Friday, 23 Shevat 5784 / February 2, 2024
Day 398 Readings
Torah: Parshat Yitro, 6th Portion Shemot (Exodus) 19:20-20:14
Exodus 19:20-20:14
Easy-to-Read Version
20 So the Lord came down to Mount Sinai. He came from heaven to the top of the mountain. Then he called Moses to come up to the top of the mountain with him. So Moses went up the mountain.
21 The Lord said to Moses, “Go down and warn the people not to come near me and look at me. If they do, many will die. 22 Also tell the priests who come near the Lord that they must prepare themselves for this special meeting. If they don’t, I, the Lord, will punish them.”
23 Moses said to the Lord, “But the people cannot come up the mountain. You yourself told us to make a line and not allow the people to cross the line to holy ground.”
24 The Lord said to him, “Go down to the people. Get Aaron and bring him back with you. But don’t let the priests or the people come near me. I will punish them if they come too close.”
25 So Moses went down to the people and told them these things.
Exodus 20
The Ten Commandments
1 These are the things God told his people:
2 “I am the Lord your God. I am the one who freed you from the land of Egypt, where you were slaves.
3 “You must not worship any other gods except me.
4 “You must not make any idols. Don’t make any statues or pictures of anything up in the sky or of anything on the earth or of anything down in the water. 5 Don’t worship or serve idols of any kind, because I, the Lord, am your God. I hate my people worshiping other gods.[a] People who sin against me become my enemies, and I will punish them. And I will punish their children, their grandchildren, and even their great-grandchildren. 6 But I will be very kind to people who love me and obey my commands. I will be kind to their families for thousands of generations.[b]
7 “You must not use the name of the Lord your God to make empty promises. If you do, the Lord will not let you go unpunished.
8 “You must remember to keep the Sabbath a special day. 9 You may work six days a week to do your job. 10 But the seventh day is a day of rest in honor of the Lord your God. So on that day no one should work—not you, your sons and daughters, or your men and women slaves. Even your animals and the foreigners living in your cities must not work! 11 That is because the Lord worked six days and made the sky, the earth, the sea, and everything in them. And on the seventh day, he rested. In this way the Lord blessed the Sabbath—the day of rest. He made that a very special day.
12 “You must honor and respect your father and your mother. Do this so that you will have a full life in the land that the Lord your God gives you.
13 “You must not murder anyone.
14 “You must not commit adultery.
Bible Study Together
2 Samuel 23
Easy-to-Read Version
David’s Last Words
1 These are the last words of David:
“This message is from David son of Jesse. This message is from the man God made great.He is the king chosen by the God of Jacob, the sweet singer of Israel. 2 The Lord’s Spirit spoke through me. His word was on my tongue. 3 The God of Israel spoke. The Rock of Israel said to me,‘Whoever rules people fairly, who rules with respect for God, 4 is like the morning light at dawn, like a morning without clouds.He is like sunshine after a rain that makes tender grass grow from the ground.’
5 “God made my family strong and secure.[b] He made an agreement with me forever.God made sure this agreement was good and secure in every way. So surely he will give me every victory. He will give me everything I want!
6 “But evil people are like thorns. People don’t hold thorns. They throw them away. 7 If someone touches them, it hurts like a spear made of wood and iron. Yes, evil people are like thorns. They will be thrown into the fire, and they will be completely burned.”
1 Chronicles 29:23-30
Easy-to-Read Version
23 Then Solomon sat on the Lord’s throne as king. Solomon took his father’s place. He was very successful. All the Israelites obeyed him. 24 All the leaders, soldiers, and all of King David’s sons accepted Solomon as king and obeyed him. 25 The Lord made Solomon very great. All the Israelites knew that the Lord was making him great. He gave Solomon the honor that a king should have. No king in Israel before Solomon had such honor.
David’s Death
26-27 David son of Jesse was king over all Israel for 40 years. He was king in the city of Hebron for seven years. Then he was king in the city of Jerusalem for 33 years. 28 David died when he was old. He had lived a good, long life and had many riches and honors. His son Solomon became the new king after him.
