Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields

Join us in reading through the whole NLT Bible in 365 20-minute-long podcasts! This podcast was previously named Daily Bible Reading.

NL-Day043 Exodus 25-26; Psalm 1; Luke 2:25-52 02/03/2026

NL-Day043 Exodus 25-26; Psalm 1; Luke 2:25-52 EXODUS 25-26:Yesterday we read the commands for the Israelites to be good neighbors and to practice justice. And we heard the requirement for all Israelites to celebrate three festivals, and God gave promises of how He would bring them into the land. Then we read the story of how Moses led the people in accepting the covenant. Note how important the sacrificial blood was in this ceremony. The Israelites promised to obey the covenant. Moses told them to wait for him, then followed God's call to go up to the summit of the mountain, where he stayed for 40 days and nights. PSALMS 1:Job— as I said before, is a book of sophisticated poetry, one that uses literary devices and makes reference to a well-developed mythology. And we find a book that defies simple analysis. At the conclusion of Job, some of you may be feeling that some basic questions were not really answered. Some of you may be saying, “But I have suffered injustice, and God has not responded to me the way he responded to Job at the end of the book.” To those of you, I say that we can learn several things from Job, and one would be that there are many things God takes into account that we do not know about. And secondly, we can be sure that God is just and fair, and in the final analysis— when we reach heaven, all issues of justice will be resolved. And I also say this: I hope you continue to read the Bible with us this year, because we will find more answers about God’s sovereignty and justice as we go on. The book of Psalms was the nation of Israel's hymnbook. The poems were compiled over time, with most of the first half by King David. The Psalms fall into these categories: Instruction, Praise, Thanksgiving,Penitence, Trust, Distress,Aspiration, History, and Prophecy. Under the prophecy category, the Psalms talk of Jesus' prophetic office, his priestly office, his kingly office, his sufferings, and his resurrection. (For details, see HC Mears.) LUKE 2b:Yesterday we read of Jesus' birth, of the angels announcement to the shepherds, and of Jesus being presented in the temple— which is where we pick up the story today. NLT Translation notes:Luk. 2:30 [For I have now//I have] seen your salvation,31 which you have prepared for all people.32 He is a light to reveal [You/God] to the nations,and he is the glory of your people Israel!” Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. /episode/index/show/dailybiblereading/id/4997691

NL-Day042 Exodus 23-24; Job 42; Luke 2:1-35 02/03/2026

NL-Day041 Exodus 21-22; Job 41; Luke 1:39-80 02/03/2026

NL-Day041 Exodus 21-22; Job 41; Luke 1:39-80 EXODUS 21-22:Yesterday we read about the awesome and fearful way the Lord revealed himself at Mount Sinai to the Israelites. (Remember that for when we come to Hebrews 13.) And God gave the 10 Commandments. JOB 41:God continues to confront and challenge Job, asking questions revealing God's power compared to human weakness. A note about Leviathan in this chapter. Leviathan can be compared to a sea crocodile. The identification of Leviathan is disputed, ranging from an earthly creature to a mythical sea monster in ancient literature. LUKE 1b:Yesterday, in a very formal prologue, Luke stated his purpose. Then we read of Zechariah's unbelief, and how Mary accepted the role God had given to her. She said: 38 “ I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.” NLT Translation notes:18 “Now suppose two men quarrel, and one hits the other with a stone or fist, and the injured [man/person] does not die but is confined to bed.[I can’t stand it when, in the name of gender sensitivity, ‘man’ gets changed to ‘person’. In this case, it is already clear that it is ‘two men’!]27 And if a man knocks out [a/the] tooth [from/of] his male or female slave, he must let the slave go free to compensate for the tooth.31 “You must be my holy people. Therefore, do not eat any animal that has been torn up and killed by wild animals. Throw [that/it] to the dogs.====Luk. 1:61 They said to her, “[But//There is] no one among your relatives who has that name.”[See the note in NET about the use of ‘But’ here.]67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and [{spoke/gave} this prophecy//prophesied]:80 [John grew up//And the child grew] and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. /episode/index/show/dailybiblereading/id/4996052

NL-Day040 Exodus 19-20; Job 40; Luke 1:1-45 02/02/2026

NL-Day040 Exodus 19-20; Job 40; Luke 1:1-45 EXODUS 19-20:Yesterday we heard of God satisfying the thirst of the Israelites by commanding Moses to hit a rock. Israel defeated the Amalekites. And Jethro brought Moses’ wife and sons to him and gave him good advice. Note that in most English translations, God often talks of Himself in what we might term the royal fashion— as ‘The LORD’, and then as ‘He’ (instead of ‘I’, and ‘Me’). (The capital letters L O R D indicate that the Hebrew actually has his name, Yahweh.) In many of the world’s languages, it is ungrammatical to speak of oneself in the third person, so translations into those languages must use ‘I, the Lord’ and ‘Me’. Even in English it is highly unusual for anyone to use the royal form. So if you are following along in the NLT, you will notice that I regularly alter the text so that God speaks of himself in the first person. I do this for the sake of naturalness and clarity for those who are listening. JOB 40:Yesterday God continued to challenge Job with questions too hard for humans to answer. In today’s chapter, starting at verse 15, we read about the Behemoth. The GNT footnote tells that some identify this as a hippopotamus. But the description of Behemoth's tail in verse 17 doesn't fit with a hippopotamus. Maybe a sea crocodile would be a better choice? But they don’t eat grass. It is perhaps better to simply say that the Behemoth and Leviathan are legendary or mythical sea creatures. LUKE 1:Yesterday we finished 2nd Peter with his advising us to get ready for the Lord's return. Luke— as we will find out in other NT books, was the physician who was a traveling companion of Paul. His goal was to write a well-researched and ordered account of Jesus' life— as he says in his formal prologue. Robert Maddox states:“[Luke] writes to reassure the Christians of his day that their faith in Jesus is no aberration, but the authentic goal towards which God’s ancient dealings with Israel were driving.” More Muslims have become followers of Christ through reading Luke’s Gospel than from reading other three, because of its emphases. Luke is the longest book of the NT, and if we put Luke’s two books together, they form 27% of the NT. Luke wrote to Theophilus, who may have been a Roman dignitary, but since the name means “Lover of God” Luke may have intended his book for all of us who love God. Luke's explanations show that he was writing to the Greeks, and so he appropriately brings out that Christ came for all mankind— Jews and Gentiles. Luke also highlights the roles played by women. A major example is the material from his interviews with Mary, the mother of Jesus. Luke includes more poetry than the other Gospels, tells more about Jesus praying, and chronicles Jesus' parables and teaching. NLT Translation notes:Exo. 19:7 “You must not misuse the name of the LORD your God. [I, the LORD//The LORD] will not let you go unpunished if you misuse [my/his] name.11 For in six days [I//the LORD] made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day [I/he] rested. That is why [I, the LORD,//the LORD] blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.12 “Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land [that I,//0] the L ORD your God [am/is] giving you.[It is a feature of Hebrew that God frequently uses the honorific form where He refers to Himself in the third person. This is ungrammatical in many of the world’s languages, and is rather borderline ungrammatical even in English. Note the example in Job below.]==== Job 4:9 Are you as strong as [Me//God]? Can you thunder with a voice like [mine/his]? ==== Luk. 1:2 They used the eyewitness reports circulating among [0//us from] the early disciples. Luk. 1:38 “ I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.”61 They said to her, “[But//There is] no one among your relatives who has that name.”[See the note in NET about the use of ‘But’ here.]67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and [{spoke/gave} this prophecy//prophesied]:80 [John grew up//And the child grew] and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. /episode/index/show/dailybiblereading/id/4995206

NL-Day039 Exodus 17-18; Job 39; 2 Peter 3 02/01/2026

NL-Day038 Exodus 15-16; Job 38; 2 Peter 1:19-2:22 02/01/2026

NL-Day038 Exodus 15-16; Job 38; 2 Peter 1:19-2:22 EXODUS 15-16:Yesterday we heard that because of the Passover plague which killed Egypt's firstborn, God claims the firstborn of Israel for all time to come. Then we heard of Pharaoh's final hardening of his heart, and the parting of the red sea. JOB 38:In the 6 chapters before this, Elihu has said that God uses multiple means of communication with humans. He maintained that God is just, and said that Job— in his despair, had gone too far in saying it doesn't make any difference if one tries to serve God. He said that God is amazing in His power, and God does notice and punish the wicked. Then it so happened that as Elihu was speaking, a storm was blowing up that showed God's awesome majesty. Then— in today’s chapter, the Lord answers Job, not the last speaker, Elihu. 2PETER 2:Yesterday we heard that we can employ God's promises to supply power for godly living. This power can even enable us to share in God's own nature, thereby escaping the world's corruption. Let’s review what we read yesterday starting at 1:19, as Peter's mention of the prophets are a stark contrast with the false teachers Peter will describe in chapter 2. 1:19 NLT Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts. 20 Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, 21 or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God. NLT Translation notes:Gen. 15:26 He said, “If you will listen carefully to [my voice//0] the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in [my/his] sight, obeying [my/his] commands and keeping all [my/his] decrees, then I will not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the LORD who heals you.” ==== Job 38:32 NLT96 Can you [ensure the proper sequence of//NLT07 direct the constellations through] the seasons or guide the constellation of the Bear with her cubs across the heavens?====2Ptr. 2:20 And when people escape from the wickedness of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior [Christ Jesus//Jesus Christ] and then get tangled up and enslaved by sin again, they are worse off than before. 21 It would be better if they had never known the way [of/to] righteousness than to know it and then reject the command they were given to live a holy life. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. /episode/index/show/dailybiblereading/id/4992353

038: Reader tak note: What most people don't know about Bible translations 02/01/2026

038: Reader tak note: What most people don't know about Bible translations Day 38: What most people don’t know about Bible translations Hi there, and welcome to this bonus podcast! I will be discussing the two main types of Bible translations I recommend for most people. As a Bible translator since 1983, I feel that most Christians in the USA are not given enough information about why Bible translations differ in wording, and which kinds of Bible translations will be better for different kinds of readers. This is an important topic, so I am surprised at myself: I can’t believe that I haven’t released a dedicated podcast about this topic every year since 2014. ALSO, please stay tuned for the end of the podcast, because I want to recommend a fantastic new real-book Bible. Because of more difficult content in this podcast, if you are not driving a car, it would be a great idea to open the episode notes so you can visually follow along and make sure you don’t miss something important. Look especially at the words I have made bold. There are actually five types of Bible translations, but I will mainly discuss the two most-used types in this podcast. But let’s start with showing the two types with a translation example that is not from the Bible. Consider this sentence: Jill looked like a deer caught in the headlights when she heard Jack’s proposal. Now let’s imagine a word-for-word translation for some language in Africa. Since we don’t know a language like that, let’s pretend we do and make a word-for-word translation into English. Here is my suggestion for that: Jill appeared like a trapped gazelle in bright light upon hearing Jack’s desire. What we have in this example (caught in the headlights) is a figure of speech. Americans rather frequently use this figure of speech. But a word-for-word translation for the hypothetical African audience would very likely be tricky for them to understand. They might not know what a gazelle would do if a bright light shone upon them. (For that matter, I don’t know if gazelle’s act like deer do when meeting with bright lights.) I think an African might understand “Jill appeared like a gazelle trapped in bright light” to be a gazelle trapped with a metal trap, in pain, and struggling to get loose when the bright light suddenly shines upon it. Our hypothetical African listener will probably get a very different idea about what is meant. For our second hypothetical translation, let’s try giving the plain meaning like we would if we were explaining to an 8-year-old child. We might translate, “Jill was stunned by Jack’s proposal.” Or we might say, Jill was caught off guard and totally surprised by Jack’s offer.” In this example, I’ve dropped the figure of speech entirely and gone straight for the meaning. These are the two main translation types that I want to explain: The first was what we call a literal translation, or a word-for-word translation. And the second is what I will call a meaning-based translation. Literal: Jill appeared like a trapped gazelle in bright light … Meaning-based: Jill was stunned by Jack’s proposal. Which translation is ‘right’? Actually both translations can be considered right. But the word-for-word translation is difficult to understand for our hypothetical African listeners, because there are cultural factors involved in interpreting the figure of speech in this example. The listeners would likely come up with various interpretations about the poor, defenseless gazelle being trapped. Whereas, if Jill likes Jack, she may be thrilled at his proposal. The meaning based translation is right too: “Jill was stunned by Jack’s proposal.” That translation is easy to understand, but if you remember the original sentence, you will miss the richness of the figure of speech. The two main types of Bible translations have exactly the same problems as what I have shown in the two examples above. The advantage of a literal, word-for-word translation is that it mirrors the form of the original text. The disadvantage of a literal translation is that it cannot always clearly give the meaning in the target language. The meaning-based translation is just the opposite: The advantage of a meaning-based translation is that it shows the meaning clearly. The disadvantage of a meaning-based translation is that it cannot mirror the form of the original text. Every Bible translator starts out thinking, “I will be able to translate word-for-word and still clearly enough show the meaning.” For two languages that are strongly related to each other, a literal translation can often still be clear. But if we are thinking of translating ancient Hebrew and Greek into modern English, there is a huge gulf between the ancient and modern languages and cultures. My first example involved an English figure of speech. But let me give you a chance to experience decoding an Indonesian figure of speech: Yakobus adalah kacang yang sudah lupa kulitnya. A word-for-word translation is this: Jack is a peanut that has forgotten his shell. Now it is your turn to wonder what that could mean. You won’t guess, so I will tell you. Here’s a meaning-based translation of “Jack is a peanut that has forgotten his shell.” That means, Jack left his rural village to get an education in the city, and now has a good job with a high salary, but he has forgotten his humble beginnings. He never helps any of his friends and relatives in his home village. There are many literal (or word-for-word) Bible translations in English. That kind of translation is easier to make. And not all literal translations are equally literal. Some fudge to be slightly more meaning-based. But for the purposes of this discussion, I will choose what I think is the most popular literal translation today: It is the ESV (English Standard Version). It is the translation that would translate, “Jill appeared like a trapped gazelle in bright light.” It is great at showing the word-for-word form of the original text, but not so good at giving you the meaning clearly. A literal translation I like better than the ESV is the WEBBE (World English Bible British Edition). Meaning-based Bible translations are much rarer, because they require the translator to work much harder to accurately translate the meaning. For English language readers, I recommend the Weymouth New Testament in Modern Speech of 1901, The Good News Bible (TEV 1966), and the New Living Translation. There are a few more, but those are my favorites, and I will focus in this podcast on the NLT. The NLT would translate our example as “Jill was stunned by Jack’s proposal.” The KJV is a literal translation, and an unfortunate part of the continuing legacy of the KJV, is that pastors often prefer using literal translations from the pulpit. But unfortunately this means that many ordinary people in the pew wind up using something like the ESV for their daily Bible reading at home. This means that many Christians who read their Bibles at home often struggle with hard-to-understand passages. If you normally read the ESV Bible and think you understand everything in it, well, I bet you haven’t yet read all of it! Here is one of my most important recommendations for you: Make sure you have access to both kinds of translations. In other words, use both an ESV and an NLT Bible. That way you can quickly see the meaning (in the NLT), and you get a window into the word-for-word shape of the original text with the ESV. My Daily Bible Reading podcasts have only been of two meaning-based translations. Why? Because they can be understood by people just listening to the recordings. It would be useless to record the ESV, because listeners would often miss the meaning. Now I want to illustrate what I have been saying with a Bible passage. I wish I could spend an hour doing this, but I feel I must limit myself to only one example. I have chosen the topic statement for the book of Romans, chapter 1, verses 16-17. In the ESV verse 16 says, For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. If I had all the podcast listeners in front of me as a group, I would say to you, “Raise your hand if you are a Jew.” Usually in my audiences, no one raises their hand. At that point I say, “Raise your hand if you are a Greek.” Usually again, no one raises their hand. But then my question is, “Where do you fit in to Romans 1:16?” This verse says that the gospel is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. Sounds like you people who didn’t raise your hands are not able to be saved! So which one are we?” The answer is that Paul is contrasting Jews with everyone else. Greek was the universal language of culture and commerce at that time, even under the Roman government. Now let’s compare the same verse in the NLT: For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes— the Jew first and also the Gentile. Now let’s look at verse 17 in the ESV: For in it (referring back to the Gospel) the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” No English reader will suspect that there is anything kind of strange about the phrase ‘the righteous of God’. The problem is that ‘of God’ is a genitive in Greek, and genitives have a dozen different options for the meaning. ESV nearly always uses the word ‘of’ to translate genitives. But in this verse, ‘righteousness of God’ will mean that the Gospel is about revealing that God is righteous. Wait a minute! If God is righteous and I am not righteous, that is not Good News. He will punish me. Rather, in this verse, the genitive is one showing source. Just wait a moment and I will read the NLT. A second significant problem in verse 17 is a grammatical construction that forms an idiom in Greek: For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith. So the literal translation has zero meaning or leaves the reader to guess at meanings, which will probably be wrong. Finally, because of the first two problems I just mentioned, it seems like the final quote from Habakkuk 2:4 doesn’t fit with what came before it. So we ask, why did Paul quote, “The righteous shall live by faith.” Now let me read the NLT to you: 17 This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.” Many years ago, I had a phone conversation with a woman who was a new believer. She liked reading her KJV, and I used Romans 1:16-17 to try to show her that she would be better off reading the NLT. The KJV has the same problem in v.17: “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith.” So I asked her what that means, and she quickly replied, “Oh, you know, the Catholic faith, the Mormon faith, the protestant faith.” Hello! None of those things existed when Paul wrote Romans. I give that story to show that a dangerous thing that happens when many people read the Bible: If we don’t understand something, we may just make up a meaning that sounds plausible to us. And as time goes on, we can get more and more convinced that our guesses are true. Going back to the advantages and disadvantages of the two translation types, the ESV has made a very good literal translation of 1:17. The ESV closely mirrors the form of the Greek text, but the problem is that readers won’t grasp the meaning, unless perhaps there are study notes to guide them. On the other hand, the NLT has the disadvantage that it doesn’t match the word-for-word form of the Greek, but it nails the meaning. God is the source of our righteousness. NLT translates: This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. And the Greek idiom ‘from faith to faith’ means, “This is accomplished from start to finish by faith.” Finally, if you take the time to read verse 17 again, you will see that the quote at the end of the verse supports what Paul claims about the Good News about Christ. I am passionate about people having access to at least one Bible that is a literal translation, and one that is a meaning-based translation. Recently an elder in our church shared that he was struggling hard to read and understand Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. He was rather bitter in his complaints, saying, “Why did Jeremiah write like this? I can’t penetrate this stuff!” This is just one example of many I could share. Normal Christians like you and me who try to use a literal translation for devotional reading, and attempt to read every book in the Bible, will not enjoy the experience. This can clearly be seen in Indonesia, where the people have only had wide access to one literal translation since 1974. Indonesian Christians have been discouraged from reading their Bibles for too long, and that has seriously weakened the church throughout that country. Now, with our Plain Indonesian Translation, thousands of people have discovered that they enjoy reading the Bible. But now, through our 90-day Bible reading challenge, teenage kids and adults are rejoicing to find that they enjoy reading the New Testament, finishing it in 90 days, and many immediately start over to read it again. Any Christian who wants to glorify God should read the whole Bible. And if we really want to glorify God, then we should read a translation that we understand. Reading a translation that you don’t understand fully will not help you or encourage you. I need to give two important clarifications: Some people think that the NLT is a paraphrase because the first edition still contained some words or phrases that sounded like the Living Bible. The Living Bible deserves to be called a paraphrase, because it occasionally adds ideas not found in the original text, or fails to translate other things. But the New Living Translation is a highly researched and revised meaning-based translation. My second clarification is that The Message is an extreme paraphrase. Please don’t think it is a faithful translation. Please don’t quote it. Please don’t give it to a new Christian to read. Here is the information about real-book Bibles I mentioned at the beginning of the podcast. I want you to know that no one at Tyndale House asked me to promote their products, and I am not getting paid anything for giving out this information. Gale decided to give NLT Bibles to members of her Bible study groups, and I decided to give them to my small group. It has been a long time since we bought Bibles, and so we made some delightful discoveries. Tyndale House has several cool NLT Bibles right now. The NLT Illustrated Study Bible is incredible! Beautifully illustrated with maps and charts and many study notes and supplemental information. The hardcover edition is only $36.66. You might like the leather-like edition which is a bit more. However, at more than 2,500 pages, you won’t want to carry this Bible around. Here’s what I am giving to some young people in our church, including our grandkids: There is a new kind of Bible developed by Tyndale House, called a Filament Enabled NLT Bible. This real-book Bible comes without study notes and maps, making it practical to carry and providing an uncluttered reading experience, but it has a companion cell phone app that gives you all the stuff you would get in a study Bible and even much more. You download the Filament app for your phone or tablet, and then you can take a picture of the page number or type in the page number for which you want to get more information. The app then gives you study notes, charts, timelines, and devotional material, including videos and even worship songs. There is a premium-value edition with a leather-like cover for just $15. For the person who wants to make notes, there is a beautiful wide margin edition available for $38. A large print Filament enabled Bible is about that same price. A genuine leather thin-line edition of the NLT Filament Bible is only $35. I highly recommend an article linked at the very end of the episode notes entitled by Andy Naselli. And may the Lord bless you ‘real good’. LINKS: See the second part of this page: Recommended Bible translations for devotional reading Fantastic article: June 13, 2017 | /episode/index/show/dailybiblereading/id/25644318

