Tuesday, 15 Kislev 5784 / November 28, 2023
Day 332 Readings
Torah: Vayishlach, 3rd Portion Bereshit (Genesis) 32:31-33:5
Genesis 32
New American Standard Bible
31 Now the sun rose upon him just as he crossed over Penuel, and he was limping on his hip. 32 Therefore, to this day the sons of Israel do not eat the tendon of the hip which is on the socket of the hip, because he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip in the tendon of the hip.
Genesis 33
Jacob Meets Esau
1 Then Jacob raised his eyes and looked, and behold, Esau was coming, and four hundred men with him. So he divided the children [a]among Leah and Rachel, and the two slave women. 2 He put the slave women and their children [b]in front, and Leah and her children [c]next, and Rachel and Joseph [d]last. 3 But he himself passed on ahead of them and bowed down to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.
4 Then Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept. 5 He raised his eyes and saw the women and the children, and said, “[e]Who are these with you?” So he said, “The children whom God has graciously given your servant.”
Bible Study Together
1 Chronicles 12:8-18
New American Standard Bible
8 From the Gadites valiant mighty men went over to David at the stronghold in the wilderness, men trained for war who could handle a large shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and they were as swift as the gazelles on the mountains. 9 Ezer was the first, Obadiah the second, Eliab the third, 10 Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth, 11 Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh, 12 Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth, 13 Jeremiah the tenth, and Machbannai, the eleventh. 14 These men from the sons of Gad were [a]captains of the army; the one who was least was equal to a hundred, and the greatest, to a thousand. 15 These are the ones who crossed the Jordan in the first month, when it was overflowing all its banks, and they put to flight all those in the valleys, to the east and to the west.
16 Then some of the sons of Benjamin and Judah came to the stronghold to David. 17 David went out to meet them, and said to them, “If you come peacefully to help me, my heart shall be united with you; but if to betray me to my enemies, since there is no [b]wrong in my hands, may the God of our fathers look on it and decide.” 18 Then the Spirit [c]covered Amasai like clothing, the chief of the thirty; and he said,
“We are yours, David,And are with you, son of Jesse!Peace, peace to you,And peace to him who helps you;Indeed, your God helps you!”
Then David received them and made them [d]captains of the troops.
1 Samuel 22:1-23
12 Saul said, “Listen now, son of Ahitub.” And he [g]replied, “Here I am, my lord.” 13 Saul then said to him, “Why have you and the son of Jesse conspired against me, in that you have given him bread and a sword, and have inquired of God for him, so that he would rise up against me by lying in ambush as it is this day?”
14 Then Ahimelech answered the king and said, “And who among all your servants is as faithful as David, the king’s own son-in-law, who [h]is commander over your bodyguard, and is honored in your house? 15 Did I just begin to inquire of God for him today? Far be it from me! Do not let the king impute anything against his servant or against any of the household of my father, because your servant knows nothing [i]at all of this whole affair.”
17 And the king said to the [j]guards who were attending him, “Turn around and put the priests of the Lord to death, because their hand also is with David and because they knew that he was fleeing and did not [k]inform me.” But the servants of the king were unwilling to reach out with their hands to [l]attack the priests of the Lord. 18 Then the king said to Doeg, “You, turn around and [m]attack the priests!” And Doeg the Edomite turned around and [n]attacked the priests, and he killed on that day eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod. 19 He also struck Nob the city of the priests with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and infants; he also struck oxen, donkeys, and sheep with the edge of the sword.
Luke 13:22-35
New American Standard Bible
Teaching in the Villages
22 And He was passing through one city and village after another, teaching, and proceeding on His way to Jerusalem. 23 And someone said to Him, “Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?” And He said to them, 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin standing outside and knocking on the door, saying, ‘Lord, open up to us!’ and He then will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from.’ 26 Then you will begin saying, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets!’ 27 And yet He will [a]say, ‘I do not know where you are from; leave Me, all you [b]evildoers.’ 28 In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out. 29 And they will come from east and west, and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God. 30 And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”
31 At that very time some Pharisees approached, saying to Him, “Go away and leave this place, because Herod wants to kill You.” 32 And He said to them, “Go and tell that [c]fox, ‘Behold, I am casting out demons and performing healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I [d]reach My goal.’ 33 Nevertheless I must go on My journey today and tomorrow and the next day; for it cannot be that a prophet would perish outside Jerusalem. 34 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who have been sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her [e]young under her wings, and you were unwilling! 35 Behold, your house is left to you desolate; and I say to you, you will not see Me until you say, ‘Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord!’”
365 Daily Kingdom Living
Who Is Your Master?
Perhaps you have gone down the wrong path and lost sight of God, your true provider and protector, so you are constantly worried and anxious. Now refuse to be enslaved by that which wrongly masters you and get back to God.
