Daily Text and Bible Reading: Thursday, January 2 [Press play below]

4.1 Now Adam had sexual relations with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant. When she gave birth to Cain, she said: “I have produced a male child with the help of Jehovah.”
4.2 Later she again gave birth, to his brother Abel.
Abel became a shepherd of the flock, but Cain became a cultivator of the ground.
4.3 After some time, Cain brought some fruits of the land as an offering to Jehovah.
4.4 But Abel brought some firstlings of his flock, including their fat. While Jehovah looked with favor on Abel and on his offering,
4.5 he did not look with any favor on Cain and on his offering. So Cain grew hot with anger and was dejected.
4.6 Then Jehovah said to Cain: “Why are you so angry and dejected?
4.7 If you turn to doing good, will you not be restored to favor? But if you do not turn to doing good, sin is crouching at the door, and its craving is to dominate you; but will you get the mastery over it?”
4.8 After that Cain said to his brother Abel: “Let us go over into the field.” So while they were in the field, Cain assaulted his brother Abel and killed him.
4.9 Later on, Jehovah said to Cain: “Where is your brother Abel?” and he said: “I do not know. Am I my brother’s guardian?”
4.10 At this He said: “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground.
4.11 And now you are cursed in banishment from the ground that has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.
4.12 When you cultivate the ground, it will not give you back its produce. You will become a wanderer and a fugitive in the earth.”
4.13 At this Cain said to Jehovah: “The punishment for my error is too great to bear.
4.14 Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your face; and I will become a wanderer and a fugitive on the earth, and anyone who finds me will certainly kill me.”
4.15 So Jehovah said to him: “For that reason, anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times.”
So Jehovah set up a sign for Cain in order that no one finding him would strike him.
4.16 Then Cain went away from before Jehovah and took up residence in the land of Exile, to the east of Eden.
4.17 Afterward Cain had sexual relations with his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Then he engaged in building a city and named the city after his son Enoch.
4.18 Later Irad was born to Enoch. And Irad became father to Mehujael, and Mehujael became father to Methushael, and Methushael became father to Lamech.
4.19 Lamech took two wives for himself. The name of the first was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah.
4.20 Adah gave birth to Jabal. He was the founder of those who dwell in tents and have livestock.
4.21 His brother’s name was Jubal. He was the founder of all those who play the harp and the pipe.
4.22 Also, Zillah gave birth to Tubal-cain, who forged every sort of tool of copper and iron. And the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.
4.23 Then Lamech composed these words for his wives Adah and Zillah: “Hear my voice, you wives of Lamech; Give ear to my saying: A man I have killed for wounding me, Yes, a young man for striking me.
4.24 If 7 times Cain is to be avenged, Then Lamech 77 times.”
4.25 Adam again had sexual relations with his wife, and she gave birth to a son. She named him Seth because, as she said, “God has appointed for me another offspring in place of Abel, because Cain killed him.”
4.26 There was also born to Seth a son, and he named him Enosh. At that time people began calling on the name of Jehovah.
5.1 This is the book of Adam’s history. In the day that God created Adam, he made him in the likeness of God.
5.2 Male and female he created them. On the day they were created, he blessed them and named them Man.
5.3 Adam lived for 130 years and then became father to a son in his likeness, in his image, and he named him Seth.
5.4 After becoming father to Seth, Adam lived for 800 years. And he became father to sons and daughters.
5.5 So all the days of Adam’s life amounted to 930 years, and then he died.
5.6 Seth lived for 105 years and then became father to Enosh.
5.7 After becoming father to Enosh, Seth lived for 807 years. And he became father to sons and daughters.
5.8 So all the days of Seth amounted to 912 years, and then he died.
5.9 Enosh lived for 90 years and then became father to Kenan.
5.10 After becoming father to Kenan, Enosh lived for 815 years. And he became father to sons and daughters.
5.11 So all the days of Enosh amounted to 905 years, and then he died.
5.12 Kenan lived for 70 years and then became father to Mahalalel.
5.13 After becoming father to Mahalalel, Kenan lived for 840 years. And he became father to sons and daughters.
5.14 So all the days of Kenan amounted to 910 years, and then he died.
5.15 Mahalalel lived for 65 years and then became father to Jared.
5.16 After becoming father to Jared, Mahalalel lived for 830 years. And he became father to sons and daughters.
5.17 So all the days of Mahalalel amounted to 895 years, and then he died.
5.18 Jared lived for 162 years and then became father to Enoch.
5.19 After becoming father to Enoch, Jared lived for 800 years. And he became father to sons and daughters.
5.20 So all the days of Jared amounted to 962 years, and then he died.
5.21 Enoch lived for 65 years and then became father to Methuselah.
5.22 After becoming father to Methuselah, Enoch continued to walk with the true God for 300 years. And he became father to sons and daughters.
5.23 So all the days of Enoch amounted to 365 years.
5.24 Enoch kept walking with the true God. Then he was no more, for God took him.
5.25 Methuselah lived for 187 years and then became father to Lamech.
5.26 After becoming father to Lamech, Methuselah lived for 782 years. And he became father to sons and daughters.
5.27 So all the days of Methuselah amounted to 969 years, and then he died.
5.28 Lamech lived for 182 years and then became father to a son.
5.29 He named him Noah, saying: “This one will bring us comfort from our labor and from the painful toil of our hands because of the ground that Jehovah has cursed.”
