Biblical readings covering God's covenants
God's covenant with Adam and Eve
Genesis, Chapter 1
The Story of Creation.*
1 In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the eartha— 2* and the earth was without form or
shape, with darkness over the abyss and a mighty wind sweeping over the waters—b 3 Then God said: Let
there be light, and there was light.c 4 God saw that the light was good. God then separated the light from
the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” Evening came, and morning
followed—the first day.* 6 Then God said: Let there be a dome in the middle of the waters, to separate one
body of water from the other. 7 God made the dome,* and it separated the water below the dome from the
water above the dome. And so it happened.d 8 God called the dome “sky.” Evening came, and morning
followed—the second day. 9 Then God said: Let the water under the sky be gathered into a single basin, so
that the dry land may appear. And so it happened: the water under the sky was gathered into its basin, and
the dry land appeared.e 10 God called the dry land “earth,” and the basin of water he called “sea.” God saw
that it was good. 11f Then God said: Let the earth bring forth vegetation: every kind of plant that bears
seed and every kind of fruit tree on earth that bears fruit with its seed in it. And so it happened: 12 the earth
brought forth vegetation: every kind of plant that bears seed and every kind of fruit tree that bears fruit with
its seed in it. God saw that it was good. 13 Evening came, and morning followed—the third day.
14 Then God said: Let there be lights in the dome of the sky, to separate day from night. Let them mark the
seasons, the days and the years,g 15 and serve as lights in the dome of the sky, to illuminate the earth. And
so it happened: 16 God made the two great lights, the greater one to govern the day, and the lesser one to
govern the night, and the stars.h 17 God set them in the dome of the sky, to illuminate the earth, 18 to
govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. God saw that it was good. 19
Evening came, and morning followed—the fourth day. 20i Then God said: Let the water teem with an
abundance of living creatures, and on the earth let birds fly beneath the dome of the sky. 21 God created the
great sea monsters and all kinds of crawling living creatures with which the water teems, and all kinds of
winged birds. God saw that it was good, 22 and God blessed them, saying: Be fertile, multiply, and fill the
water of the seas; and let the birds multiply on the earth. j 23 Evening came, and morning followed—the
fifth day. 24k Then God said: Let the earth bring forth every kind of living creature: tame animals,
crawling things, and every kind of wild animal. And so it happened: 25 God made every kind of wild
animal, every kind of tame animal, and every kind of thing that crawls on the ground. God saw that it was
good. 26l Then God said: Let us make* human beings in our image, after our likeness. Let them have
dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the tame animals, all the wild animals, and all the
creatures that crawl on the earth. 27 God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created
them; male and female* he created them. 28 God blessed them and God said to them: Be fertile and
multiply; fill the earth and subdue it.* Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and all
the living things that crawl on the earth. m 29* n God also said: See, I give you every seed-bearing plant on
all the earth and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit on it to be your food; 30 and to all the wild animals,
all the birds of the air, and all the living creatures that crawl on the earth, I give all the green plants for
food. And so it happened. 31 God looked at everything he had made, and found it very good. Evening
came, and morning followed—the sixth day.o
Genesis, Chapter 2
1 Thus the heavens and the earth and all their array were completed.a 2* On the seventh day God
completed the work he had been doing; he rested on the seventh day from all the work he had undertaken.b
3 God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work he had done in
creation.c
1
The Garden of Eden.
4 This is the story* of the heavens and the earth at their creation. When the LORD God made the earth and
the heavens— 5 there was no field shrub on earth and no grass of the field had sprouted, for the LORD God
had sent no rain upon the earth and there was no man* to till the ground, 6 but a stream* was welling up out
of the earth and watering all the surface of the ground— 7 then the LORD God formed the man* out of the
dust of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. d 8 The
LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east,* and placed there the man whom he had formed.e 9* Out
of the ground the LORD God made grow every tree that was delightful to look at and good for food, with
the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. f 10 A river rises
in Eden* to water the garden; beyond there it divides and becomes four branches. 11 The name of the first
is
the Pishon; it is the one that winds through the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 The gold of
that land is good; bdellium and lapis lazuli are also there. 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon; it
is the one that winds all through the land of Cush. g 14 The name of the third river is the Tigris; it is the one
that flows east of Asshur. The fourth river is the Euphrates. 15 The LORD God then took the man and
settled him in the garden of Eden, to cultivate and care for it. h 16 The LORD God gave the man this order:
You are free to eat from any of the trees of the gardeni 17 except the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
From that tree you shall not eat; the moment you eat from it you are surely doomed to die. * j 18 The LORD
God said: It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a suitable partner for him. * k 19 So the LORD
God formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the air, and he brought them to the
man to see what he would call them; whatever the man called each living creature was then its name. 20
The man gave names to all the tame animals, all the birds of the air, and all the wild animals; but none
proved to be the suitable partner for the man. 21 So the LORD God cast a deep sleep on the man, and
while he was asleep, he took out one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. l 22 The LORD God then
built up into a woman the rib that he had taken from the man. When he brought her to the man, 23 the man
said: “This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; This one shall be called ‘woman,’ for out
of her man this one has been taken.”* 24m That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his
wife, and the two of them become one body.* 25 The man and his wife were both naked, yet they felt no
shame.*
Genesis, Chapter 3
Expulsion from Eden.
