Shabbat, 19 Kislev 5784 / December 2, 2023
Day 336 Readings
Torah: Vayishlach, 7th Portion Bereshit (Genesis) 36:20-43
Genesis 36:20-43
New American Standard Bible
20 These are the sons of Seir the Horite, the inhabitants of the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 21 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These are the chiefs [a]descended from the Horites, the sons of Seir in the land of Edom. 22 And the sons of Lotan were Hori and [b]Hemam; and Lotan’s sister was Timna. 23 And these are the sons of Shobal: [c]Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, [d]Shepho, and Onam. 24 And these are the sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah—he is the Anah who found the hot springs in the wilderness when he was pasturing the donkeys of his father Zibeon. 25 And these are the children of Anah: Dishon, and Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah. 26 And these are the sons of [e]Dishon: [f]Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran. 27 These are the sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and [g]Akan. 28 These are the sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran. 29 These are the chiefs [h]descended from the Horites: chief Lotan, chief Shobal, chief Zibeon, chief Anah, 30 chief Dishon, chief Ezer, and chief Dishan. These are the chiefs [i]descended from the Horites, according to their various chiefs in the land of Seir.
31 Now these are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the sons of Israel. 32 [j]Bela the son of Beor reigned in Edom, and the name of his city was Dinhabah. 33 Then Bela died, and Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah became king in his place. 34 Then Jobab died, and Husham of the land of the Temanites became king in his place. 35 Then Husham died, and Hadad the son of Bedad, who [k]defeated Midian in the field of Moab, became king in his place; and the name of his city was Avith. 36 Then Hadad died, and Samlah of Masrekah became king in his place. 37 Then Samlah died, and Shaul of Rehoboth on the Euphrates River became king in his place. 38 Then Shaul died, and Baal-hanan the son of Achbor became king in his place. 39 Then Baal-hanan the son of Achbor died, and [l]Hadar became king in his place; and the name of his city was [m]Pau; and his wife’s name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, daughter of Mezahab.
40 Now these are the names of the chiefs [n]descended from Esau, according to their families and their localities, by their names: chief Timna, chief [o]Alvah, chief Jetheth, 41 chief Oholibamah, chief Elah, chief Pinon, 42 chief Kenaz, chief Teman, chief Mibzar, 43 chief Magdiel, and chief Iram. These are the chiefs of Edom (that is, Esau, the father of [p]the Edomites), according to their settlements in the land of their possession.
Haftarah Vayishlach: Hoshea (Hosea) 11:7–12:12(11) (A); ‘Ovadyah (Obadiah) 1–21 (S)
Obadiah
New American Standard Bible
Edom Will Be Humbled
1 The vision of Obadiah.
This is what the Lord [a]God says concerning Edom—
We have heard a report from the Lord,And a messenger has been sent among the nations saying,“Arise, and let’s go up against her for battle”—2 “Behold, I will make you small among the nations;You are greatly despised.3 The arrogance of your heart has deceived you,The one who lives in the clefts of [b]the rock,On the height of his dwelling place,Who says in his heart,‘Who will bring me down to earth?’4 Though you make your home high like the eagle,Though you set your nest among the stars,From there I will bring you down,” declares the Lord.5 “If thieves came to you,If [c]robbers by night—Oh how you will be ruined!—Would they not steal only [d]until they had enough?If grape-pickers came to you,Would they not leave some gleanings?6 Oh how Esau will be searched,And his hidden treasures searched out!7 All the people [e]allied with youWill send you to the border,And the people at peace with youWill deceive you and overpower you.They who eat your breadWill set an ambush for you.(There is no understanding [f]in him.)8 Will I not on that day,” declares the Lord,“Eliminate wise men from Edom,And understanding from the mountain of Esau?9 Then your warriors will be filled with terror, Teman,So that everyone will be eliminated from the mountain of Esau by murder.
10 “Because of violence to your brother Jacob,Shame will cover you,And you will be eliminated forever.11 On the day that you stood aloof,On the day that strangers carried off his wealth,And foreigners entered his gateAnd cast lots for Jerusalem—You too were as one of them.12 Do not [g]gloat over your brother’s day,The day of his misfortune.And do not rejoice over the sons of JudahOn the day of their destruction;Yes, do not [h]boastOn the day of their distress.13 Do not enter the gate of My peopleOn the day of their disaster.You indeed, do not [i]gloat over their catastropheOn the day of their disaster.And do not lay a hand on their wealthOn the day of their disaster.14 Do not stand at the crossroadsTo eliminate their survivors;And do not hand over their refugeesOn the day of their distress.
