Daily Readings for May 9
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Deuteronomy 26

 

1.It shall be, when you have come in to the land which Yahweh your God gives you for an inheritance, and possess it, and dwell therein, 2.that you shall take of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you shall bring in from your land that Yahweh your God gives you; and you shall put it in a basket, and shall go to the place which Yahweh your God shall choose, to cause his name to dwell there. 3.You shall come to the priest who shall be in those days, and tell him, "I profess this day to Yahweh your God, that I am come to the land which Yahweh swore to our fathers to give us." 4.The priest shall take the basket out of your hand, and set it down before the altar of Yahweh your God. 5.You shall answer and say before Yahweh your God, "A Syrian ready to perish was my father; and he went down into Egypt, and lived there, few in number; and he became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous. 6.The Egyptians dealt ill with us, and afflicted us, and laid on us hard bondage: 7.and we cried to Yahweh, the God of our fathers, and Yahweh heard our voice, and saw our affliction, and our toil, and our oppression; 8.and Yahweh brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terror, and with signs, and with wonders; 9.and he has brought us into this place, and has given us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. 10.Now, behold, I have brought the first of the fruit of the ground, which you, Yahweh, have given me." You shall set it down before Yahweh your God, and worship before Yahweh your God. 11.You shall rejoice in all the good which Yahweh your God has given to you, and to your house, you, and the Levite, and the foreigner who is in the midst of you.

12.When you have made an end of tithing all the tithe of your increase in the third year, which is the year of tithing, then you shall give it to the Levite, to the foreigner, to the fatherless, and to the widow, that they may eat within your gates, and be filled. 13.You shall say before Yahweh your God, "I have put away the holy things out of my house, and also have given them to the Levite, and to the foreigner, to the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all your commandment which you have commanded me: I have not transgressed any of your commandments, neither have I forgotten them: 14.I have not eaten of it in my mourning, neither have I put away of it, being unclean, nor given of it for the dead: I have listened to the voice of Yahweh my God; I have done according to all that you have commanded me. 15.Look down from your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless your people Israel, and the ground which you have given us, as you swore to our fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey."

16.This day Yahweh your God commands you to do these statutes and ordinances: you shall therefore keep and do them with all your heart, and with all your soul. 17.You have declared Yahweh this day to be your God, and that you would walk in his ways, and keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his ordinances, and listen to his voice: 18.and Yahweh has declared you this day to be a people for his own possession, as he has promised you, and that you should keep all his commandments; 19.and to make you high above all nations that he has made, in praise, and in name, and in honor; and that you may be a holy people to Yahweh your God, as he has spoken.

 

Song of Solomon 6

 

Friends 1.Where has your beloved gone, you fairest among women? Where has your beloved turned, that we may seek him with you?

Beloved 2.My beloved has gone down to his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies. 3.I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine. He browses among the lilies,

4.You are beautiful, my love, as Tirzah, lovely as Jerusalem, awesome as an army with banners. 5.Turn away your eyes from me, for they have overcome me. Your hair is like a flock of goats, that lie along the side of Gilead. 6.Your teeth are like a flock of ewes, which have come up from the washing; of which every one has twins; none is bereaved among them. 7.Your temples are like a piece of a pomegranate behind your veil. 8.There are sixty queens, eighty concubines, and virgins without number. 9.My dove, my perfect one, is unique. She is her mother's only daughter. She is the favorite one of her who bore her. The daughters saw her, and called her blessed; the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.

10.Who is she who looks forth as the morning, beautiful as the moon, clear as the sun, and awesome as an army with banners?

11.I went down into the nut tree grove, to see the green plants of the valley, to see whether the vine budded, and the pomegranates were in flower. 12.Without realizing it, my desire set me with my royal people's chariots.

Friends 13.Return, return, Shulammite! Return, return, that we may gaze at you.

 

Acts 21

 

1.When it happened that we had parted from them and had set sail, we came with a straight course to Cos, and the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara. 2.Having found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, we went aboard, and set sail. 3.When we had come in sight of Cyprus, leaving it on the left hand, we sailed to Syria, and landed at Tyre, for there the ship was to unload her cargo. 4.Having found disciples, we stayed there seven days. These said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem. 5.When it happened that we had accomplished the days, we departed and went on our journey. They all, with wives and children, brought us on our way until we were out of the city. Kneeling down on the beach, we prayed. 6.After saying goodbye to each other, we went on board the ship, and they returned home again.

7.When we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais. We greeted the brothers, and stayed with them one day. 8.On the next day, we, who were Paul's companions, departed, and came to Caesarea.

We entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. 9.Now this man had four virgin daughters who prophesied. 10.As we stayed there some days, a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11.Coming to us, and taking Paul's belt, he bound his own feet and hands, and said, "Thus says the Holy Spirit: 'So will the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and will deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.'"

12.When we heard these things, both we and they of that place begged him not to go up to Jerusalem. 13.Then Paul answered, "What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus."

14.When he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, "The Lord's will be done."

15.After these days we took up our baggage and went up to Jerusalem. 16.Some of the disciples from Caesarea also went with us, bringing one Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we would stay.

