Leviticus 22

• 1. The LORD said to Moses,
• 2. "Tell Aaron and his sons to treat with respect the sacred offerings the Israelites consecrate to me, so they will not profane my holy name. I am the LORD.
• 3. "Say to them: 'For the generations to come, if any of your descendants is ceremonially unclean and yet comes near the sacred offerings that the Israelites consecrate to the LORD, that person must be cut off from my presence. I am the LORD.
• 4. "'If a descendant of Aaron has an infectious skin disease or a bodily discharge, he may not eat the sacred offerings until he is cleansed. He will also be unclean if he touches something defiled by a corpse or by anyone who has an emission of semen,
• 5. or if he touches any crawling thing that makes him unclean, or any person who makes him unclean, whatever the uncleanness may be.
• 6. The one who touches any such thing will be unclean till evening. He must not eat any of the sacred offerings unless he has bathed himself with water.
• 7. When the sun goes down, he will be clean, and after that he may eat the sacred offerings, for they are his food.
• 8. He must not eat anything found dead or torn by wild animals, and so become unclean through it. I am the LORD.
• 9. "'The priests are to keep my requirements so that they do not become guilty and die for treating them with contempt. I am the LORD, who makes them holy.
• 10. "'No one outside a priest's family may eat the sacred offering, nor may the guest of a priest or his hired worker eat it.
• 11. But if a priest buys a slave with money, or if a slave is born in his household, that slave may eat his food.
• 12. If a priest's daughter marries anyone other than a priest, she may not eat any of the sacred contributions.
• 13. But if a priest's daughter becomes a widow or is divorced, yet has no children, and she returns to live in her father's house as in her youth, she may eat of her father's food. No unauthorized person, however, may eat any of it.
• 14. "'If anyone eats a sacred offering by mistake, he must make restitution to the priest for the offering and add a fifth of the value to it.
• 15. The priests must not desecrate the sacred offerings the Israelites present to the LORD
• 16. by allowing them to eat the sacred offerings and so bring upon them guilt requiring payment. I am the LORD, who makes them holy.'"
• 17. The LORD said to Moses,
• 18. "Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites and say to them: 'If any of you-either an Israelite or an alien living in Israel-presents a gift for a burnt offering to the LORD, either to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering,
• 19. you must present a male without defect from the cattle, sheep or goats in order that it may be accepted on your behalf.
• 20. Do not bring anything with a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf.
• 21. When anyone brings from the herd or flock a fellowship offering to the LORD to fulfill a special vow or as a freewill offering, it must be without defect or blemish to be acceptable.
• 22. Do not offer to the LORD the blind, the injured or the maimed, or anything with warts or festering or running sores. Do not place any of these on the altar as an offering made to the LORD by fire.
• 23. You may, however, present as a freewill offering an ox or a sheep that is deformed or stunted, but it will not be accepted in fulfillment of a vow.
• 24. You must not offer to the LORD an animal whose testicles are bruised, crushed, torn or cut. You must not do this in your own land,
• 25. and you must not accept such animals from the hand of a foreigner and offer them as the food of your God. They will not be accepted on your behalf, because they are deformed and have defects.'"
• 26. The LORD said to Moses,
• 27. "When a calf, a lamb or a goat is born, it is to remain with its mother for seven days. From the eighth day on, it will be acceptable as an offering made to the LORD by fire.
• 28. Do not slaughter a cow or a sheep and its young on the same day.
• 29. "When you sacrifice a thank offering to the LORD, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf.
• 30. It must be eaten that same day; leave none of it till morning. I am the LORD.
• 31. "Keep my commands and follow them. I am the LORD.
• 32. Do not profane my holy name. I must be acknowledged as holy by the Israelites. I am the LORD, who makes you holy
• 33. and who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the LORD."

Psalms 28

• 1. To you I call, O LORD my Rock; do not turn a deaf ear to me. For if you remain silent, I will be like those who have gone down to the pit.
• 2. Hear my cry for mercy as I call to you for help, as I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place.
• 3. Do not drag me away with the wicked, with those who do evil, who speak cordially with their neighbors but harbor malice in their hearts.
• 4. Repay them for their deeds and for their evil work; repay them for what their hands have done and bring back upon them what they deserve.
• 5. Since they show no regard for the works of the LORD and what his hands have done, he will tear them down and never build them up again.
• 6. Praise be to the LORD, for he has heard my cry for mercy.
• 7. The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.
• 8. The LORD is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.
• 9. Save your people and bless your inheritance; be their shepherd and carry them forever.

Psalms 29

• 1. Ascribe to the LORD, O mighty ones, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
• 2. Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.
• 3. The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD thunders over the mighty waters.
• 4. The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is majestic.
• 5. The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
• 6. He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, Sirion like a young wild ox.
• 7. The voice of the LORD strikes with flashes of lightning.
• 8. The voice of the LORD shakes the desert; the LORD shakes the Desert of Kadesh.
• 9. The voice of the LORD twists the oaks and strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry, "Glory!"
• 10. The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD is enthroned as King forever.
• 11. The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace.

Ecclesiastes 5

• 1. Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.
• 2. Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.
• 3. As a dream comes when there are many cares, so the speech of a fool when there are many words.
• 4. When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow.
• 5. It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.
• 6. Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, "My vow was a mistake." Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands?
• 7. Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore stand in awe of God.
• 8. If you see the poor oppressed in a district, and justice and rights denied, do not be surprised at such things; for one official is eyed by a higher one, and over them both are others higher still.
• 9. The increase from the land is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields.
• 10. Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless.
• 11. As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owner except to feast his eyes on them?
• 12. The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of a rich man permits him no sleep.
• 13. I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner,
• 14. or wealth lost through some misfortune, so that when he has a son there is nothing left for him.
• 15. Naked a man comes from his mother's womb, and as he comes, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand.
• 16. This too is a grievous evil: As a man comes, so he departs, and what does he gain, since he toils for the wind?
• 17. All his days he eats in darkness, with great frustration, affliction and anger.
• 18. Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him-for this is his lot.
• 19. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work-this is a gift of God.
• 20. He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart.

New International Version

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