ESV: Digging Deep into the Bible

ESV: Digging Deep into the Bible

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ESV: Digging Deep into the Bible episodes

  • April 26: Psalm 116; Leviticus 22:17–33; Isaiah 28; Ephesians 1
    Psalms and Wisdom:
    Psalm 116
    Psalm 116 (Listen)
    I Love the Lord

    116   I love the LORD, because he has heard
        my voice and my pleas for mercy.
    2   Because he inclined his ear to me,
        therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
    3   The snares of death encompassed me;
        the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;
        I suffered distress and anguish.
    4   Then I called on the name of the LORD:
        “O LORD, I pray, deliver my soul!”
    5   Gracious is the LORD, and righteous;
        our God is merciful.
    6   The LORD preserves the simple;
        when I was brought low, he saved me.
    7   Return, O my soul, to your rest;
        for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.
    8   For you have delivered my soul from death,
        my eyes from tears,
        my feet from stumbling;
    9   I will walk before the LORD
        in the land of the living.
    10   I believed, even whenOr believed, indeed; Septuagint believed, therefore">1 I spoke:
        “I am greatly afflicted”;
    11   I said in my alarm,
        “All mankind are liars.”
    12   What shall I render to the LORD
        for all his benefits to me?
    13   I will lift up the cup of salvation
        and call on the name of the LORD,
    14   I will pay my vows to the LORD
        in the presence of all his people.
    15   Precious in the sight of the LORD
        is the death of his saints.
    16   O LORD, I am your servant;
        I am your servant, the son of your maidservant.
        You have loosed my bonds.
    17   I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving
        and call on the name of the LORD.
    18   I will pay my vows to the LORD
        in the presence of all his people,
    19   in the courts of the house of the LORD,
        in your midst, O Jerusalem.
      Praise the LORD!

    Footnotes

    [1] 116:10 Or believed, indeed; Septuagint believed, therefore

    (ESV)

    Pentateuch and History:
    Leviticus 22:17–33
    Leviticus 22:17–33 (Listen)
    Acceptable Offerings

    17 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 18 “Speak to Aaron and his sons and all the people of Israel and say to them, When any one of the house of Israel or of the sojourners in Israel presents a burnt offering as his offering, for any of their vows or freewill offerings that they offer to the LORD, 19 if it is to be accepted for you it shall be a male without blemish, of the bulls or the sheep or the goats. 20 You shall not offer anything that has a blemish, for it will not be acceptable for you. 21 And when anyone offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to the LORD to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering from the herd or from the flock, to be accepted it must be perfect; there shall be no blemish in it. 22 Animals blind or disabled or mutilated or having a discharge or an itch or scabs you shall not offer to the LORD or give them to the LORD as a food offering on the altar. 23 You may present a bull or a lamb that has a part too long or too short for a freewill offering, but for a vow offering it cannot be accepted. 24 Any animal that has its testicles bruised or crushed or torn or cut you shall not offer to the LORD; you shall not do it within your land, 25 neither shall you offer as the bread of your God any such animals gotten from a foreigner. Since there is a blemish in them, because of their mutilation, they will not be accepted for you.”

    26 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 27 “When an ox or sheep or goat is born, it shall remain seven days with its mother, and from the eighth day on it shall be acceptable as a food offering to the LORD. 28 But you shall not kill an ox or a sheep and her young in one day. 29 And when you sacrifice a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the LORD, you shall sacrifice it so that you may be accepted. 30 It shall be eaten on the same day; you shall leave none of it until morning: I am the LORD.

    31 “So you shall keep my commandments and do them: I am the LORD. 32 And you shall not profane my holy name, that I may be sanctified among the people of Israel. I am the LORD who sanctifies you, 33 who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God: I am the LORD.”

    (ESV)

    Chronicles and Prophets:
    Isaiah 28
    Isaiah 28 (Listen)
    Judgment on Ephraim and Jerusalem

    28   Ah, the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim,
        and the fading flower of its glorious beauty,
        which is on the head of the rich valley of those overcome with wine!
    2   Behold, the Lord has one who is mighty and strong;
        like a storm of hail, a destroying tempest,
      like a storm of mighty, overflowing waters,
        he casts down to the earth with his hand.
    3   The proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim
        will be trodden underfoot;
    4   and the fading flower of its glorious beauty,
        which is on the head of the rich valley,
      will be like a first-ripe figOr fruit">1 before the summer:
        when someone sees it, he swallows it
        as soon as it is in his hand.
    5   In that day the LORD of hosts will be a crown of glory,The Hebrew words for glory and hosts sound alike">2
        and a diadem of beauty, to the remnant of his people,
    6   and a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment,
        and strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.
    7   These also reel with wine
        and stagger with strong drink;
      the priest and the prophet reel with strong drink,
        they are swallowed byOr confused by">3 wine,
        they stagger with strong drink,
      they reel in vision,
        they stumble in giving judgment.
    8   For all tables are full of filthy vomit,
        with no space left.
    9   “To whom will he teach knowledge,
        and to whom will he explain the message?
      Those who are weaned from the milk,
        those taken from the breast?
    10   For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept,
        line upon line, line upon line,
        here a little, there a little.”
    11   For by people of strange lips
        and with a foreign tongue
      the LORD will speak to this people,
    12     to whom he has said,
      “This is rest;
        give rest to the weary;
      and this is repose”;
        yet they would not hear.
    13   And the word of the LORD will be to them
      precept upon precept, precept upon precept,
        line upon line, line upon line,
        here a little, there a little,
      that they may go, and fall backward,
        and be broken, and snared, and taken.

    A Cornerstone in Zion

    14   Therefore hear the word of the LORD, you scoffers,
        who rule this people in Jerusalem!
    15   Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death,
        and with Sheol we have an agreement,
      when the overwhelming whip passes through
        it will not come to us,
      for we have made lies our refuge,
        and in falsehood we have taken shelter”;
    16   therefore thus says the Lord GOD,
      “Behold, I am the one who has laidDead Sea Scroll I am laying">4 as a foundation in Zion,
        a stone, a tested stone,
      a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation:
        ‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’
    17   And I will make justice the line,
        and righteousness the plumb line;
      and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies,
        and waters will overwhelm the shelter.”
    18   Then your covenant with death will be annulled,
        and your agreement with Sheol will not stand;
      when the overwhelming scourge passes through,
        you will be beaten down by it.
    19   As often as it passes through it will take you;
        for morning by morning it will pass through,
        by day and by night;
      and it will be sheer terror to understand the message.
    20   For the bed is too short to stretch oneself on,
        and the covering too narrow to wrap oneself in.
    21   For the LORD will rise up as on Mount Perazim;
        as in the Valley of Gibeon he will be roused;
      to do his deed—strange is his deed!
        and to work his work—alien is his work!
    22   Now therefore do not scoff,
        lest your bonds be made strong;
      for I have heard a decree of destruction
        from the Lord GOD of hosts against the whole land.
    23   Give ear, and hear my voice;
        give attention, and hear my speech.
    24   Does he who plows for sowing plow continually?
        Does he continually open and harrow his ground?
    25   When he has leveled its surface,
        does he not scatter dill, sow cumin,
      and put in wheat in rows
        and barley in its proper place,
        and emmerA type of wheat">5 as the border?
    26   For he is rightly instructed;
        his God teaches him.
    27   Dill is not threshed with a threshing sledge,
        nor is a cart wheel rolled over cumin,
      but dill is beaten out with a stick,
        and cumin with a rod.
    28   Does one crush grain for bread?
        No, he does not thresh it forever;Or Grain is crushed for bread; he will surely thresh it, but not forever">6
      when he drives his cart wheel over it
        with his horses, he does not crush it.
    29   This also comes from the LORD of hosts;
        he is wonderful in counsel
        and excellent in wisdom.

    Footnotes

    [1] 28:4 Or fruit


    [2] 28:5 The Hebrew words for glory and hosts sound alike

    [3] 28:7 Or confused by

    [4] 28:16 Dead Sea Scroll I am laying

    [5] 28:25 A type of wheat

    [6] 28:28 Or Grain is crushed for bread; he will surely thresh it, but not forever

    (ESV)

    Gospels and Epistles:
    Ephesians 1
    Ephesians 1 (Listen)
    Greeting

    1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,

    To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithfulSome manuscripts saints who are also faithful (omitting in Ephesus)">1 in Christ Jesus:

    2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

    Spiritual Blessings in Christ

    3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined usOr before him in love, 5having predestined us">2 for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making knownOr he lavished upon us in all wisdom and insight, making known . . .">3 to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

    11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guaranteeOr down payment">4 of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it,Or until God redeems his possession">5 to the praise of his glory.

    Thanksgiving and Prayer

    15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your loveSome manuscripts omit your love">6 toward all the saints, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

    Footnotes

    [1] 1:1 Some manuscripts saints who are also faithful (omitting in Ephesus)


    [2] 1:5 Or before him in love, 5having predestined us

    [3] 1:9 Or he lavished upon us in all wisdom and insight, making known . . .

    [4] 1:14 Or down payment

    [5] 1:14 Or until God redeems his possession

    [6] 1:15 Some manuscripts omit your love

    (ESV)

    12 min
  • April 25: Psalm 115; Leviticus 21–22:16; Isaiah 26–27; Galatians 6
    Psalms and Wisdom:
    Psalm 115
    Psalm 115 (Listen)
    To Your Name Give Glory

    115   Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory,
        for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!
    2   Why should the nations say,
        “Where is their God?”
    3   Our God is in the heavens;
        he does all that he pleases.
    4   Their idols are silver and gold,
        the work of human hands.
    5   They have mouths, but do not speak;
        eyes, but do not see.
    6   They have ears, but do not hear;
        noses, but do not smell.
    7   They have hands, but do not feel;
        feet, but do not walk;
        and they do not make a sound in their throat.
    8   Those who make them become like them;
        so do all who trust in them.
    9   O Israel,Masoretic Text; many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac O house of Israel">1 trust in the LORD!
        He is their help and their shield.
    10   O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD!
        He is their help and their shield.
    11   You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD!
        He is their help and their shield.
    12   The LORD has remembered us; he will bless us;
        he will bless the house of Israel;
        he will bless the house of Aaron;
    13   he will bless those who fear the LORD,
        both the small and the great.
    14   May the LORD give you increase,
        you and your children!
    15   May you be blessed by the LORD,
        who made heaven and earth!
    16   The heavens are the LORD’s heavens,
        but the earth he has given to the children of man.
    17   The dead do not praise the LORD,
        nor do any who go down into silence.
    18   But we will bless the LORD
        from this time forth and forevermore.
      Praise the LORD!

    Footnotes

    [1] 115:9 Masoretic Text; many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac O house of Israel

    (ESV)

    Pentateuch and History:
    Leviticus 21–22:16
    Leviticus 21–22:16 (Listen)
    Holiness and the Priests

    21 And the LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them, No one shall make himself unclean for the dead among his people, 2 except for his closest relatives, his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, his brother, 3 or his virgin sister (who is near to him because she has had no husband; for her he may make himself unclean). 4 He shall not make himself unclean as a husband among his people and so profane himself. 5 They shall not make bald patches on their heads, nor shave off the edges of their beards, nor make any cuts on their body. 6 They shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God. For they offer the LORD’s food offerings, the bread of their God; therefore they shall be holy. 7 They shall not marry a prostitute or a woman who has been defiled, neither shall they marry a woman divorced from her husband, for the priest is holy to his God. 8 You shall sanctify him, for he offers the bread of your God. He shall be holy to you, for I, the LORD, who sanctify you, am holy. 9 And the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by whoring, profanes her father; she shall be burned with fire.

