In you, Lord, I take refuge. Never let me be disgraced. Psalm 71:1

Deuteronomy 13-15

Deuteronomy 13

Idolaters to be Put to Death

¹ If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, ² and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, “Let’s go after other gods” (which you have not known) “and let’s serve them,” ³ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet, or to that dreamer of dreams; for the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. ⁴ You shall walk after the Lord your God, fear him, keep his commandments, and obey his voice. You shall serve him, and cling to him. ⁵ That prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death, because he has spoken rebellion against the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to draw you aside out of the way which the Lord your God commanded you to walk in. So you shall remove the evil from among you.

⁶ If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son, or your daughter, or the wife of your bosom, or your friend who is like your own soul to you, entices you secretly, saying, “Let’s go and serve other gods”—which you have not known, you, nor your fathers, ⁷ of the gods of the people who are around you, near to you, or far off from you, from the one end of the earth to the other end of the earth— ⁸ you shall not consent to him nor listen to him, nor shall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare or conceal him; ⁹ but you shall surely kill him. Your hand shall be first on him to put him to death and afterwards the hands of all the people. ¹⁰ You shall stone him to death with rocks because he has sought to draw you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. ¹¹ All Israel shall hear and fear, and shall not do any more wickedness like this among you.

Idolatrous Cities to be Destroyed

¹² If you hear about one of your cities, in which the Lord your God is giving you to dwell, that ¹³ certain wicked men have come out from among you and have drawn away the inhabitants of their city, saying, “Let’s go and serve other gods,” which you have not known, ¹⁴ then you shall inquire, investigate, and ask diligently. If you are certain this is true, that such abomination was done among you, ¹⁵ you shall surely strike the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly, with all that is in it and its livestock, with the edge of the sword. ¹⁶ You shall gather all its plunder into the middle of its street and shall burn the city with fire, with all of its plunder, to the Lord your God. It shall be a heap forever. It shall not be built again. ¹⁷ Nothing of the devoted thing shall cling to your hand, that the Lord may turn from the fierceness of his anger and show you mercy and have compassion on you and multiply you, as he has sworn to your fathers, ¹⁸ when you listen to the voice of the Lord your God, to keep all his commandments which I am giving you today, to do that which is right in the eyes of the Lord your God.

Deuteronomy 14

Clean and Unclean Animals

¹ You are the children of the Lord your God. You shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness on the front of your head for the dead. ² For you are a holy people to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for his own possession, above all peoples who are on the face of the earth.

³ You shall not eat any abominable thing. ⁴ These are the animals which you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat, ⁵ the deer, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, and the chamois. ⁶ Every animal that parts the hoof and has the hoof split in two and chews the cud, among the animals, you may eat. ⁷ Nevertheless these you shall not eat of them that chew the cud, or of those who have the hoof split: the camel, the hare, and the rock badger. Because they chew the cud but do not part the hoof, they are unclean to you. ⁸ The pig, because it has a split hoof but does not chew the cud, is unclean to you. You shall not eat their meat. You shall not touch their carcasses.

⁹ These you may eat of all that are in the waters: you may eat whatever has fins and scales. ¹⁰ You shall not eat whatever does not have fins and scales. It is unclean to you.

¹¹ Of all clean birds you may eat. ¹² But these are ones you shall not eat: the eagle, the vulture, the osprey, ¹³ the red kite, the falcon, the kite after its kind, ¹⁴ every raven after its kind, ¹⁵ the ostrich, the owl, the seagull, the hawk after its kind, ¹⁶ the little owl, the great owl, the horned owl, ¹⁷ the pelican, the vulture, the cormorant, ¹⁸ the stork, the heron after its kind, the hoopoe, and the bat. ¹⁹ All winged creeping things are unclean to you. They shall not be eaten. ²⁰ Of all clean birds you may eat.

²¹ You shall not eat of anything that dies by itself. You may give it to the foreigner living among you who is within your gates so that he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner. for you are a holy people to the Lord your God.

You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.

