Leviticus 21

• 1. The LORD said to Moses, "Tell the priests to avoid making themselves ceremonially unclean by touching a dead relative
• 2. unless it is a close relative--mother or father, son or daughter, brother
• 3. or virgin sister who was dependent because she had no husband.
• 4. As a husband among his relatives, he must not defile himself.
• 5. "The priests must never shave their heads, trim the edges of their beards, or cut their bodies.
• 6. They must be set apart to God as holy and must never dishonor his name. After all, they are the ones who present the offerings to the LORD by fire, providing God with his food, and they must remain holy.
• 7. "The priests must not marry women defiled by prostitution or women who have been divorced, for the priests must be set apart to God as holy.
• 8. You must treat them as holy because they offer up food to your God. You must consider them holy because I, the LORD, am holy, and I make you holy.
• 9. If a priest's daughter becomes a prostitute, defiling her father's holiness as well as herself, she must be burned to death.
• 10. "The high priest, who has had the anointing oil poured on his head and has been ordained to wear the special priestly garments, must never let his hair hang loose or tear his clothing.
• 11. He must never defile himself by going near a dead person, even if it is his father or mother.
• 12. He must not desecrate the sanctuary of his God by leaving it to attend his parents' funeral, because he has been made holy by the anointing oil of his God. I am the LORD.
• 13. "The high priest must marry a virgin.
• 14. He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, or a woman defiled by prostitution. She must be a virgin from his own clan,
• 15. that he may not dishonor his descendants among the members of his clan, because I, the LORD, have made him holy."
• 16. Then the LORD said to Moses,
• 17. "Tell Aaron that in all future generations, his descendants who have physical defects will not qualify to offer food to their God.
• 18. No one who has a defect may come near to me, whether he is blind or lame, stunted or deformed,
• 19. or has a broken foot or hand,
• 20. or has a humped back or is a dwarf, or has a defective eye, or has oozing sores or scabs on his skin, or has damaged testicles.
• 21. Even though he is a descendant of Aaron, his physical defects disqualify him from presenting offerings to the LORD by fire. Since he has a blemish, he may not offer food to his God.
• 22. However, he may eat from the food offered to God, including the holy offerings and the most holy offerings.
• 23. Yet because of his physical defect, he must never go behind the inner curtain or come near the altar, for this would desecrate my holy places. I am the LORD who makes them holy."
• 24. So Moses gave these instructions to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites.

Psalms 26

• 1. Declare me innocent, O LORD, for I have acted with integrity; I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.
• 2. Put me on trial, LORD, and cross-examine me. Test my motives and affections.
• 3. For I am constantly aware of your unfailing love, and I have lived according to your truth.
• 4. I do not spend time with liars or go along with hypocrites.
• 5. I hate the gatherings of those who do evil, and I refuse to join in with the wicked.
• 6. I wash my hands to declare my innocence. I come to your altar, O LORD,
• 7. singing a song of thanksgiving and telling of all your miracles.
• 8. I love your sanctuary, LORD, the place where your glory shines.
• 9. Don't let me suffer the fate of sinners. Don't condemn me along with murderers.
• 10. Their hands are dirty with wicked schemes, and they constantly take bribes.
• 11. But I am not like that; I do what is right. So in your mercy, save me.
• 12. I have taken a stand, and I will publicly praise the LORD.

Psalms 27

• 1. The LORD is my light and my salvation--so why should I be afraid? The LORD protects me from danger--so why should I tremble?
• 2. When evil people come to destroy me, when my enemies and foes attack me, they will stumble and fall.
• 3. Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will know no fear. Even if they attack me, I remain confident.
• 4. The one thing I ask of the LORD--the thing I seek most--is to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, delighting in the LORD's perfections and meditating in his Temple.
• 5. For he will conceal me there when troubles come; he will hide me in his sanctuary. He will place me out of reach on a high rock.
• 6. Then I will hold my head high, above my enemies who surround me. At his Tabernacle I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy, singing and praising the LORD with music.
• 7. Listen to my pleading, O LORD. Be merciful and answer me!
• 8. My heart has heard you say, "Come and talk with me." And my heart responds, "LORD, I am coming."
• 9. Do not hide yourself from me. Do not reject your servant in anger. You have always been my helper. Don't leave me now; don't abandon me, O God of my salvation!
• 10. Even if my father and mother abandon me, the LORD will hold me close.
• 11. Teach me how to live, O LORD. Lead me along the path of honesty, for my enemies are waiting for me to fall.
• 12. Do not let me fall into their hands. For they accuse me of things I've never done and breathe out violence against me.
• 13. Yet I am confident that I will see the LORD's goodness while I am here in the land of the living.
• 14. Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD.

Ecclesiastes 4

• 1. Again I observed all the oppression that takes place in our world. I saw the tears of the oppressed, with no one to comfort them. The oppressors have great power, and the victims are helpless.
• 2. So I concluded that the dead are better off than the living.
• 3. And most fortunate of all are those who were never born. For they have never seen all the evil that is done in our world.
• 4. Then I observed that most people are motivated to success by their envy of their neighbors. But this, too, is meaningless, like chasing the wind.
• 5. Foolish people refuse to work and almost starve.
• 6. They feel it is better to be lazy and barely survive than to work hard, especially when in the long run everything is so futile.
• 7. I observed yet another example of meaninglessness in our world.
• 8. This is the case of a man who is all alone, without a child or a brother, yet who works hard to gain as much wealth as he can. But then he asks himself, "Who am I working for? Why am I giving up so much pleasure now?" It is all so meaningless and depressing.
• 9. Two people can accomplish more than twice as much as one; they get a better return for their labor.
• 10. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But people who are alone when they fall are in real trouble.
• 11. And on a cold night, two under the same blanket can gain warmth from each other. But how can one be warm alone?
• 12. A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.
• 13. It is better to be a poor but wise youth than to be an old and foolish king who refuses all advice.
• 14. Such a youth could come from prison and succeed. He might even become king, though he was born in poverty.
• 15. Everyone is eager to help such a youth, even to help him take the throne.
• 16. He might become the leader of millions and be very popular. But then the next generation grows up and rejects him! So again, it is all meaningless, like chasing the wind.

New Living Translation: 107 of 365 days.