March 5 Reading through the Bible

 

NUMBERS 4:1-5:31
MARK 12:18-37
PSALM 48:1-14
PROVERBS 10:26

NUMBERS 4:1-5:31
Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 2 " Take a census of the clans and families of the Kohathite division of the Levite tribe. 3 Count all the men between the ages of thirty and fifty who qualify to work in the Tabernacle. 4 " The duties of the Kohathites at the Tabernacle will relate to the most sacred objects. 5 When the camp moves, Aaron and his sons must enter the Tabernacle first to take down the inner curtain and cover the Ark of the Covenant with it. 6 Then they must cover the inner curtain with fine goatskin leather, and the goatskin leather with a dark blue cloth. Finally, they must put the carrying poles of the Ark in place. 7 " Next they must spread a blue cloth over the table, where the Bread of the Presence is displayed, and place the dishes, spoons, bowls, cups, and the special bread on the cloth. 8 They must spread a scarlet cloth over that, and finally a covering of fine goatskin leather on top of the scarlet cloth. Then they must insert the carrying poles into the table. 9 " Next they must cover the lampstand with a dark blue cloth, along with its lamps, lamp snuffers, trays, and special jars of olive oil. 10 The lampstand with its utensils must then be covered with fine goatskin leather, and the bundle must be placed on a carrying frame. 11 " Aaron and his sons must also spread a dark blue cloth over the gold altar and cover this cloth with a covering of fine goatskin leather. Then they are to attach the carrying poles to the altar. 12 All the remaining utensils of the sanctuary must be wrapped in a dark blue cloth, covered with fine goatskin leather, and placed on the carrying frame. 13 " The ashes must be removed from the altar, and the altar must then be covered with a purple cloth. 14 All the altar utensils--the firepans, hooks, shovels, basins, and all the containers--are to be placed on the cloth, and a covering of fine goatskin leather must be spread over them. Finally, the carrying poles must be put in place. 15 When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the sacred utensils, the Kohathites will come and carry these things to the next destination. But they must not touch the sacred objects, or they will die. So these are the objects of the Tabernacle that the Kohathites must carry. 16 " Eleazar son of Aaron the priest will be responsible for the oil of the lampstand, the fragrant incense, the daily grain offering, and the anointing oil. In fact, the supervision of the entire Tabernacle and everything in it will be Eleazar's responsibility." 17 Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 18 " Don't let the Kohathite clans be destroyed from among the Levites! 19 This is what you must do so they will live and not die when they approach the most sacred objects. Aaron and his sons must always go in with them and assign a specific duty or load to each person. 20 Otherwise they must not approach the sanctuary and look at the sacred objects for even a moment, or they will die." 21 And the LORD said to Moses, 22 " Take a census of the clans and families of the Gershonite division of the tribe of Levi. 23 Count all the men between the ages of thirty and fifty who are eligible to serve in the Tabernacle. 24 " The duties of the Gershonites will be in the areas of general service and carrying loads. 25 They must carry the curtains of the Tabernacle, the Tabernacle itself with its coverings, the outer covering of fine goatskin leather, and the curtain for the Tabernacle entrance. 26 They are also to carry the curtains for the courtyard walls that surround the Tabernacle and altar, the curtain across the courtyard entrance, the necessary cords, and all the altar's accessories. The Gershonites are responsible for transporting all these items. 27 Aaron and his sons will direct the Gershonites regarding their duties, whether it involves moving or doing other work. They must assign the Gershonites the loads they are to carry. 28 So these are the duties assigned to the Gershonites at the Tabernacle. They will be directly responsible to Ithamar son of Aaron the priest. 29 " Now take a census of the clans and families of the Merarite division of the Levite tribe. 30 Count all the men between the ages of thirty and fifty who are eligible to serve in the Tabernacle. 31 " Their duties at the Tabernacle will consist of carrying loads. They will be required to carry the frames of the Tabernacle, the crossbars, the pillars with their bases, 32 the posts for the courtyard walls with their bases, pegs, cords, accessories, and everything else related to their use. You must assign the various loads to each man by name. 33 So these are the duties of the Merarites at the Tabernacle. They are directly responsible to Ithamar son of Aaron the priest." 34 So Moses, Aaron, and the other leaders of the community counted the Kohathite division by its clans and families. 35 The count included all the men between thirty and fifty years of age who were eligible for service in the Tabernacle, 36 and the total number came to 2,750. 37 So this was the total of all those from the Kohathite clans who were eligible to serve at the Tabernacle. Moses and Aaron counted them, just as the LORD had commanded through Moses. 38 The Gershonite division was also counted by its clans and families. 39 The count included all the men between thirty and fifty years of age who were eligible for service in the Tabernacle, 40 and the total number came to 2,630. 41 So this was the total of all those from the Gershonite clans who were eligible to serve at the Tabernacle. Moses and Aaron counted them, just as the LORD had commanded. 42 The Merarite division was also counted by its clans and families. 43 The count included all the men between thirty and fifty years of age who were eligible for service in the Tabernacle, 44 and the total number came to 3,200. 45 So this was the total of all those from the Merarite clans who were eligible for service. Moses and Aaron counted them, just as the LORD had commanded through Moses. 46 So Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of Israel counted all the Levites by their clans and families. 47 All the men between thirty and fifty years of age who were eligible for service in the Tabernacle and for its transportation 48 numbered 8,580. 49 Each man was assigned his task and told what to carry, just as the LORD had commanded through Moses. And so the census was completed, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.5:1 THE LORD gave these instructions to Moses: 2 " Command the people of Israel to remove anyone from the camp who has a contagious skin disease or a discharge, or who has been defiled by touching a dead person. 3 This applies to men and women alike. Remove them so they will not defile the camp, where I live among you." 4 So the Israelites did just as the LORD had commanded Moses and removed such people from the camp. 5 Then the LORD said to Moses, 6 " Give these instructions to the people of Israel: If any of the people--men or women--betray the LORD by doing wrong to another person, they are guilty. 7 They must confess their sin and make full restitution for what they have done, adding a penalty of 20 percent and returning it to the person who was wronged. 8 But if the person who was wronged is dead, and there are no near relatives to whom restitution can be made, it belongs to the LORD and must be given to the priest, along with a ram for atonement. 9 All the sacred gifts that the Israelites bring to a priest will belong to him. 10 Each priest may keep the sacred donations that he receives." 11 And the LORD said to Moses, 12 " Say to the people of Israel: ` Suppose a man's wife goes astray and is unfaithful to her husband. 13 Suppose she sleeps with another man, but there is no witness since she was not caught in the act. 14 If her husband becomes jealous and suspicious of his wife, even if she has not defiled herself, 15 the husband must bring his wife to the priest with an offering of two quarts of barley flour to be presented on her behalf. Do not mix it with olive oil or frankincense, for it is a jealousy offering--an offering of inquiry to find out if she is guilty. 16 " ` The priest must then present her before the LORD. 17 He must take some holy water in a clay jar and mix it with dust from the Tabernacle floor. 18 When he has presented her before the LORD, he must unbind her hair and place the offering of inquiry--the jealousy offering--in her hands to determine whether or not her husband's suspicions are justified. The priest will stand before her, holding the jar of bitter water that brings a curse to those who are guilty. 19 The priest will put the woman under oath and say to her, " If no other man has slept with you, and you have not defiled yourself by being unfaithful, may you be immune from the effects of this bitter water that causes the curse. 20 But if you have gone astray while under your husband's authority and defiled yourself by sleeping with another man"--21 at this point the priest must put the woman under this oath--" then may the people see that the LORD's curse is upon you when he makes you infertile. 22 Now may this water that brings the curse enter your body and make you infertile." And the woman will be required to say, " Yes, let it be so." 23 Then the priest will write these curses on a piece of leather and wash them off into the bitter water. 24 He will then make the woman drink the bitter water, so it may bring on the curse and cause bitter suffering in cases of guilt. 25 " ` Then the priest will take the jealousy offering from the woman's hand, lift it up before the LORD, and carry it to the altar. 26 He will take a handful as a token portion and burn it on the altar. Then he will require the woman to drink the water. 27 If she has defiled herself by being unfaithful to her husband, the water that brings the curse will cause bitter suffering. She will become infertile, and her name will become a curse word among her people. 28 But if she has not defiled herself and is pure, she will be unharmed and will still be able to have children.29 " ` This is the ritual law for dealing with jealousy. If a woman defiles herself by being unfaithful to her husband, 30 or if a man is overcome with jealousy and suspicion that his wife has been unfaithful, the husband must present his wife before the LORD, and the priest will apply this entire ritual law to her. 31 The husband will be innocent of any guilt in this matter, but his wife will be held accountable for her sin.' "

MARK 12:18-37
Then the Sadducees stepped forward--a group of Jews who say there is no resurrection after death. They posed this question: 19 " Teacher, Moses gave us a law that if a man dies, leaving a wife without children, his brother should marry the widow and have a child who will be the brother's heir.* 20 Well, there were seven brothers. The oldest of them married and then died without children. 21 So the second brother married the widow, but soon he too died and left no children. Then the next brother married her and died without children. 22 This continued until all the brothers had married her and died, and still there were no children. Last of all, the woman died, too. 23 So tell us, whose wife will she be in the resurrection? For all seven were married to her." 24 Jesus replied, " Your problem is that you don't know the Scriptures, and you don't know the power of God. 25 For when the dead rise, they won't be married. They will be like the angels in heaven. 26 But now, as to whether the dead will be raised--haven't you ever read about this in the writings of Moses, in the story of the burning bush? Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, God said to Moses, ` I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' 27 So he is the God of the living, not the dead. You have made a serious error." 28 One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to the discussion. He realized that Jesus had answered well, so he asked, " Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" 29 Jesus replied, " The most important commandment is this: ` Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. 30 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.' 31 The second is equally important: ` Love your neighbor as yourself.' No other commandment is greater than these." 32 The teacher of religious law replied, " Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth by saying that there is only one God and no other. 33 And I know it is important to love him with all my heart and all my understanding and all my strength, and to love my neighbors as myself. This is more important than to offer all of the burnt offerings and sacrifices required in the law."34 Realizing this man's understanding, Jesus said to him, " You are not far from the Kingdom of God." And after that, no one dared to ask him any more questions. 35 Later, as Jesus was teaching the people in the Temple, he asked, " Why do the teachers of religious law claim that the Messiah will be the son of David? 36 For David himself, speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, said, ` The LORD said to my Lord,
Sit in honor at my right hand
until I humble your enemies beneath your feet.'
37 Since David himself called him Lord, how can he be his son at the same time?" And the crowd listened to him with great interest.

