Bible Reading February 22 (World English Bible)
Exodus
3
Exo
3:1 Now Moses was keeping the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law,
the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the back of the
wilderness, and came to God's mountain, to Horeb.
Exo
3:2 The angel of Yahweh appeared to him in a flame of fire out of
the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush burned with
fire, and the bush was not consumed.
Exo
3:3 Moses said, "I will turn aside now, and see this great
sight, why the bush is not burnt."
Exo
3:4 When Yahweh saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him
out of the midst of the bush, and said, "Moses! Moses!" He
said, "Here I am."
Exo
3:5 He said, "Don't come close. Take your sandals off of your
feet, for the place you are standing on is holy ground."
Exo
3:6 Moreover he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of
Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." Moses hid his
face; for he was afraid to look at God.
Exo
3:7 Yahweh said, "I have surely seen the affliction of my
people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their
taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.
Exo
3:8 I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the
Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and large
land, to a land flowing with milk and honey; to the place of the
Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and
the Jebusite.
Exo
3:9 Now, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to me.
Moreover I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress
them.
Exo
3:10 Come now therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh, that you
may bring forth my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt."
Exo
3:11 Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh,
and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?"
Exo
3:12 He said, "Certainly I will be with you. This will be the
token to you, that I have sent you: when you have brought forth the
people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain."
Exo
3:13 Moses said to God, "Behold, when I come to the children of
Israel, and tell them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you;'
and they ask me, 'What is his name?' What should I tell them?"
Exo
3:14 God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM," and he said, "You
shall tell the children of Israel this: 'I AM has sent me to you.' "
Exo
3:15 God said moreover to Moses, "You shall tell the children
of Israel this, 'Yahweh, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham,
the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.' This is
my name forever, and this is my memorial to all generations.
Exo
3:16 Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and tell them,
'Yahweh, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and
of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, "I have surely visited
you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt;
Exo
3:17 and I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of
Egypt to the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the
Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, to a land flowing with milk
and honey." '
Exo
3:18 They will listen to your voice, and you shall come, you and the
elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt, and you shall tell him,
'Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Now please let us
go three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to
Yahweh, our God.'
Exo
3:19 I know that the king of Egypt won't give you permission to go,
no, not by a mighty hand.
Exo
3:20 I will put forth my hand and strike Egypt with all my wonders
which I will do in its midst, and after that he will let you go.
Exo
3:21 I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians,
and it will happen that when you go, you shall not go empty-handed.
Exo
3:22 But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, and of her who
visits her house, jewels of silver, jewels of gold, and clothing; and
you shall put them on your sons, and on your daughters. You shall
despoil the Egyptians.
Matthew 27
Mat 27:1
Now when morning had come, all the chief priests and the elders of
the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death:
Mat 27:2
and they bound him, and led him away, and delivered him up to Pontius
Pilate, the governor.
Mat 27:3
Then Judas, who betrayed him, when he saw that Jesus was condemned,
felt remorse, and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the
chief priests and elders,
Mat 27:4
saying, "I have sinned in that I betrayed innocent blood."
But they said, "What is that to us? You see to it."
Mat 27:5
He threw down the pieces of silver in the sanctuary, and departed. He
went away and hanged himself.
Mat 27:6
The chief priests took the pieces of silver, and said, "It's not
lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is the price of
blood."
Mat 27:7
They took counsel, and bought the potter's field with them, to bury
strangers in.
Mat 27:8
Therefore that field was called "The Field of Blood" to
this day.
Mat 27:9
Then that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was
fulfilled, saying, "They took the thirty pieces of silver, the
price of him upon whom a price had been set, whom some of the
children of Israel priced,
Mat 27:10
and they gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord commanded me."
Mat 27:11
Now Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him,
saying, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus said to him,
"So you say."
Mat 27:12
When he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he answered
nothing.
Mat 27:13
Then Pilate said to him, "Don't you hear how many things they
testify against you?"
Mat 27:14
He gave him no answer, not even one word, so that the governor
marveled greatly.
Mat 27:15
Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release to the
multitude one prisoner, whom they desired.
Mat 27:16
They had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas.
Mat 27:17
When therefore they were gathered together, Pilate said to them,
"Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus, who
is called Christ?"
Mat 27:18
For he knew that because of envy they had delivered him up.
Mat 27:19
While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him,
saying, "Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have
suffered many things this day in a dream because of him."
Mat 27:20
Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the multitudes to ask
for Barabbas, and destroy Jesus.
Mat 27:21
But the governor answered them, "Which of the two do you want me
to release to you?" They said, "Barabbas!"
Mat 27:22
Pilate said to them, "What then shall I do to Jesus, who is
called Christ?" They all said to him, "Let him be
crucified!"
Mat 27:23
But the governor said, "Why? What evil has he done?" But
they cried out exceedingly, saying, "Let him be crucified!"
Mat 27:24
So when Pilate saw that nothing was being gained, but rather that a
disturbance was starting, he took water, and washed his hands before
the multitude, saying, "I am innocent of the blood of this
righteous person. You see to it."
