Tuesday, 20 Shevat 5784 / January 30, 2024
Day 395 Readings
Torah: Parshat Yitro, 3rd Portion Shemot (Exodus) 18:24-27
Exodus 18:24-27
New King James Version
24 So Moses heeded the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. 25 And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people: rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. 26 So they judged the people at all times; the hard[a] cases they brought to Moses, but they judged every small case themselves.
27 Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went his way to his own land.
Bible Study Together
Psalm 80
Easy-to-Read Version
To the director: To the tune “Lilies of the Agreement.” One of Asaph’s songs of praise.
1 Shepherd of Israel, listen to us. You lead your people[a] like sheep. You sit on your throne above the Cherub angels. Let us see you. 2 Shepherd of Israel, show your greatness to the tribes of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh. Come and save your people. 3 God, accept us again. Smile down on us and save us! 4 Lord God All-Powerful, when will you listen to our prayers? How long will you be angry with us? 5 Instead of bread and water, you gave your people tears. 6 You made us the target of everyone’s hatred. Our enemies make fun of us. 7 God All-Powerful, accept us again. Smile down on us and save us!
8 When you brought us out of Egypt, we were like your special vine. You forced other nations to leave this land, and you planted that vine here. 9 You prepared the ground for it, and it sent its roots down deep and spread throughout the land. 10 It covered the mountains, and its leaves shaded even the giant cedar trees.11 Its branches spread to the Mediterranean Sea, its shoots to the Euphrates River.12 God, why did you pull down the walls that protect your vine? Now everyone who passes by picks its grapes.13 Wild pigs come and ruin it. Wild animals eat the leaves. 14 God All-Powerful, come back. Look down from heaven at your vine and protect it. 15 Look at the vine you planted with your own hands. Look at the young plant[b] you raised.16 Our enemies have cut it down and burned it up. Show them how angry you are and destroy them.
17 Reach out and help your chosen one.[c] Reach out to the people[d] you raised up. 18 Then we will never leave you. Let us live, and we will worship you. 19 Lord God All-Powerful, accept us again. Smile down on us and save us!
Matthew 21:33-46
Easy-to-Read Version
God Sends His Son
33 “Listen to this story: There was a man who owned a vineyard. He put a wall around the field and dug a hole for a winepress. Then he built a tower. He leased the land to some farmers and then left on a trip. 34 Later, it was time for the grapes to be picked. So the man sent his servants to the farmers to get his share of the grapes.
35 “But the farmers grabbed the servants and beat one. They killed another one and then stoned to death a third servant. 36 So the man sent some other servants to the farmers. He sent more servants than he sent the first time. But the farmers did the same thing to them that they did the first time. 37 So the man decided to send his son to the farmers. He said, ‘The farmers will respect my son.’
38 “But when the farmers saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the owner’s son. This vineyard will be his. If we kill him, it will be ours.’ 39 So the farmers took the son, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
40 “So what will the owner of the vineyard do to these farmers when he comes?”
41 The Jewish priests and leaders said, “He will surely kill those evil men. Then he will lease the land to other farmers, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”
42 Jesus said to them, “Surely you have read this in the Scriptures:
‘The stone that the builders refused to accept became the cornerstone.The Lord did this, and it is wonderful to us.’
43 “So I tell you that God’s kingdom will be taken away from you. It will be given to people who do what God wants in his kingdom. 44 Whoever falls on this stone will be broken. And it will crush anyone it falls on.”[a]
45 When the leading priests and the Pharisees heard these stories, they knew that Jesus was talking about them. 46 They wanted to find a way to arrest Jesus. But they were afraid to do anything, because the people believed that Jesus was a prophet.
ESV Readings
Scripture
Genesis 26
Easy-to-Read Version
Isaac Lies to Abimelech
26 Now there was a famine. This was like the famine that happened during Abraham’s life. So Isaac went to the town of Gerar, to King Abimelech of the Philistines. 2 The Lord spoke to Isaac and said, “Don’t go down to Egypt. Live in the land that I commanded you to live in. 3 Stay in this land, and I will be with you. I will bless you. I will give you and your family all these lands. I will do what I promised to Abraham your father. 4 I will make your family as many as the stars of heaven, and I will give all these lands to your family. Through your descendants[a] every nation on earth will be blessed. 5 I will do this because your father Abraham obeyed my words and did what I said. He obeyed my commands, my laws, and my rules.”
6 So Isaac settled in Gerar. 7 His wife Rebekah was very beautiful. The men of that place asked Isaac about Rebekah. He said, “She is my sister.” He was afraid to tell them Rebekah was his wife. He was afraid the men would kill him so that they could have her.
8 After Isaac had lived there a long time, Abimelech looked out of his window and saw Isaac and his wife enjoying one another. 9 Abimelech called for Isaac and said, “This woman is your wife. Why did you tell us that she was your sister?”
Isaac said to him, “I was afraid that you would kill me so that you could have her.”
10 Abimelech said, “You have done a bad thing to us. One of our men might have had sex with your wife. Then he would be guilty of a great sin.”