1 Now the snake was the most cunning* of all the wild animals that the LORD God had made. He asked the
woman, “Did God really say, ‘You shall not eat from any of the trees in the garden’?” 2 The woman
answered the snake: “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden;
2
3a it is only about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, ‘You shall not eat it or even
touch it, or else you will die.’” 4 But the snake said to the woman: “You certainly will not die!b 5 God
knows well that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods, who know * good
and evil.” 6 The woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and the tree was
desirable for gaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; and she also gave some to her
husband, who was with her, and he ate it.c 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew
that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves. 8 When they
heard the sound of the LORD God walking about in the garden at the breezy time of the day, * the man and
his wife hid themselves from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. d 9 The LORD God then called
to the man and asked him: Where are you? 10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden; but I was afraid,
because I was naked, so I hid.” 11 Then God asked: Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten
from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat? 12 The man replied, “The woman whom you put here
with me—she gave me fruit from the tree, so I ate it.” 13 The LORD God then asked the woman: What is
this you have done? The woman answered, “The snake tricked me, so I ate it.” e 14 Then the LORD God
said to the snake: Because you have done this, cursed are you among all the animals, tame or wild; On
your belly you shall crawl, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. * f 15 I will put enmity between
you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; They will strike at your head, while you strike at
their heel.* g 16 To the woman he said: I will intensify your toil in childbearing; in pain * you shall bring
forth children. Yet your urge shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you. 17 To the man he said:
Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, You shall not eat
from it, Cursed is the ground* because of you! In toil you shall eat its yield all the days of your life. h 18
Thorns and thistles it shall bear for you, and you shall eat the grass of the field. 19 By the sweat of your
brow you shall eat bread, Until you return to the ground, from which you were taken; For you are dust, and
to dust you shall return.i 20 The man gave his wife the name “Eve,” because she was the mother of all the
living.* 21 The LORD God made for the man and his wife garments of skin, with which he clothed them.
22 Then the LORD God said: See! The man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil! Now, what
if he also reaches out his hand to take fruit from the tree of life, and eats of it and lives forever? j 23 The
LORD God therefore banished him from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he had been
taken. 24 He expelled the man, stationing the cherubim and the fiery revolving sword east of the garden of
Eden, to guard the way to the tree of life.
Genesis 4 and 5 describe Adam's sons Cain, Abel and Seth.
After many years Noah is born as a descendant of Seth.
God's covenant with Noah
Genesis, Chapter 6
Warning of the Flood
5 When the Lord saw how great was man's wickedness on earth, and how no desire that his heart conceived
was ever anything but evil, 6 he regretted that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was grieved. 7
So the Lord said: I will wipe out from the earth the men whom I have created, and not only the men, but
also the beasts and the creeping things and the birds of the air, for I am sorry that I made them. 8 But Noah
found favor with the Lord....
Preparation for the Flood
3
…. 17 I, on my part, am about to bring the flood waters on the earth, to destroy everywhere all creatures in
which there is a breath of life; everything on earth shall perish. 18 But with you I will establish my
covenant; you and your sons, your wife and your sons' wives, shall go into the ark. 19 Of all other living
creatures you shall bring two into the ark, one male and one female, that you may keep them alive with
you. 20 Of all kinds of birds, of all kinds of beasts, and of all kinds of creeping things, two of each shall
come into the ark with you, to stay alive. 21 Moreover, you are to provide yourself with all the food that is
to be eaten, and store it away, that it may serve as provisions for you and for them. 22 This Noah did; he
carried out all the commands that God gave him.
Genesis, Chapter 7
The Great Flood
….13 On the precise day named, Noah and his sons Shem, Ham and Japheth, and Noah's wife, and the
three wives of Noah's sons had entered the ark, 14 together with every kind of wild beast, every kind of
domestic animal, every kind of creeping thing of the earth, and every kind of bird. 15 Pairs of all creatures
in which there was the breath of life entered the ark with Noah. 16 Those that entered were male and
female, and of all the species they came, as God had commanded Noah. Then the Lord shut him in. 17
The flood continued upon the earth for forty days. As the waters increased, they lifted the ark, so that it
rose above the earth. 18 The swelling waters increased greatly, but the ark floated on the surface of the
waters. 19 Higher and higher above the earth rose the waters, until all the highest mountains everywhere
were submerged, 20 the crest rising fifteen cubits higher than the submerged mountains. 21 All creatures
that stirred on earth perished: birds, cattle, wild animals, and all that swarmed on the earth, as well as all
mankind. 22 Everything on dry land with the faintest breath of life in its nostrils died out. 23 The Lord
wiped out every living thing on earth: man and cattle, the creeping things and the birds of the air; all were
wiped out from the earth. Only Noah and those with him in the ark were left.
