Shabbat, 4 Elul 5784 / September 7, 2024
Day 616 Readings
Torah: Parshat Shoftim, 7th Portion (Devarim (Deuteronomy) 20:10-21:9)
Deuteronomy 20:10-21:9
English Standard Version
10 “When you draw near to a city to fight against it, offer terms of peace to it. 11 And if it responds to you peaceably and it opens to you, then all the people who are found in it shall do forced labor for you and shall serve you. 12 But if it makes no peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it. 13 And when the Lord your God gives it into your hand, you shall put all its males to the sword, 14 but the women and the little ones, the livestock, and everything else in the city, all its spoil, you shall take as plunder for yourselves. And you shall enjoy the spoil of your enemies, which the Lord your God has given you. 15 Thus you shall do to all the cities that are very far from you, which are not cities of the nations here. 16 But in the cities of these peoples that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes, 17 but you shall devote them to complete destruction,[a] the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, as the Lord your God has commanded, 18 that they may not teach you to do according to all their abominable practices that they have done for their gods, and so you sin against the Lord your God.
19 “When you besiege a city for a long time, making war against it in order to take it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an axe against them. You may eat from them, but you shall not cut them down. Are the trees in the field human, that they should be besieged by you? 20 Only the trees that you know are not trees for food you may destroy and cut down, that you may build siegeworks against the city that makes war with you, until it falls.
Deuteronomy 21
CJB
1 “If, in the land Adonai your God is giving you to possess, a murder victim is found lying in the countryside; and the perpetrator of the murder is not known; 2 then your leaders and judges are to go out and measure the distance between it and the surrounding towns. 3 After it has been determined which town is the closest, the leaders of that town are to take a young female cow that has never been put to work or yoked for use as a draft animal. 4 The leaders of that town are to bring the heifer down to a vadi with a stream in it that never dries up, to a place that is neither plowed nor sown; and they are to break the cow’s neck there in the vadi. 5 Then the cohanim, who are L’vi’im, are to approach; for Adonai your God has chosen them to serve him and to pronounce blessings in the name of Adonai; they will decide the outcome of every dispute and matter involving violence. 6 All the leaders of the town nearest the murder victim are to wash their hands over the cow whose neck was broken in the vadi. (Maftir) 7 Then they are to speak up and say, ‘This blood was not shed by our hands, nor have we seen who did it. 8 Adonai, forgive your people Isra’el, whom you redeemed; do not allow innocent blood to be shed among your people Isra’el.’ And they will be forgiven this bloodshed. 9 Thus you will banish the shedding of innocent blood from among you, by doing what Adonai sees as right.
Haftarah Shof’tim: Yesha‘yahu (Isaiah) 51:12–52:12 [Messianic adaptation: conclude the reading at 53:12]
Isaiah 51:12-52
Complete Jewish Bible
12 “I, yes I, am the one who comforts you! Why are you afraid of a man, who must die; of a human being, who will wither like grass? 13 You have forgotten Adonai, your maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth. Instead, you are in constant fear all day because of the oppressor’s rage, as he prepares to destroy! But where is the oppressor’s rage? 14 The captive will soon be set free; he will not die and go down to Sh’ol;on the contrary, his food supply will be secure. 15 For I am Adonai your God, who stirs up the sea, who makes its waves roar —Adonai-Tzva’ot is my name. 16 I have put my words in your mouth and covered you with the shadow of my hand, in order to plant the skies [anew],lay the foundations of the earth [anew]and say to Tziyon, ‘You are my people.’”
17 Awake! Awake! Stand up, Yerushalayim! At Adonai’s hand you drank the cup of his fury; you have drained to the dregs the goblet of drunkenness. 18 There is no one to guide her among all the sons she has borne. Not one of all the children she raised is taking her by the hand.19 These two disasters have overcome you —yet who will grieve with you? —plunder and destruction, famine and sword; by whom can I comfort you?20 Your children lie helpless at every street corner, like an antelope trapped in a net; they are full of Adonai’s fury, the rebuke of your God. 21 Therefore, please hear this in your affliction, you who are drunk, but not with wine; 22 this is what your Lord Adonai says, your God, who defends his people: “Here, I have removed from your hand the cup of drunkenness, the goblet of my fury. You will never drink it again. 23 I will put it in the hands of your tormentors, who said to you, ‘Bend down, so we can trample you, ’and you flattened your back on the ground like a street for them to walk on.”
