EZEKIEL 45:13- 46:24
1 PETER 1:13- 2:10
PSALM 119:33- 48
PROVERBS 28:11
"This is the tax you [Israelites] must give to the prince:one bushel of wheat or barley for every sixty you harvest, 14 one percent of your olive oil, 15 and one sheep for every two hundred in your flocks in Israel. These will be the grain offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings that will make atonement for the people who bring them, says the Sovereign LORD. 16 All the people of Israel must join the prince in bringing their offerings. 17 The prince will be required to provide offerings that are given at the religious festivals, the new moon celebrations, the Sabbath days, and all other similar occasions. He will provide the sin offerings, burnt offerings, grain offerings, drink offerings, and peace offerings to make reconciliation for the people of Israel. 18" This is what the Sovereign LORD says:In early spring, on the first day of each new year, sacrifice a young bull with no physical defects to purify the Temple. 19 The priest will take some of the blood of this sin offering and put it on the doorposts of the Temple, the four corners of the upper ledge on the altar, and the gateposts at the entrance to the inner courtyard. 20 Do this also on the seventh day of the new year for anyone who has sinned through error or ignorance. In that way, you will make atonement for the Temple. 21 "On the fourteenth day of the new year, you must celebrate the Passover. This festival will last for seven days. Only bread without yeast may be eaten during that time. 22 On the day of Passover the prince will provide a young bull as a sin offering for himself and the people of Israel. 23 On each of the seven days of the feast he will prepare a burnt offering to the LORD. This daily offering will consist of seven young bulls and seven rams without any defects. A male goat will also be given each day for a sin offering. 24 The prince will provide a half bushel of flour as a grain offering and a gallon of olive oil with each young bull and ram. 25" During the seven days of the Festival of Shelters, which occurs every year in early autumn, the prince will provide these same sacrifices for the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the grain offering, along with the required olive oil. 46:1 "THIS is what the Sovereign LORD says:The east gateway of the inner wall will be closed during the six workdays each week, but it will be open on Sabbath days and the days of new moon celebrations. 2 The prince will enter the foyer of the gateway from the outside. Then he will stand by the gatepost while the priest offers his burnt offering and peace offering. He will worship inside the gateway passage and then go back out the way he came. The gateway will not be closed until evening. 3 The common people will worship the LORD in front of this gateway on Sabbath days and the days of new moon celebrations. 4" Each Sabbath day the prince will present to the LORD a burnt offering of six lambs and one ram, all with no physical defects. 5 He will present a grain offering of a half bushel of flour to go with the ram and whatever amount of flour he chooses to go with each lamb. He is to offer one gallon of olive oil for each half bushel of flour. 6 At the new moon celebrations, he will bring one young bull, six lambs, and one ram, all with no physical defects. 7 With the young bull he must bring a half bushel of flour for a grain offering. With the ram he must bring another half bushel of flour. And with each lamb he is to bring whatever amount of flour that he decides to give. With each half bushel of flour he must offer one gallon of olive oil. 8 "The prince must enter the gateway through the foyer, and he must leave the same way he came. 9 But when the people come in through the north gateway to worship the LORD during the religious festivals, they must leave by the south gateway. And those who entered through the south gateway must leave by the north gateway. They must never leave by the same gateway they came in; they must always use the opposite gateway. 10 The prince will enter and leave with the people on these occasions. 11" So at the special feasts and sacred festivals, the grain offering will be a half bushel of flour with each young bull, another half bushel of flour with each ram, and as much flour as the prince chooses to give with each lamb. One gallon of oil is to be given with each half bushel of flour. 12 Whenever the prince offers a voluntary burnt offering or peace offering to the LORD, the east gateway to the inner courtyard will be opened for him to enter, and he will offer his sacrifices just as he does on Sabbath days. Then he will turn and leave the way he entered, and the gateway will be shut behind him. 13 "Each morning a year- old lamb with no physical defects must be sacrificed as a burnt offering to the LORD. 14 With the lamb, a grain offering must also be given to the LORD-- about two and a half quarts of flour with a third of a gallon of olive oil to moisten the flour. This will be a permanent law for you. 15 The lamb, the grain offering, and the olive oil must be given as a daily sacrifice every morning without fail. 16" This is what the Sovereign LORD says:If the prince gives a gift of land to one of his sons, it will belong to him and his descendants forever. 17 But if he gives a gift of land to one of his servants, the servant may keep it only until the Year of Jubilee, which comes every fiftieth year. At that time the servant will be set free, and the land will return to the prince. Only the gifts given to the prince's sons will be permanent. 