Leviticus 15
1 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘When any man has a bodily discharge, his discharge is unclean. 3 This shall be [the law concerning] his uncleanness in his discharge: whether his body allows its discharge to flow or obstructs its flow; it is uncleanness in him. 4 Every bed on which the one who has the discharge lies becomes unclean, and everything on which he sits becomes unclean. 5 Whoever touches his bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening; 6 and whoever sits on anything on which the man with the discharge has been sitting shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. 7 Also whoever touches the man with the discharge shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. 8 And if he who has the discharge spits on one who is clean, then he shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. 9 Any saddle on which the man with the discharge rides becomes unclean. 10 Whoever touches anything that has been under him shall be unclean until evening; and whoever carries those things shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. 11 Whomever the one with the discharge touches without rinsing his hands in water shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. 12 An earthenware container that the one with the discharge touches shall be broken, and every wooden container shall be rinsed in water.
13 ‘When the man with the discharge becomes cleansed from his discharge, he shall count off seven days for his purification; he shall then wash his clothes and bathe his body in running water and will become clean. 14 On the eighth day he shall take two turtledoves or two young pigeons and come before the Lord to the doorway of the Tent of Meeting, and give them to the priest; 15 and the priest shall offer them, one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. So the priest shall make atonement for the man before the Lord because of his discharge.
16 ‘Now if any man has a seminal emission, he shall wash all his body in water, and be unclean until evening. 17 Every garment and every leather on which there is semen shall be washed with water, and shall be unclean until evening. 18 If a man lies with a woman so that there is a seminal emission, they shall both bathe in water and be unclean until evening.
19 ‘When a woman has a discharge, if her bodily discharge is blood, she shall continue in her menstrual impurity for seven days; and whoever touches her shall be unclean until evening. 20 Everything on which she lies during her menstrual impurity shall be unclean; and everything on which she sits shall be unclean. 21 Anyone who touches her bed shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. 22 Whoever touches anything on which she sits shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. 23 And if it is on her bed or on the thing on which she is sitting, when he touches it, he shall be unclean until evening. 24 If a man actually lies with her so that her menstrual impurity is on him, he shall be unclean for seven days; and every bed on which he lies shall be unclean.
25 ‘Now if a woman has a flow of blood for many days, not during the time of her menstruation, or if she has a discharge beyond that period, as long as the impure discharge continues she shall be as she is in the days of her [normal] menstrual impurity; she is unclean. 26 Every bed on which she lies during the time of her discharge shall be to her like the bed of her menstrual impurity, and whatever she sits on shall be unclean, like the uncleanness of her monthly period. 27 And whoever touches those things shall be unclean, and shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. 28 When she is cleansed from her discharge, then she shall count off for herself seven days, and after that she will be clean. 29 Then on the eighth day she shall take for herself two turtledoves or two young pigeons and bring them to the priest at the doorway of the Tent of Meeting; 30 and the priest shall offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering; and he shall make atonement for her before the Lord for her unclean discharge.’
31 “Thus you shall separate the Israelites from their uncleanness, so that they do not die in their uncleanness by their defiling My tabernacle that is among them.” 32 This is the law for the one who has a discharge and for the one who has a seminal emission, so that he is unclean by it; 33 and for the woman who is ill because of her monthly period, and for the one who has a discharge, whether man or woman, or for a man who lies with a woman who is [ceremonially] unclean.
Psalms 18
1 “I love You [fervently and devotedly], O Lord, my strength.”
2
The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and the One who rescues me;
My God, my rock and strength in whom I trust and take refuge;
My shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower—my stronghold.
3
I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised;
And I am saved from my enemies.
4
The cords of death surrounded me,
And the streams of ungodliness and torrents of destruction terrified me.
5
The cords of Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead) surrounded me;
The snares of death confronted me.
6
In my distress [when I seemed surrounded] I called upon the Lord
And cried to my God for help;
He heard my voice from His temple,
And my cry for help came before Him, into His very ears.
7
Then the earth shook and quaked,
The foundations of the mountains trembled;
They were shaken because He was indignant and angry.
8
Smoke went up from His nostrils,
And fire from His mouth devoured;
Coals were kindled by it.