Prayer: Lord, I belong to You. Help me to live under Your authority and no one else's. Let me see where I have gone wrong so I will not serve the wrong master. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Scripture
Daniel 5
5 Suddenly the fingers of a human hand emerged and began writing opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, and the king saw the back of the hand that did the writing. 6 Then the king’s [d]face became pale and his thoughts alarmed him, and his hip joints [e]loosened and his knees began knocking together. 7 The king called aloud to bring in the sorcerers, the [f]Chaldeans, and the diviners. The king began speaking and said to the wise men of Babylon, “Anyone who can read this inscription and explain its interpretation to me shall be clothed with purple and have a necklace of gold around his neck, and have authority as third ruler in the kingdom.” 8 Then all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the inscription or make known its interpretation to the king. 9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly alarmed, his [g]face grew even more pale, and his nobles were perplexed.
10 The queen entered the banquet [h]hall because of the words of the king and his nobles; the queen began to speak and said, “O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts alarm you or your [i]face be pale. 11 There is a man in your kingdom in whom is [j]a spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of your father, illumination, insight, and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him. And King Nebuchadnezzar, your father—your father [k]the king—appointed him chief of the soothsayer priests, sorcerers, Chaldeans, and diviners. 12 This was because an extraordinary spirit, knowledge and insight, interpretation of dreams, explanation of riddles, and solving of difficult problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Let Daniel now be summoned and he will declare the interpretation.”
Daniel Interprets the Handwriting on the Wall
13 Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king began speaking and said to Daniel, “Are you that Daniel who is one of the [l]exiles from Judah, whom my father the king brought from Judah?
25 “Now this is the inscription that was written:
‘[x]Menē, [y]Menē, [z]Tekēl, [aa]Upharsin.’
26 This is the interpretation of the [ab]message: ‘Menē’—God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it. 27 ‘Tekēl’—you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient. 28 ‘[ac]Perēs’—your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and [ad]Persians.”
29 Then Belshazzar gave orders, and they clothed Daniel with purple and put a necklace of gold around his neck, and issued a proclamation concerning him that he now had authority as the third ruler in the kingdom.
30 That same night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was killed. 31 [ae]So Darius the Mede received the kingdom at about the age of sixty-two.
2 Peter 2
The Appearance of False Prophets
1 But false prophets also appeared among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. 2 Many will follow their indecent behavior, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; 3 and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.
4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into [a]hell and committed them to [b]pits of darkness, held for judgment; 5 and did not spare the ancient world, but protected Noah, a [c]preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; 6 and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example [d]of what is coming for the ungodly; 7 and if He rescued righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the perverted conduct of [e]unscrupulous people 8 (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds), 9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from [f]a trial, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, 10 and especially those who [g]indulge the flesh in its corrupt passion, and despise [h]authority.
[i]Reckless, self-centered, they speak abusively of angelic [j]majesties without trembling, 11 whereas angels who are greater in might and power do not bring a demeaning judgment against them before the Lord. 12 But these, like unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, using abusive speech where they have no knowledge, will in [k]the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed, 13 suffering wrong as the wages of doing wrong. They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their [l]deceptions as they feast with you, 14 having eyes full of adultery [m]that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having hearts trained in greed, accursed children; 15 abandoning the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the [n]reward of unrighteousness; 16 but he received a rebuke for his own offense, for a mute donkey, speaking with a human voice, restrained the insanity of the prophet.
17 These are springs without water and mists driven by a storm, for whom the [o]black darkness has been reserved. 18 For, while speaking out arrogant words of no value they entice by fleshly desires, by indecent behavior, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error, 19 promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what anyone is overcome, by this he is enslaved. 20 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. 21 For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them. 22 [p]It has happened to them according to the true proverb, “A dog returns to its own vomit,” and, “A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.”
Psalms 119:113-128
Samekh
113 I hate those who are double-minded,But I love Your Law. 114 You are my hiding place and my shield;I [a]wait for Your word.115 Leave me, you evildoers,So that I may comply with the commandments of my God. 116 Sustain me according to Your [b]word, that I may live;And do not let me be [c]ashamed of my hope. 117 Sustain me so that I may be safe,That I may have regard for Your statutes continually. 118 You have [d]rejected all those who stray from Your statutes,For their deceitfulness is [e]useless. 119 You have [f]removed all the wicked of the earth like [g]impurities;Therefore I love Your testimonies. 120 My flesh [h]trembles from the fear of You,And I am afraid of Your judgments.
Ayin
121 I have done justice and righteousness;Do not leave me to my oppressors. 122 Be a guarantor for Your servant for good;Do not let the arrogant oppress me. 123 My eyes fail with longing for Your salvation,And for Your righteous [i]word. 124 Deal with Your servant according to Your graciousness,And teach me Your statutes. 125 I am Your servant; give me understanding,So that I may know Your testimonies. 126 It is time for the Lord to act, For they have broken Your Law. 127 Therefore I love Your commandments Above gold, yes, above pure gold. 128 Therefore I carefully follow all Your precepts concerning everything,I hate every false way.
Proverbs 28:17-18
17 A person who is burdened with the guilt of human blood Will [a]be a fugitive until death; no one is to support him!
18 One who walks blamelessly will receive help, But one who is [b]crooked will fall all at once.