Daily Bible GNT March 16 Scroll

The Demand for a Miracle
(Mark 8.11-13; Luke 12.54-56)

Matthew 16 Some Pharisees and Sadducees who came to Jesus wanted to trap him, so they asked him to perform a miracle for them, to show that God approved of him. ²But Jesus answered, "When the sun is setting, you say, 'We are going to have fine weather, because the sky is red.' ³And early in the morning you say, 'It is going to rain, because the sky is red and dark.' You can predict the weather by looking at the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs concerning these times! ⁴How evil and godless are the people of this day! You ask me for a miracle? No! The only miracle you will be given is the miracle of Jonah."

So he left them and went away.

The Yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees
(Mark 8.14-21)

⁵When the disciples crossed over to the other side of the lake, they forgot to take any bread. ⁶Jesus said to them, "Take care; be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."

⁷They started discussing among themselves, "He says this because we didn't bring any bread."

⁸Jesus knew what they were saying, so he asked them, "Why are you discussing among yourselves about not having any bread? What little faith you have! ⁹Don't you understand yet? Don't you remember when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand men? How many baskets did you fill? ¹⁰And what about the seven loaves for the four thousand men? How many baskets did you fill? ¹¹How is it that you don't understand that I was not talking to you about bread? Guard yourselves from the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!"

¹²Then the disciples understood that he was not warning them to guard themselves from the yeast used in bread but from the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Peter's Declaration about Jesus
(Mark 8.27-30; Luke 9.18-21)

¹³Jesus went to the territory near the town of Caesarea Philippi, where he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"

¹⁴"Some say John the Baptist," they answered. "Others say Elijah, while others say Jeremiah or some other prophet."

¹⁵"What about you?" he asked them. "Who do you say I am?"

¹⁶Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."

¹⁷"Good for you, Simon son of John!" answered Jesus. "For this truth did not come to you from any human being, but it was given to you directly by my Father in heaven. ¹⁸And so I tell you, Peter: you are a rock, and on this rock foundation I will build my church, and not even death will ever be able to overcome it. ¹⁹I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of heaven; what you prohibit on earth will be prohibited in heaven, and what you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven."

²⁰Then Jesus ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

Jesus Speaks about His Suffering and Death
(Mark 8.31--9.1; Luke 9.22-27)

²¹From that time on Jesus began to say plainly to his disciples, "I must go to Jerusalem and suffer much from the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law. I will be put to death, but three days later I will be raised to life."

²²Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "God forbid it, Lord!" he said. "That must never happen to you!"

²³Jesus turned around and said to Peter, "Get away from me, Satan! You are an obstacle in my way, because these thoughts of yours don't come from God, but from human nature."

²⁴Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If any of you want to come with me, you must forget yourself, carry your cross, and follow me. ²⁵For if you want to save your own life, you will lose it; but if you lose your life for my sake, you will find it. ²⁶Will you gain anything if you win the whole world but lose your life? Of course not! There is nothing you can give to regain your life. ²⁷For the Son of Man is about to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will reward each one according to his deeds. ²⁸I assure you that there are some here who will not die until they have seen the Son of Man come as King."

The First Census of Israel

Numbers 1 On the first day of the second month in the second year after the people of Israel left Egypt, the LORD spoke to Moses there in the Tent of his presence in the Sinai Desert. He said, ²"You and Aaron are to take a census of the people of Israel by clans and families. List the names of all the men ³twenty years old or older who are fit for military service. ⁴Ask one clan chief from each tribe to help you." ^5-16These are the men, leaders within their tribes, who were chosen from the community for this work:

Tribe --- Clan chief

Reuben --- Elizur son of Shedeur
Simeon --- Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai
Judah --- Nahshon son of Amminadab
Issachar --- Nethanel son of Zuar
Zebulun --- Eliab son of Helon
Ephraim --- Elishama son of Ammihud
Manasseh --- Gamaliel son of Pedahzur
Benjamin --- Abidan son of Gideoni
Dan --- Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai
Asher --- Pagiel son of Ochran
Gad --- Eliasaph son of Deuel
Naphtali --- Ahira son of Enan

¹⁷With the help of these twelve men Moses and Aaron ¹⁸called together the whole community on the first day of the second month and registered all the people by clans and families. The names of all the men twenty years old or older were recorded and counted, ¹⁹as the LORD had commanded. In the Sinai Desert, Moses registered the people. ^20-46The men twenty years old or older who were fit for military service were registered by name according to clan and family, beginning with the tribe of Reuben, Jacob's oldest son. The totals were as follows:

Tribe --- Number

Reuben --- 46,500
Simeon --- 59,300
Gad --- 46,650
Judah --- 74,600
Issachar --- 54,400
Zebulun --- 57,400
Ephraim --- 40,500
Manasseh --- 32,200
Benjamin --- 35,400
Dan --- 62,700
Asher --- 41,500
Naphtali --- 53,400

