Daily Bible GNT March 28 Scroll

Jesus Warns against the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees
(Mark 12.38, 39; Luke 11.43, 46; 20.45, 46)

Matthew 23 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples. ²"The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees are the authorized interpreters of Moses' Law. ³So you must obey and follow everything they tell you to do; do not, however, imitate their actions, because they don't practice what they preach. ⁴They tie onto people's backs loads that are heavy and hard to carry, yet they aren't willing even to lift a finger to help them carry those loads. ⁵They do everything so that people will see them. Look at the straps with scripture verses on them which they wear on their foreheads and arms, and notice how large they are! Notice also how long are the tassels on their cloaks! ⁶They love the best places at feasts and the reserved seats in the synagogues; ⁷they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to have people call them 'Teacher.' ⁸You must not be called 'Teacher,' because you are all equal and have only one Teacher. ⁹And you must not call anyone here on earth 'Father,' because you have only the one Father in heaven. ¹⁰Nor should you be called 'Leader,' because your one and only leader is the Messiah. ¹¹The greatest one among you must be your servant. ¹²Whoever makes himself great will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be made great.

Balaam's First Prophecy

Numbers 22⁴¹The next morning Balak took Balaam up to Bamoth Baal, from where Balaam could see a part of the people of Israel.
Numbers 23 ¹He said to Balak, "Build seven altars here for me, and bring me seven bulls and seven rams."

²Balak did as he was told, and he and Balaam offered a bull and a ram on each altar. ³Then Balaam said to Balak, "Stand here by your burnt offering, while I go to see whether or not the LORD will meet me. I will tell you whatever he reveals to me." So he went alone to the top of a hill, ⁴and God met him. Balaam said to him, "I have built the seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each."

⁵The LORD told Balaam what to say and sent him back to Balak to give him his message. ⁶So he went back and found Balak still standing by his burnt offering with all the leaders of Moab.

⁷Balaam uttered this prophecy:

"Balak king of Moab has brought me

From Syria, from the eastern mountains.

'Come speak for me,' he said.

'Put a curse on the people of Israel.'

⁸How can I curse what God has not cursed,

Or speak of doom when the LORD has not?

⁹From the high rocks I can see them;

I can watch them from the hills.

They are a nation that lives alone;

They know they are blessed more than other nations.

¹⁰The descendants of Israel are like the dust--

There are too many of them to be counted.

Let me end my days like one of God's people;

Let me die in peace like the righteous."

¹¹Then Balak said to Balaam, "What have you done to me? I brought you here to curse my enemies, but all you have done is bless them."

¹²He answered, "I can say only what the LORD tells me to say."

Balaam's Second Prophecy

¹³Then Balak said to Balaam, "Come with me to another place from which you can see only some of the Israelites. Curse them for me from there." ¹⁴He took him to the field of Zophim on the top of Mount Pisgah. There also he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each of them.

¹⁵Balaam said to Balak, "Stand here by your burnt offering, and I will meet God over there."

¹⁶The LORD met Balaam, told him what to say, and sent him back to Balak to give him his message. ¹⁷So he went back and found Balak still standing by his burnt offering, with the leaders of Moab. Balak asked what the LORD had said, ¹⁸and Balaam uttered this prophecy:

"Come, Balak son of Zippor,

And listen to what I have to say.

¹⁹God is not like people, who lie;

He is not a human who changes his mind.

Whatever he promises, he does;

He speaks, and it is done.

²⁰I have been instructed to bless,

And when God blesses, I cannot call it back.

²¹I foresee that Israel's future

Will bring her no misfortune or trouble.

The LORD their God is with them;

They proclaim that he is their king.

²²God has brought them out of Egypt;

He fights for them like a wild ox.

²³There is no magic charm, no witchcraft,

That can be used against the nation of Israel.

Now people will say about Israel,

'Look what God has done!'

²⁴The nation of Israel is like a mighty lion:

It doesn't rest until it has torn and devoured,

Until it has drunk the blood of those it has killed."

²⁵Then Balak said to Balaam, "You refuse to curse the people of Israel, but at least don't bless them!"

²⁶Balaam answered, "Didn't I tell you that I had to do everything that the LORD told me?"

The Third Song

The Woman Song of Songs 3 ⁶What is this coming from the desert like a column of smoke,

fragrant with incense and myrrh,

the incense sold by the traders?

⁷Solomon is coming, carried on his throne;

sixty soldiers form the bodyguard,

the finest soldiers in Israel.

⁸All of them are skillful with the sword;

they are battle-hardened veterans.

Each of them is armed with a sword,

on guard against a night attack.

⁹King Solomon is carried on a throne

made of the finest wood.

¹⁰Its posts are covered with silver;

over it is cloth embroidered with gold.

Its cushions are covered with purple cloth,

lovingly woven by the women of Jerusalem.

¹¹Women of Zion, come and see King Solomon.

He is wearing the crown that his mother placed on his head

on his wedding day,

on the day of his gladness and joy.

The Man
Song of Songs 4 How beautiful you are, my love!

How your eyes shine with love behind your veil.

Your hair dances like a flock of goats

bounding down the hills of Gilead.

²Your teeth are as white as sheep

that have just been shorn and washed.

Not one of them is missing;

they are all perfectly matched.

³Your lips are like a scarlet ribbon;

how lovely they are when you speak.

Your cheeks glow behind your veil.

⁴Your neck is like the tower of David,

round and smooth,

with a necklace like a thousand shields hung around it.

⁵Your breasts are like gazelles,

twin deer feeding among lilies.

⁶I will stay on the hill of myrrh,

the hill of incense,

until the morning breezes blow

and the darkness disappears.

⁷How beautiful you are, my love;

how perfect you are!

⁸Come with me from the Lebanon Mountains, my bride;

come with me from Lebanon.

Come down from the top of Mount Amana,

from Mount Senir and Mount Hermon,

where the lions and leopards live.

⁹The look in your eyes, my sweetheart and bride,

and the necklace you are wearing

have stolen my heart.

¹⁰Your love delights me,

my sweetheart and bride.

Your love is better than wine;

your perfume more fragrant than any spice.

¹¹The taste of honey is on your lips, my darling;

your tongue is milk and honey for me.

Your clothing has all the fragrance of Lebanon.

¹²My sweetheart, my bride, is a secret garden,

a walled garden, a private spring;

¹³

there the plants flourish.

They grow like an orchard of pomegranate trees

and bear the finest fruits.

There is no lack of henna and nard,

¹⁴

of saffron, calamus, and cinnamon,

or incense of every kind.

Myrrh and aloes grow there

with all the most fragrant perfumes.

¹⁵Fountains water the garden,

streams of flowing water,

brooks gushing down from the Lebanon Mountains.

The Woman

¹⁶Wake up, North Wind.

South Wind, blow on my garden;

fill the air with fragrance.

Let my lover come to his garden

and eat the best of its fruits.

The Man
Song of Songs 5 I have entered my garden,

my sweetheart, my bride.

I am gathering my spices and myrrh;

I am eating my honey and honeycomb;

I am drinking my wine and milk.

The Women

Eat, lovers, and drink

until you are drunk with love!

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.