Sunday, 10 Sivan 5784 / June 16, 2024
Day 533 Readings
Torah: Parshat Behaalotecha, 1st Portion (Bamidbar (Numbers) 8:1-8:14)
Numbers 8:1-14
English Standard Version
The Seven Lamps
1 Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to Aaron and say to him, When you set up the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the lampstand.” 3 And Aaron did so: he set up its lamps in front of the lampstand, as the Lord commanded Moses. 4 And this was the workmanship of the lampstand, hammered work of gold. From its base to its flowers, it was hammered work; according to the pattern that the Lord had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand.
Cleansing of the Levites
5 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 6 “Take the Levites from among the people of Israel and cleanse them. 7 Thus you shall do to them to cleanse them: sprinkle the water of purification upon them, and let them go with a razor over all their body, and wash their clothes and cleanse themselves. 8 Then let them take a bull from the herd and its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, and you shall take another bull from the herd for a sin offering. 9 And you shall bring the Levites before the tent of meeting and assemble the whole congregation of the people of Israel. 10 When you bring the Levites before the Lord, the people of Israel shall lay their hands on the Levites, 11 and Aaron shall offer the Levites before the Lord as a wave offering from the people of Israel, that they may do the service of the Lord. 12 Then the Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, and you shall offer the one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering to the Lord to make atonement for the Levites. 13 And you shall set the Levites before Aaron and his sons, and shall offer them as a wave offering to the Lord.
14 “Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the people of Israel, and the Levites shall be mine.
Bible Study Together
Isaiah 44:21-45:13
English Standard Version
The Lord Redeems Israel
21 Remember these things, O Jacob, and Israel, for you are my servant;I formed you; you are my servant; O Israel, you will not be forgotten by me.22 I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like mist;return to me, for I have redeemed you.
23 Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it; shout, O depths of the earth;break forth into singing, O mountains, O forest, and every tree in it!For the Lord has redeemed Jacob, and will be glorified[a] in Israel.
24 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, who formed you from the womb:“I am the Lord, who made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself,25 who frustrates the signs of liars and makes fools of diviners,who turns wise men back and makes their knowledge foolish,26 who confirms the word of his servant and fulfills the counsel of his messengers,who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited,’ and of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall be built, and I will raise up their ruins’;27 who says to the deep, ‘Be dry; I will dry up your rivers’;28 who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd, and he shall fulfill all my purpose’;saying of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be built,’ and of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.’”
Isaiah 45
Cyrus, God's Instrument
1 Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped, to subdue nations before him and to loose the belts of kings,to open doors before him that gates may not be closed:
2 “I will go before you and level the exalted places,[b]I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron,
3 I will give you the treasures of darkness and the hoards in secret places, that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who call you by your name.
4 For the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen, I call you by your name, I name you, though you do not know me.
5 I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I equip you, though you do not know me,
6 that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me; I am the Lord, and there is no other.
7 I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord, who does all these things.
8 “Shower, O heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain down righteousness; let the earth open, that salvation and righteousness may bear fruit; let the earth cause them both to sprout; I the Lord have created it.
9 “Woe to him who strives with him who formed him, a pot among earthen pots! Does the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’ or ‘Your work has no handles’?
10 Woe to him who says to a father, ‘What are you begetting?’ or to a woman, ‘With what are you in labor?’”
11 Thus says the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and the one who formed him: “Ask me of things to come; will you command me concerning my children and the work of my hands?[c]
12 I made the earth and created man on it; it was my hands that stretched out the heavens, and I commanded all their host.
13 I have stirred him up in righteousness, and I will make all his ways level; he shall build my city and set my exiles free, not for price or reward,” says the Lord of hosts.
ESV Readings
Scripture
Proverbs 10
English Standard Version
The Proverbs of Solomon
1 The proverbs of Solomon.
A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother. 2 Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit, but righteousness delivers from death. 3 The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry, but he thwarts the craving of the wicked. 4 A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.5 He who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame. 6 Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.[a] 7 The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot. 8 The wise of heart will receive commandments, but a babbling fool will come to ruin. 9 Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out. 10 Whoever winks the eye causes trouble, and a babbling fool will come to ruin.11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.12 Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.13 On the lips of him who has understanding, wisdom is found, but a rod is for the back of him who lacks sense.14 The wise lay up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool brings ruin near.15 A rich man's wealth is his strong city; the poverty of the poor is their ruin.16 The wage of the righteous leads to life, the gain of the wicked to sin.17 Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life, but he who rejects reproof leads others astray.18 The one who conceals hatred has lying lips, and whoever utters slander is a fool.19 When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver; the heart of the wicked is of little worth.21 The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for lack of sense.22 The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.[b]23 Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool, but wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding.24 What the wicked dreads will come upon him, but the desire of the righteous will be granted.25 When the tempest passes, the wicked is no more, but the righteous is established forever.26 Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to those who send him.27 The fear of the Lord prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be short.28 The hope of the righteous brings joy, but the expectation of the wicked will perish.29 The way of the Lord is a stronghold to the blameless, but destruction to evildoers.30 The righteous will never be removed, but the wicked will not dwell in the land.31 The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut off.32 The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked, what is perverse.
Deuteronomy 16:18-22
Deuteronomy 17:1-20
Amos 1:1-15
Amos 2:1-5
English Standard Version
2 Thus says the Lord:
“For three transgressions of Moab, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,[a]because he burned to lime the bones of the king of Edom.2 So I will send a fire upon Moab, and it shall devour the strongholds of Kerioth,and Moab shall die amid uproar, amid shouting and the sound of the trumpet;3 I will cut off the ruler from its midst, and will kill all its princes[b] with him,”says the Lord.
Judgment on Judah
4 Thus says the Lord:
“For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they have rejected the law of the Lord, and have not kept his statutes, but their lies have led them astray, those after which their fathers walked.
5 So I will send a fire upon Judah, and it shall devour the strongholds of Jerusalem.”
Philemon 1:23-25
English Standard Version
Final Greetings
23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you,
24 and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.
25 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.