Thursday, 8 Iyar 5784 / May 16, 2024
Day 502 Readings
Torah: Parshat Emor, 5th Portion Vayikra (Leviticus) 23:23-32
Leviticus 23:23-32
English Standard Version
The Feast of Trumpets
23 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of solemn rest, a memorial proclaimed with blast of trumpets, a holy convocation. 25 You shall not do any ordinary work, and you shall present a food offering to the Lord.”
The Day of Atonement
26 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 27 “Now on the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be for you a time of holy convocation, and you shall afflict yourselves[a] and present a food offering to the Lord. 28 And you shall not do any work on that very day, for it is a Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the Lord your God. 29 For whoever is not afflicted[b] on that very day shall be cut off from his people. 30 And whoever does any work on that very day, that person I will destroy from among his people. 31 You shall not do any work. It is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwelling places. 32 It shall be to you a Sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict yourselves. On the ninth day of the month beginning at evening, from evening to evening shall you keep your Sabbath.”
BIBLE Study Together
Isaiah 13
English Standard Version
The Judgment of Babylon
1 The oracle concerning Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.
2 On a bare hill raise a signal; cry aloud to them; wave the hand for them to enter the gates of the nobles.
3 I myself have commanded my consecrated ones, and have summoned my mighty men to execute my anger, my proudly exulting ones.[a]
4 The sound of a tumult is on the mountains as of a great multitude!The sound of an uproar of kingdoms, of nations gathering together!The Lord of hosts is mustering a host for battle.5 They come from a distant land, from the end of the heavens,the Lord and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.[b]
6 Wail, for the day of the Lord is near; as destruction from the Almighty[c] it will come!7 Therefore all hands will be feeble, and every human heart will melt.8 They will be dismayed: pangs and agony will seize them; they will be in anguish like a woman in labor.They will look aghast at one another; their faces will be aflame.
9 Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger,to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it.10 For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light;the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light.11 I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity;I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant, and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless.12 I will make people more rare than fine gold, and mankind than the gold of Ophir.13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place,at the wrath of the Lord of hosts in the day of his fierce anger.14 And like a hunted gazelle, or like sheep with none to gather them,each will turn to his own people, and each will flee to his own land.15 Whoever is found will be thrust through, and whoever is caught will fall by the sword.16 Their infants will be dashed in pieces before their eyes;their houses will be plundered and their wives ravished.
17 Behold, I am stirring up the Medes against them, who have no regard for silver and do not delight in gold.18 Their bows will slaughter[d] the young men; they will have no mercy on the fruit of the womb; their eyes will not pity children.19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the splendor and pomp of the Chaldeans,will be like Sodom and Gomorrah when God overthrew them.20 It will never be inhabited or lived in for all generations;no Arab will pitch his tent there; no shepherds will make their flocks lie down there.21 But wild animals will lie down there, and their houses will be full of howling creatures;there ostriches[e] will dwell, and there wild goats will dance.22 Hyenas[f] will cry in its towers, and jackals in the pleasant palaces;its time is close at hand and its days will not be prolonged.
John 18:28-40
English Standard Version
Jesus Before Pilate
28 Then they led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the governor's headquarters.[a] It was early morning. They themselves did not enter the governor's headquarters, so that they would not be defiled, but could eat the Passover. 29 So Pilate went outside to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” 30 They answered him, “If this man were not doing evil, we would not have delivered him over to you.” 31 Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.” The Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death.” 32 This was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken to show by what kind of death he was going to die.
My Kingdom Is Not of This World
33 So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” 35 Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” 37 Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” 38 Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”
After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him. 39 But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” 40 They cried out again, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.[b]
ESV Readings
Scripture
Psalm 135
English Standard Version
Your Name, O Lord, Endures Forever
1 Praise the Lord! Praise the name of the Lord, give praise, O servants of the Lord,
2 who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God!
3 Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing to his name, for it is pleasant![a]
4 For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel as his own possession.
5 For I know that the Lord is great, and that our Lord is above all gods. 6 Whatever the Lord pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps. 7 He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth, who makes lightnings for the rain and brings forth the wind from his storehouses.
8 He it was who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and of beast; 9 who in your midst, O Egypt, sent signs and wonders against Pharaoh and all his servants; 10 who struck down many nations and killed mighty kings, 11 Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan, 12 and gave their land as a heritage, a heritage to his people Israel.
13 Your name, O Lord, endures forever, your renown,[b] O Lord, throughout all ages.
14 For the Lord will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants.
15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands.
16 They have mouths, but do not speak; they have eyes, but do not see;
17 they have ears, but do not hear, nor is there any breath in their mouths.
18 Those who make them become like them, so do all who trust in them.
19 O house of Israel, bless the Lord! O house of Aaron, bless the Lord!
20 O house of Levi, bless the Lord! You who fear the Lord, bless the Lord!
21 Blessed be the Lord from Zion, he who dwells in Jerusalem!Praise the Lord!
Numbers 16
Numbers 17
Isaiah 55
English Standard Version
The Compassion of the Lord
1 “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters;and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. 3 Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live;and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.
4 Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples.
5 Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know, and a nation that did not know you shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, and of the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you.
6 “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near;
7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
12 “For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. 13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall make a name for the Lord, an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”
1 Thessalonians 2:17-20
English Standard Version
Paul's Longing to See Them Again
17 But since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time, in person not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face, 18 because we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, again and again—but Satan hindered us. 19 For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? 20 For you are our glory and joy.
1 Thessalonians 3
Dear AVi,
Blessed are YOU O LORD My GOD the HOLY ONE of Israel! YOU are great O GOD, and wonderful and I love YOU. I need YOU everyday. Toda for showing me how to be kind and compassionate to my workers. Toda for showing me that in love I will not regret anything that in giving the extra mile, and in giving more, I will always reap satisfaction in my heart - no regrets, because I did my best for YOU, to please YOU and honor YOU. Toda for Raquel and I know she is happier with YOU now than she is with her earthly husband or with us here on earth. I pray that YOU will purge out all envy and bitterness from Ciriaca our employee and all the others who have been with us. I pray that YOUR kindness and love will dwell in our hearts as we continue to serve YOU in this place. O GOD Almighty, YOU are good and YOUR mercies endureth forever! Toda for YOUR love and I pray that YOU bless my time today with my Pastors, I pray that YOU will take care of all of us that are left behind and that we should continue to love one another no matter what. To understand one another and to be patient with one another. For YOU are the LORD our GOD who reigns over us, please GOD help us to obey YOU in all things. For YOU deserve our all and our best! YOU deserve us our highest praise and devotion.
Ba HaShem YESHUA HaMashiach, Amen!