NL-Day037 Exodus 13-14; Job 37; 2 Peter 1 02/01/2026

NL-Day037 Exodus 13-14; Job 37; 2 Peter 1 EXODUS 13-14:Yesterday we heard of the final plague— including the death of the firstborn and the first Passover. And we heard the rules for the Passover celebrations. Note how Christ is foreshadowed in the Passover lamb, including the detail that not a bone was to be broken. JOB 37:This is the conclusion of Elihu's speech. 2nd PETER 1:Yesterday in James 5, James railed against the rich to encourage the poor. He also told us how to be patient in our suffering. The last section teaches about prayer for the sick and finally about repentance. I add a little footnote here. So often I hear the part about praying for the sick quoted by people who do not bother to fulfill all the instructions that James gives. If we are going to claim promises in Scriptures, we need to fulfill the conditions given! This 2nd letter of Peter's was probably written not long before he was martyred in AD 68. Or it could have been written as early as AD 65. A different person with a very different vocabulary served as Peter’s secretary to write this. One of the things that tells me that Peter really was the author is his consistent humility. In 1Peter 5, he spoke of himself as a fellow elder and a fellow in looking forward to the glory that will be revealed to us. And he starts this letter in a similar vein, calling his listeners those ‘who share the same precious [faith/way of believing] we [apostles] have.’ Constable quotes Vernon McGee:“Second Peter is the swan song of Peter, just as 2 Timothy is the swan song of Paul. There are striking similarities between the two books. Both epistles put up a warning sign along the pilgrim pathway the church is traveling to identify the awful apostasy that was on the way at the time and which in our time has now arrived. What was then like a cloud the size of a man’s hand today envelops the sky and produces a storm of hurricane proportions. Peter warns of heresy among teachers; Paul warns of heresy among the laity.” NLT Translation notes:Exo. 13:31 When the people of Israel saw the mighty power that the L ORD had unleashed against the Egyptians, they were filled with awe before him. [At last/0] they [fully believed//put their faith] in the L ORD and in his servant Moses.====1 This letter is from Simon a Peter, a slave and apostle of Christ Jesus.I am writing to you who share the same precious [beliefs/faith] we have. The things we fully believe were given to us//faith we have. This faith was given to you] because of the justice and fairness of [Christ Jesus//Jesus Christ], our God and Savior.5 In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your [believing/faith] with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge,14 For our Lord [and Christ Jesus//Lord Jesus Christ] has shown me that I must soon leave this earthly life, Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. /episode/index/show/dailybiblereading/id/4990900

