Daily Bible Reading from BibleStudyTools.com

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Today's Bible Reading

February 21

Matthew 3; Exodus 24; Proverbs 11 CJB

Matthew 3

1 It was during those days thatYochanan the Immerser arrived in the desert ofY'hudah and began proclaiming the message,

2 "Turn from your sins to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near!"

3 This is the man Yesha`yahu was talking about when he said, "The voice of someone crying out: `In the desert prepare the way of ADONAI! Make straight paths for him!'"

4 Yochanan wore clothes of camel's hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.

5 People went out to him from Yerushalayim, from all Y'hudah, and from the whole region around the Yarden.

6 Confessing their sins, they were immersed by him in the Yarden River.

7 But when Yochanan saw many of the P'rushim and Tz'dukim coming to be immersed by him, he said to them, "You snakes! Who warned you to escape the coming punishment?

8 If you have really turned from your sins to God, produce fruit that will prove it!

9 And don't suppose you can comfort yourselves by saying, `Avraham is our father'! For I tell you that God can raise up for Avraham sons from these stones!

10 Already the axe is at the root of the trees, ready to strike; every tree that doesn't produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown in the fire!

11 It's true that I am immersing you in water so that you might turn from sin to God; but the one coming after me is more powerful than I -- I'm not worthy even to carry his sandals -- and he will immerse you in the Ruach HaKodesh and in fire.

12 He has with him his winnowing fork; and he will clear out his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn but burning up the straw with unquenchable fire!"

13 Then Yeshua came from the Galil to the Yarden to be immersed by Yochanan.

14 But Yochanan tried to stop him. "You are coming to me? I ought to be immersed by you!"

15 However, Yeshua answered him, "Let it be this way now, because we should do everything righteousness requires." Then Yochanan let him.

16 As soon as Yeshua had been immersed, he came up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, he saw the Spirit of God coming down upon him like a dove,

17 and a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; I am well pleased with him."

Exodus 24

1 To Moshe [ADONAI] said, "Come up to ADONAI -you, Aharon, Nadav, Avihu, and seventy of the leaders of Isra'el. Prostrate yourselves at a distance,

2 while Moshe alone approaches ADONAI -the others are not to approach, and the people are not to go up with him."

3 Moshe came and told the people everything ADONAI had said, including all the rulings. The people answered with one voice: "We will obey every word ADONAI has spoken."

4 Moshe wrote down all the words of ADONAI. He rose early in the morning, built an altar at the base of the mountain and set upright twelve large stones to represent the twelve tribes of Isra'el.

5 He sent the young men of the people of Isra'el to offer burnt offerings and sacrifice peace offerings of oxen to ADONAI.

6 Moshe took half of the blood and put it in basins; the other half of the blood he splashed against the altar.

7 Then he took the book of the covenant and read it aloud, so that the people could hear; and they responded, "Everything that ADONAI has spoken, we will do and obey."

8 Moshe took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, "This is the blood of the covenant which ADONAI has made with you in accordance with all these words."

9 Moshe, Aharon, Nadav, Avihu and seventy of the leaders went up;

10 and they saw the God of Isra'el. Under his feet was something like a sapphire stone pavement as clear as the sky itself.

11 He did not reach out his hand against these notables of Isra'el; on the contrary, they saw God, even as they were eating and drinking.

12 ADONAI said to Moshe, "Come up to me on the mountain, and stay there. I will give you the stone tablets with the Torah and the mitzvot I have written on them, so that you can teach them."

13 Moshe got up, also Y'hoshua his assistant; and Moshe went up onto the mountain of God.

14 To the leaders he said, "Stay here for us, until we come back to you. See, Aharon and Hur are with you; whoever has a problem should turn to them."(S: Maftir)

15 Moshe went up onto the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. (A: Maftir)

16 The glory of ADONAI stayed on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day he called to Moshe out of the cloud.

17 To the people of Isra'el the glory of ADONAI looked like a raging fire on the top of the mountain.

18 Moshe entered the cloud and went up on the mountain; he was on the mountain forty days and nights.

Proverbs 11

1 False scales are an abomination to ADONAI, but accurate weights please him.

2 First comes pride, then disgrace; but with the humble is wisdom.

3 The integrity of the upright guides them, but the duplicity of the treacherous destroys them.

4 On the day of wrath, wealth doesn't help; but righteousness rescues from death.

5 The righteousness of the innocent levels their way, but wickedness of the wicked makes them fall.

6 The righteousness of the upright rescues them, but the treacherous are trapped by their own intrigues.

7 When a wicked man dies, his hope perishes; what he hopes for from evil comes to nothing.

8 The righteous is delivered from trouble, and the wicked comes to take his place.

9 With his mouth the hypocrite can ruin his neighbor, but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.

10 When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices; and when the wicked perish, there is joy.

11 By the blessing of the upright, a city is raised up; but the words of the wicked tear it down.

12 He who belittles another lacks good sense, whereas a person of discernment stays silent.

13 A gossip goes around revealing secrets, but a trustworthy person keeps a confidence.

14 Without clever tactics an army is defeated, and victory comes from much planning.

15 He who guarantees a loan for a stranger will suffer, but refusing to underwrite is safe.

16 A gracious woman obtains honor; aggressive men obtain wealth.

17 A man who is kind does himself good, but the cruel does harm to himself.

18 The profits of the wicked are illusory; but those who sow righteousness gain a true reward.

19 Genuine righteousness leads to life, but the pursuer of evil goes to his own death.

20 The crooked-hearted are an abomination to ADONAI, but those sincere in their ways are his delight.

21 Depend on it: the evil will not go unpunished; but the offspring of the righteous will escape.

22 Like a gold ring in the snout of a pig is a beautiful woman who lacks good sense.

23 The righteous desire only good, but what the wicked hope for brings wrath.

24 Some give freely and still get richer, while others are stingy but grow still poorer.

25 The person who blesses others will prosper; he who satisfies others will be satisfied himself.

26 The people will curse him who withholds grain; but if he sells it, blessings will be on his head.

27 He who strives for good obtains favor, but he who searches for evil - it comes to him!

28 He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like sprouting leaves.

29 Those who trouble their families inherit the wind, and the fool becomes slave to the wise.

30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who is wise wins souls.

31 If the righteous are paid what they deserve here on earth, how much more the wicked and the sinner!

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Today's Bible Reading

February 22

Matthew 4; Exodus 25-27; Proverbs 12 CJB

Matthew 4

1 Then the Spirit led Yeshua up into the wilderness to be tempted by the Adversary.

2 After Yeshua had fasted forty days and nights, he was hungry.

3 The Tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, order these stones to become bread."

4 But he answered, "The Tanakh says, `Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of ADONAI'"

5 Then the Adversary took him to the holy city and set him on the highest point of the Temple.

6 "If you are the Son of God," he said, "jump! For the Tanakh says, `He will order his angels to be responsible for you. . . . They will support you with their hands, so that you will not hurt your feet on the stones.'"

7 Yeshua replied to him, "But it also says, `Do not put ADONAI your God to the test.'"h

8 Once more, the Adversary took him up to the summit of a very high mountain, showed him all the kingdoms of the world in all their glory,

9 and said to him, "All this I will give you if you will bow down and worship me."

10 "Away with you, Satan!" Yeshua told him, "For the Tanakh says, `Worship ADONAI your God, and serve only him.'"

11 Then the Adversary let him alone, and angels came and took care of him.

12 When Yeshua heard that Yochanan had been put in prison, he returned to the Galil;

13 but he left Natzeret and came to live in K'far-Nachum, a lake shore town near the boundary between Z'vulun and Naftali.

14 This happened in order to fulfill what Yesha`yahu the prophet had said,

15 "Land of Z'vulun and land of Naftali, toward the lake, beyond the Yarden, Galil-of-the-Goyim --

16 the people living in darkness have seen a great light; upon those living in the region, in the shadow of death, light has dawned."

17 From that time on, Yeshua began proclaiming, "Turn from your sins to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near!"

18 As Yeshua walked by Lake Kinneret, he saw two brothers who were fishermen -- Shim`on, known as Kefa, and his brother Andrew -- throwing their net into the lake.

19 Yeshua said to them, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers for men!"

20 At once they left their nets and went with him.

21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers -- Ya'akov Ben-Zavdai and Yochanan his brother -- in the boat with their father Zavdai, repairing their nets; and he called them.

22 At once they left the boat and their father and went with Yeshua.

23 Yeshua went all over the Galil teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom, and healing people from every kind of disease and sickness.

24 Word of him spread throughout all Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill, suffering from various diseases and pains, and those held in the power of demons, and epileptics and paralytics; and he healed them.

25 Huge crowds followed him from the Galil, the Ten Towns, Yerushalayim, Y'hudah, and `Ever-HaYarden.

Exodus 25

1 ADONAI said to Moshe,

2 "Tell the people of Isra'el to take up a collection for me -accept a contribution from anyone who wholeheartedly wants to give.

3 The contribution you are to take from them is to consist of gold, silver and bronze;

4 blue, purple and scarlet yarn; fine linen, goat's hair,

5 tanned ram skins and fine leather; acacia-wood;

6 oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense;

7 onyx stones and other stones to be set, for the ritual vest and breastplate.

8 "They are to make me a sanctuary, so that I may live among them.

9 You are to make it according to everything I show you -the design of the tabernacle and the design of its furnishings. This is how you are to make it.

10 "They are to make an ark of acacia-wood three-and-three-quarters feet long, two-and-a-quarter feet wide and two-and-a-quarter feet high.

11 You are to overlay it with pure gold -overlay it both inside and outside -and put a molding of gold around the top of it.

12 Cast four gold rings for it, and attach them to its four feet, two rings on each side.

13 Make poles of acacia-wood, and overlay them with gold.

14 Put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark; you will use them to carry the ark.

15 The poles are to remain in the rings of the ark; they are not to be removed from it.

16 Into the ark you are to put the testimony which I am about to give you.

17 "You are to make a cover for the ark out of pure gold; it is to be three-and-three-quarters feet long and two-and-a-quarter feet high.

18 You are to make two k'ruvim of gold. Make them of hammered work for the two ends of the ark-cover.

19 Make one keruv for one end and one keruv for the other end; make the k'ruvim of one piece with the ark-cover at its two ends.

20 The k'ruvim will have their wings spread out above, so that their wings cover the ark, and their faces are toward each other and toward the ark-cover.

21 You are to put the ark-cover on top of the ark. "Inside the ark you will put the testimony that I am about to give you.

22 There I will meet with you. I will speak with you from above the ark-cover, from between the two k'ruvim which are on the ark for the testimony, about all the orders I am giving you for the people of Isra'el.

23 "You are to make a table of acacia-wood three feet long, eighteen inches wide and eighteen inches high.

24 Overlay it with pure gold, and put a molding of gold around the top of it.

25 Make around it a rim a handbreadth wide, and put a molding of gold around the rim.

26 Make four gold rings for it, and attach the rings to the four corners, near its four legs.

27 The rings to hold the poles used to carry the table are to be placed close to the rim.

28 Make the poles of acacia-wood, overlay them with gold, and use them to carry the table.

29 "Make its dishes, pans, bowls and pitchers of pure gold.

30 On the table you are to place the bread of the presence in my presence always.

31 "You are to make a menorah of pure gold. It is to be made of hammered work; its base, shaft, cups, ring of outer leaves and petals are to be of one piece with it.

32 It is to have six branches extending from its sides, three branches of the menorah on one side of it and three on the other.

33 On one branch are to be three cups shaped like almond blossoms, each with a ring of outer leaves and petals; likewise on the opposite branch three cups shaped like almond blossoms, each with a ring of outer leaves and petals; and similarly for all six branches extending from the menorah.

34 On the central shaft of the menorah are to be four cups shaped like almond blossoms, each with its ring of outer leaves and petals.

35 Where each pair of branches joins the central shaft is to be a ring of outer leaves of one piece with the pair of branches -thus for all six branches.

36 The rings of outer leaves and their branches are to be of one piece with the shaft. Thus the whole menorah is to be a single piece of hammered work made of pure gold.

37 "Make seven lamps for the menorah, and mount them so as to give light to the space in front of it.

38 Its tongs and trays are to be of pure gold.

39 The menorah and its utensils are to be made of sixty-six pounds of pure gold.

40 See that you make them according to the design being shown you on the mountain.

Exodus 26

1 "You are to make the tabernacle with ten sheets of finely woven linen and with blue, purple and scarlet yarn. You are to make them with k'ruvim worked in, that have been crafted by a skilled artisan.

2 Each one is to be forty-two feet long and six feet wide; all the sheets are to be the same size.

3 Five sheets are to be joined one to another, and the other five sheets are to be joined one to another.

4 Make loops of blue on the edge of the outermost sheet in the first set, and do the same on the edge of the outermost sheet in the second set.

5 Make fifty loops on the one sheet, and make fifty loops on the edge of the sheet in the second set; the loops are to be opposite one another.

6 Make fifty fasteners of gold, and couple the sheets to each other with the fasteners, so that the tabernacle forms a single unit.

7 "You are to make sheets of goat's hair to be used as a tent covering the tabernacle; make eleven sheets.

8 Each sheet is to be forty-five feet long and six feet wide -all eleven sheets are to be the same size.

9 Join five sheets together and six sheets together, and fold the sixth sheet double at the front of the tent.

10 Make fifty loops on the edge of the outermost sheet in the first set and fifty loops on the edge of the outermost sheet in the second set.

11 Make fifty fasteners of bronze, put the fasteners in the loops, and join the tent together, so that it forms a single unit.

12 As for the overhanging part that remains of the sheets forming the tent, the half-sheet remaining is to hang over the back of the tabernacle;

13 and the eighteen inches on the one side and the eighteen inches on the other side of that remaining in the length of the sheets forming the tent is to hang over the tabernacle to cover it on each side.

14 "You are to make a covering for the tent of tanned ram skins and an outer covering of fine leather.

15 "Make the upright planks for the tabernacle out of acacia-wood.

16 Each plank is to be fifteen feet long and two-and-a-quarter feet wide.

17 There are to be two projections on each plank, and the planks are to be joined one to another. That is how you are to make all the planks for the tabernacle.

18 "Make the planks for the tabernacle as follows: twenty planks for the south side, facing southward.

19 Make forty silver sockets under the twenty planks, two sockets under one plank for its two projections and two sockets under another plank for its two projections.

20 "For the second side of the tabernacle, to the north, make twenty planks

21 and their forty silver sockets, two sockets under one plank and two under another.

22 "For the rear part of the tabernacle, toward the west, make six planks.

23 For the corners of the tabernacle in the rear, make two planks;

24 these are to be double from the bottom all the way to the top but joined at a single ring. Do the same with both of them; they are to form the two corners.

25 Thus there will be eight planks with their silver sockets, sixteen sockets, two sockets under one plank and two under another.

26 "Make crossbars of acacia-wood, five for the planks of the one side of the tabernacle,

27 five crossbars for the planks of the other side of the tabernacle, and five crossbars for the planks at the side of the tabernacle at the rear toward the west.

28 The middle crossbar, halfway up the planks, is to extend from end to end.

29 Overlay the planks with gold, make gold rings for them through which the crossbars will pass, and overlay the crossbars with gold.

30 "You are to erect the tabernacle according to the design you have been shown on the mountain.

31 "You are to make a curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely woven linen. Make it with k'ruvim worked in, that have been crafted by a skilled artisan.

32 Hang it with gold hooks on four acacia-wood posts overlaid with gold and standing in four silver sockets.

33 Hang the curtain below the fasteners. Then bring the ark for the testimony inside the curtain; the curtain will be the divider for you between the Holy Place and the Especially Holy Place.

34 You are to put the ark-cover on the ark for the testimony in the Especially Holy Place.

35 "You are to put the table outside the curtain and the menorah opposite the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the south; put the table on the north side.

36 "For the entrance to the tent, make a screen of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely woven linen; it should be in colors, the work of a weaver.

37 For the screen, make five posts of acacia-wood; overlay them with gold; and cast for them five sockets of bronze.

Exodus 27

1 "You are to make the altar of acacia-wood, seven-and-a-half feet long and seven-and-a-half feet wide - the altar is to be square and four-and-a-half feet high.

2 Make horns for it on its four corners; the horns are to be of one piece with it; and you are to overlay it with bronze.

3 "Make its pots for removing ashes, and its shovels, basins, meat-hooks and fire pans; all its utensils you are to make of bronze.

4 Make for it a grate of bronze netting; and on the four corners of the netting, make four bronze rings.

5 Put it under the rim of the altar, so that the netting reaches halfway up the altar.

6 Make poles of acacia-wood for the altar and overlay them with bronze.

7 Its poles are to be put into the rings; the poles are to be on both sides of the altar for carrying it.

8 The altar is to be made of planks and hollow inside. They are to make it just as you were shown on the mountain.

9 "Here is how you are to make the courtyard of the tabernacle. On the south side, facing southward, are to be tapestries for the courtyard made of finely woven linen, 150 feet for one side,

10 supported on twenty posts in twenty bronze sockets; the hooks on the posts and the attached rings for hanging are to be of silver.

11 Likewise, along the north side are to be tapestries 150 feet long, hung on twenty posts in twenty bronze sockets, with silver hooks and rings for the posts.

12 Across the width of the courtyard on the west side are to be tapestries seventy-five feet long, hung on ten posts in ten sockets.

13 The width of the courtyard on the east side, facing east, will be seventy-five feet.

14 The tapestries for one side [of the gateway] will be twenty-two-and-a-half feet long, hung on three posts in three sockets;

15 for the other side there will be tapestries twenty-two-and-a-half feet long on three posts in three sockets.

16 "For the gateway of the courtyard there is to be a screen thirty feet long made of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely woven linen. It should be in colors, the work of a weaver. It is to be on four posts in four sockets.

17 All the posts all the way around the courtyard are to be banded with silver and to stand in sockets of bronze.

18 The length of the courtyard is to be 150 feet and the width seventy-five feet everywhere; with the height seven-and-a-half feet. The tapestries and screen are to be of finely woven linen, and the sockets are to be of bronze.

19 "All the equipment needed for every kind of service in the tabernacle, as well as the tent pegs for the tabernacle and for the courtyard, are to be of bronze.

20 "You are to order the people of Isra'el to bring you pure oil of pounded olives for the light, and to keep a lamp burning continually.

21 Aharon and his sons are to put it in the tent of meeting, outside the curtain in front of the testimony, and keep it burning from evening until morning before ADONAI. This is to be a permanent regulation through all the generations of the people of Isra'el.

Proverbs 12

1 He who loves knowledge loves discipline, but he who hates correction is a boor.

2 A good man obtains ADONAI's favor, but the schemer his condemnation.

3 No one is made secure by wickedness, but the roots of the righteous will never be moved.

4 A capable wife is a crown for her husband, but a shameful one is like rot in his bones.

5 The plans of the righteous are just, but the schemes of the wicked are deceitful.

6 The words of the wicked are a deadly ambush, but the speech of the upright rescues them.

7 Once the wicked are down, it's the end of them; but the house of the upright endures.

8 A person wins praise in keeping with his common sense, but a person with a warped mind is treated with contempt.

9 Better to be despised and have a servant than to boast of one's status but have nothing to eat.

10 A righteous man takes care of his animal, but the wicked? Even his compassion is cruel.

11 He who farms his land will have plenty of food, but he who follows futilities has no sense.

12 The wicked covet the loot of evil men, but the root of the righteous gives forth of itself.

13 The wicked is trapped by his own sinful speech, but the righteous finds a way out of trouble.

14 One can be filled with good as the result of one's words, and one gets the reward one's deeds deserve.

15 Fools suppose their way is straight, but the wise pay attention to advice.

16 A fool's anger is known at once, but a cautious person slighted conceals his feelings.

17 He who tells the truth furthers justice, but a false witness furthers deceit.

18 Idle talk can pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise can heal.

19 Truthful words will stand forever, lying speech but a moment.

20 Deceit is in the hearts of those who plot evil, but for those advising peace there is joy.

21 No harm can come to the righteous, but the wicked are overwhelmed with disaster.

22 Lying lips are an abomination to ADONAI, but those who deal faithfully are his delight.

23 A cautious person conceals knowledge, but the heart of a fool blurts out folly.

24 The diligent will rule, while the lazy will be put to forced labor.

25 Anxiety in a person's heart weighs him down, but a kind word cheers him up.

26 The righteous guides his friend's way rightly, but the way of the wicked will lead them astray.

27 A lazy man doesn't roast what he hunted; but when a man is diligent, his wealth is precious.

28 In the road of righteousness is life; no death is in its pathway.

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Today's Bible Reading

February 23

Matthew 5:1-20; Exodus 28:1-29:46; Proverbs 13 CJB

Matthew 5:1-20

1 Seeing the crowds, Yeshua walked up the hill. After he sat down, his talmidim came to him,

2 and he began to speak. This is what he taught them:

3 "How blessed are the poor in spirit! for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

4 "How blessed are those who mourn! for they will be comforted.

5 "How blessed are the meek! for they will inherit the Land!k

6 "How blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness! for they will be filled.

7 "How blessed are those who show mercy! for they will be shown mercy.

8 "How blessed are the pure in heart! for they will see God.

9 "How blessed are those who make peace! for they will be called sons of God.

10 "How blessed are those who are persecuted because they pursue righteousness! for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

11 "How blessed you are when people insult you and persecute you and tell all kinds of vicious lies about you because you follow me!

12 Rejoice, be glad, because your reward in heaven is great -- they persecuted the prophets before you in the same way.

13 "You are salt for the Land. But if salt becomes tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except being thrown out for people to trample on.

14 "You are light for the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.

15 Likewise, when people light a lamp, they don't cover it with a bowl but put it on a lampstand, so that it shines for everyone in the house.

16 In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they may see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven.

17 "Don't think that I have come to abolish the Torah or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete.

18 Yes indeed! I tell you that until heaven and earth pass away, not so much as a yud or a stroke will pass from the Torah -- not until everything that must happen has happened.

19 So whoever disobeys the least of these mitzvot and teaches others to do so will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But whoever obeys them and so teaches will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.

20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness is far greater than that of the Torah-teachers and P'rushim, you will certainly not enter the Kingdom of Heaven!

Exodus 28

1 "You are to summon your brother Aharon and his sons to come from among the people of Isra'el to you, so that they can serve me as cohanim -Aharon and his sons Nadav, Avihu, El'azar and Itamar.

2 You are to make for your brother Aharon garments set apart for serving God, expressing dignity and splendor.

3 Speak to all the craftsmen to whom I have given the spirit of wisdom, and have them make Aharon's garments to set him apart for me, so that he can serve me in the office of cohen.

4 "The garments they are to make are these: a breastplate, a ritual vest, a robe, a checkered tunic, a turban and a sash. They are to make holy garments for your brother Aharon and his sons, so that he can serve me in the office of cohen.

5 They are to use gold; blue, purple and scarlet yarn; and fine linen.

6 "They are to make the ritual vest of gold, of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely woven linen, crafted by a skilled artisan.

7 Attached to its front and back edges are to be two shoulder-pieces that can be fastened together.

8 Its decorated belt is to be of the same workmanship and materials - gold; blue, purple and scarlet yarn; and finely woven linen.

9 Take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Isra'el -

10 six of their names on one stone and the six remaining names on the other, in the order of their birth.

11 An engraver should engrave the names of the sons of Isra'el on the two stones as he would engrave a seal. Mount the stones in gold settings,

12 and put the two stones on the shoulder-pieces of the vest as stones calling to mind the sons of Isra'el. Aharon is to carry their names before ADONAI on his two shoulders as a reminder.

13 "Make gold squares

14 and two chains of pure gold, twisted like cords; attach the cord-like chains to the squares.

15 "Make a breastplate for judging. Have it crafted by a skilled artisan; make it like the work of the ritual vest - make it of gold; blue, purple and scarlet yarn; and finely woven linen.

16 When folded double it is to be square - a hand-span by a hand-span.

17 Put on it settings of stones, four rows of stones: the first row is to be a carnelian, a topaz and an emerald;

18 the second row a green feldspar, a sapphire and a diamond;

19 the third row an orange zircon, an agate and an amethyst;

20 and the fourth row a beryl, an onyx and a jasper. They are to be mounted in their gold settings.

21 The stones will correspond to the names of the twelve sons of Isra'el; they are to be engraved with their names as a seal would be engraved, to represent the twelve tribes.

22 "On the breastplate, make two pure gold chains twisted like cords.

23 Also for the breastplate, make two gold rings; and put the gold rings on the two ends of the breastplate.

24 Put the two twisted gold chains in the two rings at the two ends of the breastplate;

25 attach the other two ends of the twisted chains to the front of the shoulder-pieces of the ritual vest.

26 Make two gold rings and put them on the two ends of the breastplate, at its edge, on the side facing in toward the vest.

27 Also make two gold rings and attach them low on the front part of the vest's shoulder-pieces, near the join, above the vest's decorated belt.

28 Then bind the breastplate by its rings to the rings of the vest with a blue cord, so that it can be on the vest's decorated belt, and so that the breastplate won't swing loose from the vest.

29 Aharon will carry the names of the sons of Isra'el on the breastplate for judging, over his heart, when he enters the Holy Place, as a continual reminder before ADONAI.

30 You are to put the urim and the tumim in the breastplate for judging; they will be over Aharon's heart when he goes into the presence of ADONAI. Thus Aharon will always have the means for making decisions for the people of Isra'el over his heart when he is in the presence of ADONAI.

31 "You are to make the robe for the ritual vest entirely of blue.

32 It is to have an opening for the head in the middle. Around the opening is to be a border woven like the neck of a coat of mail, so that it won't tear.

33 On its bottom hem make pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet; and put them all the way around, with gold bells between them all the way around -

34 gold bell, pomegranate, gold bell, pomegranate, all the way around the hem of the robe.

35 Aharon is to wear it when he ministers, and its sound will be heard whenever he enters the Holy Place before ADONAI and when he leaves, so that he won't die.

36 "You are to make an ornament of pure gold and engrave on it as on a seal, 'Set apart for ADONAI.'

37 Fasten it to the turban with a blue cord, on the front of the turban,

38 over Aharon's forehead. Because Aharon bears the guilt for any errors committed by the people of Isra'el in consecrating their holy gifts, this ornament is always to be on his forehead, so that the gifts for ADONAI will be accepted by him.

39 "You are to weave the checkered tunic of fine linen, make a turban of fine linen, and make a belt, the work of a weaver in colors.

40 Likewise for Aharon's sons make tunics, sashes and headgear expressing dignity and splendor.

41 With them clothe your brother Aharon and his sons. Then anoint them, inaugurate them, and consecrate them, so that they will be able to serve me in the office of cohen.

42 Also make for them linen shorts reaching from waist to thigh, to cover their bare flesh.

43 Aharon and his sons are to wear them when they go into the tent of meeting and when they approach the altar to minister in the Holy Place, so that they won't incur guilt and die. This is to be a perpetual regulation, both for him and for his descendants.

Exodus 29

1 "Here is what you are to do to consecrate them for ministry to me in the office of cohen. Take one young bull and two rams without defect,

2 also matzah, matzah cakes mixed with olive oil, and matzah wafers spread with oil - all made from fine wheat flour;

3 put them together in a basket, and present them in the basket, along with the bull and the two rams.

4 "Bring Aharon and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting, and wash them with water.

5 Take the garments, and put on Aharon the tunic, the robe for the ritual vest, the vest itself, and the breastplate. Fasten the vest on him with its belt.

6 Put the turban on his head and attach the holy ornament to the turban.

7 Then take the anointing oil, and anoint him by pouring it on his head.

8 Bring his sons; put tunics on them;

9 wrap sashes around them, Aharon and his sons; and put the headgear on their heads. The office of cohen is to be theirs by a permanent regulation. Thus you will consecrate Aharon and his sons.

10 "Bring the young bull to the front of the tent of meeting. Aharon and his sons are to lay their hands on the bull's head,

11 and you are to slaughter the bull in the presence of ADONAI at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

12 Take some of the bull's blood, and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger; pour out all the rest of the blood at the base of the altar.

13 Take all the fat that covers the inner organs, the covering of the liver and the two kidneys with their fat, and offer them up in smoke on the altar.

14 But the bull's flesh, skin and dung you are to destroy by fire outside the camp; it is a sin offering.

15 "Take one of the rams: Aharon and his sons are to lay their hands on the ram's head;

16 and you are to slaughter the ram, take its blood, and splash it on all sides of the altar.

17 Quarter the ram, wash the inner organs and the lower parts of the legs, and put them with the quarters and the head.

18 Then offer up the whole ram in smoke on the altar. It is a burnt offering for ADONAI, a pleasing aroma, an offering made to ADONAI by fire.

19 "Take the other ram: Aharon and his sons are to lay their hands on the ram's head;

20 and you are to slaughter the ram, take some of its blood, and put it on the lobe of Aharon's right ear, on the lobes of his sons' right ears, on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet. Take the rest of the blood and splash it on all sides of the altar.

21 Then take some of the blood that is on the altar and some of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aharon and his clothing and on his sons and the clothing of his sons with him; so that he and his clothing will be consecrated, and with him his sons and his sons' clothing.

22 Also take the fat from the ram, the fat tail, the fat that covers the inner organs, the two kidneys, the fat covering them and the right thigh - for it is a ram of consecration -

23 along with one loaf of bread, one cake of oiled bread and one wafer from the basket of matzah which is before ADONAI -

24 and put it all in the hands of Aharon and his sons. They are to wave them as a wave offering in the presence of ADONAI.

25 Then take them back; and burn them up in smoke on the altar, on top of the burnt offering, to be a pleasing aroma before ADONAI; it is an offering made to ADONAI by fire.

26 "Take the breast of the ram for Aharon's consecration, and wave it as a wave offering before ADONAI; it will be your share.

27 Consecrate the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of any contribution that has been waved and raised up, whether from the ram of consecration, or from anything else meant for Aharon or his sons;

28 this will belong to Aharon and his sons as their share perpetually due from the people of Isra'el - it will be a contribution from the people of Isra'el from their peace offerings, their contribution to ADONAI.

29 "The holy garments of Aharon will be used by his sons after him; they will be anointed and consecrated in them.

30 The son who becomes cohen in his place, who comes into the tent of meeting to serve in the Holy Place, is to wear them for seven days.

31 Take the ram of consecration, and boil its meat in a holy place.

32 Aharon and his sons will eat the ram's meat and the bread in the basket at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

33 They are to eat the things with which atonement was made for them, to inaugurate and consecrate them; no one else may eat this food, because it is holy.

34 If any of the meat for the consecration or any of the bread remains until morning, burn up what remains; it is not to be eaten, because it is holy.

35 Carry out all these orders I have given you concerning Aharon and his sons. You are to spend seven days consecrating them.

36 "Each day, offer a young bull as a sin offering, besides the other offerings of atonement; offer the sin offering on the altar as your atonement for it; then anoint it to consecrate it.

37 Seven days you will make atonement on the altar and consecrate it; thus the altar will be especially holy, and whatever touches the altar will become holy.

38 "Now this is what you are to offer on the altar: two lambs a year old, regularly, every day.

39 The one lamb you are to offer in the morning and the other lamb at dusk.

40 With the one lamb offer two quarts of finely ground flour mixed with one quart of oil from pressed olives; along with one quart of wine as a drink offering.

41 The other lamb you are to offer at dusk; do with it as with the morning grain and drink offerings - it will be a pleasing aroma, an offering made to ADONAI by fire.

42 Through all your generations this is to be the regular burnt offering at the entrance to the tent of meeting before ADONAI. There is where I will meet with you to speak with you.

43 There I will meet with the people of Isra'el; and the place will be consecrated by my glory.

44 I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar, likewise I will consecrate Aharon and his sons to serve me in the office of cohen.

45 Then I will live with the people of Isra'el and be their God:

46 they will know that I am ADONAI their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt in order to live with them. I am ADONAI their God.

Proverbs 13

1 A son who heeds his father's discipline is wise, but a scoffer doesn't listen to rebuke.

2 A [good] man enjoys good as a result of what he says, but the essence of the treacherous is violence.

3 He who guards his mouth preserves his life, but one who talks too much comes to ruin.

4 The lazy person wants but doesn't have; the diligent get their desires filled.

5 A righteous person hates lying, but the wicked is vile and disgraceful.

6 Righteousness protects him whose way is honest, but wickedness brings down the sinner.

7 There are those with nothing who pretend they are rich, also those with great wealth who pretend they are poor.

8 The rich man may have to ransom his life, but a poor man gets no threats.

9 The light of the righteous [shines] joyfully, but the lamp of the wicked will be extinguished.

10 Insolence produces only strife, but wisdom is found with those who take advice.

11 Wealth gotten by worthless means dwindles away, but he who amasses it by hard work will increase it.

12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but desire fulfilled is a tree of life.

13 He who despises a word will suffer for it, but he who respects a command will be rewarded.

14 The teaching of a wise man is a fountain of life, enabling one to avoid deadly traps.

15 Good common sense produces grace, but the way of the treacherous is rough.

16 Every cautious person acts with knowledge, but a fool parades his folly.

17 A wicked messenger falls into evil, but a faithful envoy brings healing.

18 Poverty and shame are for him who won't be taught, but he who heeds reproof will be honored.

19 Desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul, but turning away from evil is abhorrent to fools.

20 He who walks with the wise will become wise, but the companion of fools will suffer.

21 Evil pursues sinners, but prosperity will reward the righteous.

22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his grandchildren, but the wealth of a sinner is stored up for the righteous.

23 The fields of the poor may yield much food, but some are swept away because of injustice.

24 He who fails to use a stick hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.

25 The righteous person eats his fill, but the belly of the wicked is empty.

[phkrause]

Today's Bible Reading

February 24

Matthew 5:21-48; Exodus 30-32; Proverbs 14 CJB

Matthew 5

21 "You have heard that our fathers were told, `Do not murder,'l and that anyone who commits murder will be subject to judgment.

22 But I tell you that anyone who nurses anger against his brother will be subject to judgment; that whoever calls his brother, `You good-for-nothing!' will be brought before the Sanhedrin; that whoever says, `Fool!' incurs the penalty of burning in the fire of Gei-Hinnom!

23 So if you are offering your gift at the Temple altar and you remember there that your brother has something against you,

24 leave your gift where it is by the altar, and go, make peace with your brother. Then come back and offer your gift.

25 If someone sues you, come to terms with him quickly, while you and he are on the way to court; or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer of the court, and you may be thrown in jail!

26 Yes indeed! I tell you, you will certainly not get out until you have paid the last penny.

27 "You have heard that our fathers were told, `Do not commit adultery.'m

28 But I tell you that a man who even looks at a woman with the purpose of lusting after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

29 If your right eye makes you sin, gouge it out and throw it away! Better that you should lose one part of you than have your whole body thrown into Gei-Hinnom.

30 And if your right hand makes you sin, cut it off and throw it away! Better that you should lose one part of you than have your whole body thrown into Gei-Hinnom.

