LEVITICUS 22

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  22:1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to Aaron and his sons so that they abstain from the holy things of the people of Israel, which they dedicate to me, so that they do not profane my holy name: I am the Lord. 3 Say to them, ‘If any one of all your offspring throughout your generations approaches the holy things that the people of Israel dedicate to the Lord, while he has an uncleanness, that person shall be cut off from my presence: I am the Lord. 4 None of the offspring of Aaron who has a leprous disease or a discharge may eat of the holy things until he is clean. Whoever touches anything that is unclean through contact with the dead or a man who has had an emission of semen, 5 and whoever touches a swarming thing by which he may be made unclean or a person from whom he may take uncleanness, whatever his uncleanness may be— 6 the person who touches such a thing shall be unclean until the evening and shall not eat of the holy things unless he has bathed his body in water. 7 When the sun goes down he shall be clean, and afterward he may eat of the holy things, because they are his food. 8 He shall not eat what dies of itself or is torn by beasts, and so make himself unclean by it: I am the Lord.’ 9 They shall therefore keep my charge, lest they bear sin for it and die thereby when they profane it: I am the Lord who sanctifies them.
    10 “A lay person shall not eat of a holy thing; no foreign guest of the priest or hired worker shall eat of a holy thing, 11 but if a priest buys a slave as his property for money, the slave may eat of it, and anyone born in his house may eat of his food. 12 If a priest’s daughter marries a layman, she shall not eat of the contribution of the holy things. 13 But if a priest’s daughter is widowed or divorced and has no child and returns to her father’s house, as in her youth, she may eat of her father’s food; yet no lay person shall eat of it. 14 And if anyone eats of a holy thing unintentionally, he shall add the fifth of its value to it and give the holy thing to the priest. 15 They shall not profane the holy things of the people of Israel, which they contribute to the Lord, 16 and so cause them to bear iniquity and guilt, by eating their holy things: for I am the Lord who sanctifies them.” Acceptable Offerings17 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 18 “Speak to Aaron and his sons and all the people of Israel and say to them, When any one of the house of Israel or of the sojourners in Israel presents a burnt offering as his offering, for any of their vows or freewill offerings that they offer to the Lord, 19 if it is to be accepted for you it shall be a male without blemish, of the bulls or the sheep or the goats. 20 You shall not offer anything that has a blemish, for it will not be acceptable for you. 21 And when anyone offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering from the herd or from the flock, to be accepted it must be perfect; there shall be no blemish in it. 22 Animals blind or disabled or mutilated or having a discharge or an itch or scabs you shall not offer to the Lord or give them to the Lord as a food offering on the altar. 23 You may present a bull or a lamb that has a part too long or too short for a freewill offering, but for a vow offering it cannot be accepted. 24 Any animal that has its testicles bruised or crushed or torn or cut you shall not offer to the Lord; you shall not do it within your land, 25 neither shall you offer as the bread of your God any such animals gotten from a foreigner. Since there is a blemish in them, because of their mutilation, they will not be accepted for you.”
    26 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 27 “When an ox or sheep or goat is born, it shall remain seven days with its mother, and from the eighth day on it shall be acceptable as a food offering to the Lord. 28 But you shall not kill an ox or a sheep and her young in one day. 29 And when you sacrifice a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Lord, you shall sacrifice it so that you may be accepted. 30 It shall be eaten on the same day; you shall leave none of it until morning: I am the Lord.
    31 “So you shall keep my commandments and do them: I am the Lord. 32 And you shall not profane my holy name, that I may be sanctified among the people of Israel. I am the Lord who sanctifies you, 33 who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God: I am the Lord.”

PSALM 47

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God Is King over All the EarthTo the choirmaster. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.
47:1

Clap your hands, all peoples!

Shout to God with loud songs of joy! 2

For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared,

a great king over all the earth. 3

He subdued peoples under us,

and nations under our feet. 4

He chose our heritage for us,

the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah
5

God has gone up with a shout,

the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. 6

Sing praises to God, sing praises!