PSALM 48:1-14
A psalm of the descendants of Korah.A song.
1 How great is the LORD,
and how much we should praise him
in the city of our God,
which is on his holy mountain!
2 It is magnificent in elevation--
the whole earth rejoices to see it!
Mount Zion, the holy mountain,
is the city of the great King!
3 God himself is in Jerusalem's towers.
He reveals himself as her defender.
4 The kings of the earth joined forces
and advanced against the city.
5 But when they saw it, they were stunned;
they were terrified and ran away.
6 They were gripped with terror,
like a woman writhing in the pain of childbirth
7 or like the mighty ships of Tarshish
being shattered by a powerful east wind.
8 We had heard of the city's glory,
but now we have seen it ourselves--
the city of the LORD Almighty.
It is the city of our God;
he will make it safe forever.
Interlude9 O God, we meditate on your unfailing love
as we worship in your Temple.
10 As your name deserves, O God,
you will be praised to the ends of the earth.
Your strong right hand is filled with victory.
11 Let the people on Mount Zion rejoice.
Let the towns of Judah be glad,
for your judgments are just.
12 Go, inspect the city of Jerusalem.
Walk around and count the many towers.
13 Take note of the fortified walls,
and tour all the citadels,
that you may describe them
to future generations.
14 For that is what God is like.
He is our God forever and ever,
and he will be our guide until we die.

PROVERBS 10:26
Lazy people are a pain to their employer. They are like smoke in the eyes or vinegar that sets the teeth on edge.

March 4 Reading through the Bible

 

NUMBERS 2:1-3:51
MARK 11:27-12:17
PSALM 47:1-9
PROVERBS 10:24-25

NUMBERS 2:1-3:51
Then the LORD gave these instructions to Moses and Aaron: 2 " Each tribe will be assigned its own area in the camp, and the various groups will camp beneath their family banners. The Tabernacle will be located at the center of these tribal compounds. 3-4 " The divisions of Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun are to camp toward the sunrise on the east side of the Tabernacle, beneath their family banners. These are the names of the tribes, their leaders, and the number of their available troops: Tribe Leader Number Judah Nahshon son of Amminadab 74,600 5-6 Issachar Nethanel son of Zuar 54,400 7-8 Zebulun Eliab son of Helon 57,4009 So the total of all the troops on Judah's side of the camp is 186,400. These three tribes are to lead the way whenever the Israelites travel to a new campsite. 10-11 " The divisions of Reuben, Simeon, and Gad are to camp on the south side of the Tabernacle, beneath their family banners. These are the names of the tribes, their leaders, and the number of their available troops: Tribe Leader Number Reuben Elizur son of Shedeur 46,500 12-13 Simeon Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai 59,300 14-15 Gad Eliasaph son of Deuel 45,65016 So the total of all the troops on Reuben's side of the camp is 151,450. These three tribes will be second in line whenever the Israelites travel. 17 " Then the Levites will set out from the middle of the camp with the Tabernacle. All the tribes are to travel in the same order that they camp, each in position under the appropriate family banner. 18-19 " The divisions of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin are to camp on the west side of the Tabernacle, beneath their family banners. These are the names of the tribes, their leaders, and the number of their available troops: Tribe Leader Number Ephraim Elishama son of Ammihud 40,500 20-21 Manasseh Gamaliel son of Pedahzur 32,200 22-23 Benjamin Abidan son of Gideoni 35,40024 So the total of all the troops on Ephraim's side of the camp is 108,100, and they will follow the Levites in the line of march. 25-26 " The divisions of Dan, Asher, and Naphtali are to camp on the north side of the Tabernacle, beneath their family banners. These are the names of the tribes, their leaders, and the number of their available troops: Tribe Leader Number Dan Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai 62,700 27-28 Asher Pagiel son of Ocran 41,500 29-30 Naphtali Ahira son of Enan 53,40031 So the total of all the troops on Dan's side of the camp is 157,600. They are to bring up the rear whenever the Israelites move to a new campsite." 32 In summary, the troops of Israel listed by their families totaled 603,550. 33 The Levites were exempted from this census by the LORD's command to Moses. 34 So the people of Israel did everything just as the LORD had commanded Moses. Each clan and family set up camp and marched under their banners exactly as the LORD had instructed them.3:1 THIS is the family line of Aaron and Moses as it was recorded when the LORD spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai: 2 Aaron's sons were Nadab (the firstborn), Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 3 They were anointed and set apart to minister as priests. 4 But Nadab and Abihu died in the LORD's presence in the wilderness of Sinai when they burned before the LORD a different kind of fire than he had commanded. Since they had no sons, this left only Eleazar and Ithamar to serve as priests with their father, Aaron. 5 Then the LORD said to Moses, 6 " Call forward the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron the priest as his assistants. 7 They will serve Aaron and the whole community, performing their sacred duties in and around the Tabernacle. 8 They will also maintain all the furnishings of the sacred tent, serving in the Tabernacle on behalf of all the Israelites. 9 Assign the Levites to Aaron and his sons as their assistants. 10 Appoint Aaron and his sons to carry out the duties of the priesthood. Anyone else who comes too near the sanctuary must be executed!" 11 And the LORD said to Moses, 12 " I have chosen the Levites from among the Israelites as substitutes for all the firstborn sons of the people of Israel. The Levites are mine 13 because all the firstborn sons are mine. From the day I killed all the firstborn sons of the Egyptians, I set apart for myself all the firstborn in Israel of both men and animals. They are mine; I am the LORD." 14 The LORD spoke again to Moses, there in the wilderness of Sinai. He said, 15 " Take a census of the tribe of Levi by its families and clans. Count every male who is one month old or older." 16 So Moses counted them, just as the LORD had commanded. 17 Levi had three sons, who were named Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 18 The clans descended from Gershon were named for two of his descendants, Libni and Shimei. 19 The clans descended from Kohath were named for four of his descendants, Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 20 The clans descended from Merari were named for two of his descendants, Mahli and Mushi.These were the Levite clans, listed according to their family groups. 21 The descendants of Gershon were composed of the clans descended from Libni and Shimei. 22 There were 7,500 males one month old or older among these Gershonite clans. 23 They were assigned the area to the west of the Tabernacle for their camp. 24 The leader of the Gershonite clans was Eliasaph son of Lael. 25 These two clans were responsible to care for the tent of the Tabernacle with its layers of coverings, its entry curtains, 26 the curtains of the courtyard that surrounded the Tabernacle and altar, the curtain at the courtyard entrance, the cords, and all the equipment related to their use. 27 The descendants of Kohath were composed of the clans descended from Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 28 There were 8,600 males one month old or older among these Kohathite clans. They were responsible for the care of the sanctuary. 29 They were assigned the area south of the Tabernacle for their camp. 30 The leader of the Kohathite clans was Elizaphan son of Uzziel. 31 These four clans were responsible for the care of the Ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the various utensils used in the sanctuary, the inner curtain, and all the equipment related to their use. 32 Eleazar the priest, Aaron's son, was the chief administrator over all the Levites, with special responsibility for the oversight of the sanctuary. 33 The descendants of Merari were composed of the clans descended from Mahli and Mushi. 34 There were 6,200 males one month old or older among these Merarite clans. 35 They were assigned the area north of the Tabernacle for their camp. The leader of the Merarite clans was Zuriel son of Abihail. 36 These two clans were responsible for the care of the frames supporting the Tabernacle, the crossbars, the pillars, the bases, and all the equipment related to their use. 37 They were also responsible for the posts of the courtyard and all their bases, pegs, and cords. 38 The area in front of the Tabernacle in the east toward the sunrise was reserved for the tents of Moses and of Aaron and his sons, who had the final responsibility for the sanctuary on behalf of the people of Israel. Anyone other than a priest or Levite who came too near the sanctuary was to be executed. 39 So among the Levite clans counted by Moses and Aaron at the LORD's command, there were 22,000 males one month old or older. 40 Then the LORD said to Moses, " Now count all the firstborn sons in Israel who are one month old or older, and register each name. 41 The Levites will be reserved for me as substitutes for the firstborn sons of Israel; I am the LORD. And the Levites' livestock are mine as substitutes for the firstborn livestock of the whole nation of Israel." 42 So Moses counted the firstborn sons of the people of Israel, just as the LORD had commanded. 43 The total number of firstborn sons who were one month old or older was 22,273. 44 Now the LORD said to Moses, 45 " Take the Levites in place of the firstborn sons of the people of Israel. And take the livestock of the Levites as substitutes for the firstborn livestock of the people of Israel. The Levites will be mine; I am the LORD. 46 To redeem the 273 firstborn sons of Israel who are in excess of the number of Levites, 47 collect five pieces of silver for each person, each piece weighing the same as the standard sanctuary shekel. 48 Give the silver to Aaron and his sons as the redemption price for the extra firstborn sons." 49 So Moses collected redemption money for the firstborn sons of Israel who exceeded the number of Levites. 50 The silver collected on behalf of these firstborn sons of Israel came to about thirty-four pounds in weight. 51 And Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons as the LORD had commanded.

