Matthew 22:15-22
Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap Jesus in what he said. So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and show favor to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"
But Jesus, perceiving their malice, said, "Why put me to the test, you ,hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax." And they brought him a denarius. Then he asked them, "Whose image and inscription is this?" They answered, "Caesar’s." Then he said to them, "Give back to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s." When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.
Isaiah 45:1-7
Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus,
whose right hand I have grasped
to conquer nations before him
and uncover the loins of kings,
to open doors before him
and gates that will never be shut.
I will go before you
and level the exalted places.
I will break in pieces the doors of bronze
and cut t down the bars of iron,
I will give you the treasures of darkness
and riches hidden in secret places,
so that you may know that it is I, the LORD,
who call you by your name,
even the God of Israel.
For the sake of my servant Jacob,
and Israel my chosen,
I call you by your name,
I have named you, though you do not know me.
I am the LORD, and there is no other;
besides me there are no other gods.
I clothed you, though you do not know me,
so that they may know, from the rising of the sun
and from the west, there is no one besides me;
I am the LORD, and there is no other.
I form light and create darkness,
I make peace and create evil;
I the LORD do all these things.
Matthew 22:1-14
And Jesus answered and spoke to them once more in parables, saying: "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a certain king who made a marriage for his son. He sent out his slaves to call those who were bidden to the wedding, but they would not come.
Again he sent out other slaves, saying, `Tell those who have been summoned: Behold, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the marriage!’
But they made light of it and went their own ways, one to his farm, another to his business, and the ones remaining rest seized his slaves, abused them, and killed them. And when the king heard, he was enraged. He dispatched his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.
Then he said to his slaves, `The wedding is ready, but those who were bidden were not worthy. Go therefore into the highways and invite as many as you find to the wedding.’ So those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. In this way so the wedding was furnished with guests.
"But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who was not wearing a wedding garment. And he said to him, `Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless.
Then the king said to the attendants, `Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen."
Philippians 4:1-9
My brothers and sisters, dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.
I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. And I ask you also, my true partner, help these women, who have struggled beside me in the work of the gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life.
Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to all. The Lord is at hand. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which is above all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have both learned and received and heard and seen in me, do these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
Exodus 32:1-14
When the people saw that Moses was delayed from descending the mountain, they gathered around Aaron, and said to him, "Rise up! Make us a god, who shall walk before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him."
Aaron said to them, "Take the gold rings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me." All the people took off the gold rings from their ears, and brought them to Aaron. He took the gold from their hands, fashioned it with a graving tool, and cast an image of a calf. They said, "This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!"
When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of it; and Aaron proclaimed, "Tomorrow will be a festival to the LORD." They rose early the next day, and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and then rose up to revel.
The LORD said to Moses, "Go down at once! For your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, are corrupt. They have quickly turned from the way that I commanded them. They have made a molten calf for themselves and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, `This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’" The LORD said to Moses, "I have seen this people, and behold, how stiff-necked they are. Now leave me alone, so that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them; and I will make of you a great nation."
But Moses implored the LORD his God, and said, "LORD, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, `With evil intent he brought them out to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning anger and repent of this evil against your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, how you swore to them by your own self, saying to them, `I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and I will give to your descendants all this land that I have promised, and they shall inherit it forever.’"
And the LORD repented of the evil which he had said he would to do to his people.
Genesis 22:1-19
And it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham and said to him, `Abraham!’ And he answered, `Here I am.’ He said, `Please take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love (your heart’s delight), and travel to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I will show you.’
So Abraham rose early the next morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his servants with him, and his son Isaac. He split the wood for the burnt offering, and set out and went to the place that God had shown him. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place from afar. Then Abraham said to his servants, `Stay here with the donkey; the boy and I will go up there; we will worship, and then we will return to you.’
Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac. He himself carried the fire and the knife; and the two of them walked on together. Then Isaac said to his father Abraham, `Father!’ And he answered, `Here I am, my son.’ Isaac said, `Here are the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?’ Abraham said, `God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.’ And the two of them walked on together.
When they came to the place that God had shown him, Abraham built an altar there and laid out the wood; he bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But an angel of the LORD called to him from heaven, and said, `Abraham, Abraham!’ And he said, `Here I am.’ He said, `Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only beloved son from me.’ And when Abraham looked up, he saw a ram behind him, caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering in the place of his son. And Abraham named the place Yahweh-yired (The LORD will provide); as it is said to this day, `On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided.’
The angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven, and said, `By Myself I swear, says the LORD: Because you have done this, and have not withheld your son, your only son, whom you love, I will indeed bless you, and I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven and the sands on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. And through your descendants, all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.’ Abraham then returned to his servants, and they departed together for Beer-sheba; and Abraham lived at Beer-sheba.
Matthew 1
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The book of the lineage of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham,
Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Aram, and Aram the father of Aminadab, and Aminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David.
And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time they were taken away to Babylon.
And after they were taken away to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Salathiel, and Salathiel the father of Zerubbabel, and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
So all the generations from Abraham to David: fourteen generations; and from David to the taking away into Babylon: fourteen generations; and from the taking away into Babylon to the Messiah: fourteen generations.
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they lived together, she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. But her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, intended to divorce her secretly.
But while he pondered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. Moreover, she will give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
Now all this came to pass took place so that what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet would be fulfilled: “Behold, a virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means, “God is with us.”
And Joseph, being awakened from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had enjoined him, and took her as his wife. But he but had no sexual relations with her until she had given birth to her firstborn son; and he named him Jesus.
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Genesis 1:1-31
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was unformed and empty, with darkness over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters.
And God said, “Let there be light,” and light came into being. God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day and the darkness Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
And God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” And God made the expanse and divided the waters which were above the expanse from the waters that were below the expanse, and so it came to pass. God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
And God said, “Let the waters under heaven be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And so it came to pass. God called the dry land Earth; and the gathered waters, he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
And God said, “Let the earth sprout grass, plant yielding seed, and fruit trees producing fruit in which is their seed, each after its kind, upon the earth. And so it came to pass. The earth sprouted grass, plant yielding seed after its kind, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, after its kind. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.
And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to divide the day from the night, and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years. And let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth. And so it came it pass.
And God fashioned two great lights – the greater light to rule the day and the smaller light to rule the night; and the stars. And God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
And God said, “Let the waters swarm with multitudes of living creatures, and let birds fly over the earth and across the face of the expanse of the heavens. And God created great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, and with which the waters teem, after its own kind, and every winged bird after its kind. And God saw that it was good.
And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas and let birds multiply on the earth. And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.
And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kinds: cattle, creeping things, and beasts of the earth after their kinds, and so it came to pass. And God created the beasts of the earth after their kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creeps upon the earth after its kind. And God saw that it was good.
And God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, and let them rule over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth. And so God created humankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them: male and female he created them.
And God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it. And have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves on the earth.
And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant bearing seed which is upon the face of the earth and every tree with seed in its fruit. To you it shall be for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to every thing that creeps upon the earth, every thing that has a living soul, I have given every green plant for food.” And so it came to pass.
And God saw all that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
Genesis 3:1-7
The Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work and attend to it. The Lord God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree in the garden you may freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat, for on the day you eat of it you shall surely die."
Now the serpent was more cunning than any land animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden?’" And the woman said to the serpent, "God said, ‘We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, you shall not eat, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.
But the serpent said to the woman, "You shall not surely die, for God knows that on the day you eat of it, you eyes shall be opened, and you shall become like God, knowing good and evil.
The woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasing to the eyes, and a tree to be coveted to make one wise; she took from its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. The eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. They sewed fig leaves together and made themselves clothes.
