Unexpected Riches: Finding the Rare Jewel of Contentment

Yom Kippur - the Perfect Atonement: The Messiah's Sacrifice

Devotions on F.I.R.E. Year Two

Renewed in Every Season

Mary Magdalene's Journey: 'Grace Restores' (Part 4)

21 Days of Selfess Living

OVERCOMING JEALOUSY THROUGH the HOLY SPIRIT

When Anger Strikes

Faith Over Fear

The Grace to Stay: Holding on When Marriage Is Hard

The Listener’s Bible®: NIV Edition

New International Version™  (Anglicised), Audio Edition

Holy Bible, New International Version™ (Anglicised), South Asian Audio Edition

<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkGEN">
 <div class="chapter ch16" data-usfm="GEN.16">
 <div class="label">16</div><div class="s1">Hagar and Ishmael</div><div class="p"> 1Now Sarai, Abram&#8217;s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; 2so she said to Abram, &#8220;The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.&#8221;</div><div class="p">Abram agreed to what Sarai said. 3So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian slave Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. 4He slept with Hagar, and she conceived.</div><div class="p">When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. 5Then Sarai said to Abram, &#8220;You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my slave in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the Lord judge between you and me.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 6&#8220;Your slave is in your hands,&#8221; Abram said. &#8220;Do with her whatever you think best.&#8221; Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her.</div><div class="p"> 7The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. 8And he said, &#8220;Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;I&#8217;m running away from my mistress Sarai,&#8221; she answered.</div><div class="p"> 9Then the angel of the Lord told her, &#8220;Go back to your mistress and submit to her.&#8221; 10The angel added, &#8220;I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 11The angel of the Lord also said to her:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;You are now pregnant</div><div class="q2">and you will give birth to a son.</div><div class="q1">You shall name him Ishmael,#16:11 Ishmael means God hears.</div><div class="q2">for the Lord has heard of your misery.</div><div class="q1"> 12He will be a wild donkey of a man;</div><div class="q2">his hand will be against everyone</div><div class="q2">and everyone&#8217;s hand against him,</div><div class="q1">and he will live in hostility</div><div class="q2">toward#16:12 Or live to the east / of all his brothers.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 13She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: &#8220;You are the God who sees me,&#8221; for she said, &#8220;I have now seen#16:13 Or seen the back of the One who sees me.&#8221; 14That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi#16:14 Beer Lahai Roi means well of the Living One who sees me.; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered.</div><div class="p"> 15So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne. 16Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkGEN">
 <div class="chapter ch17" data-usfm="GEN.17">
 <div class="label">17</div><div class="s1">The Covenant of Circumcision</div><div class="p"> 1When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, &#8220;I am God Almighty#17:1 Hebrew El-Shaddai; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. 2Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 3Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, 4&#8220;As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. 5No longer will you be called Abram#17:5 Abram means exalted father.; your name will be Abraham,#17:5 Abraham probably means father of many. for I have made you a father of many nations. 6I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. 7I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. 8The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 9Then God said to Abraham, &#8220;As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. 10This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. 12For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner&#8212;those who are not your offspring. 13Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. 14Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 15God also said to Abraham, &#8220;As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. 16I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 17Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, &#8220;Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?&#8221; 18And Abraham said to God, &#8220;If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 19Then God said, &#8220;Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac.#17:19 Isaac means he laughs. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. 20And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. 21But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.&#8221; 22When he had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.</div><div class="p"> 23On that very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household or bought with his money, every male in his household, and circumcised them, as God told him. 24Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised, 25and his son Ishmael was thirteen; 26Abraham and his son Ishmael were both circumcised on that very day. 27And every male in Abraham&#8217;s household, including those born in his household or bought from a foreigner, was circumcised with him.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkGEN">
 <div class="chapter ch18" data-usfm="GEN.18">
