Daily Readings for March 14

Daily Readings for March 14
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Leviticus 22

1.Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2."Tell Aaron and his sons to separate themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel, which they make holy to me, and that they not profane my holy name. I am Yahweh.

3."Tell them, 'If anyone of all your seed throughout your generations approaches the holy things, which the children of Israel make holy to Yahweh, having his uncleanness on him, that soul shall be cut off from before me. I am Yahweh.

4."'Whoever of the seed of Aaron is a leper or has an issue; he shall not eat of the holy things, until he is clean. Whoever touches anything that is unclean by the dead, or a man whose seed goes from him; 5.or whoever touches any creeping thing, whereby he may be made unclean, or a man of whom he may take uncleanness, whatever uncleanness he has; 6.the person that touches any such shall be unclean until the evening, and shall not eat of the holy things, unless he bathe his body in water. 7.When the sun is down, he shall be clean; and afterward he shall eat of the holy things, because it is his bread. 8.That which dies of itself, or is torn by animals, he shall not eat, defiling himself by it. I am Yahweh.

9."'They shall therefore follow my requirements, lest they bear sin for it, and die therein, if they profane it. I am Yahweh who sanctifies them.

10."'No stranger shall eat of the holy thing: a foreigner living with the priests, or a hired servant, shall not eat of the holy thing. 11.But if a priest buys a slave, purchased by his money, he shall eat of it; and such as are born in his house, they shall eat of his bread. 12.If a priest's daughter is married to an outsider, she shall not eat of the heave offering of the holy things. 13.But if a priest's daughter is a widow, or divorced, and has no child, and has returned to her father's house, as in her youth, she may eat of her father's bread: but no stranger shall eat any of it.

14."'If a man eats something holy unwittingly, then he shall add the fifth part of its value to it, and shall give the holy thing to the priest. 15.The priests shall not profane the holy things of the children of Israel, which they offer to Yahweh, 16.and so cause them to bear the iniquity that brings guilt, when they eat their holy things: for I am Yahweh who sanctifies them.'"

17.Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 18."Speak to Aaron, and to his sons, and to all the children of Israel, and say to them, 'Whoever is of the house of Israel, or of the foreigners in Israel, who offers his offering, whether it be any of their vows, or any of their freewill offerings, which they offer to Yahweh for a burnt offering; 19.that you may be accepted, you shall offer a male without blemish, of the bulls, of the sheep, or of the goats. 20.But whatever has a blemish, that you shall not offer: for it shall not be acceptable for you. 21.Whoever offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to Yahweh to accomplish a vow, or for a freewill offering, of the herd or of the flock, it shall be perfect to be accepted; no blemish shall be therein. 22.Blind, injured, maimed, having a wart, festering, or having a running sore, you shall not offer these to Yahweh, nor make an offering by fire of them on the altar to Yahweh. 23.Either a bull or a lamb that has any deformity or lacking in his parts, that you may offer for a freewill offering; but for a vow it shall not be accepted. 24.That which has its testicles bruised, crushed, broken, or cut, you shall not offer to Yahweh; neither shall you do thus in your land. 25.Neither shall you offer the bread of your God from the hand of a foreigner of any of these; because their corruption is in them. There is a blemish in them. They shall not be accepted for you.'"

26.Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 27."When a bull, or a sheep, or a goat, is born, then it shall remain seven days with its mother; and from the eighth day and thenceforth it shall be accepted for the offering of an offering made by fire to Yahweh. 28.Whether it is a cow or ewe, you shall not kill it and its young both in one day.

29."When you sacrifice a sacrifice of thanksgiving to Yahweh, 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 the morning. I am Yahweh.

31."Therefore you shall keep my commandments, and do them. I am Yahweh. 32.You shall not profane my holy name, but I will be made holy among the children of Israel. I am Yahweh who makes you holy, 33.who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. I am Yahweh."

