February 5 Reading through the Bible

EXODUS 21:22-23:13
MATTHEW 24:1-28
PSALM 29:1-11
PROVERBS 7:6-23

EXODUS 21:22-23:13
" Now suppose two people are fighting, and in the process, they hurt a pregnant woman so her child is born prematurely. If no further harm results, then the person responsible must pay damages in the amount the woman's husband demands and the judges approve. 23 But if any harm results, then the offender must be punished according to the injury. If the result is death, the offender must be executed. 24 If an eye is injured, injure the eye of the person who did it. If a tooth gets knocked out, knock out the tooth of the person who did it. Similarly, the payment must be hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise. 26 " If an owner hits a male or female slave in the eye and the eye is blinded, then the slave may go free because of the eye. 27 And if an owner knocks out the tooth of a male or female slave, the slave should be released in payment for the tooth. 28 " If a bull gores a man or woman to death, the bull must be stoned, and its flesh may not be eaten. In such a case, however, the owner will not be held liable. 29 Suppose, on the other hand, that the owner knew the bull had gored people in the past, yet the bull was not kept under control. If this is true and if the bull kills someone, it must be stoned, and the owner must also be killed. 30 However, the dead person's relatives may accept payment from the owner of the bull to compensate for the loss of life. The owner will have to pay whatever is demanded. 31 " The same principle applies if the bull gores a boy or a girl. 32 But if the bull gores a slave, either male or female, the slave's owner is to be given thirty silver coins in payment, and the bull must be stoned.33 " Suppose someone digs or uncovers a well and fails to cover it, and then an ox or a donkey falls into it. 34 The owner of the well must pay in full for the dead animal but then gets to keep it. 35 " If someone's bull injures a neighbor's bull and the injured bull dies, then the two owners must sell the live bull and divide the money between them. Each will also own half of the dead bull. 36 But if the bull was known from past experience to gore, yet its owner failed to keep it under control, the money will not be divided. The owner of the living bull must pay in full for the dead bull but then gets to keep it. 22:1 " A FINE must be paid by anyone who steals an ox or sheep and then kills or sells it. For oxen the fine is five oxen for each one stolen. For sheep the fine is four sheep for each one stolen. 2 " If a thief is caught in the act of breaking into a house and is killed in the process, the person who killed the thief is not guilty. 3 But if it happens in daylight, the one who killed the thief is guilty of murder. " A thief who is caught must pay in full for everything that was stolen. If payment is not made, the thief must be sold as a slave to pay the debt. 4 If someone steals an ox or a donkey or a sheep and it is recovered alive, then the thief must pay double the value. 5 " If an animal is grazing in a field or vineyard and the owner lets it stray into someone else's field to graze, then the animal's owner must pay damages in the form of high-quality grain or grapes. 6 " If a fire gets out of control and goes into another person's field, destroying the sheaves or the standing grain, then the one who started the fire must pay for the lost crops. 7 " Suppose someone entrusts money or goods to a neighbor, and they are stolen from the neighbor's house. If the thief is found, the fine is double the value of what was stolen. 8 But if the thief is not found, God will determine whether or not it was the neighbor who stole the property. 9 " Suppose there is a dispute between two people as to who owns a particular ox, donkey, sheep, article of clothing, or anything else. Both parties must come before God for a decision, and the person whom God declares guilty must pay double to the other. 10 " Now suppose someone asks a neighbor to care for a donkey, ox, sheep, or any other animal, but it dies or is injured or gets away, and there is no eyewitness to report just what happened. 11 The neighbor must then take an oath of innocence in the presence of the LORD. The owner must accept the neighbor's word, and no payment will be required. 12 But if the animal or property was stolen, payment must be made to the owner. 13 If it was attacked by a wild animal, the carcass must be shown as evidence, and no payment will be required. 14 " If someone borrows an animal from a neighbor and it is injured or killed, and if the owner was not there at the time, the person who borrowed it must pay for it. 15 But if the owner is there, no payment is required. And no payment is required if the animal was rented because this loss was covered by the rental fee. 16 " If a man seduces a virgin who is not engaged to anyone and sleeps with her, he must pay the customary dowry and accept her as his wife. 17 But if her father refuses to let her marry him, the man must still pay the money for her dowry. 18 " A sorceress must not be allowed to live. 19 " Anyone who has sexual relations with an animal must be executed. 20 " Anyone who sacrifices to any god other than the LORD must be destroyed. 21 " Do not oppress foreigners in any way. Remember, you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt. 22 " Do not exploit widows or orphans. 23 If you do and they cry out to me, then I will surely help them. 24 My anger will blaze forth against you, and I will kill you with the sword. Your wives will become widows, and your children will become fatherless. 25 " If you lend money to a fellow Hebrew in need, do not be like a money lender, charging interest. 26 If you take your neighbor's cloak as a pledge of repayment, you must return it by nightfall. 27 Your neighbor will need it to stay warm during the night. If you do not return it and your neighbor cries out to me for help, then I will hear, for I am very merciful. 28 " Do not blaspheme God or curse anyone who rules over you. 29 " Do not hold anything back when you give me the tithe of your crops and your wine. " You must make the necessary payment for redemption of your firstborn sons. 30 " You must also give me the firstborn of your cattle and sheep. Leave the newborn animal with its mother for seven days; then give it to me on the eighth day. 31 " You are my own holy people. Therefore, do not eat any animal that has been attacked and killed by a wild animal. Throw its carcass out for the dogs to eat.23:1 " DO not pass along false reports. Do not cooperate with evil people by telling lies on the witness stand. 2 " Do not join a crowd that intends to do evil. When you are on the witness stand, do not be swayed in your testimony by the opinion of the majority. 3 And do not slant your testimony in favor of a person just because that person is poor. 4 " If you come upon your enemy's ox or donkey that has strayed away, take it back to its owner. 5 If you see the donkey of someone who hates you struggling beneath a heavy load, do not walk by. Instead, stop and offer to help. 6 " Do not twist justice against people simply because they are poor. 7 " Keep far away from falsely charging anyone with evil. Never put an innocent or honest person to death. I will not allow anyone guilty of this to go free. 8 " Take no bribes, for a bribe makes you ignore something that you clearly see. A bribe always hurts the cause of the person who is in the right. 9 " Do not oppress the foreigners living among you. You know what it is like to be a foreigner. Remember your own experience in the land of Egypt. 10 " Plant and harvest your crops for six years, 11 but let the land rest and lie fallow during the seventh year. Then let the poor among you harvest any volunteer crop that may come up. Leave the rest for the animals to eat. The same applies to your vineyards and olive groves. 12 " Work for six days, and rest on the seventh. This will give your ox and your donkey a chance to rest. It will also allow the people of your household, including your slaves and visitors, to be refreshed. 13 " Be sure to obey all my instructions. And remember, never pray to or swear by any other gods. Do not even mention their names."