    10 “The priest who is chief among his brothers, on whose head the anointing oil is poured and who has been consecrated to wear the garments, shall not let the hair of his head hang loose nor tear his clothes. 11 He shall not go in to any dead bodies nor make himself unclean, even for his father or for his mother. 12 He shall not go out of the sanctuary, lest he profane the sanctuary of his God, for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is on him: I am the LORD. 13 And he shall take a wife in her virginity.Or a young wife">1 14 A widow, or a divorced woman, or a woman who has been defiled, or a prostitute, these he shall not marry. But he shall take as his wife a virginHebrew young woman">2 of his own people, 15 that he may not profane his offspring among his people, for I am the LORD who sanctifies him.”

    16 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 17 “Speak to Aaron, saying, None of your offspring throughout their generations who has a blemish may approach to offer the bread of his God. 18 For no one who has a blemish shall draw near, a man blind or lame, or one who has a mutilated face or a limb too long, 19 or a man who has an injured foot or an injured hand, 20 or a hunchback or a dwarf or a man with a defect in his sight or an itching disease or scabs or crushed testicles. 21 No man of the offspring of Aaron the priest who has a blemish shall come near to offer the LORD’s food offerings; since he has a blemish, he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God. 22 He may eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy and of the holy things, 23 but he shall not go through the veil or approach the altar, because he has a blemish, that he may not profane my sanctuaries,Or my holy precincts">3 for I am the LORD who sanctifies them.” 24 So Moses spoke to Aaron and to his sons and to all the people of Israel.

    22 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to Aaron and his sons so that they abstain from the holy things of the people of Israel, which they dedicate to me, so that they do not profane my holy name: I am the LORD. 3 Say to them, ‘If any one of all your offspring throughout your generations approaches the holy things that the people of Israel dedicate to the LORD, while he has an uncleanness, that person shall be cut off from my presence: I am the LORD. 4 None of the offspring of Aaron who has a leprous disease or a discharge may eat of the holy things until he is clean. Whoever touches anything that is unclean through contact with the dead or a man who has had an emission of semen, 5 and whoever touches a swarming thing by which he may be made unclean or a person from whom he may take uncleanness, whatever his uncleanness may be—6 the person who touches such a thing shall be unclean until the evening and shall not eat of the holy things unless he has bathed his body in water. 7 When the sun goes down he shall be clean, and afterward he may eat of the holy things, because they are his food. 8 He shall not eat what dies of itself or is torn by beasts, and so make himself unclean by it: I am the LORD.’ 9 They shall therefore keep my charge, lest they bear sin for it and die thereby when they profane it: I am the LORD who sanctifies them.

    10 “A lay person shall not eat of a holy thing; no foreign guest of the priest or hired worker shall eat of a holy thing, 11 but if a priest buys a slaveOr servant; twice in this verse">4 as his property for money, the slaveHebrew he">5 may eat of it, and anyone born in his house may eat of his food. 12 If a priest’s daughter marries a layman, she shall not eat of the contribution of the holy things. 13 But if a priest’s daughter is widowed or divorced and has no child and returns to her father’s house, as in her youth, she may eat of her father’s food; yet no lay person shall eat of it. 14 And if anyone eats of a holy thing unintentionally, he shall add the fifth of its value to it and give the holy thing to the priest. 15 They shall not profane the holy things of the people of Israel, which they contribute to the LORD, 16 and so cause them to bear iniquity and guilt, by eating their holy things: for I am the LORD who sanctifies them.”

    Footnotes

    [1] 21:13 Or a young wife


    [2] 21:14 Hebrew young woman

    [3] 21:23 Or my holy precincts

    [4] 22:11 Or servant; twice in this verse

    [5] 22:11 Hebrew he

    (ESV)

    Chronicles and Prophets:
    Isaiah 26–27
    Isaiah 26–27 (Listen)
    You Keep Him in Perfect Peace

    26 In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:

      “We have a strong city;
        he sets up salvation
        as walls and bulwarks.
    2   Open the gates,
        that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in.
    3   You keep him in perfect peace
        whose mind is stayed on you,
        because he trusts in you.
    4   Trust in the LORD forever,
        for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.
    5   For he has humbled
        the inhabitants of the height,
        the lofty city.
      He lays it low, lays it low to the ground,
        casts it to the dust.
    6   The foot tramples it,
        the feet of the poor,
        the steps of the needy.”
    7   The path of the righteous is level;
        you make level the way of the righteous.
    8   In the path of your judgments,
        O LORD, we wait for you;
      your name and remembrance
        are the desire of our soul.
    9   My soul yearns for you in the night;
        my spirit within me earnestly seeks you.
      For when your judgments are in the earth,
        the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.
    10   If favor is shown to the wicked,
        he does not learn righteousness;
      in the land of uprightness he deals corruptly
        and does not see the majesty of the LORD.
    11   O LORD, your hand is lifted up,
        but they do not see it.
      Let them see your zeal for your people, and be ashamed.
        Let the fire for your adversaries consume them.
    12   O LORD, you will ordain peace for us,
        for you have indeed done for us all our works.
    13   O LORD our God,
        other lords besides you have ruled over us,
        but your name alone we bring to remembrance.
    14   They are dead, they will not live;
        they are shades, they will not arise;
      to that end you have visited them with destruction
        and wiped out all remembrance of them.
    15   But you have increased the nation, O LORD,
        you have increased the nation; you are glorified;
        you have enlarged all the borders of the land.
    16   O LORD, in distress they sought you;
        they poured out a whispered prayer
        when your discipline was upon them.
    17   Like a pregnant woman
        who writhes and cries out in her pangs
        when she is near to giving birth,
      so were we because of you, O LORD;
    18     we were pregnant, we writhed,
        but we have given birth to wind.
      We have accomplished no deliverance in the earth,
        and the inhabitants of the world have not fallen.
    19   Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise.
        You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy!
      For your dew is a dew of light,
        and the earth will give birth to the dead.
    20   Come, my people, enter your chambers,
        and shut your doors behind you;
      hide yourselves for a little while
        until the fury has passed by.
    21   For behold, the LORD is coming out from his place
        to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity,
      and the earth will disclose the blood shed on it,
        and will no more cover its slain.

    The Redemption of Israel

    27 In that day the LORD with his hard and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea.

    2   In that day,
      “A pleasant vineyard,Many Hebrew manuscripts A vineyard of wine">1 sing of it!
    3     I, the LORD, am its keeper;
        every moment I water it.
        Lest anyone punish it,
      I keep it night and day;
    4     I have no wrath.
      Would that I had thorns and briers to battle!
        I would march against them,
        I would burn them up together.
    5   Or let them lay hold of my protection,
        let them make peace with me,
        let them make peace with me.”
    6   In days to comeHebrew In those to come">2 Jacob shall take root,
        Israel shall blossom and put forth shoots
        and fill the whole world with fruit.
    7   Has he struck them as he struck those who struck them?
        Or have they been slain as their slayers were slain?
    8   Measure by measure,Or By driving her away; the meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain">3 by exile you contended with them;
        he removed them with his fierce breathOr wind">4 in the day of the east wind.
    9   Therefore by this the guilt of Jacob will be atoned for,
        and this will be the full fruit of the removal of his sin:Septuagint and this is the blessing when I take away his sin">5
      when he makes all the stones of the altars
        like chalkstones crushed to pieces,
        no Asherim or incense altars will remain standing.
    10   For the fortified city is solitary,
        a habitation deserted and forsaken, like the wilderness;
      there the calf grazes;
        there it lies down and strips its branches.
    11   When its boughs are dry, they are broken;
        women come and make a fire of them.
      For this is a people without discernment;
        therefore he who made them will not have compassion on them;
        he who formed them will show them no favor.

    12 In that day from the river EuphratesHebrew from the River">6 to the Brook of Egypt the LORD will thresh out the grain, and you will be gleaned one by one, O people of Israel. 13 And in that day a great trumpet will be blown, and those who were lost in the land of Assyria and those who were driven out to the land of Egypt will come and worship the LORD on the holy mountain at Jerusalem.

    Footnotes

    [1] 27:2 Many Hebrew manuscripts A vineyard of wine


    [2] 27:6 Hebrew In those to come

    [3] 27:8 Or By driving her away; the meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain

    [4] 27:8 Or wind

    [5] 27:9 Septuagint and this is the blessing when I take away his sin

    [6] 27:12 Hebrew from the River

    (ESV)

    Gospels and Epistles:
    Galatians 6
    Galatians 6 (Listen)
    Bear One Another’s Burdens

    6 Brothers,Or Brothers and sisters; also verse 18">1 if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. 5 For each will have to bear his own load.

    6 Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches. 7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

    Final Warning and Benediction

    11 See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand. 12 It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh who would force you to be circumcised, and only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. 13 For even those who are circumcised do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. 14 But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whichOr through whom">2 the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. 16 And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.

    17 From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.

    18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.

    Footnotes

    [1] 6:1 Or Brothers and sisters; also verse 18


    [2] 6:14 Or through whom

    (ESV)

    15 min
  • April 24: Psalm 114; Leviticus 20; Isaiah 25; Galatians 5
    Psalms and Wisdom:
    Psalm 114
    Psalm 114 (Listen)
    Tremble at the Presence of the Lord

    114   When Israel went out from Egypt,
        the house of Jacob from a people of strange language,
    2   Judah became his sanctuary,
        Israel his dominion.
    3   The sea looked and fled;
        Jordan turned back.
    4   The mountains skipped like rams,
        the hills like lambs.
    5   What ails you, O sea, that you flee?
        O Jordan, that you turn back?
    6   O mountains, that you skip like rams?
        O hills, like lambs?
    7   Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
        at the presence of the God of Jacob,
    8   who turns the rock into a pool of water,
        the flint into a spring of water.

    (ESV)

    Pentateuch and History:
    Leviticus 20
    Leviticus 20 (Listen)
    Punishment for Child Sacrifice

    20 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Say to the people of Israel, Any one of the people of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech shall surely be put to death. The people of the land shall stone him with stones. 3 I myself will set my face against that man and will cut him off from among his people, because he has given one of his children to Molech, to make my sanctuary unclean and to profane my holy name. 4 And if the people of the land do at all close their eyes to that man when he gives one of his children to Molech, and do not put him to death, 5 then I will set my face against that man and against his clan and will cut them off from among their people, him and all who follow him in whoring after Molech.

    6 “If a person turns to mediums and necromancers, whoring after them, I will set my face against that person and will cut him off from among his people. 7 Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am the LORD your God. 8 Keep my statutes and do them; I am the LORD who sanctifies you. 9 For anyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death; he has cursed his father or his mother; his blood is upon him.

    Punishments for Sexual Immorality

    10 “If a man commits adultery with the wife ofHebrew repeats if a man commits adultery with the wife of">1 his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death. 11 If a man lies with his father’s wife, he has uncovered his father’s nakedness; both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them. 12 If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely be put to death; they have committed perversion; their blood is upon them. 13 If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them. 14 If a man takes a woman and her mother also, it is depravity; he and they shall be burned with fire, that there may be no depravity among you. 15 If a man lies with an animal, he shall surely be put to death, and you shall kill the animal. 16 If a woman approaches any animal and lies with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.

    17 “If a man takes his sister, a daughter of his father or a daughter of his mother, and sees her nakedness, and she sees his nakedness, it is a disgrace, and they shall be cut off in the sight of the children of their people. He has uncovered his sister’s nakedness, and he shall bear his iniquity. 18 If a man lies with a woman during her menstrual period and uncovers her nakedness, he has made naked her fountain, and she has uncovered the fountain of her blood. Both of them shall be cut off from among their people. 19 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister or of your father’s sister, for that is to make naked one’s relative; they shall bear their iniquity. 20 If a man lies with his uncle’s wife, he has uncovered his uncle’s nakedness; they shall bear their sin; they shall die childless. 21 If a man takes his brother’s wife, it is impurity.Literally menstrual impurity">2 He has uncovered his brother’s nakedness; they shall be childless.