29 The things that King David did, from beginning to end, are in the books written by Samuel the seer, Nathan the prophet, and Gad the seer. 30 Those writings tell all about what David did as king of Israel. They tell about David’s power and what happened to him and to Israel and to all the kingdoms around them.
1 Kings 2:10-12
Easy-to-Read Version
10 Then David died and was buried in the City of David. 11 David ruled Israel 40 years. He ruled seven years in Hebron and 33 years in Jerusalem.
Solomon and Adonijah
12 Now Solomon was king. He sat on the throne of his father David and was in complete control of his kingdom.
Matthew 22:1-14
Easy-to-Read Version
A Story About People Invited to a Dinner
1 Jesus used some more stories to teach the people. He said, 2 “God’s kingdom is like a king who prepared a wedding feast for his son. 3 He invited some people to the feast. When it was ready, the king sent his servants to tell the people to come. But they refused to come to the king’s feast.
4 “Then the king sent some more servants. He said to them, ‘I have already invited the people. So tell them that my feast is ready. I have killed my best bulls and calves to be eaten. Everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.’
5 “But when the servants told the people to come, they refused to listen. They all went to do other things. One went to work in his field, and another went to his business. 6 Some of the other people grabbed the servants, beat them, and killed them. 7 The king was very angry. He sent his army to kill those who murdered his servants. And the army burned their city.
8 “After that the king said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready. I invited those people, but they were not good enough to come to my feast. 9 So go to the street corners and invite everyone you see. Tell them to come to my feast.’ 10 So the servants went into the streets. They gathered all the people they could find, good and bad alike, and brought them to where the wedding feast was ready. And the place was filled with guests.
11 “When the king came in to meet the guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in the right clothes for a wedding. 12 The king said, ‘Friend, how were you allowed to come in here? You are not wearing the right clothes.’ But the man said nothing. 13 So the king told some servants, ‘Tie this man’s hands and feet. Throw him out into the darkness, where people are crying and grinding their teeth with pain.’
14 “Yes, many people are invited. But only a few are chosen.”
ESV Readings
Scripture
Genesis 28:10-22
Easy-to-Read Version
Jacob’s Dream at Bethel
10 Jacob left Beersheba and went to Haran. 11 The sun had already set when he came to a good place to spend the night. He took a rock there and laid his head on it to sleep. 12 Jacob had a dream. He dreamed there was a ladder that was on the ground and reached up into heaven. He saw the angels of God going up and down the ladder. 13 And then Jacob saw the Lord standing by the ladder. He said, “I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham. I am the God of Isaac. I will give you the land that you are lying on now. I will give this land to you and to your children. 14 You will have as many descendants as there are particles of dust on the earth. They will spread east and west, north and south. All the families on earth will be blessed because of you and your descendants.
15 “I am with you, and I will protect you everywhere you go. I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised.”
16 Then Jacob woke up and said, “I know that the Lord is in this place, but I did not know he was here until I slept.”
17 Jacob was afraid and said, “This is a very great place. This is the house of God. This is the gate to heaven.”
18 Jacob got up very early in the morning. He took the rock he had slept on and set it up on its edge. Then he poured oil on the rock. In this way he made it a memorial to God. 19 The name of that place was Luz, but Jacob named it Bethel.[a]
20 Then Jacob made a promise. He said, “If God will be with me, and if he will protect me on this trip, and if he gives me food to eat and clothes to wear, 21 and if I return in peace to my father’s house—if he does all these things—then the Lord will be my God. 22 I am setting this stone up as a memorial stone. It will show that this is a holy place for God, and I will give God one-tenth of all he gives me.”
2 Chronicles 5
Easy-to-Read Version
1 When all the work was completed on the Lord’s Temple, Solomon brought in everything his father David had set aside for the Temple. Solomon put all the furniture and all the things made of silver and gold into the storage rooms in God’s Temple.