MATTHEW 24:1-28
As Jesus was leaving the Temple grounds, his disciples pointed out to him the various Temple buildings. 2 But he told them, " Do you see all these buildings? I assure you, they will be so completely demolished that not one stone will be left on top of another!" 3 Later, Jesus sat on the slopes of the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him privately and asked, " When will all this take place? And will there be any sign ahead of time to signal your return and the end of the world?"4 Jesus told them, " Don't let anyone mislead you. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, ` I am the Messiah.' They will lead many astray. 6 And wars will break out near and far, but don't panic. Yes, these things must come, but the end won't follow immediately. 7 The nations and kingdoms will proclaim war against each other, and there will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. 8 But all this will be only the beginning of the horrors to come. 9 " Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because of your allegiance to me. 10 And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. 11 And many false prophets will appear and will lead many people astray. 12 Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. 13 But those who endure to the end will be saved. 14 And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then, finally, the end will come. 15 " The time will come when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about: the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing in the Holy Place"--reader, pay attention! 16 " Then those in Judea must flee to the hills. 17 A person outside the house must not go inside to pack. 18 A person in the field must not return even to get a coat. 19 How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for mothers nursing their babies in those days. 20 And pray that your flight will not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For that will be a time of greater horror than anything the world has ever seen or will ever see again. 22 In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, the entire human race will be destroyed. But it will be shortened for the sake of God's chosen ones. 23 " Then if anyone tells you, ` Look, here is the Messiah,' or ` There he is,' don't pay any attention. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great miraculous signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God's chosen ones. 25 See, I have warned you. 26 " So if someone tells you, ` Look, the Messiah is out in the desert,' don't bother to go and look. Or, ` Look, he is hiding here,' don't believe it! 27 For as the lightning lights up the entire sky, so it will be when the Son of Man comes. 28 Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near."

PSALM 29:1-11
A psalm of David.
1 Give honor to the LORD, you angels;
give honor to the LORD for his glory and strength.
2 Give honor to the LORD for the glory of his name.
Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.
3 The voice of the LORD echoes above the sea.
The God of glory thunders.
The LORD thunders over the mighty sea.
4 The voice of the LORD is powerful;
the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.
5 The voice of the LORD splits the mighty cedars;
the LORD shatters the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon's mountains skip like a calf
and Mount Hermon to leap like a young bull.
7 The voice of the LORD strikes with lightning bolts.
8 The voice of the LORD makes the desert quake;
the LORD shakes the desert of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the LORD twists mighty oaks
and strips the forests bare.
In his Temple everyone shouts, " Glory!"
10 The LORD rules over the floodwaters.
The LORD reigns as king forever.
11 The LORD gives his people strength.
The LORD blesses them with peace.

PROVERBS 7:6-23

I was looking out the window of my house one day and saw a simpleminded young man who lacked common sense. He was crossing the street near the house of an immoral woman. He was strolling down the path by her house at twilight, as the day was fading, as the dark of night set in. The woman approached him, dressed seductively and sly of heart. She was the brash, rebellious type who never stays at home. She is often seen in the streets and markets, soliciting at every corner. She threw her arms around him and kissed him, and with a brazen look she said, " I've offered my sacrifices and just finished my vows. It's you I was looking for! I came out to find you, and here you are! My bed is spread with colored sheets of finest linen imported from Egypt. I've perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come, let's drink our fill of love until morning. Let's enjoy each other's caresses, for my husband is not home. He's away on a long trip. He has taken a wallet full of money with him, and he won't return until later in the month." So she seduced him with her pretty speech. With her flattery she enticed him. He followed her at once, like an ox going to the slaughter or like a trapped stag, awaiting the arrow that would pierce its heart. He was like a bird flying into a snare, little knowing it would cost him his life.