Genesis, Chapter 8
….6 At the end of forty days Noah opened the hatch he had made in the ark, 7 and he sent out a raven, to
see if the waters had lessened on the earth. It flew back and forth until the waters dried off from earth....10
He waited seven days more and again sent the dove out from the ark. 11 In the evening the dove came
back to him, and there in its bill was a plucked-off olive leaf! So Noah knew that the waters had lessened
on the earth....15 Then God said to Noah: 16 Go out of the ark, together with your wife and your sons and
your sons' wives. 17 Bring out with you every living thing that is with you – all bodily creatures, be they
birds or animals or creeping things of the earth – and let them abound on the earth, breeding and
multiplying on it. 18 So Noah came out, together with his wife and his sons and his sons' wives; 19 and all
the animals, wild and tame, all the birds, and all the creeping creatures of the earth left the ark, one kind
after another. 20 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and choosing from every clean animal and every
clean bird, he offered holocausts on the altar. 21 When the Lord smelled the sweet odor, he said to himself:
Never again will I doom the earth because of man, since the desires of man's heart are evil from the start;
nor will I ever again strike down all living beings, as I have done.
Genesis, Chapter 9
Covenant with Noah.
4
1* God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them: Be fertile and multiply and fill the earth. a 2* Fear and
dread of you shall come upon all the animals of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon all the creatures
that move about on the ground and all the fishes of the sea; into your power they are delivered. 3b Any
living creature that moves about shall be yours to eat; I give them all to you as I did the green plants. 4c
Only meat with its lifeblood still in it you shall not eat.* 5 Indeed for your own lifeblood I will demand an
accounting: from every animal I will demand it, and from a human being, each one for the blood of
another, I will demand an accounting for human life. d 6* Anyone who sheds the blood of a human being,
by a human being shall that one’s blood be shed; For in the image of God have human beings been made. e
7 Be fertile, then, and multiply; abound on earth and subdue it. f 8* God said to Noah and to his sons with
him: 9 See, I am now establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you g 10 and with
every living creature that was with you: the birds, the tame animals, and all the wild animals that were with
you—all that came out of the ark. 11 I will establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all
creatures be destroyed by the waters of a flood; there shall not be another flood to devastate the earth. h 12
God said: This is the sign of the covenant that I am making between me and you and every living creature
with you for all ages to come: 13i I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign of the covenant between me
and the earth. 14 When I bring clouds over the earth, and the bow appears in the clouds, 15 I will
remember my covenant between me and you and every living creature—every mortal being—so that the
waters will never again become a flood to destroy every mortal being. j 16 When the bow appears in the
clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature—every
mortal being that is on earth. 17 God told Noah: This is the sign of the covenant I have established
between me and every mortal being that is on earth.
Genesis 10 describes the descendants of Noah's sons Shem, Ham
and Japheth. From them the nations of the earth branched out
after the flood. Genesis 11 describes mankind trying to separate
from God at the tower of Babel (Babylon) so God confused their
speech (created different languages). There is also a list of
descendants from Shem to Abram (later Abraham). Genesis 12
and 13 is where God calls Abram to migration from Babylon,
and promises lands to Abram's descendants. Genesis 14 is where
Abram defeats the other kings and we meet Melchizedek, a
priest of God Most High.
God's covenant with Abram
Genesis, Chapter 12
Abram's Call and Migration
1 The Lord God said to Abram: “Go forth from the land of your kinsfolk and from your father's house to a
land that I will show you. 2 “ I will make of you a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name
great so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. All
the communities of the earth shall find blessing in you. 4 Abram went as the Lord directed him, and Lot
went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. 5 Abram took his wife Sarai, his
brother's son Lot, all the possessions that they had accumulated, and the persons they had acquired in
Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan....
Genesis, Chapter 15
The Covenant with Abram.*
5
1 Some time afterward, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: Do not fear, Abram! I am your
shield; I will make your reward very great. 2 But Abram said, “Lord GOD, what can you give me, if I die
childless and have only a servant of my household, Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 Abram continued, “Look, you
have given me no offspring, so a servant of my household will be my heir.” 4 Then the word of the LORD
came to him: No, that one will not be your heir; your own offspring will be your heir. a 5 He took him
outside and said: Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can. Just so, he added, will your descendants
be.b 6 c Abram put his faith in the LORD, who attributed it to him as an act of righteousness. * 7 He then
said to him: I am the LORD who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land as a
possession.d 8 “Lord GOD,” he asked, “how will I know that I will possess it?” 9* He answered him:
Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a
young pigeon.e 10 He brought him all these, split them in two, and placed each half opposite the other; but
the birds he did not cut up. 11 Birds of prey swooped down on the carcasses, but Abram scared them away.