9
He bowed the heavens also and came down;
And thick darkness was under His feet.
10
And He rode upon a cherub (storm) and flew;
And He sped on the wings of the wind.
11
He made darkness His hiding place (covering); His pavilion (canopy) around Him,
The darkness of the waters, the thick clouds of the skies.
12
Out of the brightness before Him passed His thick clouds,
Hailstones and coals of fire.
13
The Lord also thundered in the heavens,
And the Most High uttered His voice,
Hailstones and coals of fire.
14
He sent out His arrows and scattered them;
And He sent an abundance of lightning flashes and confused and routed them [in defeat].
15
Then the stream beds of the waters appeared,
And the foundations of the world were laid bare
At Your rebuke, O Lord,
At the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.
16
He reached from on high, He took me;
He drew me out of many waters.
17
He rescued me from my strong enemy,
And from those who hated me, for they were too strong for me.
18
They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
But the Lord was my support.
19
He brought me out into a broad place;
He rescued me because He was pleased with me and delighted in me.
20
The Lord dealt with me according to my righteousness (moral character, spiritual integrity);
According to the cleanness of my hands He has rewarded me.
21
For I have kept the ways of the Lord,
And have not wickedly departed from my God.
22
For all His ordinances were before me,
And I did not put away His statutes from me.
23
I was blameless before Him,
And I kept myself free from my sin.
24
Therefore the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness (moral character, spiritual integrity),
According to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.
25
With the kind (merciful, faithful, loyal) You show Yourself kind,
With the blameless You show Yourself blameless,
26
With the pure You show Yourself pure,
And with the crooked You show Yourself astute.
27
For You save an afflicted and humble people,
But bring down those [arrogant fools] with haughty eyes.
28
For You cause my lamp to be lighted and to shine;
The Lord my God illumines my darkness.
29
For by You I can crush a troop,
And by my God I can leap over a wall.
30
As for God, His way is blameless.
The word of the Lord is tested [it is perfect, it is faultless];
He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.
31
For who is God, but the Lord?
Or who is a rock, except our God,
32
The God who encircles me with strength
And makes my way blameless?
33
He makes my feet like hinds’ feet [able to stand firmly and tread safely on paths of testing and trouble];
He sets me [securely] upon my high places.
34
He trains my hands for war,
So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35
You have also given me the shield of Your salvation,
And Your right hand upholds and sustains me;
Your gentleness [Your gracious response when I pray] makes me great.
36
You enlarge the path beneath me and make my steps secure,
So that my feet will not slip.
37
I pursued my enemies and overtook them;
And I did not turn back until they were consumed.
38
I shattered them so that they were not able to rise;
They fell [wounded] under my feet.
39
For You have encircled me with strength for the battle;
You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.
40
You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me [in defeat],
And I silenced and destroyed those who hated me.
41
They cried for help, but there was no one to save them—
Even to the Lord [they cried], but He did not answer them.
42
Then I beat them fine as the dust before the wind;
I emptied them out as the dirt of the streets.
43
You have rescued me from the contentions of the people;
You have placed me as the head of the nations;
A people whom I have not known serve me.
44
As soon as they hear me, they respond and obey me;
Foreigners feign obedience to me.
45
Foreigners lose heart,
And come trembling out of their strongholds.
46
The Lord lives, blessed be my rock;
And may the God of my salvation be exalted,
47
The God who avenges me,
And subdues peoples (nations) under me.
48
He rescues me from my enemies;
Yes, You lift me up above those who rise up against me;
You deliver me from the man of violence.
49
Therefore will I give thanks and praise You, O Lord, among the nations,
And sing praises to Your name.
50
He gives great triumphs to His king,
And shows steadfast love and mercy to His anointed,
To David and his descendants forever.
Proverbs 29
1 He who hardens his neck and refuses instruction after being often reproved (corrected, criticized),
Will suddenly be broken beyond repair.
2
When the righteous are in authority and become great, the people rejoice;
But when the wicked man rules, the people groan and sigh.
3
A man who loves [skillful and godly] wisdom makes his father joyful,
But he who associates with prostitutes wastes his wealth.
4
The king establishes (stabilizes) the land by justice,
But a man who takes bribes overthrows it.