NL-Day036 Exodus 11-12; Job 36; James 5 02/01/2026

NL-Day036 Exodus 11-12; Job 36; James 5 EXODUS 11-12:Yesterday we heard of the plague against the livestock, the plague of boils, and the plague of hail. We are not told how much time there was in between each plague. It seems there was enough time for many Egyptians to buy more livestock before they were again decimated by the hail. Then we heard about the plague of locusts followed by the plague of darkness. I hope you noticed Who is doing the hardening of hearts and causing the stubbornness. Paul talks about that in Romans 9. JOB 36:This is Elihu's 5th chapter. JAMES 5:In chapter 4, James preached against the way the world had infiltrated the church— and we could say, still infiltrates the church. He gave an important clue about why God doesn't answer our prayers. And he taught that we need to purify our hearts from pride and having divided loyalty between God and the world. He gave a big clue on how to be rid of Satan's influence. Finally James taught us how prideful it is to judge others, and warned about prideful planning. Note that in verses 1-6 of our reading today, James is using the rhetorical device called ‘apostrophe’— where he harshly rebukes rich people who are NOT actually in his audience. He is is doing this to give comfort to his actual audience, which includes many who are poor. It is almost certainly the case that any rich people who were actually part of James’ audience had not done the crimes James mentions. NLT Translation notes:James 5:3-4 3 Your gold and silver [have become worthless//are corroded]. The very wealth you were counting on will eat away your flesh like fire. This [0//corroded] treasure you have hoarded will testify against you on the day of judgment. 4 For listen! Hear the cries of the field workers whom you have cheated of their pay. [The wages you held back cry out against you.//0] The cries of those who harvest your fields have reached the ears of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. [I moved the idea of ‘rust’ in verse 3 to verse 4. Literally, ‘the rust of them will become a testimony against you’.]Jam. 5:11 We give great honor to those who endured under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how[-- at the end/0], the Lord was kind to him [0/at the end], for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy.15 [ [PET] And God will answer their prayers for healing which are supported by fully believing that the Lord is answering. The Lord will bring him back to health. And if his sickness was caused by his sins, through such prayers, the Lord will forgive him. //Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. /episode/index/show/dailybiblereading/id/4990612

NL-Day035 Exodus 9-10; Job 35; James 4 02/01/2026

NL-Day034 Exodus 7-8; Job 34; James 3 02/01/2026

NL-Day033 Exodus 5-6; Job 33; James 2 02/01/2026

NL-Day033 Exodus 5-6; Job 33; James 2 EXODUS 5-6:Moses has responded to God's call, returned to Egypt with Aaron, and has had a successful meeting with the leaders of the Israelite people. JOB 33:This is Elihu's second chapter of six in his speech. JAMES 2:Yesterday James told us to consider it a great joy when troubles come our way. Don't miss James’ reasoning for this seeming contradiction. Then he spoke very strongly about not just being people who merely listen to God's Word. We must do it. NLT Translation notes:Jam. 2:1 My dear brothers and sisters, a how can you claim to [fully believe//have faith] in our glorious Lord [Christ Jesus//Jesus Christ] if you favor some people over others?5 Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in [the area of fully believing in Christ//faith]? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him?6 But you dishonor the poor! Isn’t it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court? 7 Aren’t they the ones who slander [Christ Jesus//Jesus Christ], whose noble nameyou bear?10 For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty [of being a law breaker as the//as a] person who has broken all of God’s laws. 11 For the same God who said, “You must not commit adultery.”HEADING: [Believing without Good Deeds Is Dead Religion//Faith without Good Deeds Is Dead]14 What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you [believe/have faith] but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of [believing/faith] save anyone?17 So you see, [believing/faith] by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead [religion/0] and useless.18 Now [I can just hear someone arguing//someone may argue], “Some people [are good at believing//have faith]; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me [that you believe//your faith] if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you [that I fully believe through//my faith] by my good deeds.”19 You say you [believe//have faith], [because/for] you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe [that/this], and they tremble in terror. 20 How foolish! Can’t you see that [believing/faith] without good deeds is useless?22 You see, [believing/faith] and his actions worked together. His actions made his [believing/faith] complete [in God's sight]. 23 And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his [fully believing//faith].” He was even called the friend of God. 24 So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by [believing/faith] alone.[I hope you remember why I use ‘believe’ instead of ‘faith’. ‘Faith’ and ‘believe’ translate the same root word (pistin/pisteuw) in Greek. 1. Faith is fuzzy because the word has taken on all sorts of meanings. 2. If you tell someone to have faith, they will likely ask, “But how?” Faith is not a volitional action. But believing is. 3. And finally I make the changes above for maintaining cohesion. In a verse like 23, it is important that the two phrases use the same word: ‘Abraham believed God’, and … ‘because of his believing’— that believing just mentioned, not some fuzzy thing Hollywood and our culture calls ‘faith’.]26 Just as the body is dead without breath, so also [merely believing is just dead religion//faith is dead] without good works. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. /episode/index/show/dailybiblereading/id/4983034

NL-Day031 Exodus 1-2; Job 31; 1 Peter 5 01/25/2026

NL-Day031 Exodus 1-2; Job 31; 1 Peter 5 EXODUS 1:Yesterday we wrapped up Genesis with Jacob's very prophetic blessings for each of his sons. Then we heard of the conclusion after Jacob was buried and finally Joseph died. Exodus is clearly a continuation of the story of Genesis, since the first word in the Hebrew text is ‘And’. Tradition holds that Moses is the author. The name Exodus derives from the name that was given by the Septuagint translators— which is the translation of the OT into classical Greek made three hundred years before Christ. Here are two perceptive summary statements about Exodus— quotes by Durham (from Constable’s Notes): “No other biblical book surfaces elsewhere in the OT as frequently as the Book of Exodus does; in the NT only the Books of Psalms and Isaiah are cited more, and that for the fairly obvious reasons of liturgy and messianism.” “The story of the first half of Exodus, in broad summary, is Rescue. The story of the second half, in equally broad summary, is Response, both immediate response and continuing response. And binding together and undergirding both Rescue and Response is Presence, the Presence of Yahweh from whom both Rescue and Response ultimately derive.” Here is a quote by J. Daniel Hays:“The deliverance of Israel out of Egypt by Yahweh in the Old Testament is parallel in importance to the resurrection of Christ in the New Testament. The historicity of these events is a critical foundation for a proper understanding of the rest of the Bible.” And finally, Henrietta Mears in her handbooks says this:“Exodus is connected to Genesis in much the same way that the New Testament is connected to the Old Testament. Genesis tells of humanity’s failure under every test and in every condition. Exodus is the thrilling epic of God rushing to the rescue. It tells of the redeeming work of a sovereign God.” JOB 31:In the NLT, this is Job's sixth chapter of his long speech, and in the GNT it is his third. No matter how you divide the discourse, it is the final chapter of this long speech, in which he makes his final protest that he is innocent. After this, Elihu struts his stuff. 1PETER 5:Peter finished chapter 4 talking about proudly bearing the name of ‘Christ’— which is part of the word ‘Christian’, and being patient under suffering, if that is included in God's will for you. GNT Translation notes:Gen. 2:11 When Moses had grown up, he went out to visit his people, the Hebrews, and he saw how they were forced to do hard labour. He even saw an Egyptian [strike//beating//attaching//kill] a Hebrew, one of Moses' own people. ====Job 31:12 [Such a sin//It] would be like a destructive, hellish fire,consuming everything I have.====1Ptr. 5:9 Be firm in [fully believing in Christ//your faith] and resist him, because you know that your fellow-believers in all the world are going through the same kind of sufferings. NLT Translation notes:1Ptr. 5:5 In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another, for [the Scriptures say,] “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”9 Stand firm against him, and be strong in your [fully believing in Christ//faith]. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. /episode/index/show/dailybiblereading/id/4982332