12 As the sun was about to set, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a great, dark dread descended upon him.
13* Then the LORD said to Abram: Know for certain that your descendants will reside as aliens in a land
not their own, where they shall be enslaved and oppressed for four hundred years. f 14 But I will bring
judgment on the nation they must serve, and after this they will go out with great wealth. g 15 You,
however, will go to your ancestors in peace; you will be buried at a ripe old age. 16 In the fourth
generation* your descendants will return here, for the wickedness of the Amorites is not yet complete. h 17
When the sun had set and it was dark, there appeared a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch, which passed
between those pieces. 18* On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: To your
descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the Great River, the Euphrates,i 19j the land of the
Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21 the Amorites, the
Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.
Genesis 16 describes the birth Abram's son Ishmael by his wife's
maid (her name was Hagar).
Genesis, Chapter 17
Covenant of Circumcision.*
1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said: I am God the Almighty.
Walk in my presence and be blameless.a 2 Between you and me I will establish my covenant, and I will
multiply you exceedingly.b 3 Abram fell face down and God said to him: 4 For my part, here is my
covenant with you: you are to become the father of a multitude of nations.c 5 No longer will you be called
Abram; your name will be Abraham,* for I am making you the father of a multitude of nations.d 6 I will
make you exceedingly fertile; I will make nations of you; kings will stem from you.
7 I will maintain my covenant between me and you and your descendants after you throughout the ages as
an everlasting covenant, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. e 8 I will give to you
and to your descendants after you the land in which you are now residing as aliens, the whole land of
Canaan, as a permanent possession; and I will be their God. f 9 God said to Abraham: For your part, you
and your descendants after you must keep my covenant throughout the ages. 10 This is the covenant
between me and you and your descendants after you that you must keep: every male among you shall be
circumcised.* g 11 Circumcise the flesh of your foreskin. That will be the sign of the covenant between me
and you.h 12 Throughout the ages, every male among you, when he is eight days old, shall be circumcised,
including houseborn slaves and those acquired with money from any foreigner who is not of your
descendants.i 13 Yes, both the houseborn slaves and those acquired with money must be circumcised. Thus
my covenant will be in your flesh as an everlasting covenant. 14 If a male is uncircumcised, that is, if the
flesh of his foreskin has not been cut away, such a one will be cut off from his people; he has broken my
covenant. 15 God further said to Abraham: As for Sarai your wife, do not call her Sarai; her name will be
Sarah.* 16 I will bless her, and I will give you a son by her. Her also will I bless; she will give rise to
nations, and rulers of peoples will issue from her.j 17 Abraham fell face down and laughed* as he said to
himself, “Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Can Sarah give birth at ninety?” k 18 So
Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael could live in your favor!” 19 God replied: Even so, your wife
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Sarah is to bear you a son, and you shall call him Isaac. It is with him that I will maintain my covenant as
an everlasting covenant and with his descendants after him.l 20 Now as for Ishmael, I will heed you: I
hereby bless him. I will make him fertile and will multiply him exceedingly. He will become the father of
twelve chieftains, and I will make of him a great nation. m 21 But my covenant I will maintain with Isaac,
whom Sarah shall bear to you by this time next year. n 22 When he had finished speaking with Abraham,
God departed from him. 23 Then Abraham took his son Ishmael and all his slaves, whether born in his
house or acquired with his money—every male among the members of Abraham’s household—and he
circumcised the flesh of their foreskins on that same day, as God had told him to do. 24 Abraham was
ninety-nine years old when the flesh of his foreskin was circumcised, o 25 and his son Ishmael was thirteen
years old when the flesh of his foreskin was circumcised. 26 Thus, on that same day Abraham and his son
Ishmael were circumcised; 27 and all the males of his household, including the slaves born in his house or
acquired with his money from foreigners, were circumcised with him.
