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Daily Readings for May 2
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Deuteronomy 19
1.When Yahweh your God shall cut off the nations, whose land Yahweh your God gives you, and you succeed them, and dwell in their cities, and in their houses; 2.you shall set apart three cities for you in the midst of your land, which Yahweh your God gives you to possess it. 3.You shall prepare you the way, and divide the borders of your land, which Yahweh your God causes you to inherit, into three parts, that every manslayer may flee there. 4.This is the case of the manslayer, that shall flee there and live: whoever kills his neighbor unawares, and didn't hate him in time past; 5.as when a man goes into the forest with his neighbor to chop wood, and his hand fetches a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slips from the handle, and lights on his neighbor, so that he dies; he shall flee to one of these cities and live: 6.lest the avenger of blood pursue the manslayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and strike him mortally; whereas he was not worthy of death, inasmuch as he didn't hate him in time past. 7.Therefore I command you, saying, You shall set apart three cities for yourselves. 8.If Yahweh your God enlarges your border, as he has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land which he promised to give to your fathers; 9.if you keep all this commandment to do it, which I command you this day, to love Yahweh your God, and to walk ever in his ways; then you shall add three cities more for yourselves, besides these three: 10.that innocent blood not be shed in the midst of your land, which Yahweh your God gives you for an inheritance, and so blood be on you. 11.But if any man hates his neighbor, and lies in wait for him, and rises up against him, and strikes him mortally so that he dies, and he flees into one of these cities; 12.then the elders of his city shall send and bring him there, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die. 13.Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall put away the innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with you. 14.You shall not remove your neighbor's landmark, which they of old time have set, in your inheritance which you shall inherit, in the land that Yahweh your God gives you to possess it. 15.One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sins: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall a matter be established. 16.If an unrighteous witness rise up against any man to testify against him of wrongdoing, 17.then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before Yahweh, before the priests and the judges who shall be in those days; 18.and the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness is a false witness, and has testified falsely against his brother; 19.then you shall do to him as he had thought to do to his brother: so you shall put away the evil from the midst of you. 20.Those who remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil in the midst of you. 21.Your eyes shall not pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
Ecclesiastes 11
1.Cast your bread on the waters; for you shall find it after many days. 2.Give a portion to seven, yes, even to eight; for you don't know what evil will be on the earth. 3.If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth; and if a tree falls toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falls, there shall it be. 4.He who observes the wind won't sow; and he who regards the clouds won't reap. 5.As you don't know what is the way of the wind, nor how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child; even so you don't know the work of God who does all. 6.In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening don't withhold your hand; for you don't know which will prosper, whether this or that, or whether they both will be equally good. 7.Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to see the sun. 8.Yes, if a man lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember the days of darkness, for they shall be many. All that comes is vanity. 9.Rejoice, young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth, and walk in the ways of your heart, and in the sight of your eyes; but know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment. 10.Therefore remove sorrow from your heart, and put away evil from your flesh; for youth and the dawn of life are vanity.
Acts 10
1.Now there was a certain man in Caesarea, Cornelius by name, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, 2.a devout man, and one who feared God with all his house, who gave gifts for the needy generously to the people, and always prayed to God. 3.At about the ninth hour of the day40, he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God coming to him, and saying to him, "Cornelius!"
4.He, fastening his eyes on him, and being frightened, said, "What is it, Lord?"
He said to him, "Your prayers and your gifts to the needy have gone up for a memorial before God. 5.Now send men to Joppa, and get Simon, who is surnamed Peter. 6.He lodges with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the seaside.41"
7.When the angel who spoke to him had departed, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier of those who waited on him continually. 8.Having explained everything to them, he sent them to Joppa. 9.Now on the next day as they were on their journey, and got close to the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray at about noon. 10.He became hungry and desired to eat, but while they were preparing, he fell into a trance. 11.He saw heaven opened and a certain container descending to him, like a great sheet let down by four corners on the earth, 12.in which were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild animals, reptiles, and birds of the sky. 13.A voice came to him, "Rise, Peter, kill and eat!"
14.But Peter said, "Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean."
15.A voice came to him again the second time, "What God has cleansed, you must not call unclean." 16.This was done three times, and immediately the vessel was received up into heaven. 17.Now while Peter was very perplexed in himself what the vision which he had seen might mean, behold, the men who were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon's house, stood before the gate, 18.and called and asked whether Simon, who was surnamed Peter, was lodging there. 19.While Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Behold, three42 men seek you. 20.But arise, get down, and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them."
21.Peter went down to the men, and said, "Behold, I am he whom you seek. Why have you come?"
22.They said, "Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous man and one who fears God, and well spoken of by all the nation of the Jews, was directed by a holy angel to invite you to his house, and to listen to what you say." 23.So he called them in and lodged them. On the next day Peter arose and went out with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him. 24.On the next day they entered into Caesarea. Cornelius was waiting for them, having called together his relatives and his near friends. 25.When it happened that Peter entered, Cornelius met him, fell down at his feet, and worshiped him. 26.But Peter raised him up, saying, "Stand up! I myself am also a man." 27.As he talked with him, he went in and found many gathered together. 28.He said to them, "You yourselves know how it is an unlawful thing for a man who is a Jew to join himself or come to one of another nation, but God has shown me that I shouldn't call any man unholy or unclean. 29.Therefore also I came without complaint when I was sent for. I ask therefore, why did you send for me?"
30.Cornelius said, "Four days ago, I was fasting until this hour, and at the ninth hour,43 I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing, 31.and said, 'Cornelius, your prayer is heard, and your gifts to the needy are remembered in the sight of God. 32.Send therefore to Joppa, and summon Simon, who is surnamed Peter. He lodges in the house of Simon a tanner, by the seaside. When he comes, he will speak to you.' 33.Therefore I sent to you at once, and it was good of you to come. Now therefore we are all here present in the sight of God to hear all things that have been commanded you by God."
34.Peter opened his mouth and said, "Truly I perceive that God doesn't show favoritism; 35.but in every nation he who fears him and works righteousness is acceptable to him. 36.The word which he sent to the children of Israel, preaching good news of peace by Jesus Christ--he is Lord of all-- 37.you yourselves know what happened, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; 38.even Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39.We are witnesses of everything he did both in the country of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they also44 killed, hanging him on a tree. 40.God raised him up the third day, and gave him to be revealed, 41.not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen before by God, to us, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42.He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that this is he who is appointed by God as the Judge of the living and the dead. 43.All the prophets testify about him, that through his name everyone who believes in him will receive remission of sins."
44.While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all those who heard the word. 45.They of the circumcision who believed were amazed, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was also poured out on the Gentiles. 46.For they heard them speaking in other languages and magnifying God.
Then Peter answered, 47."Can any man forbid the water, that these who have received the Holy Spirit as well as we should not be baptized?" 48.He commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay some days.