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Daily Readings for April 3
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Numbers 17
1.Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2."Speak to the children of Israel, and take of them rods, one for each fathers' house, of all their princes according to their fathers' houses, twelve rods: write every man's name on his rod. 3.You shall write Aaron's name on the rod of Levi; for there shall be one rod for each head of their fathers' houses. 4.You shall lay them up in the Tent of Meeting before the testimony, where I meet with you. 5.It shall happen, that the rod of the man whom I shall choose shall bud: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against you."
6.Moses spoke to the children of Israel; and all their princes gave him rods, for each prince one, according to their fathers' houses, even twelve rods: and the rod of Aaron was among their rods. 7.Moses laid up the rods before Yahweh in the tent of the testimony.
8.It happened on the next day, that Moses went into the tent of the testimony; and behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and put forth buds, and produced blossoms, and bore ripe almonds. 9.Moses brought out all the rods from before Yahweh to all the children of Israel: and they looked, and took every man his rod.
10.Yahweh said to Moses, "Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion; that you may make an end of their murmurings against me, that they not die." 11.Moses did so. As Yahweh commanded him, so he did.
12.The children of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, "Behold, we perish! We are undone! We are all undone! 13.Everyone who comes near, who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh, dies! Will we all perish?"
Numbers 18
1.Yahweh said to Aaron, "You and your sons and your fathers' house with you shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary; and you and your sons with you shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood. 2.Your brothers also, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, bring near with you, that they may be joined to you, and minister to you: but you and your sons with you shall be before the tent of the testimony. 3.They shall keep your commands, and the duty of all the Tent: only they shall not come near to the vessels of the sanctuary and to the altar, that they not die, neither they, nor you. 4.They shall be joined to you, and keep the responsibility of the Tent of Meeting, for all the service of the Tent: and a stranger shall not come near to you.
5."You shall perform the duty of the sanctuary, and the duty of the altar; that there be wrath no more on the children of Israel. 6.I, behold, I have taken your brothers the Levites from among the children of Israel: to you they are a gift, given to Yahweh, to do the service of the Tent of Meeting. 7.You and your sons with you shall keep your priesthood for everything of the altar, and for that within the veil; and you shall serve: I give you the priesthood as a service of gift: and the stranger who comes near shall be put to death."
8.Yahweh spoke to Aaron, "I, behold, I have given you the command of my wave offerings, even all the holy things of the children of Israel; to you have I given them by reason of the anointing, and to your sons, as a portion forever. 9.This shall be yours of the most holy things from the fire: every offering of theirs, even every meal offering of theirs, and every sin offering of theirs, and every trespass offering of theirs, which they shall render to me, shall be most holy for you and for your sons. 10.You shall eat of it like the most holy things. Every male shall eat of it. It shall be holy to you.
11."This is yours, too: the wave offering of their gift, even all the wave offerings of the children of Israel. I have given them to you, and to your sons and to your daughters with you, as a portion forever. Everyone who is clean in your house shall eat of it.
12."All the best of the oil, and all the best of the vintage, and of the grain, the first fruits of them which they give to Yahweh, to you have I given them. 13.The first-ripe fruits of all that is in their land, which they bring to Yahweh, shall be yours; everyone who is clean in your house shall eat of it.
14."Everything devoted in Israel shall be yours. 15.Everything that opens the womb, of all flesh which they offer to Yahweh, both of man and animal shall be yours: nevertheless you shall surely redeem the firstborn of man, and you shall redeem the firstborn of unclean animals. 16.You shall redeem those who are to be redeemed of them from a month old, according to your estimation, for five shekels of money, after the shekel of the sanctuary (the same is twenty gerahs).