MARK 11:27-12:17
By this time they [Jesus and his disciples] had arrived in Jerusalem again. As Jesus was walking through the Temple area, the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the other leaders came up to him. They demanded, 28 " By whose authority did you drive out the merchants from the Temple? Who gave you such authority?" 29 " I'll tell who gave me authority to do these things if you answer one question," Jesus replied. 30 " Did John's baptism come from heaven or was it merely human? Answer me!" 31 They talked it over among themselves. " If we say it was from heaven, he will ask why we didn't believe him. 32 But do we dare say it was merely human?" For they were afraid that the people would start a riot, since everyone thought that John was a prophet. 33 So they finally replied, " We don't know." And Jesus responded, " Then I won't answer your question either."12:1 THEN Jesus began telling them stories: " A man planted a vineyard, built a wall around it, dug a pit for pressing out the grape juice, and built a lookout tower. Then he leased the vineyard to tenant farmers and moved to another country. 2 At grape-picking time he sent one of his servants to collect his share of the crop. 3 But the farmers grabbed the servant, beat him up, and sent him back empty-handed. 4 " The owner then sent another servant, but they beat him over the head and treated him shamefully. 5 The next servant he sent was killed. Others who were sent were either beaten or killed, 6 until there was only one left--his son whom he loved dearly. The owner finally sent him, thinking, ` Surely they will respect my son.' 7 " But the farmers said to one another, ` Here comes the heir to this estate. Let's kill him and get the estate for ourselves!' 8 So they grabbed him and murdered him and threw his body out of the vineyard.9 " What do you suppose the owner of the vineyard will do?" Jesus asked. " I'll tell you--he will come and kill them all and lease the vineyard to others. 10 Didn't you ever read this in the Scriptures? ` The stone rejected by the builders
has now become the cornerstone.
11 This is the Lord's doing,
and it is marvelous to see.'"
12 The Jewish leaders wanted to arrest him for using this illustration because they realized he was pointing at them--they were the wicked farmers in his story. But they were afraid to touch him because of the crowds. So they left him and went away. 13 The leaders sent some Pharisees and supporters of Herod to try to trap Jesus into saying something for which he could be arrested. 14 " Teacher," these men said, " we know how honest you are. You are impartial and don't play favorites. You sincerely teach the ways of God. Now tell us--is it right to pay taxes to the Roman government or not? 15 Should we pay them, or should we not?" Jesus saw through their hypocrisy and said, " Whom are you trying to fool with your trick questions? Show me a Roman coin, and I'll tell you." 16 When they handed it to him, he asked, " Whose picture and title are stamped on it?" " Caesar's," they replied. 17 " Well, then," Jesus said, " give to Caesar what belongs to him. But everything that belongs to God must be given to God." This reply completely amazed them.

PSALM 47:1-9
For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah.
1 Come, everyone, and clap your hands for joy!
Shout to God with joyful praise!
2 For the LORD Most High is awesome.
He is the great King of all the earth.
3 He subdues the nations before us,
putting our enemies beneath our feet.
4 He chose the Promised Land as our inheritance,
the proud possession of Jacob's descendants, whom he loves.
Interlude5 God has ascended with a mighty shout.
The LORD has ascended with trumpets blaring.
6 Sing praise to God, sing praises;
sing praise to our King, sing praises!
7 For God is the King over all the earth.
Praise him with a psalm!
8 God reigns above the nations,
sitting on his holy throne.
9 The rulers of the world have gathered together.
They join us in praising the God of Abraham.
For all the kings of the earth belong to God.
He is highly honored everywhere.

PROVERBS 10:24-25
The fears of the wicked will all come true; so will the hopes of the godly. Disaster strikes like a cyclone, whirling the wicked away, but the godly have a lasting foundation.

March 3 Reading through the Bible

 

LEVITICUS 27:14--NUMBERS 1:54
MARK 11:1-26
PSALM 46:1-11
PROVERBS 10:23

LEVITICUS 27:14--NUMBERS 1:54
" If you dedicate a house to the LORD, the priest must come to assess its value. The priest's assessment will be final. 15 If you wish to redeem the house, you must pay the value set by the priest, plus 20 percent. Then the house will again belong to you. 16 " If you dedicate to the LORD a piece of your ancestral property, its value will be assessed by the amount of seed required to plant it--fifty pieces of silver for an area that produces five bushels of barley seed. 17 If the field is dedicated to the LORD in the Year of Jubilee, then the entire assessment will apply. 18 But if the field is dedicated after the Year of Jubilee, the priest must assess the land's value in proportion to the years left until the next Year of Jubilee. 19 If you decide to redeem the dedicated field, you must pay the land's value as assessed by the priest, plus 20 percent. Then the field will again belong to you. 20 But if you decide not to redeem the field, or if the field is sold to someone else by the priests, it can never be redeemed. 21 When the field is released in the Year of Jubilee, it will be holy, a field specially set apart for the LORD. It will become the property of the priests. 22 " If you dedicate to the LORD a field that you have purchased but which is not part of your ancestral property, 23 the priest must assess its value based on the years until the next Year of Jubilee. You must then give the assessed value of the land as a sacred donation to the LORD. 24 In the Year of Jubilee the field will be released to the original owner from whom you purchased it. 25 All the value assessments must be measured in terms of the standard sanctuary shekel.26 " You may not dedicate to the LORD the firstborn of your cattle or sheep because the firstborn of these animals already belong to him. 27 However, if it is the firstborn of a ceremonially unclean animal, you may redeem it by paying the priest's assessment of its worth, plus 20 percent. If you do not redeem it, the priest may sell it to someone else for its assessed value. 28 " However, anything specially set apart by the LORD--whether a person, an animal, or an inherited field--must never be sold or redeemed. Anything devoted in this way has been set apart for the LORD as holy. 29 A person specially set apart by the LORD for destruction cannot be redeemed. Such a person must be put to death.30 " A tenth of the produce of the land, whether grain or fruit, belongs to the LORD and must be set apart to him as holy. 31 If you want to redeem the LORD's tenth of the fruit or grain, you must pay its value, plus 20 percent. 32 The LORD also owns every tenth animal counted off from your herds and flocks. They are set apart to him as holy. 33 The tenth animal must not be selected on the basis of whether it is good or bad, and no substitutions will be allowed. If any exchange is in fact made, then both the original animal and the substituted one will be considered holy and cannot be redeemed." 34 These are the commands that the LORD gave to the Israelites through Moses on Mount Sinai.1:1 ONE day in midspring, during the second year after Israel's departure from Egypt, the LORD spoke to Moses in the Tabernacle in the wilderness of Sinai. He said, 2 " Take a census of the whole community of Israel by their clans and families. List the names of all the men 3 twenty years old or older who are able to go to war. You and Aaron are to direct the project, 4 assisted by one family leader from each tribe." 5 These are the tribes and the names of the leaders chosen for the task: Tribe Leader Reuben Elizur son of Shedeur 6 Simeon Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai 7 Judah Nahshon son of Amminadab 8 Issachar Nethanel son of Zuar 9 Zebulun Eliab son of Helon 10 Ephraim son of Joseph Elishama son of Ammihud Manasseh son of Joseph Gamaliel son of Pedahzur 11 Benjamin Abidan son of Gideoni 12 Dan Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai 13 Asher Pagiel son of Ocran 14 Gad Eliasaph son of Deuel 15 Naphtali Ahira son of Enan16 These tribal leaders, heads of their own families, were chosen from among all the people. 17 Now Moses and Aaron and the chosen leaders 18 called together the whole community of Israel on that very day. All the people were registered according to their ancestry by their clans and families. The men of Israel twenty years old or older were registered, one by one, 19 just as the LORD had commanded Moses. So Moses counted the people there in the wilderness of Sinai. 20-21 This is the number of men twenty years old or older who were able to go to war, each listed according to his own clan and family: Tribe Number Reuben (Jacob's oldest son) 46,500 22-23 Simeon 59,300 24-25 Gad 45,650 26-27 Judah 74,600 28-29 Issachar 54,400 30-31 Zebulun 57,400 32-33 Ephraim son of Joseph 40,500 34-35 Manasseh son of Joseph 32,200 36-37 Benjamin 35,400 38-39 Dan 62,700 40-41 Asher 41,500 42-43 Naphtali 53,40044 These were the men counted by Moses and Aaron and the twelve leaders of Israel, all listed according to their ancestral descent. 45 They were counted by families--all the men of Israel who were twenty years old or older and able to go to war. 46 The total number was 603,550. 47 But this total did not include the Levites. 48 For the LORD had said to Moses, 49 " Exempt the tribe of Levi from the census; do not include them when you count the rest of the Israelites. 50 You must put the Levites in charge of the Tabernacle of the Covenant, along with its furnishings and equipment. They must carry the Tabernacle and its equipment as you travel, and they must care for it and camp around it. 51 Whenever the Tabernacle is moved, the Levites will take it down and set it up again. Anyone else who goes too near the Tabernacle will be executed. 52 Each tribe of Israel will have a designated camping area with its own family banner. 53 But the Levites will camp around the Tabernacle of the Covenant to offer the people of Israel protection from the LORD's fierce anger. The Levites are responsible to stand guard around the Tabernacle." 54 So the Israelites did everything just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

MARK 11:1-26
As Jesus and his disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany, on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead. 2 " Go into that village over there," he told them, " and as soon as you enter it, you will see a colt tied there that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 3 If anyone asks what you are doing, just say, ` The Lord needs it and will return it soon.' " 4 The two disciples left and found the colt standing in the street, tied outside a house. 5 As they were untying it, some bystanders demanded, " What are you doing, untying that colt?" 6 They said what Jesus had told them to say, and they were permitted to take it. 7 Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it, and he sat on it. 8 Many in the crowd spread their coats on the road ahead of Jesus, and others cut leafy branches in the fields and spread them along the way. 9 He was in the center of the procession, and the crowds all around him were shouting, " Praise God!
Bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
10 Bless the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!
Praise God in highest heaven!"
11 So Jesus came to Jerusalem and went into the Temple. He looked around carefully at everything, and then he left because it was late in the afternoon. Then he went out to Bethany with the twelve disciples. 12 The next morning as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus felt hungry. 13 He noticed a fig tree a little way off that was in full leaf, so he went over to see if he could find any figs on it. But there were only leaves because it was too early in the season for fruit. 14 Then Jesus said to the tree, " May no one ever eat your fruit again!" And the disciples heard him say it.15 When they arrived back in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the merchants and their customers. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the stalls of those selling doves, 16 and he stopped everyone from bringing in merchandise. 17 He taught them, " The Scriptures declare, ` My Temple will be called a place of prayer for all nations,' but you have turned it into a den of thieves." 18 When the leading priests and teachers of religious law heard what Jesus had done, they began planning how to kill him. But they were afraid of him because the people were so enthusiastic about Jesus' teaching. 19 That evening Jesus and the disciples left the city. 20 The next morning as they passed by the fig tree he had cursed, the disciples noticed it was withered from the roots. 21 Peter remembered what Jesus had said to the tree on the previous day and exclaimed, " Look, Teacher! The fig tree you cursed has withered!" 22 Then Jesus said to the disciples, " Have faith in God. 23 I assure you that you can say to this mountain, ` May God lift you up and throw you into the sea,' and your command will be obeyed. All that's required is that you really believe and do not doubt in your heart. 24 Listen to me! You can pray for anything, and if you believe, you will have it. 25 But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too."