11 So Abimelech gave a warning to all the people. He said, “No one must hurt this man or this woman. If anyone hurts them, they will be killed.”
Isaac Becomes Rich
12 Isaac planted fields in that place, and that year he gathered a great harvest. The Lord blessed him very much. 13 Isaac became rich. He gathered more and more wealth until he became a very rich man. 14 He had many flocks and herds of animals. He also had many slaves. All the Philistines were jealous of him. 15 So they destroyed all the wells that Isaac’s father Abraham and his servants had dug many years before. They filled them with sand. 16 Abimelech said to Isaac, “Leave our country. You have become much more powerful than we are.”
17 So Isaac left that place and camped near the little river of Gerar. He stayed there and lived. 18 Long before this time, Abraham had dug many wells. After he died, the Philistines filled the wells with sand. So Isaac went back and dug those wells again. He gave them the same names his father had given them. 19 Isaac’s servants also dug a well near the little river and found fresh water.[b] 20 But the men who herded sheep in the Valley of Gerar argued with Isaac’s servants. They said, “This water is ours.” So Isaac named that well Esek.[c] He gave it that name because it was the place where they had argued with him.
21 Then Isaac’s servants dug another well. But there was an argument over this well too. So Isaac named that well Sitnah.[d]
22 Isaac moved from there and dug another well. No one came to argue about this well. So Isaac named it Rehoboth.[e] He said, “Now the Lord has found a place for us. We will grow and be successful in this place.”
23 From there Isaac went to Beersheba. 24 The Lord spoke to him that night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Don’t be afraid. I am with you, and I will bless you. I will make your family great. I will do this because of my servant Abraham.” 25 So Isaac built an altar and worshiped the Lord in that place. He set up camp there, and his servants dug a well.
26 Abimelech came from Gerar to see Isaac. He brought with him Ahuzzath, his advisor, and Phicol, the commander of his army.
27 Isaac asked, “Why have you come to see me? You were not friendly to me before. You even forced me to leave your country.”
28 They answered, “Now we know that the Lord is with you. We think that we should make an agreement. We want you to make a promise to us. 29 We did not hurt you; now you should promise not to hurt us. We sent you away, but we sent you away in peace. Now it is clear that the Lord has blessed you.”
30 So Isaac gave a party for them. They all ate and drank. 31 Early the next morning each man made a promise and a vow. Then the men left in peace.
32 On that day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug. The servants said, “We found water in that well.” 33 So Isaac named it Shibah.[f] And that city is still called Beersheba.[g]
Esau’s Wives
34 When Esau was 40 years old, he married two Hittite women. One was Judith the daughter of Beeri. The other was Basemath the daughter of Elon. 35 These marriages made Isaac and Rebekah very unhappy.
2 Chronicles 2
Easy-to-Read Version
Plans for the Temple and Palace
2 Solomon planned to build a Temple to give honor to the Lord’s name. He also planned to build a palace for himself. 2 He got 70,000 laborers and 80,000 stonemasons to cut stones in the mountains. He chose 3600 foremen to supervise the workers.
3 Then Solomon sent this message to King Hiram of Tyre:
“Help me as you helped my father David. You sent him cedar logs so that he could build a palace for himself to live in. 4 I will build a Temple to honor the name of the Lord my God. At the Temple we will burn incense in front of him, and we will always put the holy bread on the special table. We will offer burnt offerings every morning and evening, on the Sabbath days, during New Moon celebrations, and on the other special meeting days that the Lord our God has commanded us to celebrate. This is a rule for the people of Israel to obey forever.
5 “I will build a great temple because our God is greater than all the other gods. 6 No one can really build a house to put our God in. The whole sky and the highest heaven cannot contain our God, so I cannot build a temple to put him in. I can only build a place to burn incense to honor him.
7 “Now I would like you to send me a man who is skilled in working with gold, silver, bronze, and iron. He must know how to work with purple, red, and blue cloth. He will work here in Judah and Jerusalem with the craftsmen my father chose. 8 Also send me wood from cedar trees, pine trees, and algum trees[a] from the country of Lebanon. I know your servants are experienced at cutting down trees from Lebanon. My servants will help your servants. 9 I will need lots of wood because the Temple I am building will be very large and beautiful. 10 This is what I will pay for your servants to cut down the trees for wood. I will give them 125,000 bushels[b] of wheat for food, 125,000 bushels of barley, 115,000 gallons[c] of wine, and 115,000 gallons of oil.”
11 Then Hiram answered Solomon and sent this message to him:
“Solomon, the Lord loves his people. That is why he chose you to be their king.” 12 Hiram also said, “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel! He made heaven and earth. He gave a wise son to King David. Solomon, you have wisdom and understanding. You are building a Temple for the Lord. You are also building a palace for yourself. 13 I will send you a skilled craftsman named Huram Abi.[d] 14 His mother was from the tribe of Dan, and his father was from the city of Tyre. Huram Abi has skill in working with gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood. He also has skill in working with purple, blue, and red cloth and expensive linen. Huram Abi can design and build anything you tell him. He will work with your craftsmen and with the craftsmen of your father King David.