Giving Tithes

²² You shall surely tithe all the increase of your seed, that which comes out of the field year by year. ²³ You shall eat before the Lord your God, in the place which he chooses to cause his name to dwell, the tithe of your grain, of your new wine, and of your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock, that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always. ²⁴ If the way is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry it because the place which the Lord your God shall choose to set his name there is too far from you, when the Lord your God blesses you, ²⁵ then you shall exchange it for money, bind up the money in your hand, and go to the place which the Lord your God shall choose. ²⁶ You shall trade the money for whatever your heart desires: for cattle, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatever your heart desires. You shall eat there before the Lord your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household. ²⁷ You shall not forsake the Levite who is within your gates, for he has no portion nor inheritance with you.

²⁸ At the end of every three years you shall bring all the tithe of your increase in the same year, and shall store it within your gates. ²⁹ The Levite, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you, as well as the foreigner living among you, the fatherless, and the widow who are within your gates shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hand and everything that you do.

Deuteronomy 15

The Seventh Year

¹ At the end of every seven years, you shall cancel debts. ² This is the way it shall be done:

Every creditor shall release that which he has lent to his neighbor. He shall not require payment from his neighbor and his brother, because the Lord’s release has been proclaimed. ³ Of a foreigner you may require it, but whatever of yours is with your brother, your hand shall release. ⁴ However there will be no poor with you (for the Lord will surely bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess), ⁵ if only you diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all these commandments which I am giving you today. ⁶ For the Lord your God will bless you, as he promised you. You will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow. You will rule over many nations, but they will not rule over you.

Generosity in Lending and Giving

⁷ If a poor man, one of your brothers, is with you within any of your gates in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor shut your hand from your poor brother, ⁸ but you shall surely open your hand to him, and shall surely lend him sufficient for his need, which he lacks. ⁹ Beware that there not be a wicked thought in your heart, saying, “The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand,” and your eye be evil against your poor brother and you give him nothing; and he cry to the Lord against you, and it be sin to you. ¹⁰ You shall surely give, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because it is for this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you put your hand to. ¹¹ For there will never cease to be poor in the the land. Therefore I command you to surely open your hand to your brother, to your needy, and to your poor, in your land.

Release of Hebrew Servants

¹² If your brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you and serves you six years, then in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you. ¹³ When you let him go free from you, you shall not let him go empty handed. ¹⁴ You shall furnish him liberally out of your flock, out of your threshing floor, and out of your wine press. As the Lord your God has blessed you, you shall give to him. ¹⁵ You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you. Therefore I command this of you today. ¹⁶ It shall be, if he tells you, “I will not go out from you,” because he loves you and your house, because he is well with you, ¹⁷ then you shall take an awl, and thrust it through his ear to the door, and he shall be your servant forever. Also to your female servant you shall do likewise.

¹⁸ It shall not seem hard to you when you let him go free from you, for he has been double the value of a hired hand as he served you six years. The Lord your God will bless you in all that you do.

Firstborn Animals

¹⁹ You shall dedicate all the firstborn males that are born of your herd and of your flock to the Lord your God. You shall do no work with the firstborn of your herd, nor shear the firstborn of your flock. ²⁰ You shall eat it before the Lord your God year by year in the place which the Lord shall choose, you and your household. ²¹ If it has any defect—is lame or blind, or has any defect whatsoever, you shall not sacrifice it to the Lord your God. ²² You shall eat it within your gates. The unclean and the clean shall eat it alike, as the gazelle and as the deer. ²³ Only you shall not eat its blood. You shall pour it out on the ground like water.

Luke 8:40-9:6

Luke 8

The Healing Touch of Jesus

⁴⁰ When Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. ⁴¹ A man named Jairus came. He was a ruler of the synagogue. He fell down at Jesus’ feet and begged him to come into his house, ⁴² for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying. But as he went, the crowds pressed against him. ⁴³ A woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her living on physicians and could not be healed by any, ⁴⁴ came behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak. Immediately the flow of her blood stopped. ⁴⁵ Jesus said, “Who touched me?” When everyone denied it, Peter and those with him said, “Master, the crowds press in and surround you, and you say, ‘Who touched me?’”