PSALM 46:1-11
For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah, to be sung by soprano voices. A song.
1 God is our refuge and strength,
always ready to help in times of trouble.
2 So we will not fear, even if earthquakes come
and the mountains crumble into the sea.
3 Let the oceans roar and foam.
Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!
Interlude4 A river brings joy to the city of our God,
the sacred home of the Most High.
5 God himself lives in that city; it cannot be destroyed.
God will protect it at the break of day.
6 The nations are in an uproar,
and kingdoms crumble!
God thunders,
and the earth melts!
7 The LORD Almighty is here among us;
the God of Israel is our fortress.
Interlude8 Come, see the glorious works of the LORD:
See how he brings destruction upon the world
9 and causes wars to end throughout the earth.
He breaks the bow and snaps the spear in two;
he burns the shields with fire.
10 " Be silent, and know that I am God!
I will be honored by every nation.
I will be honored throughout the world."
11 The LORD Almighty is here among us;
the God of Israel is our fortress.
Interlude

PROVERBS 10:23
Doing wrong is fun for a fool, while wise conduct is a pleasure to the wise.

March 2 Reading through the Bible

LEVITICUS 25:47-27:13
MARK 10:32-52
PSALM 45:1-17
PROVERBS 10:22

LEVITICUS 25:47-27:13
" If a resident foreigner becomes rich, and if some of your Israelite relatives go bankrupt and sell themselves to such a foreigner, 48 they still retain the right of redemption. They may be bought back by a close relative--49 an uncle, a nephew, or anyone else who is closely related. They may also redeem themselves if they can get the money. 50 The price of their freedom will be based on the number of years left until the next Year of Jubilee--whatever it would cost to hire a servant for that number of years. 51 If many years still remain, they will repay most of what they received when they sold themselves. 52 If only a few years remain until the Year of Jubilee, then they will repay a relatively small amount for their redemption. 53 The foreigner must treat them as servants hired on a yearly basis. You must not allow a resident foreigner to treat any of your Israelite relatives ruthlessly. 54 If any Israelites have not been redeemed by the time the Year of Jubilee arrives, then they and their children must be set free at that time. 55 For the people of Israel are my servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt. I, the LORD, am your God. 26:1 " DO not make idols or set up carved images, sacred pillars, or shaped stones to be worshiped in your land. I, the LORD, am your God. 2 You must keep my Sabbath days of rest and show reverence for my sanctuary. I am the LORD. 3 " If you keep my laws and are careful to obey my commands, 4 I will send the seasonal rains. The land will then yield its crops, and the trees will produce their fruit. 5 Your threshing season will extend until the grape harvest, and your grape harvest will extend until it is time to plant grain again. You will eat your fill and live securely in your land. 6 " I will give you peace in the land, and you will be able to sleep without fear. I will remove the wild animals from your land and protect you from your enemies. 7 In fact, you will chase down all your enemies and slaughter them with your swords. 8 Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand! All your enemies will fall beneath the blows of your weapons.9 " I will look favorably upon you and multiply your people and fulfill my covenant with you. 10 You will have such a surplus of crops that you will need to get rid of the leftovers from the previous year to make room for each new harvest. 11 I will live among you, and I will not despise you. 12 I will walk among you; I will be your God, and you will be my people. 13 I, the LORD, am your God, who brought you from the land of Egypt so you would no longer be slaves. I have lifted the yoke of slavery from your neck so you can walk free with your heads held high. 14 " However, if you do not listen to me or obey my commands, 15 and if you break my covenant by rejecting my laws and treating my regulations with contempt, 16 I will punish you. You will suffer from sudden terrors, with wasting diseases, and with burning fevers, causing your eyes to fail and your life to ebb away. You will plant your crops in vain because your enemies will eat them. 17 I will turn against you, and you will be defeated by all your enemies. They will rule over you, and you will run even when no one is chasing you! 18 " And if, in spite of this, you still disobey me, I will punish you for your sins seven times over. 19 I will break down your arrogant spirit by making the skies above as unyielding as iron and the earth beneath as hard as bronze. 20 All your work will be for nothing, for your land will yield no crops, and your trees will bear no fruit. 21 " If even then you remain hostile toward me and refuse to obey, I will inflict you with seven more disasters for your sins. 22 I will release wild animals that will kill your children and destroy your cattle, so your numbers will dwindle and your roads will be deserted. 23 " And if you fail to learn a lesson from this and continue your hostility toward me, 24 then I myself will be hostile toward you, and I will personally strike you seven times over for your sins. 25 I will send armies against you to carry out these covenant threats. If you flee to your cities, I will send a plague to destroy you there, and you will be conquered by your enemies. 26 I will completely destroy your food supply, so the bread from one oven will have to be stretched to feed ten families. They will ration your food by weight, and even if you have food to eat, you will not be satisfied. 27 " If after this you still refuse to listen and still remain hostile toward me, 28 then I will give full vent to my hostility. I will punish you seven times over for your sins. 29 You will eat the flesh of your own sons and daughters. 30 I will destroy your pagan shrines and cut down your incense altars. I will leave your corpses piled up beside your lifeless idols, and I will despise you. 31 I will make your cities desolate and destroy your places of worship, and I will take no pleasure in your offerings of incense. 32 Yes, I myself will devastate your land. Your enemies who come to occupy it will be utterly shocked at the destruction they see. 33 I will scatter you among the nations and attack you with my own weapons. Your land will become desolate, and your cities will lie in ruins. 34 Then at last the land will make up for its missed Sabbath years as it lies desolate during your years of exile in the land of your enemies. Then the land will finally rest and enjoy its Sabbaths. 35 As the land lies in ruins, it will take the rest you never allowed it to take every seventh year while you lived in it. 36 " And for those of you who survive, I will demoralize you in the land of your enemies far away. You will live there in such constant fear that the sound of a leaf driven by the wind will send you fleeing. You will run as though chased by a warrior with a sword, and you will fall even when no one is pursuing you. 37 Yes, though no one is chasing you, you will stumble over each other in flight, as though fleeing in battle. You will have no power to stand before your enemies. 38 You will die among the foreign nations and be devoured in the land of your enemies. 39 Those still left alive will rot away in enemy lands because of their sins and the sins of their ancestors. 40 " But at last my people will confess their sins and the sins of their ancestors for betraying me and being hostile toward me. 41 Finally, when I have given full expression to my hostility and have brought them to the land of their enemies, then at last their disobedient hearts will be humbled, and they will pay for their sins. 42 Then I will remember my covenant with Jacob, with Isaac, and with Abraham, and I will remember the land. 43 And the land will enjoy its years of Sabbath rest as it lies deserted. At last the people will receive the due punishment for their sins, for they rejected my regulations and despised my laws. 44 " But despite all this, I will not utterly reject or despise them while they are in exile in the land of their enemies. I will not cancel my covenant with them by wiping them out. I, the LORD, am their God. 45 I will remember my ancient covenant with their ancestors, whom I brought out of Egypt while all the nations watched. I, the LORD, am their God." 46 These are the laws, regulations, and instructions that the LORD gave to the Israelites through Moses on Mount Sinai.27:1 THE LORD said to Moses, 2 " Give the following instructions to the Israelites: If you make a special vow to dedicate someone to the LORD by paying the value of that person, 3 here is the scale of values to be used. A man between the ages of twenty and sixty is valued at fifty pieces of silver; 4 a woman of that age is valued at thirty pieces of silver. 5 A boy between five and twenty is valued at twenty pieces of silver; a girl of that age is valued at ten pieces of silver. 6 A boy between the ages of one month and five years is valued at five pieces of silver; a girl of that age is valued at three pieces of silver. 7 A man older than sixty is valued at fifteen pieces of silver; a woman older than sixty is valued at ten pieces of silver. 8 If you desire to make such a vow but cannot afford to pay the prescribed amount, go to the priest and he will evaluate your ability to pay. You will then pay the amount decided by the priest. 9 " If your vow involves giving a clean animal--one that is acceptable as an offering to the LORD--then your gift to the LORD will be considered holy. 10 The animal should never be exchanged or substituted for another--neither a good animal for a bad one nor a bad animal for a good one. But if such an exchange is in fact made, then both the original animal and the substitute will be considered holy. 11 But if your vow involves an unclean animal--one that is not acceptable as an offering to the LORD--then you must bring the animal to the priest. 12 He will assess its value, and his assessment will be final. 13 If you want to redeem the animal, you must pay the value set by the priest, plus 20 percent."

MARK 10:32-52
They [the disciples] were now on the way to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. The disciples were filled with dread and the people following behind were overwhelmed with fear. Taking the twelve disciples aside, Jesus once more began to describe everything that was about to happen to him in Jerusalem. 33 " When we get to Jerusalem," he told them, " the Son of Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die and hand him over to the Romans. 34 They will mock him, spit on him, beat him with their whips, and kill him, but after three days he will rise again." 35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came over and spoke to him. " Teacher," they said, " we want you to do us a favor." 36 " What is it?" he asked. 37 " In your glorious Kingdom, we want to sit in places of honor next to you," they said, " one at your right and the other at your left." 38 But Jesus answered, " You don't know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of sorrow I am about to drink? Are you able to be baptized with the baptism of suffering I must be baptized with?" 39 " Oh yes," they said, " we are able!" And Jesus said, " You will indeed drink from my cup and be baptized with my baptism, 40 but I have no right to say who will sit on the thrones next to mine. God has prepared those places for the ones he has chosen." 41 When the ten other disciples discovered what James and John had asked, they were indignant. 42 So Jesus called them together and said, " You know that in this world kings are tyrants, and officials lord it over the people beneath them. 43 But among you it should be quite different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be the slave of all. 45 For even I, the Son of Man, came here not to be served but to serve others, and to give my life as a ransom for many." 46 And so they reached Jericho. Later, as Jesus and his disciples left town, a great crowd was following. A blind beggar named Bartimaeus (son of Timaeus) was sitting beside the road as Jesus was going by. 47 When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus from Nazareth was nearby, he began to shout out, " Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" 48 " Be quiet!" some of the people yelled at him. But he only shouted louder, " Son of David, have mercy on me!" 49 When Jesus heard him, he stopped and said, " Tell him to come here." So they called the blind man. " Cheer up," they said. " Come on, he's calling you!" 50 Bartimaeus threw aside his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus. 51 " What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked. " Teacher," the blind man said, " I want to see!" 52 And Jesus said to him, " Go your way. Your faith has healed you." And instantly the blind man could see! Then he followed Jesus down the road.