18 And the prince may never take anyone's property by force. If he gives property to his sons, it must be from his own land, for I do not want any of my people unjustly evicted from their property. "19 Then the man brought me through the entrance beside the gateway and led me to the sacred rooms assigned to the priests, which faced toward the north. He showed me a place at the extreme west end of these rooms. 20 He explained," This is where the priests will cook the meat from the guilt offerings and sin offerings and bake the flour from the grain offerings into bread. They will do it here to avoid carrying the sacrifices through the outer courtyard and harming the people by transmitting holiness to them. "21 Then he brought me back to the outer courtyard and led me to each of its four corners. In each corner I saw an enclosure. 22 Each of these enclosures was 70 feet long and 52 feet wide, surrounded by walls. 23 Along the inside of these walls was a ledge of stone with fireplaces under the ledge all the way around. 24 The man said to me," These are the kitchens to be used by the Temple assistants to boil the sacrifices offered by the people. "
So think clearly and exercise self- control. Look forward to the special blessings that will come to you at the return of Jesus Christ. 14 Obey God because you are his children. Don't slip back into your old ways of doing evil; you didn't know any better then. 15 But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God-- who chose you to be his children-- is holy. 16 For he himself has said," You must be holy because I am holy. "17 And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites when he judges. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time as foreigners here on earth. 18 For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. 19 He paid for you with the precious lifeblood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. 20 God chose him for this purpose long before the world began, but now in these final days, he was sent to the earth for all to see. And he did this for you. 21 Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And because God raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory, your faith and hope can be placed confidently in God. 22 Now you can have sincere love for each other as brothers and sisters *because you were cleansed from your sins when you accepted the truth of the Good News. So see to it that you really do love each other intensely with all your hearts. 23 For you have been born again. Your new life did not come from your earthly parents because the life they gave you will end in death. But this new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God. 24 As the prophet says," People are like grass that dies away;
their beauty fades as quickly as the beauty of wildflowers.
The grass withers,
and the flowers fall away.
25 But the word of the Lord will last forever. "
And that word is the Good News that was preached to you. 2:1 SO get rid of all malicious behavior and deceit. Don't just pretend to be good! Be done with hypocrisy and jealousy and backstabbing. 2 You must crave pure spiritual milk so that you can grow into the fullness of your salvation. Cry out for this nourishment as a baby cries for milk, 3 now that you have had a taste of the Lord's kindness. 4 Come to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God's temple. He was rejected by the people, but he is precious to God who chose him. 5 And now God is building you, as living stones, into his spiritual temple. What's more, you are God's holy priests, who offer the spiritual sacrifices that please him because of Jesus Christ. 6 As the Scriptures express it," I am placing a stone in Jerusalem,
a chosen cornerstone,
and anyone who believes in him
will never be disappointed. "
7 Yes, he is very precious to you who believe. But for those who reject him," The stone that was rejected by the builders
has now become the cornerstone. "
8 And the Scriptures also say," He is the stone that makes people stumble,
the rock that will make them fall. "
They stumble because they do not listen to God's word or obey it, and so they meet the fate that has been planned for them. 9 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are a kingdom of priests, God's holy nation, his very own possession. This is so you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. 10" Once you were not a people;
now you are the people of God.
Once you received none of God's mercy;
now you have received his mercy. "
Teach me, O LORD,
to follow every one of your principles.
34 Give me understanding and I will obey your law;
I will put it into practice with all my heart.
35 Make me walk along the path of your commands,
for that is where my happiness is found.
36 Give me an eagerness for your decrees;
do not inflict me with love for money!
37 Turn my eyes from worthless things,
and give me life through your word.
38 Reassure me of your promise,
which is for those who honor you.
39 Help me abandon my shameful ways;
your laws are all I want in life.
40 I long to obey your commandments!
Renew my life with your goodness.
41 LORD, give to me your unfailing love,
the salvation that you promised me.
42 Then I will have an answer for those who taunt me,
for I trust in your word.
43 Do not snatch your word of truth from me,
for my only hope is in your laws.
44 I will keep on obeying your law
forever and forever.
45 I will walk in freedom,
for I have devoted myself to your commandments.
46 I will speak to kings about your decrees,
and I will not be ashamed.
47 How I delight in your commands!
How I love them!
48 I honor and love your commands.
I meditate on your principles.