5.30 After becoming father to Noah, Lamech lived for 595 years. And he became father to sons and daughters.
5.31 So all the days of Lamech amounted to 777 years, and then he died.
5.32 After Noah reached 500 years of age, he became father to Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
6.1 Now when men started to grow in number on the surface of the ground and daughters were born to them,
6.2 the sons of the true God began to notice that the daughters of men were beautiful. So they began taking as wives all whom they chose.
6.3 Then Jehovah said: “My spirit will not tolerate man indefinitely, because he is only flesh. Accordingly, his days will amount to 120 years.”
6.4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days and afterward. During that time the sons of the true God continued to have relations with the daughters of men, and these bore sons to them. They were the mighty ones of old times, the men of fame.
6.5 Consequently, Jehovah saw that man’s wickedness was great on the earth and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only bad all the time.
6.6 Jehovah regretted that he had made men on the earth, and his heart was saddened.
6.7 So Jehovah said: “I am going to wipe men whom I have created off the surface of the ground, man together with domestic animals, creeping animals, and flying creatures of the heavens, for I regret that I have made them.”
6.8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of Jehovah.
6.9 This is the history of Noah. Noah was a righteous man. He proved himself faultless among his contemporaries. Noah walked with the true God.
6.10 In time Noah became father to three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
6.11 But the earth had become ruined in the sight of the true God, and the earth was filled with violence.
6.12 Yes, God looked upon the earth, and it was ruined; all flesh had ruined its way on the earth.
6.13 After that God said to Noah: “I have decided to put an end to all flesh, because the earth is full of violence on account of them, so I am bringing them to ruin together with the earth.
6.14 Make for yourself an ark from resinous wood. You will make compartments in the ark and cover it with tar inside and outside.
6.15 This is how you will make it: The ark should be 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high.
6.16 You will make a window for light for the ark, one cubit from the top. You should put the entrance of the ark in its side and make it with a lower deck, a second deck, and a third deck.
6.17 “As for me, I am going to bring floodwaters upon the earth to destroy from under the heavens all flesh that has the breath of life. Everything on the earth will perish.
6.18 And I am establishing my covenant with you, and you must go into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.
6.19 And bring into the ark two of every sort of living creature in order to preserve them alive with you, a male and a female;
6.20 of the flying creatures according to their kinds, the domestic animals according to their kinds, and all creeping animals of the ground according to their kinds, two of each will go in there to you to preserve them alive.
6.21 For your part, you are to collect and take with you every kind of food to eat, to serve as food for you and for the animals.”
6.22 And Noah did according to all that God had commanded him. He did just so.
7.1 After that Jehovah said to Noah: “Go into the ark, you and all your household, because you are the one I have found to be righteous before me among this generation.
7.2 You must take with you every kind of clean animal by sevens, the male and its mate; and of every animal that is not clean just two, the male and its mate;
7.3 also of the flying creatures of the sky by sevens, male and female, to preserve their offspring alive over all the earth.
7.4 For in just seven days, I will make it rain on the earth for 40 days and 40 nights, and I will wipe from the surface of the ground every living thing that I have made.”
7.5 Then Noah did everything that Jehovah had commanded him.
7.6 Noah was 600 years old when the floodwaters came upon the earth.
7.7 So Noah, along with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, went into the ark ahead of the floodwaters.
7.8 Of every clean animal and of every animal that is not clean and of the flying creatures and of everything that moves on the ground,
7.9 they went inside the ark to Noah by twos, male and female, just as God had commanded Noah.
7.10 And seven days later the floodwaters came upon the earth.
7.11 In the 600th year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the 17th day of the month, on that day all the springs of the vast watery deep burst open and the floodgates of the heavens were opened.
7.12 And the rain poured down on the earth for 40 days and 40 nights.
7.13 On that very day, Noah went into the ark along with his sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and his wife and the three wives of his sons.
7.14 They went in with every wild animal according to its kind, and every domestic animal according to its kind, and every creeping animal of the earth according to its kind, and every flying creature according to its kind, every bird, every winged creature.
7.15 They kept going to Noah inside the ark, two by two, of every sort of flesh that has the breath of life.
7.16 So they went in, male and female of every sort of flesh, just as God had commanded him. After that Jehovah shut the door behind him.
7.17 The flooding continued for 40 days on the earth, and the waters kept increasing and began carrying the ark, and it was floating high above the earth.
7.18 The waters became overwhelming and kept increasing greatly upon the earth, but the ark floated on the surface of the waters.
7.19 The waters overwhelmed the earth so greatly that all the tall mountains under the whole heavens were covered.
7.20 The waters rose up to 15 cubits above the mountains.
7.21 So all living creatures that were moving on the earth perished—the flying creatures, the domestic animals, the wild animals, the swarming creatures, and all mankind.
7.22 Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died.
7.23 So He wiped every living thing from the surface of the earth, including man, animals, creeping animals, and the flying creatures of the sky. They were all wiped off the earth; only Noah and those with him in the ark survived.
7.24 And the waters continued overwhelming the earth for 150 days.