PSALM 45:1-17
For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah, to be sung to the tune " Lilies." A love song.
1 My heart overflows with a beautiful thought!
I will recite a lovely poem to the king,
for my tongue is like the pen of a skillful poet.
2 You are the most handsome of all.
Gracious words stream from your lips.
God himself has blessed you forever.
3 Put on your sword, O mighty warrior!
You are so glorious, so majestic!
4 In your majesty, ride out to victory,
defending truth, humility, and justice.
Go forth to perform awe-inspiring deeds!
5 Your arrows are sharp,
piercing your enemies' hearts.
The nations fall before you,
lying down beneath your feet.
6 Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever.
Your royal power is expressed in justice.
7 You love what is right and hate what is wrong.
Therefore God, your God, has anointed you,
pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else.
8 Your robes are perfumed with myrrh, aloes, and cassia.
In palaces decorated with ivory,
you are entertained by the music of harps.
9 Kings' daughters are among your concubines.
At your right side stands the queen,
wearing jewelry of finest gold from Ophir!
10 Listen to me, O royal daughter; take to heart what I say.
Forget your people and your homeland far away.
11 For your royal husband delights in your beauty;
honor him, for he is your lord.
12 The princes of Tyre will shower you with gifts.
People of great wealth will entreat your favor.
13 The bride, a princess, waits within her chamber,
dressed in a gown woven with gold.
14 In her beautiful robes, she is led to the king,
accompanied by her bridesmaids.
15 What a joyful, enthusiastic procession
as they enter the king's palace!
16 Your sons will become kings like their father.
You will make them rulers over many lands.
17 I will bring honor to your name in every generation.
Therefore, the nations will praise you forever and ever.

PROVERBS 10:22

The blessing of the LORD makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it. 

March 1 Reading through the Bible

 

LEVITICUS 24:1-25:46
MARK 10:13-31
PSALM 44:9-26
PROVERBS 10:20-21

LEVITICUS 24:1-25:46
The LORD said to Moses, 2 " Command the people of Israel to provide you with pure olive oil for the lampstand, so it can be kept burning continually. 3 Aaron will set it up outside the inner curtain of the Most Holy Place in the Tabernacle and must arrange to have the lamps tended continually, from evening until morning, before the LORD. This is a permanent law for you, and it must be kept by all future generations. 4 The lamps on the pure gold lampstand must be tended continually in the LORD's presence. 5 " You must bake twelve loaves of bread from choice flour, using three quarts of flour for each loaf. 6 Place the bread in the LORD's presence on the pure gold table, and arrange the loaves in two rows, with six in each row. 7 Sprinkle some pure frankincense near each row. It will serve as a token offering, to be burned in place of the bread as an offering given to the LORD by fire. 8 Every Sabbath day this bread must be laid out before the LORD on behalf of the Israelites as a continual part of the covenant. 9 The loaves of bread belong to Aaron and his male descendants, who must eat them in a sacred place, for they represent a most holy portion of the offerings given to the LORD by fire." 10 One day a man who had an Israelite mother and an Egyptian father got into a fight with one of the Israelite men. 11 During the fight, this son of an Israelite woman blasphemed the LORD's name. So the man was brought to Moses for judgment. His mother's name was Shelomith. She was the daughter of Dibri of the tribe of Dan. 12 They put the man in custody until the LORD's will in the matter should become clear. 13 Then the LORD said to Moses, 14 " Take the blasphemer outside the camp, and tell all those who heard him to lay their hands on his head. Then let the entire community stone him to death. 15 Say to the people of Israel: Those who blaspheme God will suffer the consequences of their guilt and be punished. 16 Anyone who blasphemes the LORD's name must be stoned to death by the whole community of Israel. Any Israelite or foreigner among you who blasphemes the LORD's name will surely die. 17 " Anyone who takes another person's life must be put to death. 18 " Anyone who kills another person's animal must pay it back in full--a live animal for the animal that was killed. 19 " Anyone who injures another person must be dealt with according to the injury inflicted--20 fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. Whatever anyone does to hurt another person must be paid back in kind. 21 " Whoever kills an animal must make full restitution, but whoever kills another person must be put to death. 22 " These same regulations apply to Israelites by birth and foreigners who live among you. I, the LORD, am your God." 23 After Moses gave all these instructions to the Israelites, they led the blasphemer outside the camp and stoned him to death, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.25:1 WHILE Moses was on Mount Sinai, the LORD said to him, 2 " Give these instructions to the Israelites: When you have entered the land I am giving you as an inheritance, the land itself must observe a Sabbath to the LORD every seventh year. 3 For six years you may plant your fields and prune your vineyards and harvest your crops, 4 but during the seventh year the land will enjoy a Sabbath year of rest to the LORD. Do not plant your crops or prune your vineyards during that entire year. 5 And don't store away the crops that grow naturally or process the grapes that grow on your unpruned vines. The land is to have a year of total rest. 6 But you, your male and female slaves, your hired servants, and any foreigners who live with you may eat the produce that grows naturally during the Sabbath year. 7 And your livestock and the wild animals will also be allowed to eat of the land's bounty. 8 " In addition, you must count off seven Sabbath years, seven years times seven, adding up to forty-nine years in all. 9 Then on the Day of Atonement of the fiftieth year, blow the trumpets loud and long throughout the land. 10 This year will be set apart as holy, a time to proclaim release for all who live there. It will be a jubilee year for you, when each of you returns to the lands that belonged to your ancestors and rejoins your clan. 11 Yes, the fiftieth year will be a jubilee for you. During that year, do not plant any seeds or store away any of the crops that grow naturally, and do not process the grapes that grow on your unpruned vines. 12 It will be a jubilee year for you, and you must observe it as a special and holy time. You may, however, eat the produce that grows naturally in the fields that year. 13 In the Year of Jubilee each of you must return to the lands that belonged to your ancestors. 14 " When you make an agreement with a neighbor to buy or sell property, you must never take advantage of each other. 15 When you buy land from your neighbor, the price of the land should be based on the number of years since the last jubilee. The seller will charge you only for the crop years left until the next Year of Jubilee. 16 The more the years, the higher the price; the fewer the years, the lower the price. After all, the person selling the land is actually selling you a certain number of harvests. 17 Show your fear of God by not taking advantage of each other. I, the LORD, am your God. 18 " If you want to live securely in the land, keep my laws and obey my regulations. 19 Then the land will yield bumper crops, and you will eat your fill and live securely in it. 20 But you might ask, ` What will we eat during the seventh year, since we are not allowed to plant or harvest crops that year?' 21 The answer is, ` I will order my blessing for you in the sixth year, so the land will produce a bumper crop, enough to support you for three years. 22 As you plant the seed in the eighth year, you will still be eating the produce of the previous year. In fact, you will eat from the old crop until the new harvest comes in the ninth year.' 23 And remember, the land must never be sold on a permanent basis because it really belongs to me. You are only foreigners and tenants living with me. 24 " With every sale of land there must be a stipulation that the land can be redeemed at any time. 25 If any of your Israelite relatives go bankrupt and are forced to sell some inherited land, then a close relative, a kinsman redeemer, may buy it back for them. 26 If there is no one to redeem the land but the person who sold it manages to get enough money to buy it back, 27 then that person has the right to redeem it from the one who bought it. The price of the land will be based on the number of years until the next Year of Jubilee. After buying it back, the original owner may then return to the land. 28 But if the original owner cannot afford to redeem it, then it will belong to the new owner until the next Year of Jubilee. In the jubilee year, the land will be returned to the original owner. 29 " Anyone who sells a house inside a walled city has the right to redeem it for a full year after its sale. During that time, the seller retains the right to buy it back. 30 But if it is not redeemed within a year, then the house within the walled city will become the permanent property of the buyer. It will not be returned to the original owner in the Year of Jubilee. 31 But a house in a village--a settlement without fortified walls--will be treated like property in the open fields. Such a house may be redeemed at any time and must be returned to the original owner in the Year of Jubilee. 32 " The Levites always have the right to redeem any house they have sold within the cities belonging to them. 33 And any property that can be redeemed by the Levites--all houses within the Levitical cities--must be returned in the Year of Jubilee. After all, the cities reserved for the Levites are the only property they own in all Israel. 34 The strip of pastureland around each of the Levitical cities may never be sold. It is their permanent ancestral property. 35 " If any of your Israelite relatives fall into poverty and cannot support themselves, support them as you would a resident foreigner and allow them to live with you. 36 Do not demand an advance or charge interest on the money you lend them. Instead, show your fear of God by letting them live with you as your relatives. 37 Remember, do not charge your relatives interest on anything you lend them, whether money or food. 38 I, the LORD, am your God, who brought you out of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God. 39 " If any of your Israelite relatives go bankrupt and sell themselves to you, do not treat them as slaves. 40 Treat them instead as hired servants or as resident foreigners who live with you, and they will serve you only until the Year of Jubilee. 41 At that time they and their children will no longer be obligated to you, and they will return to their clan and ancestral property. 42 The people of Israel are my servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt, so they must never be sold as slaves. 43 Show your fear of God by treating them well; never exercise your power over them in a ruthless way. 44 " However, you may purchase male or female slaves from among the foreigners who live among you. 45 You may also purchase the children of such resident foreigners, including those who have been born in your land. You may treat them as your property, 46 passing them on to your children as a permanent inheritance. You may treat your slaves like this, but the people of Israel, your relatives, must never be treated this way."

MARK 10:13-31
One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could touch them and bless them, but the disciples told them not to bother him. 14 But when Jesus saw what was happening, he was very displeased with his disciples. He said to them, " Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 I assure you, anyone who doesn't have their kind of faith will never get into the Kingdom of God." 16 Then he took the children into his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them. 17 As he was starting out on a trip, a man came running up to Jesus, knelt down, and asked, " Good Teacher, what should I do to get eternal life?" 18 " Why do you call me good?" Jesus asked. " Only God is truly good. 19 But as for your question, you know the commandments: ` Do not murder. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do not testify falsely. Do not cheat. Honor your father and mother.'" 20 " Teacher," the man replied, " I've obeyed all these commandments since I was a child." 21 Jesus felt genuine love for this man as he looked at him. " You lack only one thing," he told him. " Go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." 22 At this, the man's face fell, and he went sadly away because he had many possessions. 23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, " How hard it is for rich people to get into the Kingdom of God!" 24 This amazed them. But Jesus said again, " Dear children, it is very hard to get into the Kingdom of God. 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!" 26 The disciples were astounded. " Then who in the world can be saved?" they asked. 27 Jesus looked at them intently and said, " Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God." 28 Then Peter began to mention all that he and the other disciples had left behind. " We've given up everything to follow you," he said. 29 And Jesus replied, " I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News, 30 will receive now in return, a hundred times over, houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property--with persecutions. And in the world to come they will have eternal life. 31 But many who seem to be important now will be the least important then, and those who are considered least here will be the greatest then."