31 "It was said, `Whoever divorces his wife must give her a get.'

32 But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of fornication, makes her an adulteress; and that anyone who marries a divorcee commits adultery.

33 "Again, you have heard that our fathers were told, `Do not break your oath,' and `Keep your vows to ADONAI.'

34 But I tell you not to swear at all -- not `by heaven,' because it is God's throne;

35 not `by the earth,' because it is his footstool;p and not `by Yerushalayim,' because it is the city of the Great King.

36 And don't swear by your head, because you can't make a single hair white or black.

37 Just let your `Yes' be a simple `Yes,' and your `No' a simple `No'; anything more than this has its origin in evil.

38 "You have heard that our fathers were told, `Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.'

39 But I tell you not to stand up against someone who does you wrong. On the contrary, if someone hits you on the right cheek, let him hit you on the left cheek too!

40 If someone wants to sue you for your shirt, let him have your coat as well!

41 And if a soldier forces you to carry his pack for one mile, carry it for two!

42 When someone asks you for something, give it to him; when someone wants to borrow something from you, lend it to him.

43 "You have heard that our fathers were told, `Love your neighbors -- and hate your enemy.'

44 But I tell you, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!

45 Then you will become children of your Father in heaven. For he makes his sun shine on good and bad people alike, and he sends rain to the righteous and the unrighteous alike.

46 What reward do you get if you love only those who love you? Why, even tax-collectors do that!

47 And if you are friendly only to your friends, are you doing anything out of the ordinary? Even the Goyim do that!

48 Therefore, be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Exodus 30

1 "You are to make an altar on which to burn incense; make it of acacia-wood.

2 It is to be eighteen inches square and three feet high; its horns are to be of one piece with it.

3 Overlay it with pure gold - its top, all around its sides, and its horns; and put around it a molding of gold.

4 Make two gold rings for it under its molding at the two corners on both sides; this is where the carrying-poles will go.

5 Make the poles of acacia-wood, and overlay them with gold.

6 "Place it in front of the curtain by the ark for the testimony, in front of the ark-cover that is over the testimony, where I will meet with you.

7 Aharon will burn fragrant incense on it as a pleasing aroma every morning; he is to burn it when he prepares the lamps.

8 Aharon is also to burn it when he lights the lamps at dusk; this is the regular burning of incense before ADONAI through all your generations.

9 You are not to offer unauthorized incense on it, or a burnt offering or a grain offering; and you are not to pour a drink offering on it.

10 Aharon is to make atonement on its horns once a year - with the blood of the sin offering of atonement he is to make atonement for it once a year through all your generations; it is especially holy to ADONAI." 10-20

11 ADONAI said to Moshe,

12 "When you take a census of the people of Isra'el and register them, each, upon registration, is to pay a ransom for his life to ADONAI, to avoid any breakout of plague among them during the time of the census.

13 Everyone subject to the census is to pay as an offering to ADONAI half a shekel [one-fifth of an ounce of silver]- by the standard of the sanctuary shekel (a shekel equals twenty gerahs).

14 Everyone over twenty years of age who is subject to the census is to give this offering to ADONAI -

15 the rich is not to give more or the poor less than the half-shekel when giving ADONAI's offering to atone for your lives.

16 You are to take the atonement money from the people of Isra'el and use it for the service in the tent of meeting, so that it will be a reminder of the people of Isra'el before ADONAI to atone for your lives."

17 ADONAI said to Moshe,

18 "You are to make a basin of bronze, with a base of bronze, for washing. Place it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it.

19 Aharon and his sons will wash their hands and feet there

20 when they enter the tent of meeting - they are to wash with water, so that they won't die. Also when they approach the altar to minister by burning an offering for ADONAI,

21 they are to wash their hands and feet, so that they won't die. This is to be a perpetual law for them through all their generations."

22 ADONAI said to Moshe,

23 "Take the best spices - 500 shekels of myrrh [121/2 pounds], half this amount (250 shekels) of aromatic cinnamon [61/4 pounds], 250 shekels of aromatic cane,

24 500 shekels of cassia (use the sanctuary standard), and one gallon of olive oil -

25 and make them into a holy anointing oil; blend it and perfume it as would an expert perfume-maker; it will be a holy anointing oil.

26 Use it to anoint the tent of meeting, the ark for the testimony,

27 the table and all its utensils, the menorah and all its utensils, the incense altar,

28 the altar for burnt offerings and all its utensils, and the basin with its base.

29 You are to consecrate them - they will be especially holy, and whatever touches them will be holy.

30 Then you are to anoint Aharon and his sons - you are to consecrate them to serve me in the office of cohen.

31 "Tell the people of Isra'el, 'This is to be a holy anointing oil for me through all your generations.

32 It is not to be used for anointing a person's body; and you are not to make any like it, with the same composition of ingredients - it is holy, and you are to treat it as holy.

33 Whoever makes any like it or uses it on any unauthorized person is to be cut off from his people.'"

34 ADONAI said to Moshe, "Take aromatic plant substances - balsam resin, sweet onycha root and bitter galbanum gum - these spices along with frankincense, all in equal quantities;

35 and make incense, blended and perfumed as would an expert perfume-maker, salted, pure and holy.

36 You are to grind up some of it very finely and put it in front of the testimony in the tent of meeting where I will meet with you; you are to regard it as especially holy.

37 You are not to make for your own use any incense like it, with the same composition of ingredients - you are to treat it as holy, for ADONAI.

38 Whoever makes up any like it to use as perfume is to be cut off from his people."

Exodus 31

1 ADONAI said to Moshe,

2 "I have singled out B'tzal'el the son of Uri the son of Hur, of the tribe of Y'hudah.

3 I have filled him with the Spirit of God - with wisdom, understanding and knowledge concerning every kind of artisanry.

4 He is a master of design in gold, silver, bronze,

5 cutting precious stones to be set, woodcarving and every other craft.

6 "I have also appointed as his assistant Oholi'av the son of Achisamakh, of the tribe of Dan. Moreover, I have endowed all the craftsmen with the wisdom to make everything I have ordered you -

7 the tent of meeting, the ark for the testimony, the ark-cover above it, all the furnishings of the tent,

8 the table and its utensils, the pure menorah and all its utensils, the incense altar,

9 the altar for burnt offerings and all its utensils, the basin and its base,

10 the garments for officiating, the holy garments for Aharon the cohen and the garments for his sons, so that they can serve in the office of cohen,

11 the anointing oil and the incense of aromatic spices for the Holy Place: they are to make everything just as I have ordered you."

12 ADONAI said to Moshe,

13 "Tell the people of Isra'el, 'You are to observe my Shabbats; for this is a sign between me and you through all your generations; so that you will know that I am ADONAI, who sets you apart for me.

14 Therefore you are to keep my Shabbat, because it is set apart for you. Everyone who treats it as ordinary must be put to death; for whoever does any work on it is to be cut off from his people.

15 On six days work will get done; but the seventh day is Shabbat, for complete rest, set apart for ADONAI. Whoever does any work on the day of Shabbat must be put to death.

16 The people of Isra'el are to keep the Shabbat, to observe Shabbat through all their generations as a perpetual covenant.

17 It is a sign between me and the people of Isra'el forever; for in six days ADONAI made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day he stopped working and rested.'"

18 When he had finished speaking with Moshe on Mount Sinai, ADONAI gave him the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God.

Exodus 32

1 When the people saw that Moshe was taking a long time to come down from the mountain, they gathered around Aharon and said to him, "Get busy; and make us gods to go ahead of us; because this Moshe, the man that brought us up from the land of Egypt - we don't know what has become of him."

2 Aharon said to them, "Have your wives, sons and daughters strip off their gold earrings; and bring them to me."

3 The people stripped off their gold earrings and brought them to Aharon.

4 He received what they gave him, melted it down, and made it into the shape of a calf. They said, "Isra'el! Here is your god, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!"

5 On seeing this, Aharon built an altar in front of it and proclaimed, "Tomorrow is to be a feast for ADONAI."

6 Early the next morning they got up and offered burnt offerings and presented peace offerings. Afterwards, the people sat down to eat and drink; then they got up to indulge in revelry.

7 ADONAI said to Moshe, "Go down! Hurry! Your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have become corrupt!

8 So quickly they have turned aside from the way I ordered them to follow! They have cast a metal statue of a calf, worshipped it, sacrificed to it and said, 'Isra'el! Here is your god, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!'"

9 ADONAI continued speaking to Moshe: "I have been watching these people; and you can see how stiffnecked they are.

10 Now leave me alone, so that my anger can blaze against them, and I can put an end to them! I will make a great nation out of you instead."

11 Moshe pleaded with ADONAI his God. He said, "ADONAI, why must your anger blaze against your own people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a strong hand?

12 Why let the Egyptians say, 'It was with evil intentions that he led them out, to slaughter them in the hills and wipe them off the face of the earth'? Turn from your fierce anger! Relent! Don't bring such disaster on your people!

13 Remember Avraham, Yitz'chak and Isra'el, your servants, to whom you swore by your very self. You promised them, 'I will make your descendants as many as the stars in the sky; and I will give all this land I have spoken about to your descendants; and they will possess it forever.'"

14 ADONAI then changed his mind about the disaster he had planned for his people.

15 Moshe turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand, tablets inscribed on both sides, on the front and on the back.

16 The tablets were the work of God; and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.

17 When Y'hoshua heard the noise of the people shouting he said to Moshe, "It sounds like war in the camp!"

18 He answered, "That is neither the clamor of victory nor the wailings of defeat; what I hear is the sound of people singing."

19 But the moment Moshe got near the camp, when he saw the calf and the dancing, his own anger blazed up. He threw down the tablets he had been holding and shattered them at the base of the mountain.

20 Seizing the calf they had made, he melted it in the fire and ground it to powder, which he scattered on the water. Then he made the people of Isra'el drink it.

21 Moshe said to Aharon, "What did these people do to you to make you lead them into such a terrible sin?"

22 Aharon replied, "My lord shouldn't be so angry. You know what these people are like, that they are determined to do evil.

23 So they said to me, 'Make us gods to go ahead of us; because this Moshe, the man that brought us up from the land of Egypt - we don't know what has become of him.'

24 I answered them, 'Anyone with gold, strip it off!' So they gave it to me. I threw it in the fire, and out came this calf!"

25 When Moshe saw that the people had gotten out of control - because Aharon had allowed them to get out of control, to the derision of their enemies -

26 Moshe stood at the entrance to the camp and shouted, "Whoever is for ADONAI, come to me!"All the descendants of Levi rallied around him.

27 He told them, "Here is what ADONAI, the God of Isra'el, says: 'Each of you, put his sword on his side; and go up and down the camp, from gate to gate; and every man is to kill his own kinsman, his own friend and his own neighbor!"

28 The sons of Levi did what Moshe said, and that day three thousand of the people died.

29 Moshe said, "You have consecrated yourselves today to ADONAI, because every one of you has been against his own son and against his own kinsman, in order to bring a blessing on yourselves today."

30 The next day Moshe said to the people, "You have committed a terrible sin. Now I will go up to ADONAI ; maybe I will be able to atone for your sin."

31 Moshe went back to ADONAI and said, "Please! These people have committed a terrible sin: they have made themselves a god out of gold.

32 Now, if you will just forgive their sin! But if you won't, then, I beg you, blot me out of your book which you have written!"

33 ADONAI answered Moshe, "Those who have sinned against me are the ones I will blot out of my book.

34 Now go and lead the people to the place I told you about; my angel will go ahead of you. Nevertheless, the time for punishment will come; and then I will punish them for their sin."

35 ADONAI struck the people with a plague because they had made the calf, the one Aharon made.

Proverbs 14

1 Every wise woman builds up her home, but a foolish one tears it down with her own hands.

2 A person with upright conduct fears ADONAI, but a person who is devious scorns him.

3 From the mouth of a fool sprouts pride, but the lips of the wise protect them.

4 Where there are no oxen, the stalls are clean; but much is produced by the strength of an ox.

5 An honest witness will not lie, but a false witness lies with every breath.

6 A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain, but knowledge comes easily to someone with discernment.

7 Keep clear of a fool, for you won't hear a sensible word from him.

8 The wisdom of the cautious makes him know where he is going, but the folly of fools misleads them.

9 Guilt offerings make a mockery of fools; but among the upright there is good will.

10 The heart knows its own bitterness, and no stranger can share its joy.

11 The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish.

12 There can be a way which seems right to a person, but at its end are the ways of death.

13 Even in laughter the heart can be sad, and joy may end in sorrow.

14 A backslider is filled up with his own ways, but a good person gets satisfaction from himself.

15 One who doesn't think believes every word, but the cautious understands his steps.

16 A wise person fears and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and overconfident.

17 He who is quick-tempered does stupid things, and one who does vile things is hated.

18 Thoughtless people inherit folly, but the cautious are crowned with knowledge.

19 The evil bow down before the good, and the wicked at the gates of the righteous.

20 The poor are disliked even by their peers, but the rich have many friends.

21 He who despises his fellow sins, but he who shows compassion to the humble is happy.

22 Won't those who plot evil go astray? But grace and truth are for those who plan good.

23 In all work there is profit, but mere talk produces only poverty.

24 The crown of the wise is their riches, but the folly of fools is just that - folly.

25 A truthful witness saves lives, but a liar misdirects [judgment].

26 In the fear of ADONAI is powerful security; for his children there will be a place of refuge.

27 The fear of ADONAI is a fountain of life enabling one to avoid deadly traps.

28 A king's glory lies in having many subjects; if the prince's people are few, it is his ruin.

29 Being slow to anger goes with great understanding, being quick-tempered makes folly still worse.

30 A tranquil mind gives health to the body, but envy rots the bones.

31 The oppressor of the poor insults his maker, but he who is kind to the needy honors him.

32 The wicked are brought down by their wrongdoing, but the righteous can be confident even at death.

33 Wisdom is at rest in a person with discernment, but in fools it has to call attention to itself.

34 Righteousness makes a nation great, but sin degrades any people.

35 A king shows favor to a servant with good sense, but his wrath strikes one who shames [him].

[phkrause]

Today's Bible Reading

February 25

Matthew 6:1-18; Exodus 33:1-34:35; Proverbs 15 CJB

Matthew 6:1-18

1 "Be careful not to parade your acts of tzedakah in front of people in order to be seen by them! If you do, you have no reward from your Father in heaven.

2 So, when you do tzedakah, don't announce it with trumpets to win people's praise, like the hypocrites in the synagogues and on the streets. Yes! I tell you, they have their reward already!

3 But you, when you do tzedakah, don't even let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.

4 Then your tzedakah will be in secret; and your Father, who sees what you do in secret, will reward you.

5 "When you pray, don't be like the hypocrites, who love to pray standing in the synagogues and on street corners, so that people can see them. Yes! I tell you, they have their reward already!

6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. Your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

7 "And when you pray, don't babble on and on like the pagans, who think God will hear them better if they talk a lot.

8 Don't be like them, because your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

9 You, therefore, pray like this: `Our Father in heaven! May your Name be kept holy.

10 May your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven.

11 Give us the food we need today.

12 Forgive us what we have done wrong, as we too have forgiven those who have wronged us.

13 And do not lead us into hard testing, but keep us safe from the Evil One. For kingship, power and glory are yours forever. Amen.'

14 For if you forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you;

15 but if you do not forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will not forgive yours.

16 "Now when you fast, don't go around looking miserable, like the hypocrites. They make sour faces so that people will know they are fasting. Yes! I tell you, they have their reward already!

17 But you, when you fast, wash your face and groom yourself,

18 so that no one will know you are fasting -- except your Father, who is with you in secret. Your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Exodus 33

1 ADONAI said to Moshe, "Leave, you and the people you brought up from the land of Egypt; and move on from here toward the land of which I swore to Avraham, Yitz'chak and Ya'akov, 'I will give it to your descendants.'

2 I will send an angel ahead of you; and I will drive out the Kena'ani, Emori, Hitti, P'rizi, Hivi and Y'vusi.

3 You will go to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I myself will not go with you, because you are such a stiffnecked people that I might destroy you on the way."

4 When the people heard this bad news, they went into mourning; and no one wore his ornaments.

5 ADONAI said to Moshe, "Tell the people of Isra'el, 'You are a stiffnecked people! If I were to go up with you for even one moment, I would exterminate you! Now, keep your ornaments off; then I will decide what to do to you.'"

6 So from Mount Horev onward, the people of Isra'el stripped themselves of their ornaments.

7 Moshe would take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far away from the camp. He called it the tent of meeting. Everyone who wanted to consult ADONAI would go out to the tent of meeting, outside the camp.

8 Whenever Moshe went out to the tent, all the people would get up and stand, each man at his tent door, and look at Moshe until he had gone into the tent.

9 Whenever Moshe entered the tent, the column of cloud would descend and station itself at the entrance to the tent; and ADONAI would speak with Moshe.

10 When all the people saw the column of cloud stationed at the entrance to the tent, they would get up and prostrate themselves, each man at his tent door.

11 ADONAI would speak to Moshe face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. Then he would return to the camp; but the young man who was his assistant, Y'hoshua the son of Nun, never left the inside of the tent.

12 Moshe said to ADONAI, "Look, you say to me, 'Make these people move on!' But you haven't let me know whom you will be sending with me. Nevertheless you have said, 'I know you by name,' and also, 'You have found favor in my sight.'

13 Now, please, if it is really the case that I have found favor in your sight, show me your ways; so that I will understand you and continue finding favor in your sight. Moreover, keep on seeing this nation as your people."

14 He answered, "Set your mind at rest - my presence will go with you, after all."

15 Moshe replied, "If your presence doesn't go with us, don't make us go on from here.

16 For how else is it to be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people, other than by your going with us? That is what distinguishes us, me and your people, from all the other peoples on earth."

17 ADONAI said to Moshe, "I will also do what you have asked me to do, because you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name."

18 But Moshe said, "I beg you to show me your glory!"

19 He replied, "I will cause all my goodness to pass before you, and in your presence I will pronounce the name of ADONAI. Moreover, I show favor to whomever I will, and I display mercy to whomever I will.

20 But my face," he continued, "you cannot see, because a human being cannot look at me and remain alive.

21 Here," he said, "is a place near me; stand on the rock.

22 When my glory passes by, I will put you inside a crevice in the rock and cover you with my hand, until I have passed by.

23 Then I will remove my hand, and you will see my back, but my face is not to be seen."

Exodus 34

1 ADONAI said to Moshe, "Cut yourself two tablets of stone like the first ones; and I will inscribe on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke.

2 Be ready by morning; in the morning you are to ascend Mount Sinai and present yourself to me on the top of the mountain.

3 No one is to come up with you, and no one is to be seen anywhere on the mountain; don't even let the flocks or herds feed in front of this mountain."

4 Moshe cut two stone tablets like the first. Then he got up early in the morning and, with the two stone tablets in his hands, ascended Mount Sinai, as ADONAI had ordered him to do.

5 ADONAI descended in the cloud, stood with him there and pronounced the name of ADONAI.

6 ADONAI passed before him and proclaimed: "YUD-HEH-VAV-HEH!!! Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh [ADONAI] is God, merciful and compassionate, slow to anger, rich in grace and truth;

7 showing grace to the thousandth generation, forgiving offenses, crimes and sins; yet not exonerating the guilty, but causing the negative effects of the parents' offenses to be experienced by their children and grandchildren, and even by the third and fourth generations."

8 At once Moshe bowed his head to the ground, prostrated himself

9 and said, "If I have now found favor in your view, Adonai, then please let Adonai go with us, even though they are a stiffnecked people; and pardon our offenses and our sin; and take us as your possession."

10 He said, "Here, I am making a covenant; in front of all your people I will do wonders such as have not been created anywhere on earth or in any nation. All the people around you will see the work of ADONAI. What I am going to do through you will be awesome!

11 Observe what I am ordering you to do today. Here! I am driving out ahead of you the Emori, Kena'ani, Hitti, P'rizi, Hivi and Y'vusi.

12 Be careful not to make a covenant with the people living in the land where you are going, so that they won't become a snare within your own borders.

13 Rather, you are to demolish their altars, smash their standing-stones and cut down their sacred poles;

14 because you are not to bow down to any other god; since ADONAI -whose very name is Jealous -is a jealous God.

15 Do not make a covenant with the people living in the land. It will cause you to go astray after their gods and sacrifice to their gods. Then they will invite you to join them in eating their sacrifices,

16 and you will take their daughters as wives for your sons. Their daughters will prostitute themselves to their own gods and make your sons do the same!

17 "Do not cast metal gods for yourselves.

18 "Keep the festival of matzah by eating matzah, as I ordered you, for seven days during the month of Aviv; for it was in the month of Aviv that you came out from Egypt.

19 "Everything that is first from the womb is mine. Of all your livestock, you are to set aside for me the males, the firstborn of cattle and flock.

20 The firstborn of a donkey you must redeem with a lamb; if you won't redeem it, break its neck. All the firstborn of your sons you are to redeem, and no one is to appear before me empty-handed.

21 "Six days you will work, but on the seventh day you are to rest - even in plowing time and harvest season you are to rest.

22 "Observe the festival of Shavu'ot with the first-gathered produce of the wheat harvest, and the festival of ingathering at the turn of the year.

23 Three times a year all your men are to appear before the Lord, ADONAI, the God of Isra'el.

24 For I am going to expel nations ahead of you and expand your territory, and no one will even covet your land when you go up to appear before ADONAI your God three times a year.

25 You are not to offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread, and the sacrifice of the feast of Pesach is not to be left until morning.

26 You are to bring the best firstfruits of your land into the house of ADONAI your God. "You are not to boil a young goat in its mother's milk."

27 ADONAI said to Moshe, "Write these words down, because they are the terms of the covenant I have made with you and with Isra'el."

28 Moshe was there with ADONAI forty days and forty nights, during which time he neither ate food nor drank water. [ADONAI] wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Words.

29 When Moshe came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand, he didn't realize that the skin of his face was sending out rays of light as a result of his talking with [ADONAI].

30 When Aharon and the people of Isra'el saw Moshe, the skin of his face was shining; and they were afraid to approach him.

31 But Moshe called to them; then Aharon and all the community leaders came back to him, and Moshe spoke to them.

32 Afterwards, all the people of Isra'el came near; and he passed on to them all the orders that ADONAI had told him on Mount Sinai.

33 Once Moshe had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face.

34 But when he went in before ADONAI for him to speak, he would take the veil off until he came out; then, when he came out, he would tell the people of Isra'el what he had been ordered.

35 But when the people of Isra'el saw Moshe's face, that the skin of Moshe's face shone, he would put the veil back over his face until he went in again to speak with [ADONAI].

Proverbs 15

1 A gentle response deflects fury, but a harsh word makes tempers rise.

2 The tongue of the wise presents knowledge well, but the mouth of a fool spews out folly.

3 The eyes of ADONAI are everywhere, watching the evil and the good.

4 A soothing tongue is a tree of life, but when it twists things, it breaks the spirit.

5 A fool despises his father's discipline, but he who heeds warnings is prudent.

6 The home of the righteous is a storehouse of treasure, but the earnings of the wicked bring trouble.

7 The lips of the wise spread knowledge; not so the hearts of fools.

8 ADONAI detests the sacrifices of the wicked but delights in the prayers of the upright.

9 ADONAI detests the way of the wicked but loves anyone who pursues righteousness.

10 Discipline is severe for one who leaves the way, and whoever can't stand correction will die.

11 Sh'ol and Abaddon lie open to ADONAI; so how much more people's hearts!

12 A scorner does not like being corrected; he won't go to the wise [for advice].

13 A glad heart makes a face happy, but heartache breaks the spirit.

14 The mind of a person with discernment seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly.

15 For the poor, every day is hard; but the good-hearted have a perpetual feast.

16 Better little with the fear of ADONAI than great wealth coupled with worry.

17 Better a vegetable dinner with love than a stall-fattened ox with hate.

18 Hot-tempered people stir up strife, but patient people quiet quarrels.

19 The lazy person's way seems overgrown by thorns, but the path of the upright is a level highway.

20 A wise son is a joy to his father, and only a fool despises his mother.

21 Folly appeals to one who lacks sense, but a person of discernment goes straight ahead.

22 Without deliberation, plans go wrong; but with many advisers, they succeed.

23 People take pleasure in anything they say; but a word at the right time, how good it is!

24 For the prudent, the path of life goes upward; thus he avoids Sh'ol below.

25 ADONAI will pull down the houses of the proud, but preserves intact the widow's boundaries.

26 ADONAI detests plans to do evil, but kind words are pure.

27 The greedy for gain brings trouble to his home, but he who hates bribes will live.

28 The mind of the righteous thinks before speaking, but the mouth of the wicked spews out evil stuff.

29 ADONAI is far from the wicked, but he listens to the prayer of the righteous.

30 A cheerful glance brings joy to the heart, and good news invigorates the bones.

31 He who heeds life-giving correction will be at home in the company of the wise.

32 He who spurns discipline detests himself, but he who listens to correction grows in understanding.

33 The discipline of wisdom is fear of ADONAI, so before being honored, a person must be humble.

[phkrause]

Today's Bible Reading

February 26

Matthew 6:19-34; Exodus 35:1-36:38; Proverbs 16 CJB

Matthew 6

19 "Do not store up for yourselves wealth here on earth, where moths and rust destroy, and burglars break in and steal.

20 Instead, store up for yourselves wealth in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and burglars do not break in or steal.

21 For where your wealth is, there your heart will be also.

22 `The eye is the lamp of the body.' So if you have a `good eye' [that is, if you are generous] your whole body will be full of light;

23 but if you have an `evil eye' [if you are stingy] your whole body will be full of darkness. If, then, the light in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

24 No one can be slave to two masters; for he will either hate the first and love the second, or scorn the second and be loyal to the first. You can't be a slave to both God and money.

25 "Therefore, I tell you, don't wor y about your life -- what you will eat or drink; or about your body -- what you will wear. Isn't life more than food and the body more than clothing?

26 Look at the birds flying about! They neither plant nor harvest, nor do they gather food into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren't you worth more than they are?

27 Can any of you by worrying add a single hour to his life?

28 "And why be anxious about clothing? Think about the fields of wild irises, and how they grow. They neither work nor spin thread,

29 yet I tell you that not even Shlomo in all his glory was clothed as beautifully as one of these.

30 If this is how God clothes grass in the field -- which is here today and gone tomorrow, thrown in an oven -- won't he much more clothe you? What little trust you have!

31 "So don't be anxious, asking, `What will we eat?,' `What will we drink?' or `How will we be clothed?'

32 For it is the pagans who set their hearts on all these things. Your heavenly Father knows you need them all.

33 But seek first his Kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

34 Don't wor y about tomorrow -- tomorrow will worry about itself! Today has enough tsuris already!

Exodus 35

1 Moshe assembled the whole community of the people of Isra'el and said to them, "These are the things which ADONAI has ordered you to do.

2 On six days work is to be done, but the seventh day is to be a holy day for you, a Shabbat of complete rest in honor of ADONAI. Whoever does any work on it is to be put to death.

3 You are not to kindle a fire in any of your homes on Shabbat."

4 Moshe said to the whole community of the people of Isra'el, "Here is what ADONAI has ordered:

5 'Take up a collection for ADONAI from among yourselves -anyone whose heart makes him willing is to bring the offering for ADONAI: gold, silver and bronze;

6 blue, purple and scarlet yarn; fine linen, goat's hair,

7 tanned ram skins and fine leather; acacia-wood;

8 oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense;

9 onyx stones and stones to be set, for the ritual vest and the breastplate.

10 "'Then let all the craftsmen among you come and make everything ADONAI has ordered:

11 the tabernacle with its tent, covering, fasteners, planks, crossbars, posts and sockets;

12 the ark with its poles, ark-cover and the curtain to screen it;

13 the table with its poles, all its utensils and the showbread;

14 the menorah for the light, with its utensils and lamps, and the oil for the light;

15 the incense altar with its poles; the anointing oil; the fragrant incense; the screen for the entranceway at the entrance to the tabernacle;

16 the altar for burnt offerings, with its poles and all its utensils; the basin with its base;

17 the tapestries for the courtyard, with their posts and sockets; the screen for the gateway of the courtyard;

18 the tent pegs for the tabernacle; the tent pegs for the courtyard, with their ropes;

19 the garments for officiating, for serving in the Holy Place; and the holy garments for Aharon the cohen and the garments for his sons, so that they can serve in the office of cohen.'"

20 Then the whole community of the people of Isra'el withdrew from Moshe's presence;

21 and they came, everyone whose heart stirred him and everyone whose spirit made him willing, and brought ADONAI's offering for the work on the tent of meeting, for the service in it and for the holy garments.

22 Both men and women came, as many as had willing hearts; they brought nose-rings, earrings, signet-rings, belts, all kinds of gold jewelry - everyone bringing an offering of gold to ADONAI.

23 Everyone who had blue, purple or scarlet yarn; fine linen; tanned ram skins or fine leather brought them.

24 Everyone contributing silver or bronze brought his offering for ADONAI, and everyone who had acacia-wood suitable for any of the work brought it.

25 All the women who were skilled at spinning got to work and brought what they had spun, the blue, purple and scarlet yarn and the fine linen.

26 Likewise the women whose heart stirred them to use their skill spun the goat's hair.

27 The leaders brought the onyx stones and the stones to be set, for the ritual vest and the breasplate;

28 the spices; and the oil for the light, for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense.

29 Thus every man and woman of the people of Isra'el whose heart impelled him to contribute to any of the work ADONAI had ordered through Moshe brought it to ADONAI as a voluntary offering.

30 Moshe said to the people of Isra'el, "See, ADONAI has singled out B'tzal'el the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Y'hudah.

31 He has filled him with the Spirit of God -with wisdom, understanding and knowledge concerning every kind of artisanry.

32 He is a master of design in gold, silver, bronze,

33 cutting precious stones to be set, woodcarving and every other craft.

34 [ADONAI] has also given him and Oholi'av the son of Achisamakh, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach others.

35 He has filled them with the skill needed for every kind of work, whether done by an artisan, a designer, an embroiderer using blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and fine linen, or a weaver - they have the skill for every kind of work and design.

Exodus 36

1 "B'tzal'el and Oholi'av, along with all the craftsmen whom ADONAI has endowed with the wisdom and skill necessary to carry out the work needed for the sanctuary, are to do exactly according to everything ADONAI has ordered."

2 Moshe summoned B'tzal'el, Oholi'av and every craftsman to whom ADONAI had given wisdom, everyone whose heart stirred him, to come and take part in the work.

3 They received from Moshe all the offering which the people of Isra'el had brought for the work of building the sanctuary. But they still kept bringing voluntary offerings every morning,

4 until all the craftsmen doing the work for the sanctuary left the work they were involved with

5 to tell Moshe, "The people are bringing far more than is needed to do the work ADONAI has ordered done."

6 So Moshe gave an order which was proclaimed throughout the camp: "Neither men nor women are to make any further efforts for the sanctuary offering." In this way, the people were restrained from making additional contributions.

7 For what they had already was not only sufficient for doing all the work, but too much!

8 All the skilled men among them who did the work made the tabernacle, using ten sheets of finely woven linen and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn. He made them with k'ruvim worked in that had been crafted by a skilled artisan.

9 Each sheet was forty-two feet long and six feet wide; all the sheets were the same size.

10 He joined five sheets one to another, and the other five sheets he joined one to another.

11 He made loops of blue on the edge of the outermost sheet in the first set and did the same on the edge of the outermost sheet in the second set.

12 He made fifty loops on the one sheet, and he made fifty loops on the edge of the sheet in the second set; the loops were opposite one another.

13 He made fifty fasteners of gold and coupled the sheets to each other with the fasteners, so that the tabernacle formed a single unit.

14 He made sheets of goat's hair to be used as a tent covering the tabernacle; he made eleven sheets.

15 Each sheet was forty-five feet long and six feet wide; all eleven sheets were the same size.

16 He joined five sheets together and six sheets together.

17 He made fifty loops on the edge of the outermost sheet in the first set and fifty loops on the outermost sheet in the second set.

18 He made fifty fasteners of bronze to join the tent together, so that it would be a single unit.

19 He made a covering for the tent of tanned ram skins and an outer covering of fine leather.

20 He made the upright planks of acacia-wood for the tabernacle.

21 Each plank was fifteen feet long and two-and-a-quarter feet wide.

22 There were two projections on each plank, and the planks were joined one to another. This is how he made all the planks for the tabernacle.

23 He made the planks for the tabernacle as follows: twenty planks for the south side, facing southward.

24 He made forty silver sockets under the twenty planks, two sockets under one plank for its two projections and two sockets under another plank for its two projections.

25 For the second side of the tabernacle, to the north, he made twenty planks

26 and their forty silver sockets, two sockets under one plank and two under another.

27 For the rear part of the tabernacle, toward the west, he made six planks.

28 For the corners of the tabernacle in the rear he made two planks,

29 double from the bottom all the way to the top but joined at a single ring. He did the same with both of them at the two corners.

30 Thus there were eight planks with their silver sockets, sixteen sockets, two sockets under each plank.

31 He made crossbars of acacia-wood, five for the planks of the one side of the tabernacle,

32 five crossbars for the planks of the other side of the tabernacle, and five crossbars for the planks at the side of the tabernacle at the rear toward the west.

33 He made the middle crossbar so that it extended from one end of the planks to the other, halfway up.

34 He overlaid the planks with gold, made gold rings for them through which the crossbars could pass and overlaid the crossbars with gold.

35 He made the curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely woven linen. He made them with k'ruvim worked in that had been crafted by a skilled artisan.

36 He made for it four posts of acacia-wood and overlaid them with gold, and gold hooks; and cast for them four silver sockets.

37 For the entrance to the tent he made a screen of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely woven linen, in colors, the work of a weaver;

38 with its five posts and their hooks. He overlaid their capitals and their attached rings for hanging with gold, while their five sockets were of bronze.

Proverbs 16

1 A person is responsible to prepare his heart, but how the tongue speaks is from ADONAI.

2 All a man's ways are pure in his own view, but ADONAI weighs the spirit.

3 If you entrust all you do to ADONAI, your plans will achieve success.

4 ADONAI made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of disaster.

5 ADONAI detests all those with proud hearts; be assured that they will not go unpunished.

6 Grace and truth atone for iniquity, and people turn from evil through fear of ADONAI.

7 When a man's ways please ADONAI, he makes even the man's enemies be at peace with him.

8 Better a little with righteousness than a huge income with injustice.

9 A person may plan his path, but ADONAI directs his steps.

10 Divine inspiration is on the lips of the king, so his mouth must be faithful when he judges.

11 The balance and scales of justice have their origin in ADONAI; all the weights in the bag are his doing.

12 It is an abomination for a king to do evil, for the throne is made secure by righteousness.

13 The king should delight in righteous lips, and he should love someone who speaks what is right.

14 The king's anger is a herald of death, and one who is wise will appease it.

15 When the king's face brightens, it means life; his favor is like the clouds that bring spring rain.

16 How much better than gold it is to gain wisdom! Yes, rather than money, choose to gain understanding.

17 Avoiding evil is the highway of the upright; he who watches his step preserves his life.

18 Pride goes before destruction, and arrogance before failure.

19 Better to be humble among the poor than share the spoil with the proud.

20 He who has skill in a matter will succeed; he who trusts in ADONAI will be happy.

21 A wise-hearted person is said to have discernment, and sweetness of speech adds to learning.

22 Common sense is a fountain of life to one who has it, whereas fools are punished by their own folly.

23 The wise man's heart teaches his mouth, and to his lips it adds learning.

24 Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweet to the taste and healing for the body.