Genesis, Chapter 22
The Testing of Abraham.*
1 Some time afterward, God put Abraham to the test and said to him: Abraham! “Here I am!” he replied.a 2
Then God said: Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. There
offer him up as a burnt offering on one of the heights that I will point out to you.b
3 Early the next morning Abraham saddled his donkey, took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac,
and after cutting the wood for the burnt offering, set out for the place of which God had told him. 4 On the
third day Abraham caught sight of the place from a distance. 5 Abraham said to his servants: “Stay here
with the donkey, while the boy and I go on over there. We will worship and then come back to you.” 6 So
Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac, while he himself carried the fire
and the knife. As the two walked on together, 7 Isaac spoke to his father Abraham. “Father!” he said. “Here
I am,” he replied. Isaac continued, “Here are the fire and the wood, but where is the sheep for the burnt
offering?” 8 “My son,” Abraham answered, “God will provide the sheep for the burnt offering.” Then the
two walked on together. 9 When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built an
altar there and arranged the wood on it. Next he bound * his son Isaac, and put him on top of the wood on
the altar.c 10 Then Abraham reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son. d 11 But the angel of the
LORD called to him from heaven, “Abraham, Abraham!” “Here I am,” he answered. 12 “Do not lay your
hand on the boy,” said the angel. “Do not do the least thing to him. For now I know that you fear God,
since you did not withhold from me your son, your only one.” e 13 Abraham looked up and saw a single
ram caught by its horns in the thicket. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt
offering in place of his son.* 14 Abraham named that place Yahweh-yireh;* hence people today say, “On
the mountain the LORD will provide.” 15* A second time the angel of the LORD called to Abraham from
heaven 16f and said: “I swear by my very self—oracle of the LORD—that because you acted as you did in
not withholding from me your son, your only one, 17 I will bless you and make your descendants as
countless as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore; your descendants will take possession of the
gates of their enemies,g 18 and in your descendants all the nations of the earth will find blessing, because
you obeyed my command.”h 19 Abraham then returned to his servants, and they set out together for Beersheba, where Abraham lived.
7
Genesis 24 and 25 describe the birth of Isaac and Rebekah's son
Jacob. In Genesis 28 Jacob has a dream where God promises
him and his descendants the land of Abraham and Isaac.
Genesis 29 and 30 describe Jacobs's wedding and his 12 sons. In
Genesis 35 Jacob is renamed Israel and is again promised the
land of Abraham and Isaac. Genesis 37-47 is the story of Joseph
(one of Jacob/Israel's 12 sons) and how he moves the tribe of
Israel to Egypt. This is the story of Joseph and the Amazing
Technicolor Dreamcoat. Genesis 48-50 describe the deaths of
Jacob/Israel and of Joseph.
Exodus is the second book in the Bible. This describes the
departure of the Israelites from Egypt. Exodus 1 describes the
ever-increasing descendants of Jacob/Israel and their oppression
by the Egyptians. Exodus 2-6 tells the birth of Moses and his
calling and mission. Exodus 7- 11 describes the ten plagues on
Egypt. Exodus 12 describes the Passover ritual. Exodus 13-18
describes the miraculous deliverance out of Egypt by God
through Moses and their journey to Sinai. Exodus 19-23
describes the rules and laws God set forth at Sinai (Exodus 20
details the Ten Commandments).
God's covenant with Moses
Exodus, Chapter 24
Ratification of the Covenant.
1 Moses himself was told: Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, with Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of the
elders of Israel. You shall bow down at a distance. 2 Moses alone is to come close to the LORD; the others
shall not come close, and the people shall not come up with them. 3 When Moses came to the people and
related all the words and ordinances of the LORD, they all answered with one voice, “We will do
everything that the LORD has told us.”a 4 Moses then wrote down all the words of the LORD and, rising
early in the morning, he built at the foot of the mountain an altar and twelve sacred stones * for the twelve
tribes of Israel. 5b Then, having sent young men of the Israelites to offer burnt offerings and sacrifice
young bulls as communion offerings to the LORD,
6 Moses took half of the blood and put it in large
bowls; the other half he splashed on the altar. 7 Taking the book of the covenant, he read it aloud to the
people, who answered, “All that the LORD has said, we will hear and do.” 8 Then he took the blood and
splashed it on the people, saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which the LORD has made with you
according to all these words.” 9 Moses then went up with Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy elders of
Israel, 10 and they beheld the God of Israel. Under his feet there appeared to be sapphire tilework, as clear
as the sky itself. 11 Yet he did not lay a hand on these chosen Israelites. They saw God, * and they ate and
drank.
Moses on the Mountain.
12 The LORD said to Moses: Come up to me on the mountain and, while you are there, I will give you the
stone tabletsc on which I have written the commandments intended for their instruction. 13 So Moses set
out with Joshua, his assistant, and went up to the mountain of God. 14 He told the elders, “Wait here for
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us until we return to you. Aaron and Hur are with you. Anyone with a complaint should approach them.”
15 Moses went up the mountain. Then the cloud covered the mountain. 16 The glory of the LORD settled
upon Mount Sinai. The cloud covered it for six days, and on the seventh day he called to Moses from the
midst of the cloud.d 17 To the Israelites the glory of the LORD was seen as a consuming fire on the top of
the mountain.e 18 But Moses entered into the midst of the cloud and went up on the mountain. He was on
the mountain for forty days and forty nights.f
Deuteronomy, Chapter 29
Past Favors Recalled.