Isaiah 52
1 Awake! Awake, Tziyon! Clothe yourself with your strength! Dress in your splendid garments, Yerushalayim, the holy city! For the uncircumcised and the unclean will enter you no more. 2 Shake off the dust! Arise! Be enthroned, Yerushalayim! Loosen the chains on your neck, captive daughter of Tziyon! 3 For thus says Adonai: “You were sold for nothing, and you will be redeemed without money.” 4 For thus says Adonai Elohim: “Long ago my people went down to Egypt to live there as aliens, and Ashur oppressed them for no reason. 5 So now, what should I do here,” asks Adonai, “since my people were carried off for nothing? Their oppressors are howling,” says Adonai, “and my name is always being insulted, daily. 6 Therefore my people will know my name; therefore on that day they will know that I, the one speaking — here I am!”
7 How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, proclaiming shalom, bringing good news of good things, announcing salvation and saying to Tziyon, “Your God is King!” 8 Listen! Your watchmen are raising their voices, shouting for joy together. For they will see, before their own eyes, Adonai returning to Tziyon.
9 Break out into joy! Sing together, you ruins of Yerushalayim! For Adonai has comforted his people, he has redeemed Yerushalayim! 10 Adonai has bared his holy arm in the sight of every nation, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God. 11 Leave! Leave! Get out of there! Don’t touch anything unclean! Get out from inside it, and be clean, you who carry Adonai’s temple equipment. 12 You need not leave in haste, you do not have to flee; for Adonai will go ahead of you, and the God of Isra’el will also be behind you.
B’rit Hadashah suggested readings for Parashah Shof’tim: Mattityahu (Matthew) 5:38–42; 18:15–20;
Acts 3:13–26; 7:35–53; 1 Corinthians 5:9–13; 1 Timothy 5:17–22; Messianic Jews (Hebrews) 10:28–31
Matthew 18:15-20
Complete Jewish Bible
15 “Moreover, if your brother commits a sin against you, go and show him his fault — but privately, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won back your brother. 16 If he doesn’t listen, take one or two others with you so that every accusation can be supported by the testimony of two or three witnesses.[a] 17 If he refuses to hear them, tell the congregation; and if he refuses to listen even to the congregation, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax-collector. 18 Yes! I tell you people that whatever you prohibit on earth will be prohibited in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven. 19 To repeat, I tell you that if two of you here on earth agree about anything people ask, it will be for them from my Father in heaven. 20 For wherever two or three are assembled in my name, I am there with them.”
Acts 3:13-26
Complete Jewish Bible
13 The God of Avraham, Yitz’chak and Ya‘akov, the God of our fathers,[a] has glorified his servant Yeshua — the same Yeshua you handed over and disowned before Pilate, even after he had decided to release him. 14 You denied the holy and innocent one, and instead asked for the reprieve of a murderer! 15 You killed the author of life!
“But God has raised him from the dead! Of this we are witnesses. 16 And it is through putting trust in his name that his name has given strength to this man whom you see and know. Yes, it is the trust that comes through Yeshua which has given him this perfect healing in the presence of you all.
17 “Now, brothers, I know that you did not understand the significance of what you were doing; neither did your leaders. 18 But this is how God fulfilled what he had announced in advance, when he spoke through all the prophets, namely, that his Messiah was to die.