25 There can be a way which seems right to a person, but at its end are the ways of death.

26 A working man's appetite acts on his behalf, because his hunger presses him on.

27 A worthless person digs up evil [gossip] it is like scorching fire on his lips.

28 A deceitful person stirs up strife, and a slanderer can separate even close friends.

29 A violent man lures his neighbor astray and leads him into evil ways.

30 One who winks knowingly is planning deceit; one who pinches his lips together has already done wrong.

31 White hair is a crown of honor obtained by righteous living.

32 He who controls his temper is better than a war hero, he who rules his spirit better than he who captures a city.

33 One can cast lots into one's lap, but the decision comes from ADONAI.

[phkrause]

Today's Bible Reading

February 27

Matthew 7; Exodus 37:1-38:31; Proverbs 17 CJB

Matthew 7

1 "Don't judge, so that you won't be judged.

2 For the way you judge others is how you will be judged -- the measure with which you measure out will be used to measure to you.

3 Why do you see the splinter in your brother's eye but not notice the log in your own eye?

4 How can you say to your brother, `Let me take the splinter out of your eye,' when you have the log in your own eye?

5 You hypocrite! First, take the log out of your own eye; then you will see clearly, so that you can remove the splinter from your brother's eye!

6 "Don't give to dogs what is holy, and don't throw your pearls to the pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, then turn and attack you.

7 "Keep asking, and it will be given to you; keep seeking, and you will find; keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you.

8 For everyone who keeps asking receives; he who keeps seeking finds; and to him who keeps knocking, the door will be opened.

9 Is there anyone here who, if his son asks him for a loaf of bread, will give him a stone?

10 or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?

11 So if you, even though you are bad, know how to give your children gifts that are good, how much more will your Father in heaven keep giving good things to those who keep asking him!

12 "Always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that sums up the teaching of the Torah and the Prophets.

13 "Go in through the narrow gate; for the gate that leads to destruction is wide and the road broad, and many travel it;

14 but it is a narrow gate and a hard road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

15 "Beware of the false prophets! They come to you wearing sheep's clothing, but underneath they are hungry wolves!

16 You will recognize them by their fruit. Can people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?

17 Likewise, every healthy tree produces good fruit, but a poor tree produces bad fruit.

18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, or a poor tree good fruit.

19 Any tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown in the fire!

20 So you will recognize them by their fruit.

21 "Not everyone who says to me, `Lord, Lord!' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, only those who do what my Father in heaven wants.

22 On that Day, many will say to me, `Lord, Lord! Didn't we prophesy in your name? Didn't we expel demons in your name? Didn't we perform many miracles in your name?'

23 Then I will tell them to their faces, `I never knew you! Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness!'

24 "So, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on bedrock.

25 The rain fell, the rivers flooded, the winds blew and beat against that house, but it didn't collapse, because its foundation was on rock.

26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a stupid man who built his house on sand.

27 The rain fell, the rivers flooded, the wind blew and beat against that house, and it collapsed -- and its collapse was horrendous!"

28 When Yeshua had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at the way he taught,

29 for he was not instructing them like their Torah-teachers but as one who had authority himself.

Exodus 37

1 B'tzal'el made the ark of acacia-wood three-and-three-quarters feet long, two-and-a-quarter feet wide and two-and-a-quarter feet high.

2 He overlaid it with pure gold inside and outside and put a molding of gold for it around the top.

3 He cast four gold rings for it at its four feet, two rings on each side.

4 He made poles of acacia-wood and overlaid them with gold.

5 He put the carrying-poles for the ark in the rings on the sides of the ark.

6 He made a cover for the ark of pure gold, three-and-three-quarters feet long and two-and-a-quarter feet wide.

7 He made two k'ruvim of gold; he made them of hammered work for the two ends of the ark-cover -

8 one keruv for one end and one keruv for the other end; he made the k'ruvim of one piece with the ark-cover at its two ends.

9 The k'ruvim had their wings spread out above, so that their wings covered the ark; their faces were toward each other and toward the ark-cover.

10 He made the table of acacia-wood, three feet long, eighteen inches wide and eighteen inches high.

11 He overlaid it with pure gold and put a molding of gold around the top of it.

12 He made around it a rim a handbreadth wide and put a molding of gold around the rim.

13 He cast for it four gold rings and attached the rings to the four corners, near its four legs.

14 The rings to hold the carrying-poles for the table were placed close to the rim.

15 He made the carrying-poles for the table of acacia-wood and overlaid them with gold.

16 He made the utensils to be put on the table -its dishes, pans, bowls and pitchers - of pure gold.

17 He made the menorah of pure gold. He made it of hammered work; its base, shaft, cups, rings of outer leaves and flowers were a single unit.

18 There were six branches extending from its sides, three branches of the menorah on one side of it and three on the other.

19 On one branch were three cups shaped like almond blossoms, a ring of outer leaves and petals; likewise on the opposite branch three cups shaped like almond blossoms, a ring of outer leaves and petals; and similarly for all six branches extending from the menorah.

20 On the central shaft of the menorah were four cups shaped like almond blossoms, each with its ring of outer leaves and petals.

21 Where each pair of branches joined the central shaft was a ring of outer leaves of one piece with the pair of branches -thus for all six branches.

22 Their rings of outer leaves and their branches were of one piece with the shaft. Thus the whole menorah was one piece of hammered work made of pure gold.

23 He made its seven lamps, its tongs and its trays of pure gold.

24 The menorah and its utensils were made of sixty-six pounds of pure gold.

25 He made the altar on which to burn incense of acacia-wood, eighteen inches square and three feet high; its horns were a single unit.

26 He overlaid it with pure gold -its top, all around its sides and its horns; and he put around it a molding of gold.

27 He made two gold rings for it under its molding at the two corners on both sides, to hold the carrying-poles.

28 He made the poles of acacia-wood and overlaid them with gold.

29 He made the holy anointing oil and the pure incense of aromatic plant substances as would an expert perfume-maker.

Exodus 38

1 He made the altar for burnt offerings of acacia-wood, seven-and-a-half feet long and seven-and-a-half feet wide - it was square - and four-and-a-half feet high.

2 He made horns for it on its four corners, the horns were of one piece with it, and he overlaid it with bronze.

3 He made all the utensils for the altar -its pots, shovels, basins, meat-hooks and fire pans; all its utensils he made of bronze.

4 He made for the altar a grate of bronze netting, under its rim, reaching halfway up the altar.

5 He cast four rings for the four ends of the bronze grate to hold the poles.

6 He made the poles of acacia-wood and overlaid them with bronze.

7 He put the carrying-poles into the rings on the sides of the altar; he made it of planks and hollow inside.

8 He made the basin of bronze with its base of bronze from the mirrors of the women serving at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

9 He made the courtyard. On the south side, facing southward, the tapestries for the courtyard were made of finely woven linen, 150 feet long,

10 supported on twenty posts in twenty bronze sockets; the hooks on the posts and the attached rings for hanging were of silver.

11 On the north side they were 150 feet long, hung on twenty posts in twenty bronze sockets, with the hooks on the posts and their rings of silver.

12 On the west side were tapestries seventy-five feet long, hung on ten posts in ten sockets, with the hooks on the posts and their rings of silver.

13 On the east side were tapestries seventy-five feet long.

14 The tapestries for the one side [of the gateway] were twenty-two-and-a-half feet long, hung on three posts in three sockets;

15 likewise for the other side -on either side [of the gate] were tapestries twenty-two-and-a-half feet long on three posts in three sockets.

16 All the tapestries for the courtyard, all the way around, were of finely woven linen;

17 the sockets for the posts were of bronze; the hooks on the posts and their rings were of silver; the capitals of the posts were overlaid with silver; and all the posts of the courtyard were banded with silver.

18 The screen for the gateway to the courtyard was the work of a weaver in colors, of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely woven linen. Its length was thirty feet and its height seven-and-a-half feet all the way along, like the tapestries of the courtyard.

19 It had four posts in four bronze sockets, with silver hooks, capitals overlaid with silver and silver fasteners.

20 The tent pegs for the tabernacle and for the courtyard around it were of bronze.

21 These are the accounts of the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the testimony, recorded, as Moshe ordered, by the L'vi'im under the direction of Itamar the son of Aharon, the cohen.

22 B'tzal'el the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Y'hudah, made everything that ADONAI ordered Moshe to make.

23 Assisting him was Oholi'av the son of Achisamakh, of the tribe of Dan, who was an engraver, a designer and a weaver in colors -in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and in fine linen.

24 All the gold used for the work in everything needed for the sanctuary, the gold of the offering, weighed 29 talents 730 shekels [1,930 pounds], using the sanctuary shekel.

25 The silver given by the community weighed 100 talents 1,775 shekels [6,650 pounds], using the sanctuary shekel.

26 This was a beka per person, that is, half a shekel [one-fifth of an ounce], using the sanctuary shekel, for everyone twenty years old or older counted in the census, 603,550 men.

27 The hundred talents of silver were used to cast the sockets for the sanctuary and the sockets for the curtain -one hundred sockets made from the hundred talents, one talent [sixty-six pounds] per socket.

28 The 1,775 shekels [fifty pounds] he used to make hooks for the posts, to overlay their capitals and to make fasteners for them.

29 The bronze in the offering came to 4,680 pounds.

30 He used it to make the sockets for the entrance to the tent of meeting, the bronze altar, its bronze grate, all the utensils for the altar,

31 the sockets for the courtyard around it, the sockets for the gateway to the courtyard, all the tent pegs for the tabernacle and all the tent pegs for the courtyard around it.

Proverbs 17

1 Better a dry piece of bread with calm than a house full of food but also full of strife.

2 An intelligent slave will rule a shameful son and share the inheritance with the brothers.

3 The crucible [tests] silver, and the furnace [tests] gold, but the one who tests hearts is ADONAI.

4 An evildoer heeds wicked lips; a liar listens to destructive talk.

5 He who mocks the poor insults his maker; he who rejoices at calamity will not go unpunished.

6 Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, while the glory of children is their ancestors.

7 Fine speech is unbecoming to a boor, and even less lying lips to a leader.

8 A bribe works like a charm, in the view of him who gives it -wherever it turns, it succeeds.

9 He who conceals an offense promotes love, but he who harps on it can separate even close friends.

10 A rebuke makes more impression on a person of understanding than a hundred blows on a fool.

11 An evil person seeks only rebellion, but a cruel messenger will be sent against him.

12 Rather meet a bear robbed of its cubs than encounter a fool in his folly.

13 Evil will not depart from the house of him who returns evil for good.

14 Starting a fight is like letting water through [a dike] -better stop the quarrel before it gets worse.

15 He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous -both alike are an abomination to ADONAI.

16 Why would a fool wish to pay for wisdom when he has no desire to learn?

17 A friend shows his friendship at all times -it is for adversity that [such] a brother is born.

18 He who gives his hand to guarantee a loan for his neighbor lacks good sense.

19 Those who love quarreling love giving offense; those who make their gates tall are courting disaster.

20 A crooked-hearted person will find nothing good, and the perverse of speech will end in calamity.

21 He who fathers a fool does so to his sorrow, and the father of a boor has no joy.

22 A happy heart is good medicine, but low spirits sap one's strength.

23 From under a cloak a bad man takes a bribe to pervert the course of justice.

24 The discerning person focuses on wisdom there before him, but a fool's eyes wander to the ends of the earth.

25 A son who is a fool means anger for his father and bitterness for the mother who gave him birth.

26 To punish the innocent is not right, likewise to flog noble people for their uprightness.

27 A knowledgeable person controls his tongue; a discerning person controls his temper.

28 Even a fool, if he stays silent, is thought wise; he who keeps his mouth shut can pass for smart.

[phkrause]

Today's Bible Reading

February 28

Matthew 8:1-13; Exodus 39:1-40:38; Proverbs 18 CJB

Matthew 8:1-13

1 After Yeshua had come down from the hill, large crowds followed him.

2 Then a man afflicted with tzara`at came, kneeled down in front of him and said, "Sir, if you are willing, you can make me clean."

3 Yeshua reached out his hand, touched him and said, "I am willing! Be cleansed!" And at once he was cleansed from his tzara`at.

4 Then Yeshua said to him, "See that you tell no one; but as a testimony to the people, go and let the cohen examine you, and offer the sacrifice that Moshe commanded."

5 As Yeshua entered K'far-Nachum, a Roman army officer came up and pleaded for help.

6 "Sir, my orderly is lying at home paralyzed and suffering terribly!"

7 Yeshua said, "I will go and heal him."

8 But the officer answered, "Sir, I am unfit to have you come into my home. Rather, if you will only give the command, my orderly will recover.

9 For I too am a man under authority. I have soldiers under me, and I say to this one, `Go!' and he goes; to another, `Come!' and he comes; to my slave, `Do this!' and he does it."

10 On hearing this Yeshua was amazed and said to the people following him, "Yes! I tell you, I have not found anyone in Isra'el with such trust!

11 Moreover, I tell you that many will come from the east and from the west to take their places at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven with Avraham, Yitz'chak and Ya`akov.

12 But those born for the Kingdom will be thrown outside in the dark, where people will wail and grind their teeth!"

13 Then Yeshua said to the officer, "Go; let it be for you as you have trusted." And his orderly was healed at that very moment.

Exodus 39

1 From the blue, purple and scarlet yarn they made the garments for officiating, for serving in the Holy Place; and they made the holy garments for Aharon, as ADONAI had ordered Moshe.

2 He made the ritual vest of gold, of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely woven linen.

3 They hammered the gold into thin plates and cut them into threads in order to work it into the blue, purple and scarlet yarn and the fine linen crafted by the skilled artisan.

4 They made shoulder-pieces for it, joined together; they were joined together at the two ends.

5 The decorated belt on the vest, used to fasten it, was of the same workmanship and materials -gold; blue, purple and scarlet yarn; and finely twined linen -as ADONAI had ordered Moshe.

6 They worked the onyx stones, mounted in gold settings, engraving them with the names of the sons of Isra'el as they would be engraved on a seal.

7 Then he put them on the shoulder-pieces of the vest to be stones calling to mind the sons of Isra'el, as ADONAI had ordered Moshe.

8 He made the breastplate; it was crafted by a skilled artisan and made like the work of the ritual vest -of gold; blue, purple and scarlet yarn; and finely woven linen.

9 When folded double, the breastplate was square -doubled, it was a hand-span by a hand-span.

10 They put on it four rows of stones: the first row was a carnelian, a topaz and an emerald;

11 the second row a green feldspar, a sapphire and a diamond;

12 the third row an orange zircon, an agate and an amethyst;

13 and the fourth row a beryl, an onyx and a jasper. They were mounted in settings of gold.

14 The stones corresponded to the names of the twelve sons of Isra'el; they were engraved with their names as a seal would be engraved, each name representing one of the twelve tribes.

15 On the breastplate they made two pure gold chains, twisted like cords.

16 Also for the breastplate they made two settings of gold and two gold rings, and they put the two rings at the two ends of the breastplate.

17 They put the two twisted gold chains in the two rings at the ends of the breastplate

18 and attached the other two ends of the twisted chains to the front of the shoulder-pieces of the ritual vest.

19 They also made two gold rings and put them on the two ends of the breastplate, at its edge, on the side facing in toward the vest.

20 Also they made two gold rings and attached them low on the front part of the vest's shoulder-pieces, near the join, above the vest's decorated belt.

21 Then they bound the breastplate by its rings to the rings of the vest with a blue cord, so that it could be on the vest's decorated belt, and so that the breastplate would not swing loose from the vest -as ADONAI had ordered Moshe.

22 He made the robe for the ritual vest; it was woven entirely of blue,

23 with its opening in the middle, like that of a coat of mail, and with a border around the opening, so that it wouldn't tear.

24 On the bottom hem they made pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet, and woven linen;

25 and they made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates all the way around the hem of the robe - between the pomegranates,

26 that is, bell, pomegranate, bell, pomegranate, all the way around the hem of the robe for service - as ADONAI had ordered Moshe.

27 They made the tunics of finely woven linen for Aharon and his sons,

28 the turban of fine linen, the splendid headgear of fine linen, the linen shorts,

29 and the sash of finely woven linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, the work of a weaver in colors - as ADONAI had ordered Moshe.

30 They made the ornament for the holy turban of pure gold; wrote on it the words, "Set apart for ADONAI," like the engraving on a seal;

31 and tied a blue cord on it to fasten it to the front of the turban - as ADONAI had ordered Moshe.

32 Thus all the work for the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, was finished, with the people of Isra'el doing everything exactly as ADONAI had ordered Moshe.

33 Then they brought the tabernacle to Moshe -the tent and all its furnishings, clasps, planks, crossbars, posts and sockets;

34 the covering of tanned ram skins, the covering of fine leather and the curtain for the screen;

35 the ark for the testimony, its poles and the ark-cover;

36 the table, all its utensils and the showbread;

37 the pure menorah, its lamps and their arrangement for display, its accessories and the oil for the light;

38 the gold altar; the anointing oil; the fragrant incense; the screen for the entrance to the tent;

39 the bronze altar with its bronze grate, poles and all its utensils; the basin with its base;

40 the tapestries for the courtyard, with their posts and sockets; the screen for the entrance to the courtyard, with its ropes and tent pegs; all the utensils for the service in the tabernacle, the tent of meeting;

41 the garments for officiating, for serving in the Holy Place; the holy garments for Aharon the cohen; and the garments for his sons to serve in the office of cohen.

42 The people of Isra'el did all the work just as ADONAI had ordered Moshe.

43 Moshe saw all the work, and-there it was! - they had done it! Exactly as ADONAI had ordered, they had done it. And Moshe blessed them.

Exodus 40

1 ADONAI said to Moshe,

2 "On the first day of the first month, you are to set up the tabernacle, the tent of meeting.

3 Put in it the ark for the testimony, and conceal the ark with the curtain.

4 Bring in the table, and arrange its display. Bring in the menorah, and light its lamps.

5 Set the gold altar for incense in front of the ark for the testimony, and set up the screen at the entrance to the tabernacle.

6 Place the altar for burnt offerings in front of the entrance to the tabernacle, the tent of meeting.

7 Set the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it.

8 Set up the courtyard all the way around, and hang up the screen for the entrance to the courtyard.

9 "Take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle and everything in it -consecrate it with all its furnishings; then it will be holy.

10 Anoint the altar for burnt offerings with all its utensils - consecrate the altar; then the altar will be especially holy.

11 Anoint the basin and its base, and consecrate it.

12 "Then bring Aharon and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and wash them with water.

13 Put the holy garments on Aharon, anoint him, and consecrate him, so that he can serve me in the office of cohen.

14 Bring his sons, put tunics on them,

15 and anoint them as you anointed their father, so that they can serve me in the office of cohen. Their anointing will signify that the office of cohen is theirs through all their generations."

16 Moshe did this - he acted in accordance with everything ADONAI had ordered him to do.

17 On the first day of the first month of the second year, the tabernacle was set up.

18 Moshe erected the tabernacle, put its sockets in place, put up its planks, put in its crossbars and set up its posts.

19 He spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering of the tent above it, as ADONAI had ordered Moshe.

20 He took and put the testimony inside the ark, put the poles on the ark, and set the ark-cover above, on the ark.

21 Then he brought the ark into the tabernacle, set up the curtain as a screen and concealed the ark for the testimony, as ADONAI had ordered Moshe.

22 He put the table in the tent of meeting on the side of the tabernacle facing north, outside the curtain.

23 He arranged a row of bread on it before ADONAI, as ADONAI had ordered Moshe.

24 He put the menorah in the tent of meeting across from the table, on the side of the tabernacle facing south.

25 Then he lit the lamps before ADONAI, as ADONAI had ordered Moshe.

26 He set the gold altar in the tent of meeting in front of the curtain

27 and burned on it incense made from aromatic spices, as ADONAI had ordered Moshe.

28 He set up the screen at the entrance to the tabernacle.

29 The altar for burnt offerings he placed at the entrance to the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, and offered on it the burnt offering and the grain offering, as ADONAI had ordered Moshe.

30 He set the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it for washing,

31 so that Moshe and Aharon and his sons could wash their hands and feet there -

32 so that they could wash when entering the tent of meeting and when approaching the altar, as ADONAI had ordered Moshe.

33 Finally, he erected the courtyard around the tabernacle and the altar and set up the screen for the entrance to the courtyard.

34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of ADONAI filled the tabernacle.

35 Moshe was unable to enter the tent of meeting, because the cloud remained on it, and the glory of ADONAI filled the tabernacle.

36 Whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Isra'el continued with all their travels.

37 But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not travel onward until the day when it was taken up.

38 For the cloud of ADONAI was above the tabernacle during the day, and fire was in [the cloud] at night, so that all the house of Isra'el could see it throughout all their travels.

Proverbs 18

1 He who separates himself indulges his desires and shows contempt for sound advice of any kind.

2 A fool takes no pleasure in trying to understand; he only wants to express his own opinion.

3 When a wicked person comes, contempt comes too, and with disdain, provocation.

4 The words of a man's mouth are deep water, a gushing torrent, a fountain of wisdom.

5 It is not good to be partial to the guilty and thus deprive the innocent of justice.

6 A fool's words get him into fights; yes, his mouth calls out for a beating.

7 A fool's mouth is his ruin; his words are a trap for him.

8 A slanderer's words are tasty morsels; they slide right down into the belly.

9 Whoever is lazy in doing his work is brother to the destroyer.

10 The name of ADONAI is a strong tower; a righteous person runs to it and is raised high [above danger].

11 The wealth of the rich is his fortified city, like a high wall, in his own imagination.

12 Before being ruined, a person's heart is proud; before being honored, a person must be humble.

13 To answer someone before hearing him out is both stupid and embarrassing.

14 A person's spirit can sustain him when ill, but a crushed spirit - who can bear it?

15 The mind of a person with discernment gets knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.

16 A person's gift clears his way and gives him access to the great.

17 The first to state his case seems right, till the other one comes and cross-examines.

18 Casting lots puts an end to strife and separates powerful disputants.

19 It is harder to win an offended brother than a strong city; their fights are like the bars of a fortress.

20 A person's belly will be filled with the fruit of his mouth; with what his lips produce he will be filled.

21 The tongue has power over life and death; those who indulge it must eat its fruit.

22 He who finds a wife finds a great good; he has won the favor of ADONAI.

23 The poor man speaks beseechingly, the rich man's answer is blunt.

24 Some "friends" pretend to be friends, but a true friend sticks closer than a brother.

[phkrause]

Today's Bible Reading

February 29

Matthew 8:14-34; Leviticus 1-2; Proverbs 19 CJB

Matthew 8

14 So when he came ashore, he saw a huge crowd; and, filled with compassion for them, he healed those of them who were sick.

15 As evening approached, the talmidim came to him and said, "This is a remote place and it's getting late. Send the crowds away, so that they can go and buy food for themselves in the villages."

16 But Yeshua replied, "They don't need to go away. Give them something to eat, yourselves!"

17 "All we have with us," they said, "is five loaves of bread and two fish."

18 He said, "Bring them here to me."

19 After instructing the crowds to sit down on the grass, he took the five loaves and the two fish and, looking up toward heaven, made a b'rakhah. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the talmidim, who gave them to the crowds.

20 They all ate as much as they wanted, and they took up twelve baskets full of the pieces left over.

21 Those eating numbered about five thousand men, plus women and children.

22 Immediately he had the talmidim get in the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he sent the crowds away.

23 After he had sent the crowds away, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night came on, and he was there alone.

24 But by this time, the boat was several miles from shore, battling a rough sea and a headwind.

25 Around four o'clock in the morning, he came toward them, walking on the lake!

26 When the talmidim saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost!" they said and screamed with fear.

27 But at once Yeshua spoke to them. "Courage," he said, "it is I. Stop being afraid."

28 Then Kefa called to him, "Lord, if it is really you, tell me to come to you on the water."

29 "Come!" he said. So Kefa got out of the boat and walked on the water toward Yeshua.

30 But when he saw the wind, he became afraid; and as he began to sink, he yelled, "Lord! Save me!"

31 Yeshua immediately stretched out his hand, took hold of him, and said to him, "Such little trust! Why did you doubt?"

32 As they went up into the boat, the wind ceased.

33 The men in the boat fell down before him and exclaimed, "You really are God's son!"

34 Having made the crossing, they landed at Ginosar.

35 When the people of the place recognized him, they sent word throughout the neighborhood and brought him everyone who was ill.

36 They begged him that the sick people might only touch the tzitzit on his robe, and all who touched it were completely healed.

Leviticus 1

1 ADONAI called to Moshe and spoke to him from the tent of meeting. He said,

2 "Speak to the people of Isra'el; say to them, 'When any of you brings an offering to ADONAI, you may bring your animal offering either from the herd or from the flock.

3 If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he must offer a male without defect. He is to bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting, so that it can be accepted by ADONAI.

4 He is to lay his hand upon the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him.

5 He is to slaughter the young bull before ADONAI ; and the sons of Aharon, the cohanim, are to present the blood. They are to splash the blood against all sides of the altar, which is by the entrance to the tent of meeting.

6 He is to skin the burnt offering and cut it in pieces.

7 The descendants of Aharon the cohen are to put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire.

8 The sons of Aharon, the cohanim, are to arrange the pieces, the head and the fat on the wood which is on the fire on the altar.

9 He is to wash the entrails and lower parts of the legs with water, and the cohen is to cause all of it to go up in smoke on the altar as a burnt offering; it is an offering made by fire, a fragrant aroma for ADONAI.

10 "'If his offering is from the flock, whether from the sheep or from the goats, for a burnt offering, he must offer a male without defect.

11 He is to slaughter it on the north side of the altar before ADONAI; and the sons of Aharon, the cohanim, are to splash its blood against all sides of the altar.

12 He is to cut it into pieces, and the cohen is to arrange them with the head and fat on the wood which is on the fire on the altar.

13 He is to wash the entrails and lower parts of the legs with water; and the cohen is to offer it all and make it go up in smoke on the altar as a burnt offering; it is an offering made by fire, a fragrant aroma for ADONAI.

14 "'If his offering to ADONAI is a burnt offering of birds, he must offer a dove or a young pigeon.

15 The cohen is to bring it to the altar, snap off its head and make it go up in smoke on the altar; its blood is to be drained out on the side of the altar.

16 He is to remove the food pouch and its feathers from its neck and discard it on the pile of ashes just east of the altar.

17 He is to pull it open with a wing on each side, but without tearing it in half. The cohen is to make it go up in smoke on the altar, on the wood which is on the fire, as a burnt offering; it is an offering made by fire, a fragrant aroma for ADONAI.

Leviticus 2

1 "'Anyone who brings a grain offering to ADONAI is to make his offering of fine flour; he is to pour olive oil on it and put frankincense on it.

2 He is to bring it to the sons of Aharon, the cohanim. The cohen is to take a handful of fine flour from it, together with its olive oil and all its frankincense, and make this reminder portion go up in smoke on the altar as an offering made by fire, a fragrant aroma for ADONAI.

3 But the rest of the grain offering will belong to Aharon and his sons; it is an especially holy part of the offerings for ADONAI made by fire.

4 "'When you bring a grain offering which has been baked in the oven, it is to consist of either unleavened cakes made of fine flour mixed with olive oil or matzah spread with olive oil.

5 If your offering is a grain offering cooked on a griddle, it is to consist of unleavened fine flour mixed with olive oil;

6 you are to break it in pieces and pour olive oil on it -it is a grain offering.

7 If your offering is a grain offering cooked in a pot, it is to consist of fine flour with olive oil.

8 "'You are to bring the grain offering prepared in any of these ways to ADONAI ; it is to be presented to the cohen, and he is to bring it to the altar.

9 The cohen is to remove the reminder portion of the grain offering and make it go up in smoke on the altar as an offering made by fire, a fragrant aroma for ADONAI.

10 But the rest of the grain offering will belong to Aharon and his sons; it is an especially holy part of the offerings for ADONAI made by fire.

11 "'No grain offering that you bring to ADONAI is to be made with leaven, because you are not to cause any leaven or honey to go up in smoke as an offering made by fire to ADONAI.

12 As an offering of firstfruits you may bring these to ADONAI, but they are not to be brought up onto the altar to make a fragrant aroma.

13 You are to season every grain offering of yours with salt -do not omit from your grain offering the salt of the covenant with your God, but offer salt with all your offerings.

14 "'If you bring a grain offering of firstfruits to ADONAI, you are to bring as the grain offering from your firstfruits kernels of grain from fresh ears, dry-roasted with fire.

15 Put olive oil on it, and lay frankincense on it; it is a grain offering.

16 The cohen is to cause the reminder portion of it, its grits and olive oil, with all its frankincense, to go up in smoke; it is an offering made by fire for ADONAI.

Proverbs 19

1 Better to be poor and live one's life uprightly than engage in crooked speech, for such a one is a fool.

2 To act without knowing how you function is not good; and if you rush ahead, you will miss your goal.

3 A person's own folly is what ruins his way, but he rages in his heart against ADONAI.

4 Wealth brings in many friends, but the poor man loses the one friend he has.

5 A false witness will not go unpunished; whoever breathes out lies will not escape.

6 Many ask favors of a generous person -to a giver of gifts, everyone is a friend.

7 A poor man's relatives all hate him; even more his friends stay away from him. He may pursue them with entreaties, but they aren't there to be found.

8 To acquire good sense is to love oneself; to treasure discernment is to prosper.

9 A false witness will not go unpunished; whoever breathes out lies will perish.

10 It isn't fitting for a fool to live in luxury, and even less for a slave to govern princes.

11 People with good sense are slow to anger, and it is their glory to overlook an offense.

12 A king's wrath is like the roaring of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass.

13 A son who is a fool is his father's ruin, and a nagging wife is like a leak that keeps dripping.

14 A house and wealth are inherited from ancestors, but a sensible wife is from ADONAI.

15 Laziness makes people fall asleep, and an idle person will go hungry.

16 He who keeps a mitzvah keeps himself safe, but he who doesn't care how he lives will die.

17 He who is kind to the poor is lending to ADONAI; and he will repay him for his good deed.

18 Discipline your child while there is hope, but don't get so angry that you kill him!

19 A violent-tempered person will be punished; if you try to save him from it, you make things worse.

20 Listen to advice, and accept discipline, so that in the end you will be wise.

21 One can devise many plans in one's mind, but ADONAI's plan will prevail.

22 A man's lust is his shame, and a poor man is better than a liar.

23 The fear of ADONAI leads to life; one who has it is satisfied and rests untouched by evil.

24 The lazy person buries his hand in the dish but doesn't even bother to bring it to his mouth.

25 If you strike a scorner, the simple will learn to act wisely; if you reprove the intelligent, he will understand what you mean.

26 One who mistreats his father and evicts his mother is a son who brings them shame and disgrace.

27 My son, if you stop heeding discipline, you will stray from the principles of knowledge.

28 A worthless witness mocks at justice, and the mouth of the wicked swallows wrongdoing.

29 Judgments are in store for scorners and blows for the backs of fools.

[phkrause]

Today's Bible Reading

March 1

Matthew 9:1-17; Leviticus 3-4; Proverbs 20 CJB

Matthew 9:1-17

1 So he stepped into a boat, crossed the lake again and came to his own town.

2 Some people brought him a paralyzed man lying on a mattress. When Yeshua saw their trust, he said to the paralyzed man, "Courage, son! Your sins are forgiven."

3 On seeing this, some of the Torah-teachers said among themselves, "This man is blaspheming!"

4 Yeshua, knowing what they were thinking, said, "Why are you entertaining evil thoughts in your hearts?

5 Tell me, which is easier to say -- `Your sins are forgiven' or `Get up and walk'?

6 But look! I will prove to you that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins." He then said to the paralyzed man, "Get up, pick up your mattress, and go home!"

7 And the man got up and went home.

8 When the crowds saw this, they were awestruck and said a b'rakhah to God the Giver of such authority to human beings.

9 As Yeshua passed on from there he spotted a tax-collector named Mattityahu sitting in his collection booth. He said to him, "Follow me!" and he got up and followed him.

10 WhileYeshua was in the house eating, many tax-collectors and sinners came and joined him and his talmidim at the meal.

11 When the P'rushim saw this, they said to his talmidim, "Why does your rabbi eat with tax-collectors and sinners?"

12 But Yeshua heard the question and answered, "The ones who need a doctor aren't the healthy but the sick.

13 As for you, go and learn what this means: `I want compassion rather than animal-sacrifices.' For I didn't come to call the `righteous,' but sinners!"

14 Next, Yochanan's talmidim came to him and asked, "Why is it that we and the P'rushim fast frequently, but your talmidim don't fast at all?"

15 Yeshua said to them, "Can wedding guests mourn while the bridegroom is still with them? But the time will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them; then they will fast.

16 No one patches an old coat with a piece of unshrunk cloth, because the patch tears away from the coat and leaves a worse hole.

17 Nor do people put new wine in old wineskins; if they do, the skins burst, the wine spills and the wineskins are ruined. No, they pour new wine into freshly prepared wineskins, and in this way both are preserved."

Leviticus 3

1 "'If his offering is a sacrifice of peace offerings, then, if he offers before ADONAI an animal from the herd, then, no matter whether it is male or female, it must be without defect.

2 He is to lay his hand on the head of his offering and slaughter it at the entrance to the tent of meeting; and the sons of Aharon, the cohanim, are to splash the blood against all sides of the altar.

3 He is to present the sacrifice of the peace offerings as an offering made by fire to ADONAI; it is to consist of the fat covering the inner organs, all the fat above the inner organs,

4 the two kidneys, the fat on them near the flanks, and the covering of the liver, which he will remove with the kidneys.

5 Aharon's sons will make it go up in smoke on the altar on top of the burnt offering which is on the wood on the fire; it is an offering made by fire, a fragrant aroma for ADONAI.

6 "'If his offering for a sacrifice of peace offerings to ADONAI is from the flock, then, when he offers it, no matter whether it is male or female, it must be without defect.

7 If he brings a lamb for his offering, then he is to present it before ADONAI.

8 He is to lay his hand on the head of his offering and slaughter it at the entrance to the tent of meeting, and the sons of Aharon are to splash its blood against all sides of the altar.

9 From the sacrifices made as peace offerings, he is to present ADONAI with an offering made by fire; it is to consist of its fat, the entire fat tail, which he will remove close to the lower backbone, the fat covering the inner organs, all the fat above the inner organs,

10 the two kidneys, the fat on them near the flanks, and the covering of the liver, which he will remove with the kidneys.