5
A man who flatters his neighbor [with smooth words intending to do harm]
Is spreading a net for his own feet.
6
By his wicked plan an evil man is trapped,
But the righteous man sings and rejoices [for his plan brings good things to him].
7
The righteous man cares for the rights of the poor,
But the wicked man has no interest in such knowledge.
8
Scoffers set a city afire [by stirring up trouble],
But wise men turn away anger [and restore order with their good judgment].
9
If a wise man has a controversy with a foolish and arrogant man,
The foolish man [ignores logic and fairness and] only rages or laughs, and there is no peace (rest, agreement).
10
The bloodthirsty hate the blameless [because of his integrity],
But the upright are concerned for his life.
11
A [shortsighted] fool always loses his temper and displays his anger,
But a wise man [uses self-control and] holds it back.
12
If a ruler pays attention to lies [and encourages corruption],
All his officials will become wicked.
13
The poor man and the oppressor have this in common:
The Lord gives light to the eyes of both.
14
If a king faithfully and truthfully judges the poor,
His throne shall be established forever.
15
The rod and reproof (godly instruction) give wisdom,
But a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother.
16
When the wicked are in authority, transgression increases,
But the righteous will see the downfall of the wicked.
17
Correct your son, and he will give you comfort;
Yes, he will delight your soul.
18
Where there is no vision [no revelation of God and His word], the people are unrestrained;
But happy and blessed is he who keeps the law [of God].
19
A servant will not be corrected by words alone;
For though he understands, he will not respond [nor pay attention].
20
Do you see a [conceited] man who speaks quickly [offering his opinions or answering without thinking]?
There is more hope for a [thickheaded] fool than for him.
21
He who pampers his slave from childhood
Will find him to be a son in the end.
22
An angry man stirs up strife,
And a hot-tempered and undisciplined man commits many transgressions.
23
A man’s pride and sense of self-importance will bring him down,
But he who has a humble spirit will obtain honor.
24
Whoever is partner with a thief hates his own life;
He hears the curse [when swearing an oath to testify], but discloses nothing [and commits perjury by omission].
25
The fear of man brings a snare,
But whoever trusts in and puts his confidence in the Lord will be exalted and safe.
26
Many seek the ruler’s favor,
But justice for man comes from the Lord.
27
An unjust man is repulsive to the righteous,
And he who is upright in the way [of the Lord] is repulsive to the wicked.
2 Thessalonians 3
1 Finally, brothers and sisters, pray continually for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be honored [triumphantly celebrated and glorified], just as it was with you; 2 and [pray] that we will be rescued from perverse and evil men; for not everyone has the faith. 3 But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen you [setting you on a firm foundation] and will protect and guard you from the evil one. 4 We have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you are doing and will continue to do the things [which] we command. 5 May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness and patience of Christ.
6 Now we command you, believers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and by His authority, that you withdraw and keep away from every brother or sister who leads an undisciplined life and does not live in accordance with the tradition and teaching that you have received from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example, because we did not act in an undisciplined or inappropriate manner when we were with you [we were never idle or lazy, nor did we avoid our duties], 8 nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with labor and hardship we worked night and day [to pay our own way] so that we would not be a financial burden on any of you [for our support]; 9 not because we do not have a right to such support, but [we provided our own financial support] to offer ourselves as a model for you, so that you would follow our example. 10 For even while we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. 11 Indeed, we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined and inappropriate life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies [meddling in other people’s business]. 12 Now such people we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and work quietly and earn their own food and other necessities [supporting themselves instead of depending on the hospitality of others]. 13 And as for [the rest of] you, believers, do not grow tired or lose heart in doing good [but continue doing what is right without weakening].
14 Now if anyone [in the church] does not obey what we say in this letter, take special note of that person and do not associate with him, so that he will be ashamed and repent. 15 Do not regard him as an enemy, but keep admonishing him as a [believing] brother.
16 Now may the Lord of peace Himself grant you His peace at all times and in every way [that peace and spiritual well-being that comes to those who walk with Him, regardless of life’s circumstances]. The Lord be with you all.
17 I, Paul, write you this final greeting with my own hand. This is the distinguishing mark in every letter [of mine, that shows it is genuine]. It is the way I write [my handwriting and signature]. 18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you.
