Acts Reading Plan

Pawprints & Prayers: Devotions for Dog Lovers

When God Says No!

The Last Half Hour: When Waiting Becomes Glory

See God’s Peace: 3 Days of Visio Divina

The Journey of Yes

Dog Dad Devotions on Leadership, Loyalty and Love

A Brighter Future: A 5-Day Devotional

God Gives Good Gifts to Everyone

Living With a Strong-Willed Child

The Listener’s Bible®: NIV Edition

New International Version™  (Anglicised), Audio Edition

Holy Bible, New International Version™ (Anglicised), South Asian Audio Edition

<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkMAT">
 <div class="chapter ch12" data-usfm="MAT.12">
 <div class="label">12</div><div class="s1">Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath</div><div class="p"> 1At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. 2When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, &#8220;Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 3He answered, &#8220;Haven&#8217;t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread&#8212;which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. 5Or haven&#8217;t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent? 6I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. 7If you had known what these words mean, &#8216;I desire mercy, not sacrifice,&#8217;#12:7 Hosea 6:6 you would not have condemned the innocent. 8For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 9Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, 10and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to bring charges against Jesus, they asked him, &#8220;Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 11He said to them, &#8220;If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? 12How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 13Then he said to the man, &#8220;Stretch out your hand.&#8221; So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other. 14But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.</div><div class="s1">God&#8217;s Chosen Servant</div><div class="p"> 15Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. A large crowd followed him, and he healed all who were ill. 16He warned them not to tell others about him. 17This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:</div><div class="q1"> 18&#8220;Here is my servant whom I have chosen,</div><div class="q2">the one I love, in whom I delight;</div><div class="q1">I will put my Spirit on him,</div><div class="q2">and he will proclaim justice to the nations.</div><div class="q1"> 19He will not quarrel or cry out;</div><div class="q2">no one will hear his voice in the streets.</div><div class="q1"> 20A bruised reed he will not break,</div><div class="q2">and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out,</div><div class="q1">till he has brought justice through to victory.</div><div class="q2"> 21In his name the nations will put their hope.&#8221;#12:21 Isaiah 42:1-4</div><div class="s1">Jesus and Beelzebul</div><div class="p"> 22Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. 23All the people were astonished and said, &#8220;Could this be the Son of David?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 24But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, &#8220;It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 25Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, &#8220;Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. 26If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? 27And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. 28But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.</div><div class="p"> 29 &#8220;Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man&#8217;s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.</div><div class="p"> 30 &#8220;Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 31And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.</div><div class="p"> 33 &#8220;Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. 34You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. 35A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. 36But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. 37For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">The Sign of Jonah</div><div class="p"> 38Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, &#8220;Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 39He answered, &#8220;A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here. 42The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon&#8217;s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here.</div><div class="p"> 43 &#8220;When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. 44Then it says, &#8216;I will return to the house I left.&#8217; When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. 45Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">Jesus&#8217; Mother and Brothers</div><div class="p"> 46While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. 47Someone told him, &#8220;Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 48He replied to him, &#8220;Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?&#8221; 49Pointing to his disciples, he said, &#8220;Here are my mother and my brothers. 50For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.&#8221;</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkMAT">
 <div class="chapter ch14" data-usfm="MAT.14">
 <div class="label">14</div><div class="s1">John the Baptist Beheaded</div><div class="p"> 1At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus, 2and he said to his attendants, &#8220;This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 3Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip&#8217;s wife, 4for John had been saying to him: &#8220;It is not lawful for you to have her.&#8221; 5Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered John a prophet.</div><div class="p"> 6On Herod&#8217;s birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for the guests and pleased Herod so much 7that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. 8Prompted by her mother, she said, &#8220;Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.&#8221; 9The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted 10and had John beheaded in the prison. 11His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother. 12John&#8217;s disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.</div><div class="s1">Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand</div><div class="p"> 13When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. 14When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.</div><div class="p"> 15As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, &#8220;This is a remote place, and it&#8217;s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 16Jesus replied, &#8220;They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 17&#8220;We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,&#8221; they answered.</div><div class="p"> 18 &#8220;Bring them here to me,&#8221; he said. 19And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.</div><div class="s1">Jesus Walks on the Water</div><div class="p"> 22Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, 24and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.</div><div class="p"> 25Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. &#8220;It&#8217;s a ghost,&#8221; they said, and cried out in fear.</div><div class="p"> 27But Jesus immediately said to them: &#8220;Take courage! It is I. Don&#8217;t be afraid.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 28&#8220;Lord, if it&#8217;s you,&#8221; Peter replied, &#8220;tell me to come to you on the water.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 29 &#8220;Come,&#8221; he said.</div><div class="p">Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, &#8220;Lord, save me!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 31Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. &#8220;You of little faith,&#8221; he said, &#8220;why did you doubt?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 32And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, &#8220;Truly you are the Son of God.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 34When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. 35And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him 36and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkMAT">
 <div class="chapter ch15" data-usfm="MAT.15">
 <div class="label">15</div><div class="s1">That Which Defiles</div><div class="p"> 1Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, 2&#8220;Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don&#8217;t wash their hands before they eat!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 3Jesus replied, &#8220;And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? 4For God said, &#8216;Honor your father and mother&#8217;#15:4 Exodus 20:12; Deut. 5:16 and &#8216;Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.&#8217;#15:4 Exodus 21:17; Lev. 20:9 5But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is &#8216;devoted to God,&#8217; 6they are not to &#8216;honor their father or mother&#8217; with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:</div><div class="q1"> 8 &#8220;&#8198;&#8216;These people honor me with their lips,</div><div class="q2"> but their hearts are far from me.</div><div class="q1"> 9 They worship me in vain;</div><div class="q2"> their teachings are merely human rules.&#8217; # 15:9 
 Isaiah 29:13
 &#8221;</div><div class="p"> 10Jesus called the crowd to him and said, &#8220;Listen and understand. 11What goes into someone&#8217;s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 12Then the disciples came to him and asked, &#8220;Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 13He replied, &#8220;Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. 14Leave them; they are blind guides.#15:14 Some manuscripts blind guides of the blind If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 15Peter said, &#8220;Explain the parable to us.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 16 &#8220;Are you still so dull?&#8221; Jesus asked them. 17&#8220;Don&#8217;t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18But the things that come out of a person&#8217;s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. 19For out of the heart come evil thoughts&#8212;murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">The Faith of a Canaanite Woman</div><div class="p"> 21Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, &#8220;Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 23Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, &#8220;Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 24He answered, &#8220;I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 25The woman came and knelt before him. &#8220;Lord, help me!&#8221; she said.</div><div class="p"> 26He replied, &#8220;It is not right to take the children&#8217;s bread and toss it to the dogs.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 27&#8220;Yes it is, Lord,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master&#8217;s table.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 28Then Jesus said to her, &#8220;Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.&#8221; And her daughter was healed at that moment.</div><div class="s1">Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand</div><div class="p"> 29Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. 30Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. 31The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.</div><div class="p"> 32Jesus called his disciples to him and said, &#8220;I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 33His disciples answered, &#8220;Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 34 &#8220;How many loaves do you have?&#8221; Jesus asked.</div><div class="p">&#8220;Seven,&#8221; they replied, &#8220;and a few small fish.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 35He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. 36Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. 37They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 38The number of those who ate was four thousand men, besides women and children. 39After Jesus had sent the crowd away, he got into the boat and went to the vicinity of Magadan.</div>
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