11 The cohen will make it go up in smoke on the altar; it is food, an offering made by fire to ADONAI.

12 "'If his offering is a goat, then he is to present it before ADONAI.

13 He is to lay his hand on its head and slaughter it in front of the tent of meeting, and the sons of Aharon are to splash its blood against all sides of the altar.

14 He is to present from it his offering, an offering made by fire to ADONAI ; it is to consist of the fat covering the inner organs, all the fat above the inner organs,

15 the two kidneys, the fat on them near the flanks, and the covering of the liver, which he will remove with the kidneys.

16 The cohen will make them go up in smoke on the altar; it is food, an offering made by fire to be a fragrant aroma; all the fat belongs to ADONAI.

17 It is to be a permanent regulation through all your generations wherever you live that you will eat neither fat nor blood.'"

Leviticus 4

1 ADONAI said to Moshe,

2 "Tell the people of Isra'el: 'If anyone sins inadvertently against any of the mitzvot of ADONAI concerning things which should not be done, if he does any one of them,

3 then, if it is the anointed cohen who sinned and thus brought guilt on the people, he is to offer ADONAI a young bull without defect as a sin offering for the sin he committed.

4 He must bring the bull to the entrance of the tent of meeting before ADONAI, lay his hand on the bull's head and slaughter the bull in the presence of ADONAI.

5 The anointed cohen is to take some of the bull's blood and bring it to the tent of meeting.

6 The cohen is to dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of the blood seven times in the presence of ADONAI in front of the curtain of the sanctuary.

7 The cohen is to put some of the blood on the horns of the altar for fragrant incense before ADONAI there in the tent of meeting. All the remaining blood of the bull he is to pour out at the base of the altar for burnt offerings, which is at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

8 He is to remove from the bull for the sin offering all of its fat -the fat covering the inner organs, all the fat above the inner organs,

9 the two kidneys, the fat on them near the flanks, and the covering of the liver, which he will remove with the kidneys

10 as it is removed from an ox sacrificed as a peace offering; and the cohen is to make these parts go up in smoke on the altar for burnt offerings.

11 But the bull's hide and all its flesh, with its head, the lower parts of its legs, its inner organs and dung -

12 in other words, the entire bull -he is to bring outside the camp to a clean place, where the ashes are emptied out. There he is to burn it on wood with fire; there, where the ashes are emptied out, it is to be burned up.

13 "'If the entire community of Isra'el inadvertently makes a mistake, with the assembly being unaware of the matter, and they do something against any of the mitzvot of ADONAI concerning things which should not be done, they are guilty.

14 When the sin they have committed becomes known, then the assembly is to offer a young bull as a sin offering and bring it before the tent of meeting.

15 The leaders of the community are to lay their hands on the bull's head and slaughter the bull in the presence of ADONAI.

16 The anointed cohen is to bring some of the bull's blood to the tent of meeting.

17 The cohen is to dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times in the presence of ADONAI in front of the curtain.

18 He is to put some of the blood on the horns of the altar before ADONAI, there in the tent of meeting. All the remaining blood he is to pour out at the base of the altar for burnt offerings, which is at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

19 He is to remove all its fat and make it go up in smoke on the altar.

20 This is what he is to do with the bull - he must do the same with this bull as he does with the one for the sin offering. Thus the cohen will make atonement for them, and they will be forgiven.

21 He is to bring the bull outside the camp and burn it as he burned the first bull; it is the sin offering for the assembly.

22 "'When a leader sins and inadvertently does something against any of the mitzvot of ADONAI concerning things which should not be done, he is guilty.

23 If the sin which he committed becomes known to him, he is to bring as his offering a male goat without defect,

24 lay his hand on the goat's head and slaughter it in the place where they slaughter the burnt offering in the presence of ADONAI ; it is a sin offering.

25 The cohen is to take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar for burnt offerings. Its remaining blood he is to pour out at the base of the altar for burnt offerings.

26 All its fat he is to make go up in smoke on the altar, like the fat of the sacrifice for peace offerings; thus the cohen will make atonement for him in regard to his sin, and he will be forgiven.

27 "'If an individual among the people commits a sin inadvertently, doing something against any of the mitzvot of ADONAI concerning things which should not be done, he is guilty.

28 If the sin he committed becomes known to him, he is to bring as his offering a female goat without defect for the sin he committed,

29 lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter the sin offering in the place of burnt offerings.

30 The cohen is to take some of its blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar for burnt offerings. All its remaining blood he is to pour out at the base of the altar.

31 All its fat he is to remove, as the fat is removed from the sacrifice for peace offerings; and the cohen is to make it go up in smoke on the altar as a fragrant aroma for ADONAI. Thus the cohen will make atonement for him, and he will be forgiven.

32 "'If he brings a lamb as his sin offering, he is to bring a female without defect,

33 lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it as a sin offering in the place where they slaughter burnt offerings.

34 The cohen is to take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar for burnt offerings. All its remaining blood he is to pour out at the base of the altar.

35 All its fat he is to remove, as the fat of a lamb is removed from the sacrifice for peace offerings; and the cohen is to make it go up in smoke on the altar on top of the offerings for ADONAI made by fire. Thus the cohen will make atonement for him in regard to the sin he committed, and he will be forgiven.

Proverbs 20

1 Wine is a mocker, strong liquor a rowdy; anyone led astray by it is unwise.

2 The dread of a king is like when a lion roars; he who makes him angry commits a life-threatening sin.

3 Avoiding quarrels brings a person honor; for any fool can explode in anger.

4 A lazy person won't plow in winter; so at harvest-time, when he looks, there is nothing.

5 The heart's real intentions are like deep water; but a person with discernment draws them out.

6 Most people announce that they show kindness, but who can find someone faithful [enough to do it]?

7 The righteous live a life of integrity; happy are their children after them.

8 The king seated on his judgment throne can winnow out all evil with his glance.

9 Who can say, "I have made my heart clean, I am cleansed from my sin"?

10 False weights and false measures -ADONAI detests them both.

11 The character of even a child is known by how he acts, by whether his deeds are pure and right.

12 The hearing ear and the seeing eye -ADONAI made them both.

13 If you love sleep, you will become poor; keep your eyes open, and you'll have plenty of food.

14 "Really bad stuff!" says the buyer [to the seller]; then he goes off and brags [about his bargain].

15 A person may have gold and a wealth of pearls, but lips informed by knowledge are a precious jewel.

16 Seize his clothes, because he guaranteed a stranger's loan; take them as security for that unknown woman.

17 Food obtained by fraud may taste good, but later the mouth is full of gravel.

18 After consultation, plans succeed; so take wise advice when waging war.

19 A gossip goes around revealing secrets, so don't get involved with a talkative person.

20 Whoever curses his father or mother -his lamp will go out in total darkness.

21 Possessions acquired quickly at first will not be blessed in the end.

22 Don't say, "I'll pay back evil for evil"; wait for ADONAI to save you.

23 ADONAI detests a double standard in weights, and false scales are not good.

24 A man's steps are ordered by ADONAI, so how can a person understand his own ways?

25 It is a snare to dedicate a gift to God rashly and reflect on the vows only afterwards.

26 A wise king winnows the wicked [from the righteous] and threshes them under the cartwheel.

27 The human spirit is a lamp of ADONAI; it searches one's inmost being.

28 Grace and truth preserve a king; with grace he upholds his throne.

29 The pride of the young is their strength; the dignity of the old is gray hair.

30 Blows that wound purge away evil, yes, beatings [cleanse] one's inmost being.

[phkrause]

Today's Bible Reading

March 2

Matthew 9:18-38; Leviticus 5-6; Proverbs 21 CJB

Matthew 9

18 While he was talking, an official came in, kneeled down in front of him and said, "My daughter has just died. But if you come and lay your hand on her, she will live."

19 Yeshua, with his talmidim, got up and followed him.

20 A woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years approached him from behind and touched the tzitzit on his robe.

21 For she said to herself, "If I can only touch his robe, I will be healed."

22 Yeshua turned, saw her and said, "Courage, daughter! Your trust has healed you." And she was instantly healed.

23 When Yeshua arrived at the official's house and saw the flute-players, and the crowd in an uproar,

24 he said, "Everybody out! The girl isn't dead, she's only sleeping!" And they jeered at him.

25 But after the people had been put outside, he entered and took hold of the girl's hand, and she got up.

26 News of this spread through all that region.

27 As Yeshua went on from there, two blind men began following him, shouting, "Son of David! Take pity on us!"

28 When he entered the house, the blind men came up, and Yeshua said to them, "Do you believe that I have the power to do this?" They replied, "Yes, sir."

29 Then he touched their eyes and said, "Let it happen to you according to your trust";

30 and their sight was restored. Yeshua warned them severely, "See that no one knows about it."

31 But instead, they went away and talked about him throughout that district.

32 As they were going, a man controlled by a demon and unable to speak was brought to Yeshua.

33 After the demon was expelled the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were amazed. "Nothing like this has ever been seen in Isra'el," they said.

34 But the P'rushim said, "It is through the ruler of the demons that he expels demons."

35 Yeshua went about all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and weakness.

36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were harried and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

37 Then he said to his talmidim, "The harvest is rich, but the workers are few.

38 Pray that the Lord of the harvest will send out workers to gather in his harvest."

Leviticus 5

1 "'If a person who is a witness, sworn to testify, sins by refusing to tell what he has seen or heard about the matter, he must bear the consequences.

2 If a person touches something unclean, whether the carcass of an unclean wild animal, a domestic animal or a reptile, he is guilty, even though he may not be aware that he is unclean.

3 If he touches some human uncleanness, no matter what the source of his uncleanness is, and is unaware of it, then, when he learns of it, he is guilty.

4 If someone allows to slip from his mouth an oath to do evil or to do good, and he doesn't remember that he clearly spoke this oath, then, no matter what it was about, when he learns of it, he is guilty.

5 A person guilty of any of these things is to confess in what manner he sinned

6 and bring his guilt offering to ADONAI for the sin he committed; it is to be a female from the flock, either a lamb or a goat, as a sin offering; and the cohen will make atonement for him in regard to his sin.

7 "'If he can't afford a lamb, he is to bring as his guilt offering for the sin he committed two doves or two young pigeons for ADONAI - the one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering.

8 He is to bring them to the cohen, who will offer the one for a sin offering first. He is to wring its neck but not remove the head,

9 sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the side of the altar and drain out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar; it is a sin offering.

10 He is to prepare the second as a burnt offering in the manner prescribed. Thus the cohen will make atonement for him in regard to the sin which he committed, and he will be forgiven.

11 "'But if his means are insufficient even for two doves or two young pigeons, then he is to bring as his offering for the sin he committed two quarts of fine flour for a sin offering; he is not to put any olive oil or frankincense on it, because it is a sin offering.

12 He is to bring it to the cohen, and the cohen is to take a handful of it as its reminder portion and make it go up in smoke on the altar on top of the offerings for ADONAI made by fire; it is a sin offering.

13 Thus the cohen will make atonement for him in regard to the sin he committed concerning any of these things, and he will be forgiven. The rest will belong to the cohanim, as with a grain offering.'"

14 ADONAI said to Moshe,

15 "If anyone acts improperly and inadvertently sins in regard to the holy things of ADONAI, he is to bring as his guilt offering for ADONAI a ram without defect from the flock or its equivalent in silver shekels (using the sanctuary shekel as the standard), according to your appraisal of its value; it is a guilt offering.

16 In addition, he is to make restitution for whatever he did wrong in regard to the holy thing; moreover, he is to add to that one-fifth and give it to the cohen. Then the cohen will make atonement with the ram of the guilt offering, and he will be forgiven.

17 "If someone sins by doing something against any of the mitzvot of ADONAI concerning things which should not be done, he is guilty, even if he is unaware of it; and he bears the consequences of his wrongdoing.

18 He must bring a ram without defect from the flock, or its equivalent according to your appraisal, to the cohen for a guilt offering; the cohen will make atonement concerning the error which he committed, even though he was unaware of it; and he will be forgiven.

19 It is a guilt offering - he is certainly guilty before ADONAI."

Leviticus 6

1 ADONAI said to Moshe,

2 "If someone sins and acts perversely against ADONAI by dealing falsely with his neighbor in regard to a deposit or security entrusted to him, by stealing from him, by extorting him,

3 or by dealing falsely in regard to a lost object he has found, or by swearing to a lie -if a person commits any of these sins,

4 then, if he sinned and is guilty, he is to restore whatever it was he stole or obtained by extortion, or whatever was deposited with him, or the lost object which he found,

5 or anything about which he has sworn falsely. He is to restore it in full plus an additional one-fifth; he must return it to the person who owns it, on the day when he presents his guilt offering.

6 He is to bring as his guilt offering to ADONAI a ram without defect from the flock, or its equivalent according to your appraisal, to the cohen; it is a guilt offering.

7 Thus the cohen will make atonement for him before ADONAI, and he will be forgiven in regard to whatever it was he did that made him guilty.

8 ADONAI said to Moshe,

9 "Give this order to Aharon and his sons: 'This is the law for the burnt offering [Hebrew: 'olah]: it is what goes up [Hebrew: 'olah] on its firewood upon the altar all night long, until morning; in this way the fire of the altar will be kept burning.

10 When the fire has consumed the burnt offering on the altar, the cohen, having put on his linen garment and covered himself with his linen shorts, is to remove the ashes and put them beside the altar.

11 Then he is to remove those garments and put on others, before carrying the ashes outside the camp to a clean place.

12 In this way, the fire on the altar will be kept burning and not be allowed to go out. Each morning, the cohen is to kindle wood on it, arrange the burnt offering and make the fat of the peace offerings go up in smoke.

13 Fire is to be kept burning on the altar continually; it is not to go out.

14 "'This is the law for the grain offering: the sons of Aharon are to offer it before ADONAI in front of the altar.

15 He is to take from the grain offering a handful of its fine flour, some of its olive oil and all of the frankincense which is on the grain offering; and he is to make this reminder portion of it go up in smoke on the altar as a fragrant aroma for ADONAI.

16 The rest of it Aharon and his sons are to eat; it is to be eaten without leaven in a holy place -they are to eat it in the courtyard of the tent of meeting.

17 It is not to be baked with leaven. I have given it as their portion of my offerings made by fire; like the sin offering and the guilt offering, it is especially

18 Every male descendant of Aharon may eat from it; it is his share of the offerings for ADONAI made by fire forever through all your generations. Whatever touches those offerings will become holy.'"

19 ADONAI said to Moshe,

20 "This is the offering for ADONAI that Aharon and his sons are to offer on the day he is anointed: two quarts of fine flour, half of it in the morning and half in the evening, as a grain offering from then on.

21 It is to be well mixed with olive oil and fried on a griddle; then bring it in, break it in pieces and offer the grain offering as a fragrant aroma for ADONAI.

22 The anointed cohen who will take Aharon's place from among his descendants will offer it; it is a perpetual obligation. It must be entirely made to go up in smoke for ADONAI;

23 every grain offering of the cohen is to be entirely made to go up in smoke -it is not to be eaten."

24 ADONAI said to Moshe,

25 "Tell Aharon and his sons, 'This is the law for the sin offering: the sin offering is to be slaughtered before ADONAI in the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered; it is especially holy.

26 The cohen who offers it for sin is to eat it -it is to be eaten in a holy place, in the courtyard of the tent of meeting.

27 Whatever touches its flesh will become holy; if any of its blood splashes on any item of clothing, you are to wash it in a holy place.

28 The clay pot in which it is cooked must be broken; if it is cooked in a bronze pot, it must be scoured and rinsed in water.

29 Any male from a family of cohanim may eat the sin offering; it is especially holy.

30 But no sin offering which has had any of its blood brought into the tent of meeting to make atonement in the Holy Place is to be eaten; it is to be burned up completely.

Proverbs 21

1 The king's heart in ADONAI's hand is like streams of water -he directs it wherever he pleases.

2 All a person's ways are right in his own view, but ADONAI weighs the heart.

3 To do what is right and just is more pleasing to ADONAI than sacrifice.

4 Haughty looks, a proud heart -what the wicked plow is sin.

5 The plans of the diligent lead only to abundance; but all who rush in arrive only at want.

6 A fortune gained by a lying tongue is vapor dispersed [by] seekers of death.

7 The violence of the wicked will sweep them away, because they refuse to act justly.

8 A criminal's conduct is crooked, but the work of the pure is right.

9 It is better to live on a corner of the roof than to share the house with a nagging wife.

10 The wicked is set on evil; he doesn't pity even his neighbor.

11 When a scorner is punished, the simple become wiser; and when the wise is instructed, he takes hold of knowledge.

12 The Righteous One observes the house of the wicked; he overthrows the wicked to their ruin.

13 Whoever stops up his ears at the cry of the poor will himself cry, but not be answered.

14 A secret gift allays anger, and a bribe under the cloak the strongest fury.

15 Acting justly is a joy for the righteous but it terrifies evildoers.

16 The person who strays from the way of common sense will come to rest in the company of the dead.

17 Pleasure-lovers will suffer want; he who loves wine and oil won't get rich.

18 The wicked serve as a ransom for the righteous, and likewise the perfidious for the upright.

19 It is better to live in the desert than with a nagging, irritable wife.

20 In the home of the wise are fine treasures and oil, but a fool quickly devours it.

21 He who pursues righteousness and kindness finds life, prosperity and honor.

22 A wise man can go up into a city of warriors and undermine the strength in which it trusts.

23 Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps himself out of trouble.

24 "Scoffer" is what you call a proud, insolent person who acts with overweening conceit.

25 A lazy man's craving will kill him, because his hands refuse to work -

26 he covets greedily all day long; but a righteous person gives without holding back.

27 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination; how much more when he brings it with vile motives.

28 A lying witness is doomed, but one who heard [what was said] will testify successfully.

29 A wicked man puts on a bold face, whereas the upright prepares his ways.

30 No wisdom, discernment or counsel succeeds against ADONAI.

31 A horse may be prepared for the day of battle, but victory comes from ADONAI.

[phkrause]

Today's Bible Reading

March 3

Matthew 10:1-25; Leviticus 7-8; Proverbs 22 CJB

Matthew 10:1-25

1 Yeshua called his twelve talmidim and gave them authority to drive out unclean spirits and to heal every kind of disease and weakness.

2 These are the names of the twelve emissaries: First, Shim`on, called Kefa, and Andrew his brother, Ya`akov Ben-Zavdai and Yochanan his brother,

3 Philip and Bar-Talmai, T'oma and Mattityahu the tax-collector, Ya`akov Bar-Halfai and Taddai,

4 Shim`on the Zealot, and Y'hudah from K'riot, who betrayed him.

5 These twelve Yeshua sent out with the following instructions: "Don't go into the territory of the Goyim, and don't enter any town in Shomron,

6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Isra'el.

7 As you go, proclaim, `The Kingdom of Heaven is near,'

8 heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those afflicted with tzara'at, expel demons. You have received without paying, so give without asking payment.

9 Don't take money in your belts, no gold, no silver, no copper;

10 and for the trip don't take a pack, an extra shirt, shoes or a walking stick -- a worker should be given what he needs.

11 "When you come to a town or village, look for someone trustworthy and stay with him until you leave.

12 When you enter someone's household, say, `Shalom aleikhem!'

13 If the home deserves it, let your shalom rest on it; if not, let your shalom return to you.

14 But if the people of a house or town will not welcome you or listen to you, leave it and shake its dust from your feet!

15 Yes, I tell you, it will be more tolerable on the Day of Judgment for the people of S'dom and `Amora than for that town!

16 "Pay attention! I am sending you out like sheep among wolves, so be as pru dent as snakes and as harmless as doves.

17 Be on guard, for there will be people who will hand you over to the local Sanhedrins and flog you in their synagogues.

18 On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as a testimony to them and to the Goyim.

19 But when they bring you to trial, do not worry about what to say or how to say it; when the time comes, you will be given what you should say.

20 For it will not be just you speaking, but the Spirit of your heavenly Father speaking through you.

21 "A brother will betray his brother to death, and a father his child; children will turn against their parents and have them put to death.

22 Everyone will hate you because of me, but whoever holds out till the end will be preserved from harm.

23 When you are persecuted in one town, run away to another. Yes indeed; I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Isra'el before the Son of Man comes.

24 "A talmid is not greater than his rabbi, a slave is not greater than his master.

25 It is enough for a talmid that he become like his rabbi, and a slave like his master. Now if people have called the head of the house Ba`al-Zibbul, how much more will they malign the members of his household!

Leviticus 7

1 "'This is the law for the guilt offering: it is especially holy.

2 They are to slaughter the guilt offering in the place where they slaughter the burnt offering, and its blood is to be splashed against all sides of the altar.

3 He is to offer all its fat - the fat tail, the fat covering the inner organs,

4 the two kidneys, the fat on them near the flanks, and the covering of the liver, which he will remove with the kidneys.

5 The cohen will make them go up in smoke on the altar as an offering made by fire to ADONAI ; it is a guilt offering.

6 Every male from a family of cohanim may eat it; it is to be eaten in a holy place; it is especially holy.

7 The guilt offering is like the sin offering; the same law governs them - it will belong to the cohen who uses it to make atonement.

8 "'The cohen who offers someone's burnt offering will possess the hide of the burnt offering which he has offered.

9 "'Every grain offering baked in the oven, cooked in a pot or fried on a griddle will belong to the cohen who offers it.

10 But every grain offering which is mixed with olive oil or is dry will belong to all the sons of Aharon equally.

11 "'This is the law for sacrificing peace offerings offered to ADONAI:

12 If a person offers it for giving thanks, he is to offer it with the thanksgiving sacrifice of unleavened cakes mixed with olive oil, matzah spread with olive oil, and cakes made of fine flour mixed with olive oil and fried.

13 With cakes of leavened bread he is to present his offering together with the sacrifice of his peace offerings for giving thanks.

14 From each kind of offering he is to present one as a gift for ADONAI; it will belong to the cohen who splashes the blood of the peace offerings against the altar.

15 The meat of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for giving thanks is to be eaten on the day of his offering; he is not to leave any of it until morning.

16 But if the sacrifice connected with his offering is for a vow or is a voluntary offering, then, while it is to be eaten on the day he offers his sacrifice, what remains of it may be eaten the next day.

17 However, what remains of the meat of the sacrifice on the third day is to be burned up completely.

18 If any of the meat of the sacrifice of his peace offerings is eaten on the third day, the sacrifice will neither be accepted nor credited to the person offering it; rather, it will have become a disgusting thing, and whoever eats it will bear the consequences of his wrongdoing.

19 Meat which touches something unclean is not to be eaten but burned up completely. As for the meat, everyone who is clean may eat it;

20 but a person in a state of uncleanness who eats any meat from the sacrifice of peace offerings made to ADONAI will be cut off from his people.

21 Anyone who touches something unclean - whether the uncleanness be from a person, from an unclean animal or from some other unclean detestable thing - and then eats the meat from the sacrifice of peace offerings for ADONAI, that person will be cut off from his people.'"

22 ADONAI said to Moshe,

23 "Say to the people of Isra'el, 'You are not to eat the fat of bulls, sheep or goats.

24 The fat of animals that die of themselves or are killed by wild animals may be used for any other purpose, but under no circumstances are you to eat it.

25 For whoever eats the fat of animals of the kind used in presenting an offering made by fire to ADONAI will be cut off from his people.

26 You are not to eat any kind of blood, whether from birds or animals, in any of your homes.

27 Whoever eats any blood will be cut off from his people.'"

28 ADONAI said to Moshe,

29 "Say to the people of Isra'el, 'A person who offers his sacrifice of peace offerings to ADONAI is to bring part of his sacrifice of peace offerings as his offering for ADONAI.

30 He is to bring with his own hands the offerings for ADONAI made by fire - he is to bring the breast with its fat. The breast is to be waved as a wave offering before ADONAI.

31 The cohen is to make the fat go up in smoke on the altar, but the breast will belong to Aharon and his descendants.

32 You are to give the right thigh from your sacrifices of peace offerings to the cohen as a contribution.

33 The descendant of Aharon who offers the blood of the peace offerings is to have the right thigh as his share.

34 For the breast that has been waved and the thigh that has been contributed I have taken from the people of Isra'el out of their sacrifices of peace offerings and given them to Aharon the cohen and to his descendants as their share forever from the people of Isra'el.'"

35 On the day when Aharon and his sons were presented to serve ADONAI in the office of cohen, this portion was set aside for him and his descendants from the offerings for ADONAI made by fire.

36 On the day they were anointed, ADONAI ordered that this be given to them by the people of Isra'el. It is their share forever through all their generations.

37 This is the law for the burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, the guilt offering, the consecration offering and the sacrifice of peace offerings

38 which ADONAI ordered Moshe on Mount Sinai on the day he ordered the people of Isra'el to present their offerings to ADONAI, in the Sinai Desert.

Leviticus 8

1 ADONAI said to Moshe,

2 "Take Aharon and his sons with him, the garments, the anointing oil, the bull for the sin offering, the two rams and the basket of matzah;

3 and assemble the entire community at the entrance to the tent of meeting."

4 Moshe did as ADONAI ordered him, and the community was assembled at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

5 Moshe said to the community, "This is what ADONAI has ordered to be done."

6 Moshe brought Aharon and his sons, washed them with water,

7 put the tunic on him, wrapped the sash around him, clothed him with the robe, put the ritual vest on him, wrapped around him the decorated belt and fastened the vest to him with it.

8 He put the breastplate on him, and on the breastplate he put the urim and tumim.

9 He set the turban on his head, and on the front of the turban he affixed the gold plate, the holy ornament, as ADONAI had ordered Moshe.

10 Then Moshe took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and everything in it, thus consecrating them.

11 He sprinkled some on the altar seven times, anointing the altar with all its utensils and the basin with its base, to consecrate them.

12 He poured some of the anointing oil on Aharon's head and anointed him, to consecrate him.

13 Moshe brought Aharon's sons, clothed them with tunics, wrapped sashes on them and put headgear on them, as ADONAI had ordered Moshe.

14 Then the young bull for the sin offering was brought, and Aharon and his sons laid their hands on the head of the bull for the sin offering.

15 After it had been slaughtered, Moshe took the blood and put it on the horns of the altar all the way around with his finger, thus purifying the altar. The remaining blood he poured out at the base of the altar and consecrated it, to make atonement for it.

16 Moshe took all the fat on the inner organs, the covering of the liver, the two kidneys and their fat, and made it go up in smoke on the altar.

17 But the bull, its hide, its flesh and its dung were taken outside the camp and burned up completely, as ADONAI had ordered Moshe.

18 Next, the ram for the burnt offering was presented. Aharon and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram;

19 and after it had been slaughtered, Moshe splashed the blood on all sides of the altar.

20 When the ram had been cut in pieces, Moshe made the head, the pieces and the fat go up in smoke.

21 When the inner organs and the lower parts of the legs had been washed with water, Moshe made the entire ram go up in smoke on the altar; it was a burnt offering giving a fragrant aroma, an offering made by fire to ADONAI - as ADONAI had ordered Moshe.

22 Then the other ram was presented, the ram of consecration; Aharon and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram.

23 After it had been slaughtered, Moshe took some of its blood and put it on the tip of Aharon's right ear, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot.

24 Next Aharon's sons were brought, and Moshe put some of the blood on the tips of their right ears, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet; then Moshe splashed the blood on all sides of the altar.

25 He took the fat, the fat tail, all the fat covering the inner organs, the covering of the liver, the two kidneys with their fat, and the right thigh.

26 From the basket of matzah that was before ADONAI he took one piece of matzah, one cake of oiled bread, and one wafer, and placed them on the fat and on the right thigh.

27 Then he put it all in Aharon's hands and in the hands of his sons and waved them as a wave offering before ADONAI.

28 Moshe took them out of their hands and made them go up in smoke on the altar on top of the burnt offering; they were a consecration offering giving a fragrant aroma; an offering made by fire to ADONAI.

29 Moshe took the breast and waved it as a wave offering before ADONAI; it was Moshe's portion of the ram of consecration - as ADONAI had ordered Moshe.

30 Moshe took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood which was on the altar and sprinkled it on Aharon and his clothing, and on his sons with him and their clothing, and consecrated Aharon and his clothing together with his sons and their clothing.

31 Moshe said to Aharon and his sons, "Boil the meat at the door of the tent of meeting; and eat it there with the bread that is in the basket of consecration, as I ordered when I said that Aharon and his sons are to eat it.

32 Whatever is left over of the meat and bread you are to burn up completely.

33 You are not to go out from the entrance to the tent of meeting for seven days, until the days of your consecration are over; since ADONAI will be consecrating you for seven days.

34 He ordered done what has been done today, in order to make atonement for you.

35 You are to remain at the entrance to the tent of meeting day and night for seven days, thereby obeying what ADONAI ordered done, so that you may not die. For this is what I was ordered."

36 Aharon and his sons did all the things which ADONAI ordered through Moshe. Suggested readings for Parashah Tzav from the B'rit Hadashah: Mark

Proverbs 22

1 Rather than wealth, choose a good reputation, esteem over silver and gold.

2 Rich and poor have this in common -ADONAI made them both.

3 The clever see trouble coming and hide; the simple go on and pay the penalty.

4 The reward for humility is fear of ADONAI, along with wealth, honor and life.

5 Thorns and snares beset the way of the stubborn; he who values his life keeps his distance from them.

6 Train a child in the way he [should] go; and, even when old, he will not swerve from it.

7 The rich rule the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender.

8 He who sows injustice reaps trouble, and the rod of his angry outburst will fail.

9 He who is generous is blessed, because he shares his food with the poor.

10 Throw the scoffer out, and quarreling goes too; strife and insults cease.

11 He who loves the pure-hearted and is gracious in speech will have the king as his friend.

12 The eyes of ADONAI protect [the man with] knowledge, but he overturns the plans of a traitor.

13 A lazy man says, "There's a lion outside! I'll be killed if I go out in the street!"

14 The mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit; the man with whom ADONAI is angry falls into it.

15 Doing wrong is firmly tied to the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far away from him.

16 Both oppressing the poor to enrich oneself and giving to the rich yield only loss.

17 Pay attention, and listen to the words of the wise; apply your heart to my knowledge;

18 for it is pleasant to keep them deep within you; have all of them ready on your lips.

19 I want your trust to be in ADONAI; this is why I'm instructing you about them today.

20 I have written you worthwhile things full of good counsel and knowledge,

21 so you will know that these sayings are certainly true and bring back true sayings to him who sent you.

22 Don't exploit the helpless, because they are helpless, and don't crush the poor in court,

23 for ADONAI will plead their case for them and withhold life from those who defraud them.

24 Don't associate with an angry man; make no hot-tempered man your companion.

25 If you do, you may learn his ways and find yourself caught in a trap.

26 Don't be one of those who give pledges, guaranteeing loans made to others;

27 for if you don't have the wherewithal to pay, they will take your bed away from underneath you.

28 Don't move the ancient boundary stone set up by your ancestors.

29 Do you see a man skilled at his work? He will serve kings, not obscure people.

[phkrause]

Today's Bible Reading

March 4

Matthew 10:26-42; Leviticus 9-10; Proverbs 23 CJB

Matthew 10

26 So do not fear them; for there is nothing covered that will not be uncovered, or hidden that will not be known.

27 What I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim on the housetops.

28 "Do not fear those who kill the body but are powerless to kill the soul. Rather, fear him who can destroy both soul and body in Gei-Hinnom.

29 Aren't sparrows sold for next to nothing, two for an assarion? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father's consent.

30 As for you, every hair on your head has been counted.

31 So do not be afraid, you are worth more than many sparrows.

32 "Whoever acknowledges me in the presence of others I will also acknowledge in the presence of my Father in heaven.

33 But whoever disowns me before others I will disown before my Father in heaven.

34 "Don't suppose that I have come to bring peace to the Land. It is not peace I have come to bring, but a sword!

35 For I have come to set

36 a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, so that a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.

37 Whoever loves his father or mother more than he loves me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than he loves me is not worthy of me.

38 And anyone who does not take up his execution-stake and follow me is not worthy of me.

39 Whoever finds his own life will lose it, but the person who loses his life for my sake will find it.

40 "Whoever receives you is receiving me, and whoever receives me is receiving the One who sent me.

41 Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive the reward a prophet gets, and anyone who receives a tzaddik because he is a tzaddik will receive the reward a tzaddik gets.

42 Indeed, if someone gives just a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my talmid -- yes! -- I tell you, he will certainly not lose his reward!"

Leviticus 9

1 On the eighth day, Moshe called Aharon, his sons and the leaders of Isra'el,

2 and said to Aharon, "Take a male calf for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering, both without defect, and offer them before ADONAI.

3 Then tell the people of Isra'el, 'Take a male goat for a sin offering and a calf and a lamb, both a year old and without defect, for a burnt offering,

4 and an ox and a ram for peace offerings, to sacrifice before ADONAI; also a grain offering mixed with olive oil -because today ADONAI is going to appear to you.'"

5 They brought what Moshe had ordered before the tent of meeting, and the whole community approached and stood before ADONAI.

6 Moshe said, "This is what ADONAI has ordered you to do, so that the glory of ADONAI will appear to you."

7 Moshe told Aharon, "Approach the altar, offer your sin offering and burnt offering, and make atonement for yourself and the people. Then present the offering of the people and make atonement for them, as ADONAI ordered."

8 So Aharon approached the altar and slaughtered the calf of the sin offering which was for himself.

9 The sons of Aharon presented the blood to him; and he dipped his finger in the blood and put it on the horns of the altar; then he poured out the blood at the base of the altar.

10 But the fat, the kidneys and the covering of the liver of the sin offering he made go up in smoke on the altar, as ADONAI had ordered Moshe.

11 The meat and the skin were burned up completely outside the camp.

12 Next he slaughtered the burnt offering; Aharon's sons brought him the blood, and he splashed it against all sides of the altar.

13 They brought him the burnt offering, piece by piece, and the head; and he made them go up in smoke on the altar.

14 He washed the inner organs and the lower parts of the legs and made them go up in smoke on top of the burnt offering on the altar.

15 Then the people's offering was presented. He took the goat of the sin offering which was for the people, slaughtered it and offered it for sin, like the earlier sin offering.

16 The burnt offering was presented, and he offered it in the prescribed manner.

17 The grain offering was presented; he took a handful of it and made it go up in smoke on the altar, in addition to the morning's burnt offering.

18 He slaughtered the ox and the ram, the people's sacrifice as peace offerings; Aharon's sons brought him the blood, which he splashed against all sides of the altar,

19 and the fat of the ox and of the ram - the fat tail, the fat which covers the inner organs, the kidneys and the covering of the liver.

20 They put the fat on the breasts, and he made the fat go up in smoke on the altar.

21 The breasts and right thigh Aharon waved as a wave offering before ADONAI, as Moshe had ordered.

22 Aharon raised his hands toward the people, blessed them and came down from offering the sin offering, the burnt offering and the peace offerings.