The Day of the Lord and the Future
15 “For the day of the Lord is near for all the nations.Just as you have done, it will be done to you.Your dealings will return on your own head.16 For just as you drank on My holy mountain,All the nations will drink continually.They will drink [j]to the last drop,And become as if they had never existed.17 But on Mount Zion there will be those who escape,And it will be holy.And the house of Jacob will [k]possess their [l]property.18 Then the house of Jacob will be a fire,And the house of Joseph a flame;But the house of Esau will be like stubble.And they will set [m]them on fire and consume [n]them,So that there will be no survivor of the house of Esau,”For the Lord has spoken.19 Then those of the [o]Negev will [p]possess the mountain of Esau,And those of the [q]Shephelah the Philistine plain;Also, they will [r]possess the territory of Ephraim and the territory of Samaria,And Benjamin the territory of Gilead.20 And the exiles of this army of the sons of Israel,Who are among the Canaanites as far as Zarephath,And the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad,Will [s]possess the cities of the Negev.21 [t]The deliverers will ascend Mount ZionTo judge the mountain of Esau,And the kingdom will be the Lord’s.
B’rit Hadashah suggested readings for Parashah Vayishlach: 1 Corinthians 5:1–13;
1 Corinthians 5
New American Standard Bible
Sexual Immorality Rebuked
5 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and sexual immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, namely, that someone has his father’s wife. 2 [a]You have become [b]arrogant and [c]have not mourned instead, so that the one who had done this deed would be removed from your midst.
3 For I, on my part, though absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged him who has so committed this, as though I were present. 4 In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are assembled, and [d]I with you in spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus, 5 I have decided [e]to turn such a person over to Satan for the destruction of his [f]body, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the [g]Lord.
6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little [h]leaven leavens the whole lump of dough? 7 Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. 8 Therefore let’s celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people; 10 I did not at all mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the greedy and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to leave the world. 11 But [i]actually, I [j]wrote to you not to associate [k]with any so-called brother if he is a sexually immoral person, or a greedy person, or an idolater, or is verbally abusive, or habitually drunk, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a person. 12 For what business of mine is it to judge outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? 13 But those who are outside, God [l]judges. Remove the evil person from among yourselves.
Revelation 7:1-12
New American Standard Bible
An Interlude
7 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth so that no wind would blow on the earth, or on the sea, or on any tree. 2 And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, holding the seal of the living God; and he called out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, 3 saying, “Do not harm the earth, or the sea, or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.”
The 144,000
4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:
5 from the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand, from the tribe of Gad twelve thousand, 6 from the tribe of Asher twelve thousand, from the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand, from the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand, 7 from the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand, from the tribe of Levi twelve thousand, from the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand, 8 from the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand, from the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand, and from the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand were sealed.
A Multitude from the Tribulation
9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all the tribes, peoples, and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; 10 and they *cried out with a loud voice, saying,
“Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”
11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying,
“Amen, blessing, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power, and might belong to our God forever and ever. Amen.”
Ephesians 4:1–32
Unity of the Spirit
4 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you also were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.
7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore [a]it says,
“When He ascended on high,He led captive the captives,And He gave gifts to people.”
9 (Now this expression, “He ascended,” what [b]does it mean except that He also [c]had descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.) 11 And He gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as [d]pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the [e]saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the [f]knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature [g]which belongs to the fullness of Christ. 14 [h]As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of people, by craftiness [i]in deceitful scheming; 15 but [j]speaking the truth in love, [k]we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is, Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together [l]by what every joint supplies, according to the [m]proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
The Christian’s Walk
17 So I say this, and affirm in the Lord, that you are to no longer walk just as the [n]Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their minds, 18 being darkened in their understanding, [o]excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; 19 and they, having become callous, have given themselves up to indecent behavior [p]for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. 20 But you did not learn Christ in this way, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, 22 that, in reference to your former way of life, you are to rid yourselves of the old [q]self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, 23 and that you are to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new [r]self, which [s]in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
25 Therefore, ridding yourselves of falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, because we are parts of one another. 26 Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and do not give the devil [t]an opportunity. 28 The one who steals must no longer steal; but rather he must labor, producing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with the one who has need. 29 Let no [u]unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but if there is any good word for edification [v]according to the need of the moment, say that, so that it will give grace to those who hear. 30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, [w]by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 All bitterness, wrath, anger, [x]clamor, and slander must be removed from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven [y]you.