PSALM 44:9-26
But now you have tossed us aside in dishonor.
You no longer lead our armies to battle.
10 You make us retreat from our enemies
and allow them to plunder our land.
11 You have treated us like sheep waiting to be slaughtered;
you have scattered us among the nations.
12 You sold us--your precious people--for a pittance.
You valued us at nothing at all.
13 You have caused all our neighbors to mock us.
We are an object of scorn and derision to the nations around us.
14 You have made us the butt of their jokes;
we are scorned by the whole world.
15 We can't escape the constant humiliation;
shame is written across our faces.
16 All we hear are the taunts of our mockers.
All we see are our vengeful enemies.
17 All this has happened despite our loyalty to you.
We have not violated your covenant.
18 Our hearts have not deserted you.
We have not strayed from your path.
19 Yet you have crushed us in the desert.
You have covered us with darkness and death.
20 If we had turned away from worshiping our God
or spread our hands in prayer to foreign gods,
21 God would surely have known it,
for he knows the secrets of every heart.
22 For your sake we are killed every day;
we are being slaughtered like sheep.
23 Wake up, O Lord! Why do you sleep?
Get up! Do not reject us forever.
24 Why do you look the other way?
Why do you ignore our suffering and oppression?
25 We collapse in the dust,
lying face down in the dirt.
26 Rise up! Come and help us!
Save us because of your unfailing love.

PROVERBS 10:20-21
The words of the godly are like sterling silver; the heart of a fool is worthless. The godly give good advice, but fools are destroyed by their lack of common sense.

February 28 Reading through the Bible

 

LEVITICUS 22:17-23:44
MARK 9:30-10:12
PSALM 44:1-8
PROVERBS 10:19

LEVITICUS 22:17-23:44
And the LORD said to Moses, 18 " Give Aaron and his sons and all the Israelites these instructions, which apply to those who are Israelites by birth as well as to the foreigners living among you. If you offer a whole burnt offering to the LORD, whether to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering, 19 it will be accepted only if it is a male animal with no physical defects. It may be either a bull, a ram, or a male goat. 20 Do not bring an animal with physical defects, because it won't be accepted on your behalf. 21 " If you bring a peace offering to the LORD from the herd or flock, whether to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering, you must offer an animal that has no physical defects of any kind. 22 An animal that is blind, injured, mutilated, or that has a growth, an open sore, or a scab must never be offered to the LORD by fire on the altar. 23 If the bull or lamb is deformed or stunted, it may still be offered as a freewill offering, but it may not be offered to fulfill a vow. 24 If an animal has damaged testicles or is castrated, it may never be offered to the LORD. 25 You must never accept mutilated or defective animals from foreigners to be offered as a sacrifice to your God. Such animals will not be accepted on your behalf because they are defective." 26 And the LORD said to Moses, 27 " When a bull or a ram or a male goat is born, it must be left with its mother for seven days. From the eighth day on, it will be acceptable as an offering given to the LORD by fire. 28 But you must never slaughter a mother animal and her offspring on the same day, whether from the herd or the flock. 29 When you bring a thanksgiving offering to the LORD, it must be sacrificed properly so it will be accepted on your behalf. 30 Eat the entire sacrificial animal on the day it is presented. Don't leave any of it until the second day. I am the LORD. 31 " You must faithfully keep all my commands by obeying them, for I am the LORD. 32 Do not treat my holy name as common and ordinary. I must be treated as holy by the people of Israel. It is I, the LORD, who makes you holy. 33 It was I who rescued you from Egypt, that I might be your very own God. I am the LORD."23:1 THE LORD said to Moses, 2 " Give the Israelites instructions regarding the LORD's appointed festivals, the days when all of you will be summoned to worship me. 3 You may work for six days each week, but on the seventh day all work must come to a complete stop. It is the LORD's Sabbath day of complete rest, a holy day to assemble for worship. It must be observed wherever you live. 4 In addition to the Sabbath, the LORD has established festivals, the holy occasions to be observed at the proper time each year. 5 " First comes the LORD's Passover, which begins at twilight on its appointed day in early spring. 6 Then the day after the Passover celebration, the Festival of Unleavened Bread begins. This festival to the LORD continues for seven days, and during that time all the bread you eat must be made without yeast. 7 On the first day of the festival, all the people must stop their regular work and gather for a sacred assembly. 8 On each of the next seven days, the people must present an offering to the LORD by fire. On the seventh day, the people must again stop all their regular work to hold a sacred assembly." 9 Then the LORD told Moses 10 to give these instructions to the Israelites: " When you arrive in the land I am giving you and you harvest your first crops, bring the priest some grain from the first portion of your grain harvest. 11 On the day after the Sabbath, the priest will lift it up before the LORD so it may be accepted on your behalf. 12 That same day you must sacrifice a year-old male lamb with no physical defects as a whole burnt offering to the LORD. 13 A grain offering must accompany it consisting of three quarts of choice flour mixed with olive oil. It will be an offering given to the LORD by fire, and it will be very pleasing to him. Along with this sacrifice, you must also offer one quart of wine as a drink offering. 14 Do not eat any bread or roasted grain or fresh kernels on that day until after you have brought this offering to your God. This is a permanent law for you, and it must be observed wherever you live. 15 " From the day after the Sabbath, the day the bundle of grain was lifted up as an offering, count off seven weeks. 16 Keep counting until the day after the seventh Sabbath, fifty days later, and bring an offering of new grain to the LORD. 17 From wherever you live, bring two loaves of bread to be lifted up before the LORD as an offering. These loaves must be baked from three quarts of choice flour that contains yeast. They will be an offering to the LORD from the first of your crops. 18 Along with this bread, present seven one-year-old lambs with no physical defects, one bull, and two rams as burnt offerings to the LORD. These whole burnt offerings, together with the accompanying grain offerings and drink offerings, will be given to the LORD by fire and will be pleasing to him. 19 Then you must offer one male goat as a sin offering and two one-year-old male lambs as a peace offering. 20 " The priest will lift up these offerings before the LORD, together with the loaves representing the first of your later crops. These offerings are holy to the LORD and will belong to the priests. 21 That same day, you must stop all your regular work and gather for a sacred assembly. This is a permanent law for you, and it must be observed wherever you live. 22 " When you harvest the crops of your land, do not harvest the grain along the edges of your fields, and do not pick up what the harvesters drop. Leave it for the poor and the foreigners living among you. I, the LORD, am your God." 23 The LORD told Moses 24 to give these instructions to the Israelites: " On the appointed day in early autumn, you are to celebrate a day of complete rest. All your work must stop on that day. You will call the people to a sacred assembly--the Festival of Trumpets--with loud blasts from a trumpet. 25 You must do no regular work on that day. Instead, you are to present offerings to the LORD by fire." 26 Then the LORD said to Moses, 27 " Remember that the Day of Atonement is to be celebrated on the ninth day after the Festival of Trumpets. On that day you must humble yourselves, gather for a sacred assembly, and present offerings to the LORD by fire. 28 Do no work during that entire day because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement will be made for you before the LORD your God, and payment will be made for your sins. 29 Anyone who does not spend that day in humility will be cut off from the community. 30 And I will destroy anyone among you who does any kind of work on that day. 31 You must do no work at all! This is a permanent law for you, and it must be observed wherever you live. 32 This will be a Sabbath day of total rest for you, and on that day you must humble yourselves. This time of rest and fasting will begin the evening before the Day of Atonement and extend until evening of that day." 33 And the LORD said to Moses, 34 " Tell the Israelites to begin the Festival of Shelters on the fifth day after the Day of Atonement. This festival to the LORD will last for seven days. 35 It will begin with a sacred assembly on the first day, and all your regular work must stop. 36 On each of the seven festival days, you must present offerings to the LORD by fire. On the eighth day, you must gather again for a sacred assembly and present another offering to the LORD by fire. This will be a solemn closing assembly, and no regular work may be done that day. 37 " These are the LORD's appointed annual festivals. Celebrate them by gathering in sacred assemblies to present all the various offerings to the LORD by fire--whole burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrificial meals and drink offerings--each on its proper day. 38 These festivals must be observed in addition to the LORD's regular Sabbath days. And these offerings must be given in addition to your personal gifts, the offerings you make to accompany your vows, and any freewill offerings that you present to the LORD. 39 " Now, on the first day of the Festival of Shelters, after you have harvested all the produce of the land, you will begin to celebrate this seven-day festival to the LORD. Remember that the first day and closing eighth day of the festival will be days of total rest. 40 On the first day, gather fruit from citrus trees, and collect palm fronds and other leafy branches and willows that grow by the streams. Then rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days. 41 You must observe this seven-day festival to the LORD every year. This is a permanent law for you, and it must be kept by all future generations. 42 During the seven festival days, all of you who are Israelites by birth must live in shelters. 43 This will remind each new generation of Israelites that their ancestors had to live in shelters when I rescued them from the land of Egypt. I, the LORD, am your God." 44 So Moses gave these instructions regarding the annual festivals of the LORD to the Israelites.