23 Moshe and Aharon entered the tent of meeting, came out and blessed the people. Then the glory of ADONAI appeared to all the people!

24 Fire came forth from the presence of ADONAI, consuming the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.

Leviticus 10

1 But Nadav and Avihu, sons of Aharon, each took his censer, put fire in it, laid incense on it, and offered unauthorized fire before ADONAI, something he had not ordered them to do.

2 At this, fire came forth from the presence of ADONAI and consumed them, so that they died in the presence of ADONAI.

3 Moshe said to Aharon, "This is what ADONAI said: 'Through those who are near me I will be consecrated, and before all the people I will be glorified.'" Aharon kept silent.

4 Moshe called Misha'el and Eltzafan, sons of 'Uzi'el Aharon's uncle, and told them, "Come here, and carry your cousins away from in front of the sanctuary to a place outside the camp."

5 They approached and carried them in their tunics out of the camp, as Moshe had said.

6 Then Moshe told Aharon and his sons El'azar and Itamar, "Don't unbind your hair or tear your clothes in mourning, so that you won't die and so that ADONAI won't be angry with the entire community. Rather, let your kinsmen - the whole house of Isra'el -mourn, because of the destruction ADONAI brought about with his fire.

7 Moreover, don't leave the entrance to the tent of meeting, or you will die, because ADONAI's anointing oil is on you."

8 ADONAI said to Aharon,

9 "Don't drink any wine or other intoxicating liquor, neither you nor your sons with you, when you enter the tent of meeting, so that you will not die. This is to be a permanent regulation through all your generations,

10 so that you will distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean;

11 and so that you will teach the people of Isra'el all the laws ADONAI has told them through Moshe."

12 Moshe said to Aharon and to El'azar and Itamar, his remaining sons, "Take the grain offering left from the offerings for ADONAI made by fire, and eat it without leaven next to the altar, because it is especially holy.

13 Eat it in a holy place, because it is your and your sons' share of the offerings for ADONAI made by fire; for this is what I have been ordered.

14 The breast that was waved and the thigh that was raised you are to eat in a clean place - you, your sons and your daughters with you; for these are given as your and your children's share of the sacrifices of the peace offerings presented by the people of Isra'el.

15 They are to bring the raised thigh and the waved breast, along with the offerings of fat made by fire, and wave it as a wave offering before ADONAI; then it will belong to you and your descendants with you as your perpetual share, as ADONAI has ordered."

16 Then Moshe carefully investigated what had happened to the goat of the sin offering and discovered that it had been burned up. He became angry with El'azar and Itamar, the remaining sons of Aharon, and asked,

17 "Why didn't you eat the sin offering in the area of the sanctuary, since it is especially holy? He gave it to you to take away the guilt of the community, to make atonement for them before ADONAI.

18 Look! Its blood wasn't brought into the sanctuary! You should have eaten it there in the sanctuary, as I ordered."

19 Aharon answered Moshe, "Even though they offered their sin offering and burnt offering today, things like these have happened to me! If I had eaten the sin offering today, would it have pleased ADONAI?"

20 On hearing this reply, Moshe was satisfied.

Proverbs 23

1 When you sit down to dine with a ruler, think carefully about who is before you.

2 If you have a big appetite, put a knife to your throat!

3 Don't be greedy for his delicacies, for they are deceptive food.

4 Don't exhaust yourself in pursuit of wealth; be smart enough to desist

5 If you make your eyes rush at it, it's no longer there! For wealth will surely grow wings, like an eagle flying off to the sky.

6 Don't eat the food of a stingy man; don't be greedy for his delicacies.

7 For he is like someone who keeps accounts -"Eat! Drink!" he says to you, but he doesn't really mean it.

8 The little you eat you will vomit up, and your compliments will have been wasted.

9 Don't speak in the ears of a fool, for he will only despise the common sense in your words.

10 Don't move the ancient boundary stone or encroach on the land of the fatherless;

11 for their Redeemer is strong; he will take up their fight against you.

12 Apply your mind to discipline and your ears to words of knowledge.

13 Don't withhold discipline from a child -if you beat him with a stick, he won't die!

14 If you beat him with a stick, you will save him from Sh'ol

15 My son, if your heart is wise, then my own heart too is glad;

16 my inmost being rejoices when your lips say what is right.

17 Don't envy sinners, but follow the example of those who always fear God;

18 for then you will have a future; what you hope for will not be cut off.

19 You, my son: listen, be wise, and set your mind on the right way

20 Don't be one of those who guzzle wine or of those who eat meat to excess,

21 for both drunkard and glutton will become poor -drowsiness will clothe them with rags

22 Listen to your father, who gave you life; and don't despise your mother when she gets old.

23 Buy the truth, don't sell it, also wisdom, discipline and discernment.

24 A righteous person's father will be filled with joy; yes, he whose son is wise will rejoice in him.

25 So let your father and mother be glad; let her who gave you birth rejoice.

26 My son, give me your heart; let your eyes observe my ways.

27 A prostitute is a deep ditch, and a forbidden woman like a narrow well.

28 She lies in wait to snatch her prey and adds to the number of faithless men.

29 Who has misery? Who has regret? Who fights and complains all the time? Who gets bruised for no good reason? Who has bloodshot eyes?

30 Those who spend their time over wine, those always trying out mixed drinks.

31 Don't gaze at the red wine as it gives its color to the cup. It may glide down smoothly now;

32 but in the end, it bites like a serpent -yes, it strikes like a poisonous snake.

33 Your eyes will see peculiar things, your mind will utter nonsense.

34 You will feel as if lying on the waves of the sea or sprawled on top of the mast -

35 "They hit me, but I didn't feel it! They beat me up, and I didn't even know it! When will I wake up? . . . I'll go get another drink."

[phkrause]

Today's Bible Reading

March 5

Matthew 11:1-19; Leviticus 11-12; Proverbs 24 CJB

Matthew 11:1-19

1 After Yeshua had finished instructing the twelve talmidim, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns nearby.

2 Meanwhile, Yochanan the Immerser, who had been put in prison, heard what the Messiah had been doing; so he sent a message to him through his talmidim,

3 asking, "Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for someone else?"

4 Yeshua answered, "Go and tell Yochanan what you are hearing and seeing --

5 the blind are seeing again, the lame are walking, people with tzara'at are being cleansed, the deaf are hearing, the dead are being raised,y the Good News is being told to the poorz --

6 and how blessed is anyone not offended by me!"

7 As they were leaving, Yeshua began speaking about Yochanan to the crowds: "What did you go out to the desert to see? Reeds swaying in the breeze?

8 No? Then what did you go out to see? Someone who was well dressed? Well-dressed people live in kings' palaces.

9 Nu, so why did you go out? To see a prophet! Yes! and I tell you he's much more than a prophet.

10 This is the one about whom the Tanakh says, `See, I am sending out my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way before you.'

11 Yes! I tell you that among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than Yochanan the Immerser! Yet the one who is least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he!

12 From the time of Yochanan the Immerser until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been suffering violence; yes, violent ones are trying to snatch it away.

13 For all the prophets and the Torah prophesied until Yochanan.

14 Indeed, if you are willing to accept it, he is Eliyahu, whose coming was predicted.

15 If you have ears, then hear!

16 "Oh, what can I compare this generation with? They're like children sitting in the marketplaces, calling out to each other,

17 `We made happy music, but you wouldn't dance! We made sad music, but you wouldn't cry!'

18 For Yochanan came, fasting, not drinking -- so they say, `He has a demon.'

19 The Son of Man came, eating freely and drinking wine -- so they say, `Aha! A glutton and a drunkard! A friend of tax-collectors and sinners!' Well, the proof of wisdom is in the actions it produces."

Leviticus 11

1 ADONAI said to Moshe and Aharon,

2 "Tell the people of Isra'el, 'These are the living creatures which you may eat among all the land animals:

3 any that has a separate hoof which is completely divided and chews the cud - these animals you may eat.

4 But you are not to eat those that only chew the cud or only have a separate hoof. For example, the camel, the coney and the hare are unclean for you, because they chew the cud but don't have a separate hoof;

5

6

7 while the pig is unclean for you, because, although it has a separate and completely divided hoof, it doesn't chew the cud.

8 You are not to eat meat from these or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you.

9 "'Of all the things that live in the water, you may eat these: anything in the water that has fins and scales, whether in seas or in rivers -these you may eat.

10 But everything in the seas and rivers without both fins and scales, of all the small water-creatures and of all the living creatures in the water, is a detestable thing for you.

11 Yes, these will be detestable for you -you are not to eat their meat, and you are to detest their carcasses.

12 Whatever lacks fins and scales in the water is a detestable thing for you.

13 "'The following creatures of the air are to be detestable for you - they are not to be eaten, they are a detestable thing: the eagle, the vulture, the osprey,

14 the kite, the various kinds of buzzards,

15 the various kinds of ravens,

16 the ostrich, the screech-owl, the seagull, the various kinds of hawks,

17 the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl,

18 the horned owl, the pelican, the barn owl,

19 the stork, the various kinds of herons, the hoopoe and the bat.

20 "'All winged swarming creatures that go on all fours are a detestable thing for you;

21 except that of all winged swarming creatures that go on all fours, you may eat those that have jointed legs above their feet, enabling them to jump off the ground.

22 Specifically, of these you may eat the various kinds of locusts, grasshoppers, katydids and crickets.

23 But other than that, all winged swarming creatures having four feet are a detestable thing for you.

24 "'The following will make you unclean; whoever touches the carcass of them will be unclean until evening,

25 and whoever picks up any part of their carcass is to wash his clothes and be unclean until evening:

26 every animal that has a separate but incompletely divided hoof or that doesn't chew the cud is unclean for you; anyone who touches them will become unclean.

27 Whatever goes on its paws, among all animals that go on all fours, is unclean for you; whoever touches its carcass will be unclean until evening;

28 and whoever picks up its carcass is to wash his clothes and be unclean until evening -these are unclean for you.

29 "'The following are unclean for you among the small creatures that swarm on the ground: the weasel, the mouse, the various kinds of lizards,

30 the gecko, the land crocodile, the skink, the sand-lizard and the chameleon.

31 They are unclean crawling creatures; whoever touches them when they are dead will be unclean until evening.

32 Anything on which one of them falls when dead will become unclean -wooden utensil, article of clothing, leather, sacking -any utensil used for work; it must be put in water, and it will be unclean until evening; then it will be clean.

33 If one of them falls into a clay pot, whatever is in it will become unclean, and you are to break the pot.

34 Any food permitted to be eaten that water from such a vessel gets on will become unclean, and any permitted liquid in such a vessel will become unclean.

35 Everything on which any carcass-part of theirs falls will become unclean, whether oven or stove; it is to be broken in pieces -they are unclean and will be unclean for you;

36 although a spring or cistern for collecting water remains clean. But anyone who touches one of their carcasses will become unclean.

37 If any carcass-part of theirs falls on any kind of seed to be sown, it is clean;

38 but if water is put on the seed and a carcass-part of theirs falls on it, it is unclean for you.

39 "'If an animal of a kind that you are permitted to eat dies, whoever touches its carcass will be unclean until evening.

40 A person who eats meat from its carcass or carries its carcass is to wash his clothes; he will be unclean until evening.

41 "'Any creature that swarms on the ground is a detestable thing; it is not to be eaten -

42 whatever moves on its stomach, goes on all fours, or has many legs -all creatures that swarm on the ground; you are not to eat them, because they are a detestable thing.

43 You are not to make yourselves detestable with any of these swarming, crawling creatures; do not make yourselves unclean with them, do not defile yourselves with them.

44 For I am ADONAI your God; therefore, consecrate yourselves and be holy, for I am holy; and do not defile yourselves with any kind of swarming creature that moves along the ground.

45 For I am ADONAI, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. Therefore you are to be holy, because I am holy.

46 "'Such, then, is the law concerning animals, flying creatures, all living creatures that move about in the water, and all creatures that swarm on the ground.

47 Its purpose is to distinguish between the unclean and the clean, and between the creatures that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten.'" Suggested readings for Parashah Sh'mini from the B'rit Hadashah:

Leviticus 12

1 ADONAI said to Moshe,

2 "Tell the people of Isra'el: 'If a woman conceives and gives birth to a boy, she will be unclean for seven days with the same uncleanness as in niddah, when she is having her menstrual period.

3 On the eighth day, the baby's foreskin is to be circumcised.

4 She is to wait an additional thirty-three days to be purified from her blood; she is not to touch any holy thing or come into the sanctuary until the time of her purification is over.

5 But if she gives birth to a girl, she will be unclean for two weeks, as in her niddah; and she is to wait another sixty-six days to be purified from her blood.

6 "'When the days of her purification are over, whether for a son or for a daughter, she is to bring a lamb in its first year for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or dove for a sin offering to the entrance of the tent of meeting, to the cohen.

7 He will offer it before ADONAI and make atonement for her; thus she will be purified from her discharge of blood. Such is the law for a woman who gives birth, whether to a boy or to a girl.

8 If she can't afford a lamb, she is to take two doves or two young pigeons, the one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering; the cohen will make atonement for her, and she will be clean.'"

Proverbs 24

1 Don't be envious of evil people, and don't desire to be with them.

2 For their minds are occupied with violence, and their lips speak of making trouble.

3 By wisdom a house is built, by understanding it is made secure,

4 and by knowledge its rooms are filled with all kinds of costly and pleasant possessions.

5 A wise man is strong; yes, a man of knowledge grows in strength.

6 For with clever strategy you wage your war, and victory comes from having many advisers.

7 Wisdom is too lofty for a fool; he keeps his mouth shut at the city gate.

8 He who plans to do evil people call a schemer.

9 The evil plans of the foolish are sin, and people detest a scorner.

10 If you slack off on a day of distress, your strength is small indeed.

11 Yes, rescue those being dragged off to death -won't you save those about to be killed?

12 If you say, "We knew nothing about it,"won't he who weighs hearts discern it? Yes, he who guards you will know it and repay each one as his deeds deserve.

13 My son, eat honey, for it is good; honeycomb drippings are sweet to your taste.

14 Know that wisdom is similar[ly sweet] to your soul; if you find it, then you will have a future, what you hope for will not be cut off.

15 Don't lurk like an outlaw near the home of the righteous, don't raid the place where he lives.

16 For though he falls seven times, he will get up again; it's the wicked who fail under stress.

17 Don't rejoice when your enemy falls; don't let your heart be glad when he stumbles.

18 For ADONAI might see it, and it would displease him; he might withdraw his anger from your foe.

19 Don't get upset because of evildoers; don't be envious of the wicked.

20 For the evil person has no future -the lamp of the wicked will go out.

21 My son, don't get involved with revolutionaries, but fear ADONAI and the king.

22 For disaster from them will suddenly appear, and who knows what ruin they both can cause?

23 These also are sayings of the wise: Showing partiality in judgment is not good.

24 He who tells the guilty, "You are innocent,"will be cursed by peoples, reviled by nations;

25 but with those who condemn him, things will go well, and a good blessing will come upon them.

26 Giving an honest answer is like giving a kiss.

27 Prepare your outside work, and get things ready for yourself on the land; after that, build your house.

28 Don't be a witness against your neighbor for no reason -would you use your lips to deceive?

29 Don't say, "I'll do to him what he did to me, I'll pay him back what his deeds deserve."

30 I passed by the field of the lazy man and the vineyard of the man lacking sense.

31 There it was, overgrown with thistles; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down.

32 I looked, and I thought about it; I saw, and I learned this lesson:

33 "I'll just lie here a bit, rest a little longer, just fold my hands for a little more sleep"-

34 and poverty comes marching in on you, scarcity hits you like an invading soldier.

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Today's Bible Reading

March 6

Matthew 11:20-30; Leviticus 13; Proverbs 25 CJB

Matthew 11:20-30

20 Then Yeshua began to denounce the towns in which he had done most of his miracles, because the people had not turned from their sins to God.

21 "Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Beit-Tzaidah! Why, if the miracles done in you had been done in Tzor and Tzidon, they would long ago have put on sackcloth and ashes as evidence that they had changed their ways.

22 But I tell you it will be more bearable for Tzor and Tzidon than for you on the Day of Judgment!

23 And you, K'far-Nachum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Sh'ol!b For if the miracles done in you had been done in S'dom, it would still be in existence today.

24 But I tell you that on the Day of Judgment it will be more bearable for the land of S'dom than for you!"

25 It was at that time that Yeshua said, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you concealed these things from the sophisticated and educated and revealed them to ordinary folks.

26 Yes, Father, I thank you that it pleased you to do this.

27 "My Father has handed over everything to me. Indeed, no one fully knows the Son except the Father, and no one fully knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.

28 "Come to me, all of you who are struggling and burdened, and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Leviticus 13

1 ADONAI said to Moshe and Aharon,

2 "If someone develops on his skin a swelling, scab or bright spot which could develop into the disease tzara'at, he is to be brought to Aharon the cohen or to one of his sons who are cohanim.

3 The cohen is to examine the sore on his skin; if the hair in the sore has turned white, and the sore appears to go deep into the skin, it is tzara'at, and after examining him the cohen is to declare him unclean.

4 If the bright spot on his skin is white, but it does not appear to go deep into the skin, and its hair has not turned white, then the cohen is to isolate him for seven days.

5 On the seventh day the cohen is to examine him again, and if the sore appears the same as before and has not spread on the skin, then the cohen is to isolate him for seven more days.

6 On the seventh day the cohen is to examine him again, and if the sore has faded and hasn't spread on the skin, then the cohen is to declare him clean - it is only a scab, so he is to wash his clothes and be clean.

7 But if the scab spreads further on the skin after he has been examined by the cohen and declared clean, he is to let himself be examined yet again by the cohen.

8 The cohen will examine him, and if he sees that the scab has spread on his skin, then the cohen will declare him unclean; it is tzara'at.

9 "If a person has tzara'at, he is to be brought to the cohen.

10 The cohen is to examine him, and if he sees that there is a white swelling in the skin which has turned the hair white and inflamed flesh in the swelling,

11 then it is chronic tzara'at on his skin, and the cohen is to declare him unclean; he is not to isolate him, because it is already clear that he is unclean.

12 If the tzara'at breaks out all over the skin, so that, as far as the cohen can see, the person with tzara'at has sores everywhere on his body, from his head to his feet;

13 then the cohen is to examine him, and if he sees that the tzara'at has covered his entire body, he is to pronounce the person with the sores clean -it has all turned white, and he is clean.

14 But if one day inflamed flesh appears on him, he will be unclean.

15 The cohen will examine the inflamed flesh and declare him unclean; the inflamed flesh is unclean; it is tzara'at.

16 However, if the inflamed flesh again turns white, he is to come to the cohen.

17 The cohen will examine him, and if he sees that the sores have turned white, then the cohen is to declare clean the person with the sores; he is clean.

18 "If a person has on his skin a boil that heals

19 in such a way that in place of the boil there is a white swelling or a reddish-white bright spot, it is to be shown to the cohen.

20 The cohen is to examine it; if he sees that it appears to be more than skin-deep, and its hair has turned white, then the cohen is to pronounce him unclean - the disease of tzara'at has broken out in the boil.

21 But if the cohen looks at it and doesn't see any white hairs in it, and it isn't more than skin-deep but appears faded, the cohen is to isolate him for seven days.

22 If it spreads on the skin, the cohen is to declare him unclean; it is the disease.

23 But if the bright spot stays where it was and has not spread, it is the scar of the boil; and the cohen is to declare him clean.

24 "Or if someone has on his skin a burn caused by fire; and the inflamed flesh where it was burned has become a bright spot, reddish-white or white,

25 then the cohen is to examine it; and if he sees that the hair in the bright spot has turned white and that it appears to be deeper than the skin around it, it is tzara'at; it has broken out in the burn, and the cohen is to declare him unclean; it is a sore from tzara'at.

26 But if the cohen examines it and sees no white hair in the bright spot, and it is no lower than the skin around it but looks faded, then the cohen is to isolate him for seven days.

27 On the seventh day the cohen is to examine him; if it has spread on the skin, then the cohen is to declare him unclean; it is a sore from tzara'at.

28 But if the bright spot stays where it was and has not spread on the skin but appears faded, it is a swelling due to the burn; and the cohen is to declare him clean; because it is only a scar from the burn.

29 "If a man or woman has a sore on the head or a man in his beard,

30 then the cohen is to examine the sore; if he sees that it appears to be deeper than the skin around it, with yellow, thin hair in it, then the cohen is to declare him unclean; it is a crusted area, a tzara'at of the head or beard.

31 If the cohen examines the diseased crusted area and sees that it appears not to be deeper than the skin around it, and without any black hair in it, then the cohen is to isolate for seven days the person with the diseased crusted area.

32 On the seventh day the cohen is to examine the sore, and if he sees that the crusted area hasn't spread, that it has no yellow hair in it, and that the crusted area is not deeper than the skin around it;

33 then the person is to be shaved, except for the crusted area itself, and the cohen is to isolate him for seven more days.

34 On the seventh day the cohen is to examine the crusted area; and if he sees that the crusted area has not spread on the skin and does not appear to be deeper than the skin around it, then the cohen is to declare him clean; he is to wash his clothes and be clean.

35 But if the crusted area spreads after his purification,

36 then the cohen is to examine him; and if he sees that the crusted area has spread on the skin, the cohen is not to look for yellow hair; he is unclean.

37 But if the crusted area's appearance doesn't change, and black hair grows up in it, then the crusted area is healed; he is clean; and the cohen is to declare him clean.

38 "If a man or woman has bright spots on his skin, bright white spots;

39 then the cohen is to examine them. If he sees that the bright spots on the skin are dull white, it is only a rash that has broken out on the skin; he is clean.

40 "If a man's hair has fallen from his scalp, he is bald; but he is clean.

41 If his hair has fallen off the front part of his head, he is forehead-bald; but he is clean.

42 But if on the bald scalp or forehead there is a reddish-white sore, it is tzara'at breaking out on his bald scalp or forehead.

43 Then the cohen is to examine him; if he sees that there is a reddish-white swelling on his bald scalp or forehead, appearing like tzara'at on the rest of the body,

44 he is a person with tzara'at; he is unclean; the cohen must declare him unclean; the sore is on his head.

45 "Everyone who has tzara'at sores is to wear torn clothes and unbound hair, cover his upper lip and cry, 'Unclean! Unclean!'

46 As long as he has sores, he will be unclean; since he is unclean, he must live in isolation; he must live outside the camp.

47 "When tzara'at infects an article of clothing, whether it be a woolen or a linen garment,

48 on the threads or the woven-in parts of either linen or wool, or on a hide or item made of leather;

49 then if the stain on the garment, hide, threads, woven-in parts or leather item is greenish or reddish, it is an infection of tzara'at and is to be shown to the cohen.

50 The cohen is to examine the stain and isolate the article that has the infection for seven days.

51 On the seventh day he is to examine the stain; if the stain has spread on the garment, threads, woven-in parts or leather, whatever its use, the infection is a contagious tzara'at; the garment is unclean.

52 He is to burn the garment, threads, woven-in parts of either wool or linen, or item of leather having the infection; for it is a contagious tzara'at; it must be burned up completely.

53 But if, when the cohen examines it, he sees that the infection has not spread on the garment or in the threads, woven-in parts or leather item,

54 then the cohen is to order that the article having the infection be washed and isolated for seven more days.

55 The cohen is to examine it after the stain has been washed, and if he sees that the stain has not changed color, then, even though the stain has not spread, it is unclean; you are to burn it up completely - it is rotten, no matter whether the spot is on the outside or on the inside.

56 If the cohen examines it and sees that the stain has faded after being washed, then he is to tear the stain out of the garment, leather, threads or woven-in parts.

57 If it appears again in the garment, threads, woven-in parts or leather item, it is contagious, and you are to burn up completely the article that had the stain.

58 But if the infection is gone from the garment, threads, woven-in parts or leather item that you washed, then it is to be washed a second time, and it will be clean.

59 This is the law concerning infections of tzara'at in a garment of wool or linen, or in the threads or the woven-in parts, or in any leather item - when to declare it clean and when to declare it unclean.

Proverbs 25

1 These also are proverbs of Shlomo; the men of Hizkiyah king of Y'hudah copied them out:

2 God gets glory from concealing things; kings get glory from investigating things.

3 Like the sky for height or the earth for depth is the heart of kings - unfathomable.

4 Remove the impurities from the silver, and the smith has material to make a vessel.

5 Remove the wicked from the king's presence, and his throne will rest firmly on righteousness.

6 Don't put yourself forward in the king's presence; don't take a place among the great.

7 For it is better to be told, "Come up here,"than be degraded in the presence of a nobleman. What your eyes have seen,

8 don't rush to present in a dispute. For what will you do later on, if your neighbor puts you to shame?

9 Discuss your dispute with your neighbor, but don't reveal another person's secrets.

10 If you do, and he hears of it, he will disgrace you, and your bad reputation will stick.

11 Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word appropriately spoken.

12 Like a gold earring, like a fine gold necklace is a wise reprover to a receptive ear.

13 Like the coldness of snow in the heat of the harvest is a faithful messenger to the one who sends him; he refreshes his master's spirit.

14 Like clouds and wind that bring no rain is he who boasts of gifts he never gives.

15 With patience a ruler may be won over, and a gentle tongue can break bones.

16 If you find honey, eat only what you need; for if you eat too much of it, you may throw it up;

17 so don't visit your neighbor too much, or he may get his fill of you and come to hate you.

18 Like a club, a sword or a sharp arrow is a person who gives false testimony against a neighbor.

19 Relying on an untrustworthy person in a time of trouble is like [relying on] a broken tooth or an unsteady leg.

20 Like removing clothes on a chilly day or like vinegar on soda is someone who sings songs to a heavy heart.

21 If someone who hates you is hungry, give him food to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.

22 For you will heap fiery coals [of shame] on his head, and ADONAI will reward you.

23 The north wind brings rain and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.

24 It is better to live on a corner of the roof than to share the house with a nagging wife.

25 Like cold water to a person faint from thirst is good news from a distant land.

26 Like a muddied spring or a polluted well is a righteous person who gives way before the wicked.

27 It isn't good to eat too much honey or to seek honor after honor.

28 Like a city breached, without walls, is a person who lacks self-control.

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Today's Bible Reading

March 7

Matthew 12:1-21; Leviticus 14; Proverbs 26 CJB

Matthew 12:1-21

1 One Shabbat during that time, Yeshua was walking through some wheat fields. His talmidim were hungry, so they began picking heads of grain and eating them.

2 On seeing this, the P'rushim said to him, "Look! Your talmidim are violating Shabbat!"

3 But he said to them, "Haven't you ever read what David did when he and those with him were hungry?

4 He entered the House of God and ate the Bread of the Presence!" -- which was prohibited, both to him and to his companions; it is permitted only to the cohanim.

5 "Or haven't you read in the Torah that on Shabbat the cohanim profane Shabbat and yet are blameless?

6 I tell you, there is in this place something greater than the Temple!

7 If you knew what `I want compassion rather than animal-sacrifice' meant, you would not condemn the innocent.

8 For the Son of Man is Lord of Shabbat!"

9 Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue.

10 A man there had a shriveled hand. Looking for a reason to accuse him of something, they asked him, "Is healing permitted on Shabbat?"

11 But he answered, "If you have a sheep that falls in a pit on Shabbat, which of you won't take hold of it and lift it out?

12 How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore, what is permitted on Shabbat is to do good." Then to the man he said, "Hold out your hand." As he held it out, it

13 became restored, as sound as the other one.

14 But the P'rushim went out and began plotting how they might do away with Yeshua.

15 Aware of this, he left that area. Many people followed him; and he healed them all

16 but warned them not to make him known.

17 This was to fulfill what had been spoken through Yesha`yahu the prophet,

18 "Here is my servant, whom I have chosen, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will announce justice to the Gentiles.

19 He will not fight or shout, no one will hear his voice in the streets;

20 he will not snap off a broken reed or snuff out a smoldering wick until he has brought justice through to victory.

21 In him the Gentiles will put their hope."

Leviticus 14

1 ADONAI said to Moshe,

2 "This is to be the law concerning the person afflicted with tzara'at on the day of his purification. He is to be brought to the cohen,

3 and the cohen is to go outside the camp and examine him there. If he sees that the tzara'at sores have been healed in the afflicted person,

4 then the cohen will order that two living clean birds be taken for the one to be purified, along with cedar-wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop leaves.

5 The cohen is to order one of the birds slaughtered in a clay pot over running water.

6 As for the live bird, he is to take it with the cedar-wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop and dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird slaughtered over running water,

7 and sprinkle the person to be purified from the tzara'at seven times. Next he is to set the live bird free in an open field.

8 He who is to be purified must wash his clothes, shave off all his hair and bathe himself in water. Then he will be clean; and after that, he may enter the camp; but he must live outside his tent for seven days.

9 On the seventh day he is to shave all the hair off his head, also his beard and eyebrows - he must shave off all his hair; and he is to wash his clothes and bathe his body in water; and he will be clean.

10 "On the eighth day he is to take two male lambs without defect, one female lamb in its first year without defect and six-and-a-half quarts of fine flour for a grain offering, mixed with olive oil, and two-thirds of a pint of olive oil.

11 The cohen purifying him is to place the person being purified with these items before ADONAI at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

12 The cohen is to take one of the male lambs and offer it as a guilt offering with the two-thirds-pint of olive oil, then wave them as a wave offering before ADONAI.

13 He is to slaughter the male lamb at the place in the sanctuary for slaughtering sin offerings and burnt offerings, because the guilt offering belongs to the cohen, just like the sin offering; it is especially holy.

14 The cohen is to take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the tip of the right ear of the person being purified, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot.

15 Next, the cohen is to take some of the two-thirds-pint of olive oil and pour it into the palm of his own left hand,

16 dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand and sprinkle from the oil with his finger seven times before ADONAI.

17 Then the cohen is to put some of the remaining oil in his hand on the tip of the right ear of the person being purified, on the thumb of his right hand, on the big toe of his right foot and on the blood of the guilt offering.

18 Finally, the cohen is to put the rest of the oil in his hand on the head of the person being purified; and the cohen will make atonement for him before ADONAI.

19 The cohen is to offer the sin offering and make atonement for the person being purified because of his uncleanness; afterwards, he is to slaughter the burnt offering.

20 The cohen is to offer the burnt offering and the grain offering on the altar; thus the cohen will make atonement for him; and he will be clean.

21 "If he is poor, so that he can't afford to do otherwise, he is to take one male lamb as a guilt offering to be waved, to make atonement for him; two quarts of fine flour mixed with olive oil for a grain offering; two-thirds of a pint of olive oil;

22 and two doves or two young pigeons, such as he can afford, the one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering.

23 On the eighth day, he will bring them to the cohen for his purification, to the entrance of the tent of meeting before ADONAI.

24 The cohen is to take the lamb of the guilt offering and the two-thirds of a pint of olive oil and wave them as a wave offering before ADONAI.

25 He is to slaughter the lamb of the guilt offering; and the cohen is to take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the tip of the right ear of the person being purified, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot.

26 The cohen is to take some of the olive oil and pour it into the palm of his own left hand,

27 and sprinkle with his right hand some of the oil that is in his left hand seven times before ADONAI.

28 The cohen is to put some of the oil in his hand on the tip of the right ear of the person being purified, on the thumb of his right hand, on the big toe of his right foot - in the same place as the blood of the guilt offering.

29 Finally, the cohen is to put the rest of the oil in his hand on the head of the person being purified, to make atonement for him before ADONAI.

30 He is to offer one of the doves or young pigeons, such as the person can afford,

31 whatever his means suffice for - the one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering - with the grain offering; thus the cohen will make atonement before ADONAI for the person being purified.

32 Such is the law for the person who has tzara'at sores if he cannot afford the usual elements used for his purification."

33 ADONAI said to Moshe and Aharon,

34 "When you have entered the land of Kena'an which I am giving you as a possession, and I put an infection of tzara'at in a house in the land that you possess,

35 then the owner of the house is to come and tell the cohen, 'It seems to me that there may be an infection in the house.'

36 The cohen is to order the house emptied before he goes in to inspect the infection, so that everything in the house won't be made unclean; afterwards, the cohen is to enter and inspect the house.

37 He will examine the infection; and if he sees that the infection is in the walls of the house, with greenish or reddish depressions that seem to go in deeper than the surface of the wall,

38 he is to go out of the house to its door and seal up the house for seven days.

39 The cohen will come again on the seventh day and examine the house; if he sees that the infection has spread over its walls,

40 he is to order them to remove the infected stones and throw them into some unclean place outside the city.

41 Next, he is to have the inside of the house thoroughly scraped, and the scraped-off plaster is to be discarded outside the city in an unclean place.

42 Finally, other stones must be set in the place of the first stones and other plaster used to replaster the house.

43 If the infection returns and breaks out in the house after the stones have been removed and the house scraped and plastered;

44 then the cohen is to enter and examine it. If he sees that the infection has spread in the house, it is a contagious tzara'at in the house; it is unclean.

45 He must break down the house and take its stones, timber and plaster out of the city to an unclean place.

46 Moreover, whoever enters the house at any time while it is sealed up will be unclean until evening.

47 Whoever lies down or eats in the house must wash his clothes.

48 If the cohen enters, examines and sees that the infection has not spread in the house since it was plastered; then he is to declare the house clean; because the infection is cured.

49 "To purify the house, he is to take two birds, cedar-wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop leaves.

50 He is to slaughter one of the birds in a clay pot over running water.

51 He is to take the cedar-wood, the hyssop, the scarlet yarn and the live bird and dip them in the blood of the slaughtered bird and in the running water, and sprinkle the house seven times.

52 He will purify the house with the blood of the bird, the running water, the live bird, the cedar-wood, the hyssop and the scarlet yarn.

53 But he is to set the live bird free outside the city in an open field; thus will he make atonement for the house; and it will be clean.

54 "Such is the law for all kinds of tzara'at sores, for a crusted area,

55 for tzara'at in a garment, for a house,

56 for a swelling, for a scab and for a bright spot,

57 to determine when it is clean and when it is unclean. This is the law concerning tzara'at."

Proverbs 26

1 Like snow in summer or rain at harvest-time, so honor for a fool is out of place.

2 Like a fluttering sparrow or a flying swallow, an undeserved curse will come home to roost.

3 A whip for a horse, a bridle for a donkey, and a rod for the back of fools.

4 Don't answer a fool in terms of his folly, or you will be descending to his level;

5 but answer a fool as his folly deserves, so that he won't think he is wise.

