Genesis 23

• 1. When Sarah was 127 years old,
• 2. she died at Kiriath-arba (now called Hebron) in the land of Canaan. There Abraham mourned and wept for her.
• 3. Then, leaving her body, he went to the Hittite elders and said,
• 4. "Here I am, a stranger in a foreign land, with no place to bury my wife. Please let me have a piece of land for a burial plot."
• 5. The Hittites replied to Abraham,
• 6. "Certainly, for you are an honored prince among us. It will be a privilege to have you choose the finest of our tombs so you can bury her there."
• 7. Then Abraham bowed low before them and said,
• 8. "Since this is how you feel, be so kind as to ask Ephron son of Zohar
• 9. to let me have the cave of Machpelah, down at the end of his field. I want to pay the full price, of course, whatever is publicly agreed upon, so I may have a permanent burial place for my family."
• 10. Ephron was sitting there among the others, and he answered Abraham as the others listened, speaking publicly before all the elders of the town.
• 11. "No, sir," he said to Abraham, "please listen to me. I will give you the cave and the field. Here in the presence of my people, I give it to you. Go and bury your dead."
• 12. Abraham bowed again to the people of the land,
• 13. and he replied to Ephron as everyone listened. "No, listen to me," he insisted. "I will buy it from you. Let me pay the full price for the field so I can bury my dead there."
• 14. "Well," Ephron answered,
• 15. "the land is worth four hundred pieces of silver, but what is that between friends? Go ahead and bury your dead."
• 16. So Abraham paid Ephron the amount he had suggested, four hundred pieces of silver, as was publicly agreed.
• 17. He bought the plot of land belonging to Ephron at Machpelah, near Mamre. This included the field, the cave that was in it, and all the trees nearby.
• 18. They became Abraham's permanent possession by the agreement made in the presence of the Hittite elders at the city gate.
• 19. So Abraham buried Sarah there in Canaan, in the cave of Machpelah, near Mamre, which is at Hebron.
• 20. The field and the cave were sold to Abraham by the Hittites as a permanent burial place.

Matthew 22

• 1. Jesus told them several other stories to illustrate the Kingdom. He said,
• 2. "The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son.
• 3. Many guests were invited, and when the banquet was ready, he sent his servants to notify everyone that it was time to come. But they all refused!
• 4. So he sent other servants to tell them, 'The feast has been prepared, and choice meats have been cooked. Everything is ready. Hurry!'
• 5. But the guests he had invited ignored them and went about their business, one to his farm, another to his store.
• 6. Others seized his messengers and treated them shamefully, even killing some of them.
• 7. "Then the king became furious. He sent out his army to destroy the murderers and burn their city.
• 8. And he said to his servants, 'The wedding feast is ready, and the guests I invited aren't worthy of the honor.
• 9. Now go out to the street corners and invite everyone you see.'
• 10. "So the servants brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike, and the banquet hall was filled with guests.
• 11. But when the king came in to meet the guests, he noticed a man who wasn't wearing the proper clothes for a wedding.
• 12. 'Friend,' he asked, 'how is it that you are here without wedding clothes?' And the man had no reply.
• 13. Then the king said to his aides, 'Bind him hand and foot and throw him out into the outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
• 14. For many are called, but few are chosen."
• 15. Then the Pharisees met together to think of a way to trap Jesus into saying something for which they could accuse him.
• 16. They decided to send some of their disciples, along with the supporters of Herod, to ask him this question: "Teacher, we know how honest you are. You teach about the way of God regardless of the consequences. You are impartial and don't play favorites.
• 17. Now tell us what you think about this: Is it right to pay taxes to the Roman government or not?"
• 18. But Jesus knew their evil motives. "You hypocrites!" he said. "Whom are you trying to fool with your trick questions?
• 19. Here, show me the Roman coin used for the tax." When they handed him the coin,
• 20. he asked, "Whose picture and title are stamped on it?"
• 21. "Caesar's," they replied. "Well, then," he said, "give to Caesar what belongs to him. But everything that belongs to God must be given to God."
• 22. His reply amazed them, and they went away.
• 23. That same day some Sadducees stepped forward--a group of Jews who say there is no resurrection after death. They posed this question:
• 24. "Teacher, Moses said, 'If a man dies without children, his brother should marry the widow and have a child who will be the brother's heir.'
• 25. Well, there were seven brothers. The oldest married and then died without children, so the second brother married the widow.
• 26. This brother also died without children, and the wife was married to the next brother, and so on until she had been the wife of each of them.
• 27. And then she also died.
• 28. So tell us, whose wife will she be in the resurrection? For she was the wife of all seven of them!"
• 29. Jesus replied, "Your problem is that you don't know the Scriptures, and you don't know the power of God.
• 30. For when the dead rise, they won't be married. They will be like the angels in heaven.
• 31. But now, as to whether there will be a resurrection of the dead--haven't you ever read about this in the Scriptures? Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, God said,
• 32. 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' So he is the God of the living, not the dead."
• 33. When the crowds heard him, they were impressed with his teaching.
• 34. But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees with his reply, they thought up a fresh question of their own to ask him.
• 35. One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question:
• 36. "Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?"
• 37. Jesus replied, "'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.'
• 38. This is the first and greatest commandment.
• 39. A second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'
• 40. All the other commandments and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments."
• 41. Then, surrounded by the Pharisees, Jesus asked them a question:
• 42. "What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?" They replied, "He is the son of David."
• 43. Jesus responded, "Then why does David, speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, call him Lord? For David said,
• 44. 'The LORD said to my Lord, Sit in honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies beneath your feet.'
• 45. Since David called him Lord, how can he be his son at the same time?"
• 46. No one could answer him. And after that, no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Nehemiah 12

