Leviticus 4
1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Tell the Israelites, ‘When a person sins by straying unintentionally from any of the Lord’s commandments which must not be violated, and violates any one of them—
3 “‘If the high priest sins so that the people are guilty, on account of the sin he has committed he must present a flawless young bull to the Lord for a sin offering. 4 He must bring the bull to the entrance of the Meeting Tent before the Lord, lay his hand on the head of the bull, and slaughter the bull before the Lord. 5 Then that high priest must take some of the blood of the bull and bring it to the Meeting Tent. 6 The priest must dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of it seven times before the Lord toward the front of the special curtain of the sanctuary. 7 The priest must put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense that is before the Lord in the Meeting Tent, and all the rest of the bull’s blood he must pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering that is at the entrance of the Meeting Tent.
8 “‘Then he must take up all the fat from the sin offering bull: the fat covering the entrails and all the fat surrounding the entrails, 9 the two kidneys with the fat on their sinews, and the protruding lobe on the liver (which he is to remove along with the kidneys) 10 —just as it is taken from the ox of the peace-offering sacrifice—and the priest must offer them up in smoke on the altar of burnt offering. 11 But the hide of the bull, all its flesh along with its head and its legs, its entrails, and its dung— 12 all the rest of the bull—he must bring outside the camp to a ceremonially clean place, to the fatty-ash pile, and he must burn it on a wood fire; it must be burned on the fatty-ash pile.
13 “‘If the whole congregation of Israel strays unintentionally and the matter is not noticed by the assembly, and they violate one of the Lord’s commandments, which must not be violated, so they become guilty, 14 the assembly must present a young bull for a sin offering when the sin they have committed becomes known. They must bring it before the Meeting Tent, 15 the elders of the congregation must lay their hands on the head of the bull before the Lord, and someone must slaughter the bull before the Lord. 16 Then the high priest must bring some of the blood of the bull to the Meeting Tent, 17 and that priest must dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of the blood seven times before the Lord toward the front of the curtain. 18 He must put some of the blood on the horns of the altar which is before the Lord in the Meeting Tent, and all the rest of the blood he must pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering that is at the entrance of the Meeting Tent.
19 “‘Then the priest must take all its fat and offer the fat up in smoke on the altar. 20 He must do with the rest of the bull just as he did with the bull of the sin offering; this is what he must do with it. So the priest will make atonement on their behalf and they will be forgiven. 21 He must bring the rest of the bull outside the camp and burn it just as he burned the first bull—it is the sin offering of the assembly.
22 “‘Whenever a leader, by straying unintentionally, sins and violates one of the commandments of the Lord his God which must not be violated, and he pleads guilty, 23 or his sin that he committed is made known to him, he must bring a flawless male goat as his offering. 24 He must lay his hand on the head of the male goat and slaughter it in the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered before the Lord—it is a sin offering. 25 Then the priest must take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and he must pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering. 26 Then the priest must offer all of its fat up in smoke on the altar like the fat of the peace-offering sacrifice. So the priest will make atonement on his behalf for his sin and he will be forgiven.
27 “‘If an ordinary individual sins by straying unintentionally when he violates one of the Lord’s commandments which must not be violated, and he pleads guilty, 28 or his sin that he committed is made known to him, he must bring a flawless female goat as his offering for the sin that he committed. 29 He must lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter the sin offering in the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered. 30 Then the priest must take some of its blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and he must pour out all the rest of its blood at the base of the altar. 31 Then he must remove all of its fat (just as fat was removed from the peace-offering sacrifice) and the priest must offer it up in smoke on the altar for a soothing aroma to the Lord. So the priest will make atonement on his behalf and he will be forgiven.
32 “‘But if he brings a sheep as his offering, for a sin offering, he must bring a flawless female. 33 He must lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it for a sin offering in the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered. 34 Then the priest must take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and he must pour out all the rest of its blood at the base of the altar. 35 Then the one who brought the offering must remove all its fat (just as the fat of the sheep is removed from the peace-offering sacrifice) and the priest must offer them up in smoke on the altar on top of the other gifts for the Lord. So the priest will make atonement on his behalf for his sin which he has committed and he will be forgiven.
Psalms 1-2
1 How blessed is the one who does not follow the advice of the wicked,
or stand in the pathway with sinners,
or sit in the assembly of scoffers.
2 Instead he finds pleasure in obeying the Lord’s commands;
he meditates on his commands day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted by flowing streams;
it yields its fruit at the proper time,
and its leaves never fall off.
He succeeds in everything he attempts.
4 Not so with the wicked!
Instead they are like wind-driven chaff.
5 For this reason the wicked cannot withstand judgment,
nor can sinners join the assembly of the godly.
6 Certainly the Lord guards the way of the godly,
but the way of the wicked ends in destruction.
1 Why do the nations rebel?
Why are the countries devising plots that will fail?
2 The kings of the earth form a united front;
the rulers collaborate
against the Lord and his anointed king.
3 They say, “Let’s tear off the shackles they’ve put on us.
Let’s free ourselves from their ropes.”
4 The one enthroned in heaven laughs in disgust;
the Lord taunts them.