6 Telling a message to a fool and sending him out is like cutting off one's feet and drinking violence.

7 The legs of the disabled hang limp and useless; likewise a proverb in the mouth of a fool.

8 Like one who ties his stone to the sling is he who gives honor to a fool.

9 Like a thorn branch in the hand of a drunk is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.

10 A master can make anything, but hiring a fool is like hiring some passer-by.

11 Just as a dog returns to his vomit, a fool repeats his folly.

12 Do you see someone who thinks himself wise? There is more hope for a fool than for him!

13 The lazy person says, "There's a lion in the streets! A lion is roaming loose out there!"

14 The door turns on its hinges, and the lazy man on his bed.

15 The lazy person buries his hand in the dish but is too tired to return it to his mouth.

16 A lazy man is wiser in his own view than seven who can answer with sense.

17 Like someone who grabs a dog by the ears is a passer-by who mixes in a fight not his own.

18 Like a madman shooting deadly arrows and firebrands

19 is one who deceives another, then says, "It was just a joke."

20 If there's no wood, the fire goes out; if nobody gossips, contention stops.

21 As coals are to embers and wood to fire is a quarrelsome person to kindling strife.

22 A slanderer's words are tasty morsels; they slide right down into the belly.

23 Like silver slag overlaid on a clay pot are lips that burn [with friendship] over a hating heart.

24 He who hates may hide it with his speech; but inside, he harbors deceit.

25 He may speak pleasantly, but don't trust him; for seven abominations are in his heart.

26 His hatred may be concealed by deceit, but his wickedness will be revealed in the assembly.

27 Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and a stone will come back on the one who starts it rolling.

28 A lying tongue hates its victims, and a flattering mouth causes ruin.

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Today's Bible Reading

March 8

Matthew 12:22-50; Leviticus 15-16; Proverbs 27 CJB

Matthew 12

22 Then some people brought him a man controlled by demons who was blind and mute; and Yeshua healed him, so that he could both speak and see.

23 The crowds were astounded and asked, "This couldn't be the Son of David, could it?"

24 But when the P'rushim heard of it, they said, "It is only by Ba`al-Zibbul" -- the ruler of the demons -- "that this man drives out demons."

25 However, knowing what they were thinking, Yeshua said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not survive.

26 If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself; so how can his kingdom survive?

27 Besides, if I drive out demons by Ba`al-Zibbul, by whom do your people drive them out? So, they will be your judges!

28 But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you!

29 "Or again, how can someone break into a strong man's house and make off with his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? After that he can ransack his house.

30 "Those who are not with me are against me, and those who do not gather with me are scattering.

31 Because of this, I tell you that people will be forgiven any sin and blasphemy, but blaspheming the Ruach HaKodesh will not be forgiven.

32 One can say something against the Son of Man and be forgiven; but whoever keeps on speaking against the Ruach HaKodesh will never be forgiven, neither in the `olam hazeh nor in the `olam haba.

33 "If you make a tree good, its fruit will be good; and if you make a tree bad, its fruit will be bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.

34 You snakes! How can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what overflows from the heart.

35 The good person brings forth good things from his store of good, and the evil person brings forth evil things from his store of evil.

36 Moreover, I tell you this: on the Day of Judgment people will have to give account for every careless word they have spoken;

37 for by your own words you will be acquitted, and by your own words you will be condemned."

38 At this some of the Torah-teachers said, "Rabbi, we want to see a miraculous sign from you."

39 He replied, "A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign? No! None will be given to it but the sign of the prophet Yonah.

40 For just as Yonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea-monster,f so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the depths of the earth.

41 The people of Ninveh will stand up at the Judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they turned from their sins to God when Yonah preached, but what is here now is greater than Yonah.

42 The Queen of the South will stand up at the Judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Shlomo, but what is here now is greater than Shlomo.

43 "When an unclean spirit comes out of a person, it travels through dry country seeking rest and does not find it.

44 Then it says to itself, `I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house standing empty, swept clean and put in order.

45 Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they come and live there -- so that in the end, the person is worse off than he was before. This is how it will be for this wicked generation."

46 He was still speaking to the crowd when his mother and brothers appeared outside, asking to talk with him.

47

48 But to the one who had informed him he replied, "Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?"

49 Pointing to his talmidim, he said, "Look! Here are my mother and my brothers!

50 Whoever does what my Father in heaven wants, that person is my brother and sister and mother."

Leviticus 15

1 ADONAI said to Moshe and Aharon,

2 "Tell the people of Isra'el, 'When any man has a discharge from his body, the discharge is unclean.

3 The discharge is unclean no matter whether it continues flowing or has stopped; it is still his uncleanness.

4 Every bed which the person with the discharge lies on is unclean, and everything he sits on is unclean.

5 Whoever touches his bed is to wash his clothes and bathe himself in water; he will be unclean until evening.

6 Whoever sits on anything the person with the discharge sat on is to wash his clothes and bathe himself in water; he will be unclean until evening.

7 Anyone who touches the body of the person with the discharge is to wash his clothes and bathe himself in water; he will be unclean until evening.

8 If the person with the discharge spits on someone who is clean, the latter is to wash his clothes and bathe himself in water; he will be unclean until evening.

9 Any saddle that the person with the discharge rides on will be unclean.

10 Whoever touches anything that was under him will be unclean until evening; he who carries those things is to wash his clothes and bathe himself in water; he will be unclean until evening.

11 If the person with the discharge fails to rinse his hands in water before touching someone, that person is to wash his clothes and bathe himself in water; he will be unclean until evening.

12 If the person with the discharge touches a clay pot, it must be broken; if he touches a wooden utensil, it must be rinsed in water.

13 "'When a person with a discharge has become free of it, he is to count seven days for his purification. Then he is to wash his clothes and bathe his body in running water; after that, he will be clean.

14 On the eighth day, he is to take for himself two doves or two young pigeons, come before ADONAI to the entrance of the tent of meeting and give them to the cohen.

15 The cohen is to offer them, the one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering; thus the cohen will make atonement for him on account of his discharge before ADONAI.

16 "'If a man has a seminal emission, he is to bathe his entire body in water; he will be unclean until evening.

17 Any clothing or leather on which there is any semen is to be washed with water; it will be unclean until evening.

18 If a man goes to bed with a woman and has sexual relations, both are to bathe themselves in water; they will be unclean until evening.

19 "'If a woman has a discharge, and the discharge from her body is blood, she will be in her state of niddah for seven days. Whoever touches her will be unclean until evening.

20 Everything she lies on or sits on in her state of niddah will be unclean.

21 Whoever touches her bed is to wash his clothes and bathe himself in water; he will be unclean until evening.

22 Whoever touches anything she sits on is to wash his clothes and bathe himself in water; he will be unclean until evening.

23 Whether he is on the bed or on something she sits on, when he touches it, he will be unclean until evening.

24 If a man goes to bed with her, and her menstrual flow touches him, he will be unclean seven days; and every bed he lies on will be unclean.

25 "'If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days not during her period, or if her discharge lasts beyond the normal end of her period, then throughout the time she is having an unclean discharge she will be as when she is in niddah -she is unclean.

26 Every bed she lies on at any time while she is having her discharge will be for her like the bed she uses during her time of niddah; and everything she sits on will be unclean with uncleanness like that of her time of niddah.

27 Whoever touches those things will be unclean; he is to wash his clothes and bathe himself in water; he will be unclean until evening.

28 "'If she has become free of her discharge, she is to count seven days; after that, she will be clean.

29 On the eighth day, she is to take for herself two doves or two young pigeons and bring them to the cohen at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

30 The cohen is to offer the one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering; thus the cohen will make atonement for her before ADONAI on account of her unclean discharge.

31 "'In this way you will separate the people of Isra'el from their uncleanness, so that they will not die in a state of uncleanness for defiling my tabernacle which is there with them.

32 "'Such is the law for the person who has a discharge; for the man who has a seminal emission that makes him unclean;

33 for the woman in niddah during her menstrual period; for the person, man or woman, with a discharge; and for the man who has sexual relations with a woman who is unclean.

Leviticus 16

1 ADONAI spoke with Moshe after the death of Aharon's two sons, when they tried to sacrifice before ADONAI and died;

2 ADONAI said to Moshe, "Tell your brother Aharon not to come at just any time into the Holy Place beyond the curtain, in front of the ark-cover which is on the ark, so that he will not die; because I appear in the cloud over the ark-cover.

3 "Here is how Aharon is to enter the Holy Place: with a young bull as a sin offering and a ram as a burnt offering.

4 He is to put on the holy linen tunic, have the linen shorts next to his bare flesh, have the linen sash wrapped around him, and be wearing the linen turban -they are the holy garments. He is to bathe his body in water and put them on.

5 "He is to take from the community of the people of Isra'el two male goats for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering.

6 Aharon is to present the bull for the sin offering which is for himself and make atonement for himself and his household.

7 He is to take the two goats and place them before ADONAI at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

8 Then Aharon is to cast lots for the two goats, one lot for ADONAI and the other for 'Az'azel.

9 Aharon is to present the goat whose lot fell to ADONAI and offer it as a sin offering.

10 But the goat whose lot fell to 'Az'azel is to be presented alive to ADONAI to be used for making atonement over it by sending it away into the desert for 'Az'azel.

11 "Aharon is to present the bull of the sin offering for himself; he will make atonement for himself and his household; he is to slaughter the bull of the sin offering which is for himself.

12 He is to take a censer full of burning coals from the altar before ADONAI and, with his hands full of ground, fragrant incense, bring it inside the curtain.

13 He is to put the incense on the fire before ADONAI, so that the cloud from the incense will cover the ark-cover which is over the testimony, in order that he not die.

14 He is to take some of the bull's blood and sprinkle it with his finger on the ark-cover toward the east; and in front of the ark-cover he is to sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times.

15 "Next, he is to slaughter the goat of the sin offering which is for the people, bring its blood inside the curtain and do with its blood as he did with the bull's blood, sprinkling it on the ark-cover and in front of the ark-cover.

16 He will make atonement for the Holy Place because of the uncleannesses of the people of Isra'el and because of their transgressions - all their sins; and he is to do the same for the tent of meeting which is there with them right in the middle of their uncleannesses.

17 No one is to be present in the tent of meeting from the time he enters the Holy Place to make atonement until the time he comes out, having made atonement for himself, for his household and for the entire community of Isra'el.

18 Then he is to go out to the altar that is before ADONAI and make atonement for it; he is to take some of the bull's blood and some of the goat's blood and put it on all the horns of the altar.

19 He is to sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times, thus purifying it and setting it apart from the uncleannesses of the people of Isra'el.

20 "When he has finished atoning for the Holy Place, the tent of meeting and the altar, he is to present the live goat.

21 Aharon is to lay both his hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the transgressions, crimes and sins of the people of Isra'el; he is to put them on the head of the goat and then send it away into the desert with a man appointed for the purpose.

22 The goat will bear all their transgressions away to some isolated place, and he is to let the goat go in the desert.

23 "Aharon is to go back into the tent of meeting, where he is to remove the linen garments he put on when he entered the Holy Place, and he is to leave them there.

24 Then he is to bathe his body in water in a holy place, put on his other clothes, come out and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people, thus making atonement for himself and for the people.

25 He is to make the fat of the sin offering go up in smoke on the altar.

26 "The man who let go the goat for 'Az'azel is to wash his clothes and bathe his body in water; afterwards, he may return to the camp.

27 "The bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the Holy Place, is to be carried outside the camp; there they are to burn up completely their hides, meat and dung.

28 The person burning them is to wash his clothes and bathe his body in water; afterwards, he may return to the camp.

29 "It is to be a permanent regulation for you that on the tenth day of the seventh month you are to deny yourselves and not do any kind of work, both the citizen and the foreigner living with you.

30 For on this day, atonement will be made for you to purify you; you will be clean before ADONAI from all your sins.

31 It is a Shabbat of complete rest for you, and you are to deny yourselves. "This is a permanent regulation.

32 The cohen anointed and consecrated to be cohen in his father's place will make the atonement; he will put on the linen garments, the holy garments;

33 he will make atonement for the Especially Holy Place; he will make atonement for the tent of meeting and the altar; and he will make atonement for the cohanim and for all the people of the community.

34 This is a permanent regulation for you, to make atonement for the people of Isra'el because of all their sins once a year." Moshe did as ADONAI had ordered him.

Proverbs 27

1 Don't boast about tomorrow, for you don't know what the day may bring.

2 Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth, a stranger and not your own lips.

3 Stone is heavy and sand a dead weight, but a fool's provocation outweighs them both.

4 Fury is cruel and anger overwhelming, but who can stand up to jealousy?

5 Better open rebuke than hidden love.

6 Wounds from a friend are received as well-meant, but an enemy's kisses are insincere.

7 A person who is full loathes a honeycomb; but to the hungry, any bitter thing is sweet.

8 Like a bird that strays from its nest is a man who strays from his home.

9 Perfume and incense make the heart glad, [also] friendship sweet with advice from the heart.

10 Don't abandon a friend who is also a friend of your father. Don't enter your brother's house on the day of your calamity -better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.

11 My son, become wise, and gladden my heart, so that I can answer my critics.

12 The clever see trouble coming and hide; the thoughtless go on and pay the penalty.

13 Seize his clothes because he guaranteed a stranger's loan; take them as security for that unknown woman.

14 Whoever greets his neighbor in a loud voice at dawn might just as well have cursed him.

15 A leak that keeps dripping on a rainy day and the nagging of a wife are the same -

16 whoever can restrain her can restrain the wind or keep perfume on his hand from making itself known.

17 Just as iron sharpens iron, a person sharpens the character of his friend.

18 Whoever tends the fig tree will eat its fruit, and he who is attentive to his master will be honored.

19 Just as water reflects the face, so one human heart reflects another.

20 Sh'ol and Abaddon are never satisfied, and human eyes are never satisfied.

21 The crucible [tests] silver, and the furnace [tests] gold, but a person [is tested] by [his reaction to] praise.

22 You can crush a fool in a mortar with a pestle, along with the grain being crushed; yet his foolishness will not leave him.

23 Take care to know the condition of your flocks, and pay attention to your herds.

24 For wealth doesn't last forever, neither does a crown through all generations.

25 When the hay has been mown, and the new grass appears, and the mountain greens have been gathered;

26 the lambs will provide your clothing, the goats will sell for enough to buy a field,

27 and there will be enough goat's milk to [buy] food for you and your household and maintenance for your servant-girls.

[phkrause]

Today's Bible Reading

March 9

Matthew 13:1-23; Leviticus 17-18; Proverbs 28 CJB

Matthew 13:1-23

1 That same day, Yeshua went out of the house and sat down by the lake;

2 but such a large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there while the crowd stood on the shore.

3 He told them many things in parables: "A farmer went out to sow his seed.

4 As he sowed, some seed fell alongside the path; and the birds came and ate it up.

5 Other seed fell on rocky patches where there was not much soil. It sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow;

6 but when the sun had risen, the young plants were scorched; and since their roots were not deep, they dried up.

7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.

8 But others fell into rich soil and produced grain, a hundred or sixty or thirty times as much as had been sown.

9 Those who have ears, let them hear!"

10 Then the talmidim came and asked Yeshua, "Why are you speaking to them in parables?"

11 He answered, "Because it has been given to you to know the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but it has not been given to them.

12 For anyone who has something will be given more, so that he will have plenty; but from anyone who has nothing, even what he does have will be taken away.

13 Here is why I speak to them in parables: they look without seeing and listen without hearing or understanding.

14 That is, in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Yesha`yahu which says, `You will keep on hearing but never understand, and keep on seeing but never perceive,

15 because the heart of this people has become dull -- with their ears they barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, so as not to see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, and do t'shuvah, so that I could heal them.'

16 But you, how blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear!

17 Yes indeed! I tell you that many a prophet and many a tzaddik longed to see the things you are seeing but did not see them, and to hear the things you are hearing but did not hear them.

18 "So listen to what the parable of the sower means.

19 Whoever hears the message about the Kingdom, but doesn't understand it, is like the seed sown along the path -- the Evil One comes and seizes what was sown in his heart.

20 The seed sown on rocky ground is like a person who hears the message and accepts it with joy at once,

21 but has no root in himself. So he stays on for a while; but as soon as some trouble or persecution arises on account of the message, he immediately falls away.

22 Now the seed sown among thorns stands for someone who hears the message, but it is choked by the worries of the world and the deceitful glamor of wealth, so that it produces nothing.

23 However, what was sown on rich soil is the one who hears the message and understands it; such a person will surely bear fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirty times what was sown."

Leviticus 17

1 ADONAI said to Moshe,

2 "Speak to Aharon and his sons and to all the people of Isra'el. Tell them that this is what ADONAI has ordered:

3 'When someone from the community of Isra'el slaughters an ox, lamb or goat inside or outside the camp

4 without bringing it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to present it as an offering to ADONAI before the tabernacle of ADONAI, he is to be charged with blood - he has shed blood, and that person is to be cut off from his people.

5 The reason for this is so that the people of Isra'el will bring their sacrifices that they sacrifice out in the field -so that they will bring them to ADONAI, to the entrance of the tent of meeting, to the cohen, and sacrifice them as peace offerings to ADONAI.

6 The cohen will splash the blood against the altar of ADONAI at the entrance to the tent of meeting and make the fat go up in smoke as a pleasing aroma for ADONAI.

7 No longer will they offer sacrifices to the goat-demons, before whom they prostitute themselves! This is a permanent regulation for them through all their generations.'

8 "Also tell them, 'When someone from the community of Isra'el or one of the foreigners living with you offers a burnt offering or sacrifice

9 without bringing it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to sacrifice it to ADONAI, that person is to be cut off from his people.

10 When someone from the community of Isra'el or one of the foreigners living with you eats any kind of blood, I will set myself against that person who eats blood and cut him off from his people.

11 For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for yourselves; for it is the blood that makes atonement because of the life.'

12 This is why I told the people of Isra'el, 'None of you is to eat blood, nor is any foreigner living with you to eat blood.'

13 "When someone from the community of Isra'el or one of the foreigners living with you hunts and catches game, whether animal or bird that may be eaten, he is to pour out its blood and cover it with earth.

14 For the life of every creature - its blood is its life. Therefore I said to the people of Isra'el, 'You are not to eat the blood of any creature, because the life of every creature is its blood. Whoever eats it will be cut off.'

15 "Anyone eating an animal that dies naturally or is torn to death by wild animals, whether he is a citizen or a foreigner, is to wash his clothes and bathe himself in water; he will be unclean until evening; then he will be clean.

16 But if he doesn't wash them or bathe his body, he will bear the consequences of his wrongdoing."

Leviticus 18

1 ADONAI said to Moshe,

2 "Speak to the people of Isra'el; tell them, 'I am ADONAI your God.

3 You are not to engage in the activities found in the land of Egypt, where you used to live; and you are not to engage in the activities found in the land of Kena'an, where I am bringing you; nor are you to live by their laws.

4 You are to obey my rulings and laws and live accordingly; I am ADONAI your God.

5 You are to observe my laws and rulings; if a person does them, he will have life through them; I am ADONAI.

6 "'None of you is to approach anyone who is a close relative in order to have sexual relations; I am ADONAI.

7 You are not to have sexual relations with your father, and you are not to have sexual relations with your mother. She is your mother -do not have sexual relations with her.

8 You are not to have sexual relations with your father's wife; that is your father's prerogative.

9 You are not to have sexual relations with your sister, the daughter of your father or the daughter of your mother, whether born at home or elsewhere. Do not have sexual relations with them.

10 You are not to have sexual relations with your son's daughter or with your daughter's daughter. Do not have sexual relations with them, because their sexual disgrace will be your own.

11 You are not to have sexual relations with your father's wife's daughter, born to your father, because she is your sister; do not have sexual relations with her.

12 You are not to have sexual relations with your father's sister, because she is your father's close relative.

13 You are not to have sexual relations with your mother's sister, because she is your mother's close relative.

14 You are not to disgrace your father's brother by having sexual relations with his wife, because she is your aunt.

15 You are not to have sexual relations with your daughter-in-law; because she is your son's wife. Do not have sexual relations with her.

16 You are not to have sexual relations with your brother's wife, because this is your brother's prerogative.

17 "'You are not to have sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter, nor are you to have sexual relations with her son's daughter or her daughter's daughter; they are close relatives of hers, and it would be shameful.

18 You are not to take a woman to be a rival with her sister and have sexual relations with her while her sister is still alive.

19 You are not to approach a woman in order to have sexual relations with her when she is unclean from her time of niddah.

20 You are not to go to bed with your neighbor's wife and thus become unclean with her.

21 "'You are not to let any of your children be sacrificed to Molekh, thereby profaning the name of your God; I am ADONAI.

22 "'You are not to go to bed with a man as with a woman; it is an abomination.

23 "'You are not to have sexual relations with any kind of animal and thus become unclean with it; nor is any woman to present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it; it is perversion.

24 "'Do not make yourselves unclean by any of these things, because all the nations which I am expelling ahead of you are defiled with them.

25 The land has become unclean, and this is why I am punishing it - the land itself will vomit out its inhabitants.

26 But you are to keep my laws and rulings and not engage in any of these disgusting practices, neither the citizen nor the foreigner living with you;

27 for the people of the land have committed all these abominations, and the land is now defiled.

28 If you make the land unclean, it will vomit you out too, just as it is vomiting out the nation that was there before you.

29 For those who engage in any of these disgusting practices, whoever they may be, will be cut off from their people.

30 So keep my charge not to follow any of these abominable customs that others before you have followed and thus defile yourselves by doing them. I am ADONAI your God.'"

Proverbs 28

1 The wicked flee when no one pursues them; but the righteous, like lions, feel sure of themselves.

2 A land which transgresses [is punished by] having many rulers; but with a man of understanding and knowledge, stability is prolonged.

3 A poor man who oppresses the weak is like a downpour that sweeps away all the food.

4 Those who abandon Torah praise the wicked, but those who keep Torah fight them.

5 Evil people don't understand justice, but those who seek ADONAI understand everything.

6 Better to be poor and live an honest life than be crooked in one's ways, though rich.

7 A wise son observes Torah, but a friend of those lacking restraint shames his father.

8 He who increases his wealth by charging exorbitant interest amasses it for someone who will bestow it on the poor.

9 If a person will not listen to Torah, even his prayer is an abomination.

10 Whoever causes the honest to pursue evil ways will himself fall into his own pit, but the pure-hearted will inherit good.

11 The rich man is wise in his own view, but the poor who has discernment sees through him.

12 When the just are triumphant, there is great rejoicing, but when the wicked rise up, people hide.

13 He who conceals his sins will not succeed; he who confesses and abandons them will gain mercy.

14 Happy the person who is never without fear, but he who hardens his heart will fall into misfortune.

15 Like a roaring lion or a bear prowling for food is a wicked ruler over a poor people.

16 A prince without discernment is a cruel oppressor, but one who hates greed will prolong his life.

17 Let a man weighed down with anyone's blood flee to a pit; give him no support.

18 Whoever lives blamelessly will be saved, but he whose ways are crooked will fall in one [of those ways].

19 He who farms his land will have plenty of food, but he who follows futilities will have plenty of poverty.

20 A trustworthy person will receive many blessings, but one rushing to get rich will not go unpunished.

21 To show partiality is not good, though a person may do wrong for a crust of bread.

22 He who is greedy rushes after riches, not knowing that want will overtake him.

23 He who rebukes another person in the end gets more thanks than the flatterer.

24 Whoever robs mother or father and says, "That's not a crime!"is comrade to the destroyer.

25 A grasping disposition stirs up strife, but he who trusts in ADONAI will prosper.

26 He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who lives by wisdom will escape.

27 He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who hides his eyes will get curses in plenty.

28 When the wicked rise up, people hide; but when they perish, the righteous flourish.

[phkrause]

Today's Bible Reading

March 10

Matthew 13:24-58; Leviticus 19; Proverbs 29 CJB

Matthew 13:24-58

24 Yeshua put before them another parable. "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field;

25 but while people were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, then went away.

26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads of grain, the weeds also appeared.

27 The owner's servants came to him and said, `Sir didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?'

28 He answered, `An enemy has done this.' The servants asked him, `Then do you want us to go and pull them up?'

29 But he said, `No, because if you pull up the weeds, you might uproot some of the wheat at the same time.

30 Let them both grow together until the harvest; and at harvesttime I will tell the reapers to collect the weeds first and tie them in bundles to be burned, but to gather the wheat into my barn.'"

31 Yeshua put before them another parable. "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed which a man takes and sows in his field.

32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it grows up it is larger than any garden plant and becomes a tree, so that the birds flying about come and nest in its branches."

33 And he told them yet another parable. "The Kingdom of Heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with a bushel of flour, then waited until the whole batch of dough rose."

34 All these things Yeshua said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without using a parable.

35 This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, "I will open my mouth in parables, I will say what has been hidden since the creation of the universe."h

36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. His talmidim approached him and said, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field."

37 He answered, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man;

38 the field is the world. As for the good seed, these are the people who belong to the Kingdom; and the weeds are the people who belong to the Evil One.

39 The enemy who sows them is the Adversary, the harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.

40 Just as the weeds are collected and burned up in the fire, so will it be at the end of the age.

41 The Son of Man will send forth his angels, and they will collect out of his Kingdom all the things that cause people to sin and all the people who are far from Torah;

42 and they will throw them into the fiery furnace, where people will wail and grind their teeth.

43 Then the righteous will shine forth like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let him hear!

44 "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. A man found it, hid it again, then in great joy went and sold everything he owned, and bought that field.

45 "Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for fine pearls.

46 On finding one very valuable pearl he went away, sold everything he owned and bought it.

47 "Once more, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a net thrown into the lake, that caught all kinds of fish.

48 When it was full, the fishermen brought the net up onto the shore, sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad fish away.

49 So it will be at the close of the age -- the angels will go forth and separate the evil people from among the righteous

50 and throw them into the fiery furnace, where they will wail and grind their teeth.

51 "Have you understood all these things?" "Yes," they answered.

52 He said to them, "So then, every Torah-teacher who has been made into a talmid for the Kingdom of Heaven is like the owner of a home who brings out of his storage room both new things and old."

53 When Yeshua had finished these parables, he left

54 and went to his home town. There he taught them in their synagogue in a way that astounded them, so that they asked, "Where do this man's wisdom and miracles come from?

55 Isn't he the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother called Miryam? and his brothers Ya`akov, Yosef, Shim`on and Y'hudah?

56 And his sisters, aren't they all with us? So where does he get all this?"

57 And they took offense at him. But Yeshua said to them, "The only place people don't respect a prophet is in his home town and in his own house."

58 And he did few miracles there because of their lack of trust.

Leviticus 19

1 ADONAI said to Moshe,

2 "Speak to the entire community of Isra'el; tell them, 'You people are to be holy because I, ADONAI your God, am holy.

3 "'Every one of you is to revere his father and mother, and you are to keep my Shabbats; I am ADONAI your God.

4 "'Do not turn to idols, and do not cast metal gods for yourselves; I am ADONAI your God.

5 "'When you offer a sacrifice of peace offerings to ADONAI, offer it in a way that will make you accepted.

6 It is to be eaten the same day you offer it and the following day; but if any of it remains until the third day, it is to be burned up completely.

7 If any of it is eaten on the third day, it will have become a disgusting thing and will not be accepted;

8 moreover, everyone who eats it will bear the consequences of profaning something holy meant for ADONAI -that person will be cut off from his people.

9 "'When you harvest the ripe crops produced in your land, don't harvest all the way to corners of your field, and don't gather the ears of grain left by the harvesters.

10 Likewise, don't gather the grapes left on the vine or fallen on the ground after harvest; leave them for the poor and the foreigner; I am ADONAI your God.

11 "'Do not steal from, defraud or lie to each other.

12 Do not swear by my name falsely, which would be profaning the name of your God; I am ADONAI.

13 Do not oppress or rob your neighbor; specifically, you are not to keep back the wages of a hired worker all night until morning.

14 "'Do not speak a curse against a deaf person or place an obstacle in the way of a blind person; rather, fear your God; I am ADONAI.

15 "'Do not be unjust in judging - show neither partiality to the poor nor deference to the mighty, but with justice judge your neighbor.

16 "'Do not go around spreading slander among your people, but also don't stand idly by when your neighbor's life is at stake; I am ADONAI.

17 "'Do not hate your brother in your heart, but rebuke your neighbor frankly, so that you won't carry sin because of him.

18 Don't take vengeance on or bear a grudge against any of your people; rather, love your neighbor as yourself; I am ADONAI.

19 "'Observe my regulations. "'Don't let your livestock mate with those of another kind, don't sow your field with two different kinds of grain, and don't wear a garment of cloth made with two different kinds of thread.

20 "'If a man has sexual relations with a woman who is a slave intended for another man, and she has neither been redeemed nor given her freedom, there is to be an investigation. They are not to be put to death, because she was not free.

21 In reparation he is to bring a ram as a guilt offering for himself to the entrance of the tent of meeting.

22 The cohen will make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering before ADONAI for the sin he committed, and he will be forgiven for the sin he committed.

23 "'When you enter the land and plant various kinds of fruit trees, you are to regard its fruit as forbidden - for three years it will be forbidden to you and not eaten.

24 In the fourth year all its fruit will be holy, for praising ADONAI.

25 But in the fifth year you may eat its fruit, so that it will produce even more for you; I am ADONAI your God.

26 "'Do not eat anything with blood. Do not practice divination or fortune-telling.

27 Don't round your hair at the temples or mar the edges of your beard.

28 Don't cut gashes in your flesh when someone dies or tattoo yourselves; I am ADONAI.

29 "'Do not debase your daughter by making her a prostitute, so that the land will not fall into prostitution and become full of shame.

30 "'Keep my Shabbats, and revere my sanctuary; I am ADONAI.

31 "'Do not turn to spirit-mediums or sorcerers; don't seek them out, to be defiled by them; I am ADONAI your God.

32 "'Stand up in the presence of a person with gray hair, show respect for the old; you are to fear your God; I am ADONAI.

33 "'If a foreigner stays with you in your land, do not do him wrong.

34 Rather, treat the foreigner staying with you like the native-born among you - you are to love him as yourself, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt; I am ADONAI your God.

35 "'Don't be dishonest when measuring length, weight or capacity.

36 Rather, use an honest balance-scale, honest weights, an honest bushel dry-measure and an honest gallon liquid-measure; I am ADONAI your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.

37 Observe all my regulations and rulings, and do them; I am ADONAI.'"

Proverbs 29

1 He who remains stiffnecked after much rebuke will be suddenly and incurably broken.

2 When the righteous flourish, the people rejoice; but when the wicked are in power, the people groan.

3 Whoever loves wisdom brings joy to his father, but a patron of prostitutes wastes his wealth.

4 A king gives stability to a country by justice, but one who overtaxes it brings it to ruin.

5 A person who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his own steps.

6 In an evil person's crime is a trap, but the righteous sing and rejoice.

7 The righteous understands the cause of the poor, but the wicked is unconcerned.

8 Scoffers can inflame a city, but the wise can calm the fury.

9 When a wise man argues with a foolish one, he meets anger and ridicule without relief.

10 Men of blood hate those who are pure and seek the life of the upright.

11 A fool gives vent to all his feelings, but the wise, thinking of afterwards, stills them.

12 If a ruler listens to lies, all his officials will be wicked.

13 The poor and the oppressor have this in common: ADONAI gives light to the eyes of both.

14 If a king steadfastly gives justice to the poor, his throne will be secure forever.

15 The rod and rebuke give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame on his mother.

16 When the wicked flourish, wrongdoing flourishes; but the righteous will witness their downfall.

17 Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; yes, he will be your delight.

18 Without a prophetic vision, the people throw off all restraint; but he who keeps Torah is happy.

19 A slave can't be disciplined with words; he may understand, but he won't respond.

20 Do you see someone too anxious to speak? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

21 A slave who is pampered from youth will in the end be ungrateful.

22 Angry people stir up strife; hot-tempered people commit many crimes.

23 The proud will be humbled, but the humble will be honored.

24 The accomplice of a thief hates himself; he hears himself put under oath but discloses nothing.

25 Fearing human beings is a snare; but he who trusts in ADONAI will be raised high [above danger].

26 Many seek the ruler's favor, but it is from ADONAI that each gets justice.

27 An unjust person is an abomination to the righteous, but he who lives uprightly is an abomination to the wicked.

[phkrause]

Today's Bible Reading

March 11

Matthew 14:1-21; Leviticus 20-21; Proverbs 30 CJB

Matthew 14:1-21

1 Around that time, Herod, the regional governor, heard of the fame of Yeshua

2 and said to his attendants, "This must be Yochanan the Immerser. He has been raised from the dead; that is why these miraculous powers are at work in him."

3 For Herod had arrested Yochanan, put him in chains and thrown him in prison because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip;

4 since Yochanan had told Herod, "It violates the Torah for you to have her as your wife."

5 Herod had wanted to put Yochanan to death; but he was afraid of the people, in whose eyes Yochanan was a prophet.

6 However, at Herod's birthday celebration, Herodias' daughter danced before the company and pleased Herod

7 so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked.

8 Prompted by her mother, she said, "Give me here on a platter the head of Yochanan the Immerser."

9 The king became deeply upset; but out of regard for the oaths he had sworn before his dinner guests, he ordered that her wish be granted,

10 and sent and had Yochanan beheaded in prison.

11 The head was brought on a platter to the girl, and she gave it to her mother.

12 Yochanan's talmidim came, took the body and buried it; then they went and told Yeshua.

13 On hearing about this, Yeshua left in a boat to be by himself in the wilderness. But the people learned of it and followed him from the towns by land.

14 So when he came ashore, he saw a huge crowd; and, filled with compassion for them, he healed those of them who were sick.

15 As evening approached, the talmidim came to him and said, "This is a remote place and it's getting late. Send the crowds away, so that they can go and buy food for themselves in the villages."

16 But Yeshua replied, "They don't need to go away. Give them something to eat, yourselves!"

17 "All we have with us," they said, "is five loaves of bread and two fish."

18 He said, "Bring them here to me."

19 After instructing the crowds to sit down on the grass, he took the five loaves and the two fish and, looking up toward heaven, made a b'rakhah. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the talmidim, who gave them to the crowds.

20 They all ate as much as they wanted, and they took up twelve baskets full of the pieces left over.

21 Those eating numbered about five thousand men, plus women and children.

Leviticus 20

1 ADONAI said to Moshe,

2 "Say to the people of Isra'el, 'If someone from the people of Isra'el or one of the foreigners living in Isra'el sacrifices one of his children to Molekh, he must be put to death; the people of the land are to stone him to death.

3 I too will set myself against him and cut him off from his people, because he has sacrificed his child to Molekh, defiling my sanctuary and profaning my holy name.

4 If the people of the land look the other way when that man sacrifices his child to Molekh and fail to put him to death,

5 then I will set myself against him, his family and everyone who follows him to go fornicating after Molekh, and cut them off from their people.

6 "'The person who turns to spirit-mediums and sorcerers to go fornicating after them -I will set myself against him and cut him off from his people.

7 Therefore consecrate yourselves -you people must be holy, because I am ADONAI your God.

8 Observe my regulations, and obey them; I am ADONAI, who sets you apart to be holy.

9 "'A person who curses his father or mother must be put to death; having cursed his father or his mother, his blood is on him.