17.When we had come to Jerusalem, the brothers received us gladly. 18.The day following, Paul went in with us to James; and all the elders were present. 19.When he had greeted them, he reported one by one the things which God had worked among the Gentiles through his ministry. 20.They, when they heard it, glorified God. They said to him, "You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law. 21.They have been informed about you, that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children neither to walk after the customs. 22.What then? The assembly must certainly meet, for they will hear that you have come. 23.Therefore do what we tell you. We have four men who have taken a vow. 24.Take them, and purify yourself with them, and pay their expenses for them, that they may shave their heads. Then all will know that there is no truth in the things that they have been informed about you, but that you yourself also walk keeping the law. 25.But concerning the Gentiles who believe, we have written our decision that they should observe no such thing, except that they should keep themselves from food offered to idols, from blood, from strangled things, and from sexual immorality."

26.Then Paul took the men, and the next day, purified himself and went with them into the temple, declaring the fulfillment of the days of purification, until the offering was offered for every one of them. 27.When the seven days were almost completed, the Jews from Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the multitude and laid hands on him, 28.crying out, "Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against the people, and the law, and this place. Moreover, he also brought Greeks into the temple, and has defiled this holy place!" 29.For they had seen Trophimus, the Ephesian, with him in the city, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple.

30.All the city was moved, and the people ran together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple. Immediately the doors were shut. 31.As they were trying to kill him, news came up to the commanding officer of the regiment that all Jerusalem was in an uproar. 32.Immediately he took soldiers and centurions, and ran down to them. They, when they saw the chief captain and the soldiers, stopped beating Paul. 33.Then the commanding officer came near, arrested him, commanded him to be bound with two chains, and inquired who he was and what he had done. 34.Some shouted one thing, and some another, among the crowd. When he couldn't find out the truth because of the noise, he commanded him to be brought into the barracks.

35.When he came to the stairs, it happened that he was carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the crowd; 36.for the multitude of the people followed after, crying out, "Away with him!" 37.As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he asked the commanding officer, "May I speak to you?"

He said, "Do you know Greek? 38.Aren't you then the Egyptian, who before these days stirred up to sedition and led out into the wilderness the four thousand men of the Assassins?"

39.But Paul said, "I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city. I beg you, allow me to speak to the people."

40.When he had given him permission, Paul, standing on the stairs, beckoned with his hand to the people. When there was a great silence, he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, saying,

 

Acts 22

 

1."Brothers and fathers, listen to the defense which I now make to you."

2.When they heard that he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, they were even more quiet. He said, 3."I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, instructed according to the strict tradition of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God, even as you all are this day. 4.I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women. 5.As also the high priest and all the council of the elders testify, from whom also I received letters to the brothers, and traveled to Damascus to bring them also who were there to Jerusalem in bonds to be punished. 6.It happened that, as I made my journey, and came close to Damascus, about noon, suddenly there shone from the sky a great light around me. 7.I fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?' 8.I answered, 'Who are you, Lord?' He said to me, 'I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you persecute.'

9."Those who were with me indeed saw the light and were afraid, but they didn't understand the voice of him who spoke to me. 10.I said, 'What shall I do, Lord?' The Lord said to me, 'Arise, and go into Damascus. There you will be told about all things which are appointed for you to do.' 11.When I couldn't see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of those who were with me, I came into Damascus. 12.One Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well reported of by all the Jews who lived in Damascus, 13.came to me, and standing by me said to me, 'Brother Saul, receive your sight!' In that very hour I looked up at him. 14.He said, 'The God of our fathers has appointed you to know his will, and to see the Righteous One, and to hear a voice from his mouth. 15.For you will be a witness for him to all men of what you have seen and heard. 16.Now why do you wait? Arise, be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.'

17."It happened that, when I had returned to Jerusalem, and while I prayed in the temple, I fell into a trance, 18.and saw him saying to me, 'Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not receive testimony concerning me from you.' 19.I said, 'Lord, they themselves know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue those who believed in you. 20.When the blood of Stephen, your witness, was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting to his death, and guarding the cloaks of those who killed him.'

21."He said to me, 'Depart, for I will send you out far from here to the Gentiles.'"

22.They listened to him until he said that; then they lifted up their voice, and said, "Rid the earth of this fellow, for he isn't fit to live!"

23.As they cried out, and threw off their cloaks, and threw dust into the air, 24.the commanding officer commanded him to be brought into the barracks, ordering him to be examined by scourging, that he might know for what crime they shouted against him like that. 25.When they had tied him up with thongs, Paul asked the centurion who stood by, "Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and not found guilty?"

26.When the centurion heard it, he went to the commanding officer and told him, "Watch what you are about to do, for this man is a Roman!"

27.The commanding officer came and asked him, "Tell me, are you a Roman?"

He said, "Yes."

28.The commanding officer answered, "I bought my citizenship for a great price."

Paul said, "But I was born a Roman."

29.Immediately those who were about to examine him departed from him, and the commanding officer also was afraid when he realized that he was a Roman, because he had bound him. 30.But on the next day, desiring to know the truth about why he was accused by the Jews, he freed him from the bonds, and commanded the chief priests and all the council to come together, and brought Paul down and set him before them.

 

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