19 “Therefore, repent and turn to God, so that your sins may be erased; 20 so that times of refreshing may come from the Lord’s presence; and he may send the Messiah appointed in advance for you, that is, Yeshua. 21 He has to remain in heaven until the time comes for restoring everything, as God said long ago, when he spoke through the holy prophets. 22 For Moshe himself said, ‘Adonai will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You are to listen to everything he tells you. 23 Everyone who fails to listen to that prophet will be removed from the people and destroyed.’[b] 24 Indeed, all the prophets announced these days, starting with Sh’mu’el and continuing through all who followed.
25 “You are the sons of the prophets; and you are included in the covenant which God made with our fathers when he said to Avraham, ‘By your seed will all the families of the earth be blessed.’[c] 26 So it is to you first that God has sent his servant whom he has raised up, so that he might bless you by turning each one of you from your evil ways.”
Acts 7:35-53
Complete Jewish Bible
35 “This Moshe, whom they rejected, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and judge?’ is the very one whom God sent as both ruler and ransomer by means of the angel that appeared to him in the thorn bush. 36 This man led them out, performing miracles and signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years. 37 This is the Moshe who said to the people of Isra’el, ‘God will raise up a prophet like me from among your brothers’[a] 38 This is the man who was in the assembly in the wilderness, accompanied by the angel that had spoken to him at Mount Sinai and by our fathers, the man who was given living words to pass on to us.
39 “But our fathers did not want to obey him. On the contrary, they rejected him and in their hearts turned to Egypt, 40 saying to Aharon, ‘Make us some gods to lead us; because this Moshe, who led us out of Egypt — we don’t know what has become of him.’[b] 41 That was when they made an idol in the shape of a calf and offered a sacrifice to it and held a celebration in honor of what they had made with their own hands. 42 So God turned away from them and gave them over to worship the stars[c] — as has been written in the book of the prophets,
‘People of Isra’el, it was not to methat you offered slaughtered animalsand sacrifices for forty years in the wilderness!43 No, you carried the tent of Molekhand the star of your god Reifan,the idols you made so that you could worship them.Therefore, I will send you into exile beyond Bavel.’[d]
44 “Our fathers had the Tent of Witness in the wilderness. It had been made just as God, who spoke to Moshe, had ordered it made, according to the pattern Moshe had seen. 45 Later on, our fathers who had received it brought it in with Y’hoshua when they took the Land away from the nations that God drove out before them.
“So it was until the days of David. 46 He enjoyed God’s favor and asked if he might provide a dwelling place for the God of Ya‘akov 47 and Shlomo did build him a house. 48 But Ha‘Elyon does not live in places made by hand! As the prophet says,
49 ‘Heaven is my throne,’ says Adonai,‘and the earth is my footstool.What kind of house could you build for me?What kind of place could you devise for my rest?50 Didn’t I myself make all these things?’[e]
51 “Stiffnecked people,[f] with uncircumcised hearts and ears![g] You continually oppose the Ruach HaKodesh![h] You do the same things your fathers did! 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who told in advance about the coming of the Tzaddik, and now you have become his betrayers and murderers! — 53 you! — who receive the Torah as having been delivered by angels — but do not keep it!”
1 Corinthians 5:9-13
Complete Jewish Bible
9 In my earlier letter I wrote you not to associate with people who engage in sexual immorality. 10 I didn’t mean the sexually immoral people outside your community, or the greedy, or the thieves or the idol-worshippers — for then you would have to leave the world altogether! 11 No, what I wrote you was not to associate with anyone who is supposedly a brother but who also engages in sexual immorality, is greedy, worships idols, is abusive, gets drunk or steals. With such a person you shouldn’t even eat! 12 For what business is it of mine to judge outsiders? Isn’t it those who are part of the community that you should be judging? 13 God will judge those who are outside. Just expel the evildoer from among yourselves.[a]
1 Timothy 5:17-22
English Standard Version
17 Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. 18 For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.” 19 Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. 20 As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear. 21 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels I charge you to keep these rules without prejudging, doing nothing from partiality. 22 Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, nor take part in the sins of others; keep yourself pure.