The Holy Box Carried Into the Temple
2 Solomon commanded the elders of Israel, the leaders of the tribes, and the heads of families to meet together in Jerusalem. He did this so that they could bring the Box of the Lord’s Agreement up to the Temple from the City of David, that is, Zion. 3 All the men of Israel met together before King Solomon during the special festival[a] in the seventh month of the year.
4 When all the elders of Israel arrived, the Levites[b] lifted the Box of the Agreement 5 and carried it up to the Temple. The priests and the Levites[c] also brought the Meeting Tent and all the holy things that were in it to the Temple in Jerusalem. 6 Then King Solomon and all the Israelites met in front of the Box of the Agreement to offer sheep and bulls as sacrifices. There were so many offerings that no one could count them. 7 Then the priests carried the Box of the Lord’s Agreement to the place that was prepared for it in the Most Holy Place inside the Temple. They put the Box of the Agreement under the wings of the Cherub angels. 8 The Cherub angels stood with their wings spread over the Box of the Agreement and the poles that were used to carry it. 9 The poles are still there today. They were too long for the Most Holy Place, so their ends could be seen by anyone standing in the Holy Place, although no one outside could see them. 10 The only things inside the Holy Box are the two tablets that Moses put there at Mt. Horeb. This is where the Lord made his agreement with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt.
11 All the priests who were there did the ceremony to make themselves holy. Then, as they came out of the Holy Place, they stood together, but not in their special groups. 12 The Levite singers stood at the east side of the altar. All the singing groups of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun were there. And their sons and relatives were there. The Levite singers were dressed in white linen. They had cymbals, lyres, and harps. There were 120 priests there with the Levite singers. The 120 priests blew trumpets. 13 Those who blew the trumpets and those who sang were like one person. They made one sound when they praised and thanked the Lord. They made a loud noise with the trumpets, cymbals, and instruments of music. They praised the Lord, singing,
“The Lord is good. His faithful love will last forever.”
Then the Lord’s Temple was filled with a cloud. 14 The priests could not continue to serve because of the cloud, because the Glory of the Lord filled the Temple.
Psalm 31
Easy-to-Read Version
To the director: A song of David.
1 Lord, I come to you for protection. Don’t let me be disappointed. You always do what is right, so save me.
2 Listen to me. Come quickly and save me. Be my Rock, my place of safety. Be my fortress and protect me!
3 Yes, you are my Rock and my protection. For the good of your name, lead me and guide me.
4 Save me from the traps my enemy has set. You are my place of safety.
5 Lord, you are the God we can trust. I put my life[a] in your hands. Save me!
6 I hate those who worship false gods. I trust only in the Lord.
7 Your kindness makes me so happy. You have seen my suffering. You know about the troubles I have.
8 You will not let my enemies take me. You will free me from their traps.
9 Lord, I have many troubles, so be kind to me. I have cried until my eyes hurt. My throat and stomach are aching.
10 Because of my sin, my life is ending in grief; my years are passing away in sighs of pain. My life is ending in weakness. My strength is draining away.
11 My enemies despise me, and even my neighbors have turned away. When my friends see me in the street, they turn the other way. They are afraid to be around me.
12 People want to forget me like someone already dead, thrown away like a broken dish.
13 I hear them whispering about me. They have turned against me and plan to kill me.
14 Lord, I trust in you. You are my God.
15 My life is in your hands. Save me from those who are persecuting me.
16 Please welcome and accept your servant.[b] Be kind to me and save me.
17 Lord, I am praying to you. Don’t let me be disappointed. The wicked are the ones who should be disappointed. Let them go to the grave in silence.
18 Those evil people brag and tell lies about those who do right. They are so proud now, but their lying lips will be silent.
19 Lord, you have hidden away many wonderful things for your followers. You have done so many good things for those who trust in you. You have blessed them so that all the world can see.
20 Others make plans to hurt them. They say such bad things about them. But you hide your people in your shelter and protect them.
21 Praise the Lord, because he showed me how wonderful his faithful love is when the city was surrounded by enemies.
22 I was afraid and said, “I am in a place where he cannot see me.” But I prayed to you, and you heard my loud cries for help.
