Selected Scriptures from the Holy Bible Readings for the Young Volume I: The Pentateuch Compiled by Genelle H. Porter Searcy, Arkansas Copyright © 2005 by Genelle H. Porter All rights reserved. ISBN: 0-9755777-4-3 All scriptures are from the ACV: A Conservative Version Published by Still Voices Publishing Searcy, Arkansas www.stillvoicespublishing.com 3 Table of Contents 7 Preface7 Genesis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 The Creation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Adam and Eve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 The First Sin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Cain and Abel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Noah and the Flood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 The Sign of the Rainbow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 The Tower of Babel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 God Calls Abram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Abram in Egypt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Abram and Lot Separate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 God's Promise to Abram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Ishmael. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 God's Covenant with Abram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Abraham’s Divine Visitors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Abraham Pleads for Sodom and Gomorrah. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 The Birth of Isaac. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Hagar and Ishmael Sent Away. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 God Tests Abraham. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 A Wife for Isaac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 The Death of Abraham. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Jacob and Esau. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Jacob Deceives his Father. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Jacob Departs to His Mother’s Homeland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Jacob's Dream and His Vow to God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Jacob’s Children. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Jacob Works for Profit Sharing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Jacob Departs for Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 The Journey. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Jacob and Esau Meet Again . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 The Death of Isaac. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Joseph's Dreams. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Joseph Sold into Slavery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Joseph Serves in the Captain's House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Joseph in Prison. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Joseph Interprets Pharaoh's Dreams. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Joseph Appointed Ruler of Egypt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Seven Years of Plenty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Seven Years of Famine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Joseph's Brothers Come to Egypt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 They Return Home. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Their Second Trip to Egypt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Their Second Meeting With Joseph. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Joseph Reveals Himself. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 4 Joseph Sends for Jacob and His Family. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 They All Move to Egypt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Jacob's Death . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Joseph Forgives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Exodus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61 The Israelites Are Enslaved and Persecuted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Moses is Born . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 He Defends an Israelite. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 He Flees to Midian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 God Hears Israel’s Cry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Jehovah Shows His Power to Moses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Aaron Appointed Spokesman For Moses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Moses Returns to Egypt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Pharaoh Afflicts More Severely. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Moses and Aaron Meet Pharaoh Again . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 The First Plague: Water to Blood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 The Second Plague: Frogs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 The Third Plague: Lice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 The Fourth Plague: Flies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 The Fifth Plague: Pestilence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 The Sixth Plague: Boils. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 The Seventh Plague: Hail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 The Eighth Plague: Locusts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 The Ninth Plague: Darkness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 The Passover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 The Tenth Plague: Death of the Firstborn. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 The Exodus From Egypt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Pharaoh and His Army Pursue Israel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 The People Complain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 God Provides Manna and Quail For Them . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 The Sabbath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 The People Murmur Again . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Moses' Family Brought from Midian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 The Israelites Arrive At Mount Sinai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 The Ten Commandments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 The People Respond. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 More of Jehovah’s Laws . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 God Will Fight for Them . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 God Shows Himself to the Elders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 Instructions for the Tabernacle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 Instructions About The Priests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 More Things for the Tabernacle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 The Golden Calf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 God Shows Moses Part of His Glory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Moses Returns onto the Mount. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Building the Tabernacle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 The Glory of God Fills The Tabernacle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 Leviticus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103 Burnt, Meal, and Peace Offerings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 Offerings for Unwitting Sins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 5 The Trespass Offering. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 The Law of the Burnt and Meal Offerings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 More Laws of Offerings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 Sanctifying the Tabernacle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 The Sin of Nadab and Abihu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 The High Priest and Strong Drink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 Laws About Eating Animals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 Purification After Childbirth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109 Leprous Diseases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 The Day of Atonement and the Scapegoat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 The Law Against Eating Blood. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 Jehovah Warns Against Foreign Customs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 More of Jehovah's Laws . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 Laws Against Blemished Offerings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 The Set Feasts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 A Man Curses Jehovah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117 Seventh Year Sabbath and the Jubilee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117 Promises for Obedience. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 Punishments for Disobedience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119 Redeeming Holy Things. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121 Numbers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122 The Israelites Are Numbered. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122 Instructions About Camping. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122 The Levites Are Numbered and Set Apart. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 Instructions About Moving The Tabernacle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124 Led by the Divine Cloud. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125 The People Complain Again . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126 Moses Prays for Help. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126 Miriam and Aaron Speak Against Moses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128 Spies Sent into the Promised Land . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128 The Spies Report Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129 The People Become Fearful and Rebel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130 God Threatens to Destroy Them . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130 That Generation to Perish in the Wilderness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131 They Rebel Against Their Punishment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132 Korah's Rebellion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132 Their Terrifying Punishment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 The People Blame Moses and Aaron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 Aaron's Rod That Budded . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135 More About the Levites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 Moses and Aaron Disobey and are Punished . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 The Sons of Esau (Edom) Refuse Passage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137 Aaron's Death . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138 God Sends Fiery Serpents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138 The Sons of Israel Defeat the Amorites. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 Balaam Asked to Curse the Israelites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 Balaam's Donkey Speaks to Him. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140 Balaam Meets Balak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141 Balaam Blesses Israel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142 Balaam Blesses Israel the Second Time. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143 Balaam Blesses Israel the Third Time. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143 6 Balak Angrily Orders Balaam Away . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144 Balaam Blesses Israel the Fourth Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144 The Sons of Israel Sin with Alien Women. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145 Numbering the New Generation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145 The Daughters of Zelophehad. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146 Joshua Appointed to Replace Moses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146 More Commands About Offerings and Feasts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147 Vows That a Man Could Disallow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148 Israel Sent to Destroy a Sinful Nation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148 Sharing the Treasures of War. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149 Some Ask For Land East of Jordan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150 Instructions for Dividing the Land . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 The Cities of Refuge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152 Who the Daughters of Zelophehad Could Marry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154 Deuteronomy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .156 Moses Reviews Their Wilderness Wanderings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156 When the Spies Were Sent. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156 The People Were Afraid to Invade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 That Generation Condemned to Wander . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 The Conquest Finally Begins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158 Israel Defeats Bashan East of the Jordan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159 Moses Pleads with God About His Punishment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159 Moses Again Exhorts Israel to Obey God. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160 The Mighty Voice From the Mountain. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160 Israel Warned Again to Keep God's Covenant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161 God's Love for His People. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162 God's Covenant and the Ten Commandments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163 They Feared the Mighty Voice of God. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164 Commands for Loyalty to God. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164 Seven Nations to Be Destroyed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165 Remembering What God Had Done for Them . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167 More Encouragement to Obey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168 Being Tempted Away From Jehovah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170 Generosity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171 The Feast Days. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172 Judges, Officers, and Kings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173 Condemning the Occult. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174 Laws About Witnesses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174 Peace or War . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175 More of God's Commandments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175 Building an Altar After Crossing Jordan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177 Many Blessings or Curses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178 Moses Reminds Them of God's Care. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180 Jehovah Will Rejoice When They Repent. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181 Israel Urged to Love and Obey God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181 God Will Go Before Them into Canaan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182 Final Instructions to Moses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183 Moses' Last Words to the People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183 The Death of Moses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184 7 Preface The purpose of this compilation is to provide children with actual Bible text from some of the more interesting passages rather than simplified paraphrases. When children read a Bible, or have it read to them, it is important that the power and beauty of the word of God be retained. Simplified wording is sometimes appropriate for explana- tions about the scriptures, but not the Bible itself. Too often para- phrases mislead, and even demean the sacred text. I am a retired middle-school teacher with a Master’s degree. I know how important it is that children develop early an interest in, and an understanding of, the written word. Moreover, adults and children alike are blessed by time spent reading together. That is especially true when the time is spent sharing the Holy Bible. Also, by gaining familiarity with the passages in this compilation children can more easily begin reading the scriptures independently. The text I used was from the ACV (A Conservative Version). You can read more about that version in the appendix of this volume. I tried to choose those events that are not only more familiar, but which also teach us about the nature of God and his relationship with us. My hopes and prayers are that these selections will help all readers learn more about God, and come closer to him. Now may God bless you parents as you strive to raise your chil- dren wisely and righteously in accordance with his holy word. And may God bless you children as you seek to learn more about that greatest of all books, the Holy Bible. And may we all apply these words of the prophet Moses about the old covenant to the commands of our Lord Jesus Christ for God’s new covenant: Hear, O Israel: Jehovah our God is one Jehovah. And thou shall love Jehovah thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be upon thy heart. And thou shall teach them diligently to thy sons, and shall talk of them when thou sit in thy house, and when thou walk by the way, and when thou lie down, and when thou rise up. And thou shall bind them for a sign upon thy hand, and they shall be for frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shall write them upon the door-posts of thy house, and upon thy gates (Deuteronomy 6:4-9). 8 9 Scriptures from Genesis The Creation In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 1:2 And the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light, and there 1:3 was light. And God saw the light, that it was good. And God 1:4 divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light 1:5 Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day. And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the 1:6 waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God 1:7 made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament. And it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And 1:8 there was evening and there was morning, a second day. And God said, Let the waters under the heavens be gath- 1:9 ered together to one place, and let the dry land appear. And it was so. And God called the dry land Earth, and he called the 1:10 gathering together of the waters Seas. And God saw that it was good. And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs 1:11 yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit according to their kind (in which is the seed of them) upon the earth. And it was so. 1:12 And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed according to their kind, and trees bearing fruit in which is the seed of it, according to their kind. And God saw that it was good. And 1:13 there was evening and there was morning, a third day. And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of 1:14 heaven to divide the day from the night, and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years. And let them 1:15 be for lights in the firmament of heaven to give light upon the earth. And it was so. And God made the two great lights, the 1:16 greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night, also the stars. And God set them in the firmament of heaven 1:17 to give light upon the earth, and to rule over the day and over 1:18 the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was 1:19 morning, a fourth day. 10 Scriptures from Genesis And God said, Let the waters swarm with swarms of living 1:20 creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open firma- ment of heaven. And God created the great sea creatures, 1:21 and every living creature that moves, which the waters brought forth abundantly, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And God 1:22 blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth. And there was 1:23 evening and there was morning, a fifth day. And God said, Let the earth bring forth living creatures 1:24 according to their kind, cattle, and creeping things, and beasts of the earth according to their kind. And it was so. And God 1:25 made the beasts of the earth according to their kind, and the cat- tle according to their kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And God said, Let us make man in our image—after our 1:26 likeness—and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth. And God created man in his own image, in the image 1:27 of God he created him, male and female he created them. 1:28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, Be fruitful, and multiply and fill the earth, and have power over it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heav- ens, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth. 1:29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed. To you it shall be for food, and to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the 1:30 heavens, and to everything that creeps upon the earth in which there is life, for food—every green herb. And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it 1:31 was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. And the heavens and the earth were finished, 2:1 and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work which he had 2:2 made, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and hal- 2:3 lowed it, because in it he rested from all his work which God had created and made.