Hebrews 10:28-31
Complete Jewish Bible
28 Someone who disregards the Torah of Moshe is put to death without mercy on the word of two or three witnesses.[a] 29 Think how much worse will be the punishment deserved by someone who has trampled underfoot the Son of God; who has treated as something common the blood of the covenant[b] which made him holy; and who has insulted the Spirit, giver of God’s grace!
30 For the One we know is the One who said,
“Vengeance is my responsibility;I will repay,”
and then said,
“Adonai will judge his people.”[c]
31 It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God!
Bible Study Together
Ezekiel 20
Complete Jewish Bible
27 “Therefore, human being, speak to the house of Isra’el; tell them that Adonai Elohim says, ‘Moreover, your ancestors blasphemed me by breaking faith with me in still another way: 28 for after I had brought them into the land, which I had raised my hand in pledge to give them, they noted all its high hills and leafy trees and offered there their sacrifices; there they made offerings that provoked my anger, there they set out their sweet aromas, and there they poured out their drink offerings. 29 When I asked them, “This high place where you go, what is the meaning of it?” they gave it the name Bamah* which it retains to this day.’
30 “So tell the house of Isra’el that Adonai Elohim says, ‘You are defiling yourselves in the same way as your ancestors, following their abominations and fornicating with them; 31 and when offering your gifts, you make your children pass through the fire and defile yourselves with all your idols — to this day. So, am I supposed to allow you to consult me, house of Isra’el? As I live,’ says Adonai Elohim, ‘I swear that I won’t have you consult me, 32 and that what you have in mind when you say, “We will be like the Goyim, like the families of the other countries, serving wood and stone,” will certainly not happen. 33 As I live,’ says Adonai Elohim, ‘I swear that surely with a mighty hand, with a stretched-out arm and with poured-out fury I myself will be king over you. 34 I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you were scattered, with a mighty hand, with a stretched-out arm and with poured-out fury; 35 then I will bring you into the desert of the peoples and judge you face to face. 36 Just as I judged your ancestors in the desert of the land of Egypt, so will I judge you,’ says Adonai Elohim. 37 ‘I will make you pass under the crook and bring you into the obligations of the covenant. 38 I will rid you of the rebels who are in revolt against me — I will bring them out from the land where they are living, but they will not enter the land of Isra’el; then you will know that I am Adonai.’
39 “As for you, house of Isra’el, here is what Adonai Elohim says: ‘Go on serving your idols, every one of you! But afterwards, [I swear that] you will listen to me, and you will no longer profane my holy name with your gifts and with your idols. 40 For on my holy mountain, the high mountain of Isra’el,’ says Adonai Elohim, ‘the whole house of Isra’el, all of them, will serve me in the land. I will accept them there, and there I will require your contributions, your best gifts and all your consecrated things. 41 I will accept you with your sweet aroma when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you were scattered; and through you I will manifest my holiness in the sight of the nations.
42 “‘You will know that I am Adonai when I bring you into the land of Isra’el, into the country which I pledged, by raising my hand, to give to your ancestors. 43 There you will remember your behavior and all the things you did by which you defiled yourselves, and you will loathe yourselves for all the evils you committed. 44 You will know that I am Adonai when I have dealt with you in a manner that preserves my reputation, and not according to your evil ways and corrupt actions, house of Isra’el’ says Adonai Elohim.”
Ezekiel 21
1 (20:45) The word of Adonai came to me: 2 (20:46) “Human being, turn your face southward, preach to the south and prophesy to the scrublands of the Negev; 3 (20:47) say to the Negev forest: ‘Hear the word of Adonai. Adonai Elohim says, “I will light a fire in you; it will devour every tree in you, green and dry alike; a blazing, unquenchable flame that will scorch every face from the Negev to the north. 4 (20:48) All humanity will see that I, Adonai, lit it; it will not be put out.”’” 5 (20:49) I said, “Oh, Adonai Elohim! They complain that I speak only in parables.”
