Friday 9 February 2029

1Now the serpent was more subtle than any animal of the fieldwhich the Lord God had made.He said to the woman,“Has God really said,‘You shall not eat of any tree of the garden’?”

2The woman said to the serpent,“We may eat fruit from the trees of the garden,3but not the fruit of the treewhich is in the middle of the garden.God has said, ‘You shall not eat of it.You shall not touch it, lest you die.’”

4The serpent said to the woman, “You won’t really die,5for God knows that in the day you eat it,your eyes will be opened,and you will be like God,knowing good and evil.”

6When the woman saw that the tree was good for food,and that it was a delight to the eyes,and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise,she took some of its fruit, and ate.Then she gave some to her husband with her,and he ate it, too.7Their eyes were opened,and they both knew that they were naked.They sewed fig leaves together,and made coverings for themselves.8They heard the Lord God’s voice walking in the garden in the cool of the day,and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

1Blessed is he whose disobedience is forgiven,whose sin is covered.2Blessed is the man to whom the Lord doesn’t impute iniquity,in whose spirit there is no deceit.

5I acknowledged my sin to you.I didn’t hide my iniquity.I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.

6For this, let everyone who is godly pray to you in a time when you may be found.Surely when the great waters overflow, they shall not reach to him.

7You are my hiding place.You will preserve me from trouble.You will surround me with songs of deliverance.

31Again he departed from the borders of Tyre and Sidon,and came to the sea of Galilee through the middle of the region of Decapolis.32They brought to him one who was deafand had an impediment in his speech.They begged him to lay his hand on him.33He took him aside from the multitude privatelyand put his fingers into his ears;and he spat and touched his tongue.34Looking up to heaven,he sighed, and said to him, “Ephphatha!”that is, “Be opened!”35Immediately his ears were opened,and the impediment of his tongue was released,and he spoke clearly.36He commanded them that they should tell no one,but the more he commanded them,so much the more widely they proclaimed it.37They were astonished beyond measure,saying, “He has done all things well.He makes even the deaf hear and the mute speak!”