⁴⁶ But Jesus said, “Someone did touch me, for I perceived that power has gone out of me.” ⁴⁷ When the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling and falling down before him and declared to him in the presence of all the people the reason why she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately. ⁴⁸ He said to her, “Daughter, cheer up. Your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”

⁴⁹ While he still spoke, one from the ruler of the synagogue’s house came, saying to him, “Your daughter is dead. Don’t trouble the Teacher.”

⁵⁰ But Jesus, hearing it, answered him, “Do not be afraid. Only believe, and she will be healed.”

⁵¹ When he came to the house, he did not allow anyone to enter in, except Peter, John, James, the father of the child, and her mother. ⁵² All were weeping and mourning her, but he said, “Do not weep. She is not dead, but sleeping.”

⁵³ They were ridiculing him, knowing that she was dead. ⁵⁴ But he put them all outside, and taking her by the hand, he called, saying, “Child, arise!” ⁵⁵ Her spirit returned, and she rose up immediately. He commanded that something be given to her to eat. ⁵⁶ Her parents were amazed, but he commanded them to tell no one what had been done.

Luke 9

The Ministry of the Twelve

¹ Jesus called the twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases. ² He sent them out to preach the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick. ³ He said to them, “Take nothing for your journey—no staffs, nor wallet, nor bread, nor money. Do not take two coats each. ⁴ Whatever house you enter, stay there, and depart from there. ⁵ As many as do not receive you, when you depart from that city, shake the dust off from your feet as a testimony against them.”

⁶ They departed and went throughout the villages, preaching the Good News and healing everywhere.

Psalm 71

Come Quickly to Help Me

¹ In you, Lord, I take refuge.
Never let me be disgraced.
² Deliver me in your righteousness, and rescue me.
Turn your ear to me, and save me.
³ Be my rock of refuge to which I may always go.
Give the command to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
⁴ Rescue me, my God, from the hand of the wicked,
from the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.
⁵ For you are my hope, Lord God,
my confidence from my youth.

⁶ I have relied on you from the womb.
You are he who took me out of my mother’s womb.
I will always praise you.
⁷ I am a wonder to many,
but you are my strong refuge.
⁸ My mouth shall be filled with your praise,
with your honor all day long.

⁹ Do not reject me in my old age.
Do not forsake me when my strength fails.
¹⁰ For my enemies talk about me.
Those who watch for my soul conspire together,
¹¹ saying, “God has forsaken him.
Pursue and take him, for no one will rescue him.”
¹² God, do not be far from me.
My God, hurry to help me.
¹³ Let my accusers be disappointed and consumed.
Let them be covered with disgrace and scorn who want to harm me.

¹⁴ But I will always hope,
and will add to all of your praise.
¹⁵ My mouth will tell about your righteousness,
and of your salvation all day,
though I do not know its full measure.
¹⁶ I will come with the mighty acts of the Lord God.
I will make mention of your righteousness, of yours alone.

¹⁷ God, you have taught me from my youth.
Until now, I have declared your wondrous works.
¹⁸ Yes, even when I am old and gray-haired, God, do not forsake me,
until I have declared your strength to the next generation,
your might to everyone who is to come.
¹⁹ Your righteousness also, God, reaches to the heavens;
you have done great things.
God, who is like you?

²⁰ You, who have shown us many and bitter troubles,
you will let me live.
You will bring us back from the depths of the earth.
²¹ Increase my honor and comfort me again.

²² I will also praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, my God.
I sing praises to you with the lyre, Holy One of Israel.
²³ My lips shall shout for joy!
My soul, which you have redeemed, sings praises to you!
²⁴ My tongue will also talk about your righteousness all day long,
for they are disappointed, and they are confounded,
who want to harm me.

Proverbs 12:5-7

⁵ The thoughts of the righteous are just,
but the advice of the wicked is deceitful.
⁶ The words of the wicked are about lying in wait for blood,
but the speech of the upright rescues them.
⁷ The wicked are overthrown, and are no more,
but the house of the righteous shall stand.

«      »