MARK 9:30-10:12
Leaving that region, they [Jesus and his disciples] traveled through Galilee. Jesus tried to avoid all publicity 31 in order to spend more time with his disciples and teach them. He said to them, " The Son of Man is going to be betrayed. He will be killed, but three days later he will rise from the dead." 32 But they didn't understand what he was saying, and they were afraid to ask him what he meant. 33 After they arrived at Capernaum, Jesus and his disciples settled in the house where they would be staying. Jesus asked them, " What were you discussing out on the road?" 34 But they didn't answer, because they had been arguing about which of them was the greatest. 35 He sat down and called the twelve disciples over to him. Then he said, " Anyone who wants to be the first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else." 36 Then he put a little child among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, 37 " Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes my Father who sent me." 38 John said to Jesus, " Teacher, we saw a man using your name to cast out demons, but we told him to stop because he isn't one of our group." 39 " Don't stop him!" Jesus said. " No one who performs miracles in my name will soon be able to speak evil of me. 40 Anyone who is not against us is for us. 41 If anyone gives you even a cup of water because you belong to the Messiah, I assure you, that person will be rewarded.42 " But if anyone causes one of these little ones who trusts in me to lose faith, it would be better for that person to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around the neck. 43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better to enter heaven with only one hand than to go into the unquenchable fires of hell with two hands. 45 If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better to enter heaven with only one foot than to be thrown into hell with two feet. 47 And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out. It is better to enter the Kingdom of God half blind than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, 48 ` where the worm never dies and the fire never goes out.' 49 " For everyone will be purified with fire. 50 Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live in peace with each other."10:1 THEN Jesus left Capernaum and went southward to the region of Judea and into the area east of the Jordan River. As always there were the crowds, and as usual he taught them. 2 Some Pharisees came and tried to trap him with this question: " Should a man be allowed to divorce his wife?" 3 " What did Moses say about divorce?" Jesus asked them. 4 " Well, he permitted it," they replied. " He said a man merely has to write his wife an official letter of divorce and send her away." 5 But Jesus responded, " He wrote those instructions only as a concession to your hard-hearted wickedness. 6 But God's plan was seen from the beginning of creation, for ` He made them male and female.' 7 ` This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, 8 and the two are united into one.' Since they are no longer two but one, 9 let no one separate them, for God has joined them together." 10 Later, when he was alone with his disciples in the house, they brought up the subject again. 11 He told them, " Whoever divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery against her. 12 And if a woman divorces her husband and remarries, she commits adultery."

PSALM 44:1-8
For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah.
1 O God, we have heard it with our own ears--
our ancestors have told us
of all you did in other days,
in days long ago:
2 You drove out the pagan nations
and gave all the land to our ancestors;
you crushed their enemies,
setting our ancestors free.
3 They did not conquer the land with their swords;
it was not their own strength that gave them victory.
It was by your mighty power that they succeeded;
it was because you favored them and smiled on them.
4 You are my King and my God.
You command victories for your people.
5 Only by your power can we push back our enemies;
only in your name can we trample our foes.
6 I do not trust my bow;
I do not count on my sword to save me.
7 It is you who gives us victory over our enemies;
it is you who humbles those who hate us.
8 O God, we give glory to you all day long
and constantly praise your name.
Interlude

PROVERBS 10:19
Don't talk too much, for it fosters sin. Be sensible and turn off the flow!

February 27 Reading through the Bible

 

LEVITICUS 20:22-22:16
MARK 9:1-29
PSALM 43:1-5
PROVERBS 10:18

LEVITICUS 20:22-22:16
" You must carefully obey all my laws and regulations; otherwise the land to which I am bringing you will vomit you out. 23 Do not live by the customs of the people whom I will expel before you. It is because they do these terrible things that I detest them so much. 24 But I have promised that you will inherit their land, a land flowing with milk and honey. I, the LORD, am your God, who has set you apart from all other people. 25 " You must therefore make a distinction between ceremonially clean and unclean animals, and between clean and unclean birds. You must not defile yourselves by eating any animal or bird or creeping creature that I have forbidden. 26 You must be holy because I, the LORD, am holy. I have set you apart from all other people to be my very own. 27 " Men and women among you who act as mediums or psychics must be put to death by stoning. They are guilty of a capital offense."21:1 THE LORD said to Moses, " Tell the priests to avoid making themselves ceremonially unclean by touching a dead relative 2 unless it is a close relative--mother or father, son or daughter, brother 3 or virgin sister who was dependent because she had no husband. 4 As a husband among his relatives, he must not defile himself. 5 " The priests must never shave their heads, trim the edges of their beards, or cut their bodies. 6 They must be set apart to God as holy and must never dishonor his name. After all, they are the ones who present the offerings to the LORD by fire, providing God with his food, and they must remain holy.7 " The priests must not marry women defiled by prostitution or women who have been divorced, for the priests must be set apart to God as holy. 8 You must treat them as holy because they offer up food to your God. You must consider them holy because I, the LORD, am holy, and I make you holy. 9 If a priest's daughter becomes a prostitute, defiling her father's holiness as well as herself, she must be burned to death. 10 " The high priest, who has had the anointing oil poured on his head and has been ordained to wear the special priestly garments, must never let his hair hang loose or tear his clothing. 11 He must never defile himself by going near a dead person, even if it is his father or mother. 12 He must not desecrate the sanctuary of his God by leaving it to attend his parents' funeral, because he has been made holy by the anointing oil of his God. I am the LORD. 13 " The high priest must marry a virgin. 14 He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, or a woman defiled by prostitution. She must be a virgin from his own clan, 15 that he may not dishonor his descendants among the members of his clan, because I, the LORD, have made him holy." 16 Then the LORD said to Moses, 17 " Tell Aaron that in all future generations, his descendants who have physical defects will not qualify to offer food to their God. 18 No one who has a defect may come near to me, whether he is blind or lame, stunted or deformed, 19 or has a broken foot or hand, 20 or has a humped back or is a dwarf, or has a defective eye, or has oozing sores or scabs on his skin, or has damaged testicles. 21 Even though he is a descendant of Aaron, his physical defects disqualify him from presenting offerings to the LORD by fire. Since he has a blemish, he may not offer food to his God. 22 However, he may eat from the food offered to God, including the holy offerings and the most holy offerings. 23 Yet because of his physical defect, he must never go behind the inner curtain or come near the altar, for this would desecrate my holy places. I am the LORD who makes them holy." 24 So Moses gave these instructions to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites.22:1 THE LORD said to Moses, 2 " Tell Aaron and his sons to treat the sacred gifts that the Israelites set apart for me with great care, so they do not profane my holy name. I am the LORD. 3 Remind them that if any of their descendants are ceremonially unclean when they approach the sacred food presented by the Israelites, they must be cut off from my presence. I am the LORD! 4 " If any of the priests have a contagious skin disease or any kind of discharge that makes them ceremonially unclean, they may not eat the sacred offerings until they have been pronounced clean. If any of the priests become unclean by touching a corpse, or are defiled by an emission of semen, 5 or by touching a creeping creature that is unclean, or by touching someone who is ceremonially unclean for any reason, 6 they will remain defiled until evening. They must not eat any of the sacred offerings until they have purified their bodies with water. 7 When the sun goes down, they will be clean again and may eat the sacred offerings. After all, this food has been set aside for them. 8 The priests may never eat an animal that has died a natural death or has been torn apart by wild animals, for this would defile them. I am the LORD. 9 Warn all the priests to follow these instructions carefully; otherwise they will be subject to punishment and die for violating them. I am the LORD who makes them holy. 10 " No one outside a priest's family may ever eat the sacred offerings, even if the person lives in a priest's home or is one of his hired servants. 11 However, if the priest buys slaves with his own money, they may eat of his food. And if his slaves have children, they also may share his food. 12 If a priest's daughter marries someone outside the priestly family, she may no longer eat the sacred offerings. 13 But if she becomes a widow or is divorced and has no children to support her, and she returns to live in her father's home, she may eat her father's food again. But other than these exceptions, only members of the priests' families are allowed to eat the sacred offerings. 14 " Anyone who eats the sacred offerings without realizing it must pay the priest for the amount eaten, plus an added penalty of 20 percent. 15 No one may defile the sacred offerings brought to the LORD by the Israelites 16 by allowing unauthorized people to eat them. The negligent priest would bring guilt upon the people and require them to pay compensation. I am the LORD, who makes them holy."

MARK 9:1-29
Jesus went on to say, " I assure you that some of you standing here right now will not die before you see the Kingdom of God arrive in great power!" 2 Six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John to the top of a mountain. No one else was there. As the men watched, Jesus' appearance changed, 3 and his clothing became dazzling white, far whiter than any earthly process could ever make it. 4 Then Elijah and Moses appeared and began talking with Jesus. 5 " Teacher, this is wonderful!" Peter exclaimed. " We will make three shrines--one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." 6 He didn't really know what to say, for they were all terribly afraid. 7 Then a cloud came over them, and a voice from the cloud said, " This is my beloved Son. Listen to him." 8 Suddenly they looked around, and Moses and Elijah were gone, and only Jesus was with them. 9 As they descended the mountainside, he told them not to tell anyone what they had seen until he, the Son of Man, had risen from the dead. 10 So they kept it to themselves, but they often asked each other what he meant by " rising from the dead." 11 Now they began asking him, " Why do the teachers of religious law insist that Elijah must return before the Messiah comes?" 12 Jesus responded, " Elijah is indeed coming first to set everything in order. Why then is it written in the Scriptures that the Son of Man must suffer and be treated with utter contempt? 13 But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and he was badly mistreated, just as the Scriptures predicted." 14 At the foot of the mountain, they found a great crowd surrounding the other disciples, as some teachers of religious law were arguing with them. 15 The crowd watched Jesus in awe as he came toward them, and then they ran to greet him. 16 " What is all this arguing about?" he asked. 17 One of the men in the crowd spoke up and said, " Teacher, I brought my son for you to heal him. He can't speak because he is possessed by an evil spirit that won't let him talk. 18 And whenever this evil spirit seizes him, it throws him violently to the ground and makes him foam at the mouth and grind his teeth and become rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast out the evil spirit, but they couldn't do it." 19 Jesus said to them, " You faithless people! How long must I be with you until you believe? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me." 20 So they brought the boy. But when the evil spirit saw Jesus, it threw the child into a violent convulsion, and he fell to the ground, writhing and foaming at the mouth. 21 " How long has this been happening?" Jesus asked the boy's father. He replied, " Since he was very small. 22 The evil spirit often makes him fall into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us. Do something if you can." 23 " What do you mean, ` If I can'?" Jesus asked. " Anything is possible if a person believes." 24 The father instantly replied, " I do believe, but help me not to doubt!" 25 When Jesus saw that the crowd of onlookers was growing, he rebuked the evil spirit. " Spirit of deafness and muteness," he said, " I command you to come out of this child and never enter him again!" 26 Then the spirit screamed and threw the boy into another violent convulsion and left him. The boy lay there motionless, and he appeared to be dead. A murmur ran through the crowd, " He's dead." 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and helped him to his feet, and he stood up. 28 Afterward, when Jesus was alone in the house with his disciples, they asked him, " Why couldn't we cast out that evil spirit?" 29 Jesus replied, " This kind can be cast out only by prayer."