Total: --- 603,550

⁴⁷The Levites were not registered with the other tribes, ⁴⁸because the LORD had said to Moses, ⁴⁹"When you take a census of the men fit for military service, do not include the tribe of Levi. ⁵⁰Instead, put the Levites in charge of the Tent of my presence and all its equipment. They shall carry it and its equipment, serve in it, and set up their camp around it. ⁵¹Whenever you move your camp, the Levites shall take the Tent down and set it up again at each new campsite. Anyone else who comes near the Tent shall be put to death. ⁵²The rest of the Israelites shall set up camp, company by company, each man with his own group and under his own banner. ⁵³But the Levites shall camp around the Tent to guard it, so that no one may come near and cause my anger to strike the community of Israel." ⁵⁴So the people of Israel did everything that the LORD had commanded Moses.

The Arrangement of the Tribes in Camp

Numbers 2 The LORD gave Moses and Aaron the following instructions. ²When the Israelites set up camp, each man will camp under the banner of his division and the flag of his own clan. The camp is to be set up all around the Tent.

^3-9On the east side, those under the banner of the division of Judah shall camp in their groups, under their leaders, as follows:

Tribe --- Leader --- Number

Judah --- Nahshon son of Amminadab --- 74,600
Issachar --- Nethanel son of Zuar --- 54,400
Zebulun --- Eliab son of Helon --- 57,400

Total: --- 186,400

The division of Judah shall march first.

^10-16On the south, those under the banner of the division of Reuben shall camp in their groups, under their leaders, as follows:

Tribe --- Leader --- Number

Reuben --- Elizur son of Shedeur --- 46,500
Simeon --- Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai --- 59,300
Gad --- Eliasaph son of Deuel --- 45,650

Total: --- 151,450

The division of Reuben shall march second.

¹⁷Then, between the first two divisions and the last two the Levites are to march carrying the Tent. Each division shall march in the same order as they camp, each in position under its banner.

^18-24On the west, those under the banner of the division of Ephraim shall camp in their groups, under their leaders, as follows:

Tribe --- Leader --- Number

Ephraim --- Elishama son of Ammihud --- 40,500
Manasseh --- Gamaliel son of Pedahzur --- 32,200
Benjamin --- Abidan son of Gideoni --- 35,400

Total: --- 108,100

The division of Ephraim shall march third.

^25-31On the north, those under the banner of the division of Dan shall camp in their groups, under their leaders, as follows:

Tribe --- Leader --- Number

Dan --- Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai --- 62,700
Asher --- Pagiel son of Ochran --- 41,500
Naphtali --- Ahira son of Enan --- 53,400

Total: --- 157,600

The division of Dan shall march last.

³²The total number of the people of Israel enrolled in the divisions, group by group, was 603,550. ³³As the LORD had commanded Moses, the Levites were not registered with the rest of the Israelites.

³⁴So the people of Israel did everything the LORD had commanded Moses. They camped, each under his own banner, and they marched, each with his own clan.

A Time for Everything

Ecclesiastes 3 Everything that happens in this world happens at the time God chooses.

²He sets the time for birth and the time for death,

the time for planting and the time for pulling up,

³the time for killing and the time for healing,

the time for tearing down and the time for building.

⁴He sets the time for sorrow and the time for joy,

the time for mourning and the time for dancing,

⁵the time for making love and the time for not making love,

the time for kissing and the time for not kissing.

⁶He sets the time for finding and the time for losing,

the time for saving and the time for throwing away,

⁷the time for tearing and the time for mending,

the time for silence and the time for talk.

⁸He sets the time for love and the time for hate,

the time for war and the time for peace.

⁹What do we gain from all our work? ¹⁰I know the heavy burdens that God has laid on us. ¹¹He has set the right time for everything. He has given us a desire to know the future, but never gives us the satisfaction of fully understanding what he does. ¹²So I realized that all we can do is be happy and do the best we can while we are still alive. ¹³All of us should eat and drink and enjoy what we have worked for. It is God's gift.

¹⁴I know that everything God does will last forever. You can't add anything to it or take anything away from it. And one thing God does is to make us stand in awe of him. ¹⁵Whatever happens or can happen has already happened before. God makes the same thing happen again and again.

This reading is from The Holy Bible, Today's English Version, Second Edition copyright © American Bible Society, 1992;
Old Testament copyright © American Bible Society, 1976, 1992; New Testament © American Bible Society, 1966, 1971, 1976, 1992.

These daily Bible readings from the Good News Translation (GNT), formerly the Today's English Version (TEV), are published by BibleNetUSA. The web site and BibleCard® designs are by iCreative. All BibleCard® images are copyrighted by iCreative. All rights reserved.