1 Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, You have seen with your own eyes all that the LORD did in
the land of Egypt to Pharaoh and all his servants and to all his land, 2 the great testings your own eyes have
seen, and those great signs and wonders.a
3 But the LORD has not given you a heart to understand, or eyes to see, or ears to hear until this day. b 4c I
led you for forty years in the wilderness. Your clothes did not fall from you in tatters nor your sandals from
your feet; 5 it was not bread that you ate, nor wine or beer that you drank—so that you might know that I,
the LORD, am your God. 6d When you came to this place, Sihon, king of Heshbon, and Og, king of
Bashan, came out to engage us in battle, but we defeated them 7 and took their land, and gave it as a
heritage to the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.e 8 Observe carefully the words of this
covenant, therefore, in order that you may succeed in whatever you do.f
All Israel Bound by Covenant.
9 You are standing today, all of you, in the presence of the LORD, your God—your tribal heads, elders,
and officials, all of the men of Israel, 10 your children, your wives, and the resident alien who lives in your
camp, from those who cut wood to those who draw water for you— 11 to enter into the covenant of the
LORD, your God, which the LORD, your God, is making with you today, with its curse, 12 so that he may
establish you today as his people and he may be your God, as he promised you and as he swore to your
ancestors, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 13g But it is not with you alone that I am making this covenant,
with its curse, 14 but with those who are standing here with us today in the presence of the LORD, our
God, and with those who are not here with us* today.
Warning Against Idolatry.
15 You know that we lived in the land of Egypt and that we passed through the nations, that you too passed
through 16 and saw the loathsome things and idols of wood and stone, of gold and silver, that they possess.
17 There may be among you a man or woman, or a clan or tribe, whose heart is now turning away from the
LORD, our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; there may be among you a root bearing poison
and wormwood; 18 if any such persons, after hearing the words of this curse, should congratulate
themselves, saying in their hearts, “I am safe, even though I walk in stubbornness of heart,” thereby
sweeping away moist and dry alike,* h 19 the LORD will never consent to pardon them. Instead, the
LORD’s burning wrath will flare up against them; every curse written in this book will pounce on them,
and the LORD will blot out their names from under the heavens. i 20 The LORD will single them out from
all the tribes of Israel for doom, in keeping with all the curses of the covenant written in this book of the
law.
Punishment for Idolatry.
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21j Future generations, your descendants who will rise up after you, as well as the foreigners who will
come here from distant lands, when they see the calamities of this land and the ills the LORD has inflicted
upon it— 22 all its soil burned out by sulphur and salt, unsown and unfruitful, without a blade of grass, like
the catastrophe of Sodom and Gomorrah,k Admah and Zeboiim,* which the LORD overthrew in his furious
wrath—
23l they and all the nations will ask, “Why has the LORD dealt thus with this land? Why this great outburst
of wrath?” 24 And they will say, “Because they abandoned the covenant of the LORD, the God of their
ancestors, which he had made with them when he brought them out of the land of Egypt, 25 and they went
and served other gods and bowed down to them, gods whom they did not know and whom he had not
apportioned to them.m 26n So the anger of the LORD flared up against this land and brought on it every
curse written in this book. 27 The LORD uprooted them from their soil in anger, fury, and great wrath, and
cast them out into another land, as they are today.” 28 The hidden things* belong to the LORD our God,
but the revealed things are for us and for our children forever, to observe all the words of this law.
Leviticus describes the legislation (laws) given by God to Moses
at Mount Sinai. Numbers describes the journey of the Israelites
through the desert to the Promised Land. Deuteronomy explains
the law proclaimed on Mount Sinai. This is the testament of
Moses, between the end of the wanderings in the desert and the
crossing of the Jordan River. Joshua describes the conquest of
the Promised Land by Moses's successor, Joshua. Judges
describes the deeds of 12 heroes of Israel sent by God to protect
His people after the death of Joshua. When the people were
disobedient to God, they suffered oppression. When they
repented, God raised up a judge to deliver them. 1 Samuel and 2
Samuel establish a monarchy over Israel, with Saul as the first
king. He was followed by King David. This is when the book of
Psalms is written.
God's covenant with David
2 Samuel, Chapter 7
The Oracle of Nathan.