Bible Study Together
Psalm 119:129-160
New American Standard Bible
Pe
129 Your testimonies are wonderful;Therefore my soul complies with them. 130 The unfolding of Your words gives light;It gives understanding to the simple.131 I opened my mouth wide and panted,For I longed for Your commandments.132 Turn to me and be gracious to me,As is right for those who love Your name.133 Establish my footsteps in Your [a]word,And do not let any [b]wrongdoing have power over me.134 Redeem me from oppression by man, So that I may keep Your precepts. 135 Make Your face shine upon Your servant, And teach me Your statutes. 136 My eyes [c]shed streams of water,Because they do not keep Your Law.
Tsadhe
137 You are righteous, Lord,And Your judgments are right.138 You have commanded Your testimonies in righteousness And great faithfulness.139 My zeal has [d]consumed me, Because my enemies have forgotten Your words.140 Your word is very [e]pure,Therefore Your servant loves it.141 I am small and despised,Yet I do not forget Your precepts.142 Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, And Your Law is truth.143 Trouble and anguish have [f]come upon me,Yet Your commandments are my delight.144 Your testimonies are righteous forever;Give me understanding that I may live.
Qoph
145 I cried out with all my heart; answer me, Lord!I will comply with Your statutes. 146 I cried to You; save me And I shall keep Your testimonies.147 I [g]rise before dawn and cry for help;I [h]wait for Your words. 148 My eyes anticipate the night watches,So that I may meditate on Your [i]word. 149 Hear my voice according to Your faithfulness;Revive me, Lord, according to Your judgments. 150 Those who follow after wickedness approach;They are far from Your Law. 151 You are near, Lord,And all Your commandments are truth. 152 From long ago I have known from Your testimoniesThat You have founded them forever.
Resh
153 Look at my affliction and rescue me, For I have not forgotten Your Law. 154 Plead my cause and redeem me; Revive me according to Your [j]word. 155 Salvation is far from the wicked, For they do not seek Your statutes. 156 [k]Great are Your mercies, Lord;Revive me according to Your judgments. 157 Many are my persecutors and my enemies, Yet I do not turn aside from Your testimonies. 158 I see the treacherous and loathe them, Because they do not keep Your word. 159 Consider how I love Your precepts;Revive me, Lord, according to Your faithfulness. 160 The sum of Your word is truth,And every one of Your righteous judgments is everlasting.
2 John
New American Standard Bible
Walk According to His Commandments
1 The elder to the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in truth; and not only I, but also all who know the truth, 2 because of the truth which remains in us and will be with us forever: 3 Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.
4 I was overjoyed to find some of your children walking in truth, just as we have received a commandment to do from the Father. 5 Now I ask you, lady, not as though I were writing to you a new commandment, but the one which we have had from the beginning, that we love one another. 6 And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you are to walk in it.
7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist. 8 Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward. 9 [a]Anyone who [b]goes too far and does not remain in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who remains in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not [c]give him a greeting; 11 for the one who [d]gives him a greeting [e]participates in his evil deeds.
12 Though I have many things to write to you, I do not want to do so with paper and ink; but I hope to come to you and speak [f]face to face, so that [g]your joy may be made complete.
13 The children of your chosen sister greet you.
365 Daily Kingdom Living
I’m Serious, Lord
We’d have to admit that Daniel took prayer seriously. He dressed differently, he ate differently. He prayed passionately, based on his understanding of Scriptures (the prophet Jeremiah). The word ‘pleaded’ here is to beg repeatedly; to ask again and again. Daniel knew 70 years was nearly up and if anything was going to happen, God had to do it. How passionate are we about praying?
Prayer: Forgive me, Lord, for the fact that prayers sometimes became routine. When I compare my communication with you and Daniel’s, I can see plenty of room for improvement. I want to learn to pray with passion and conviction. So help me Lord. In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.
Scripture
Daniel 9
3 So I gave my [a]attention to the Lord God, to seek Him by prayer and pleading, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. 4 I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed, and said, “Oh, Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and faithfulness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, 5 we have sinned, we have done wrong, and [b]acted wickedly and rebelled, even turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances. 6 Moreover, we have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our leaders, our fathers, and all the people of the land.
7 “Righteousness belongs to You, Lord, but to us [c]open shame, as it is this day—to the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and all Israel, those who are nearby and those who are far away in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of their unfaithful deeds which they have committed against You.
17 So now, our God, listen to the prayer of Your servant and to his pleas, and for [l]Your sake, Lord, let Your face shine on Your desolate sanctuary. 18 My God, incline Your ear and hear! Open Your eyes and see our desolations and the city which is called by Your name; for we are not [m]presenting our pleas before You based on [n]any merits of our own, but based on Your great compassion. 19 Lord, hear! Lord, forgive! Lord, listen and take action! For Your own sake, my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name.”
