Leviticus 16

• 1. The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of Aaron's two sons, who died when they burned a different kind of fire than the LORD had commanded.
• 2. The LORD said to Moses, "Warn your brother Aaron not to enter the Most Holy Place behind the inner curtain whenever he chooses; the penalty for intrusion is death. For the Ark's cover--the place of atonement--is there, and I myself am present in the cloud over the atonement cover.
• 3. "When Aaron enters the sanctuary area, he must follow these instructions fully. He must first bring a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a whole burnt offering.
• 4. Then he must wash his entire body and put on his linen tunic and the undergarments worn next to his body. He must tie the linen sash around his waist and put the linen turban on his head. These are his sacred garments.
• 5. The people of Israel must then bring him two male goats for a sin offering and a ram for a whole burnt offering.
• 6. "Aaron will present the bull as a sin offering, to make atonement for himself and his family.
• 7. Then he must bring the two male goats and present them to the LORD at the entrance of the Tabernacle.
• 8. He is to cast sacred lots to determine which goat will be sacrificed to the LORD and which one will be the scapegoat.
• 9. The goat chosen to be sacrificed to the LORD will be presented by Aaron as a sin offering.
• 10. The goat chosen to be the scapegoat will be presented to the LORD alive. When it is sent away into the wilderness, it will make atonement for the people.
• 11. "Then Aaron will present the young bull as a sin offering for himself and his family. After he has slaughtered this bull for the sin offering,
• 12. he will fill an incense burner with burning coals from the altar that stands before the LORD. Then, after filling both his hands with fragrant incense, he will carry the burner and incense behind the inner curtain.
• 13. There in the LORD's presence, he will put the incense on the burning coals so that a cloud of incense will rise over the Ark's cover--the place of atonement--that rests on the Ark of the Covenant. If he follows these instructions, he will not die.
• 14. Then he must dip his finger into the blood of the bull and sprinkle it on the front of the atonement cover and then seven times against the front of the Ark.
• 15. "Then Aaron must slaughter the goat as a sin offering for the people and bring its blood behind the inner curtain. There he will sprinkle the blood on the atonement cover and against the front of the Ark, just as he did with the bull's blood.
• 16. In this way, he will make atonement for the Most Holy Place, and he will do the same for the entire Tabernacle, because of the defiling sin and rebellion of the Israelites.
• 17. No one else is allowed inside the Tabernacle while Aaron goes in to make atonement for the Most Holy Place. No one may enter until he comes out again after making atonement for himself, his family, and all the Israelites.
• 18. "Then Aaron will go out to make atonement for the altar that stands before the LORD by smearing some of the blood from the bull and the goat on each of the altar's horns.
• 19. Then he must dip his finger into the blood and sprinkle it seven times over the altar. In this way, he will cleanse it from Israel's defilement and return it to its former holiness.
• 20. "When Aaron has finished making atonement for the Most Holy Place, the Tabernacle, and the altar, he must bring the living goat forward.
• 21. He is to lay both of his hands on the goat's head and confess over it all the sins and rebellion of the Israelites. In this way, he will lay the people's sins on the head of the goat; then he will send it out into the wilderness, led by a man chosen for this task.
• 22. After the man sets it free in the wilderness, the goat will carry all the people's sins upon itself into a desolate land.
• 23. "As Aaron enters the Tabernacle, he must take off the linen garments he wore when he entered the Most Holy Place, and he must leave the garments there.
• 24. Then he must bathe his entire body with water in a sacred place, put on his garments, and go out to sacrifice his own whole burnt offering and the whole burnt offering for the people. In this way, he will make atonement for himself and for the people.
• 25. He must also burn all the fat of the sin offering on the altar.
• 26. "The man chosen to send the goat out into the wilderness as a scapegoat must wash his clothes and bathe in water. Then he may return to the camp.
• 27. "The bull and goat given as sin offerings, whose blood Aaron brought into the Most Holy Place to make atonement for Israel, will be carried outside the camp to be burned. This includes the animals' hides, the internal organs, and the dung.
• 28. The man who does the burning must wash his clothes and bathe himself in water before returning to the camp.
• 29. "On the appointed day in early autumn, you must spend the day fasting and not do any work. This is a permanent law for you, and it applies to those who are Israelites by birth, as well as to the foreigners living among you.
• 30. On this day, atonement will be made for you, and you will be cleansed from all your sins in the LORD's presence.
• 31. It will be a Sabbath day of total rest, and you will spend the day in fasting. This is a permanent law for you.
• 32. In future generations, the atonement ceremony will be performed by the anointed high priest who serves in place of his ancestor Aaron. He will put on the holy linen garments
• 33. and make atonement for the Most Holy Place, the Tabernacle, the altar, the priests, and the entire community.
• 34. This is a permanent law for you, to make atonement for the Israelites once each year." Moses followed all these instructions that the LORD had given to him.

