Leviticus 21

• 1. The LORD said to Moses, "Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: 'A priest must not make himself ceremonially unclean for any of his people who die,
• 2. except for a close relative, such as his mother or father, his son or daughter, his brother,
• 3. or an unmarried sister who is dependent on him since she has no husband-for her he may make himself unclean.
• 4. He must not make himself unclean for people related to him by marriage, and so defile himself.
• 5. "'Priests must not shave their heads or shave off the edges of their beards or cut their bodies.
• 6. They must be holy to their God and must not profane the name of their God. Because they present the offerings made to the LORD by fire, the food of their God, they are to be holy.
• 7. "'They must not marry women defiled by prostitution or divorced from their husbands, because priests are holy to their God.
• 8. Regard them as holy, because they offer up the food of your God. Consider them holy, because I the LORD am holy-I who make you holy.
• 9. "'If a priest's daughter defiles herself by becoming a prostitute, she disgraces her father; she must be burned in the fire.
• 10. "'The high priest, the one among his brothers who has had the anointing oil poured on his head and who has been ordained to wear the priestly garments, must not let his hair become unkempt or tear his clothes.
• 11. He must not enter a place where there is a dead body. He must not make himself unclean, even for his father or mother,
• 12. nor leave the sanctuary of his God or desecrate it, because he has been dedicated by the anointing oil of his God. I am the LORD.
• 13. "'The woman he marries must be a virgin.
• 14. He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, or a woman defiled by prostitution, but only a virgin from his own people,
• 15. so he will not defile his offspring among his people. I am the LORD, who makes him holy. '"
• 16. The LORD said to Moses,
• 17. "Say to Aaron: 'For the generations to come none of your descendants who has a defect may come near to offer the food of his God.
• 18. No man who has any defect may come near: no man who is blind or lame, disfigured or deformed;
• 19. no man with a crippled foot or hand,
• 20. or who is hunchbacked or dwarfed, or who has any eye defect, or who has festering or running sores or damaged testicles.
• 21. No descendant of Aaron the priest who has any defect is to come near to present the offerings made to the LORD by fire. He has a defect; he must not come near to offer the food of his God.
• 22. He may eat the most holy food of his God, as well as the holy food;
• 23. yet because of his defect, he must not go near the curtain or approach the altar, and so desecrate my sanctuary. I am the LORD, who makes them holy. '"
• 24. So Moses told this to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites.

Psalms 26

• 1. Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have led a blameless life; I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.
• 2. Test me, O LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind;
• 3. for your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in your truth.
• 4. I do not sit with deceitful men, nor do I consort with hypocrites;
• 5. I abhor the assembly of evildoers and refuse to sit with the wicked.
• 6. I wash my hands in innocence, and go about your altar, O LORD,
• 7. proclaiming aloud your praise and telling of all your wonderful deeds.
• 8. I love the house where you live, O LORD, the place where your glory dwells.
• 9. Do not take away my soul along with sinners, my life with bloodthirsty men,
• 10. in whose hands are wicked schemes, whose right hands are full of bribes.
• 11. But I lead a blameless life; redeem me and be merciful to me.
• 12. My feet stand on level ground; in the great assembly I will praise the LORD.

Psalms 27

• 1. The LORD is my light and my salvation- whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life- of whom shall I be afraid?
• 2. When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall.
• 3. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident.
• 4. One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.
• 5. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.
• 6. Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD.
• 7. Hear my voice when I call, O LORD; be merciful to me and answer me.
• 8. My heart says of you, "Seek his face!" Your face, LORD, I will seek.
• 9. Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, O God my Savior.
• 10. Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me.
• 11. Teach me your way, O LORD; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.
• 12. Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence.
• 13. I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
• 14. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.

Ecclesiastes 4

• 1. Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun: I saw the tears of the oppressed- and they have no comforter; power was on the side of their oppressors- and they have no comforter.
• 2. And I declared that the dead, who had already died, are happier than the living, who are still alive.
• 3. But better than both is he who has not yet been, who has not seen the evil that is done under the sun.
• 4. And I saw that all labor and all achievement spring from man's envy of his neighbor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
• 5. The fool folds his hands and ruins himself.
• 6. Better one handful with tranquillity than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind.
• 7. Again I saw something meaningless under the sun:
• 8. There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. "For whom am I toiling," he asked, "and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?" This too is meaningless- a miserable business!
• 9. Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work:
• 10. If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!
• 11. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?
• 12. Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
• 13. Better a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to take warning.
• 14. The youth may have come from prison to the kingship, or he may have been born in poverty within his kingdom.
• 15. I saw that all who lived and walked under the sun followed the youth, the king's successor.
• 16. There was no end to all the people who were before them. But those who came later were not pleased with the successor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

New International Version

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