17."But you shall not redeem the firstborn of a cow, or the firstborn of a sheep, or the firstborn of a goat. They are holy. You shall sprinkle their blood on the altar, and shall burn their fat for an offering made by fire, for a pleasant aroma to Yahweh. 18.Their flesh shall be yours, as the wave offering breast and as the right thigh, it shall be yours. 19.All the wave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer to Yahweh, have I given you, and your sons and your daughters with you, as a portion forever: it is a covenant of salt forever before Yahweh to you and to your seed with you."
20.Yahweh said to Aaron, "You shall have no inheritance in their land, neither shall you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel.
21."To the children of Levi, behold, I have given all the tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service which they serve, even the service of the Tent of Meeting. 22.Henceforth the children of Israel shall not come near the Tent of Meeting, lest they bear sin, and die. 23.But the Levites shall do the service of the Tent of Meeting, and they shall bear their iniquity: it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations; and among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance. 24.For the tithe of the children of Israel, which they offer as a wave offering to Yahweh, I have given to the Levites for an inheritance: therefore I have said to them, 'Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.'"
25.Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 26."Moreover you shall speak to the Levites, and tell them, 'When you take of the children of Israel the tithe which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then you shall offer up a wave offering of it for Yahweh, a tithe of the tithe. 27.Your wave offering shall be reckoned to you, as though it were the grain of the threshing floor, and as the fullness of the winepress. 28.Thus you also shall offer a wave offering to Yahweh of all your tithes, which you receive of the children of Israel; and of it you shall give Yahweh's wave offering to Aaron the priest. 29.Out of all your gifts you shall offer every wave offering of Yahweh, of all its best, even the holy part of it out of it.'
30."Therefore you shall tell them, 'When you heave its best from it, then it shall be reckoned to the Levites as the increase of the threshing floor, and as the increase of the winepress. 31.You shall eat it in every place, you and your households: for it is your reward in return for your service in the Tent of Meeting. 32.You shall bear no sin by reason of it, when you have heaved from it its best: and you shall not profane the holy things of the children of Israel, that you not die.'"
Proverbs 13
1.A wise son listens to his father's instruction, but a scoffer doesn't listen to rebuke. 2.By the fruit of his lips, a man enjoys good things; but the unfaithful crave violence. 3.He who guards his mouth guards his soul. One who opens wide his lips comes to ruin. 4.The soul of the sluggard desires, and has nothing, but the desire of the diligent shall be fully satisfied. 5.A righteous man hates lies, but a wicked man brings shame and disgrace. 6.Righteousness guards the way of integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner. 7.There are some who pretend to be rich, yet have nothing. There are some who pretend to be poor, yet have great wealth. 8.The ransom of a man's life is his riches, but the poor hear no threats. 9.The light of the righteous shines brightly, but the lamp of the wicked is snuffed out. 10.Pride only breeds quarrels, but with ones who take advice is wisdom. 11.Wealth gained dishonestly dwindles away, but he who gathers by hand makes it grow. 12.Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when longing is fulfilled, it is a tree of life. 13.Whoever despises instruction will pay for it, but he who respects a command will be rewarded. 14.The teaching of the wise is a spring of life, to turn from the snares of death. 15.Good understanding wins favor; but the way of the unfaithful is hard. 16.Every prudent man acts from knowledge, but a fool exposes folly. 17.A wicked messenger falls into trouble, but a trustworthy envoy gains healing. 18.Poverty and shame come to him who refuses discipline, but he who heeds correction shall be honored. 19.Longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul, but fools detest turning from evil. 20.One who walks with wise men grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm. 21.Misfortune pursues sinners, but prosperity rewards the righteous. 22.A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, but the wealth of the sinner is stored for the righteous. 23.An abundance of food is in poor people's fields, but injustice sweeps it away. 24.One who spares the rod hates his son, but one who loves him is careful to discipline him. 25.The righteous one eats to the satisfying of his soul, but the belly of the wicked goes hungry.