    You Shall Be Holy

    22 “You shall therefore keep all my statutes and all my rules and do them, that the land where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out. 23 And you shall not walk in the customs of the nation that I am driving out before you, for they did all these things, and therefore I detested them. 24 But I have said to you, ‘You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey.’ I am the LORD your God, who has separated you from the peoples. 25 You shall therefore separate the clean beast from the unclean, and the unclean bird from the clean. You shall not make yourselves detestable by beast or by bird or by anything with which the ground crawls, which I have set apart for you to hold unclean. 26 You shall be holy to me, for I the LORD am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine.

    27 “A man or a woman who is a medium or a necromancer shall surely be put to death. They shall be stoned with stones; their blood shall be upon them.”

    Footnotes

    [1] 20:10 Hebrew repeats if a man commits adultery with the wife of


    [2] 20:21 Literally menstrual impurity

    (ESV)

    Chronicles and Prophets:
    Isaiah 25
    Isaiah 25 (Listen)
    God Will Swallow Up Death Forever

    25   O LORD, you are my God;
        I will exalt you; I will praise your name,
      for you have done wonderful things,
        plans formed of old, faithful and sure.
    2   For you have made the city a heap,
        the fortified city a ruin;
      the foreigners’ palace is a city no more;
        it will never be rebuilt.
    3   Therefore strong peoples will glorify you;
        cities of ruthless nations will fear you.
    4   For you have been a stronghold to the poor,
        a stronghold to the needy in his distress,
        a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat;
      for the breath of the ruthless is like a storm against a wall,
    5     like heat in a dry place.
      You subdue the noise of the foreigners;
        as heat by the shade of a cloud,
        so the song of the ruthless is put down.
    6   On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples
        a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine,
        of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.
    7   And he will swallow up on this mountain
        the covering that is cast over all peoples,
        the veil that is spread over all nations.
    8     He will swallow up death forever;
      and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces,
        and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth,
        for the LORD has spoken.
    9   It will be said on that day,
        “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us.
        This is the LORD; we have waited for him;
        let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
    10   For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain,
        and Moab shall be trampled down in his place,
        as straw is trampled down in a dunghill.The Hebrew words for dunghill and for the Moabite town Madmen (Jeremiah 48:2) sound alike">1
    11   And he will spread out his hands in the midst of it
        as a swimmer spreads his hands out to swim,
        but the LORD will lay low his pompous pride together with the skillOr in spite of the skill">2 of his hands.
    12   And the high fortifications of his walls he will bring down,
        lay low, and cast to the ground, to the dust.

    Footnotes

    [1] 25:10 The Hebrew words for dunghill and for the Moabite town Madmen (Jeremiah 48:2) sound alike


    [2] 25:11 Or in spite of the skill

    (ESV)

    Gospels and Epistles:
    Galatians 5
    Galatians 5 (Listen)
    Christ Has Set Us Free

    5 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

    2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. 3 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. 4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justifiedOr counted righteous">1 by the law; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.

    7 You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion is not from him who calls you. 9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump. 10 I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. 11 But if I, brothers,Or brothers and sisters; also verse 13">2 still preachGreek proclaim">3 circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed. 12 I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves!

    13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.

    Keep in Step with the Spirit

    16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy,Some manuscripts add murder">4 drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who doOr make a practice of doing">5 such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

    25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

    Footnotes

    [1] 5:4 Or counted righteous


    [2] 5:11 Or brothers and sisters; also verse 13

    [3] 5:11 Greek proclaim

    [4] 5:21 Some manuscripts add murder

    [5] 5:21 Or make a practice of doing

    (ESV)

    11 min
  • April 23: Psalm 113; Leviticus 19; Isaiah 24; Galatians 4
    Psalms and Wisdom:
    Psalm 113
    Psalm 113 (Listen)
    Who Is like the Lord Our God?

    113   Praise the LORD!
      Praise, O servants of the LORD,
        praise the name of the LORD!
    2   Blessed be the name of the LORD
        from this time forth and forevermore!
    3   From the rising of the sun to its setting,
        the name of the LORD is to be praised!
    4   The LORD is high above all nations,
        and his glory above the heavens!
    5   Who is like the LORD our God,
        who is seated on high,
    6   who looks far down
        on the heavens and the earth?
    7   He raises the poor from the dust
        and lifts the needy from the ash heap,
    8   to make them sit with princes,
        with the princes of his people.
    9   He gives the barren woman a home,
        making her the joyous mother of children.
      Praise the LORD!

    (ESV)

    Pentateuch and History:
    Leviticus 19
    Leviticus 19 (Listen)
    The Lord Is Holy

    19 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy. 3 Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and you shall keep my Sabbaths: I am the LORD your God. 4 Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves any gods of cast metal: I am the LORD your God.

    5 “When you offer a sacrifice of peace offerings to the LORD, you shall offer it so that you may be accepted. 6 It shall be eaten the same day you offer it or on the day after, and anything left over until the third day shall be burned up with fire. 7 If it is eaten at all on the third day, it is tainted; it will not be accepted, 8 and everyone who eats it shall bear his iniquity, because he has profaned what is holy to the LORD, and that person shall be cut off from his people.

    Love Your Neighbor as Yourself

    9 “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. 10 And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the LORD your God.

    11 “You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; you shall not lie to one another. 12 You shall not swear by my name falsely, and so profane the name of your God: I am the LORD.

    13 “You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages of a hired worker shall not remain with you all night until the morning. 14 You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am the LORD.

    15 “You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor. 16 You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the lifeHebrew blood">1 of your neighbor: I am the LORD.

    17 “You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. 18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.

    You Shall Keep My Statutes

    19 “You shall keep my statutes. You shall not let your cattle breed with a different kind. You shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed, nor shall you wear a garment of cloth made of two kinds of material.

    20 “If a man lies sexually with a woman who is a slave, assigned to another man and not yet ransomed or given her freedom, a distinction shall be made. They shall not be put to death, because she was not free; 21 but he shall bring his compensation to the LORD, to the entrance of the tent of meeting, a ram for a guilt offering. 22 And the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering before the LORD for his sin that he has committed, and he shall be forgiven for the sin that he has committed.

    23 “When you come into the land and plant any kind of tree for food, then you shall regard its fruit as forbidden.Hebrew as its uncircumcision">2 Three years it shall be forbidden to you; it must not be eaten. 24 And in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy, an offering of praise to the LORD. 25 But in the fifth year you may eat of its fruit, to increase its yield for you: I am the LORD your God.

    26 “You shall not eat any flesh with the blood in it. You shall not interpret omens or tell fortunes. 27 You shall not round off the hair on your temples or mar the edges of your beard. 28 You shall not make any cuts on your body for the dead or tattoo yourselves: I am the LORD.

    29 “Do not profane your daughter by making her a prostitute, lest the land fall into prostitution and the land become full of depravity. 30 You shall keep my Sabbaths and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD.

    31 “Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the LORD your God.

    32 “You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the LORD.

    33 “When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. 34 You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

    35 “You shall do no wrong in judgment, in measures of length or weight or quantity. 36 You shall have just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin:An ephah was about 3/5 bushel or 22 liters; a hin was about 4 quarts or 3.5 liters">3 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. 37 And you shall observe all my statutes and all my rules, and do them: I am the LORD.”

    Footnotes

    [1] 19:16 Hebrew blood


    [2] 19:23 Hebrew as its uncircumcision

    [3] 19:36 An ephah was about 3/5 bushel or 22 liters; a hin was about 4 quarts or 3.5 liters

    (ESV)

    Chronicles and Prophets:
    Isaiah 24
    Isaiah 24 (Listen)
    Judgment on the Whole Earth

    24   Behold, the LORD will empty the earthOr land; also throughout this chapter">1 and make it desolate,
        and he will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants.
    2   And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest;
        as with the slave, so with his master;
        as with the maid, so with her mistress;
      as with the buyer, so with the seller;
        as with the lender, so with the borrower;
        as with the creditor, so with the debtor.
    3   The earth shall be utterly empty and utterly plundered;
        for the LORD has spoken this word.
    4   The earth mourns and withers;
        the world languishes and withers;
        the highest people of the earth languish.
    5   The earth lies defiled
        under its inhabitants;
      for they have transgressed the laws,
        violated the statutes,
        broken the everlasting covenant.
    6   Therefore a curse devours the earth,
        and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt;
      therefore the inhabitants of the earth are scorched,
        and few men are left.
    7   The wine mourns,
        the vine languishes,
        all the merry-hearted sigh.
    8   The mirth of the tambourines is stilled,
        the noise of the jubilant has ceased,
        the mirth of the lyre is stilled.
    9   No more do they drink wine with singing;
        strong drink is bitter to those who drink it.
    10   The wasted city is broken down;
        every house is shut up so that none can enter.
    11   There is an outcry in the streets for lack of wine;
        all joy has grown dark;
        the gladness of the earth is banished.
    12   Desolation is left in the city;
        the gates are battered into ruins.
    13   For thus it shall be in the midst of the earth
        among the nations,
      as when an olive tree is beaten,
        as at the gleaning when the grape harvest is done.
    14   They lift up their voices, they sing for joy;
        over the majesty of the LORD they shout from the west.Hebrew from the sea">2
    15   Therefore in the eastHebrew in the realm of light, or with the fires">3 give glory to the LORD;
        in the coastlands of the sea, give glory to the name of the LORD, the God of Israel.
    16   From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise,
        of glory to the Righteous One.
      But I say, “I waste away,
        I waste away. Woe is me!
      For the traitors have betrayed,
        with betrayal the traitors have betrayed.”
    17   Terror and the pit and the snareThe Hebrew words for terror, pit, and snare sound alike">4
        are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth!
    18   He who flees at the sound of the terror
        shall fall into the pit,
      and he who climbs out of the pit
        shall be caught in the snare.
      For the windows of heaven are opened,
        and the foundations of the earth tremble.
    19   The earth is utterly broken,
        the earth is split apart,
        the earth is violently shaken.
    20   The earth staggers like a drunken man;
        it sways like a hut;
      its transgression lies heavy upon it,
        and it falls, and will not rise again.
    21   On that day the LORD will punish
        the host of heaven, in heaven,
        and the kings of the earth, on the earth.
    22   They will be gathered together
        as prisoners in a pit;
      they will be shut up in a prison,
        and after many days they will be punished.
    23   Then the moon will be confounded
        and the sun ashamed,
      for the LORD of hosts reigns
        on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem,
      and his glory will be before his elders.

    Footnotes

    [1] 24:1 Or land; also throughout this chapter


    [2] 24:14 Hebrew from the sea

    [3] 24:15 Hebrew in the realm of light, or with the fires

    [4] 24:17 The Hebrew words for terror, pit, and snare sound alike

    (ESV)

    Gospels and Epistles:
    Galatians 4
    Galatians 4 (Listen)
    Sons and Heirs

    4 I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave,For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface; also verse 7">1 though he is the owner of everything, 2 but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. 3 In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principlesOr elemental spirits; also verse 9">2 of the world. 4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

    Paul’s Concern for the Galatians

    8 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. 9 But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? 10 You observe days and months and seasons and years! 11 I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain.

    12 Brothers,Or Brothers and sisters; also verses 28, 31">3 I entreat you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong. 13 You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first, 14 and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus. 15 What then has become of your blessedness? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me. 16 Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?Or by dealing truthfully with you">4 17 They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. 18 It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you, 19 my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! 20 I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.