6 (1) Then the word of Adonai came to me: 7 (2) “Human being, turn your face toward Yerushalayim, preach to the sanctuaries and prophesy to the land of Isra’el; 8 (3) tell the land of Isra’el that Adonai Elohim says, ‘I am against you. I will draw my sword from its scabbard and cut off from you the righteous and the wicked. 9 (4) Since I am going to rid you of both righteous and evildoers, my sword will also go out of its scabbard against everyone, from the Negev to the north. 10 (5) Everyone alive will know that I, Adonai, drew my sword from its scabbard; it will not be sheathed again.’
11 (6) “Therefore, human being, groan! Groan bitterly, as if your heart would break, as they watch. 12 (7) Then, when they ask you, ‘Why are you groaning?’ you will answer, ‘Because of the news, because it’s coming. All hearts will melt, all hands hang limp, all spirits faint and all knees turn to water; here, it’s coming, it will happen,’ says Adonai Elohim.”
13 (8) The word of Adonai came to me: 14 (9) “Human being, prophesy. Say that Adonai Elohim says to say this:
‘A sword, a sword has been sharpened and polished,15 (10) sharpened in order to slaughter and slaughter,polished to flash like lightning.But how can we rejoice?My son rejects the rodand every other stick.16 (11) The sword was given to be polished,so that it could be wielded;it was sharpened and polishedto be placed in the slaughterer’s hand.’
17 (12) “Shout and wail, human being, because it’s coming upon my people, upon all the leaders of Isra’el — they will be victims of the sword along with my people. Strike your thigh in remorse!
Acts 10
Complete Jewish Bible
1 There was a man in Caesarea named Cornelius, a Roman army officer in what was called the Italian Regiment. 2 He was a devout man, a “God-fearer,” as was his whole household; he gave generously to help the Jewish poor and prayed regularly to God. 3 One afternoon around three o’clock he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius!” 4 Cornelius stared at the angel, terrified. “What is it, sir?” he asked. “Your prayers,” replied the angel, “and your acts of charity have gone up into God’s presence, so that he has you on his mind. 5 Now send some men to Yafo to bring back a man named Shim‘on, also called Kefa. 6 He’s staying with Shim‘on the leather-tanner, who has a house by the sea.” 7 As the angel that had spoken to him went away, Cornelius called two of his household slaves and one of his military aides, who was a godly man; 8 he explained everything to them and sent them to Yafo.
ESV Readings
Scripture
Psalms 35
English Standard Version
Great Is the Lord
Of David.
1 Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me!2 Take hold of shield and buckler and rise for my help!3 Draw the spear and javelin[a] against my pursuers!Say to my soul, “I am your salvation!”
4 Let them be put to shame and dishonor who seek after my life!Let them be turned back and disappointed who devise evil against me!5 Let them be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the Lord driving them away!6 Let their way be dark and slippery, with the angel of the Lord pursuing them!
7 For without cause they hid their net for me; without cause they dug a pit for my life.[b]8 Let destruction come upon him when he does not know it!And let the net that he hid ensnare him; let him fall into it—to his destruction!
9 Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord, exulting in his salvation.10 All my bones shall say, “O Lord, who is like you,delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him, the poor and needy from him who robs him?”
11 Malicious[c] witnesses rise up; they ask me of things that I do not know.12 They repay me evil for good; my soul is bereft.[d]13 But I, when they were sick— I wore sackcloth; I afflicted myself with fasting;I prayed with head bowed[e] on my chest.14 I went about as though I grieved for my friend or my brother;as one who laments his mother, I bowed down in mourning.
15 But at my stumbling they rejoiced and gathered; they gathered together against me;wretches whom I did not know tore at me without ceasing;16 like profane mockers at a feast,[f] they gnash at me with their teeth.
17 How long, O Lord, will you look on? Rescue me from their destruction, my precious life from the lions!18 I will thank you in the great congregation; in the mighty throng I will praise you.
19 Let not those rejoice over me who are wrongfully my foes,and let not those wink the eye who hate me without cause.20 For they do not speak peace, but against those who are quiet in the land they devise words of deceit.21 They open wide their mouths against me; they say, “Aha, Aha! Our eyes have seen it!”