Galatians 3
1.Foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you not to obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was openly set forth among you as crucified? 2.I just want to learn this from you. Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by hearing of faith? 3.Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now completed in the flesh? 4.Did you suffer so many things in vain, if it is indeed in vain? 5.He therefore who supplies the Spirit to you, and works miracles among you, does he do it by the works of the law, or by hearing of faith? 6.Even as Abraham "believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness." 7.Know therefore that those who are of faith, the same are children of Abraham. 8.The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the Good News beforehand to Abraham, saying, "In you all the nations will be blessed."2 9.So then, those who are of faith are blessed with the faithful Abraham. 10.For as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse. For it is written, "Cursed is everyone who doesn't continue in all things that are written in the book of the law, to do them."3 11.Now that no man is justified by the law before God is evident, for, "The righteous will live by faith."4 12.The law is not of faith, but, "The man who does them will live by them."5
13.Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us. For it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree,"6 14.that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Christ Jesus; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. 15.Brothers, speaking of human terms, though it is only a man's covenant, yet when it has been confirmed, no one makes it void, or adds to it. 16.Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He doesn't say, "To seeds," as of many, but as of one, "To your seed,"7 which is Christ. 17.Now I say this. A covenant confirmed beforehand by God in Christ, the law, which came four hundred thirty years after, does not annul, so as to make the promise of no effect. 18.For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no more of promise; but God has granted it to Abraham by promise.
19.What then is the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the seed should come to whom the promise has been made. It was ordained through angels by the hand of a mediator. 20.Now a mediator is not between one, but God is one. 21.Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could make alive, most certainly righteousness would have been of the law. 22.But the Scriptures imprisoned all things under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23.But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, confined for the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 24.So that the law has become our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25.But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. 26.For you are all children of God, through faith in Christ Jesus. 27.For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28.There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29.If you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to promise.
Galatians 4
1.But I say that so long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a bondservant, though he is lord of all; 2.but is under guardians and stewards until the day appointed by the father. 3.So we also, when we were children, were held in bondage under the elemental principles of the world. 4.But when the fullness of the time came, God sent out his Son, born to a woman, born under the law, 5.that he might redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of children. 6.And because you are children, God sent out the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, "Abba,8 Father!" 7.So you are no longer a bondservant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. 8.However at that time, not knowing God, you were in bondage to those who by nature are not gods. 9.But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, why do you turn back again to the weak and miserable elemental principles, to which you desire to be in bondage all over again? 10.You observe days, months, seasons, and years. 11.I am afraid for you, that I might have wasted my labor for you. 12.I beg you, brothers, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong, 13.but you know that because of weakness of the flesh I preached the Good News to you the first time. 14.That which was a temptation to you in my flesh, you didn't despise nor reject; but you received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.
15.What was the blessing you enjoyed? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have plucked out your eyes and given them to me. 16.So then, have I become your enemy by telling you the truth? 17.They zealously seek you in no good way. No, they desire to alienate you, that you may seek them. 18.But it is always good to be zealous in a good cause, and not only when I am present with you.
19.My little children, of whom I am again in travail until Christ is formed in you-- 20.but I could wish to be present with you now, and to change my tone, for I am perplexed about you. 21.Tell me, you that desire to be under the law, don't you listen to the law? 22.For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the handmaid, and one by the free woman. 23.However, the son by the handmaid was born according to the flesh, but the son by the free woman was born through promise. 24.These things contain an allegory, for these are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children to bondage, which is Hagar. 25.For this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and answers to the Jerusalem that exists now, for she is in bondage with her children. 26.But the Jerusalem that is above is free, which is the mother of us all. 27.For it is written, "Rejoice, you barren who don't bear. Break forth and shout, you that don't travail. For more are the children of the desolate than of her who has a husband."9
28.Now we, brothers, as Isaac was, are children of promise. 29.But as then, he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now. 30.However what does the Scripture say? "Throw out the handmaid and her son, for the son of the handmaid will not inherit with the son of the free woman."10 31.So then, brothers, we are not children of a handmaid, but of the free woman.