    Example of Hagar and Sarah

    21 Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. 23 But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise. 24 Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. 25 Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia;Some manuscripts For Sinai is a mountain in Arabia">5 she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. 27 For it is written,

      “Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear;
        break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor!
      For the children of the desolate one will be more
        than those of the one who has a husband.”

    28 Now you,Some manuscripts we">6 brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29 But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now. 30 But what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman.” 31 So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman.

    Footnotes

    [1] 4:1 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface; also verse 7


    [2] 4:3 Or elemental spirits; also verse 9

    [3] 4:12 Or Brothers and sisters; also verses 28, 31

    [4] 4:16 Or by dealing truthfully with you

    [5] 4:25 Some manuscripts For Sinai is a mountain in Arabia

    [6] 4:28 Some manuscripts we

    (ESV)

    13 min
  • April 22: Psalm 112; Leviticus 18; Isaiah 23; Galatians 3
    Psalms and Wisdom:
    Psalm 112
    Psalm 112 (Listen)
    The Righteous Will Never Be Moved

    112   This psalm is an acrostic poem, each line beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet">1 Praise the LORD!
      Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,
        who greatly delights in his commandments!
    2   His offspring will be mighty in the land;
        the generation of the upright will be blessed.
    3   Wealth and riches are in his house,
        and his righteousness endures forever.
    4   Light dawns in the darkness for the upright;
        he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.
    5   It is well with the man who deals generously and lends;
        who conducts his affairs with justice.
    6   For the righteous will never be moved;
        he will be remembered forever.
    7   He is not afraid of bad news;
        his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.
    8   His heart is steady;Or established (compare 111:8)">2 he will not be afraid,
        until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.
    9   He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor;
        his righteousness endures forever;
        his horn is exalted in honor.
    10   The wicked man sees it and is angry;
        he gnashes his teeth and melts away;
        the desire of the wicked will perish!

    Footnotes

    [1] 112:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each line beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet


    [2] 112:8 Or established (compare 111:8)

    (ESV)

    Pentateuch and History:
    Leviticus 18
    Leviticus 18 (Listen)
    Unlawful Sexual Relations

    18 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, I am the LORD your God. 3 You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You shall not walk in their statutes. 4 You shall follow my rulesOr my just decrees; also verse 5">1 and keep my statutes and walk in them. I am the LORD your God. 5 You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the LORD.

    6 “None of you shall approach any one of his close relatives to uncover nakedness. I am the LORD. 7 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father, which is the nakedness of your mother; she is your mother, you shall not uncover her nakedness. 8 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s wife; it is your father’s nakedness. 9 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your sister, your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether brought up in the family or in another home. 10 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your son’s daughter or of your daughter’s daughter, for their nakedness is your own nakedness. 11 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s wife’s daughter, brought up in your father’s family, since she is your sister. 12 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s sister; she is your father’s relative. 13 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister, for she is your mother’s relative. 14 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s brother, that is, you shall not approach his wife; she is your aunt. 15 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law; she is your son’s wife, you shall not uncover her nakedness. 16 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife; it is your brother’s nakedness. 17 You shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman and of her daughter, and you shall not take her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter to uncover her nakedness; they are relatives; it is depravity. 18 And you shall not take a woman as a rival wife to her sister, uncovering her nakedness while her sister is still alive.

    19 “You shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness while she is in her menstrual uncleanness. 20 And you shall not lie sexually with your neighbor’s wife and so make yourself unclean with her. 21 You shall not give any of your children to offer themHebrew to make them pass through [the fire]">2 to Molech, and so profane the name of your God: I am the LORD. 22 You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination. 23 And you shall not lie with any animal and so make yourself unclean with it, neither shall any woman give herself to an animal to lie with it: it is perversion.

    24 “Do not make yourselves unclean by any of these things, for by all these the nations I am driving out before you have become unclean, 25 and the land became unclean, so that I punished its iniquity, and the land vomited out its inhabitants. 26 But you shall keep my statutes and my rules and do none of these abominations, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you 27 (for the people of the land, who were before you, did all of these abominations, so that the land became unclean), 28 lest the land vomit you out when you make it unclean, as it vomited out the nation that was before you. 29 For everyone who does any of these abominations, the persons who do them shall be cut off from among their people. 30 So keep my charge never to practice any of these abominable customs that were practiced before you, and never to make yourselves unclean by them: I am the LORD your God.”

    Footnotes

    [1] 18:4 Or my just decrees; also verse 5


    [2] 18:21 Hebrew to make them pass through [the fire]

    (ESV)

    Chronicles and Prophets:
    Isaiah 23
    Isaiah 23 (Listen)
    An Oracle Concerning Tyre and Sidon

    23 The oracle concerning Tyre.

      Wail, O ships of Tarshish,
        for Tyre is laid waste, without house or harbor!
      From the land of CyprusHebrew Kittim; also verse 12">1
        it is revealed to them.
    2   Be still, O inhabitants of the coast;
        the merchants of Sidon, who cross the sea, have filled you.
    3   And on many waters
      your revenue was the grain of Shihor,
        the harvest of the Nile;
        you were the merchant of the nations.
    4   Be ashamed, O Sidon, for the sea has spoken,
        the stronghold of the sea, saying:
      “I have neither labored nor given birth,
        I have neither reared young men
        nor brought up young women.”
    5   When the report comes to Egypt,
        they will be in anguishHebrew they will have labor pains">2 over the report about Tyre.
    6   Cross over to Tarshish;
        wail, O inhabitants of the coast!
    7   Is this your exultant city
        whose origin is from days of old,
      whose feet carried her
        to settle far away?
    8   Who has purposed this
        against Tyre, the bestower of crowns,
      whose merchants were princes,
        whose traders were the honored of the earth?
    9   The LORD of hosts has purposed it,
        to defile the pompous pride of all glory,The Hebrew words for glory and hosts sound alike">3
        to dishonor all the honored of the earth.
    10   Cross over your land like the Nile,
        O daughter of Tarshish;
        there is no restraint anymore.
    11   He has stretched out his hand over the sea;
        he has shaken the kingdoms;
      the LORD has given command concerning Canaan
        to destroy its strongholds.
    12   And he said:
      “You will no more exult,
        O oppressed virgin daughter of Sidon;
      arise, cross over to Cyprus,
        even there you will have no rest.”

    13 Behold the land of the Chaldeans! This is the people that was not;Or that has become nothing">4 Assyria destined it for wild beasts. They erected their siege towers, they stripped her palaces bare, they made her a ruin.

    14   Wail, O ships of Tarshish,
        for your stronghold is laid waste.

    15 In that day Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years, like the daysOr lifetime">5 of one king. At the end of seventy years, it will happen to Tyre as in the song of the prostitute:

    16   “Take a harp;
        go about the city,
        O forgotten prostitute!
      Make sweet melody;
        sing many songs,
        that you may be remembered.”

    17 At the end of seventy years, the LORD will visit Tyre, and she will return to her wages and will prostitute herself with all the kingdoms of the world on the face of the earth. 18 Her merchandise and her wages will be holy to the LORD. It will not be stored or hoarded, but her merchandise will supply abundant food and fine clothing for those who dwell before the LORD.

    Footnotes

    [1] 23:1 Hebrew Kittim; also verse 12


    [2] 23:5 Hebrew they will have labor pains

    [3] 23:9 The Hebrew words for glory and hosts sound alike

    [4] 23:13 Or that has become nothing

    [5] 23:15 Or lifetime

    (ESV)

    Gospels and Epistles:
    Galatians 3
    Galatians 3 (Listen)
    By Faith, or by Works of the Law?

    3 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. 2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected byOr now ending with">1 the flesh? 4 Did you sufferOr experience">2 so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5 Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith—6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?

    7 Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justifyOr count righteous; also verses 11, 24">3 the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

    The Righteous Shall Live by Faith

    10 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” 11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.”Or The one who by faith is righteous will live">4 12 But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised SpiritGreek receive the promise of the Spirit">5 through faith.

    The Law and the Promise

    15 To give a human example, brothers:Or brothers and sisters">6 even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. 16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ. 17 This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. 18 For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.

    19 Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. 20 Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one.

    21 Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. 22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

    23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. 24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slaveFor the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface">7 nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

    Footnotes

    [1] 3:3 Or now ending with


    [2] 3:4 Or experience

    [3] 3:8 Or count righteous; also verses 11, 24

    [4] 3:11 Or The one who by faith is righteous will live

    [5] 3:14 Greek receive the promise of the Spirit

    [6] 3:15 Or brothers and sisters

    [7] 3:28 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface

    (ESV)

    12 min
  • April 21: Psalm 111; Leviticus 17; Isaiah 22; Galatians 2
    Psalms and Wisdom:
    Psalm 111
    Psalm 111 (Listen)
    Great Are the Lord’s Works

    111   This psalm is an acrostic poem, each line beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet">1 Praise the LORD!
      I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart,
        in the company of the upright, in the congregation.
    2   Great are the works of the LORD,
        studied by all who delight in them.
    3   Full of splendor and majesty is his work,
        and his righteousness endures forever.
    4   He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered;
        the LORD is gracious and merciful.
    5   He provides food for those who fear him;
        he remembers his covenant forever.
    6   He has shown his people the power of his works,
        in giving them the inheritance of the nations.
    7   The works of his hands are faithful and just;
        all his precepts are trustworthy;
    8   they are established forever and ever,
        to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.
    9   He sent redemption to his people;
        he has commanded his covenant forever.
        Holy and awesome is his name!
    10   The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
        all those who practice it have a good understanding.
        His praise endures forever!

    Footnotes

    [1] 111:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each line beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet

    (ESV)

    Pentateuch and History:
    Leviticus 17
    Leviticus 17 (Listen)
    The Place of Sacrifice

    17 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the people of Israel and say to them, This is the thing that the LORD has commanded. 3 If any one of the house of Israel kills an ox or a lamb or a goat in the camp, or kills it outside the camp, 4 and does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to offer it as a gift to the LORD in front of the tabernacle of the LORD, bloodguilt shall be imputed to that man. He has shed blood, and that man shall be cut off from among his people. 5 This is to the end that the people of Israel may bring their sacrifices that they sacrifice in the open field, that they may bring them to the LORD, to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and sacrifice them as sacrifices of peace offerings to the LORD. 6 And the priest shall throw the blood on the altar of the LORD at the entrance of the tent of meeting and burn the fat for a pleasing aroma to the LORD. 7 So they shall no more sacrifice their sacrifices to goat demons, after whom they whore. This shall be a statute forever for them throughout their generations.

    8 “And you shall say to them, Any one of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn among them, who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice 9 and does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to offer it to the LORD, that man shall be cut off from his people.

    Laws Against Eating Blood

    10 “If any one of the house of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn among them eats any blood, I will set my face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from among his people. 11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life. 12 Therefore I have said to the people of Israel, No person among you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger who sojourns among you eat blood.

    13 “Any one also of the people of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn among them, who takes in hunting any beast or bird that may be eaten shall pour out its blood and cover it with earth. 14 For the life of every creatureHebrew all flesh">1 is its blood: its blood is its life.Hebrew it is in its life">2 Therefore I have said to the people of Israel, You shall not eat the blood of any creature, for the life of every creature is its blood. Whoever eats it shall be cut off. 15 And every person who eats what dies of itself or what is torn by beasts, whether he is a native or a sojourner, shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening; then he shall be clean. 16 But if he does not wash them or bathe his flesh, he shall bear his iniquity.”