Sing praises to our King, sing praises! 7

For God is the King of all the earth;

sing praises with a psalm!
8

God reigns over the nations;

God sits on his holy throne. 9

The princes of the peoples gather

as the people of the God of Abraham.

For the shields of the earth belong to God;

he is highly exalted!

PSALM 48

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Zion, the City of Our GodA Song. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.
48:1

Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised

in the city of our God!

His holy mountain, 2 beautiful in elevation,

is the joy of all the earth,

Mount Zion, in the far north,

the city of the great King. 3

Within her citadels God

has made himself known as a fortress.
4

For behold, the kings assembled;

they came on together. 5

As soon as they saw it, they were astounded;

they were in panic; they took to flight. 6

Trembling took hold of them there,

anguish as of a woman in labor. 7

By the east wind you shattered

the ships of Tarshish. 8

As we have heard, so have we seen

in the city of the Lord of hosts,

in the city of our God,

which God will establish forever. Selah
9

We have thought on your steadfast love, O God,

in the midst of your temple. 10

As your name, O God,

so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth.

Your right hand is filled with righteousness. 11

Let Mount Zion be glad!

Let the daughters of Judah rejoice

because of your judgments!
12

Walk about Zion, go around her,

number her towers, 13

consider well her ramparts,

go through her citadels,

that you may tell the next generation 14

that this is God,

our God forever and ever.

He will guide us forever.

PROVERBS 24

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24:1

Be not envious of evil men,

nor desire to be with them, 2

for their hearts devise violence,

and their lips talk of trouble.
3

By wisdom a house is built,

and by understanding it is established; 4

by knowledge the rooms are filled

with all precious and pleasant riches. 5

A wise man is full of strength,

and a man of knowledge enhances his might, 6

for by wise guidance you can wage your war,

and in abundance of counselors there is victory. 7

Wisdom is too high for a fool;

in the gate he does not open his mouth.
8

Whoever plans to do evil

will be called a schemer. 9

The devising of folly is sin,

and the scoffer is an abomination to mankind.
10

If you faint in the day of adversity,

your strength is small. 11

Rescue those who are being taken away to death;

hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. 12

If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,”

does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?

Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it,

and will he not repay man according to his work?
13

My son, eat honey, for it is good,

and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste. 14

Know that wisdom is such to your soul;

if you find it, there will be a future,

and your hope will not be cut off.
15

Lie not in wait as a wicked man against the dwelling of the righteous;

do no violence to his home; 16

for the righteous falls seven times and rises again,

but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.
17

Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,

and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles, 18

lest the Lord see it and be displeased,

and turn away his anger from him.
19

Fret not yourself because of evildoers,

and be not envious of the wicked, 20

for the evil man has no future;

the lamp of the wicked will be put out.
21

My son, fear the Lord and the king,

and do not join with those who do otherwise, 22

for disaster will arise suddenly from them,

and who knows the ruin that will come from them both? More Sayings of the Wise23 These also are sayings of the wise.

Partiality in judging is not good. 24

Whoever says to the wicked, “You are in the right,”

will be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations, 25

but those who rebuke the wicked will have delight,

and a good blessing will come upon them. 26

Whoever gives an honest answer

kisses the lips.
27

Prepare your work outside;

get everything ready for yourself in the field,

and after that build your house.
28

Be not a witness against your neighbor without cause,

and do not deceive with your lips. 29

Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me;

I will pay the man back for what he has done.”
30

I passed by the field of a sluggard,

by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, 31

and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns;

the ground was covered with nettles,

and its stone wall was broken down. 32

Then I saw and considered it;

I looked and received instruction. 33

A little sleep, a little slumber,

a little folding of the hands to rest, 34

and poverty will come upon you like a robber,

and want like an armed man.