1a After the king had taken up residence in his house, and the LORD had given him rest from his enemies
on every side,b 2 the king said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of
God dwells in a tent!”c 3 Nathan answered the king, “Whatever is in your heart, go and do, for the LORD
is with you.”d 4 But that same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan: 5 Go and tell David my
servant, Thus says the LORD: Is it you who would build me a house to dwell in? e 6 I have never dwelt in a
house from the day I brought Israel up from Egypt to this day, but I have been going about in a tent or a
tabernacle. 7 As long as I have wandered about among the Israelites, did I ever say a word to any of the
judges whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel: Why have you not built me a house of cedar? 8
Now then, speak thus to my servant David, Thus says the LORD of hosts: * I took you from the pasture,
from following the flock, to become ruler over my people Israel. f 9 I was with you wherever you went, and
I cut down all your enemies before you. And I will make your name like that of the greatest on earth.g 10 I
will assign a place for my people Israel and I will plant them in it to dwell there; they will never again be
disturbed, nor shall the wicked ever again oppress them, as they did at the beginning, 11 and from the day
when I appointed judges over my people Israel. I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the
LORD also declares to you that the LORD will make a house for you: h 12i when your days have been
completed and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, sprung from your loins,
and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He it is* who shall build a house for my name, and I will establish his
royal throne forever. 14 I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. If he does wrong, I will
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reprove him with a human rod and with human punishments; j 15 but I will not withdraw my favor from
him as I withdrew it from Saul who was before you. k 16 Your house and your kingdom are firm forever
before me; your throne shall be firmly established forever. * l 17 In accordance with all these words and this
whole vision Nathan spoke to David.
David’s Thanksgiving.
18 Then King David went in and sat in the LORD’s presence and said, “Who am I, Lord GOD, and what is
my house, that you should have brought me so far? m 19 And yet even this is too little in your sight, Lord
GOD! For you have made a promise regarding your servant’s house reaching into the future, and giving
guidance to the people, Lord GOD! 20 What more can David say to you? You know* your servant, Lord
GOD! 21 For your servant’s sake and as you have had at heart, you have brought about this whole
magnificent disclosure to your servant. 22 Therefore, great are you, Lord GOD! There is no one like you,
no God but you, as we have always heard.n 23 What other nation on earth is there like your people Israel?
What god has ever led a nation, redeeming it as his people and making a name by great and awesome
deeds, as you drove out the nations and their gods before your people, whom you redeemed for yourself
from Egypt?o 24p You have established for yourself your people Israel as your people forever, and you,
LORD, have become their God. 25 Now, LORD God, confirm the promise that you have spoken
concerning your servant and his house forever. Bring about what you have promised 26 so that your
name may be forever great. People will say: ‘The LORD of hosts is God over Israel,’ when the house of
your servant David is established in your presence.
27 Because you, LORD of hosts, God of Israel,
have revealed to your servant, ‘I will build you a house,’ your servant now finds the courage to make this
prayer before you.
28 Since you, Lord GOD, are truly God and your words are truth and you have
made this generous promise to your servant,q 29 do, then, bless the house of your servant, that it may be in
your presence forever—since you, Lord GOD, have promised, and by your blessing the house of your
servant shall be blessed forever.”
1 Kings describes King David's death and the reign of King
Solomon, including the building of the Temple in Jerusalem and
the Ark of the Covenant. As King Solomon becomes corrupted
by power, the 12 tribes of Israel divide into a northern kingdom
(10 tribes – named Israel) and a southern kingdom (2 tribes –
named Judah). These divided kingdoms are described in 2
Kings. This also includes the destruction of the Temple in
Jerusalem and the time of exile (70 years) out of the Promised
Land, known as the Babylonian Captivity. This time is where
many of the books of the prophets are written (including Isaiah,
Daniel, Hosea and Jeremiah) as well as 2 Chronicles. Daniel 7
contains the prophecy of the coming of one like a son of man.
Jeremiah 31:31-34 describes the new covenant with the house of
Israel and the house of Judah. “I will place my law within them,
and write it upon their hearts; I will be their God, and they shall
be my people.” Ezra and Nehemiah describe the return of Israel
to the Promised Land and the rebuild of the Temple. 1
Maccabees describes the Maccabean Revolt of Israel against the
Greek culture, the persecution of the Jewish people and the
desecration of the Temple.
God's covenant through Jesus
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Jeremiah, Chapter 31
The New Covenant
31 The days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the
house of Judah. 32 It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers the day I took them by the
hand to lead them forth from the land of Egypt; for they broke my covenant and I had to show myself their
master, says the Lord. 33 But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those
days, says the Lord. I will place my law within them, and write it upon their hearts; I will be their God, and
they shall be my people. 34 No longer will they have need to teach their friends and kinsmen how to know
the Lord. All, from least to greatest, shall know me, says the Lord, for I will forgive their evildoing and
remember their sin no more.
Mark, Chapter 14
The Conspiracy against Jesus.
1* The Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread* were to take place in two days’ time.a So the chief
priests and the scribes were seeking a way to arrest him by treachery and put him to death. 2 They said,
“Not during the festival, for fear that there may be a riot among the people.”
The Anointing at Bethany.*
3 When he was in Bethany reclining at table in the house of Simon the leper, b a woman came with an
alabaster jar of perfumed oil, costly genuine spikenard. She broke the alabaster jar and poured it on his
head. 4 There were some who were indignant. “Why has there been this waste of perfumed oil? 5 It could
have been sold for more than three hundred days’ wages and the money given to the poor.” They were
infuriated with her. 6 Jesus said, “Let her alone. Why do you make trouble for her? She has done a good
thing for me. 7 The poor you will always have with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them,
but you will not always have me. 8 She has done what she could. She has anticipated anointing my body
for burial. 9 Amen, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed to the whole world, what she has done
will be told in memory of her.”