23 Love the Lord, all of you who are his loyal followers. The Lord protects those who are loyal to him. But he punishes those who brag about their own power. He gives them all the punishment they deserve.
24 Be strong and brave, all of you who are waiting for the Lord’s help.
Luke 22:1-46
Easy-to-Read Version
The Jewish Leaders Plan to Kill Jesus
1 It was almost time for the Jewish Festival of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover. 2 The leading priests and teachers of the law wanted to kill Jesus. But they were trying to find a quiet way to do it, because they were afraid of what the people would do.
Judas Agrees to Help Jesus’ Enemies
3 One of Jesus’ twelve apostles was named Judas Iscariot. Satan entered him, 4 and he went and talked with the leading priests and some of the soldiers who guarded the Temple. He talked to them about a way to hand Jesus over to them. 5 The priests were very happy about this. They promised to give Judas money for doing this. 6 He agreed. Then he waited for the best time to hand him over to them. He wanted to do it when no one was around to see it.
The Passover Meal
7 The Day of Unleavened Bread[a] came. This was the day when the Jews always killed the lambs for the Passover. 8 Jesus said to Peter and John, “Go and prepare the Passover meal for us to eat.”
9 They said to him, “Where do you want us to prepare the meal?”
He said to them, 10 “When you go into the city, you will see a man carrying a jar of water. Follow him. He will go into a house. 11 Tell the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher asks that you please show us the room where he and his followers can eat the Passover meal.’ 12 Then the owner will show you a large room upstairs that is ready for us. Prepare the meal there.”
13 So Peter and John left. Everything happened the way Jesus said. So they prepared the Passover meal.
The Lord’s Supper
14 The time came for them to eat the Passover meal. Jesus and the apostles were together at the table. 15 Jesus said to them, “I wanted very much to eat this Passover meal with you before I die. 16 I will never eat another Passover meal until it is given its full meaning in God’s kingdom.”
17 Then Jesus took a cup of wine. He gave thanks to God for it and said, “Take this cup and give it to everyone here. 18 I will never drink wine again until God’s kingdom comes.”
19 Then he took some bread and thanked God for it. He broke off some pieces, gave them to the apostles and said, “This bread is my body that I am giving for you. Eat this to remember me.” 20 In the same way, after supper, Jesus took the cup of wine and said, “This wine represents the new agreement from God to his people. It will begin when my blood is poured out for you.”[b]
Who Will Turn Against Jesus?
21 Jesus said, “But here on this table is the hand of the one who will hand me over to my enemies. 22 The Son of Man will do what God has planned. But it will be very bad for the one who hands over the Son of Man to be killed.”
23 Then the apostles asked each other, “Which one of us would do that?”
Be Like a Servant
24 Later, the apostles began to argue about which one of them was the most important. 25 But Jesus said to them, “The kings of the world rule over their people, and those who have authority over others want to be called ‘the great providers for the people.’ 26 But you must not be like that. The one with the most authority among you should act as if he is the least important. The one who leads should be like one who serves. 27 Who is more important: the one serving or the one sitting at the table being served? Everyone thinks it’s the one being served, right? But I have been with you as the one who serves.
28 “You men have stayed with me through many struggles. 29 So I give you authority to rule with me in the kingdom the Father has given me. 30 You will eat and drink at my table in that kingdom. You will sit on thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel.
Peter Will Be Tested and Fail
31 “Satan has asked to test you men like a farmer tests his wheat. O Simon, Simon,[c] 32 I have prayed that you will not lose your faith! Help your brothers be stronger when you come back to me.”
33 But Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, I am ready to go to jail with you. I will even die with you!”
34 But Jesus said, “Peter, before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will say you don’t know me. You will say this three times.”
Be Ready for Trouble
35 Then Jesus said to the apostles, “Remember when I sent you out without money, a bag, or sandals? Did you need anything?”
The apostles said, “No.”
36 Jesus said to them, “But now if you have money or a bag, carry that with you. If you don’t have a sword, sell your coat and buy one. 37 The Scriptures say,
‘He was considered a criminal.’