NL-Day032 Exodus 3-4; Job 32; James 1 01/25/2026

NL-Day032 Exodus 3-4; Job 32; James 1 EXODUS 3-4:In yesterday's beginning to Exodus, we heard of Moses' birth and his young adulthood in Egypt. He murdered a man and had to flee for his life, going to Midian. We also read of his helping the seven daughters of Reuel, a scene that I can't read without thinking of the Cecil B. DeMill movie. JOB 32:Job having finished his defense, Elihu takes the stage. HC Mears says, Eliphaz basically said, “God never makes a mistake. What have you done to bring this on yourself?” Bildad essentially said, “God is just. Confess your sin.” Zophar suggested, “God is all-wise. He knows man.” Elihu, God's man, said the wisest thing: “God is good; look up, and trust Him.” Note that at the end of the book, Elihu is not mentioned as having misrepresented God. He does seem to speak wisely, but we can fault him for his arrogance. JAMES 1:Yesterday in 1Peter 5, Peter gave a very important encouragement to elders within the church. And among other things, he gave an important words about spiritual battle with Satan. I summarize his commands as Stay alert, Stand firm, and Remember. The letter of James is similar to 1 Peter in several ways. In the first verse of both letters, both mention that their audience is dispersed throughout the world. Both describe their audience using Jewish catch phrases. James is also similar to Peter in the way he sets out several themes and keeps returning to them. Moyer says of this book, “As soon as we read through the letter of James we say to ourselves, ‘This man was a preacher before he was a writer.’” James is probably the oldest book of the New Testament, written perhaps only 15 years after Jesus' death and before the first council of Jerusalem in AD 50. This was written, not by the disciple named James, but by James the half brother of Christ. While Jesus was alive, James was not a believer. But he came to believe when Jesus appeared to him shortly after His resurrection. Some time after this and before his martyrdom in AD 62, James was the leader of the church in Jerusalem. James does not call himself ‘the brother of Jesus’ but His slave! NLT Translation notes:Jam. 1:1 This letter is from James, a slave of God and of [our Lord Christ Jesus//the Lord Jesus Christ].6 But when you ask him, be sure that [you fully believe that God is willing to give you that wisdom you are asking for./ /your faith is in God alone.]Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.17 Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. [But unlike those heavenly lights, God//He] never changes or casts a shifting shadow.24 You see [that you have dirt on your face, and then just//yourself,] walk away, and forget what you [looked/look] like. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. /episode/index/show/dailybiblereading/id/4982800

NL-Day030 Genesis 49-50; Job 30; 1 Peter 3:17-4:19 01/25/2026

NL-Day030 Genesis 49-50; Job 30; 1 Peter 3:17-4:19 GENESIS 49-50: In yesterday's reading, Jacob blessed Pharaoh, Joseph lead powerfully during the worst of the famine, and Jacob blessed Ephraim and Manasseh— putting the younger Ephraim above his older brother. (And if you remember Jacob's story, you'll know where he got that idea.) JOB 30: In the GNT, this is the 2nd of Job’s three chapters stating his complaints. In the NLT, this is the 5th chapter of his monologue. Yesterday Job spoke of his previous blessed life and high position. In this chapter he tells of his anguish. 1PETER 4: Yesterday in chapter 3 he gave instructions to wives, husbands, and all Christians— particularly when we suffer. NOTE: The final verses of chapter 3 having to do with Noah's day and spirits in prison have caused much debate. I agree with the maxim that states that in interpretation “Context is king.” It is therefore best to let the ending verses of chapter 3 be interpreted for us by what Peter says in chapter 4, verse 6. Let’s begin by re-reading 1PETER 3:17-22. NLT Translation notes: Job 30:9 “And now [even] they mock me with vulgar songs! They taunt me! ==== 1Ptr. 4:1 So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too. For if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have [have made the decision to be] finished with sin. 6 That is why the Good News was preached to those who are now dead —so although they were destined to die like all people, they [could//might//now] live forever with God in the Spirit. 18 And also [the Scripture says], “If the righteous are barely saved, what will happen to godless sinners?” Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. /episode/index/show/dailybiblereading/id/6161901

NL-Day029 Genesis 47-48; Job 29; 1 Peter 3 01/25/2026

NL-Day029 Genesis 47-48; Job 29; 1 Peter 3 GENESIS 47-48: In yesterday's reading, Jacob arrived in Egypt with his family. Excluding more extended family, the whole group numbered 70 people at that time. JOB 29: Yesterday we heard the chapter in praise of God’s wisdom, which GNT attributes to Zophar. Today Job speaks of his former blessings, in the first of three chapters which are the final statement of his case. 1PETER 3: Peter packed each sentence with meaning. I encourage you to take time to read the first two chapters slowly and think about Peter’s descriptive words. Yesterday, for instance, we read the wonderful “Living Stones” passage— which pictures deep meaning about our spiritual identity because of our being built upon (or, joined as one with) Christ, the Cornerstone. At the end of chapter 2, Peter taught about submitting to governmental leaders, and slaves submitting to their masters. NLT Translation notes: Job 29:12 For I assisted the poor in their need and the orphans who [needed/required] help. 18 “I thought, ‘Surely [my death will come after a good, long life//I will die surrounded by my familyafter a long, good life] and I will be surrounded by my family. 24 When they were discouraged, I [had only to smile//smiled] at them. My look of approval was precious to them. ==== 1Ptr. 3:15 Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about [where you have placed your hope//your Christian hope], always be ready to explain [about Christ/it]. 1Ptr. 3:20 those who disobeyed [God] long ago when God waited patiently while Noah was building his boat. Only eight people were saved from drowning in that terrible flood. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. /episode/index/show/dailybiblereading/id/6161859

NL-Day028 Genesis 46; Job 28; 1 Peter 1:22-2:25 01/25/2026

NL-Day028 Genesis 46; Job 28; 1 Peter 1:22-2:25 GENESIS 46: In yesterday’s two chapters, Joseph's brothers went back to Egypt with Benjamin, Joseph's younger brother. Joseph contrived a creative way to reveal his identity. When Pharaoh heard about Joseph's brothers, he helped provide for Jacob's family to come to Egypt. JOB 28:Did you notice in yesterday’s reading of Job 27 that my voice suddenly turned sarcastic sounding? In some translations, one of them being GNT, the second part of chapter 27 (beginning at verse 13) is assigned to Zophar. Actually, that idea, proposed by several commentators, has gone out of fashion. NLT goes strictly with the assignments of speakers as in the Hebrew, where all of chapters 27-28 are assigned to Job. The reason that commentators proposed Zophar as the speaker is that the second part of chapter 27 sounds mighty like things Job’s opponents have already said. By my tone of voice, I attempted to show that Job is sarcastically repeating his opponents’ arguments. 1PETER 1:22—2: Peter addressed his letter to “To God's chosen people who live as [refugees/foreigners] scattered throughout” various provinces. But it is clear that Peter also has a spiritual meaning in mind, as the song says, “This world is not my home.” In chapter 2, Peter again comforts us and gives wonderful descriptions of our identity because of being joined to Christ. The first verse of chapter 2 starts with ‘then/So’, so let’s start out by reviewing the last verses of chapter 1, starting at v22. NLT Translation notes: Job 28:6 [Down there/Here] the rocks contain precious lapis lazuli, and the dust contains gold. 16 [Wisdom is//It’s] worth more than all the gold of Ophir, greater than precious onyx or lapis lazuli. 19 Precious peridot from Ethiopia cannot be exchanged for [wisdom/it]. ==== 1Ptr. 2:5 And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of [Christ Jesus//Jesus Christ], you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. 6 As [God says in the Scriptures// the Scriptures say], “I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem, chosen for great honor, and anyone who [believes/trusts] in him will never be [disappointed/disgraced].” [Both meanings for this word are good. I simply prefer 'disappointed'. I think the idea is that No one who trusts in Him will find out that they have believed a lie. See Biblewebapp.com.] 7 Yes, you who [believe/trust] in him recognize [how precious that Cornerstone is!//the honor God has given him.]But for those who reject him, [the Scriptures say,]“The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.” [In 7a, NLT is not wrong. (Almost always when I make changes, it is not correcting mistakes, but simply choosing an alternative.) The Greek is very terse: “For you who believe therefore is the honor,” And the choice of meaning may be conditioned on what choice the translator has made at for disgraced /disappointed' above. I totally do not like ESV here: “So the honor is for you who believe,” Such a translation takes the focus off Christ and puts it on us. It seems to me that NIV is much better: “Now to you who believe, this stone is precious.”] 9 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. [As the Scriptures say,/0]11 Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” [in this world] to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. 13 For the Lord’s sake, respect all human authority— whether [that be/0] the king as head of state, 16 [You//For you] are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil. 21 For God [has/0] called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. /episode/index/show/dailybiblereading/id/6161807