    Footnotes

    [1] 17:14 Hebrew all flesh


    [2] 17:14 Hebrew it is in its life

    (ESV)

    Chronicles and Prophets:
    Isaiah 22
    Isaiah 22 (Listen)
    An Oracle Concerning Jerusalem

    22 The oracle concerning the valley of vision.

      What do you mean that you have gone up,
        all of you, to the housetops,
    2   you who are full of shoutings,
        tumultuous city, exultant town?
      Your slain are not slain with the sword
        or dead in battle.
    3   All your leaders have fled together;
        without the bow they were captured.
      All of you who were found were captured,
        though they had fled far away.
    4   Therefore I said:
      “Look away from me;
        let me weep bitter tears;
      do not labor to comfort me
        concerning the destruction of the daughter of my people.”
    5   For the Lord GOD of hosts has a day
        of tumult and trampling and confusion
        in the valley of vision,
      a battering down of walls
        and a shouting to the mountains.
    6   And Elam bore the quiver
        with chariots and horsemen,
        and Kir uncovered the shield.
    7   Your choicest valleys were full of chariots,
        and the horsemen took their stand at the gates.
    8   He has taken away the covering of Judah.

    In that day you looked to the weapons of the House of the Forest, 9 and you saw that the breaches of the city of David were many. You collected the waters of the lower pool, 10 and you counted the houses of Jerusalem, and you broke down the houses to fortify the wall. 11 You made a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool. But you did not look to him who did it, or see him who planned it long ago.

    12   In that day the Lord GOD of hosts
        called for weeping and mourning,
        for baldness and wearing sackcloth;
    13   and behold, joy and gladness,
        killing oxen and slaughtering sheep,
        eating flesh and drinking wine.
      “Let us eat and drink,
        for tomorrow we die.”
    14   The LORD of hosts has revealed himself in my ears:
      “Surely this iniquity will not be atoned for you until you die,”
        says the Lord GOD of hosts.

    15 Thus says the Lord GOD of hosts, “Come, go to this steward, to Shebna, who is over the household, and say to him: 16 What have you to do here, and whom have you here, that you have cut out here a tomb for yourself, you who cut out a tomb on the height and carve a dwelling for yourself in the rock? 17 Behold, the LORD will hurl you away violently, O you strong man. He will seize firm hold on you 18 and whirl you around and around, and throw you like a ball into a wide land. There you shall die, and there shall be your glorious chariots, you shame of your master’s house. 19 I will thrust you from your office, and you will be pulled down from your station. 20 In that day I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, 21 and I will clothe him with your robe, and will bind your sash on him, and will commit your authority to his hand. And he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. 22 And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David. He shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. 23 And I will fasten him like a peg in a secure place, and he will become a throne of honor to his father’s house. 24 And they will hang on him the whole honor of his father’s house, the offspring and issue, every small vessel, from the cups to all the flagons. 25 In that day, declares the LORD of hosts, the peg that was fastened in a secure place will give way, and it will be cut down and fall, and the load that was on it will be cut off, for the LORD has spoken.”

    (ESV)

    Gospels and Epistles:
    Galatians 2
    Galatians 2 (Listen)
    Paul Accepted by the Apostles

    2 Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. 2 I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those who seemed influential) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain. 3 But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. 4 Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery—5 to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. 6 And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me. 7 On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised 8 (for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles), 9 and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10 Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.

    Paul Opposes Peter

    11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party.Or fearing those of the circumcision">1 13 And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

    Justified by Faith

    15 We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; 16 yet we know that a person is not justifiedOr counted righteous (three times in verse 16); also verse 17">2 by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

    17 But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! 18 For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. 19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousnessOr justification">3 were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.

    Footnotes

    [1] 2:12 Or fearing those of the circumcision


    [2] 2:16 Or counted righteous (three times in verse 16); also verse 17

    [3] 2:21 Or justification

    (ESV)

    11 min
  • April 20: Psalm 110; Leviticus 16; Isaiah 21; Galatians 1:11–24
    Psalms and Wisdom:
    Psalm 110
    Psalm 110 (Listen)
    Sit at My Right Hand
    A Psalm of David.

    110   The LORD says to my Lord:
        “Sit at my right hand,
      until I make your enemies your footstool.”
    2   The LORD sends forth from Zion
        your mighty scepter.
        Rule in the midst of your enemies!
    3   Your people will offer themselves freely
        on the day of your power,Or on the day you lead your forces">1
        in holy garments;Masoretic Text; some Hebrew manuscripts and Jerome on the holy mountains">2
      from the womb of the morning,
        the dew of your youth will be yours.The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain">3
    4   The LORD has sworn
        and will not change his mind,
      “You are a priest forever
        after the order of Melchizedek.”
    5   The Lord is at your right hand;
        he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.
    6   He will execute judgment among the nations,
        filling them with corpses;
      he will shatter chiefsOr the head">4
        over the wide earth.
    7   He will drink from the brook by the way;
        therefore he will lift up his head.

    Footnotes

    [1] 110:3 Or on the day you lead your forces


    [2] 110:3 Masoretic Text; some Hebrew manuscripts and Jerome on the holy mountains

    [3] 110:3 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain

    [4] 110:6 Or the head

    (ESV)

    Pentateuch and History:
    Leviticus 16
    Leviticus 16 (Listen)
    The Day of Atonement

    16 The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before the LORD and died, 2 and the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat that is on the ark, so that he may not die. For I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat. 3 But in this way Aaron shall come into the Holy Place: with a bull from the herd for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. 4 He shall put on the holy linen coat and shall have the linen undergarment on his body, and he shall tie the linen sash around his waist, and wear the linen turban; these are the holy garments. He shall bathe his body in water and then put them on. 5 And he shall take from the congregation of the people of Israel two male goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.

    6 “Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering for himself and shall make atonement for himself and for his house. 7 Then he shall take the two goats and set them before the LORD at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 8 And Aaron shall cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the LORD and the other lot for Azazel.The meaning of Azazel is uncertain; possibly the name of a place or a demon, traditionally a scapegoat; also verses 10, 26">1 9 And Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot fell for the LORD and use it as a sin offering, 10 but the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel shall be presented alive before the LORD to make atonement over it, that it may be sent away into the wilderness to Azazel.

    11 “Aaron shall present the bull as a sin offering for himself, and shall make atonement for himself and for his house. He shall kill the bull as a sin offering for himself. 12 And he shall take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the LORD, and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten small, and he shall bring it inside the veil 13 and put the incense on the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is over the testimony, so that he does not die. 14 And he shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the front of the mercy seat on the east side, and in front of the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times.

    15 “Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the people and bring its blood inside the veil and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, sprinkling it over the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat. 16 Thus he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleannesses of the people of Israel and because of their transgressions, all their sins. And so he shall do for the tent of meeting, which dwells with them in the midst of their uncleannesses. 17 No one may be in the tent of meeting from the time he enters to make atonement in the Holy Place until he comes out and has made atonement for himself and for his house and for all the assembly of Israel. 18 Then he shall go out to the altar that is before the LORD and make atonement for it, and shall take some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat, and put it on the horns of the altar all around. 19 And he shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it and consecrate it from the uncleannesses of the people of Israel.

    20 “And when he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall present the live goat. 21 And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins. And he shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness. 22 The goat shall bear all their iniquities on itself to a remote area, and he shall let the goat go free in the wilderness.

    23 “Then Aaron shall come into the tent of meeting and shall take off the linen garments that he put on when he went into the Holy Place and shall leave them there. 24 And he shall bathe his body in water in a holy place and put on his garments and come out and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people and make atonement for himself and for the people. 25 And the fat of the sin offering he shall burn on the altar. 26 And he who lets the goat go to Azazel shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. 27 And the bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the Holy Place, shall be carried outside the camp. Their skin and their flesh and their dung shall be burned up with fire. 28 And he who burns them shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp.

    29 “And it shall be a statute to you forever that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict yourselvesOr shall fast; also verse 31">2 and shall do no work, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you. 30 For on this day shall atonement be made for you to cleanse you. You shall be clean before the LORD from all your sins. 31 It is a Sabbath of solemn rest to you, and you shall afflict yourselves; it is a statute forever. 32 And the priest who is anointed and consecrated as priest in his father’s place shall make atonement, wearing the holy linen garments. 33 He shall make atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar, and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. 34 And this shall be a statute forever for you, that atonement may be made for the people of Israel once in the year because of all their sins.” And AaronHebrew he">3 did as the LORD commanded Moses.

    Footnotes

    [1] 16:8 The meaning of Azazel is uncertain; possibly the name of a place or a demon, traditionally a scapegoat; also verses 10, 26


    [2] 16:29 Or shall fast; also verse 31

    [3] 16:34 Hebrew he

    (ESV)

    Chronicles and Prophets:
    Isaiah 21
    Isaiah 21 (Listen)
    Fallen, Fallen Is Babylon

    21 The oracle concerning the wilderness of the sea.

      As whirlwinds in the Negeb sweep on,
        it comes from the wilderness,
        from a terrible land.
    2   A stern vision is told to me;
        the traitor betrays,
        and the destroyer destroys.
      Go up, O Elam;
        lay siege, O Media;
      all the sighing she has caused
        I bring to an end.
    3   Therefore my loins are filled with anguish;
        pangs have seized me,
        like the pangs of a woman in labor;
      I am bowed down so that I cannot hear;
        I am dismayed so that I cannot see.
    4   My heart staggers; horror has appalled me;
        the twilight I longed for
        has been turned for me into trembling.
    5   They prepare the table,
        they spread the rugs,Or they set the watchman">1
        they eat, they drink.
      Arise, O princes;
        oil the shield!
    6   For thus the Lord said to me:
      “Go, set a watchman;
        let him announce what he sees.
    7   When he sees riders, horsemen in pairs,
        riders on donkeys, riders on camels,
      let him listen diligently,
        very diligently.”
    8   Then he who saw cried out:Dead Sea Scroll, Syriac; Masoretic Text Then a lion cried out, or Then he cried out like a lion">2
      “Upon a watchtower I stand, O Lord,
        continually by day,
      and at my post I am stationed
        whole nights.
    9   And behold, here come riders,
        horsemen in pairs!”
      And he answered,
        “Fallen, fallen is Babylon;
      and all the carved images of her gods
        he has shattered to the ground.”
    10   O my threshed and winnowed one,
        what I have heard from the LORD of hosts,
        the God of Israel, I announce to you.

    11 The oracle concerning Dumah.

      One is calling to me from Seir,
        “Watchman, what time of the night?
        Watchman, what time of the night?”
    12   The watchman says:
      “Morning comes, and also the night.
        If you will inquire, inquire;
        come back again.”

    13 The oracle concerning Arabia.

      In the thickets in Arabia you will lodge,
        O caravans of Dedanites.
    14   To the thirsty bring water;
        meet the fugitive with bread,
        O inhabitants of the land of Tema.
    15   For they have fled from the swords,
        from the drawn sword,
      from the bent bow,
        and from the press of battle.

    16 For thus the Lord said to me, “Within a year, according to the years of a hired worker, all the glory of Kedar will come to an end. 17 And the remainder of the archers of the mighty men of the sons of Kedar will be few, for the LORD, the God of Israel, has spoken.”

    Footnotes

    [1] 21:5 Or they set the watchman


    [2] 21:8 Dead Sea Scroll, Syriac; Masoretic Text Then a lion cried out, or Then he cried out like a lion

    (ESV)

    Gospels and Epistles:
    Galatians 1:11–24
    Galatians 1:11–24 (Listen)
    Paul Called by God

    11 For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel.Greek not according to man">1 12 For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. 13 For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. 14 And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. 15 But when he who had set me apart before I was born,Greek set me apart from my mother’s womb">2 and who called me by his grace, 16 was pleased to reveal his Son toGreek in">3 me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone;Greek with flesh and blood">4 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.

    18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. 19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother. 20 (In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!) 21 Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23 They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they glorified God because of me.