The Betrayal by Judas.
10c Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went off to the chief priests to hand him over to them. 11
When they heard him they were pleased and promised to pay him money. Then he looked for an
opportunity to hand him over.
Preparations for the Passover.
12d On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, * his
disciples said to him, “Where do you want us to go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?” 13 He sent
two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the city and a man will meet you, carrying a jar of water. *
Follow him. 14 Wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is my guest
room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?”’ 15 Then he will show you a large upper room
furnished and ready. Make the preparations for us there.” 16 The disciples then went off, entered the city,
and found it just as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover.
The Betrayer.
17e When it was evening, he came with the Twelve. 18* And as they reclined at table and were eating,
Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.” 19 They began to
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be distressed and to say to him, one by one, “Surely it is not I?” 20 He said to them, “One of the Twelve,
the one who dips with me into the dish. 21 For the Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written of him, * but
woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would be better for that man if he had never been
born.”
The Lord’s Supper.
22* While they were eating, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, and said, “Take
it; this is my body.” 23 Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24
He said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many. 25 Amen, I say to you, I
shall not drink again the fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” 26
Then, after singing a hymn,* they went out to the Mount of Olives.g
Peter’s Denial Foretold.*
27 Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will have your faith shaken, for it is written: ‘I will strike the
shepherd, and the sheep will be dispersed.’h 28 But after I have been raised up, I shall go before you to
Galilee.” 29 Peter said to him, “Even though all should have their faith shaken, mine will not be.” 30 Then
Jesus said to him, “Amen, I say to you, this very night before the cock crows twice you will deny me three
times.” 31 But he vehemently replied, “Even though I should have to die with you, I will not deny you.”
And they all spoke similarly.
The Agony in the Garden.
32* Then they came to a place named Gethsemane,i and he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.”j 33
He took with him Peter, James, and John, and began to be troubled and distressed. 34 Then he said to
them, “My soul is sorrowful even to death. Remain here and keep watch.” 35 He advanced a little and fell
to the ground and prayed that if it were possible the hour might pass by him; 36 he said, “Abba, Father,* all
things are possible to you. Take this cup away from me, but not what I will but what you will.” 37 When
he returned he found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for
one hour? 38* Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test.k The spirit is willing but the flesh is
weak.” 39 Withdrawing again, he prayed, saying the same thing. 40 Then he returned once more and
found them asleep, for they could not keep their eyes open and did not know what to answer him. 41 He
returned a third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough. The hour
has come. Behold, the Son of Man is to be handed over to sinners. 42 Get up, let us go. See, my betrayer is
at hand.”
The Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus.
43l Then, while he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived, accompanied by a crowd with
swords and clubs who had come from the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders. 44 His betrayer had
arranged a signal with them, saying, “The man I shall kiss is the one; arrest him and lead him away
securely.” 45 He came and immediately went over to him and said, “Rabbi.” And he kissed him. 46 At
this they laid hands on him and arrested him. 47 One of the bystanders drew his sword, struck the high
priest’s servant, and cut off his ear. 48 Jesus said to them in reply, “Have you come out as against a robber,
with swords and clubs, to seize me? 49 Day after day I was with you teaching in the temple area, yet you
did not arrest me; but that the scriptures may be fulfilled.”
50 And they all left him and fled. 51 Now
a young man followed him wearing nothing but a linen cloth about his body. They seized him, 52 but he
left the cloth behind and ran off naked.
Jesus before the Sanhedrin.
53* m They led Jesus away to the high priest, and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes came
together. 54 Peter followed him at a distance into the high priest’s courtyard and was seated with the
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guards, warming himself at the fire. 55 The chief priests and the entire Sanhedrin kept trying to obtain
testimony against Jesus in order to put him to death, but they found none. 56 Many gave false witness
against him, but their testimony did not agree. 57* Some took the stand and testified falsely against him,
alleging, 58 “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with hands and within three days I will
build another not made with hands.’”n 59 Even so their testimony did not agree. 60 The high priest rose
before the assembly and questioned Jesus, saying, “Have you no answer? What are these men testifying
against you?” 61* But he was silent and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him and said to
him, “Are you the Messiah, the son of the Blessed One?” 62 Then Jesus answered, “I am; and ‘you will
see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.’” o 63 At
that the high priest tore his garments and said, “What further need have we of witnesses? 64 You have
heard the blasphemy. What do you think?” They all condemned him as deserving to die. 65 Some began to
spit on him. They blindfolded him and struck him and said to him, “Prophesy!” And the guards greeted him
with blows.p
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