greet its occupants. ¹³If the home is worthy, let your peace rest on it, but if it is not, let your peace return to you. ¹⁴And if anyone will not welcome you or heed your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town. ¹⁵Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.

Sheep among Wolves

¹⁶Behold, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. ¹⁷But beware of men, for they will hand you over to their councils and flog you in their synagogues. ¹⁸On My account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. ¹⁹But when they hand you over, do not worry about how to respond or what to say. In that hour you will be given what to say. ²⁰For it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

²¹Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rise against their parents and have them put to death. ²²You will be hated by everyone because of My name, but the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.

²³When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next. Truly I tell you, you will not reach all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

²⁴A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. ²⁵It is enough for a disciple to be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!

Fear God Alone

²⁶So do not be afraid of them. For there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, and nothing hidden that will not be made known. ²⁷What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the housetops.

²⁸Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

²⁹Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. ³⁰And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Confessing Christ

³²Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father in heaven. ³³But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in heaven.

Not Peace but a Sword

³⁴Do not assume that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. ³⁵For I have come to turn

‘a man against his father,

a daughter against her mother,

a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.

³⁶A man’s enemies will be the members

of his own household.’

³⁷Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me; ³⁸and anyone who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. ³⁹Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

The Reward of Service

⁴⁰He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives the One who sent Me. ⁴¹Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward. ⁴²And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is My disciple, truly I tell you, he will never lose his reward.”

The Tradition of the Elders

¹Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus, ²and they saw some of His disciples eating with hands that were defiled— that is, unwashed.

³Now in holding to the tradition of the elders, the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat until they wash their hands ceremonially. ⁴And on returning from the market, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions for them to observe, including the washing of cups, pitchers, kettles, and couches for dining.

⁵So the Pharisees and scribes questioned Jesus: “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders? Instead, they eat with defiled hands.”

⁶Jesus answered them, “Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written:

‘These people honor Me with their lips,

but their hearts are far from Me.

⁷They worship Me in vain;

they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’

⁸You have disregarded the commandment of God to keep the tradition of men.”

⁹He went on to say, “You neatly set aside the command of God to maintain your own tradition. ¹⁰For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’ ¹¹But you say that if a man says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever you would have received from me is Corban’ (that is, a gift devoted to God ), ¹²he is no longer permitted to do anything for his father or mother. ¹³Thus you nullify the word of God by the tradition you have handed down. And you do so in many such matters.”

What Defiles a Man

¹⁴Once again Jesus called the crowd to Him and said, “All of you, listen to Me and understand: ¹⁵Nothing that enters a man from the outside can defile him; but the things that come out of a man, these are what defile him.”

¹⁷After Jesus had left the crowd and gone into the house, His disciples inquired about the parable.

¹⁸“Are you still so dull?” He asked. “Do you not understand? Nothing that enters a man from the outside can defile him, ¹⁹because it does not enter his heart, but it goes into the stomach and then is eliminated.” (Thus all foods are clean.)

²⁰He continued: “What comes out of a man, that is what defiles him. ²¹For from within the hearts of men come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, ²²greed, wickedness, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, arrogance, and foolishness. ²³All these evils come from within, and these are what defile a man.”

The Faith of the Gentile Woman

²⁴Jesus left that place and went to the region of Tyre. Not wanting anyone to know He was there, He entered a house, but was unable to escape their notice. ²⁵Instead, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit soon heard about Jesus, and she came and fell at His feet. ²⁶Now she was a Greek woman of Syrophoenician origin, and she kept asking Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.

²⁷“First let the children have their fill,” He said. “For it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

²⁸“Yes, Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

²⁹Then Jesus told her, “Because of this answer, you may go. The demon has left your daughter.” ³⁰And she went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon was gone.

The Deaf and Mute Man

³¹Then Jesus left the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. ³²Some people brought to Him a man who was deaf and hardly able to speak, and they begged Jesus to place His hand on him.

³³So Jesus took him aside privately, away from the crowd, and put His fingers into the man’s ears. Then He spit and touched the man’s tongue. ³⁴And looking up to heaven, He sighed deeply and said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means, “Be opened!”). ³⁵Immediately the man’s ears were opened and his tongue was released, and he began to speak plainly.

³⁶Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone. But the more He ordered them, the more widely they proclaimed it. ³⁷The people were utterly astonished and said, “He has done all things well! He makes even the deaf hear and the mute speak!”

The Feeding of the Four Thousand

¹In those days the crowd once again became very large, and they had nothing to eat. Jesus called the disciples to Him and said, ²“I have compassion for this crowd, because they have already been with Me three days and have nothing to eat. ³If I send them home hungry, they will faint along the way. For some of them have come a great distance.”

⁴His disciples replied, “Where in this desolate place could anyone find enough bread to feed all these people?”

⁵“How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked.

“Seven,” they replied.

⁶And He instructed the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then He took the seven loaves, gave thanks and broke them, and gave them to His disciples to set before the people. And they distributed them to the crowd. ⁷They also had a few small fish, and Jesus blessed them and ordered that these be set before them as well.

⁸The people ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. ⁹And about four thousand men were present.

And when Jesus had dismissed the crowd, ¹⁰He immediately got into the boat with His disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.

The Demand for a Sign

¹¹Then the Pharisees came and began to argue with Jesus, testing Him by demanding from Him a sign from heaven.

¹²Jesus sighed deeply in His spirit and said, “Why does this generation demand a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation.” ¹³And He left them, got back into the boat, and crossed to the other side.

The Leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod

¹⁴Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. ¹⁵“Watch out!” He cautioned them. “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod.”

¹⁶So they began to discuss with one another the fact that they had no bread.

¹⁷Aware of their conversation, Jesus asked them, “Why are you debating about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Do you have such hard hearts? ¹⁸‘Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear?’ And do you not remember? ¹⁹When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of broken pieces did you collect?”

“Twelve,” they answered.

²⁰“And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of broken pieces did you collect?”

“Seven,” they said.

²¹Then He asked them, “Do you still not understand?”

The Blind Man at Bethsaida

²²When they arrived at Bethsaida, some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. ²³So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. Then He spit on the man’s eyes and placed His hands on him. “Can you see anything?” He asked.

²⁴The man looked up and said, “I can see the people, but they look like trees walking around.”

²⁵Once again Jesus placed His hands on the man’s eyes, and when he opened them his sight was restored, and he could see everything clearly. ²⁶Jesus sent him home and said, “Do not go back into the village.”

Peter’s Confession of Christ

²⁷Then Jesus and His disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way, He questioned His disciples: “Who do people say I am?”

²⁸They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”

²⁹“But what about you?” Jesus asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Peter answered, “You are the Christ.”

³⁰And Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about Him.

Christ’s Passion Foretold

³¹Then He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and that He must be killed and after three days rise again. ³²He spoke this message quite frankly, and Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.

³³But Jesus, turning and looking at His disciples, rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

Take Up Your Cross

³⁴Then Jesus called the crowd to Him along with His disciples, and He told them, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. ³⁵For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and for the gospel will save it.

³⁶What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? ³⁷Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? ³⁸If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in His Father’s glory with the holy angels.”