    Footnotes

    [1] 1:11 Greek not according to man


    [2] 1:15 Greek set me apart from my mother’s womb

    [3] 1:16 Greek in

    [4] 1:16 Greek with flesh and blood

    (ESV)

    11 min
  • April 19: Psalm 109; Leviticus 15; Isaiah 19–20; Galatians 1:1–10
    Psalms and Wisdom:
    Psalm 109
    Psalm 109 (Listen)
    Help Me, O Lord My God
    To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

    109   Be not silent, O God of my praise!
    2   For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me,
        speaking against me with lying tongues.
    3   They encircle me with words of hate,
        and attack me without cause.
    4   In return for my love they accuse me,
        but I give myself to prayer.Hebrew but I am prayer">1
    5   So they reward me evil for good,
        and hatred for my love.
    6   Appoint a wicked man against him;
        let an accuser stand at his right hand.
    7   When he is tried, let him come forth guilty;
        let his prayer be counted as sin!
    8   May his days be few;
        may another take his office!
    9   May his children be fatherless
        and his wife a widow!
    10   May his children wander about and beg,
        seeking food far from the ruins they inhabit!
    11   May the creditor seize all that he has;
        may strangers plunder the fruits of his toil!
    12   Let there be none to extend kindness to him,
        nor any to pity his fatherless children!
    13   May his posterity be cut off;
        may his name be blotted out in the second generation!
    14   May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD,
        and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out!
    15   Let them be before the LORD continually,
        that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth!
    16   For he did not remember to show kindness,
        but pursued the poor and needy
        and the brokenhearted, to put them to death.
    17   He loved to curse; let curses comeRevocalization; Masoretic Text curses have come">2 upon him!
        He did not delight in blessing; may it be farRevocalization; Masoretic Text it is far">3 from him!
    18   He clothed himself with cursing as his coat;
        may it soakRevocalization; Masoretic Text it has soaked">4 into his body like water,
        like oil into his bones!
    19   May it be like a garment that he wraps around him,
        like a belt that he puts on every day!
    20   May this be the reward of my accusers from the LORD,
        of those who speak evil against my life!
    21   But you, O GOD my Lord,
        deal on my behalf for your name’s sake;
        because your steadfast love is good, deliver me!
    22   For I am poor and needy,
        and my heart is stricken within me.
    23   I am gone like a shadow at evening;
        I am shaken off like a locust.
    24   My knees are weak through fasting;
        my body has become gaunt, with no fat.
    25   I am an object of scorn to my accusers;
        when they see me, they wag their heads.
    26   Help me, O LORD my God!
        Save me according to your steadfast love!
    27   Let them know that this is your hand;
        you, O LORD, have done it!
    28   Let them curse, but you will bless!
        They arise and are put to shame, but your servant will be glad!
    29   May my accusers be clothed with dishonor;
        may they be wrapped in their own shame as in a cloak!
    30   With my mouth I will give great thanks to the LORD;
        I will praise him in the midst of the throng.
    31   For he stands at the right hand of the needy one,
        to save him from those who condemn his soul to death.

    Footnotes

    [1] 109:4 Hebrew but I am prayer


    [2] 109:17 Revocalization; Masoretic Text curses have come

    [3] 109:17 Revocalization; Masoretic Text it is far

    [4] 109:18 Revocalization; Masoretic Text it has soaked

    (ESV)

    Pentateuch and History:
    Leviticus 15
    Leviticus 15 (Listen)
    Laws About Bodily Discharges

    15 The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When any man has a discharge from his body,Hebrew flesh; also verse 3">1 his discharge is unclean. 3 And this is the law of his uncleanness for a discharge: whether his body runs with his discharge, or his body is blocked up by his discharge, it is his uncleanness. 4 Every bed on which the one with the discharge lies shall be unclean, and everything on which he sits shall be unclean. 5 And anyone who touches his bed shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. 6 And whoever sits on anything on which the one with the discharge has sat shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. 7 And whoever touches the body of the one with the discharge shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. 8 And if the one with the discharge spits on someone who is clean, then he shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. 9 And any saddle on which the one with the discharge rides shall be unclean. 10 And whoever touches anything that was under him shall be unclean until the evening. And whoever carries such things shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. 11 Anyone whom the one with the discharge touches without having rinsed his hands in water shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. 12 And an earthenware vessel that the one with the discharge touches shall be broken, and every vessel of wood shall be rinsed in water.

    13 “And when the one with a discharge is cleansed of his discharge, then he shall count for himself seven days for his cleansing, and wash his clothes. And he shall bathe his body in fresh water and shall be clean. 14 And on the eighth day he shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons and come before the LORD to the entrance of the tent of meeting and give them to the priest. 15 And the priest shall use them, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. And the priest shall make atonement for him before the LORD for his discharge.

    16 “If a man has an emission of semen, he shall bathe his whole body in water and be unclean until the evening. 17 And every garment and every skin on which the semen comes shall be washed with water and be unclean until the evening. 18 If a man lies with a woman and has an emission of semen, both of them shall bathe themselves in water and be unclean until the evening.

    19 “When a woman has a discharge, and the discharge in her body is blood, she shall be in her menstrual impurity for seven days, and whoever touches her shall be unclean until the evening. 20 And everything on which she lies during her menstrual impurity shall be unclean. Everything also on which she sits shall be unclean. 21 And whoever touches her bed shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. 22 And whoever touches anything on which she sits shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. 23 Whether it is the bed or anything on which she sits, when he touches it he shall be unclean until the evening. 24 And if any man lies with her and her menstrual impurity comes upon him, he shall be unclean seven days, and every bed on which he lies shall be unclean.

    25 “If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days, not at the time of her menstrual impurity, or if she has a discharge beyond the time of her impurity, all the days of the discharge she shall continue in uncleanness. As in the days of her impurity, she shall be unclean. 26 Every bed on which she lies, all the days of her discharge, shall be to her as the bed of her impurity. And everything on which she sits shall be unclean, as in the uncleanness of her menstrual impurity. 27 And whoever touches these things shall be unclean, and shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. 28 But if she is cleansed of her discharge, she shall count for herself seven days, and after that she shall be clean. 29 And on the eighth day she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons and bring them to the priest, to the entrance of the tent of meeting. 30 And the priest shall use one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. And the priest shall make atonement for her before the LORD for her unclean discharge.

    31 “Thus you shall keep the people of Israel separate from their uncleanness, lest they die in their uncleanness by defiling my tabernacle that is in their midst.”

    32 This is the law for him who has a discharge and for him who has an emission of semen, becoming unclean thereby; 33 also for her who is unwell with her menstrual impurity, that is, for anyone, male or female, who has a discharge, and for the man who lies with a woman who is unclean.

    Footnotes

    [1] 15:2 Hebrew flesh; also verse 3

    (ESV)

    Chronicles and Prophets:
    Isaiah 19–20
    Isaiah 19–20 (Listen)
    An Oracle Concerning Egypt

    19 An oracle concerning Egypt.

      Behold, the LORD is riding on a swift cloud
        and comes to Egypt;
      and the idols of Egypt will tremble at his presence,
        and the heart of the Egyptians will melt within them.
    2   And I will stir up Egyptians against Egyptians,
        and they will fight, each against another
        and each against his neighbor,
        city against city, kingdom against kingdom;
    3   and the spirit of the Egyptians within them will be emptied out,
        and I will confoundOr I will swallow up">1 their counsel;
      and they will inquire of the idols and the sorcerers,
        and the mediums and the necromancers;
    4   and I will give over the Egyptians
        into the hand of a hard master,
      and a fierce king will rule over them,
        declares the Lord GOD of hosts.
    5   And the waters of the sea will be dried up,
        and the river will be dry and parched,
    6   and its canals will become foul,
        and the branches of Egypt’s Nile will diminish and dry up,
        reeds and rushes will rot away.
    7   There will be bare places by the Nile,
        on the brink of the Nile,
      and all that is sown by the Nile will be parched,
        will be driven away, and will be no more.
    8   The fishermen will mourn and lament,
        all who cast a hook in the Nile;
      and they will languish
        who spread nets on the water.
    9   The workers in combed flax will be in despair,
        and the weavers of white cotton.
    10   Those who are the pillars of the land will be crushed,
        and all who work for pay will be grieved.
    11   The princes of Zoan are utterly foolish;
        the wisest counselors of Pharaoh give stupid counsel.
      How can you say to Pharaoh,
        “I am a son of the wise,
        a son of ancient kings”?
    12   Where then are your wise men?
        Let them tell you
        that they might know what the LORD of hosts has purposed against Egypt.
    13   The princes of Zoan have become fools,
        and the princes of Memphis are deluded;
      those who are the cornerstones of her tribes
        have made Egypt stagger.
    14   The LORD has mingled within her a spirit of confusion,
      and they will make Egypt stagger in all its deeds,
        as a drunken man staggers in his vomit.
    15   And there will be nothing for Egypt
        that head or tail, palm branch or reed, may do.

    Egypt, Assyria, Israel Blessed

    16 In that day the Egyptians will be like women, and tremble with fear before the hand that the LORD of hosts shakes over them. 17 And the land of Judah will become a terror to the Egyptians. Everyone to whom it is mentioned will fear because of the purpose that the LORD of hosts has purposed against them.

    18 In that day there will be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the LORD of hosts. One of these will be called the City of Destruction.Dead Sea Scroll and some other manuscripts City of the Sun">2

    19 In that day there will be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the LORD at its border. 20 It will be a sign and a witness to the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt. When they cry to the LORD because of oppressors, he will send them a savior and defender, and deliver them. 21 And the LORD will make himself known to the Egyptians, and the Egyptians will know the LORD in that day and worship with sacrifice and offering, and they will make vows to the LORD and perform them. 22 And the LORD will strike Egypt, striking and healing, and they will return to the LORD, and he will listen to their pleas for mercy and heal them.

    23 In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and Assyria will come into Egypt, and Egypt into Assyria, and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians.

    24 In that day Israel will be the third with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, 25 whom the LORD of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance.”

    A Sign Against Egypt and Cush

    20 In the year that the commander in chief, who was sent by Sargon the king of Assyria, came to Ashdod and fought against it and captured it—2 at that time the LORD spoke by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, “Go, and loose the sackcloth from your waist and take off your sandals from your feet,” and he did so, walking naked and barefoot.

    3 Then the LORD said, “As my servant Isaiah has walked naked and barefoot for three years as a sign and a portent against Egypt and Cush,Probably Nubia">3 4 so shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptian captives and the Cushite exiles, both the young and the old, naked and barefoot, with buttocks uncovered, the nakedness of Egypt. 5 Then they shall be dismayed and ashamed because of Cush their hope and of Egypt their boast. 6 And the inhabitants of this coastland will say in that day, ‘Behold, this is what has happened to those in whom we hoped and to whom we fled for help to be delivered from the king of Assyria! And we, how shall we escape?’”

    Footnotes

    [1] 19:3 Or I will swallow up


    [2] 19:18 Dead Sea Scroll and some other manuscripts City of the Sun

    [3] 20:3 Probably Nubia

    (ESV)

    Gospels and Epistles:
    Galatians 1:1–10
    Galatians 1:1–10 (Listen)
    Greeting

    1 Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead—2 and all the brothersOr brothers and sisters. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, the plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters; also verse 11">1 who are with me,

    To the churches of Galatia:

    3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

    No Other Gospel

    6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

    10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servantFor the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface">2 of Christ.

    Footnotes

    [1] 1:2 Or brothers and sisters. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, the plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters; also verse 11


    [2] 1:10 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface

    (ESV)

    15 min
  • April 18: Psalm 108; Leviticus 14:33–57; Isaiah 17–18; 2 Corinthians 12:14–13:14
    Psalms and Wisdom:
    Psalm 108
    Psalm 108 (Listen)
    With God We Shall Do Valiantly
    A Song. A Psalm of David.

