6th January

¹ And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.² And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.³ And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.⁴ And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.⁵ And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.⁶ And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.⁷ Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.⁸ So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.⁹ Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.¹⁰ These are the generations of Shem: Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood:¹¹ And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.¹² And Arphaxad lived five and thirty years, and begat Salah:¹³ And Arphaxad lived after he begat Salah four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.¹⁴ And Salah lived thirty years, and begat Eber:¹⁵ And Salah lived after he begat Eber four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.¹⁶ And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg:¹⁷ And Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters.¹⁸ And Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu:¹⁹ And Peleg lived after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years, and begat sons and daughters.²⁰ And Reu lived two and thirty years, and begat Serug:²¹ And Reu lived after he begat Serug two hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters.²² And Serug lived thirty years, and begat Nahor:²³ And Serug lived after he begat Nahor two hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.²⁴ And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begat Terah:²⁵ And Nahor lived after he begat Terah an hundred and nineteen years, and begat sons and daughters.²⁶ And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran.²⁷ Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot.²⁸ And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees.²⁹ And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah.³⁰ But Sarai was barren; she had no child.³¹ And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there.³² And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.

¹ Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:² And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:³ And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.⁴ So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.⁵ And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.⁶ And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.⁷ And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.⁸ And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD.⁹ And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south.¹⁰ And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.¹¹ And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon:¹² Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive.¹³ Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.¹⁴ And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair.¹⁵ The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house.¹⁶ And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels.¹⁷ And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram's wife.¹⁸ And Pharaoh called Abram and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife?¹⁹ Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way.²⁰ And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had.

¹ The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.² The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.³ They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.⁴ Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the LORD.⁵ There were they in great fear: for God is in the generation of the righteous.⁶ Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the LORD is his refuge.⁷ Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! when the LORD bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.

¹ Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?² He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.³ He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.⁴ In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the LORD. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.⁵ He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.

¹ Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust.² O my soul, thou hast said unto the LORD, Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee;³ But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight.⁴ Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god: their drink offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips.⁵ The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.⁶ The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.⁷ I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.⁸ I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.⁹ Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.¹⁰ For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.¹¹ Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

¹ When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him.² And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.³ And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.⁴ And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.⁵ And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,⁶ And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.⁷ And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.⁸ The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.⁹ For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.¹⁰ When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.¹¹ And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.¹² But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.¹³ And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.¹⁴ And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, he saw his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever.¹⁵ And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.¹⁶ When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick:¹⁷ That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.¹⁸ Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side.¹⁹ And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.²⁰ And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.²¹ And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.²² But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.²³ And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.²⁴ And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.²⁵ And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.²⁶ And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.²⁷ But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!²⁸ And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.²⁹ And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?³⁰ And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding.³¹ So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine.³² And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters.³³ And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into the city, and told every thing, and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils.³⁴ And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts.