Daily Readings for January 1
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Genesis 1

 

1.In the beginning God¹ created the heavens and the earth. 2.Now the earth was formless and empty. Darkness was on the surface of the deep. God's Spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters.

3.God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 4.God saw the light, and saw that it was good. God divided the light from the darkness. 5.God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." There was evening and there was morning, one day.

6.God said, "Let there be an expanse in the middle of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters." 7.God made the expanse, and divided the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so. 8.God called the expanse "sky." There was evening and there was morning, a second day.

9.God said, "Let the waters under the sky be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear;" and it was so. 10.God called the dry land "earth," and the gathering together of the waters he called "seas." God saw that it was good. 11.God said, "Let the earth yield grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit after their kind, with its seed in it, on the earth;" and it was so. 12.The earth yielded grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, with its seed in it, after their kind; and God saw that it was good. 13.There was evening and there was morning, a third day.

14.God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of sky to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years; 15.and let them be for lights in the expanse of sky to give light on the earth;" and it was so. 16.God made the two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He also made the stars. 17.God set them in the expanse of sky to give light to the earth, 18.and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. God saw that it was good. 19.There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.

20.God said, "Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of sky." 21.God created the large sea creatures, and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed, after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind. God saw that it was good. 22.God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." 23.There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.

24.God said, "Let the earth produce living creatures after their kind, livestock, creeping things, and animals of the earth after their kind;" and it was so. 25.God made the animals of the earth after their kind, and the livestock after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind. God saw that it was good.

26.God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." 27.God created man in his own image. In God's image he created him; male and female he created them. 28.God blessed them. God said to them, "Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth." 29.God said, "Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree, which bears fruit yielding seed. It will be your food. 30.To every animal of the earth, and to every bird of the sky, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food;" and it was so.

31.God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. There was evening and there was morning, a sixth day.

 

Genesis 2

 

1.The heavens and the earth were finished, and all their vast array. 2.On the seventh day God finished his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 3.God blessed the seventh day, and made it holy, because he rested in it from all his work which he had created and made.

4.This is the history of the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that Yahweh² God made the earth and the heavens. 5.No plant of the field was yet in the earth, and no herb of the field had yet sprung up; for Yahweh God had not caused it to rain on the earth. There was not a man to till the ground, 6.but a mist went up from the earth, and watered the whole surface of the ground. 7.Yahweh God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. 8.Yahweh God planted a garden eastward, in Eden, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9.Out of the ground Yahweh God made every tree to grow that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the middle of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10.A river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it was parted, and became four heads. 11.The name of the first is Pishon: this is the one which flows through the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; 12.and the gold of that land is good. There is aromatic resin and the onyx stone. 13.The name of the second river is Gihon: the same river that flows through the whole land of Cush. 14.The name of the third river is Hiddekel: this is the one which flows in front of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates. 15.Yahweh God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. 16.Yahweh God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17.but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it; for in the day that you eat of it you will surely die."

18.Yahweh God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him." 19.Out of the ground Yahweh God formed every animal of the field, and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. Whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20.The man gave names to all livestock, and to the birds of the sky, and to every animal of the field; but for man there was not found a helper suitable for him. 21.Yahweh God caused a deep sleep to fall on the man, and he slept; and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. 22.He made the rib, which Yahweh God had taken from the man, into a woman, and brought her to the man. 23.The man said, "This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh. She will be called 'woman,' because she was taken out of Man." 24.Therefore a man will leave his father and his mother, and will join with his wife, and they will be one flesh. 25.They were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

 

Psalm 1

 

1.Blessed is the man who doesn't walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers; 2.but his delight is in Yahweh's¹ law. On his law he meditates day and night. 3.He will be like a tree planted by the streams of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also does not wither. Whatever he does shall prosper. 4.The wicked are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away. 5.Therefore the wicked shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6.For Yahweh knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked shall perish.

 

Psalm 2

 

1.Why do the nations rage, and the peoples plot a vain thing? 2.The kings of the earth take a stand, and the rulers take counsel together, against Yahweh, and against his Anointed,² saying, 3."Let's break their bonds apart, and cast their cords from us." 4.He who sits in the heavens will laugh. The Lord³ will have them in derision. 5.Then he will speak to them in his anger, and terrify them in his wrath: 6."Yet I have set my King on my holy hill of Zion." 7.I will tell of the decree. Yahweh said to me, "You are my son. Today I have become your father. 8.Ask of me, and I will give the nations for your inheritance, the uttermost parts of the earth for your possession. 9.You shall break them with a rod of iron. You shall dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel." 10.Now therefore be wise, you kings. Be instructed, you judges of the earth. 11.Serve Yahweh with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12.Give sincere homage to the Son⁴, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath will soon be kindled. Blessed are all those who take refuge in him.

 

Matthew 1

 

1.The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ¹, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 2.Abraham became the father of Isaac. Isaac became the father of Jacob. Jacob became the father of Judah and his brothers. 3.Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar. Perez became the father of Hezron. Hezron became the father of Ram. 4.Ram became the father of Amminadab. Amminadab became the father of Nahshon. Nahshon became the father of Salmon. 5.Salmon became the father of Boaz by Rahab. Boaz became the father of Obed by Ruth. Obed became the father of Jesse. 6.Jesse became the father of King David. David became the father of Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah. 7.Solomon became the father of Rehoboam. Rehoboam became the father of Abijah. Abijah became the father of Asa. 8.Asa became the father of Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat became the father of Joram. Joram became the father of Uzziah. 9.Uzziah became the father of Jotham. Jotham became the father of Ahaz. Ahaz became the father of Hezekiah. 10.Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh. Manasseh became the father of Amon. Amon became the father of Josiah. 11.Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the exile to Babylon. 12.After the exile to Babylon, Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel. Shealtiel became the father of Zerubbabel. 13.Zerubbabel became the father of Abiud. Abiud became the father of Eliakim. Eliakim became the father of Azor. 14.Azor became the father of Sadoc. Sadoc became the father of Achim. Achim became the father of Eliud. 15.Eliud became the father of Eleazar. Eleazar became the father of Matthan. Matthan became the father of Jacob. 16.Jacob became the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, from whom was born Jesus², who is called Christ. 17.So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; from David to the exile to Babylon fourteen generations; and from the carrying away to Babylon to the Christ, fourteen generations.

18.Now the birth of Jesus Christ was like this; for after his mother, Mary, was engaged to Joseph, before they came together, she was found pregnant by the Holy Spirit. 19.Joseph, her husband, being a righteous man, and not willing to make her a public example, intended to put her away secretly. 20.But when he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, don't be afraid to take to yourself Mary, your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21.She shall bring forth a son. You shall call his name Jesus, for it is he who shall save his people from their sins."

22.Now all this has happened, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, 23."Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son. They shall call his name Immanuel;" which is, being interpreted, "God with us."³

24.Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took his wife to himself; 25.and didn't know her sexually until she had brought forth her firstborn son. He named him Jesus.

 

Matthew 2

 

1.Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, behold, wise men⁴ from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, 2."Where is he who is born King of the Jews? For we saw his star in the east, and have come to worship him." 3.When King Herod heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4.Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he asked them where the Christ would be born. 5.They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for this is written through the prophet, 6.'You Bethlehem, land of Judah, are in no way least among the princes of Judah: for out of you shall come forth a governor, who shall shepherd my people, Israel.'"⁵

7.Then Herod secretly called the wise men, and learned from them exactly what time the star appeared. 8.He sent them to Bethlehem, and said, "Go and search diligently for the young child. When you have found him, bring me word, so that I also may come and worship him."

9.They, having heard the king, went their way; and behold, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, until it came and stood over where the young child was. 10.When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11.They came into the house and saw the young child with Mary, his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Opening their treasures, they offered to him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12.Being warned in a dream that they shouldn't return to Herod, they went back to their own country another way.

13.Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Arise and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him."

14.He arose and took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt, 15.and was there until the death of Herod; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, "Out of Egypt I called my son."⁶

16.Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked by the wise men, was exceedingly angry, and sent out, and killed all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all the surrounding countryside, from two years old and under, according to the exact time which he had learned from the wise men. 17.Then that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying, 18."A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; she wouldn't be comforted, because they are no more."⁷

19.But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, 20."Arise and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel, for those who sought the young child's life are dead."

21.He arose and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. 22.But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in the place of his father, Herod, he was afraid to go there. Being warned in a dream, he withdrew into the region of Galilee, 23.and came and lived in a city called Nazareth; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophets: "He will be called a Nazarene."

 

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