NL-Day027 Genesis 44-45; Job 27; 1 Peter 1 01/25/2026

NL-Day027 Genesis 44-45; Job 27; 1 Peter 1 GENESIS 44-45: Yesterday we heard of Joseph's brothers on their first and second trips to Egypt. [GNT only: Regarding my comment in yesterday’s podcast about Joseph giving wine without limit, it is likely that He was showing the normal generosity of a wealthy host. I very much doubt that under these circumstances his brothers would have allowed themselves to become drunk.] We pick up the story, still in Joseph's palace on the second trip. JOB 27: In the NLT, this chapter is the 2nd chapter of Job’s six-chapter-long speech. But in the GNT Zophar interrupts and carries on through chapter 28. FIRST PETER 1:In the last chapter of Mark’s Gospel, we read about the resurrection of Jesus. Since Mark very likely wrote his gospel based on Peter's information, it seems fitting that we move to Peter's two letters now. Evidently Peter spent the last decade of his life in Rome, where he was martyred around the year 64. Mark (whom Peter fondly refers to as ‘his son’ in chapter 5) was with him in Rome when this was written. Silas— whom we will hear of later in Acts, was the secretary for writing this letter. Scholars do not doubt that this letter is from Peter. For those who want to delve deeper in studying this short letter, I encourage you to search out and mark every occurrence of these repeated words: trials/suffering, hope, joy, grace, and glory. You will note that whenever the NLT has written ‘Jesus Christ’, I read it as ‘Christ Jesus’. Most English Bible translations simply follow the order that the Greek has, which sometimes has ‘Christ Jesus’ and other times ‘Jesus Christ’. In Greek it doesn’t matter which order is used. However for English, it does matter which order is used. Now, I realize that saying ‘Jesus Christ’ sounds natural to our ears, but it is not really grammatical. English puts titles first. Let me give an example using ‘Doctor Jones’. If I say, “Jones Doctor is going to Egypt next week,” then everyone will say that that ordering is unnatural. I stubbornly insist that it would be better for English speakers to use the grammatical order, ‘Christ Jesus’, because that makes it clear that ‘Christ’ is His title, not His last name. The title of Christ— by the way, comes from Greek and means the same as Messiah, which comes from Hebrew. Both terms mean ‘the anointed one’. NLT Translation notes: Job 27:13 [You say//0], “This is what the wicked will receive from God; [I also added ‘You say” to verses 16, 18, and 22.] 14 They may have many children, [(you say,)] but the children will die in war or starve to death. 16 “Evil people [(you say)] may have piles of money and may store away mounds of clothing. 20 Terror[s] overwhelm[0/s] them like a flood, [(you say,)] and they are blown away in the storms of the night. ==== 1 This letter is from Peter, an apostle of [Christ Jesus*//Jesus Christ]. [and this change will be made everywhere.] [*Even though the Greek has the order as 'Jesus Christ' and that order sounds natural to our ears, it is not grammatical. This is shown if I put some other title and name in that order. If I say, “Obama President is going to Egypt next week,” then everyone will say that that ordering is unnatural. We never say, “Obama President” but “President Obama...” By using the grammatical order for “Christ Jesus” it makes it clear that a title is being used. The title of Christ, by the way, means the same as the same title from the Hebrew language, Messiah. Both terms mean 'the anointed one'.] 5 And through your [fully believing//faith]* in Christ, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. [*As I have discussed in other footnotes before, the word 'faith' in English has developed many meanings, and because of that it makes the meaning unclear to use the word ‘faith’ in Bible translations in English. In Greek, 'faith' and 'believe' are just the verb and noun form of the same word.] 7 These trials will [prove//show] that [you truly believe//your faith is genuine]. [Your believing//It] is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your [believing//faith] is far more precious than mere gold. So when [you continue strong in your believing in spite of many trials//your faith remains strong through many trials], it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when [Christ Jesus//Jesus Christ] is revealed to the whole world. 8 You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you [fully believe in//trust] him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. 9 The reward for [believing in//trusting] him will be the salvation of your souls. [It greatly damages the cohesion of a passage when the translators sometimes translate the same Greek word as ‘believe’ and the noun form as ‘faith’. Now the NLT translators went even further by using ‘trust’ instead of ‘believe’. I urge us to use ‘believe/fully believe’ everywhere, so we can see the cohesion that centers on this term. One might say that the New Testament writers were harping on it! If people are afraid of the error of easy-believism, then I wouldn’t mind using the word ‘trust’ everywhere. But my main point is, let the cohesion be seen.] 14 So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. [Back then you didn’t know any better.//You didn’t know any better then.]16 For [God says in//0] the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.” 21 Through Christ you have come to [believe//trust] in God. You believe that God raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory. [The result is that you fully believe//And you have placed your faith] and hope in God. [moved to the front→ because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory.]25 But the word of the Lord remains forever.” And [included in the word of the Lord that remains forever //that word] is the Good News that was preached to you! Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. /episode/index/show/dailybiblereading/id/6161777