10 "'If a man commits adultery with another man's wife, that is, with the wife of a fellow countryman, both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death.

11 The man who goes to bed with his father's wife has disgraced his father sexually, and both of them must be put to death; their blood is on them.

12 If a man goes to bed with his daughter-in-law, both of them must be put to death; they have committed a perversion, and their blood is on them.

13 If a man goes to bed with a man as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they must be put to death; their blood is on them.

14 If a man marries a woman and her mother, it is depravity; they are to be put to death by fire, both he and they, so that there will not be depravity among you.

15 If a man has sexual relations with an animal, he must be put to death, and you are to kill the animal.

16 If a woman approaches an animal and has sexual relations with it, you are to kill the woman and the animal; their blood will be on them.

17 If a man takes his sister, his father's daughter or his mother's daughter, and has sexual relations with her, and she consents, it is a shameful thing; they are to be cut off publicly - he has had sexual relations with his sister, and he will bear the consequences of their wrongdoing.

18 If a man goes to bed with a woman in her menstrual period and has sexual relations with her, he has exposed the source of her blood, and she has exposed the source of her blood; both of them are to be cut off from their people.

19 You are not to have sexual relations with your mother's sister or your father's sister; a person who does this has had sexual relations with his close relative; they will bear the consequences of their wrongdoing.

20 If a man goes to bed with his uncle's wife, he has disgraced his uncle sexually; they will bear the consequences of their sin and die childless.

21 If a man takes his brother's wife, it is uncleanness; he has disgraced his brother sexually; they will be childless.

22 "'You are to observe all my regulations and rulings and act on them, so that the land to which I am bringing you will not vomit you out.

23 Do not live by the regulations of the nation which I am expelling ahead of you; because they did all these things, which is why I detested them.

24 But to you I have said, "You will inherit their land; I will give it to you as a possession, a land flowing with milk and honey."I am ADONAI your God, who has set you apart from other peoples.

25 Therefore you are to distinguish between clean and unclean animals and between clean and unclean birds; do not make yourselves detestable with an animal, bird or reptile that I have set apart for you to regard as unclean.

26 Rather, you people are to be holy for me; because I, ADONAI, am holy; and I have set you apart from the other peoples, so that you can belong to me.

27 "'A man or woman who is a spirit-medium or sorcerer must be put to death; they are to stone them to death; their blood will be on them.'"

Leviticus 21

1 ADONAI said to Moshe, "Speak to the cohanim, the sons of Aharon; tell them: 'No cohen is to make himself unclean for any of his people who dies,

2 except for his close relatives -his mother, father, son, daughter and brother;

3 he may also make himself unclean for his virgin sister who has never married and is therefore dependent on him.

4 He may not make himself unclean, because he is a leader among his people; doing so would profane him.

5 Cohanim are not to make bald spots on their heads, mar the edges of their beards or cut gashes in their flesh.

6 Rather, they are to be holy for their God and not profane the name of their God. For they are the ones who present ADONAI with offerings made by fire, the bread of their God; therefore they must be holy.

7 "'A cohen is not to marry a woman who is a prostitute, who has been profaned or who has been divorced; because he is holy for his God.

8 Rather, you are to set him apart as holy, because he offers the bread of your God; he is to be holy for you, because I, ADONAI, who makes you holy, am holy.

9 The daughter of a cohen who profanes herself by prostitution profanes her father; she is to be put to death by fire.

10 "'The cohen who is ranked highest among his brothers, the one on whose head the anointing oil is poured and who is consecrated to put on the garments, is not to stop grooming his hair, tear his clothes,

11 go in to where any dead body is or make himself unclean, even when his father or mother dies.

12 He may not leave the sanctuary then or profane the sanctuary of his God, because the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is on him; I am ADONAI.

13 "'He is to marry a virgin;

14 he may not marry a widow, divorcee, profaned woman or prostitute; but he must marry a virgin from among his own people

15 and not disqualify his descendants among his people; because I am ADONAI, who makes him holy.'"

16 ADONAI said to Moshe,

17 "Tell Aharon, 'None of your descendants who has a defect may approach to offer the bread of his God.

18 No one with a defect may approach - no one blind, lame, with a mutilated face or a limb too long,

19 a broken foot or a broken arm,

20 a hunched back, stunted growth, a cataract in his eye, festering or running sores, or damaged testicles -

21 no one descended from Aharon the cohen who has such a defect may approach to present the offerings for ADONAI made by fire; he has a defect and is not to approach to offer the bread of his God.

22 He may eat the bread of his God, both the especially holy and the holy;

23 only he is not to go in to the curtain or approach the altar, because he has a defect - so that he will not profane my holy places, because I am ADONAI, who makes them holy.'"

24 Moshe said these things to Aharon, his sons and all the people of Isra'el.

Proverbs 30

1 The words of Agur the son of Yakeh, the prophecy. The man says to Iti'el, to Iti'el and Ukhal:

2 I am more boorish than anyone, I lack human discernment;

3 I have not learned enough wisdom to know the Holy One.

4 Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Who has cupped the wind in the palms of his hands? Who has wrapped up the waters in his cloak? Who established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name? Surely you know!

5 Every word of God's is pure; he shields those taking refuge in him.

6 Don't add anything to his words; or he will rebuke you, and you be found a liar.

7 [God,] I have asked two things of you; don't deny them to me as long as I live -

8 keep falsehood and futility far from me, and give me neither poverty nor wealth. Yes, provide just the food I need today;

9 for if I have too much, I might deny you and say, "Who is ADONAI?"And if I am poor, I might steal and thus profane the name of my God.

10 Never disparage a slave to his master, or he will curse you, and you will deserve it.

11 There is a type of people who curse their fathers and don't bless their mothers.

12 There is a type of people clean in their own view, but not cleansed from their filth.

13 There is a type of people - how haughty their look! -utterly supercilious!

14 There is a type of people whose teeth are like swords, yes, their fangs are knives; they devour the poor from the earth, the needy from humankind.

15 The leech has two daughters; they cry, "Give! Give!" Three things are never satisfied; four never say, "Enough!"

16 Sh'ol and a barren womb; the earth, never satisfied with water; and fire, which never says, "Enough!"

17 The eye that mocks his father and scorns obeying his mother will be pecked out by the ravens in the valley, and the vultures will eat it.

18 Three things are too wonderful for me, four beyond my knowledge

19 the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship on the open sea, and the way of a man with a girl.

20 This is how an unfaithful wife behaves: she eats, wipes her mouth, and says, "I did nothing wrong."

21 Three things make the earth quake, four things it can't bear -

22 a slave who becomes king, a boor gorged with food,

23 a hated [wife] when her husband takes her [back], and a slave-girl who inherits from her mistress.

24 Four things on the earth are small; nevertheless, they are very wise -

25 the ants, a species not strong, yet they store up their food in the summer;

26 the coneys, a species with little power, yet they make their home in the rocks;

27 the locusts, who have no king, yet they all march out in ranks;

28 and the spiders, which you can catch in your hand, yet they are in the king's palace.

29 Three things are stately in their stride, four of stately gait

30 the lion, mightiest of beasts, which turns aside for none;

31 the greyhound, the billy-goat and the king when his army is with him.

32 If you have been boorish, exalting yourself, or if you have been scheming, lay your hand on your mouth.

33 For as pressing milk produces butter and pressing the nose produces blood, so pressing out anger produces strife.

[phkrause]

Today's Bible Reading

March 12

Matthew 14:22-36; Leviticus 22-23; Proverbs 31 CJB

Matthew 14:22-36

22 Immediately he had the talmidim get in the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he sent the crowds away.

23 After he had sent the crowds away, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night came on, and he was there alone.

24 But by this time, the boat was several miles from shore, battling a rough sea and a headwind.

25 Around four o'clock in the morning, he came toward them, walking on the lake!

26 When the talmidim saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost!" they said and screamed with fear.

27 But at once Yeshua spoke to them. "Courage," he said, "it is I. Stop being afraid."

28 Then Kefa called to him, "Lord, if it is really you, tell me to come to you on the water."

29 "Come!" he said. So Kefa got out of the boat and walked on the water toward Yeshua.

30 But when he saw the wind, he became afraid; and as he began to sink, he yelled, "Lord! Save me!"

31 Yeshua immediately stretched out his hand, took hold of him, and said to him, "Such little trust! Why did you doubt?"

32 As they went up into the boat, the wind ceased.

33 The men in the boat fell down before him and exclaimed, "You really are God's son!"

34 Having made the crossing, they landed at Ginosar.

35 When the people of the place recognized him, they sent word throughout the neighborhood and brought him everyone who was ill.

36 They begged him that the sick people might only touch the tzitzit on his robe, and all who touched it were completely healed.

Leviticus 22

1 ADONAI said to Moshe,

2 "Tell Aharon and his sons to separate themselves from the holy things of the people of Isra'el which they set apart as holy for me, so that they will not profane my holy name; I am ADONAI.

3 Tell them, 'Any descendant of yours through all your generations who approaches the holy things that the people of Isra'el consecrate to ADONAI and is unclean will be cut off from before me; I am ADONAI.

4 "'Any descendant of Aharon with tzara'at or a discharge is not to eat the holy things until he is clean. Anyone who has touched a person made unclean by a dead body, or who has had a seminal emission,

5 or who has touched a reptile or insect that can make him unclean, or a man who is unclean for any reason and who can transmit to him his uncleanness -

6 the person who touches any of these will be unclean until evening and is not to eat the holy things unless he bathes his body in water.

7 After sunset he will be clean; and afterwards, he may eat the holy things; because they are his food.

8 But he is not to eat anything that dies naturally or is torn to death by wild animals and thereby make himself unclean; I am ADONAI.

9 The cohanim must observe this charge of mine; otherwise, if they profane it, they will bear the consequences of their sin for doing so and die in it; I am ADONAI, who makes them holy.

10 "'No one who is not a cohen may eat anything holy, nor may a tenant or employee of a cohen eat anything holy.

11 But if a cohen acquires a slave, either through purchase or through his being born in his household, he may share his food.

12 If the daughter of a cohen is married to a man who is not a cohen, she is not to have a share of the food set aside from the holy things.

13 But if the daughter of a cohen is a widow or divorcee and has no child, and she is sent back to her father's house as when she was young, she may share in her father's food; but no one not a cohen is to share in it.

14 If a person eats holy food by mistake, he must add one-fifth to it and give the holy food to the cohen.

15 They are not to profane the holy things of the people of Isra'el that they have set apart for ADONAI

16 and thus cause them to bear guilt requiring a guilt offering, by eating their holy things; because I am ADONAI, who makes them holy.'"

17 ADONAI said to Moshe,

18 "Speak to Aharon and his sons and to the entire people of Isra'el; tell them: 'When anyone, whether a member of the house of Isra'el or a foreigner living in Isra'el, brings his offering, either in connection with a vow or as a voluntary offering, and brings it to ADONAI as a burnt offering,

19 in order for you to be accepted, you must bring a male without defect from the cattle, the sheep or the goats.

20 You are not to bring anything with a defect, because it will not be accepted from you.

21 Whoever brings a sacrifice of peace offerings to ADONAI in fulfillment of a vow or as a voluntary offering, whether it come from the herd or from the flock, it must be unblemished and without defect in order to be accepted.

22 If it is blind, injured, mutilated, has an abnormal growth or has festering or running sores, you are not to offer it to ADONAI or make such an offering by fire on the altar to ADONAI.

23 If a bull or lamb has a limb which is too long or short, you may offer it as a voluntary offering; but for a vow it will not be accepted.

24 An animal with bruised, crushed, torn or cut genitals you are not to offer to ADONAI. You are not to do these things in your land,

25 and you are not to receive any of these from a foreigner for you to offer as bread for your God, because their deformity is a defect in them - they will not be accepted from you.'"

26 ADONAI said to Moshe,

27 "When a bull, sheep or goat is born, it is to stay with its mother for seven days; but from the eighth day on, it may be accepted for an offering made by fire to ADONAI.

28 However, no animal is to be slaughtered together with its young on the same day, neither cow nor ewe.

29 "When you offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to ADONAI, you must do it in a way such that you will be accepted.

30 It must be eaten on the same day it is offered; leave none of it till morning; I am ADONAI.

31 "You are to keep my mitzvot and obey them; I am ADONAI.

32 You are not to profane my holy name; on the contrary, I am to be regarded as holy among the people of Isra'el; I am ADONAI, who makes you holy,

33 who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God; I am ADONAI."

Leviticus 23

1 ADONAI said to Moshe,

2 "Tell the people of Isra'el: 'The designated times of ADONAI which you are to proclaim as holy convocations are my designated times.

3 "'Work is to be done on six days; but the seventh day is a Shabbat of complete rest, a holy convocation; you are not to do any kind of work; it is a Shabbat for ADONAI, even in your homes.

4 "'These are the designated times of ADONAI, the holy convocations you are to proclaim at their designated times

5 "'In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, between sundown and complete darkness, comes Pesach for ADONAI.

6 On the fifteenth day of the same month is the festival of matzah; for seven days you are to eat matzah.

7 On the first day you are to have a holy convocation; don't do any kind of ordinary work.

8 Bring an offering made by fire to ADONAI for seven days. On the seventh day is a holy convocation; do not do any kind of ordinary work.'"

9 ADONAI said to Moshe,

10 "Tell the people of Isra'el, 'After you enter the land I am giving you and harvest its ripe crops, you are to bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the cohen.

11 He is to wave the sheaf before ADONAI, so that you will be accepted; the cohen is to wave it on the day after the Shabbat.

12 On the day that you wave the sheaf, you are to offer a male lamb without defect, in its first year, as a burnt offering for ADONAI.

13 Its grain offering is to be one gallon of fine flour mixed with olive oil, an offering made by fire to ADONAI as a fragrant aroma; its drink offering is to be of wine, one quart.

14 You are not to eat bread, dried grain or fresh grain until the day you bring the offering for your God; this is a permanent regulation through all your generations, no matter where you live

15 "'From the day after the day of rest -that is, from the day you bring the sheaf for waving -you are to count seven full weeks,

16 until the day after the seventh week; you are to count fifty days; and then you are to present a new grain offering to ADONAI.

17 You must bring bread from your homes for waving-two loaves made with one gallon of fine flour, baked with leaven -as firstfruits for ADONAI.

18 Along with the bread, present seven lambs without defect one year old, one young bull and two rams; these will be a burnt offering for ADONAI, with their grain and drink offerings, an offering made by fire as a fragrant aroma for ADONAI.

19 Offer one male goat as a sin offering and two male lambs one year old as a sacrifice of peace offerings

20 The cohen will wave them with the bread of the firstfruits as a wave offering before ADONAI, with the two lambs; these will be holy for ADONAI for the cohen.

21 On the same day, you are to call a holy convocation; do not do any kind of ordinary work; this is a permanent regulation through all your generations, no matter where you live

22 "'When you harvest the ripe crops produced in your land, don't harvest all the way to the corners of your field, and don't gather the ears of grain left by the harvesters; leave them for the poor and the foreigner; I am ADONAI your God.'"

23 ADONAI said to Moshe,

24 "Tell the people of Isra'el, 'In the seventh month, the first of the month is to be for you a day of complete rest for remembering, a holy convocation announced with blasts on the shofar.

25 Do not do any kind of ordinary work, and bring an offering made by fire to ADONAI.'"

26 ADONAI said to Moshe,

27 "The tenth day of this seventh month is Yom-Kippur; you are to have a holy convocation, you are to deny yourselves, and you are to bring an offering made by fire to ADONAI.

28 You are not to do any kind of work on that day, because it is Yom-Kippur, to make atonement for you before ADONAI your God.

29 Anyone who does not deny himself on that day is to be cut off from his people;

30 and anyone who does any kind of work on that day, I will destroy from among his people.

31 You are not to do any kind of work; it is a permanent regulation through all your generations, no matter where you live.

32 It will be for you a Shabbat of complete rest, and you are to deny yourselves; you are to rest on your Shabbat from evening the ninth day of the month until the following evening."

33 ADONAI said to Moshe,

34 "Tell the people of Isra'el, 'On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the feast of Sukkot for seven days to ADONAI.

35 On the first day there is to be a holy convocation; do not do any kind of ordinary work.

36 For seven days you are to bring an offering made by fire to ADONAI; on the eighth day you are to have a holy convocation and bring an offering made by fire to ADONAI ; it is a day of public assembly; do not do any kind of ordinary work

37 "'These are the designated times of ADONAI that you are to proclaim as holy convocations and bring an offering made by fire to ADONAI -a burnt offering, a grain offering, a sacrifice and drink offerings, each on its own day -

38 besides the Shabbats of ADONAI, your gifts, all your vows and all your voluntary offerings that you give to ADONAI

39 "'But on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered the produce of the land, you are to observe the festival of ADONAI seven days; the first day is to be a complete rest and the eighth day is to be a complete rest.

40 On the first day you are to take choice fruit, palm fronds, thick branches and river-willows, and celebrate in the presence of ADONAI your God for seven days.

41 You are to observe it as a feast to ADONAI seven days in the year; it is a permanent regulation, generation after generation; keep it in the seventh month.

42 You are to live in sukkot for seven days; every citizen of Isra'el is to live in a sukkah,

43 so that generation after generation of you will know that I made the people of Isra'el live in sukkot when I brought them out of the land of Egypt; I am ADONAI your God.'"

44 Thus Moshe announced to the people of Isra'el the designated times of ADONAI.

Proverbs 31

1 The words of King L'mu'el, the prophecy with which his mother disciplined him:

2 No, my son! No, son of my womb! No, son of my vows!

3 Don't give your strength to women or your ways to that which destroys kings.

4 It is not for kings, L'mu'el, not for kings to drink wine; it is not for rulers to ask, "Where can I find strong liquor?"

5 For they may drink, then forget what has been decreed, and pervert the justice due to the poor.

6 Give strong liquor to one who is perishing, wine to the deeply depressed;

7 let him drink, forget his poverty and cease to remember his troubles.

8 Speak up for those who can't speak for themselves, for the rights of all who need an advocate.

9 Speak up, judge righteously, defend the cause of the poor and the needy.

10 Who can find a capable wife? Her value is far beyond that of pearls.

11 Her husband trusts her from his heart, and she will prove a great asset to him.

12 She works to bring him good, not harm, all the days of her life.

13 She procures a supply of wool and flax and works with willing hands.

14 She is like those merchant vessels, bringing her food from far away.

15 It's still dark when she rises to give food to her household and orders to the young women serving her.

16 She considers a field, then buys it, and from her earnings she plants a vineyard.

17 She gathers her strength around her and throws herself into her work.

18 She sees that her business affairs go well; her lamp stays lit at night.

19 She puts her hands to the staff with the flax; her fingers hold the spinning rod.

20 She reaches out to embrace the poor and opens her arms to the needy.

21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household; since all of them are doubly clothed.

22 She makes her own quilts; she is clothed in fine linen and purple.

23 Her husband is known at the city gates when he sits with the leaders of the land.

24 She makes linen garments and sells them; she supplies the merchants with sashes.

25 Clothed with strength and dignity, she can laugh at the days to come.

26 When she opens her mouth, she speaks wisely; on her tongue is loving instruction.

27 She watches how things go in her house, not eating the bread of idleness.

28 Her children arise; they make her happy; her husband too, as he praises her:

29 "Many women have done wonderful things, but you surpass them all!"

30 Charm can lie, beauty can vanish, but a woman who fears ADONAI should be praised.

31 Give her a share in what she produces; let her works speak her praises at the city gates.

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Today's Bible Reading

March 13

Matthew 15:1-20; Leviticus 24-25; Ecclesiastes 1:1-11 CJB

Matthew 15:1-20

1 Then some P'rushim and Torah-teachers from Yerushalayim came to Yeshua and asked him,

2 "Why is it that your talmidim break the Tradition of the Elders? They don't do n'tilat-yadayim before they eat!"

3 He answered, "Indeed, why do you break the command of God by your tradition?

4 For God said, `Honor your father and mother,' and `Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.'

5 But you say, `If anyone says to his father or mother, "I have promised to give to God what I might have used to help you,"

6 then he is rid of his duty to honor his father or mother.' Thus by your tradition you make null and void the word of God!

7 You hypocrites! Yesha`yahu was right when he prophesied about you,

8 `These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far away from me.

9 Their worship of me is useless, because they teach man-made rules as if they were doctrines.'"

10 Then he called the crowd to him and said, "Listen and understand this!

11 What makes a person unclean is not what goes into his mouth; rather, what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him unclean!"

12 The talmidim came to him and said, "Do you know that the P'rushim were offended by what you said?"

13 He replied, "Every plant that my Father in heaven has not planted will be pulled up by the roots.

14 Let them be. They are blind guides. When a blind man guides another blind man, both will fall in a pit."

15 Kefa said to him, "Explain the parable to us."

16 So he said, "Don't you under stand even now?

17 Don't you see that anything that enters the mouth goes into the stomach and passes out into the latrine?

18 But what comes out of your mouth is actually coming from your heart, and that is what makes a person unclean.

19 For out of the heart come forth wicked thoughts, murder, adultery and other kinds of sexual immorality, theft, lies, slanders. . . .

20 These are what really make a person unclean, but eating without doing n'tilat-yadayim does not make a person unclean."

Leviticus 24

1 ADONAI said to Moshe,

2 "Order the people of Isra'el to bring you pure oil from crushed olives for the light, to keep lamps burning always.

3 Outside the curtain of the testimony in the tent of meeting, Aharon is to arrange for the light to be kept burning always from evening until morning before ADONAI ; this is to be a permanent regulation through all your generations.

4 He is always to keep in order the lamps on the pure menorah before ADONAI.

5 "You are to take fine flour and use it to bake twelve loaves, one gallon per loaf.

6 Arrange them in two rows, six in a row, on the pure table before ADONAI.

7 Put frankincense with each row to be an offering made by fire to ADONAI in place of the bread and as a reminder of it.

8 Regularly, every Shabbat, he is to arrange them before ADONAI ; they are from the people of Isra'el, as a covenant forever.

9 They will belong to Aharon and his sons; and they are to eat them in a holy place; because for him they are, of the offerings for ADONAI made by fire, especially holy. This is a permanent law."

10 There was a man who was the son of a woman of Isra'el and an Egyptian father. He went out among the people of Isra'el, and this son of a woman of Isra'el had a fight in the camp with a man of Isra'el,

11 in the course of which the son of the woman of Isra'el uttered the Name [Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh] in a curse. So they brought him to Moshe. (His mother's name was Shlomit the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.)

12 They put him under guard until ADONAI would tell them what to do.

13 ADONAI said to Moshe,

14 "Take the man who cursed outside the camp, have everyone who heard him lay their hands on his head, and have the entire community stone him.

15 Then tell the people of Isra'el, 'Whoever curses his God will bear the consequences of his sin;

16 and whoever blasphemes the name of ADONAI must be put to death; the entire community must stone him. The foreigner as well as the citizen is to be put to death if he blasphemes the Name.

17 "'Anyone who strikes another person and kills him must be put to death.

18 Anyone who strikes an animal and kills it is to make restitution, life for life.

19 If someone injures his neighbor, what he did is to be done to him -

20 break for break, eye for eye, tooth for tooth -whatever injury he has caused the other person is to be rendered to him in return.

21 He who kills an animal is to make restitution, but he who kills another person is to be put to death.

22 You are to apply the same standard of judgment to the foreigner as to the citizen, because I am ADONAI your God."

23 So Moshe spoke to the people of Isra'el, and they took the man who had cursed outside the camp and stoned him to death. Thus the people of Isra'el did as ADONAI had ordered Moshe. see readings for Parashah 41]

Leviticus 25

1 ADONAI spoke to Moshe on Mount Sinai; he said,

2 "Tell the people of Isra'el, 'When you enter the land I am giving you, the land itself is to observe a Shabbat rest for ADONAI.

3 Six years you will sow your field; six years you will prune your grapevines and gather their produce.

4 But in the seventh year is to be a Shabbat of complete rest for the land, a Shabbat for ADONAI; you will neither sow your field nor prune your grapevines.

5 You are not to harvest what grows by itself from the seeds left by your previous harvest, and you are not to gather the grapes of your untended vine; it is to be a year of complete rest for the land.

6 But what the land produces during the year of Shabbat will be food for all of you - you, your servant, your maid, your employee, anyone living near you,

7 your livestock and the wild animals on your land; everything the land produces may be used for food.

8 "'You are to count seven Shabbats of years, seven times seven years, that is, forty-nine years.

9 Then, on the tenth day of the seventh month, on Yom-Kippur, you are to sound a blast on the shofar; you are to sound the shofar all through your land;

10 and you are to consecrate the fiftieth year, proclaiming freedom throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It will be a yovel for you; you will return everyone to the land he owns, and everyone is to return to his family.

11 That fiftieth year will be a yovel for you; in that year you are not to sow, harvest what grows by itself or gather the grapes of untended vines;

12 because it is a yovel. It will be holy for you; whatever the fields produce will be food for all of you.

13 In this year of yovel, every one of you is to return to the land he owns.

14 "'If you sell anything to your neighbor or buy anything from him, neither of you is to exploit the other.

15 Rather, you are to take into account the number of years after the yovel when you buy land from your neighbor, and he is to sell to you according to the number of years crops will be raised.

16 If the number of years remaining is large, you will raise the price; if few years remain, you will lower it; because what he is really selling you is the number of crops to be produced.

17 Thus you are not to take advantage of each other, but you are to fear your God; for I am ADONAI your God.

18 "'Rather, you are to keep my regulations and rulings and act accordingly. If you do, you will live securely in the land.

19 The land will yield its produce, you will eat until you have enough, and you will live there securely.

20 "'If you ask, "If we aren't allowed to sow seed or harvest what our land produces, what are we going to eat the seventh year?"

21 then I will order my blessing on you during the sixth year, so that the land brings forth enough produce for all three years.

22 The eighth year you will sow seed but eat the the old, stored produce until the ninth year; that is, until the produce of the eighth year comes in, you will eat the old, stored food.

23 "'The land is not to be sold in perpetuity, because the land belongs to me -you are only foreigners and temporary residents with me.

24 Therefore, when you sell your property, you must include the right of redemption.

25 That is, if one of you becomes poor and sells some of his property, his next-of-kin can come and buy back what his relative sold.

26 If the seller has no one to redeem it but becomes rich enough to redeem it himself,

27 he will calculate the number of years the land was sold for, refund the excess to its buyer, and return to his property.

28 If he hasn't sufficient means to get it back himself, then what he sold will remain in the hands of the buyer until the year of yovel; in the yovel the buyer will vacate it and the seller return to his property.

29 "'If someone sells a dwelling in a walled city, he has one year after the date of sale in which to redeem it. For a full year he will have the right of redemption;

30 but if he has not redeemed the dwelling in the walled city within the year, then title in perpetuity passes to the buyer through all his generations; it will not revert in the yovel.

31 However, houses in villages not surrounded by walls are to be dealt with like the fields in the countryside - they may be redeemed [before the yovel], and they revert in the yovel.

32 "'Concerning the cities of the L'vi'im and the houses in the cities they possess, the L'vi'im are to have a permanent right of redemption.

33 If someone purchases a house from one of the L'vi'im, then the house he sold in the city where he owns property will still revert to him in the yovel; because the houses in the cities of the L'vi'im are their tribe's possession among the people of Isra'el.

34 The fields in the open land around their cities may not be sold, because that is their permanent possession.

35 "'If a member of your people has become poor, so that he can't support himself among you, you are to assist him as you would a foreigner or a temporary resident, so that he can continue living with you.

36 Do not charge him interest or otherwise profit from him, but fear your God, so that your brother can continue living with you.

37 Do not take interest when you loan him money or take a profit when you sell him food.

38 I am ADONAI your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt in order to give you the land of Kena'an and be your God.

39 "'If a member of your people has become poor among you and sells himself to you, do not make him do the work of a slave.

40 Rather, you are to treat him like an employee or a tenant; he will work for you until the year of yovel.

41 Then he will leave you, he and his children with him, and return to his own family and regain possession of his ancestral land.

42 For they are my slaves, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt; therefore they are not to be sold as slaves.

43 Do not treat him harshly, but fear your God.

44 "'Concerning the men and women you may have as slaves: you are to buy men- and women-slaves from the nations surrounding you.

45 You may also buy the children of foreigners living with you and members of their families born in your land; you may own these.

46 You may also bequeath them to your children to own; from these groups you may take your slaves forever. But as far as your brothers the people of Isra'el are concerned, you are not to treat each other harshly.

47 "'If a foreigner living with you has grown rich, and a member of your people has become poor and sells himself to this foreigner living with you or to a member of the foreigner's family,

48 he may be redeemed after he has been sold. One of his brothers may redeem him;

49 or his uncle or his uncle's son may redeem him; or any near relative of his may redeem him; or, if he becomes rich, he may redeem himself.

50 He will calculate with the person who bought him the time from the year he sold himself to him to the year of yovel; and the amount to be paid will be according to the number of years and his time at an employee's wage.

51 If many years remain, according to them will he refund the amount for his redemption from the amount he was bought for.

52 If there remain only a few years until the year of yovel, then he will calculate with him; according to his years will he refund the amount for his redemption.

53 He will be like a worker hired year by year. You will see to it that he is not treated harshly.

54 "'If he has not been redeemed by any of these procedures, nevertheless he will go free in the year of yovel -he and his children with him.

55 For to me the people of Isra'el are slaves; they are my slaves whom I brought out of the land of Egypt; I am ADONAI your God.

Ecclesiastes 1:1-11

1 The words of Kohelet the son of David, king in Yerushalayim:

2 Pointless! Pointless! - says Kohelet -Utterly meaningless! Nothing matters!

3 What does a person gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun?

4 Generations come, generations go, but the earth remains forever.

5 The sun rises, the sun sets; then it speeds to its place and rises there.

6 The wind blows south, then it turns north; the wind blows all around and keeps returning to its rounds.

7 All the rivers flow to the sea, yet the sea is not full; to the place where the rivers flow, there they keep on flowing.

8 Everything is wearisome, more than one can express; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, the ear not filled up with hearing.

9 What has been is what will be, what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.

10 Is there something of which it is said, "See, this is new"? It existed already in the ages before us.

11 No one remembers the people of long ago; and those to come will not be remembered by those who come after them.

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Today's Bible Reading

March 14

Matthew 15:21-39; Leviticus 26-27; Ecclesiastes 1:12-2:26 CJB

Matthew 15:21-39

21 Yeshua left that place and went off to the region of Tzor and Tzidon.

22 A woman from Kena`an who was living there came to him, pleading, "Sir, have pity on me. Son of David! My daughter is cruelly held under the power of demons!"

23 But Yeshua did not say a word to her. Then his talmidim came to him and urged him, "Send her away, because she is following us and keeps pestering us with her crying."

24 He said, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Isra'el."

25 But she came, fell at his feet and said, "Sir, help me!"

26 He answered, "It is not right to take the children's food and toss it to their pet dogs."

27 She said, "That is true, sir, but even the dogs eat the leftovers that fall from their master's table."

28 Then Yeshua answered her, "Lady, you are a person of great trust. Let your desire be granted." And her daughter was healed at that very moment.

29 Yeshua left there and went along the shore of Lake Kinneret. He climbed a hill and sat down;

30 and large crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others. They laid them at his feet, and he healed them.

31 The people were amazed as they saw mute people speaking, crippled people cured, lame people walking and blind people seeing; and they said a b'rakhah to the God of Isra'el.

32 Yeshua called his talmidim to him and said, "I feel sorry for these people, because they have been with me three days, and now they have nothing to eat. I don't want to send them away hungry, because they might collapse on the way home."

33 The talmidim said to him, "Where will we find enough loaves of bread in this remote place to satisfy so big a crowd?"

34 Yeshua asked them, "How many loaves do you have?" They said, "Seven, and a few fish."

35 After telling the crowd to sit down on the ground,

36 he took the seven loaves and the fish, made a b'rakhah, broke the loaves and gave them to the talmidim, who gave them to the people.

37 Every one ate his fill, and they took seven large baskets full of the leftover pieces.

38 Those eating numbered four thousand men, plus women and children.

39 After sending the crowd away, he got in the boat and went off to the region of Magadan.

Leviticus 26

1 "'You are not to make yourselves any idols, erect a carved statue or a standing-stone, or place any carved stone anywhere in your land in order to bow down to it. I am ADONAI your God.

2 "'Keep my Shabbats, and revere my sanctuary; I am ADONAI.

3 "'If you live by my regulations, observe my mitzvot and obey them;

4 then I will provide the rain you need in its season, the land will yield its produce, and the trees in the field will yield their fruit.

5 Your threshing time will extend until the grape harvest, and your grape harvesting will extend until the time for sowing seed. You will eat as much food as you want and live securely in your land.

6 "'I will give shalom in the land -you will lie down to sleep unafraid of anyone. I will rid the land of wild animals. The sword will not go through your land.

7 You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall before your sword.

8 Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand -your enemies will fall before your sword.

9 "'I will turn toward you, make you productive, increase your numbers and uphold my covenant with you.

10 You will eat all you want from last year's harvest and throw out what remains of the old to make room for the new.

11 I will put my tabernacle among you, and I will not reject you,

12 but I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people.

13 I am ADONAI your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, so that you would not be their slaves. I have broken the bars of your yoke, so that you can walk upright.

14 "'But if you will not listen to me and obey all these mitzvot,

15 if you loathe my regulations and reject my rulings, in order not to obey all my mitzvot but cancel my covenant;

16 then I, for my part, will do this to you: I will bring terror upon you -wasting disease and chronic fever to dim your sight and sap your strength. You will sow your seed for nothing, because your enemies will eat the crops.

17 I will set my face against you - your enemies will defeat you, those who hate you will hound you, and you will flee when no one is pursuing you.

18 If these things don't make you listen to me, then I will discipline you seven times over for your sins.

19 I will break the pride you have in your own power. I will make your sky like iron, your soil like bronze -

20 you will spend your strength in vain, because the land will not yield its produce or the trees in the field their fruit.

21 "'Yes, if you go against me and don't listen to me, I will increase your calamities sevenfold, according to your sins.

22 I will send wild animals among you; they will rob you of your children, destroy your livestock and reduce your numbers, until your roads are deserted.

23 "'If, in spite of all this, you refuse my correction and still go against me;

24 then I too will go against you; and I, yes I, will strike you seven times over for your sins.

25 I will bring a sword against you which will execute the vengeance of the covenant. You will be huddled inside your cities, I will send sickness among you, and you will be handed over to the power of the enemy.

26 I will cut off your supply of bread, so that ten women will bake your bread in one oven and dole out your bread by weight, and you will eat but not be satisfied.

27 "'And if, for all this, you still will not listen to me, but go against me;

28 then I will go against you furiously, and I also will chastise you yet seven times more for your sins.

29 You will eat the flesh of your own sons, you will eat the flesh of your own daughters.

30 I will destroy your high places, cut down your pillars for sun-worship, and throw your carcasses on the carcasses of your idols; and I will detest you.