Rich people picture themselves as wise, but their real poverty is evident to the poor
1 PETER 1:13- 2:10
PSALM 119:33- 48
PROVERBS 28:11
"This is the tax you [Israelites] must give to the prince:one bushel of wheat or barley for every sixty you harvest, 14 one percent of your olive oil, 15 and one sheep for every two hundred in your flocks in Israel. These will be the grain offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings that will make atonement for the people who bring them, says the Sovereign LORD. 16 All the people of Israel must join the prince in bringing their offerings. 17 The prince will be required to provide offerings that are given at the religious festivals, the new moon celebrations, the Sabbath days, and all other similar occasions. He will provide the sin offerings, burnt offerings, grain offerings, drink offerings, and peace offerings to make reconciliation for the people of Israel. 18" This is what the Sovereign LORD says:In early spring, on the first day of each new year, sacrifice a young bull with no physical defects to purify the Temple. 19 The priest will take some of the blood of this sin offering and put it on the doorposts of the Temple, the four corners of the upper ledge on the altar, and the gateposts at the entrance to the inner courtyard. 20 Do this also on the seventh day of the new year for anyone who has sinned through error or ignorance. In that way, you will make atonement for the Temple. 21 "On the fourteenth day of the new year, you must celebrate the Passover. This festival will last for seven days. Only bread without yeast may be eaten during that time. 22 On the day of Passover the prince will provide a young bull as a sin offering for himself and the people of Israel. 23 On each of the seven days of the feast he will prepare a burnt offering to the LORD. This daily offering will consist of seven young bulls and seven rams without any defects. A male goat will also be given each day for a sin offering. 24 The prince will provide a half bushel of flour as a grain offering and a gallon of olive oil with each young bull and ram. 25" During the seven days of the Festival of Shelters, which occurs every year in early autumn, the prince will provide these same sacrifices for the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the grain offering, along with the required olive oil. 46:1 "THIS is what the Sovereign LORD says:The east gateway of the inner wall will be closed during the six workdays each week, but it will be open on Sabbath days and the days of new moon celebrations. 2 The prince will enter the foyer of the gateway from the outside. Then he will stand by the gatepost while the priest offers his burnt offering and peace offering. He will worship inside the gateway passage and then go back out the way he came. The gateway will not be closed until evening. 3 The common people will worship the LORD in front of this gateway on Sabbath days and the days of new moon celebrations. 4" Each Sabbath day the prince will present to the LORD a burnt offering of six lambs and one ram, all with no physical defects. 5 He will present a grain offering of a half bushel of flour to go with the ram and whatever amount of flour he chooses to go with each lamb. He is to offer one gallon of olive oil for each half bushel of flour. 6 At the new moon celebrations, he will bring one young bull, six lambs, and one ram, all with no physical defects. 7 With the young bull he must bring a half bushel of flour for a grain offering. With the ram he must bring another half bushel of flour. And with each lamb he is to bring whatever amount of flour that he decides to give. With each half bushel of flour he must offer one gallon of olive oil. 8 "The prince must enter the gateway through the foyer, and he must leave the same way he came. 9 But when the people come in through the north gateway to worship the LORD during the religious festivals, they must leave by the south gateway. And those who entered through the south gateway must leave by the north gateway. They must never leave by the same gateway they came in; they must always use the opposite gateway. 10 The prince will enter and leave with the people on these occasions. 11" So at the special feasts and sacred festivals, the grain offering will be a half bushel of flour with each young bull, another half bushel of flour with each ram, and as much flour as the prince chooses to give with each lamb. One gallon of oil is to be given with each half bushel of flour. 12 Whenever the prince offers a voluntary burnt offering or peace offering to the LORD, the east gateway to the inner courtyard will be opened for him to enter, and he will offer his sacrifices just as he does on Sabbath days. Then he will turn and leave the way he entered, and the gateway will be shut behind him. 13 "Each morning a year- old lamb with no physical defects must be sacrificed as a burnt offering to the LORD. 14 With the lamb, a grain offering must also be given to the LORD-- about two and a half quarts of flour with a third of a gallon of olive oil to moisten the flour. This will be a permanent law for you. 15 The lamb, the grain offering, and the olive oil must be given as a daily sacrifice every morning without fail. 16" This is what the Sovereign LORD says:If the prince gives a gift of land to one of his sons, it will belong to him and his descendants forever. 17 But if he gives a gift of land to one of his servants, the servant may keep it only until the Year of Jubilee, which comes every fiftieth year. At that time the servant will be set free, and the land will return to the prince. Only the gifts given to the prince's sons will be permanent. 