15 “Now, sir, you offered to give us wheat, barley, oil, and wine. Give them to my servants, 16 and we will cut as much wood as you need from Lebanon. We will tie the logs together and float them by sea to the town of Joppa. Then you can carry the wood to Jerusalem.”
17 So Solomon counted all the foreigners living in Israel. (This was after the time when his father David counted the people.) They found 153,600 strangers in the country. 18 Solomon chose 70,000 men to carry the stones, 80,000 men to cut the stone in the mountains, and 3600 men to supervise the workers.
Luke 19:28-46
Easy-to-Read Version
Jesus Enters Jerusalem Like a King
28 After Jesus said these things, he continued traveling toward Jerusalem. 29 He came near Bethphage and Bethany, towns near the hill called the Mount of Olives. He sent out two of his followers. 30 He said, “Go into the town you can see there. When you enter the town, you will find a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it, and bring it here to me. 31 If anyone asks you why you are taking the donkey, you should say, ‘The Master needs it.’”
32 The two followers went into town. They found the donkey exactly like Jesus told them. 33 They untied it, but its owners came out. They said to the followers, “Why are you untying our donkey?”
34 The followers answered, “The Master needs it.” 35 So the followers brought the donkey to Jesus. They put their coats on its back. Then they put Jesus on the donkey. 36 He rode along the road toward Jerusalem. The followers spread their coats on the road before him.
37 Jesus was coming close to Jerusalem. He was already near the bottom of the Mount of Olives. The whole group of followers was happy. They were very excited and praised God. They thanked God for all the powerful things they had seen. 38 They said,
“‘Welcome! God bless the king who comes in the name of the Lord.’
Peace in heaven and glory to God!”
39 Some of the Pharisees said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell your followers not to say these things.”
40 But Jesus answered, “I tell you, if my followers didn’t say them, these stones would shout them.”
Jesus Cries for Jerusalem
41 Jesus came near Jerusalem. Looking at the city, he began to cry for it 42 and said, “I wish you knew today what would bring you peace. But it is hidden from you now. 43 A time is coming when your enemies will build a wall around you and hold you in on all sides. 44 They will destroy you and all your people. Not one stone of your buildings will stay on top of another. All this will happen because you did not know the time when God came to save you.”
Jesus Goes to the Temple
45 Jesus went into the Temple area. He began to throw out the people who were selling things there. 46 He said, “The Scriptures say, ‘My Temple will be a house of prayer.’[a] But you have changed it into a ‘hiding place for thieves.’[b]”
Psalm 28
Easy-to-Read Version
A song of David.
1 Lord, you are my Rock. I am calling to you for help. Don’t close your ears to my prayers.If you don’t answer me, I will be counted among the dead.2 I lift my hands and pray toward your Most Holy Place. Hear me when I call to you. Show mercy to me.3 Don’t treat me like the evil people who do wicked things.They greet their neighbors like friends, but secretly plan to hurt them.4 They do bad things to others, so make bad things happen to them. Give them the punishment they deserve. 5 They don’t notice what the Lord does. They ignore all the good things he has made. So instead of building them up, he will destroy them.
6 Praise the Lord! He has heard my prayer for mercy. 7 The Lord is my strength and shield. I trusted him with all my heart.He helped me, so I am happy. I sing songs of praise to him. 8 The Lord protects his chosen one.[a] He saves him and gives him strength.
9 Save your people. Bless those who belong to you. Lead them and honor them[b] forever.
Dear AVI,
Blessed are YOU O GREAT I AM, HOLY ONE of Israel! For there is No One in heaven and on earth like YOU, KING of Glory! YOU are the LORD strong and mighty!!! O LORD, toda for revealing many things to me yesterday through Ma Elsie how the pain of love wounds a lifetime that made Stephen, Jolito and Vincent broken men, the loved once and they refuse to love again. O LORD, I pray that YOU heal these men, I cried for them yesterday and I wanted to cry some more but YOU did not allow me to weep some more because that length of time was enough for YOU. I pray over them just as JESUS prayed for Jerusalem but I pray O LORD, that my prayers of tears would not be in vain but that YOU will do a healing miracle for these men whom YOU have made me to intercede. I pray O GOD King of Glory, enter into their lives, and let them receive YOU and be healed of all the pain they have ever gone through. I am expecting from YOU O GOD and I know that YOU hear me today inspite of my weakness and state of being. YOU will carry me through because I am YOUR daughter, YOUR servant, O GOD, help me, fill me with YOUR Power so that I am able to carry out the work YOU have assigned me to do. Please JESUS have YOUR way in me O GOD. And let me fix my eyes on YOU not on people. YOU alone can save us O GOD from every evil thing, for YOU are the true and living GOD, faithful and true forever My JESUS, I cling to YOU, O GOD, make me happy always, continue to always fill me with YOUR love and glory, fill me HOLY SPIRIT. Ba HaShem YESHUA HaMashiach, Amen!