31 I will lay waste to your cities and make your sanctuaries desolate, so as not to smell your fragrant aromas.

32 I will desolate the land, so that your enemies living in it will be astounded by it.

33 You I will disperse among the nations, and I will draw out the sword in pursuit after you; your land will be a desolation and your cities a wasteland.

34 Then, at last, the land will be paid its Shabbats. As long as it lies desolate and you are in the lands of your enemies, the land will rest and be repaid its Shabbats.

35 Yes, as long as it lies desolate it will have rest, the rest it did not have during your Shabbats, when you lived there.

36 As for those of you who are left, I will fill their hearts with anxiety in the lands of their enemies. The sound of a driven leaf will frighten them, so that they will flee as one flees from the sword and fall when no one is pursuing.

37 Yes, with no one pursuing they will stumble over each other as if fleeing the sword - you will have no power to stand before your enemies.

38 And among the nations you will perish; the land of your enemies will devour you.

39 Those of you who remain will pine away in the lands of your enemies from guilt over your misdeeds and those of your ancestors.

40 Then they will confess their misdeeds and those of their ancestors which they committed against me in their rebellion; they will admit that they went against me.

41 At that time I will be going against them, bringing them into the lands of their enemies. But if their uncircumcised hearts will grow humble, and they are paid the punishment for their misdeeds;

42 then I will remember my covenant with Ya'akov, also my covenant with Yitz'chak and my covenant with Avraham; and I will remember the land.

43 For the land will lie abandoned without them, and it will be paid its Shabbats while it lies desolate without them; and they will be paid the punishment for their misdeeds, because they rejected my rulings and loathed my regulations.

44 Yet, in spite of all that, I will not reject them when they are in the lands of their enemies, nor will I loathe them to the point of utterly destroying them and thus break my covenant with them, because I am ADONAI their God.

45 Rather, for their sakes, I will remember the covenant of their ancestors whom I brought out of the land of Egypt -with the nations watching -so that I might be their God; I am ADONAI.'"

46 These are the laws, rulings and teachings that ADONAI himself gave to the people of Isra'el on Mount Sinai through Moshe.

Leviticus 27

1 ADONAI said to Moshe,

2 "Tell the people of Isra'el, 'If someone makes a clearly defined vow to ADONAI to give him an amount equal to the value of a human being,

3 the value you are to assign to a man between the ages of twenty and sixty years is to be fifty shekels of silver [one-and-a-quarter pounds], with the sanctuary shekel being the standard,

4 if a woman, thirty shekels.

5 If it is a child five to twenty years old, assign a value of twenty shekels for a boy and ten for a girl;

6 if a baby one month to five years of age, five shekels for a boy and three for a girl;

7 if a person past sixty, fifteen shekels for a man and ten for a woman.

8 If the person is too poor to be evaluated, set him before the cohen, who will assign him a value in keeping with the means of the person who made the vow.

9 "'If the vow is for the value of an animal of the kind used when people bring an offering to ADONAI, all that a person gives of such animals to ADONAI will be holy.

10 He is not to exchange or replace it by substituting a good animal for a bad one or vice versa; if he does make such a substitution, both the original animal and the one replacing it will be holy.

11 If the animal is an unclean one, such as may not be used in an offering to ADONAI, he must set it before the cohen;

12 and the cohen is to set a value on it in relation to its good and bad points; the value set by you the cohen will stand.

13 But if the person making the vow wishes to redeem the animal, he must add one-fifth to your valuation.

14 "'When a person consecrates his house to be holy for ADONAI, the cohen is to set a value on it in relation to its good and bad points; the value set by the cohen will stand.

15 If the consecrator wishes to redeem his house, he must add one-fifth to the value you have set on it; and it will revert to him.

16 "'If a person consecrates to ADONAI part of a field belonging to his tribe's possession, you are to value it according to its production, with five bushels of barley being valued at fifty shekels of silver [one-and-a-quarter pounds].

17 If he consecrates his field during the year of yovel, this valuation will stand.

18 But if he consecrates his field after the yovel, then the cohen is to calculate the price according to the years remaining till the next yovel, with a corresponding reduction from your valuation.

19 If the one consecrating the field wishes to redeem it, he must add one-fifth to your valuation, and the field will be set aside to revert to him.

20 If the seller does not wish to redeem the field, or if [the treasurer for the cohanim] has already sold the field to someone else, it can no longer be redeemed.

21 But when the purchaser has to vacate the field in the yovel, it will become holy to ADONAI, like a field unconditionally consecrated; it will belong to the cohanim.

22 "'If he consecrates to ADONAI a field which he has bought, a field which is not part of his tribe's possession,

23 then the cohen is to calculate its value according to the years remaining until the year of yovel; and the man will on that same day pay this amount; since it is holy to ADONAI.

24 In the year of yovel the field will revert to the person from whom it was bought, that is, to the person to whose tribal possession it belongs.

25 "'All your valuations are to be according to the sanctuary shekel [two-fifths of an ounce], twenty gerahs to the shekel.

26 "'However, the firstborn among animals, since it is already born as a firstborn for ADONAI, no one can consecrate -neither ox nor sheep -since it belongs to ADONAI already.

27 But if it is an unclean animal, he may redeem it at the price at which you value it and add one-fifth; or if he does not redeem it, it is to be sold at the price at which you value it.

28 However, nothing consecrated unconditionally which a person may consecrate to ADONAI out of all he owns - person, animal or field he possesses -is to be sold or redeemed; because everything consecrated unconditionally is especially holy to ADONAI.

29 No person who has been sentenced to die, and thus unconditionally consecrated, can be redeemed; he must be put to death.

30 "'All the tenth given from the land, whether from planted seed or fruit from trees, belongs to ADONAI; it is holy to ADONAI.

31 If someone wants to redeem any of his tenth, he must add to it one-fifth.

32 "'All the tenth from the herd or the flock, whatever passes under the shepherd's crook, the tenth one will be holy to ADONAI.

33 The owner is not to inquire whether the animal is good or bad, and he cannot exchange it; if he does exchange it, both it and the one he substituted for it will be holy; it cannot be redeemed.'"

34 These are the mitzvot which ADONAI gave to Moshe for the people of Isra'el on Mount Sinai.

Ecclesiastes 1:12-18

12 I, Kohelet, have been king over Isra'el in Yerushalayim.

13 I wisely applied myself to seek out and investigate everything done under heaven. What a bothersome task God has given humanity to keep us occupied!

14 I have seen all the activities that are done under the sun, and it's all pointless, feeding on wind.

15 What is crooked can't be straightened; what is not there can't be counted.

16 I said to myself, "Look, I have acquired much wisdom, more than anyone ruling Yerushalayim before me."Yes, I experienced a great deal of wisdom and knowledge;

17 yet when I applied myself to understanding wisdom and knowledge, as well as stupidity and folly, I came to see that this too was merely feeding on wind.

18 For in much wisdom is much grief; the more knowledge, the more suffering.

Ecclesiastes 2

1 I said to myself, "Come now, I will test myself with pleasure and enjoying good things"; but this too was pointless.

2 Of laughter I said, "This is stupid," and of pleasure, "What's the use of it?"

3 I searched my mind for how to gratify my body with wine and, with my mind still guiding me with wisdom, how to pursue foolishness; my object was to find out what was the best thing for people to do during the short time they have under heaven to live.

4 I worked on a grand scale - I built myself palaces, planted myself vineyards,

5 and made myself gardens and parks; in them I planted all kinds of fruit trees.

6 I made myself pools from which to water the trees springing up in the forest.

7 I bought male and female slaves, and I had my home-born slaves as well. I also had growing herds of cattle and flocks of sheep, more than anyone before me in Yerushalayim.

8 I amassed silver and gold, the wealth of kings and provinces. I acquired male and female singers, things that provide sensual delight, and a good many concubines.

9 So I grew great, surpassing all who preceded me in Yerushalayim; my wisdom, too, stayed with me.

10 I denied my eyes nothing they wanted. I withheld no pleasure from myself; for I took pleasure in all my work, and this was my reward for all my work.

11 Then I looked at all that my hands had accomplished and at the work I had toiled at; and I saw that it was all meaningless and feeding on wind, and that there was nothing to be gained under the sun.

12 So I decided to look more carefully at wisdom, stupidity and foolishness; for what can the man who succeeds the king do, except what has already been done?

13 I saw that wisdom is more useful than foolishness, just as light is more useful than darkness.

14 The wise man has eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. Yet the same fate awaits them all.

15 So I said to myself, "If the same thing happens to the fool as to me, then what did I gain by being wise?" and I thought to myself, "This too is pointless.

16 For the wise man, like the fool, will not be long remembered, inasmuch as in the times to come, everything will long ago have been forgotten. The wise man, no less than the fool, must die."

17 So I came to hate life, because the activities done under the sun were loathesome to me, since everything is meaningless and feeding on wind.

18 I hated all the things for which I had worked under the sun, because I saw that I would have to leave them to the man who will come after me.

19 Who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the things I worked for and which demonstrated how wise I am under the sun. This too is pointless.

20 Thus I came to despair over all the things I had worked for under the sun.

21 Here is a man whose work is done with wisdom, knowledge and skill; yet he has to leave it to someone who has put no work into it. This is not only pointless, but a great evil.

22 For what does a person get from all his efforts and ambitions permeating the work he does under the sun?

23 His whole life is one of pain, and his work is full of stress; even at night his mind gets no rest. This too is pointless.

24 So there is nothing better for a man to do than eat, drink and and let himself enjoy the good that results from his work. I also realized that this is from God's hand.

25 For who will eat and who will enjoy except me?

26 For to the man who is good from [God's] viewpoint he gives wisdom, knowledge and joy; but to the sinner he gives the task of collecting and accumulating things to leave to him who is good from God's viewpoint. This too is pointless and feeding on wind.

[phkrause]

Today's Bible Reading

March 15

Matthew 16; Numbers 1-2; Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 CJB

Matthew 16

1 Then some P'rushim and Tz'dukim came to trap Yeshua by asking him to show them a miraculous sign from Heaven.

2 But his response was, "When it is evening, you say, `Fair weather ahead,' because the sky is red;

3 and in the morning you say, `Storm today!' because the sky is red and overcast. You know how to read the appearance of the sky, but you can't read the signs of the times!

4 A wicked and adulterous generation is asking for a sign? It will certainly not be given a sign -- except the sign of Yonah!" With that he left them and went off.

5 The talmidim, in crossing to the other side of the lake, had forgotten to bring any bread.

6 So when Yeshua said to them, "Watch out! Guard yourselves against the hametz of the P'rushim and Tz'dukim,"

7 they thought he said it because they hadn't brought bread.

8 But Yeshua, aware of this, said, "Such little trust you have! Why are you talking with each other about not having bread?

9 Don't you understand yet? Don't you remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you filled?

10 Or the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many baskets you filled?

11 How can you possibly think I was talking to you about bread? Guard yourselves from the hametz of the P'rushim and Tz'dukim!"

12 Then they understood -- they were to guard themselves not from yeast for bread but from the teaching of the P'rushim and Tz'dukim.

13 When Yeshua came into the territory around Caesarea Philippi, he asked his talmidim, "Who are people saying the Son of Man is?"

14 They said, "Well, some say Yochanan the Immerser, others Eliyahu, still others Yirmeyahu or one of the prophets."

15 "But you," he said to them, "who do you say I am?"

16 Shim`on Kefa answered, "You are the Mashiach, the Son of the living God."

17 "Shim`on Bar-Yochanan," Yeshua said to him, "how blessed you are! For no human being revealed this to you, no, it was my Father in heaven.

18 I also tell you this: you are Kefa," [which means `Rock,'] "and on this rock I will build my Community, and the gates of Sh'ol will not overcome it.

19 I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you prohibit on earth will be prohibited in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven."

20 Then he warned the talmidim not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

21 From that time on, Yeshua began making it clear to his talmidim that he had to go to Yerushalayim and endure much suffering at the hands of the elders, the head cohanim and the Torah-teachers; and that he had to be put to death; but that on the third day, he had to be raised to life.

22 Kefa took him aside and began rebuk ing him, "Heaven be merciful, Lord! By no means will this happen to you!"

23 But Yeshua turned his back on Kefa, saying, "Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle in my path, because your thinking is from a human perspective, not from God's perspective!"

24 Then Yeshua told his talmidim, "If anyone wants to come after me, let him say `No' to himself, take up his execution-stake, and keep following me. For

25 whoever wants to save his own life will destroy it, but whoever destroys his life for my sake will find it.

26 What good will it do someone if he gains the whole world but forfeits his life? Or, what can a person give in exchange for his life?

27 For the Son of Man will come in his Father's glory, with his angels; and then he will repay everyone according to his conduct.

28 Yes! I tell you that there are some people standing here who will not experience death until they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom!"

Numbers 1

1 ADONAI spoke to Moshe in the Sinai Desert, in the tent of meeting, on the first day of the second month of the second year after they had left the land of Egypt. He said,

2 "Take a census of the entire assembly of the people of Isra'el, by clans and families. Record the names of all the men

3 twenty years old and over who are subject to military service in Isra'el. You and Aharon are to enumerate them company by company.

4 Take with you from each tribe someone who is head of a clan.

5 These are the men to take with you: From Re'uven, Elitzur the son of Sh'de'ur;

6 From Shim'on, Shlumi'el the son of Tzurishaddai;

7 From Y'hudah, Nachshon the son of 'Amminadav;

8 From Yissakhar, N'tan'el the son of Tzu'ar;

9 From Z'vulun, Eli'av the son of Helon.

10 Of the children of Yosef: From Efrayim, Elishama the son of 'Ammihud; From M'nasheh, Gamli'el the son of P'dahtzur.

11 From Binyamin, Avidan the son of Gid'oni;

12 From Dan, Achi'ezer the son of 'Ammishaddai;

13 From Asher, Pag'i'el the son of 'Okhran;

14 From Gad, Elyasaf the son of De'u'el;

15 From Naftali, Achira the son of 'Enan."

16 These were the ones called from the assembly, the chiefs of their fathers'clans and heads of thousands in Isra'el.

17 So Moshe and Aharon took these men who had been designated by name;

18 and, on the first day of the second month, they gathered the whole assembly to state their genealogies by families and clans and recorded the names of all those twenty years old and over, as well as their total numbers.

19 Moshe counted them in the Sinai Desert, just as ADONAI had ordered him.

20 The men twenty years old and over who were subject to military service were recorded by name, family and clan, starting with the descendants of Re'uven, Isra'el's firstborn. Here are the totals:

21 Descendants of Re'uven 46,500

22 Descendants of Shim'on 59,300

23

24 Descendants of Gad 45,650

25

26 Descendants of Y'hudah 74,600

27

28 Descendants of Yissakhar 54,400

29

30 Descendants of Z'vulun 57,400

31

32 Descendants of Efrayim 40,500

33

34 Descendants of M'nasheh 32,200

35

36 Descendants of Binyamin 35,400

37

38 Descendants of Dan 62,700

39

40 Descendants of Asher 41,500

41

42 Descendants of Naftali 53,400

43

44 Moshe, Aharon and the twelve leaders of Isra'el, each from a clan,

45 counted the people of Isra'el by their clans, those twenty years old and over, eligible for military service in Isra'el;

46 and the grand total came to 603,550.

47 But those who were L'vi'im, according to the clan of their fathers, were not counted in this census;

48 because ADONAI had told Moshe,

49 "Do not include the clan of Levi when you take the census of the people of Isra'el.

50 Instead, give the L'vi'im charge over the tabernacle of the testimony, its equipment and everything else connected with it. They are to carry the tabernacle and all its equipment, serve in it and set up their camp around it.

51 When the tabernacle is to be moved onward, it is the L'vi'im who are to take it down and set it up in the new location; anyone else who involves himself is to be put to death.

52 The rest of Isra'el are to set up camp, company by company, each man with his own banner.

53 But the L'vi'im are to camp around the tabernacle of the testimony, so that no anger will come upon the assembly of the people of Isra'el. The L'vi'im are to be in charge of the tabernacle of the testimony."

54 This is what the people of Isra'el did - they did everything that ADONAI had ordered Moshe.

Numbers 2

1 ADONAI said to Moshe and Aharon,

2 "The people of Isra'el are to set up camp by clans, each man with his own banner and under his clan's symbol; they are to camp around the tent of meeting, but at a distance.

3 "Those camping on the east side toward the sunrise are to be under the banner of the camp of Y'hudah; they are to camp according to companies; by tribe and leader they are as follows: Tribe Chief Number Y'hudah Nachshon the son of 'Amminadav 74,600 Yissakhar N'tan'el the son of Tzu'ar 54,400 Z'vulun Eli'av the son of Helon 57,400 Total 186,400 "This group is to set out first.

4

5

6

7

8

9

10 "Those camping on the south are to be under the banner of the camp of Re'uven; they are to camp according to companies; by tribe and leader they are as follows: Tribe Chief Number Re'uven Elitzur the son of Sh'de'ur 46,500 Shim'on Shlumi'el the son of Tzurishaddai 59,300 Gad Elyasaf the son of Re'u'el 45,650 Total 151,450 "This group is to set out second.

11

12

13

14

15

16

17 "Then the tent of meeting, with the camp of the L'vi'im, will set out, with the other camps in front and behind. They will go in the same order as their camps are set up - each man will go forward in his position, under his banner.

18 "Those camping on the west are to be under the banner of the camp of Efrayim; they are to camp according to companies; by tribe and leader they are as follows: Tribe Chief Number Efrayim Elishama the son of 'Ammihud 40,500 M'nasheh Gamli'el the son of P'dahtzur 32,200 Binyamin Avidan the son of Gid'oni 35,400 Total 108,100 "This group is to set out third.

19

20

21

22

23

24

25 "Those camping on the north are to be under the banner of the camp of Dan; they are to camp according to companies; by tribe and leader they are as follows: Tribe Chief Number Dan Achi'ezer the son of 'Ammishaddai 62,700 Asher Pag'i'el the son of 'Okhran 41,500 Naftali Achira the son of 'Enan 53,400 Total 157,600 "This group is to set out last with their banners."

26

27

28

29

30

31

32 These are the ones counted from the people of Isra'el by clans; the total number recorded in the camps, company by company, was 603,550.

33 But, as ADONAI ordered Moshe, the L'vi'im were not counted with the rest of Isra'el.

34 The people of Isra'el did everything ADONAI had ordered Moshe: they set up camp under their banners, and they set out, each according to his family and clan.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-15

1 For everything there is a season, a right time for every intention under heaven

2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,

3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,

4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,

5 a time to throw stones and a time to gather stones, a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

6 a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to discard,

7 a time to tear and a time to sew, a time to keep silent and a time to speak,

8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

9 What does the worker gain from his efforts?

10 I have seen the task God has given humanity to keep us occupied.

11 He has made everything suited to its time; also, he has given human beings an awareness of eternity; but in such a way that they can't fully comprehend, from beginning to end, the things God does.

12 I know that there is nothing better for them to do than to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live.

13 Still, the fact that everyone can eat and drink and enjoy the good that results from all his work, is a gift of God.

14 I know that whatever God does will last forever; there is nothing to add or subtract from it; and God has done it so that people will fear him.

15 That which was is here already; and that which will be has already been, but God seeks out what people chase after.

[phkrause]

Today's Bible Reading

March 16

Matthew 17; Numbers 3-4; Ecclesiastes 3:16-4 CJB

Matthew 17

1 Six days later, Yeshua took Kefa, Ya`akov and his brother Yochanan and led them up a high mountain privately.

2 As they watched, he began to change form -- his face shone like the sun, and his clothing became as white as light.

3 Then they looked and saw Moshe and Eliyahu speaking with him.

4 Kefa said to Yeshua, "It's good that we're here, Lord. I'll put up three shelters if you want -- one for you, one for Moshe and one for Eliyahu."

5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them; and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him!"

6 When the talmidim heard this, they were so frightened that they fell face down on the ground.

7 But Yeshua came and touched them. "Get up!" he said, "Don't be afraid."

8 So they opened their eyes, looked up and saw only Yeshua by himself.

9 As they came down the mountain, Yeshua ordered them, "Don't tell anyone what you have seen until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."

10 The talmidim asked him, "Then why do the Torah-teachers say that Eliyahu must come first?"

11 He answered, "On the one hand, Eliyahu is coming and will restore all things;

12 on the other hand, I tell you that Eliyahu has come already, and people did not recognize him but did whatever they pleased to him. In the same way, the Son of Man too is about to suffer at their hands."

13 Then the talmidim understood that he was talking to them about Yochanan the Immerser.

14 As they came up to the crowd, a man approached Yeshua, kneeled down in front of him,

15 and said, "Sir, have mercy on my son, because he is an epileptic and has such terrible fits that he often falls into the fire or into the water.

16 I brought him to your talmidim, but they couldn't heal him."

17 Yeshua answered, "Perverted people, without any trust! How long will I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him here to me!"

18 Yeshua rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, so that from that moment he was healed.

19 Then the talmidim went to him privately and said, "Why couldn't we drive it out?" He said to them, "Because you have such little trust! Yes! I tell you that if you

20 have trust as tiny as a mustard seed, you will be able to say to this mountain, `Move from here to there!' and it will move; indeed, nothing will be impossible for you!"

21 Some manuscripts include verse 21: But this kind does not go out except through prayer and fasting."

22 As they were going about together in the Galil, Yeshua said to them, "The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of people

23 who will put him to death, and on the third day he will be raised." And they were filled with sadness.

24 When they came to K'far-Nachum, the collectors of the half-shekel came to Kefa and said, "Doesn't your rabbi pay the Temple tax?"

25 "Of course he does," said Kefa. When he arrived home, Yeshua spoke first. "Shim`on, what's your opinion? The kings of the earth -- from whom do they collect duties and taxes? From their sons or from others?"

26 "From others," he answered. "Then," said Yeshua, "The sons are exempt.

27 But to avoid offending them -- go to the lake, throw out a line, and take the first fish you catch. Open its mouth, and you will find a shekel. Take it and give it to them for me and for you."

Numbers 3

1 These are the descendants of Aharon and Moshe as of the day when ADONAI spoke with Moshe on Mount Sinai.

2 The names of the sons of Aharon are: Nadav the firstborn, Avihu, El'azar and Itamar.

3 These were the names of the sons of Aharon the cohen, whom he anointed and ordained as cohanim.

4 But Nadav and Avihu died in the presence of ADONAI when they offered unauthorized fire before ADONAI in the Sinai Desert, and they had no children; El'azar and Itamar served as cohanim in the presence of Aharon their father.

5 ADONAI said to Moshe,

6 "Summon the tribe of Levi, and assign them to Aharon the cohen, so that they can help him.

7 They are to carry out his duties and the duties of the whole community before the tent of meeting in performing the service of the tabernacle.

8 They are to be in charge of all the furnishings of the tent of meeting and to carry out all the duties of the people of Isra'el connected with the service of the tabernacle.

9 Assign the L'vi'im to Aharon and his sons; their one responsibility in regard to the people of Isra'el is to serve him.

10 You are to appoint Aharon and his sons to carry out the duties of cohanim; anyone else who involves himself is to be put to death."

11 ADONAI said to Moshe,

12 "I have taken the L'vi'im from among the people of Isra'el in lieu of every firstborn male that is first from the womb among the people of Isra'el; the L'vi'im are to be mine.

13 All the firstborn males belong to me, because on the day that I killed all the firstborn males in the land of Egypt, I separated for myself all the firstborn males in Isra'el, both human and animal. They are mine; I am ADONAI."

14 ADONAI said to Moshe in the Sinai Desert,

15 "Take a census of the tribe of Levi by clans and families. Count every male a month old or over."

16 Moshe counted them in the manner ADONAI had said, as he had been ordered.

17 The names of the sons of Levi were Gershon, K'hat and M'rari.

18 The names of the sons of Gershon were Livni and Shim'i; they fathered their respective clans;

19 likewise the sons of K'hat -'Amram,Yitz'har, Hevron and 'Uzi'el -

20 and the sons of M'rari -Machli and Mushi. These fathered the clans of the L'vi'im.

21 Gershon fathered the clans of Livni and Shim'i; these were the Gershon clans.

22 Of them, 7,500 males a month old and over were counted.

23 The Gershon clans were to camp behind the tabernacle, toward the west.

24 The chief of the Gershon clan was Elyasaf, the son of La'el.

25 In connection with the tent of meeting, the descendants of Gershon were to be in charge of the following: the tabernacle itself, its inner and outer coverings, the screen for the entrance of the tent of meeting,

26 the curtains surrounding the courtyard, the screen for the entrance of the courtyard surrounding the tabernacle and the altar, all the fixtures and ropes for these items, and their maintenance.

27 K'hat fathered the clans of 'Amram, Yitz'har, Hevron and 'Uzi'el; these were the K'hat clans.

28 Of them, 8,600 males a month old and over were counted; they were in charge of the Holy Place.

29 The K'hat clans were to camp next to the tabernacle, toward the south.

30 The chief of the K'hat clan was Elitzafan the son of 'Uzi'el.

31 They were responsible for the ark, the table, the menorah, the altars, the utensils the cohanim use when they serve in the Holy Place, the curtain, and everything involved with the maintenance of these things.

32 El'azar the son of Aharon the cohen was first among the chiefs of the L'vi'im and supervised those in charge of the Holy Place.

33 M'rari fathered the clans of Machli and Mushi; these were the M'rari clans.

34 Of them, 6,200 males a month old and over were counted.

35 The chief of the M'rari clan was Tzuri'el the son of Avichayil. They were to camp next to the tabernacle, toward the north.

36 The M'rari clans were assigned responsibility for the frames of the tabernacle, along with its crossbars, posts, sockets and fittings, together with their maintenance;

37 also the posts of the surrounding courtyard, with their sockets, pegs and ropes.

38 Those who were to camp in front of the tabernacle on the east, in front of the tent of meeting toward the sunrise, were Moshe, Aharon and his sons who were in charge of the Holy Place. They carried out their responsibility on behalf of the people of Isra'el, and anyone else who involved himself was to be put to death.

39 The total number of L'vi'im whom Moshe and Aharon counted by their clans, all the males a month old and over, was 22,000.

40 ADONAI said to Moshe, "Register all the firstborn males of the people of Isra'el a month old and over, and determine how many there are.

41 Then you are to take the L'vi'im for me, ADONAI, in place of all the firstborn among the people of Isra'el, and the cattle of the L'vi'im in place of the firstborn of the cattle belonging to the people of Isra'el."

42 Moshe counted, as ADONAI had ordered him, all the firstborn among the people of Isra'el.

43 The total number of firstborn males registered, a month old and over, of those who were counted, was 22,273.

44 ADONAI said to Moshe,

45 "Take the L'vi'im in place of all the firstborn among the people of Isra'el, and the cattle of the L'vi'im in place of their cattle; the L'vi'im are to belong to me, ADONAI.

46 Since there were 273 more firstborn males from Isra'el than male L'vi'im, in order to redeem them,

47 you are to take five shekels [two ounces] for each of these (use the sanctuary shekel, which is equal to twenty gerahs).

48 Give the redemption money for these extra people to Aharon and his sons."

49 Moshe took the redemption money from those who were over and above those redeemed by the L'vi'im;

50 the amount of money he took from the firstborn of the people of Isra'el was 1,365 shekels, using the sanctuary shekel.

51 Moshe gave the redemption-money to Aharon and his sons, in keeping with what ADONAI had said, as ADONAI had ordered Moshe.

Numbers 4

1 ADONAI said to Moshe and Aharon,

2 "Take a census of the descendants of K'hat, who are among the descendants of Levi, by clans and families,

3 all those from thirty to fifty years old; these will enter the corps doing the work in the tent of meeting.

4 "Here is how the descendants of K'hat are to serve in the tent of meeting and deal with the especially holy things:

5 when the time comes to break camp, Aharon is to go in with his sons, take down the curtain which serves as a screen, and cover the ark of the testimony with it.

6 On that they are to place a covering of fine leather, and on top of that spread an all-blue cloth. Then they are to insert the carrying-poles.

7 On the table of showbread they are to spread a blue cloth and place on it the dishes, incense pans, offering bowls and pitchers. The perpetual bread is to remain on the table.

8 They are to spread on these things a scarlet cloth, cover them with a covering of fine leather and insert the poles.

9 They are to take a blue cloth and cover the menorah for the light, its lamps, its tongs, its trays and the jars used to add oil to it.

10 They are to wrap it and all its accessories in fine leather and place them on a carrying-frame.

11 On the gold altar they are to spread a blue cloth, cover it with a covering of fine leather and insert its carrying-poles.

12 They are to take all the utensils they use when serving in the sanctuary and put them in a blue cloth, cover them with fine leather and place them on a carrying-frame.

13 After removing the greasy ashes from the altar, they are to spread a purple cloth over it

14 and place on it all the utensils required for their altar service-the fire pans, meat-hooks, shovels, basins and other utensils for the altar. Then they are to spread over it a fine leather covering and insert its carrying-poles.

15 When Aharon and his sons have finished covering the holy furnishings and all the holy utensils, when the camp is about to move forward, then the descendants of K'hat are to come and carry them. But they are not to touch the holy things, so that they won't die. These things are the responsibility of the descendants of K'hat in the tent of meeting.

16 "El'azar the son of Aharon the cohen is to be responsible for the oil for the light, the fragrant incense, the continuing grain offering and the anointing oil. He is to be in charge of the entire tabernacle and everything in it, including the sanctuary and its furnishings."

17 ADONAI said to Moshe and Aharon,

18 "Do not cut off the clan of K'hat from among the L'vi'im;

19 rather, do this for them, so that they will live and not die: when they approach the especially holy things, Aharon and his sons are to go in -and you are to assign each one his task;

20 but the descendants of K'hat are not to go in and look at the holy things as they are being covered; if they do, they will die."

21 ADONAI said to Moshe,

22 "Take a census of the descendants of Gershon also, by clans and families;

23 count all those between thirty and fifty years old, all who will enter the corps doing the work of serving in the tent of meeting.

24 "The Gershon families are to be responsible for serving and for transporting loads.

25 They are to carry the curtains of the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, its covering, the fine leather covering above it, the screen for the entrance to the tent of meeting,

26 the tapestries for the courtyard, and the screen for the entrance to the courtyard by the tabernacle and around the altar, along with the ropes and all the utensils they need for their service; and they are to do the work connected with these things.

27 Aharon and his sons are to supervise all the work of the Gershon clan in transporting loads and serving, and to assign them who is to carry what.

28 This is how the Gershon families are to serve in the tent of meeting, and they are to be under the direction of Itamar the son of Aharon the cohen.

29 "As for the descendants of M'rari, take a census by clans and families

30 of all those between thirty and fifty years old, all who will be in the corps doing the work of serving in the tent of meeting.

31 "Their service for the tent of meeting will be to carry the frames, crossbars, posts and sockets of the tabernacle;

32 also the posts for the surrounding courtyard, with their sockets, tent pegs, ropes and other accessories, and everything having to do with their service. You are to assign particular loads to specific persons by name.

33 This is how the M'rari families are to serve in the tent of meeting, directed by Itamar the son of Aharon the cohen."

34 Moshe, Aharon and the community leaders took a census of the descendants of K'hat by their clans and families,

35 all those between thirty and fifty years old who were part of the corps serving in the tent of meeting.

36 Registered by their families, they numbered 2,750.

37 These are the ones counted from the K'hat families of all those serving in the tent of meeting, whom Moshe and Aharon enumerated, in keeping with the order given by ADONAI through Moshe.

38 The census of the descendants of Gershon, by their clans and families,

39 all those between thirty and fifty years old who were part of the corps serving in the tent of meeting,

40 yielded 2,630, registered by their clans and families.

41 These are the ones counted from the families of the descendants of Gershon of all those serving in the tent of meeting, whom Moshe and Aharon enumerated, in keeping with the order given by ADONAI.

42 The census of the families of the descendants of M'rari, by their clans and families,

43 all those between thirty and fifty years old who were part of the corps serving in the tent of meeting,

44 yielded 3,200, registered by their families.

45 These are the ones counted from the families of the descendants of M'rari, whom Moshe and Aharon enumerated, in keeping with the order given by ADONAI through Moshe.

46 The census of the L'vi'im, whom Moshe, Aharon and the leaders of Isra'el enumerated by their clans and families,

47 all those between thirty and fifty years old who were part of those working to serve and working to carry loads in the tent of meeting,

48 yielded a total of 8,580 persons.

49 According to ADONAI's order they were appointed by Moshe, each one to his specific service or work. They were also enumerated, as ADONAI had ordered Moshe.

Ecclesiastes 3

16 Another thing I observed under the sun: There, in the same place as justice, was wickedness; there, in the same place as righteousness, was wickedness.

17 I said to myself, "The righteous and the wicked God will judge, because there is a right time for every intention and for every action."

18 Concerning people, I said to myself, "God is testing them, so that they will see that by themselves they are just animals.

19 After all, the same things that happen to people happen to animals, the very same thing - just as the one dies, so does the other. Yes, their breath is the same; so that humans are no better than animals; since nothing matters, anyway.

20 They all go to the same place; they all come from dust, and they all return to dust.

21 Who knows if the spirit of a human being goes upward and the spirit of an animal goes downward into the earth?"

22 So I concluded that there is nothing better for a person to do than take joy in his activities, that that is his allotted portion; for who can enable him to see what will happen after him?

Ecclesiastes 4

1 But I turned away and thought about all the kinds of oppression being done under the sun. I saw the tears of the oppressed, and they had no one to comfort them. The power was on the side of their oppressors, and they had no one to comfort them.

2 So I considered the dead happier, because they were already dead, than the living, who must still live their lives;

3 but happier than either of them is the one who has not yet been born, because he has not yet seen the evil things that are done under the sun.

4 Next I realized that all effort and achievement stem from one person's envy of another. This too is futility and feeding on wind.

5 Fools fold their arms together and eat their own flesh away.

6 Better an armload with tranquillity than both arms full of effort and feeding on wind.

7 Then I turned my attention to something else under the sun that is pointless:

8 the situation in which a solitary individual without a companion, with neither son nor brother, keeps on working endlessly but never has enough wealth. "For whom" [he should ask], "am I working so hard and denying myself pleasure?"This too is truly pointless, a sorry business.

9 Two are better than one, in that their cooperative efforts yield this advantage:

10 if one of them falls, the other will help his partner up - woe to him who is alone when he falls and has no one to help him up.

11 Again, if two people sleep together, they keep each other warm; but how can one person be warm by himself?

12 Moreover, an attacker may defeat someone who is alone, but two can resist him; and a three-stranded cord is not easily broken.

13 Better a youth who is poor but wise than a king who is old but foolish, no longer willing to listen to advice.

14 True, he rose from prison to be king; yet, while ruling, he became poor.

15 I observed that all who live and walk under the sun took the side of the youth mentioned first who would rule in place of the king,

16 and that no limit was set for the number of his subjects. Nevertheless, those who come afterwards will not regard him highly. This too is certainly pointless and feeding on wind.