Gabriel Brings an Answer
20 While I was still speaking and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and [o]presenting my plea before the Lord my God in behalf of the holy mountain of my God, 21 while I was still speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision [p]previously, [q]came to me [r]in my extreme weariness about the time of the evening offering. 22 And he instructed me and talked with me and said, “Daniel, I have come now to give you insight with understanding. 23 At the beginning of your pleas the [s]command was issued, and I have come to tell you, because you are [t]highly esteemed; so pay attention to the message and gain understanding of the vision.
Seventy Weeks and the Messiah
24 “Seventy [u]weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to [v]finish the wrongdoing, to [w]make an end of sin, to make atonement for guilt, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and [x]prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy Place. 25 So you are to know and understand that from the issuing of a [y]decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, until [z]Messiah the Prince, there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with [aa]streets and moat, even in times of distress. 26 Then after the sixty-two weeks, the [ab]Messiah will be cut off and have [ac]nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And [ad]its end will come with a flood; even to the end [ae]there will be war; desolations are determined. 27 And he will confirm a covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of [af]abominations will come the one who [ag]makes desolate, until a complete destruction, one that is [ah]decreed, gushes forth on the one who [ai]makes desolate.”
Daniel 10
1 In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, a [aj]message was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar; and the [ak]message was true and it concerned great [al]conflict, but he understood the [am]message and had an understanding of the vision.
2 In those days, I, Daniel, had been mourning for three [an]entire weeks. 3 I did not eat any [ao]tasty food, nor did meat or wine enter my mouth, nor did I use any ointment at all until the entire three weeks were completed. 4 On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, while I was by the bank of the great river, that is, the [ap]Tigris, 5 I raised my eyes and looked, and behold, there was a man dressed in linen, whose waist had a belt of pure gold of Uphaz. 6 His body also was like topaz, his face [aq]had the appearance of lightning, his eyes were like flaming torches, his arms and feet like the gleam of polished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude. 7 Now I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, while the men who were with me did not see the vision; nevertheless, a great fear fell on them, and they ran away to hide themselves. 8 So I was left alone and saw this great vision; yet no strength was left in me, for my complexion turned to [ar]a deathly pallor, and I retained no strength. 9 But I heard the sound of his words; and as soon as I heard the sound of his words, I fell into a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground.
10 Then behold, a hand touched me and shook me on my [as]hands and knees. 11 And he said to me, “Daniel, [at]you who are treasured, understand the words that I am about to tell you and stand at your place, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling. 12 Then he said to me, “Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words. 13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was standing [au]in my way for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia. 14 Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the [av]latter days, because the vision pertains to the days still future.”
15 When he had spoken to me according to these words, I [aw]turned my face toward the ground and became speechless. 16 And behold, [ax]one who resembled a human was touching my lips. Then I opened my mouth and spoke and said to him who was standing before me, “My lord, due to the vision [ay]anguish has come upon me, and I have retained no strength. 17 For how can such a servant of my lord talk with such as my lord? As for me, there remains just now no strength in me, nor has any breath been left in me.”
18 Then this one with human appearance touched me again and strengthened me. 19 And he said, “[az]You who are treasured, do not be afraid. Peace be to you; take courage and be courageous!” Now as soon as he spoke to me, I felt strengthened and said, “May my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.” 20 Then he said, “Do you [ba]understand why I came to you? But I shall now return to fight against the prince of Persia; so I am leaving, and behold, the prince of [bb]Greece is about to come. 21 However, I will tell you what is recorded in the writing of truth. Yet there is no one who [bc]stands firmly with me against these forces except Michael your prince.
1 John 3:1-10
New American Standard Bible
Children of God Love One Another
1 See [a]how great a love the Father has given us, that we would be called children of God; and in fact we are. For this reason the world does not know us: because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope set on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. 6 No one who remains in Him sins continually; no one who sins continually has seen Him or [b]knows Him. 7 Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; 8 the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one who has been born of God practices sin, because His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin continually, because he has been born of God. 10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: [d]anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother and sister.
Psalms 121
The Lord, the Keeper of Israel.
A Song of Ascents.
1 I will raise my eyes to the mountains;From where will my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord,Who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not allow your foot to slip;He who watches over you will not slumber.
4 Behold, He who watches over IsraelWill neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord is your [a]protector;The Lord is your shade on your right hand.
6 The sun will not [b]beat down on you by day,Nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will [c]protect you from all evil;He will keep your soul.
8 The Lord will [d]guard your going out and your coming inFrom this time and forever.
Proverbs 28:25-26
25 An [a]arrogant person stirs up strife But one who trusts in the Lord will [b]prosper.
26 One who trusts in his own heart is a fool, But one who walks wisely will flee to safety.