Group

True greatness through service. Mark 10:44-45

KJV ⁴⁴ And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

CEV ⁴⁴ And if you want to be first, you must be everyone's slave. ⁴⁵ The Son of Man did not come to be a slave master, but a slave who will give his life to rescue many people.

"I was blind, now I see." John 9:25

KJV ²⁵ He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.

CEV ²⁵ The man replied, “I don't know if he is a sinner or not. All I know is that I used to be blind, but now I can see!”

God's will: none should perish. Matthew 18:14

KJV ¹⁴ Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.

CEV ¹⁴ That's how it is with your Father in heaven. He doesn't want any of these little ones to be lost.

Jesus submits to God's will. Matthew 26:39

KJV ³⁹ And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

CEV ³⁹ Jesus walked on a little way. Then he knelt with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, don't make me suffer by drinking from this cup. But do what you want, and not what I want.”

Healed by His wounds. Isaiah 53:5

KJV ⁵ But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

CEV ⁵ He was wounded and crushed because of our sins; by taking our punishment, he made us completely well.

God's love offers eternal life. John 3:16

KJV ¹⁶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

CEV ¹⁶ God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die.

Jesus has risen. Luke 24:5-6

KJV ⁵ And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? ⁶ He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,

CEV ⁵ The women were afraid and bowed to the ground. But the men said, “Why are you looking in the place of the dead for someone who is alive? ⁶ Jesus isn't here! He has been raised from death. Remember that while he was still in Galilee, he told you,

God shows no favoritism. Acts 10:28

KJV ²⁸ And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean.

CEV ²⁸ and Peter said to them, “You know that we Jews are not allowed to have anything to do with other people. But God has shown me that he doesn't think anyone is unclean or unfit.

Believe in Jesus for salvation. Acts 16:31

KJV ³¹ And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

CEV ³¹ They replied, “Have faith in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved! This is also true for everyone who lives in your home.”

Group 2

Creation begins. Genesis 1:1

KJV ¹ In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. CEV ¹ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Earth formless and empty. Genesis 1:2

KJV 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.

CEV ² The earth was barren, with no form of life; it was under a roaring ocean covered with darkness. But the Spirit of God was moving over the water.

"Let there be light." Genesis 1:3

KJV ³ And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. CEV ³ God said, “I command light to shine!” And light started shining.
Light separated from darkness. Genesis 1:4

KJV ⁴ And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. CEV ⁴ God looked at the light and saw that it was good. He separated light from darkness

Day and Night. Genesis 1:5

KJV ⁵ And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

CEV ⁵ and named the light “Day” and the darkness “Night.” Evening came, then morning — that was the first day.

Creation of the sky. Genesis 1:6

KJV ⁶ And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

CEV ⁶ God said, “I command a dome to separate the water above it from the water below it.”

Sky separates waters. Genesis 1:7

KJV ⁷ And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.

CEV ⁷ And that's what happened. God made the dome

Sky named. Genesis 1:8

KJV ⁸ And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. CEV ⁸ and named it “Sky.” Evening came, then morning — that was the second day.

Dry ground and seas. Genesis 1:9

KJV ⁹ And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.

CEV ⁹ God said, “I command the water under the sky to come together in one place, so there will be dry ground.” And that's what happened.

Land and seas named. Genesis 1:10

KJV ¹⁰ And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.

CEV ¹⁰ God named the dry ground “Land,” and he named the water “Ocean.” God looked at what he had done and saw that it was good.

Vegetation commanded. Genesis 1:11

KJV ¹¹ And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.

CEV ¹¹ God said, “I command the earth to produce all kinds of plants, including fruit trees and grain.” And that's what happened.

Earth produces vegetation. Genesis 1:12

KJV ¹² And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

CEV ¹² The earth produced all kinds of vegetation. God looked at what he had done, and it was good.

Evening and morning, the third day. Genesis 1:13

KJV ¹³ And the evening and the morning were the third day. CEV ¹³ Evening came, then morning — that was the third day.

Creation of celestial bodies. Genesis 1:14-19

KJV ¹⁴ And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: ¹⁵ And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. ¹⁶ And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. ¹⁷ And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, ¹⁸ And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. ¹⁹ And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

CEV ¹⁴ God said, “I command lights to appear in the sky and to separate day from night and to show the time for seasons, special days, and years. ¹⁵ I command them to shine on the earth.” And that’s what happened. ¹⁶ God made two powerful lights, the brighter one to rule the day and the other to rule the night. He also made the stars. ¹⁷ Then God put these lights in the sky to shine on the earth, ¹⁸ to rule day and night, and to separate light from darkness. God looked at what he had done, and it was good. ¹⁹ Evening came and then morning — that was the fourth day.