Psalm 125

1.Those who trust in Yahweh are as Mount Zion, which can't be moved, but remains forever. 2.As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so Yahweh surrounds his people from this time forth and forevermore. 3.For the scepter of wickedness won't remain over the allotment of the righteous; so that the righteous won't use their hands to do evil. 4.Do good, Yahweh, to those who are good, to those who are upright in their hearts. 5.But as for those who turn aside to their crooked ways, Yahweh will lead them away with the workers of iniquity. Peace be on Israel.

Psalm 126

1.When Yahweh brought back those who returned to Zion, we were like those who dream. 2.Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing. Then they said among the nations, "Yahweh has done great things for them." 3.Yahweh has done great things for us, and we are glad. 4.Restore our fortunes again, Yahweh, like the streams in the Negev. 5.Those who sow in tears will reap in joy. 6.He who goes out weeping, carrying seed for sowing, will certainly come again with joy, carrying his sheaves.

Psalm 127

1.Unless Yahweh builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. Unless Yahweh watches over the city, the watchman guards it in vain. 2.It is vain for you to rise up early, to stay up late, eating the bread of toil; for he gives sleep to his loved ones. 3.Behold, children are a heritage of Yahweh. The fruit of the womb is his reward. 4.As arrows in the hand of a mighty man, so are the children of youth. 5.Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them. They won't be disappointed when they speak with their enemies in the gate.

Luke 5

1.Now it happened, while the multitude pressed on him and heard the word of God, that he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret. 2.He saw two boats standing by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them, and were washing their nets. 3.He entered into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little from the land. He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. 4.When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into the deep, and let down your nets for a catch."

5.Simon answered him, "Master, we worked all night, and took nothing; but at your word I will let down the net." 6.When they had done this, they caught a great multitude of fish, and their net was breaking. 7.They beckoned to their partners in the other boat, that they should come and help them. They came, and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. 8.But Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord." 9.For he was amazed, and all who were with him, at the catch of fish which they had caught; 10.and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon.

Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be afraid. From now on you will be catching people alive."

11.When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything, and followed him. 12.It happened, while he was in one of the cities, behold, there was a man full of leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell on his face, and begged him, saying, "Lord, if you want to, you can make me clean."

13.He stretched out his hand, and touched him, saying, "I want to. Be made clean."

Immediately the leprosy left him. 14.He commanded him to tell no one, "But go your way, and show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing according to what Moses commanded, for a testimony to them." 15.But the report concerning him spread much more, and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities. 16.But he withdrew himself into the desert, and prayed.

17.It happened on one of those days, that he was teaching; and there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every village of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. The power of the Lord was with him to heal them. 18.Behold, men brought a paralyzed man on a cot, and they sought to bring him in to lay before Jesus. 19.Not finding a way to bring him in because of the multitude, they went up to the housetop, and let him down through the tiles with his cot into the midst before Jesus. 20.Seeing their faith, he said to him, "Man, your sins are forgiven you."

21.The scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, "Who is this that speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?"

22.But Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, answered them, "Why are you reasoning so in your hearts? 23.Which is easier to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you;' or to say, 'Arise and walk?' 24.But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins" (he said to the paralyzed man), "I tell you, arise, and take up your cot, and go to your house."

25.Immediately he rose up before them, and took up that which he was laying on, and departed to his house, glorifying God. 26.Amazement took hold on all, and they glorified God. They were filled with fear, saying, "We have seen strange things today."

27.After these things he went out, and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax office, and said to him, "Follow me!"

28.He left everything, and rose up and followed him. 29.Levi made a great feast for him in his house. There was a great crowd of tax collectors and others who were reclining with them. 30.Their scribes and the Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?" 31.Jesus answered them, "Those who are healthy have no need for a physician, but those who are sick do. 32.I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

33.They said to him, "Why do John's disciples often fast and pray, likewise also the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink?"

34.He said to them, "Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast, while the bridegroom is with them? 35.But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them. Then they will fast in those days." 36.He also told a parable to them. "No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old garment, or else he will tear the new, and also the piece from the new will not match the old. 37.No one puts new wine into old wineskins, or else the new wine will burst the skins, and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. 38.But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved. 39.No man having drunk old wine immediately desires new, for he says, 'The old is better.'"