Psalms 19

• 1. The heavens tell of the glory of God. The skies display his marvelous craftsmanship.
• 2. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known.
• 3. They speak without a sound or a word; their voice is silent in the skies;
• 4. yet their message has gone out to all the earth, and their words to all the world. The sun lives in the heavens where God placed it.
• 5. It bursts forth like a radiant bridegroom after his wedding. It rejoices like a great athlete eager to run the race.
• 6. The sun rises at one end of the heavens and follows its course to the other end. Nothing can hide from its heat.
• 7. The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
• 8. The commandments of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are clear, giving insight to life.
• 9. Reverence for the LORD is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the LORD are true; each one is fair.
• 10. They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb.
• 11. They are a warning to those who hear them; there is great reward for those who obey them.
• 12. How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults.
• 13. Keep me from deliberate sins! Don't let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin.
• 14. May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

Proverbs 30

• 1. The message of Agur son of Jakeh. An oracle. I am weary, O God; I am weary and worn out, O God.
• 2. I am too ignorant to be human, and I lack common sense.
• 3. I have not mastered human wisdom, nor do I know the Holy One.
• 4. Who but God goes up to heaven and comes back down? Who holds the wind in his fists? Who wraps up the oceans in his cloak? Who has created the whole wide world? What is his name--and his son's name? Tell me if you know!
• 5. Every word of God proves true. He defends all who come to him for protection.
• 6. Do not add to his words, or he may rebuke you, and you will be found a liar.
• 7. O God, I beg two favors from you before I die.
• 8. First, help me never to tell a lie. Second, give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs.
• 9. For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, "Who is the LORD?" And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God's holy name.
• 10. Never slander a person to his employer. If you do, the person will curse you, and you will pay for it.
• 11. Some people curse their father and do not thank their mother.
• 12. They feel pure, but they are filthy and unwashed.
• 13. They are proud beyond description and disdainful.
• 14. They devour the poor with teeth as sharp as swords or knives. They destroy the needy from the face of the earth.
• 15. The leech has two suckers that cry out, "More, more!" There are three other things--no, four!--that are never satisfied:
• 16. the grave, the barren womb, the thirsty desert, the blazing fire.
• 17. The eye that mocks a father and despises a mother will be plucked out by ravens of the valley and eaten by vultures.
• 18. There are three things that amaze me--no, four things I do not understand:
• 19. how an eagle glides through the sky, how a snake slithers on a rock, how a ship navigates the ocean, how a man loves a woman.
• 20. Equally amazing is how an adulterous woman can satisfy her sexual appetite, shrug her shoulders, and then say, "What's wrong with that?"
• 21. There are three things that make the earth tremble--no, four it cannot endure:
• 22. a slave who becomes a king, an overbearing fool who prospers,
• 23. a bitter woman who finally gets a husband, a servant girl who supplants her mistress.
• 24. There are four things on earth that are small but unusually wise:
• 25. Ants--they aren't strong, but they store up food for the winter.
• 26. Rock badgers--they aren't powerful, but they make their homes among the rocky cliffs.
• 27. Locusts--they have no king, but they march like an army in ranks.
• 28. Lizards--they are easy to catch, but they are found even in kings' palaces.
• 29. There are three stately monarchs on the earth--no, four:
• 30. the lion, king of animals, who won't turn aside for anything,
• 31. the strutting rooster, the male goat, a king as he leads his army.
• 32. If you have been a fool by being proud or plotting evil, don't brag about it--cover your mouth with your hand in shame.
• 33. As the beating of cream yields butter, and a blow to the nose causes bleeding, so anger causes quarrels.

New Living Translation: 102 of 365 days.