 <div class="label">18</div><div class="s1">The Three Visitors</div><div class="p"> 1The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. 2Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.</div><div class="p"> 3He said, &#8220;If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord,#18:3 Or eyes, Lord do not pass your servant by. 4Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. 5Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way&#8212;now that you have come to your servant.&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;Very well,&#8221; they answered, &#8220;do as you say.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 6So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. &#8220;Quick,&#8221; he said, &#8220;get three seahs#18:6 That is, probably about 36 pounds or about 16 kilograms of the finest flour and knead it and bake some bread.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 7Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. 8He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree.</div><div class="p"> 9&#8220;Where is your wife Sarah?&#8221; they asked him.</div><div class="p">&#8220;There, in the tent,&#8221; he said.</div><div class="p"> 10Then one of them said, &#8220;I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.&#8221;</div><div class="p">Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. 11Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. 12So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, &#8220;After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 13Then the Lord said to Abraham, &#8220;Why did Sarah laugh and say, &#8216;Will I really have a child, now that I am old?&#8217; 14Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 15Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, &#8220;I did not laugh.&#8221;</div><div class="p">But he said, &#8220;Yes, you did laugh.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">Abraham Pleads for Sodom</div><div class="p"> 16When the men got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. 17Then the Lord said, &#8220;Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 18Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him.#18:18 Or will use his name in blessings (see 48:20) 19For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 20Then the Lord said, &#8220;The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous 21that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 22The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord.#18:22 Masoretic Text; an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition but the Lord remained standing before Abraham 23Then Abraham approached him and said: &#8220;Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare#18:24 Or forgive; also in verse 26 the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? 25Far be it from you to do such a thing&#8212;to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 26The Lord said, &#8220;If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 27Then Abraham spoke up again: &#8220;Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, 28what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five people?&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;If I find forty-five there,&#8221; he said, &#8220;I will not destroy it.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 29Once again he spoke to him, &#8220;What if only forty are found there?&#8221;</div><div class="p">He said, &#8220;For the sake of forty, I will not do it.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 30Then he said, &#8220;May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?&#8221;</div><div class="p">He answered, &#8220;I will not do it if I find thirty there.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 31Abraham said, &#8220;Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?&#8221;</div><div class="p">He said, &#8220;For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 32Then he said, &#8220;May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?&#8221;</div><div class="p">He answered, &#8220;For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 33When the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkPSA">
 <div class="chapter ch5" data-usfm="PSA.5">
 <div class="label">5</div><div class="cl">Psalm 5#In Hebrew texts 5:1-12 is numbered 5:2-13.</div><div class="d">For the director of music. For pipes. A psalm of David.</div><div class="q1"> 1Listen to my words, Lord,</div><div class="q2">consider my lament.</div><div class="q1"> 2Hear my cry for help,</div><div class="q2">my King and my God,</div><div class="q2">for to you I pray.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 3In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice;</div><div class="q2">in the morning I lay my requests before you</div><div class="q2">and wait expectantly.</div><div class="q1"> 4For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness;</div><div class="q2">with you, evil people are not welcome.</div><div class="q1"> 5The arrogant cannot stand</div><div class="q2">in your presence.</div><div class="q1">You hate all who do wrong;</div><div class="q2"> 6you destroy those who tell lies.</div><div class="q1">The bloodthirsty and deceitful</div><div class="q2">you, Lord, detest.</div><div class="q1"> 7But I, by your great love,</div><div class="q2">can come into your house;</div><div class="q1">in reverence I bow down</div><div class="q2">toward your holy temple.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 8Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness</div><div class="q2">because of my enemies&#8212;</div><div class="q2">make your way straight before me.</div><div class="q1"> 9Not a word from their mouth can be trusted;</div><div class="q2">their heart is filled with malice.</div><div class="q1">Their throat is an open grave;</div><div class="q2">with their tongues they tell lies.</div><div class="q1"> 10Declare them guilty, O God!</div><div class="q2">Let their intrigues be their downfall.</div><div class="q1">Banish them for their many sins,</div><div class="q2">for they have rebelled against you.</div><div class="q1"> 11But let all who take refuge in you be glad;</div><div class="q2">let them ever sing for joy.</div><div class="q1">Spread your protection over them,</div><div class="q2">that those who love your name may rejoice in you.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 12Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous;</div><div class="q2">you surround them with your favor as with a shield.</div>
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