22 You have seen, O Lord; be not silent! O Lord, be not far from me!23 Awake and rouse yourself for my vindication, for my cause, my God and my Lord!24 Vindicate me, O Lord, my God, according to your righteousness, and let them not rejoice over me!25 Let them not say in their hearts, “Aha, our heart's desire!”Let them not say, “We have swallowed him up.”
26 Let them be put to shame and disappointed altogether who rejoice at my calamity!Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor who magnify themselves against me!
27 Let those who delight in my righteousness shout for joy and be glad and say evermore,“Great is the Lord, who delights in the welfare of his servant!”28 Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness and of your praise all the day long.
1 Samuel 26
Daniel 7
Luke 4:14-44
Complete Jewish Bible
14 Yeshua returned to the Galil in the power of the Spirit, and reports about him spread throughout the countryside. 15 He taught in their synagogues, and everyone respected him.
16 Now when he went to Natzeret, where he had been brought up, on Shabbat he went to the synagogue as usual. He stood up to read, 17 and he was given the scroll of the prophet Yesha‘yahu. Unrolling the scroll, he found the place where it was written,
18 “The Spirit of Adonai is upon me;therefore he has anointed meto announce Good News to the poor;he has sent me to proclaim freedom for the imprisonedand renewed sight for the blind,to release those who have been crushed,19 to proclaim a year of the favor of Adonai.”[a]
20 After closing the scroll and returning it to the shammash, he sat down; and the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 He started to speak to them: “Today, as you heard it read, this passage of the Tanakh was fulfilled!” 22 Everyone was speaking well of him and marvelling that such appealing words were coming from his mouth. They were even asking, “Can this be Yosef’s son?”
23 Then Yeshua said to them, “No doubt you will quote to me this proverb — ‘“Doctor, cure yourself!” We’ve heard about all the things that have been going on over in K’far-Nachum; now do them here in your home town!’ 24 Yes!” he said, “I tell you that no prophet is accepted in his home town. 25 It’s true, I’m telling you — when Eliyahu was in Isra’el, and the sky was sealed off for three-and-a-half years, so that all the Land suffered a severe famine, there were many widows; 26 but Eliyahu was sent to none of them, only to a widow in Tzarfat in the land of Tzidon. 27 Also there were many people with tzara‘at in Isra’el during the time of the prophet Elisha; but not one of them was healed, only Na‘aman the Syrian.”
28 On hearing this, everyone in the synagogue was filled with fury. 29 They rose up, drove him out of town and dragged him to the edge of the cliff on which their town was built, intending to throw him off. 30 But he walked right through the middle of the crowd and went away.
31 He went down to K’far-Nachum, a town in the Galil, and made a practice of teaching them on Shabbat. 32 They were amazed at the way he taught, because his word carried the ring of authority.
33 In the synagogue there was a man who had an unclean demonic spirit, who shouted in a loud voice, 34 “Yaah! What do you want with us, Yeshua from Natzeret? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are — the Holy One of God!” 35 But Yeshua rebuked it: “Be quiet, and come out of him!” The demonic spirit threw the man down in the middle of the crowd and came out of him, having done him no harm. 36 They were all astounded and said to one another, “What kind of teaching is this? Why, he gives orders with power and authority to the unclean spirits, and they come out!” 37 And reports about him went out through the whole surrounding district.
38 Leaving the synagogue, he went to Shim‘on’s house. Shim‘on’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked him to do something for her. 39 So, standing over her, he rebuked the fever; and it left her. She immediately got up and began helping them.
40 After sunset, all those who had people sick with various diseases brought them to Yeshua, and he put his hands on each one of them and healed them; 41 also demons came out of many, crying, “You are the Son of God!” But, rebuking them, he did not permit them to say that they knew he was the Messiah.
42 When day had come, he left and went away to a lonely spot. The people looked for him, came to him and would have kept him from leaving them. 43 But he said to them, “I must announce the Good News of the Kingdom of God to the other towns too — this is why I was sent.” 44 He also spent time preaching in the synagogues of Y’hudah.