Mat 27:25
All the people answered, "May his blood be on us, and on our
children!"
Mat 27:26
Then he released to them Barabbas, but Jesus he flogged and delivered
to be crucified.
Mat 27:27
Then the governor's soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium, and
gathered the whole garrison together against him.
Mat 27:28
They stripped him, and put a scarlet robe on him.
Mat 27:29
They braided a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and a reed in
his right hand; and they kneeled down before him, and mocked him,
saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!"
Mat 27:30
They spat on him, and took the reed and struck him on the head.
Mat 27:31
When they had mocked him, they took the robe off of him, and put his
clothes on him, and led him away to crucify him.
Mat 27:32
As they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name, and they
compelled him to go with them, that he might carry his cross.
Mat 27:33
They came to a place called "Golgotha," that is to say,
"The place of a skull."
Mat 27:34
They gave him sour wine to drink mixed with gall. When he had tasted
it, he would not drink.
Mat 27:35
When they had crucified him, they divided his clothing among them,
casting lots,
Mat 27:36
and they sat and watched him there.
Mat 27:37
They set up over his head the accusation against him written, "THIS
IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS."
Mat 27:38
Then there were two robbers crucified with him, one on his right hand
and one on the left.
Mat 27:39
Those who passed by blasphemed him, wagging their heads,
Mat 27:40
and saying, "You who destroy the temple, and build it in three
days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the
cross!"
Mat 27:41
Likewise the chief priests also mocking, with the scribes, the
Pharisees, and the elders, said,
Mat 27:42
"He saved others, but he can't save himself. If he is the King
of Israel, let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe
in him.
Mat 27:43
He trusts in God. Let God deliver him now, if he wants him; for he
said, 'I am the Son of God.' "
Mat 27:44
The robbers also who were crucified with him cast on him the same
reproach.
Mat 27:45
Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until
the ninth hour.
Mat 27:46
About the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, "Eli,
Eli, lima sabachthani?" That is, "My God, my God, why have
you forsaken me?"
Mat 27:47
Some of them who stood there, when they heard it, said, "This
man is calling Elijah."
Mat 27:48
Immediately one of them ran, and took a sponge, and filled it with
vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him a drink.
Mat 27:49
The rest said, "Let him be. Let's see whether Elijah comes to
save him."
Mat 27:50
Jesus cried again with a loud voice, and yielded up his spirit.
Mat 27:51
Behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the
bottom. The earth quaked and the rocks were split.
Mat 27:52
The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen
asleep were raised;
Mat 27:53
and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection, they entered into
the holy city and appeared to many.
Mat 27:54
Now the centurion, and those who were with him watching Jesus, when
they saw the earthquake, and the things that were done, feared
exceedingly, saying, "Truly this was the Son of God."
Mat 27:55
Many women were there watching from afar, who had followed Jesus from
Galilee, serving him.
Mat 27:56
Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses,
and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
Mat 27:57
When evening had come, a rich man from Arimathaea, named Joseph, who
himself was also Jesus' disciple came.
Mat 27:58
This man went to Pilate, and asked for Jesus' body. Then Pilate
commanded the body to be given up.
Mat 27:59
Joseph took the body, and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,
Mat 27:60
and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut out in the rock,
and he rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb, and departed.
Mat 27:61
Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the
tomb.
Mat 27:62
Now on the next day, which was the day after the Preparation Day, the
chief priests and the Pharisees were gathered together to Pilate,
Mat 27:63
saying, "Sir, we remember what that deceiver said while he was
still alive: 'After three days I will rise again.'
Mat 27:64
Command therefore that the tomb be made secure until the third day,
lest perhaps his disciples come at night and steal him away, and tell
the people, 'He is risen from the dead;' and the last deception will
be worse than the first."
Mat 27:65
Pilate said to them, "You have a guard. Go, make it as secure as
you can."
Mat 27:66
So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure, sealing the
stone.
Q:
Perhaps
you have fallen victim to the fallacy alluded to by the title of this
article. Creationists spend quite a bit of time countering the claims
being made by those who believe in the Theory of Evolution and the Big
Bang Theory—and rightly so. However, in our haste to show the flaws in
evolutionary theories that contradict the laws of science, the
impression might be left that we believe scientific theories are somehow
unimportant, or are to be rejected and even scoffed at simply because
they are theories. Let’s set the record straight.
One
of the first steps to becoming a good student in school is to learn the
basics: reading, writing, and arithmetic. Students spend hours trying
to master the basics of arithmetic. But it seems that students in grade
school are not the only math masters. A new study indicates that plants
may be exceptional at math as well. Allison Smith and Martin Howard of
the John Innes Center in Norwich suggest that plants perform basic
arithmetic in order to preserve the correct amount of starch during the
night (Ledford, 2013). Heidi Ledford, writing for Nature News,
explained that scientists once thought plants broke down starch at night
time at a fairly constant rate. Experimental results, however, have
shown that plants can vary their rate of starch consumption based on the
number of hours of darkness they experience. Regardless of how many
hours plants sit in darkness, they can regulate their starch use so that
virtually no starch remains when the light returns (2013).