    108   My heart is steadfast, O God!
        I will sing and make melody with all my being!Hebrew with my glory">1
    2   Awake, O harp and lyre!
        I will awake the dawn!
    3   I will give thanks to you, O LORD, among the peoples;
        I will sing praises to you among the nations.
    4   For your steadfast love is great above the heavens;
        your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
    5   Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
        Let your glory be over all the earth!
    6   That your beloved ones may be delivered,
        give salvation by your right hand and answer me!
    7   God has promised in his holiness:Or sanctuary">2
        “With exultation I will divide up Shechem
        and portion out the Valley of Succoth.
    8   Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine;
        Ephraim is my helmet,
        Judah my scepter.
    9   Moab is my washbasin;
        upon Edom I cast my shoe;
        over Philistia I shout in triumph.”
    10   Who will bring me to the fortified city?
        Who will lead me to Edom?
    11   Have you not rejected us, O God?
        You do not go out, O God, with our armies.
    12   Oh grant us help against the foe,
        for vain is the salvation of man!
    13   With God we shall do valiantly;
        it is he who will tread down our foes.

    Footnotes

    [1] 108:1 Hebrew with my glory


    [2] 108:7 Or sanctuary

    (ESV)

    Pentateuch and History:
    Leviticus 14:33–57
    Leviticus 14:33–57 (Listen)
    Laws for Cleansing Houses

    33 The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 34 “When you come into the land of Canaan, which I give you for a possession, and I put a case of leprous disease in a house in the land of your possession, 35 then he who owns the house shall come and tell the priest, ‘There seems to me to be some case of disease in my house.’ 36 Then the priest shall command that they empty the house before the priest goes to examine the disease, lest all that is in the house be declared unclean. And afterward the priest shall go in to see the house. 37 And he shall examine the disease. And if the disease is in the walls of the house with greenish or reddish spots, and if it appears to be deeper than the surface, 38 then the priest shall go out of the house to the door of the house and shut up the house seven days. 39 And the priest shall come again on the seventh day, and look. If the disease has spread in the walls of the house, 40 then the priest shall command that they take out the stones in which is the disease and throw them into an unclean place outside the city. 41 And he shall have the inside of the house scraped all around, and the plaster that they scrape off they shall pour out in an unclean place outside the city. 42 Then they shall take other stones and put them in the place of those stones, and he shall take other plaster and plaster the house.

    43 “If the disease breaks out again in the house, after he has taken out the stones and scraped the house and plastered it, 44 then the priest shall go and look. And if the disease has spread in the house, it is a persistent leprous disease in the house; it is unclean. 45 And he shall break down the house, its stones and timber and all the plaster of the house, and he shall carry them out of the city to an unclean place. 46 Moreover, whoever enters the house while it is shut up shall be unclean until the evening, 47 and whoever sleeps in the house shall wash his clothes, and whoever eats in the house shall wash his clothes.

    48 “But if the priest comes and looks, and if the disease has not spread in the house after the house was plastered, then the priest shall pronounce the house clean, for the disease is healed. 49 And for the cleansing of the house he shall take two small birds, with cedarwood and scarlet yarn and hyssop, 50 and shall kill one of the birds in an earthenware vessel over fresh water 51 and shall take the cedarwood and the hyssop and the scarlet yarn, along with the live bird, and dip them in the blood of the bird that was killed and in the fresh water and sprinkle the house seven times. 52 Thus he shall cleanse the house with the blood of the bird and with the fresh water and with the live bird and with the cedarwood and hyssop and scarlet yarn. 53 And he shall let the live bird go out of the city into the open country. So he shall make atonement for the house, and it shall be clean.”

    54 This is the law for any case of leprous disease: for an itch, 55 for leprous disease in a garment or in a house, 56 and for a swelling or an eruption or a spot, 57 to show when it is unclean and when it is clean. This is the law for leprous disease.

    (ESV)

    Chronicles and Prophets:
    Isaiah 17–18
    Isaiah 17–18 (Listen)
    An Oracle Concerning Damascus

    17 An oracle concerning Damascus.

      Behold, Damascus will cease to be a city
        and will become a heap of ruins.
    2   The cities of Aroer are deserted;
        they will be for flocks,
        which will lie down, and none will make them afraid.
    3   The fortress will disappear from Ephraim,
        and the kingdom from Damascus;
      and the remnant of Syria will be
        like the glory of the children of Israel,
          declares the LORD of hosts.
    4   And in that day the glory of Jacob will be brought low,
        and the fat of his flesh will grow lean.
    5   And it shall be as when the reaper gathers standing grain
        and his arm harvests the ears,
      and as when one gleans the ears of grain
        in the Valley of Rephaim.
    6   Gleanings will be left in it,
        as when an olive tree is beaten—
      two or three berries
        in the top of the highest bough,
      four or five
        on the branches of a fruit tree,
          declares the LORD God of Israel.

    7 In that day man will look to his Maker, and his eyes will look on the Holy One of Israel. 8 He will not look to the altars, the work of his hands, and he will not look on what his own fingers have made, either the Asherim or the altars of incense.

    9 In that day their strong cities will be like the deserted places of the wooded heights and the hilltops, which they deserted because of the children of Israel, and there will be desolation.

    10   For you have forgotten the God of your salvation
        and have not remembered the Rock of your refuge;
      therefore, though you plant pleasant plants
        and sow the vine-branch of a stranger,
    11   though you make them growOr though you carefully fence them">1 on the day that you plant them,
        and make them blossom in the morning that you sow,
      yet the harvest will flee awayOr will be a heap">2
        in a day of grief and incurable pain.
    12   Ah, the thunder of many peoples;
        they thunder like the thundering of the sea!
      Ah, the roar of nations;
        they roar like the roaring of mighty waters!
    13   The nations roar like the roaring of many waters,
        but he will rebuke them, and they will flee far away,
      chased like chaff on the mountains before the wind
        and whirling dust before the storm.
    14   At evening time, behold, terror!
        Before morning, they are no more!
      This is the portion of those who loot us,
        and the lot of those who plunder us.

    An Oracle Concerning Cush

    18   Ah, land of whirring wings
        that is beyond the rivers of Cush,Probably Nubia">3
    2   which sends ambassadors by the sea,
        in vessels of papyrus on the waters!
      Go, you swift messengers,
        to a nation tall and smooth,
      to a people feared near and far,
        a nation mighty and conquering,
        whose land the rivers divide.
    3   All you inhabitants of the world,
        you who dwell on the earth,
      when a signal is raised on the mountains, look!
        When a trumpet is blown, hear!
    4   For thus the LORD said to me:
      “I will quietly look from my dwelling
        like clear heat in sunshine,
        like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.”
    5   For before the harvest, when the blossom is over,
        and the flower becomes a ripening grape,
      he cuts off the shoots with pruning hooks,
        and the spreading branches he lops off and clears away.
    6   They shall all of them be left
        to the birds of prey of the mountains
        and to the beasts of the earth.
      And the birds of prey will summer on them,
        and all the beasts of the earth will winter on them.

    7 At that time tribute will be brought to the LORD of hosts

      from a people tall and smooth,
        from a people feared near and far,
      a nation mighty and conquering,
        whose land the rivers divide,

    to Mount Zion, the place of the name of the LORD of hosts.

    Footnotes

    [1] 17:11 Or though you carefully fence them


    [2] 17:11 Or will be a heap

    [3] 18:1 Probably Nubia

    (ESV)

    Gospels and Epistles:
    2 Corinthians 12:14–13:14
    2 Corinthians 12:14–13:14 (Listen)

    14 Here for the third time I am ready to come to you. And I will not be a burden, for I seek not what is yours but you. For children are not obligated to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. 15 I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. If I love you more, am I to be loved less? 16 But granting that I myself did not burden you, I was crafty, you say, and got the better of you by deceit. 17 Did I take advantage of you through any of those whom I sent to you? 18 I urged Titus to go, and sent the brother with him. Did Titus take advantage of you? Did we not act in the same spirit? Did we not take the same steps?

    19 Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves to you? It is in the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ, and all for your upbuilding, beloved. 20 For I fear that perhaps when I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish—that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder. 21 I fear that when I come again my God may humble me before you, and I may have to mourn over many of those who sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual immorality, and sensuality that they have practiced.

    Final Warnings

    13 This is the third time I am coming to you. Every charge must be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 2 I warned those who sinned before and all the others, and I warn them now while absent, as I did when present on my second visit, that if I come again I will not spare them—3 since you seek proof that Christ is speaking in me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you. 4 For he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but in dealing with you we will live with him by the power of God.

    5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! 6 I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test. 7 But we pray to God that you may not do wrong—not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed. 8 For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. 9 For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. Your restoration is what we pray for. 10 For this reason I write these things while I am away from you, that when I come I may not have to be severe in my use of the authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down.

    Final Greetings

    11 Finally, brothers,Or brothers and sisters">1 rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another,Or listen to my appeal">2 agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. 12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. 13 All the saints greet you.

    14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

    Footnotes

    [1] 13:11 Or brothers and sisters


    [2] 13:11 Or listen to my appeal

    (ESV)

    12 min
  • April 17: Psalm 107; Leviticus 14:1–32; Isaiah 15–16; 2 Corinthians 10:13–12:13
    Psalms and Wisdom:
    Psalm 107
    Psalm 107 (Listen)
    Book Five
    Let the Redeemed of the Lord Say So

    107   Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
        for his steadfast love endures forever!
    2   Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,
        whom he has redeemed from troubleOr from the hand of the foe">1
    3   and gathered in from the lands,
        from the east and from the west,
        from the north and from the south.
    4   Some wandered in desert wastes,
        finding no way to a city to dwell in;
    5   hungry and thirsty,
        their soul fainted within them.
    6   Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
        and he delivered them from their distress.
    7   He led them by a straight way
        till they reached a city to dwell in.
    8   Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love,
        for his wondrous works to the children of man!
    9   For he satisfies the longing soul,
        and the hungry soul he fills with good things.
    10   Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
        prisoners in affliction and in irons,
    11   for they had rebelled against the words of God,
        and spurned the counsel of the Most High.
    12   So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor;
        they fell down, with none to help.
    13   Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
        and he delivered them from their distress.
    14   He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
        and burst their bonds apart.
    15   Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love,
        for his wondrous works to the children of man!
    16   For he shatters the doors of bronze
        and cuts in two the bars of iron.
    17   Some were fools through their sinful ways,
        and because of their iniquities suffered affliction;
    18   they loathed any kind of food,
        and they drew near to the gates of death.
    19   Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
        and he delivered them from their distress.
    20   He sent out his word and healed them,
        and delivered them from their destruction.
    21   Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love,
        for his wondrous works to the children of man!
    22   And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving,
        and tell of his deeds in songs of joy!
    23   Some went down to the sea in ships,
        doing business on the great waters;
    24   they saw the deeds of the LORD,
        his wondrous works in the deep.
    25   For he commanded and raised the stormy wind,
        which lifted up the waves of the sea.
    26   They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths;
        their courage melted away in their evil plight;
    27   they reeled and staggered like drunken men
        and were at their wits’ end.Hebrew and all their wisdom was swallowed up">2
    28   Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
        and he delivered them from their distress.
    29   He made the storm be still,
        and the waves of the sea were hushed.
    30   Then they were glad that the watersHebrew they">3 were quiet,
        and he brought them to their desired haven.
    31   Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love,
        for his wondrous works to the children of man!
    32   Let them extol him in the congregation of the people,
        and praise him in the assembly of the elders.
    33   He turns rivers into a desert,
        springs of water into thirsty ground,
    34   a fruitful land into a salty waste,
        because of the evil of its inhabitants.
    35   He turns a desert into pools of water,
        a parched land into springs of water.
    36   And there he lets the hungry dwell,
        and they establish a city to live in;
    37   they sow fields and plant vineyards
        and get a fruitful yield.
    38   By his blessing they multiply greatly,
        and he does not let their livestock diminish.
    39   When they are diminished and brought low
        through oppression, evil, and sorrow,
    40   he pours contempt on princes
        and makes them wander in trackless wastes;
    41   but he raises up the needy out of affliction
        and makes their families like flocks.
    42   The upright see it and are glad,
        and all wickedness shuts its mouth.
    43   Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things;
        let them consider the steadfast love of the LORD.