Sea creatures and birds. Genesis 1:20-23

KJV ²⁰ And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. ²¹ And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. ²² And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. ²³ And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

CEV ²⁰ God said, “I command the ocean to be full of living creatures, and I command birds to fly above the earth.” ²¹ So God made the giant sea monsters and all the living creatures that swim in the ocean. He also made every kind of bird. God looked at what he had done, and it was good. ²² Then he gave the living creatures his blessing — he told the ocean creatures to live everywhere in the ocean and the birds to live everywhere on earth. ²³ Evening came and then morning — that was the fifth day.

Land animals and humans. Genesis 1:24-31

KJV ²⁴ And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. ²⁵ And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. ²⁶ And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. ²⁷ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. ²⁸ And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. ²⁹ And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. ³⁰ And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. ³¹ And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

CEV ²⁴ God said, “I command the earth to give life to all kinds of tame animals, wild animals, and reptiles.” And that's what happened. ²⁵ God made every one of them. Then he looked at what he had done, and it was good. ²⁶ God said, “Now we will make humans, and they will be like us. We will let them rule the fish, the birds, and all other living creatures.” ²⁷ So God created humans to be like himself; he made men and women. ²⁸ God gave them his blessing and said: Have a lot of children! Fill the earth with people and bring it under your control. Rule over the fish in the ocean, the birds in the sky, and every animal on the earth. ²⁹ I have provided all kinds of fruit and grain for you to eat. ³⁰ And I have given the green plants as food for everything else that breathes, including animals, both wild and tame, and birds. And so it was. ³¹ God looked at what he had done. All of it was very good! Evening came, then morning — that was the sixth day.

Completion of creation, day of rest. Genesis 2:1-3

KJV ¹ Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. ² And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. ³ And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

CEV ¹ So the heavens and the earth and everything else were created. ² By the seventh day God had finished his work, and so he rested. ³ God blessed the seventh day and made it special because on that day he rested from his work.

Group 3

Warning of difficult times. 2 Timothy 3:1-5

KJV ¹ This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. ² For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, ³ Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, ⁴ Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; ⁵ Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

CEV ¹ You can be certain that in the last days there will be some very hard times. ² People will love only themselves and money. They will be proud, stuck-up, rude, and disobedient to their parents. They will also be ungrateful, godless, ³ heartless, and hateful. Their words will be cruel, and they will have no self-control or pity. These people will hate everything good. ⁴ They will be sneaky, reckless, and puffed up with pride. Instead of loving God, they will love pleasure. ⁵ Even though they will make a show of being religious, their religion won't be real. Don't have anything to do with such people.

Creation in six days. Exodus 20:11

KJV ¹¹ For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

CEV ¹¹ In six days I made the sky, the earth, the oceans, and everything in them, but on the seventh day I rested. That's why I made the Sabbath a special day that belongs to me.

Plea for a pure heart. Psalm 51:10

KJV ¹⁰ Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. CEV ¹⁰ Create pure thoughts in me and make me faithful again.

Samuel's call. 1 Samuel 3:10

KJV ¹⁰ And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.

CEV ¹⁰ The Lord then stood beside Samuel and called out as he had done before, “Samuel! Samuel!” “I'm listening,” Samuel answered. “What do you want me to do?”

Daniel's resolve. Daniel 1:8

KJV ⁸ But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.

CEV ⁸ Daniel made up his mind to eat and drink only what God had approved for his people to eat. And he asked the king's chief official for permission not to eat the food and wine served in the royal palace.

John's prophetic role. Luke 1:76

KJV ⁷⁶ And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;

CEV ⁷⁶ You, my son, will be called the prophet of God Most High. You will go ahead of the Lord to get everything ready for him.

Jesus saves from sins. Matthew 1:21

KJV ²¹ And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.

CEV ²¹ Then after her baby is born, name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Announcement of joy and Savior. Luke 2:10-11

KJV ¹⁰ And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. ¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

CEV ¹⁰ But the angel said, “Don't be afraid! I have good news for you, which will make everyone happy. ¹¹ This very day in King David's hometown a Savior was born for you. He is Christ the Lord.

Bereans examine Scriptures. Acts 17:11

KJV ¹¹ These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

CEV ¹¹ The people in Berea were much nicer than those in Thessalonica, and they gladly accepted the message. Day after day they studied the Scriptures to see if these things were true.