NL-Day026 Genesis 42-43; Job 26; Mark 16 01/25/2026

Day025: 2023 EveryWord --- Mark 16 01/18/2026

Day025: 2023 EveryWord --- Mark 16 Today I will do my best to convince you that the last 12 verses of Mark 16 shouldn’t have brackets around them or footnotes that cast doubt on their authenticity. I believe that they are authentic Scripture inspired by God. Now, I try to stay away from saying anything controversial in the Daily Bible Reading Podcast series, and it kind of bothers me that here in this first extra podcast of the year, I will say things that quite a few people with seminary training will consider leaning too much to the conservative side of the scale. But I feel constrained to be controversial now so I will come right out and say it: I believe what Moses (Deut. 8:3) and Jesus (Luk. 4:4) said: “Man shall not live on bread alone, but by every word of God.” If we are to live by ‘every word’, then it makes sense to me to believe that God would preserve every word for us. Please remember that all Bible translations were made by humans. This means that there is no such thing as a perfect Bible translation, as almost all good versions state in their prefaces. Even the KJV translators admitted this in their Preface. So I ask for your patient understanding as I set out a weakness in the NLT. The NLT has this at Mark 16:8: 8 The women fled from the tomb, trembling and bewildered, and they said nothing to anyone because they were too frightened.[] c The most reliable early manuscripts of the Gospel of Mark end at verse 8. Other manuscripts include various endings to the Gospel. A few include both the “shorter ending” and the “longer ending.” The majority of manuscripts include the “longer ending” immediately after verse 8. Then with a sub-heading in bold and italic font: [The most ancient manuscripts of Mark conclude with verse 16:8. Later manuscripts add one or both of the following endings.] [Shorter Ending of Mark] Then they briefly reported all this to Peter and his companions. Afterward Jesus himself sent them out from east to west with the sacred and unfailing message of salvation that gives eternal life. Amen. [Longer Ending of Mark] verses 9-20 … When you get to Day 26 you will note that I didn't read the shorter ending for the podcast. That ending has extremely thin support in ancient manuscripts, and where the words occur, the manuscripts often also have the longer ending, verses 9-20. Some experts today think that Mark intended to end his Gospel with the words, “they said nothing to anyone because they were too frightened.” But this defies imagination! I don’t think authors started using the type of endings where you leave-the-audience-hanging until centuries later, like perhaps just two centuries ago. Remember that Mark starts with the words, “This is the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God.” Mark shows a pattern of telling the outcome for every miracle. He is not about to leave the main thesis of his story without its fulfillment. The fulfillment of the starting thesis is found in the next to last verse (16:19), which says, “19 When the Lord Jesus had finished talking with them, he was taken up into heaven and sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand.” That verse is also an important doctrinal statement, since no other Gospel includes those words as part of the story of Jesus’ resurrection. And the same verse very appropriately links Mark’s Gospel with Peter’s teaching in 1Peter 3:22. I believe that God has preserved His Word for us. Therefore it is unacceptable to me to say that the Holy Spirit would leave a whole book of the NT without a clear ending. We have two choices for the ending: One says the ladies didn’t tell anyone because they were afraid. The other ends with Jesus at the right hand of God. Which one seems to be the proper ending to you?! The NLT has words in bold italics before Mark 16 verses 9-20 which say, “[The most ancient manuscripts of Mark conclude with verse 16:8. Later manuscripts add one or both of the following endings.]” Well, how many manuscripts are we actually talking about with the words ‘The most ancient manuscripts’? Then the footnote says ‘later manuscripts add’ the last 12 verses. What are the real numbers? Two of the very oldest manuscripts plus one other do not have the last 12 verses of Mark. But the manuscripts that include the last 12 verses number more than 1,650! 99.99% of ancient manuscripts contain the longer ending of Mark. The NLT also has a footnote that starts with “The most reliable early manuscripts of the Gospel of Mark end at verse 8.” But this statement is, in my opinion, totally false. The two manuscripts they are talking about (Codex Sinaiticus and Vaticanus) cannot be said to be ‘reliable’. They are, however, recognized as the very earliest, dated at 325 and 345. However, for Codex Sinaiticus and Vaticanus to be considered reliable, one would hope they would be reasonably consistent with one another. Instead they differ from one another in 3,036 places. I believe that early scribes recognized that they were defective, and this offers a plausible explanation for why there are no extant copies made from them. Many old-school ‘experts’ (by that I mean seminary teachers from the mid-20th century) will say that the two oldest manuscripts outweigh all of the 1,650 other ancient manuscripts. But an increasing number of today’s informed experts will not agree with the people I just called the ‘old-school experts’. Here are some points to consider: Both of the two oldest manuscripts I just mentioned have an odd blank space at the end of Mark, showing that the scribe realized the manuscript he was copying had something left out. This is called a ‘memorial space’. Such memorial spaces are found in various places in other ancient manuscripts. So even though the two manuscripts do not have the last 12 verses of Mark, the scribes telegraphed to us that they knew such an ending existed. Remember that Codex Sinaiticus and Vaticanus are from the early 4th century. There are quotes of verses from Mark 16:9-20 by church fathers that predate those two manuscripts. Earlier support for the longer ending of Mark include “four second-century witnesses, and 99.9% of the [other ancient] Greek manuscripts, and 99.99% of the [ancient] Latin manuscripts, and 99.5% of the [ancient] Syriac manuscripts, and 40 Roman-era patristic writers.” (These statistics are quoted from Dr. James Snapp’s article: ) Codex Sinaiticus was discovered in 1844. This touched off a lot of excitement, and a revolutionary new text of the NT was published by Westscott and Hort in 1881. Please consider that there are multiple examples in history where excitement over new discoveries resulted in mistaken theories. For example, Darwin’s theory of evolution from the same time period is now discredited. Just like you have university teachers still bone-headedly holding on to the theory of evolution, so the theories of Westscott and Hort are no longer upheld by many of today’s experts but are still being repeated by seminary teachers. Westscott and Hort’s faulty decisions about what verses are not authentic are still seen in today’s Bibles. I’m sure that you will hear someone claim that the last 12 verses of Mark contain non-Markan vocabulary, but that assertion has been repeatedly disproved. Please see the resources for the podcast that I link at the end of today’s episode notes. According to one ancient writer, Mark wrote his Gospel in Rome. It is likely that Mark or one of his friends made several copies of the first manuscript. Let’s say that one stayed in Rome and was copied, and let’s say that four other copies were sent toward the north, south, east and west. Each copy was painstakingly copied by hand over and over again and sent to an ever-widening circle of locations until the Gospel arrived all over the ancient world. Each scribe worked independently to copy the text of an earlier manuscript. 1650 manuscripts could not have the last 12 verses of Mark if the verses had not come from the first papyrus copy written by Mark. The Greek text of the New Testament that is the direct descendant of the Westscott and Hort 1881 text is published now in various editions of the Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament, and also published as the United Bible Societies Greek New Testament. There are, of course, slight changes in these editions coming down to the present day. But even today, the main text is still remarkably similar to the 1881 text by Westscott and Hort. These texts are referred to collectively as the Critical Text or the Eclectic Text. Most of our English Bible translations of the last century have been based on that text, including NASB, GNT, NLT, NIV, and ESV. It is for that reason that you will find faith-destroying footnotes in them. By ‘faith-destroying’, I mean that thinking readers ask, “If whole verses could disappear and marr the conclusion of Mark’s Gospel, how many other corruptions might there be in the New Testament?” Opponents of Christianity seize on such things to say that the Bible text is not reliable. Islamic people frequently repeat that criticism. It is for that reason that our New Testament translation into the Indonesian language is based on the Majority or Byzantine Text. The Majority Text is not the same as the text that was the basis of the KJV, but it is similar to it. I am so pleased that I can announce that at the end of 2022 Adam Boyd published his Text Critical English New Testament, which is an English translation of the Majority/Byzantine Text. (You can get this for free. I have included links to this and other resources at the end of the episode notes.) This is a real game changer because at last modern scholarship is able to give us accurate statistics about the percentage of manuscript support for variants in the Greek text. (The collating of manuscripts is still in process, and the percentages will continue to increase in accuracy.) Let me give you two short examples. It would help if you could open your Bible to Mark 1 and also open on your computer and navigate to Mark 1. You will see two columns for Scripture. Put the TCENT in the first column and the NASB in the second column. You will see that both translations give the first verse as “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” But click the superscript footnote at the word ‘Christ’ in the TCENT. It shows that 98.2% of the manuscripts have the last words, “the Son of God.” No matter what translation you are holding, it is likely that verse 1 ends with “the Son of God. Move to verse 2. The NASB starts with, “As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,” whereas the TCENT begins with “As it is written in the prophets.” Which is right? The footnote in the TCENT shows us that 96.2% of ancient manuscripts say ‘in the prophets’. Only 1.3% of manuscripts say ‘Isaiah the prophet’. Well now look at the NASB and you will see a superscript cross reference symbol at the start of the quote. The quote in the last two lines of verse 2 is not from Isaiah, but from Malachi! (The quote in verse 3 is from Isaiah.) So the Majority Text is proved right. The NASB chose to follow the Critical Text. But at the time the NASB was translated, they would not have known that their translation was supported by only 1.3% of the manuscripts. I hope that finding a weakness in your printed Bible doesn’t upset your belief in God preserving his Word. He has preserved his Word, and we humans have a persistent habit of messing things up. If you follow the links at the end of today’s episode notes, you can find some good literal translations of the Majority/Byzantine Text. But unfortunately, we still do not have a good meaning-based translation of that text that rivals the NLT or GNT for understandability. We’ll keep on with the NLT and GNT podcasts for now. But please join me in prayer that an easy-to-utderstand translation of the Majority Text will soon be made! Wow, what a difficult topic this is! If you have listened to this point, I thank you! Normally my extra podcasts each month will not deal with such complicated topics! Until next time, may the Lord bless you ‘real good’. Resources: Please consider supporting the work of James Snapp by buying and reading his 400-page book entitled Authentic: The Case for Mark 16:9-20: 2016 Edition. The Kindle book is only 99 cents. Phil Fields, 2019, Playing ‘Follow the Leader’ in Bible Translation: Phil Fields, 2020, EveryWord podcast 005: Please follow that last link to find the supplemental PDF for that episode containing an essay on the ending of Mark by Dr. Wilbur Pickering, plus two other articles. (The last one deals with Markan vocabulary.) Adam Boyd, 2022, Text Critical Greek New Testament (TCGNG) and Text Critical English New Testament (TCENT): This page has a downloadable PDF of the Introduction to the TCGNT: (Scroll down the page until you see the PDF file displayed in a box.) You will need the information in the Introduction to understand the abbreviations in the TCENT/TCGNT footnotes. My favorite way to access the TCENT using this nifty online study app provided by ebible.org: You can also easily access the Introduction at the top of the book menu. (Click on the zero.) /episode/index/show/dailybiblereading/id/25509333

NL-Day025 Genesis 41; Job 25; Mark 15:33-47 01/18/2026

NL-Day024 Genesis 40; Job 24; Mark 15:1-32 01/18/2026

NL-Day023 Genesis 38-39; Job 23; Mark 14:43-72 01/18/2026

NL-Day022 Genesis 37; Job 22; Mark 14:1-42 01/18/2026

NL-Day021 Genesis 36; Job 21; Mark 13 01/18/2026

NL-Day021 Genesis 36; Job 21; Mark 13 GENESIS 36: Jacob's daughter Dinah was raped, and the perpetrator Shechem was killed and all the males in his town. God then told Jacob to return to Bethel. At the end of yesterday’s reading, Rachel and Grampa Isaak died. JOB 21: In Zophar's angry speech yesterday in chapter 20, he did not directly say that Job was wicked, but he clearly implied it. MARK 13: Chapter 12— which gives an overview of the interactions with the enemies and critics of Jesus, basically marks the end of Jesus' public ministry as related by Mark. NLT Translation notes: Mrk. 13:8 Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in many parts of the world, as well as famines. But [these things are only like//this is only] the first of the birth pains [of a pregnant woman— meaning, more is to come//with more to come]. 14 “The day is coming when you will see [the one who sets up a//the] sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing where hef should not be.” ([The one reading out loud to others should explain this!//Reader, pay attention!]) “Then those in Judea must flee to the hills. 26 Then everyone will see [me coming as the Son of Man coming//the Son of Man coming] on the clouds with great power and glory. 27 And [I/he] will send out [my/his] angels to gather [my/his] chosen ones from all over the world— from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven. (Verses 29, 32, 34, and 35 are changed similarly to 26-27.) [As explained before, in many languages of the world (including English) a man never speaks of himself as ‘he’. I man will use ‘I’ or ‘me’ to talk about himself. Since Jesus is talking with his disciples, he was not concealing his identity here with the term ‘Son of Man’.] 31 Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never [loose their force//disappear]. 36 Don’t let [me/him] find you sleeping when [I arrive//he arrives] without warning. 37 I say to you what I say and to everyone: [Keep watching for me!//Watch for him!]” Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. /episode/index/show/dailybiblereading/id/6148496