    Footnotes

    [1] 107:2 Or from the hand of the foe


    [2] 107:27 Hebrew and all their wisdom was swallowed up

    [3] 107:30 Hebrew they

    (ESV)

    Pentateuch and History:
    Leviticus 14:1–32
    Leviticus 14:1–32 (Listen)
    Laws for Cleansing Lepers

    14 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “This shall be the law of the leprous person for the day of his cleansing. He shall be brought to the priest, 3 and the priest shall go out of the camp, and the priest shall look. Then, if the case of leprous disease is healed in the leprous person, 4 the priest shall command them to take for him who is to be cleansed two liveOr wild">1 clean birds and cedarwood and scarlet yarn and hyssop. 5 And the priest shall command them to kill one of the birds in an earthenware vessel over freshOr running; Hebrew living; also verses 6, 50, 51, 52">2 water. 6 He shall take the live bird with the cedarwood and the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, and dip them and the live bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water. 7 And he shall sprinkle it seven times on him who is to be cleansed of the leprous disease. Then he shall pronounce him clean and shall let the living bird go into the open field. 8 And he who is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes and shave off all his hair and bathe himself in water, and he shall be clean. And after that he may come into the camp, but live outside his tent seven days. 9 And on the seventh day he shall shave off all his hair from his head, his beard, and his eyebrows. He shall shave off all his hair, and then he shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and he shall be clean.

    10 “And on the eighth day he shall take two male lambs without blemish, and one ewe lamb a year old without blemish, and a grain offering of three tenths of an ephahAn ephah was about 3/5 bushel or 22 liters">3 of fine flour mixed with oil, and one logA log was about 1/3 quart or 0.3 liter">4 of oil. 11 And the priest who cleanses him shall set the man who is to be cleansed and these things before the LORD, at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 12 And the priest shall take one of the male lambs and offer it for a guilt offering, along with the log of oil, and wave them for a wave offering before the LORD. 13 And he shall kill the lamb in the place where they kill the sin offering and the burnt offering, in the place of the sanctuary. For the guilt offering, like the sin offering, belongs to the priest; it is most holy. 14 The priest shall take some of the blood of the guilt offering, and the priest shall put it on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. 15 Then the priest shall take some of the log of oil and pour it into the palm of his own left hand 16 and dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand and sprinkle some oil with his finger seven times before the LORD. 17 And some of the oil that remains in his hand the priest shall put on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot, on top of the blood of the guilt offering. 18 And the rest of the oil that is in the priest’s hand he shall put on the head of him who is to be cleansed. Then the priest shall make atonement for him before the LORD. 19 The priest shall offer the sin offering, to make atonement for him who is to be cleansed from his uncleanness. And afterward he shall kill the burnt offering. 20 And the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the grain offering on the altar. Thus the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be clean.

    21 “But if he is poor and cannot afford so much, then he shall take one male lamb for a guilt offering to be waved, to make atonement for him, and a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, and a log of oil; 22 also two turtledoves or two pigeons, whichever he can afford. The one shall be a sin offering and the other a burnt offering. 23 And on the eighth day he shall bring them for his cleansing to the priest, to the entrance of the tent of meeting, before the LORD. 24 And the priest shall take the lamb of the guilt offering and the log of oil, and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the LORD. 25 And he shall kill the lamb of the guilt offering. And the priest shall take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. 26 And the priest shall pour some of the oil into the palm of his own left hand, 27 and shall sprinkle with his right finger some of the oil that is in his left hand seven times before the LORD. 28 And the priest shall put some of the oil that is in his hand on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot, in the place where the blood of the guilt offering was put. 29 And the rest of the oil that is in the priest’s hand he shall put on the head of him who is to be cleansed, to make atonement for him before the LORD. 30 And he shall offer, of the turtledoves or pigeons, whichever he can afford, 31 oneSeptuagint, Syriac; Hebrew afford, 31such as he can afford, one">5 for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering, along with a grain offering. And the priest shall make atonement before the LORD for him who is being cleansed. 32 This is the law for him in whom is a case of leprous disease, who cannot afford the offerings for his cleansing.”

    Footnotes

    [1] 14:4 Or wild


    [2] 14:5 Or running; Hebrew living; also verses 6, 50, 51, 52

    [3] 14:10 An ephah was about 3/5 bushel or 22 liters

    [4] 14:10 A log was about 1/3 quart or 0.3 liter

    [5] 14:31 Septuagint, Syriac; Hebrew afford, 31such as he can afford, one

    (ESV)

    Chronicles and Prophets:
    Isaiah 15–16
    Isaiah 15–16 (Listen)
    An Oracle Concerning Moab

    15 An oracle concerning Moab.

      Because Ar of Moab is laid waste in a night,
        Moab is undone;
      because Kir of Moab is laid waste in a night,
        Moab is undone.
    2   He has gone up to the temple,Hebrew the house">1 and to Dibon,
        to the high placesOr temple, even Dibon to the high places">2 to weep;
      over Nebo and over Medeba
        Moab wails.
      On every head is baldness;
        every beard is shorn;
    3   in the streets they wear sackcloth;
        on the housetops and in the squares
        everyone wails and melts in tears.
    4   Heshbon and Elealeh cry out;
        their voice is heard as far as Jahaz;
      therefore the armed men of Moab cry aloud;
        his soul trembles.
    5   My heart cries out for Moab;
        her fugitives flee to Zoar,
        to Eglath-shelishiyah.
      For at the ascent of Luhith
        they go up weeping;
      on the road to Horonaim
        they raise a cry of destruction;
    6   the waters of Nimrim
        are a desolation;
      the grass is withered, the vegetation fails,
        the greenery is no more.
    7   Therefore the abundance they have gained
        and what they have laid up
      they carry away
        over the Brook of the Willows.
    8   For a cry has gone
        around the land of Moab;
      her wailing reaches to Eglaim;
        her wailing reaches to Beer-elim.
    9   For the waters of DibonDead Sea Scroll, Vulgate (compare Syriac); Masoretic Text Dimon; twice in this verse">3 are full of blood;
        for I will bring upon Dibon even more,
      a lion for those of Moab who escape,
        for the remnant of the land.
    16   Send the lamb to the ruler of the land,
      from Sela, by way of the desert,
        to the mount of the daughter of Zion.
    2   Like fleeing birds,
        like a scattered nest,
      so are the daughters of Moab
        at the fords of the Arnon.
    3   “Give counsel;
        grant justice;
      make your shade like night
        at the height of noon;
      shelter the outcasts;
        do not reveal the fugitive;
    4   let the outcasts of Moab
        sojourn among you;
      be a shelter to themSome Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac; Masoretic Text let my outcasts sojourn among you; as for Moab, be a shelter to them">4
        from the destroyer.
      When the oppressor is no more,
        and destruction has ceased,
      and he who tramples underfoot has vanished from the land,
    5   then a throne will be established in steadfast love,
        and on it will sit in faithfulness
        in the tent of David
      one who judges and seeks justice
        and is swift to do righteousness.”
    6   We have heard of the pride of Moab—
        how proud he is!—
      of his arrogance, his pride, and his insolence;
        in his idle boasting he is not right.
    7   Therefore let Moab wail for Moab,
        let everyone wail.
      Mourn, utterly stricken,
        for the raisin cakes of Kir-hareseth.
    8   For the fields of Heshbon languish,
        and the vine of Sibmah;
      the lords of the nations
        have struck down its branches,
      which reached to Jazer
        and strayed to the desert;
      its shoots spread abroad
        and passed over the sea.
    9   Therefore I weep with the weeping of Jazer
        for the vine of Sibmah;
      I drench you with my tears,
        O Heshbon and Elealeh;
      for over your summer fruit and your harvest
        the shout has ceased.
    10   And joy and gladness are taken away from the fruitful field,
      and in the vineyards no songs are sung,
        no cheers are raised;
      no treader treads out wine in the presses;
        I have put an end to the shouting.
    11   Therefore my inner parts moan like a lyre for Moab,
        and my inmost self for Kir-hareseth.

    12 And when Moab presents himself, when he wearies himself on the high place, when he comes to his sanctuary to pray, he will not prevail.

    13 This is the word that the LORD spoke concerning Moab in the past. 14 But now the LORD has spoken, saying, “In three years, like the years of a hired worker, the glory of Moab will be brought into contempt, in spite of all his great multitude, and those who remain will be very few and feeble.”

    Footnotes

    [1] 15:2 Hebrew the house


    [2] 15:2 Or temple, even Dibon to the high places

    [3] 15:9 Dead Sea Scroll, Vulgate (compare Syriac); Masoretic Text Dimon; twice in this verse

    [4] 16:4 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac; Masoretic Text let my outcasts sojourn among you; as for Moab, be a shelter to them

    (ESV)

    Gospels and Epistles:
    2 Corinthians 10:13–12:13
    2 Corinthians 10:13–12:13 (Listen)

    13 But we will not boast beyond limits, but will boast only with regard to the area of influence God assigned to us, to reach even to you. 14 For we are not overextending ourselves, as though we did not reach you. For we were the first to come all the way to you with the gospel of Christ. 15 We do not boast beyond limit in the labors of others. But our hope is that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be greatly enlarged, 16 so that we may preach the gospel in lands beyond you, without boasting of work already done in another’s area of influence. 17 “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” 18 For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.

    Paul and the False Apostles

    11 I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me! 2 For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. 3 But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough. 5 Indeed, I consider that I am not in the least inferior to these super-apostles. 6 Even if I am unskilled in speaking, I am not so in knowledge; indeed, in every way we have made this plain to you in all things.

    7 Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached God’s gospel to you free of charge? 8 I robbed other churches by accepting support from them in order to serve you. 9 And when I was with you and was in need, I did not burden anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied my need. So I refrained and will refrain from burdening you in any way. 10 As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be silenced in the regions of Achaia. 11 And why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do!

    12 And what I am doing I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do. 13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.

    Paul’s Sufferings as an Apostle

    16 I repeat, let no one think me foolish. But even if you do, accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. 17 What I am saying with this boastful confidence, I say not as the Lord wouldGreek not according to the Lord">1 but as a fool. 18 Since many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast. 19 For you gladly bear with fools, being wise yourselves! 20 For you bear it if someone makes slaves of you, or devours you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or strikes you in the face. 21 To my shame, I must say, we were too weak for that!

    But whatever anyone else dares to boast of—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast of that. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. 24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food,Or often in fasting">2 in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?

    30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. 32 At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me, 33 but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands.

    Paul’s Visions and His Thorn

    12 I must go on boasting. Though there is nothing to be gained by it, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. 3 And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—4 and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. 5 On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses—6 though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth; but I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me. 7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations,Or hears from me, even because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations. So to keep me from becoming conceited">3 a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

    Concern for the Corinthian Church

    11 I have been a fool! You forced me to it, for I ought to have been commended by you. For I was not at all inferior to these super-apostles, even though I am nothing. 12 The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works. 13 For in what were you less favored than the rest of the churches, except that I myself did not burden you? Forgive me this wrong!

    Footnotes

    [1] 11:17 Greek not according to the Lord


    [2] 11:27 Or often in fasting

    [3] 12:7 Or hears from me, even because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations. So to keep me from becoming conceited

    (ESV)

    21 min

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