5 Then he angrily speaks to them
and terrifies them in his rage, saying,
6 “I myself have installed my king
on Zion, my holy hill.”
7 The king says, “I will announce the Lord’s decree. He said to me:
‘You are my son. This very day I have become your father.
8 Ask me,
and I will give you the nations as your inheritance,
the ends of the earth as your personal property.
9 You will break them with an iron scepter;
you will smash them like a potter’s jar.’”
10 So now, you kings, do what is wise;
you rulers of the earth, submit to correction.
11 Serve the Lord in fear.
Repent in terror.
12 Give sincere homage.
Otherwise he will be angry,
and you will die because of your behavior,
when his anger quickly ignites.
How blessed are all who take shelter in him!
Proverbs 19
1 Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity
than one who is perverse in his speech and is a fool.
2 It is dangerous to have zeal without knowledge,
and the one who acts hastily makes poor choices.
3 A person’s folly subverts his way,
and his heart rages against the Lord.
4 Wealth adds many friends,
but a poor person is separated from his friend.
5 A false witness will not go unpunished,
and the one who spouts out lies will not escape punishment.
6 Many people entreat the favor of a generous person,
and everyone is the friend of the person who gives gifts.
7 All the relatives of a poor person hate him;
how much more do his friends avoid him—
one who chases words, which are nothing.
8 The one who acquires understanding loves himself;
the one who preserves understanding will prosper.
9 A false witness will not go unpunished,
and the one who spouts out lies will perish.
10 Luxury is not appropriate for a fool;
how much less for a servant to rule over princes!
11 A person’s wisdom has made him slow to anger,
and it is his glory to overlook an offense.
12 A king’s wrath is like the roar of a lion,
but his favor is like dew on the grass.
13 A foolish child is the ruin of his father,
and a contentious wife is like a constant dripping.
14 A house and wealth are inherited from parents,
but a prudent wife is from the Lord.
15 Laziness brings on a deep sleep,
and the idle person will go hungry.
16 The one who obeys commandments guards his life;
the one who despises his ways will die.
17 The one who is gracious to the poor lends to the Lord,
and the Lord will repay him for his good deed.
18 Discipline your child, for there is hope,
but do not set your heart on causing his death.
19 A person with great anger bears the penalty,
but if you deliver him from it once, you will have to do it again.
20 Listen to advice and receive discipline,
that you may become wise by the end of your life.
21 There are many plans in a person’s mind,
but it is the counsel of the Lord that will stand.
22 What is desirable for a person is to show loyal love,
and a poor person is better than a liar.
23 Fearing the Lord leads to life,
and one who does so will live satisfied; he will not be afflicted by calamity.
24 The sluggard has plunged his hand into the dish,
and he will not even bring it back to his mouth!
25 Flog a scorner, and as a result the simpleton will learn prudence;
correct a discerning person, and as a result he will understand knowledge.
26 The one who robs his father and chases away his mother
is a son who brings shame and disgrace.
27 If you stop listening to instruction, my child,
you will stray from the words of knowledge.
28 A crooked witness scorns justice,
and the mouth of the wicked devours iniquity.
29 Penalties have been prepared for scorners,
and floggings for the backs of fools.
Colossians 2
1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you, and for those in Laodicea, and for those who have not met me face to face. 2 My goal is that their hearts, having been knit together in love, may be encouraged, and that they may have all the riches that assurance brings in their understanding of the knowledge of the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I say this so that no one will deceive you through arguments that sound reasonable. 5 For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your morale and the firmness of your faith in Christ.
6 Therefore, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and firm in your faith just as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. 8 Be careful not to allow anyone to captivate you through an empty, deceitful philosophy that is according to human traditions and the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in him all the fullness of deity lives in bodily form, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head over every ruler and authority. 11 In him you also were circumcised—not, however, with a circumcision performed by human hands, but by the removal of the fleshly body, that is, through the circumcision done by Christ. 12 Having been buried with him in baptism, you also have been raised with him through your faith in the power of God who raised him from the dead. 13 And even though you were dead in your transgressions and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he nevertheless made you alive with him, having forgiven all your transgressions. 14 He has destroyed what was against us, a certificate of indebtedness expressed in decrees opposed to us. He has taken it away by nailing it to the cross. 15 Disarming the rulers and authorities, he has made a public disgrace of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you with respect to food or drink, or in the matter of a feast, new moon, or Sabbath days— 17 these are only the shadow of the things to come, but the reality is Christ! 18 Let no one who delights in false humility and the worship of angels pass judgment on you. That person goes on at great lengths about what he has supposedly seen, but he is puffed up with empty notions by his fleshly mind. 19 He has not held fast to the head from whom the whole body, supported and knit together through its ligaments and sinews, grows with a growth that is from God.
20 If you have died with Christ to the elemental spirits of the world, why do you submit to them as though you lived in the world? 21 “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!” 22 These are all destined to perish with use, founded as they are on human commands and teachings. 23 Even though they have the appearance of wisdom with their self-imposed worship and humility achieved by an unsparing treatment of the body—a wisdom with no true value—they in reality result in fleshly indulgence.