NL-Day020 Genesis 34-35; Job 20; Mark 12:24-44 01/18/2026

NL-Day020 Genesis 34-35; Job 20; Mark 12:24-44 GENESIS 34-35: Yesterday we heard about Jacob wrestling all night with a mysterious heavenly figure, and about Jacob's reunion with Esau. JOB 20: This chapter is Zophar’s second response to Job. In chapter 19, Job responded to Bildad's second speech. Job expressed amazing belief that he would see his defender (often translated ‘redeemer’). He says, 25 But I know there is someone in heaven who will come at last to my defense. 26 Even after my skin is eaten by disease, while still in this body I will see God. 27 I will see him with my own eyes, and he will not be a stranger. MARK 12b: Yesterday in the first half of Mark 12, Jesus told a pointed parable against the Jewish religious leaders, then he went on to refute the Sadducees. We re-read several verses today. NLT Translation notes: Gen. 34:17 But if you don’t agree to be circumcised, we will take [Dinah/her] and be on our way.” 30 Afterward Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have ruined me! You’ve made me stink among all the people of this land—among all the Canaanites and Perizzites. We are so few [, and now//that] they will join forces and crush us. I will be ruined, and my entire household will be wiped out!” 15 And Jacob named the place Bethel (which means “house of God”), because God had spoken to him [again/0] there. ==== Mrk. 12:26 “But now, as to whether the dead will be raised— haven’t you ever read about this in the writings of Moses, in the story of the burning bush? Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, God said to Moses, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ 27 So he is the God of the living, not the dead. You have made a serious error.” [In my reading in the 019, I modified the translation like this, “I am the God Abraham worships… (present tense).” While this is justified in stating Jesus’ meaning at that point in the discourse, it is going too far in translating the Hebrew and Greek of the Old Testament passage. Jesus’ point is that the continuing relationship of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is implicit in God’s statement. So, I admit my mistake, and say that to make that explicit in the translation is going a bit too far.] 37 Since David himself called the Messiah ‘my Lord,’ how can the Messiah [just/0] be his son?” The large crowd listened to him with great delight. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. /episode/index/show/dailybiblereading/id/6148479

NL-Day019: Genesis 32-33; Job 19; Mark 12:1-27 01/18/2026

NL-Day019: Genesis 32-33; Job 19; Mark 12:1-27 GENESIS 32-33: Yesterday we heard how Jacob and his big family got away from Laban and started the journey home. When Laban caught up with him, he and Jacob got into a quarrel and ended up making a covenant. JOB 19: In chapter 18, Bildad once again gave a speech about what happens to wicked people, and by implication, he said, “You're just getting what you deserve.” Job’s response in today’s chapter includes amazing revelations. Verses 23-27 can be compared with the second half of 1Corinthians 15. MARK 12a: In Mark 11, Jesus was welcomed in triumph in Jerusalem, he cursed a fig tree and taught about prayer, and cleansed the temple of merchant activity. Then he answered and confuted the chief priests who challenged his authority to “do these things,”— in particular, taking their businesses out of the temple. NLT Translation notes: Job 19:15 My servants and maids [even/0] consider me a stranger. I am like a foreigner to them. 16 When I call my servant, he doesn’t [even/0] come; I have to plead with him! ==== Mrk. 12:1 Then Jesus began teaching them with stories [like this one]: “A man planted a vineyard. … 13 Later the leaders sent some Pharisees and supporters of [king/0] Herod to trap Jesus into saying something for which he could be arrested. 16 When they handed [one/it] to him, he asked, “Whose picture and title are stamped [here//on it]?” 26b Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, God said to Moses, ‘I am the God [Abraham worships//of Abraham], the God [Isaac worships], and the God [Jacob worships].’ 27 PET God spoke of our three forefathers as men who still live and worship Him. … [In Lumina.Bible.org Constable quotes Lane: “If the death of the patriarchs is the last word of their history, there has been a breach of the promises of God guaranteed by the [Abrahamic] covenant, and of which the formula ‘the God of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob’ is the symbol. It is in fidelity to his covenant that God will resurrect the dead.” Using a present tense verb makes it obvious to the English-speaking listener that the three patriarchs are still living. However, the problem becomes that if the Hebrew had been that specific, everyone would have understood that the patriarchs were still living. So my fix here, I now admit, goes too far.] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. /episode/index/show/dailybiblereading/id/6148299

NL-Day018 Genesis 31; Job 18; Mark 11 01/11/2026

NL-Day017 Genesis 30; Job 17; Mark 10:28-52 01/11/2026

NL-Day017 Genesis 30; Job 17; Mark 10:28-52 GENESIS 30: In yesterday’s reading , Jacob left home, and God appeared to him and promised to bless him as he blessed Isaac. Jacob worked for Laban, married both Leah and Rachel, and he had four sons through Leah. JOB 17: Yesterday was the first chapter of Job's response to Eliphaz. He complained that his three comforters were not very comforting. 1-2 GNT I have heard words like that before; the comfort you give is only torment. 3 Are you going to keep on talking forever? Do you always have to have the last word? And he said, 6 But nothing I say helps, and being silent does not calm my pain. And 9 In anger God tears me limb from limb; he glares at me with hate. This last statement shows how easy it is for us humans to misunderstand God’s will or intentions concerning us. God did not hate Job! MARK 10b: Yesterday in the first half of chapter 10, Jesus gave God's true perspective on divorce, blessed some children, and said that is impossible for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God (in their own strength). By the way, there is a wrong teaching that is still often heard. People have heard that the ‘eye of the needle’ was a little door next to the big gate in Jerusalem, and that a camel could get through this gate but all the burden would have to be taken off. This is wrong. No such gate was made in New Testament days in Jerusalem. Such gates were made in castles in Europe in the middle ages. No, the meaning of the saying is just what he said: It is just as impossible for the rich to enter heaven as it is for a camel to go through the eye of a real sewing needle. The next statement of Jesus however shows the way the rich may enter heaven. Jesus gave a wonderful promise for missionaries at the end of the chapter. I bear witness to every part of that. 2,000 Orya people call me ‘Aya Bak’— which means ‘older brother’. The Lord has blessed me way more than 100 times. Constable’s notes for v.49: The two descriptions of Jesus in these verses reveal the faith of Bartimaeus. The crowds simply described Jesus as “the Nazarene.” Bartimaeus had obviously heard about Jesus and had concluded that He was the Messiah. “Son of David” is a messianic title (cf. 11:9-10; 12:35-37; 2 Sam. 7:8-16; Isa. 11:1, 10; Jer. 23:5-6; Ezek. 34:23-24). Even though Bartimaeus lacked physical sight he saw more clearly who Jesus was then the multitudes who could see. His cry for mercy from Jesus expressed the attitude of trust, humility, and dependence that Jesus had been teaching His disciples to maintain. NLT Translation notes: 33 “Listen,” he said, “we’re going up to Jerusalem, where [I,/0] the Son of Manh will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence [me/him] to die and hand [me/him] over to the Romans.i 34 They will mock [me], spit on [me], flog [me] with a whip, and kill [me], but after three days [I/he] will rise again.” [One very seldom talks of oneself using a third person pronoun in most of the world's languages.] 45 For even [I, as/0] the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give [my/his] life as a ransom for many.” 52 And Jesus said to him, “Go, [you are healed now because you fully believed in me//for your faith has healed you].” Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down the road. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. /episode/index/show/dailybiblereading/id/6148211

NL-Day016 Genesis 28-29; Job 16; Mark 10:1-31 01/11/2026

Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields

TOPICS