LEVITICUS 1

« Exodus 40 | Leviticus 1 | Leviticus 2 »

Laws for Burnt Offerings  1:1 The Lord called Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When any one of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of livestock from the herd or from the flock.
    3 “If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without blemish. He shall bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the Lord. 4 He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him. 5 Then he shall kill the bull before the Lord, and Aaron’s sons the priests shall bring the blood and throw the blood against the sides of the altar that is at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 6 Then he shall flay the burnt offering and cut it into pieces, 7 and the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. 8 And Aaron’s sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, the head, and the fat, on the wood that is on the fire on the altar; 9 but its entrails and its legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall burn all of it on the altar, as a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord.
    10 “If his gift for a burnt offering is from the flock, from the sheep or goats, he shall bring a male without blemish, 11 and he shall kill it on the north side of the altar before the Lord, and Aaron’s sons the priests shall throw its blood against the sides of the altar. 12 And he shall cut it into pieces, with its head and its fat, and the priest shall arrange them on the wood that is on the fire on the altar, 13 but the entrails and the legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall offer all of it and burn it on the altar; it is a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord.
    14 “If his offering to the Lord is a burnt offering of birds, then he shall bring his offering of turtledoves or pigeons. 15 And the priest shall bring it to the altar and wring off its head and burn it on the altar. Its blood shall be drained out on the side of the altar. 16 He shall remove its crop with its contents and cast it beside the altar on the east side, in the place for ashes. 17 He shall tear it open by its wings, but shall not sever it completely. And the priest shall burn it on the altar, on the wood that is on the fire. It is a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

PROVERBS 14

« Proverbs 13 | Proverbs 14 | Proverbs 15 »

14:1

The wisest of women builds her house,

but folly with her own hands tears it down. 2

Whoever walks in uprightness fears the Lord,

but he who is devious in his ways despises him. 3

By the mouth of a fool comes a rod for his back,

but the lips of the wise will preserve them. 4

Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean,

but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox. 5

A faithful witness does not lie,

but a false witness breathes out lies. 6

A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain,

but knowledge is easy for a man of understanding. 7

Leave the presence of a fool,

for there you do not meet words of knowledge. 8

The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way,

but the folly of fools is deceiving. 9

Fools mock at the guilt offering,

but the upright enjoy acceptance. 10

The heart knows its own bitterness,

and no stranger shares its joy. 11

The house of the wicked will be destroyed,

but the tent of the upright will flourish. 12

There is a way that seems right to a man,

but its end is the way to death. 13

Even in laughter the heart may ache,

and the end of joy may be grief. 14

The backslider in heart will be filled with the fruit of his ways,

and a good man will be filled with the fruit of his ways. 15

The simple believes everything,

but the prudent gives thought to his steps. 16

One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil,

but a fool is reckless and careless. 17

A man of quick temper acts foolishly,

and a man of evil devices is hated. 18

The simple inherit folly,

but the prudent are crowned with knowledge. 19

The evil bow down before the good,

the wicked at the gates of the righteous. 20

The poor is disliked even by his neighbor,

but the rich has many friends. 21

Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner,

but blessed is he who is generous to the poor. 22

Do they not go astray who devise evil?

Those who devise good meet steadfast love and faithfulness. 23

In all toil there is profit,

but mere talk tends only to poverty. 24

The crown of the wise is their wealth,

but the folly of fools brings folly. 25

A truthful witness saves lives,

but one who breathes out lies is deceitful. 26

In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence,

and his children will have a refuge. 27

The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,

that one may turn away from the snares of death. 28

In a multitude of people is the glory of a king,

but without people a prince is ruined. 29

Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding,

but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly. 30

A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh,

but envy makes the bones rot. 31

Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker,

but he who is generous to the needy honors him. 32

The wicked is overthrown through his evildoing,

but the righteous finds refuge in his death. 33

Wisdom rests in the heart of a man of understanding,

but it makes itself known even in the midst of fools. 34

Righteousness exalts a nation,

but sin is a reproach to any people. 35

A servant who deals wisely has the king’s favor,

but his wrath falls on one who acts shamefully.

ACTS 6

« Acts 5 | Acts 6 | Acts 7 »

Seven Chosen to Serve  6:1 Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. 2 And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. 3 Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 5 And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. 6 These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them.
    7 And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith. Stephen Is Seized8 And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen. 10 But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. 11 Then they secretly instigated men who said, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” 12 And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council, 13 and they set up false witnesses who said, “This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law, 14 for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us.” 15 And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel.