Exodus 31

• 1. The LORD also said to Moses,
• 2. "Look, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, grandson of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.
• 3. I have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, intelligence, and skill in all kinds of crafts.
• 4. He is able to create beautiful objects from gold, silver, and bronze.
• 5. He is skilled in cutting and setting gemstones and in carving wood. Yes, he is a master at every craft!
• 6. "And I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to be his assistant. Moreover, I have given special skill to all the naturally talented craftsmen so they can make all the things I have instructed you to make:
• 7. the Tabernacle itself; the Ark of the Covenant; the Ark's cover--the place of atonement; all the furnishings of the Tabernacle;
• 8. the table and all its utensils; the gold lampstand with all its accessories; the incense altar;
• 9. the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils; the washbasin and its pedestal;
• 10. the beautifully stitched, holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments for his sons to wear as they minister as priests;
• 11. the anointing oil; and the special incense for the Holy Place. They must follow exactly all the instructions I have given you."
• 12. The LORD then gave these further instructions to Moses:
• 13. "Tell the people of Israel to keep my Sabbath day, for the Sabbath is a sign of the covenant between me and you forever. It helps you to remember that I am the LORD, who makes you holy.
• 14. Yes, keep the Sabbath day, for it is holy. Anyone who desecrates it must die; anyone who works on that day will be cut off from the community.
• 15. Work six days only, but the seventh day must be a day of total rest. I repeat: Because the LORD considers it a holy day, anyone who works on the Sabbath must be put to death.
• 16. The people of Israel must keep the Sabbath day forever.
• 17. It is a permanent sign of my covenant with them. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, but he rested on the seventh day and was refreshed."
• 18. Then as the LORD finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, written by the finger of God.

John 11

• 1. A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha.
• 2. This is the Mary who poured the expensive perfume on the Lord's feet and wiped them with her hair. Her brother, Lazarus, was sick.
• 3. So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, "Lord, the one you love is very sick."
• 4. But when Jesus heard about it he said, "Lazarus's sickness will not end in death. No, it is for the glory of God. I, the Son of God, will receive glory from this."
• 5. Although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus,
• 6. he stayed where he was for the next two days and did not go to them.
• 7. Finally after two days, he said to his disciples, "Let's go to Judea again."
• 8. But his disciples objected. "Teacher," they said, "only a few days ago the Jewish leaders in Judea were trying to kill you. Are you going there again?"
• 9. Jesus replied, "There are twelve hours of daylight every day. As long as it is light, people can walk safely. They can see because they have the light of this world.
• 10. Only at night is there danger of stumbling because there is no light."
• 11. Then he said, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up."
• 12. The disciples said, "Lord, if he is sleeping, that means he is getting better!"
• 13. They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was having a good night's rest, but Jesus meant Lazarus had died.
• 14. Then he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.
• 15. And for your sake, I am glad I wasn't there, because this will give you another opportunity to believe in me. Come, let's go see him."
• 16. Thomas, nicknamed the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let's go, too--and die with Jesus."
• 17. When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days.
• 18. Bethany was only a few miles down the road from Jerusalem,
• 19. and many of the people had come to pay their respects and console Martha and Mary on their loss.
• 20. When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed at home.
• 21. Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
• 22. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask."
• 23. Jesus told her, "Your brother will rise again."
• 24. "Yes," Martha said, "when everyone else rises, on resurrection day."
• 25. Jesus told her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again.
• 26. They are given eternal life for believing in me and will never perish. Do you believe this, Martha?"
• 27. "Yes, Lord," she told him. "I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God."
• 28. Then she left him and returned to Mary. She called Mary aside from the mourners and told her, "The Teacher is here and wants to see you."
• 29. So Mary immediately went to him.
• 30. Now Jesus had stayed outside the village, at the place where Martha met him.
• 31. When the people who were at the house trying to console Mary saw her leave so hastily, they assumed she was going to Lazarus's grave to weep. So they followed her there.
• 32. When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell down at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."
• 33. When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, he was moved with indignation and was deeply troubled.
• 34. "Where have you put him?" he asked them. They told him, "Lord, come and see."
• 35. Then Jesus wept.
• 36. The people who were standing nearby said, "See how much he loved him."
• 37. But some said, "This man healed a blind man. Why couldn't he keep Lazarus from dying?"
• 38. And again Jesus was deeply troubled. Then they came to the grave. It was a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance.
• 39. "Roll the stone aside," Jesus told them. But Martha, the dead man's sister, said, "Lord, by now the smell will be terrible because he has been dead for four days."
• 40. Jesus responded, "Didn't I tell you that you will see God's glory if you believe?"
• 41. So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, "Father, thank you for hearing me.
• 42. You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so they will believe you sent me."
• 43. Then Jesus shouted, "Lazarus, come out!"
• 44. And Lazarus came out, bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, "Unwrap him and let him go!"
• 45. Many of the people who were with Mary believed in Jesus when they saw this happen.
• 46. But some went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.
• 47. Then the leading priests and Pharisees called the high council together to discuss the situation. "What are we going to do?" they asked each other. "This man certainly performs many miraculous signs.
• 48. If we leave him alone, the whole nation will follow him, and then the Roman army will come and destroy both our Temple and our nation."
• 49. And one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said, "How can you be so stupid?
• 50. Why should the whole nation be destroyed? Let this one man die for the people."
• 51. This prophecy that Jesus should die for the entire nation came from Caiaphas in his position as high priest. He didn't think of it himself; he was inspired to say it.
• 52. It was a prediction that Jesus' death would be not for Israel only, but for the gathering together of all the children of God scattered around the world.
• 53. So from that time on the Jewish leaders began to plot Jesus' death.
• 54. As a result, Jesus stopped his public ministry among the people and left Jerusalem. He went to a place near the wilderness, to the village of Ephraim, and stayed there with his disciples.
• 55. It was now almost time for the celebration of Passover, and many people from the country arrived in Jerusalem several days early so they could go through the cleansing ceremony before the Passover began.
• 56. They wanted to see Jesus, and as they talked in the Temple, they asked each other, "What do you think? Will he come for the Passover?"
• 57. Meanwhile, the leading priests and Pharisees had publicly announced that anyone seeing Jesus must report him immediately so they could arrest him.

Proverbs 8

• 1. Listen as wisdom calls out! Hear as understanding raises her voice!
• 2. She stands on the hilltop and at the crossroads.
• 3. At the entrance to the city, at the city gates, she cries aloud,
• 4. "I call to you, to all of you! I am raising my voice to all people.
• 5. How naive you are! Let me give you common sense. O foolish ones, let me give you understanding.
• 6. Listen to me! For I have excellent things to tell you. Everything I say is right,
• 7. for I speak the truth and hate every kind of deception.
• 8. My advice is wholesome and good. There is nothing crooked or twisted in it.
• 9. My words are plain to anyone with understanding, clear to those who want to learn.
• 10. "Choose my instruction rather than silver, and knowledge over pure gold.
• 11. For wisdom is far more valuable than rubies. Nothing you desire can be compared with it.
• 12. "I, Wisdom, live together with good judgment. I know where to discover knowledge and discernment.
• 13. All who fear the LORD will hate evil. That is why I hate pride, arrogance, corruption, and perverted speech.
• 14. Good advice and success belong to me. Insight and strength are mine.
• 15. Because of me, kings reign, and rulers make just laws.
• 16. Rulers lead with my help, and nobles make righteous judgments.
• 17. "I love all who love me. Those who search for me will surely find me.
• 18. Unending riches, honor, wealth, and justice are mine to distribute.
• 19. My gifts are better than the purest gold, my wages better than sterling silver!
• 20. I walk in righteousness, in paths of justice.
• 21. Those who love me inherit wealth, for I fill their treasuries.
• 22. "The LORD formed me from the beginning, before he created anything else.
• 23. I was appointed in ages past, at the very first, before the earth began.
• 24. I was born before the oceans were created, before the springs bubbled forth their waters.
• 25. Before the mountains and the hills were formed, I was born--
• 26. before he had made the earth and fields and the first handfuls of soil.
• 27. "I was there when he established the heavens, when he drew the horizon on the oceans.
• 28. I was there when he set the clouds above, when he established the deep fountains of the earth.
• 29. I was there when he set the limits of the seas, so they would not spread beyond their boundaries. And when he marked off the earth's foundations,
• 30. I was the architect at his side. I was his constant delight, rejoicing always in his presence.
• 31. And how happy I was with what he created--his wide world and all the human family!
• 32. "And so, my children, listen to me, for happy are all who follow my ways.
• 33. Listen to my counsel and be wise. Don't ignore it.
• 34. "Happy are those who listen to me, watching for me daily at my gates, waiting for me outside my home!
• 35. For whoever finds me finds life and wins approval from the LORD.
• 36. But those who miss me have injured themselves. All who hate me love death."

New Living Translation: 80 of 365 days.