PSALM 43:1-5
O God, take up my cause!
Defend me against these ungodly people.
Rescue me from these unjust liars.
2 For you are God, my only safe haven.
Why have you tossed me aside?
Why must I wander around in darkness,
oppressed by my enemies?
3 Send out your light and your truth;
let them guide me.
Let them lead me to your holy mountain,
to the place where you live.
4 There I will go to the altar of God,
to God--the source of all my joy.
I will praise you with my harp,
O God, my God!
5 Why am I discouraged?
Why so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
I will praise him again--
my Savior and my God!

PROVERBS 10:18
To hide hatred is to be a liar; to slander is to be a fool.

February 26 Reading through the Bible

 

LEVITICUS 19:1-20:21
MARK 8:11-38
PSALM 42:1-11
PROVERBS 10:17

LEVITICUS 19:1-20:21
The LORD also said to Moses, 2 " Say this to the entire community of Israel: You must be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy. 3 Each of you must show respect for your mother and father, and you must always observe my Sabbath days of rest, for I, the LORD, am your God. 4 Do not put your trust in idols or make gods of metal for yourselves. I, the LORD, am your God. 5 " When you sacrifice a peace offering to the LORD, offer it properly so it will be accepted on your behalf. 6 You must eat it on the same day you offer it or on the next day at the latest. Any leftovers that remain until the third day must be burned. 7 If any of the offering is eaten on the third day, it will be contaminated, and I will not accept it. 8 If you eat it on the third day, you will answer for the sin of profaning what is holy to the LORD and must be cut off from the community.9 " When you harvest your crops, do not harvest the grain along the edges of your fields, and do not pick up what the harvesters drop. 10 It is the same with your grape crop--do not strip every last bunch of grapes from the vines, and do not pick up the grapes that fall to the ground. Leave them for the poor and the foreigners who live among you, for I, the LORD, am your God. 11 " Do not steal. " Do not cheat one another. " Do not lie. 12 " Do not use my name to swear a falsehood and so profane the name of your God. I am the LORD. 13 " Do not cheat or rob anyone. " Always pay your hired workers promptly. 14 " Show your fear of God by treating the deaf with respect and by not taking advantage of the blind. I am the LORD. 15 " Always judge your neighbors fairly, neither favoring the poor nor showing deference to the rich. 16 " Do not spread slanderous gossip among your people. " Do not try to get ahead at the cost of your neighbor's life, for I am the LORD. 17 " Do not nurse hatred in your heart for any of your relatives. " Confront your neighbors directly so you will not be held guilty for their crimes. 18 " Never seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD. 19 " You must obey all my laws. " Do not breed your cattle with other kinds of animals. Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed. Do not wear clothing woven from two different kinds of fabric. 20 " If a man has sexual intercourse with a slave girl who is committed to become someone else's wife, compensation must be paid. But since she had not been freed at the time, the couple will not be put to death. 21 The man, however, must bring a ram as a guilt offering and present it to the LORD at the entrance of the Tabernacle. 22 The priest will then make atonement for him before the LORD with the sacrificial ram of the guilt offering, and the man will be forgiven. 23 " When you enter the land and plant fruit trees, leave the fruit unharvested for the first three years and consider it forbidden. 24 In the fourth year the entire crop will be devoted to the LORD as an outburst of praise. 25 Finally, in the fifth year you may eat the fruit. In this way, its yield will be increased. I, the LORD, am your God. 26 " Never eat meat that has not been drained of its blood. " Do not practice fortune-telling or witchcraft. 27 " Do not trim off the hair on your temples or clip the edges of your beards. 28 " Never cut your bodies in mourning for the dead or mark your skin with tattoos, for I am the LORD. 29 " Do not defile your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land will be filled with promiscuity and detestable wickedness. 30 " Keep my Sabbath days of rest and show reverence toward my sanctuary, for I am the LORD. 31 " Do not rely on mediums and psychics, for you will be defiled by them. I, the LORD, am your God. 32 " Show your fear of God by standing up in the presence of elderly people and showing respect for the aged. I am the LORD. 33 " Do not exploit the foreigners who live in your land. 34 They should be treated like everyone else, and you must love them as you love yourself. Remember that you were once foreigners in the land of Egypt. I, the LORD, am your God. 35 " Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight, or volume. 36 Your scales and weights must be accurate. Your containers for measuring dry goods or liquids must be accurate. I, the LORD, am your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. 37 You must be careful to obey all of my laws and regulations, for I am the LORD."20:1 THE LORD said to Moses, 2 " Give the Israelites these instructions, which apply to those who are Israelites by birth as well as to the foreigners living among you. If any among them devote their children as burnt offerings to Molech, they must be stoned to death by people of the community. 3 I myself will turn against them and cut them off from the community, because they have defiled my sanctuary and profaned my holy name by giving their children to Molech. 4 And if the people of the community ignore this offering of children to Molech and refuse to execute the guilty parents, 5 then I myself will turn against them and cut them off from the community, along with all those who commit prostitution by worshiping Molech. 6 " If any among the people are unfaithful by consulting and following mediums or psychics, I will turn against them and cut them off from the community. 7 So set yourselves apart to be holy, for I, the LORD, am your God. 8 Keep all my laws and obey them, for I am the LORD, who makes you holy. 9 " All who curse their father or mother must be put to death. They are guilty of a capital offense. 10 " If a man commits adultery with another man's wife, both the man and the woman must be put to death. 11 If a man has intercourse with his father's wife, both the man and the woman must die, for they are guilty of a capital offense. 12 If a man has intercourse with his daughter-in-law, both must be put to death. They have acted contrary to nature and are guilty of a capital offense. 13 " The penalty for homosexual acts is death to both parties. They have committed a detestable act and are guilty of a capital offense. 14 If a man has intercourse with both a woman and her mother, such an act is terribly wicked. All three of them must be burned to death to wipe out such wickedness from among you. 15 " If a man has sexual intercourse with an animal, he must be put to death, and the animal must be killed. 16 If a woman approaches a male animal to have intercourse with it, she and the animal must both be put to death. Both must die, for they are guilty of a capital offense. 17 " If a man has sexual intercourse with his sister, the daughter of either his father or his mother, it is a terrible disgrace. Both of them must be publicly cut off from the community. Since the man has had intercourse with his sister, he will suffer the consequences of his guilt. 18 If a man has intercourse with a woman suffering from a hemorrhage, both of them must be cut off from the community, because he exposed the source of her flow, and she allowed him to do it. 19 " If a man has sexual intercourse with his aunt, whether his mother's sister or his father's sister, he has violated a close relative. Both parties are guilty of a capital offense. 20 If a man has intercourse with his uncle's wife, he has violated his uncle. Both the man and woman involved are guilty of a capital offense and will die childless. 21 If a man marries his brother's wife, it is an act of impurity. He has violated his brother, and the guilty couple will remain childless."

MARK 8:11-38
When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had arrived, they came to argue with him. Testing him to see if he was from God, they demanded, " Give us a miraculous sign from heaven to prove yourself." 12 When he heard this, he sighed deeply and said, " Why do you people keep demanding a miraculous sign? I assure you, I will not give this generation any such sign." 13 So he got back into the boat and left them, and he crossed to the other side of the lake. 14 But the disciples discovered they had forgotten to bring any food, so there was only one loaf of bread with them in the boat. 15 As they were crossing the lake, Jesus warned them, " Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod."16 They decided he was saying this because they hadn't brought any bread. 17 Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he said, " Why are you so worried about having no food? Won't you ever learn or understand? Are your hearts too hard to take it in? 18 ` You have eyes--can't you see? You have ears--can't you hear?' Don't you remember anything at all? 19 What about the five thousand men I fed with five loaves of bread? How many baskets of leftovers did you pick up afterward?" " Twelve," they said. 20 " And when I fed the four thousand with seven loaves, how many large baskets of leftovers did you pick up?" " Seven," they said. 21 " Don't you understand even yet?" he asked them.22 When they arrived at Bethsaida, some people brought a blind man to Jesus, and they begged him to touch and heal the man. 23 Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. Then, spitting on the man's eyes, he laid his hands on him and asked, " Can you see anything now?" 24 The man looked around. " Yes," he said, " I see people, but I can't see them very clearly. They look like trees walking around." 25 Then Jesus placed his hands over the man's eyes again. As the man stared intently, his sight was completely restored, and he could see everything clearly. 26 Jesus sent him home, saying, " Don't go back into the village on your way home." 27 Jesus and his disciples left Galilee and went up to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. As they were walking along, he asked them, " Who do people say I am?" 28 " Well," they replied, " some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say you are one of the other prophets." 29 Then Jesus asked, " Who do you say I am?" Peter replied, " You are the Messiah." 30 But Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him. 31 Then Jesus began to tell them that he, the Son of Man, would suffer many terrible things and be rejected by the leaders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, and three days later he would rise again. 32 As he talked about this openly with his disciples, Peter took him aside and told him he shouldn't say things like that. 33 Jesus turned and looked at his disciples and then said to Peter very sternly, " Get away from me, Satan! You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God's."34 Then he called his disciples and the crowds to come over and listen. " If any of you wants to be my follower," he told them, " you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and follow me. 35 If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will find true life. 36 And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul in the process? 37 Is anything worth more than your soul? 38 If a person is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, I, the Son of Man, will be ashamed of that person when I return in the glory of my Father with the holy angels."

PSALM 42:1-11
For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah.
1 As the deer pants for streams of water,
so I long for you, O God.
2 I thirst for God, the living God.
When can I come and stand before him?
3 Day and night, I have only tears for food,
while my enemies continually taunt me, saying,
" Where is this God of yours?"
4 My heart is breaking
as I remember how it used to be:
I walked among the crowds of worshipers,
leading a great procession to the house of God,
singing for joy and giving thanks--
it was the sound of a great celebration!
5 Why am I discouraged?
Why so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
I will praise him again--
my Savior and 6 my God!
Now I am deeply discouraged,
but I will remember your kindness--
from Mount Hermon, the source of the Jordan,
from the land of Mount Mizar.
7 I hear the tumult of the raging seas
as your waves and surging tides sweep over me.
8 Through each day the LORD pours his unfailing love upon me,
and through each night I sing his songs,
praying to God who gives me life.
9 " O God my rock," I cry,
" Why have you forsaken me?
Why must I wander in darkness,
oppressed by my enemies?"
10 Their taunts pierce me like a fatal wound.
They scoff, " Where is this God of yours?"
11 Why am I discouraged?
Why so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
I will praise him again--
my Savior and my God!

PROVERBS 10:17
People who accept correction are on the pathway to life, but those who ignore it will lead others astray.