• 1. Here is the list of the priests and Levites who had returned with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the high priest: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,
• 2. Amariah, Malluch, Hattush,
• 3. Shecaniah, Harim, Meremoth,
• 4. Iddo, Ginnethon, Abijah,
• 5. Miniamin, Moadiah, Bilgah,
• 6. Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah,
• 7. Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah. These were the leaders of the priests and their associates in the days of Jeshua.
• 8. The Levites who had returned with them were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, who with his associates was in charge of the songs of thanksgiving.
• 9. Their associates, Bakbukiah and Unni, stood opposite them during the service.
• 10. Jeshua the high priest was the father of Joiakim. Joiakim was the father of Eliashib. Eliashib was the father of Joiada.
• 11. Joiada was the father of Johanan. Johanan was the father of Jaddua.
• 12. Now when Joiakim was high priest, the family leaders of the priests were as follows: Meraiah was leader of the family of Seraiah. Hananiah was leader of the family of Jeremiah.
• 13. Meshullam was leader of the family of Ezra. Jehohanan was leader of the family of Amariah.
• 14. Jonathan was leader of the family of Malluch. Joseph was leader of the family of Shecaniah.
• 15. Adna was leader of the family of Harim. Helkai was leader of the family of Meremoth.
• 16. Zechariah was leader of the family of Iddo. Meshullam was leader of the family of Ginnethon.
• 17. Zicri was leader of the family of Abijah. There was also a leader of the family of Miniamin. Piltai was leader of the family of Moadiah.
• 18. Shammua was leader of the family of Bilgah. Jehonathan was leader of the family of Shemaiah.
• 19. Mattenai was leader of the family of Joiarib. Uzzi was leader of the family of Jedaiah.
• 20. Kallai was leader of the family of Sallu. Eber was leader of the family of Amok.
• 21. Hashabiah was leader of the family of Hilkiah. Nethanel was leader of the family of Jedaiah.
• 22. During the reign of Darius II of Persia, a list was compiled of the family leaders of the Levites and the priests in the days of the following high priests: Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua.
• 23. The heads of the Levite families were recorded in The Book of History down to the days of Johanan, the grandson of Eliashib.
• 24. These were the family leaders of the Levites: Hashabiah, Sherebiah, Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, and other associates, who stood opposite them during the ceremonies of praise and thanksgiving, one section responding to the other, just as commanded by David, the man of God.
• 25. This included Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, and Obadiah. Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were the gatekeepers in charge of the storerooms at the gates.
• 26. These all served in the days of Joiakim son of Jeshua, son of Jehozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor and of Ezra the priest and scribe.
• 27. During the dedication of the new wall of Jerusalem, the Levites throughout the land were asked to come to Jerusalem to assist in the ceremonies. They were to take part in the joyous occasion with their songs of thanksgiving and with the music of cymbals, lyres, and harps.
• 28. The singers were brought together from Jerusalem and its surrounding villages and from the villages of the Netophathites.
• 29. They also came from Beth-gilgal and the area of Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built their own villages around Jerusalem.
• 30. The priests and Levites first dedicated themselves, then the people, the gates, and the wall.
• 31. I led the leaders of Judah to the top of the wall and organized two large choirs to give thanks. One of the choirs proceeded southward along the top of the wall to the Dung Gate.
• 32. Hoshaiah and half the leaders of Judah followed them,
• 33. along with Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam,
• 34. Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, Jeremiah,
• 35. and some priests who played trumpets. Then came Zechariah son of Jonathan, son of Shemaiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Micaiah, son of Zaccur, a descendant of Asaph.
• 36. And finally came Zechariah's colleagues Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani. They used the musical instruments prescribed by David, the man of God. Ezra the scribe led this procession.
• 37. At the Fountain Gate they went straight up the steps on the ascent of the city wall toward the City of David. They passed the house of David and then proceeded to the Water Gate on the east.
• 38. The second choir went northward around the other way to meet them. I followed them, with the other half of the people, along the top of the wall past the Tower of the Ovens to the Broad Wall,
• 39. then past the Ephraim Gate to the Old City Gate, past the Fish Gate and the Tower of Hananel, and went on to the Tower of the Hundred. Then we continued on to the Sheep Gate and stopped at the Guard Gate.
• 40. The two choirs that were giving thanks then proceeded to the Temple of God, where they took their places. So did I, together with the group of leaders who were with me.
• 41. We went together with the trumpet-playing priests--Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah--
• 42. and the singers--Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malkijah, Elam, and Ezer. They played and sang loudly and clearly under the direction of Jezrahiah the choir director.
• 43. Many sacrifices were offered on that joyous day, for God had given the people cause for great joy. The women and children also participated in the celebration, and the joy of the people of Jerusalem could be heard far away.
• 44. On that day men were appointed to be in charge of the storerooms for the gifts, the first part of the harvest, and the tithes. They were responsible to collect these from the fields as required by the law for the priests and Levites, for all the people of Judah valued the priests and Levites and their work.
• 45. They performed the service of their God and the service of purification, as required by the laws of David and his son Solomon, and so did the singers and the gatekeepers.
• 46. The custom of having choir directors to lead the choirs in hymns of praise and thanks to God began long ago in the days of David and Asaph.
• 47. So now, in the days of Zerubbabel and of Nehemiah, the people brought a daily supply of food for the singers, the gatekeepers, and the Levites. The Levites, in turn, gave a portion of what they received to the priests, the descendants of Aaron.

New Living Translation: 22 of 365 days.