This Scripture must happen. It was written about me, and it is happening now.”
38 The followers said, “Look, Lord, here are two swords.”
Jesus said to them, “That’s enough.”[d]
Jesus Prays Alone
39-40 Jesus left the city and went to the Mount of Olives. His followers went with him. (He went there often.) He said to his followers, “Pray for strength against temptation.”
41 Then Jesus went about 50 steps away from them. He knelt down and prayed, 42 “Father, if you are willing, please don’t make me drink from this cup.[e] But do what you want, not what I want.” 43 Then an angel from heaven came to help him. 44 Jesus was full of pain; he struggled hard in prayer. Sweat dripped from his face like drops of blood falling to the ground.[f] 45 When he finished praying, he went to his followers. He found them asleep, worn out from their grieving. 46 Jesus said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray for strength against temptation.”
Dearest AVI,
Blessed are YOU O GOD My KING O HOLY ONE of Israel, My center, My Life, My everything! I put my trust in YOU O LORD YOU are my refuge please do not let me be discouraged and dismayed, do not let me be dissappointed for YOU have been my GOD that I rely on. O LORD, don't let my heart be discouraged, please help me to continue hoping in YOU, inspite of all the pain I go through with family and with Stephen, because he has turned me down many times, I prayed O GOD, give me someone new. But if this is the person YOU want for me JESUS then let me see JESUS in HIS eyes, let me see love. But all I see is pride and all that he accomplished in life. Please JESUS, take away the love I have for Stephen because I am hurting but while I love, I pray that he will open his heart to YOUR prodding and call. That Stephen will encounter YOU in a profound way and will never be the same again. I pray that YOU will give him a new heart and a new spirit like Ezekiel 36:26 — (NKJV) 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I pray that YOU will speak to his mom Benita and cause her to be saved too. I pray that I will soon leave this mission because he has turned me down. I am dissappointed by him and discouraged about what YOU said about him that I have not seen yet. I really want to give up already ABBA, because I have been so dissappointed many times before but here LORD, since YOU gave me word that this man is just like Jacob, please give him a dream and let him tell me about it a dream about YOU or me and let him tell me about it today. I also pray that he already begins to make his intentions known to me today. I pray that he will make a move no matter how hard because I will not ask him any of his personal time anymore because he has turned me down. I honestly just want to give up on him already LORD because enough is enough I don't want to keep being rejected, it's too much already LORD, please help me to move on from him today if I don't see the signs of him wanting to marry me. I cannot wait another year LORD, please JESUS have mercy on me and be willing to heal me from every pain I had with Stephen. I will always cling to YOUR WORD in Isaiah 34:16
Look in the scroll of the Lord and read: None of these will be missing, not one will lack her mate. For it is his mouth that has given the order, and his Spirit will gather them together.
So LORD, don't allow me to be dissappointed anymore, year after year, do not allow this anymore, please JESUS be willing to grant YOUR Promise to me. YOU have spoken many promised regarding Stephen, but my heart is weary and in pain O GOD, I don't want to wait anymore. I don't have all the time, I will be 42 years old this may and I want to have children with my husband who loves me LORD. If it is YOUR will LORD please let Stephen love me so much he cannot control it and please give us 2 children that we can raise. Please LORD, let Stephen love YOU more than he loves me, so that he can understand me and love me for who I am. Without YOU JESUS life is useless, so I pray for Stephen and Benita and their family to be saved through the knowledge of YESHUA, I pray for my Dipe, Sipe, Ako, Diko to know YOU and open their hearts to YOU as they already have finished the major parts of their lives and prepare them to meet YOU and please let them enter into YOUR kingdom by surrendering their lives to YOU in their lifetime on earth. I pray that YOU deliver Aunt Mary Tan, Robert Tiue from witchcraft and save them LORD JESUS because they are in my prayers and YOU put them in my heart. I pray O GOD for YOUR will to be done in my life.
In the Name of JESUS I pray, Amen!