18 And the prince may never take anyone's property by force. If he gives property to his sons, it must be from his own land, for I do not want any of my people unjustly evicted from their property. "19 Then the man brought me through the entrance beside the gateway and led me to the sacred rooms assigned to the priests, which faced toward the north. He showed me a place at the extreme west end of these rooms. 20 He explained," This is where the priests will cook the meat from the guilt offerings and sin offerings and bake the flour from the grain offerings into bread. They will do it here to avoid carrying the sacrifices through the outer courtyard and harming the people by transmitting holiness to them. "21 Then he brought me back to the outer courtyard and led me to each of its four corners. In each corner I saw an enclosure. 22 Each of these enclosures was 70 feet long and 52 feet wide, surrounded by walls. 23 Along the inside of these walls was a ledge of stone with fireplaces under the ledge all the way around. 24 The man said to me," These are the kitchens to be used by the Temple assistants to boil the sacrifices offered by the people. "
So think clearly and exercise self- control. Look forward to the special blessings that will come to you at the return of Jesus Christ. 14 Obey God because you are his children. Don't slip back into your old ways of doing evil; you didn't know any better then. 15 But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God-- who chose you to be his children-- is holy. 16 For he himself has said," You must be holy because I am holy. "17 And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites when he judges. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time as foreigners here on earth. 18 For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. 19 He paid for you with the precious lifeblood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. 20 God chose him for this purpose long before the world began, but now in these final days, he was sent to the earth for all to see. And he did this for you. 21 Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And because God raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory, your faith and hope can be placed confidently in God. 22 Now you can have sincere love for each other as brothers and sisters *because you were cleansed from your sins when you accepted the truth of the Good News. So see to it that you really do love each other intensely with all your hearts. 23 For you have been born again. Your new life did not come from your earthly parents because the life they gave you will end in death. But this new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God. 24 As the prophet says," People are like grass that dies away;
their beauty fades as quickly as the beauty of wildflowers.
The grass withers,
and the flowers fall away.
25 But the word of the Lord will last forever. "
And that word is the Good News that was preached to you. 2:1 SO get rid of all malicious behavior and deceit. Don't just pretend to be good! Be done with hypocrisy and jealousy and backstabbing. 2 You must crave pure spiritual milk so that you can grow into the fullness of your salvation. Cry out for this nourishment as a baby cries for milk, 3 now that you have had a taste of the Lord's kindness. 4 Come to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God's temple. He was rejected by the people, but he is precious to God who chose him. 5 And now God is building you, as living stones, into his spiritual temple. What's more, you are God's holy priests, who offer the spiritual sacrifices that please him because of Jesus Christ. 6 As the Scriptures express it," I am placing a stone in Jerusalem,
a chosen cornerstone,
and anyone who believes in him
will never be disappointed. "
7 Yes, he is very precious to you who believe. But for those who reject him," The stone that was rejected by the builders
has now become the cornerstone. "
8 And the Scriptures also say," He is the stone that makes people stumble,
the rock that will make them fall. "
They stumble because they do not listen to God's word or obey it, and so they meet the fate that has been planned for them. 9 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are a kingdom of priests, God's holy nation, his very own possession. This is so you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. 10" Once you were not a people;
now you are the people of God.
Once you received none of God's mercy;
now you have received his mercy. "
Teach me, O LORD,
to follow every one of your principles.
34 Give me understanding and I will obey your law;
I will put it into practice with all my heart.
35 Make me walk along the path of your commands,
for that is where my happiness is found.
36 Give me an eagerness for your decrees;
do not inflict me with love for money!
37 Turn my eyes from worthless things,
and give me life through your word.
38 Reassure me of your promise,
which is for those who honor you.
39 Help me abandon my shameful ways;
your laws are all I want in life.
40 I long to obey your commandments!
Renew my life with your goodness.
41 LORD, give to me your unfailing love,
the salvation that you promised me.
42 Then I will have an answer for those who taunt me,
for I trust in your word.
43 Do not snatch your word of truth from me,
for my only hope is in your laws.
44 I will keep on obeying your law
forever and forever.
45 I will walk in freedom,
for I have devoted myself to your commandments.
46 I will speak to kings about your decrees,
and I will not be ashamed.
47 How I delight in your commands!
How I love them!
48 I honor and love your commands.
I meditate on your principles.
Rich people picture themselves as wise, but their real poverty is evident to the poor
