Matthew 10:26-42; Leviticus 9; Leviticus 10; Proverbs 23

Matthew 10:26-42

26 "Therefore, don't be afraid of them, since there is nothing covered that won't be uncovered, and nothing hidden that won't be made known.

27 What I tell you in the dark, speak in the light. What you hear in a whisper, proclaim on the housetops.

28 Don't fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; rather, fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

29 Aren't two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's consent.

30 But even the hairs of your head have all been counted.

31 Don't be afraid therefore; you are worth more than many sparrows.

32 "Therefore, everyone who will acknowledge Me before men, I will also acknowledge him before My Father in heaven.

33 But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in heaven.

34 Don't assume that I came to bring peace on the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.

35 For I came to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;

36 and a man's enemies will be the members of his household.

37 The person who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; the person who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.

38 And whoever doesn't take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me.

39 Anyone finding his life will lose it, and anyone losing his life because of Me will find it.

40 "The one who welcomes you welcomes Me, and the one who welcomes Me welcomes Him who sent Me.

41 Anyone who welcomes a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward. And anyone who welcomes a righteous person because he's righteous will receive a righteous person's reward.

42 And whoever gives just a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is a disciple -I assure you: He will never lose his reward!"

Leviticus 9

1 On the eighth day Moses summoned Aaron, his sons, and the elders of Israel.

2 He said to Aaron, "Take a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering, both without blemish, and present [them] before the Lord.

3 And tell the Israelites: 'Take a male goat for a sin offering; a calf and a lamb, male yearlings without blemish, for a burnt offering;

4 an ox and a ram for a fellowship offering to sacrifice before the Lord; and a grain offering mixed with oil. For today the Lord is going to appear to you.' "

5 They brought what Moses had commanded to the front of the tent of meeting, and the whole community came forward and stood before the Lord.

6 Moses said, "This is what the Lord commanded you to do, that the glory of the Lord may appear to you."

7 Then Moses said to Aaron, "Approach the altar and sacrifice your sin offering and your burnt offering; make atonement for yourself and the people. Sacrifice the people's offering and make atonement for them, as the Lord commanded."

8 So Aaron approached the altar and slaughtered the calf as a sin offering for himself.

9 Aaron's sons brought the blood to him, and he dipped his finger in the blood and applied it to the horns of the altar. He poured out the blood at the base of the altar.

10 He burned the fat, the kidneys, and the fatty lobe of the liver from the sin offering on the altar, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

11 He burned up the flesh and the hide outside the camp.

12 Then he slaughtered the burnt offering. Aaron's sons brought him the blood, and he sprinkled it on all sides of the altar.

13 They brought him the burnt offering piece by piece, along with the head, and he burned [them] on the altar.

14 He washed the entrails and the shanks and burned them with the burnt offering on the altar.

15 Aaron presented the people's offering. He took the male goat for the people's sin offering, slaughtered it, and made a sin offering with it as he did before.

16 He presented the burnt offering and sacrificed it according to the regulation.

17 Next he presented the grain offering, took a handful of it, and burned it on the altar in addition to the morning burnt offering.

18 Finally, he slaughtered the ox and the ram as the people's fellowship sacrifice. Aaron's sons brought him the blood, and he sprinkled it on all sides of the altar.

19 They also brought the fat portions from the ox and the ram-the fat tail, the [fat] surrounding [the entrails], the kidneys, and the fatty lobe of the liver-

20 and placed these on the breasts. Aaron burned the fat portions on the altar,

21 but he waved the breasts and the right thigh as a presentation offering before the Lord, as Moses had commanded.

22 Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them. He came down after sacrificing the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the fellowship offering.

23 Moses and Aaron then entered the tent of meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people, and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people.

24 Fire came out from the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell facedown [on the ground].

Leviticus 10

1 Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu each took his own firepan, put fire in it, placed incense on it, and presented unauthorized fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them [to do].

2 Then flames leaped from the Lord's presence and burned them to death before the Lord.

3 So Moses said to Aaron, "This is what the Lord meant when He said: I will show My holiness to those who are near Me, and I will reveal My glory before all the people." But Aaron remained silent.

4 Moses summoned Mishael and Elzaphan, sons of Aaron's uncle Uzziel, and said to them, "Come here and carry your relatives away from the front of the sanctuary to [a place] outside the camp."

5 So they came forward and carried them in their tunics outside the camp, as Moses had said.

6 Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, "Do not let your hair hang loose and do not tear your garments, or else you will die, and the Lord will become angry with the whole community. However, your brothers, the whole house of Israel, may mourn over that tragedy when the Lord sent the fire.

7 You must not go outside the entrance to the tent of meeting or you will die, for the Lord's anointing oil is on you." So they did as Moses said.

8 The Lord spoke to Aaron:

9 "You and your sons are not to drink wine or beer when you enter the tent of meeting, or else you will die; this is a permanent statute throughout your generations.

10 You must distinguish between the holy and the common, and the clean and the unclean,

11 and teach the Israelites all the statutes that the Lord has given to them through Moses."

12 Moses spoke to Aaron and his remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar: "Take the grain offering that is left over from the fire offerings to the Lord, and eat it prepared without yeast beside the altar, because it is especially holy.

13 You must eat it in a holy place because it is your portion and your sons' from the fire offerings to the Lord, for this is what I was commanded.

14 But you and your sons and your daughters may eat the breast of the presentation offering and the thigh of the contribution in any ceremonially clean place, because these portions have been assigned to you and your children from the Israelites' fellowship sacrifices.

15 They are to bring the thigh of the contribution and the breast of the presentation offering, together with the offerings of fat portions made by fire, to wave as a presentation offering before the Lord. It will belong permanently to you and your children, as the Lord commanded."

16 Later, Moses inquired about the male goat of the sin offering, but it had already been burned up. He was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's surviving sons, and asked,

17 "Why didn't you eat the sin offering in the sanctuary area? For it is especially holy, and He has assigned it to you to take away the guilt of the community and make atonement for them before the Lord.

18 Since its blood was not brought inside the sanctuary, you should have eaten it in the sanctuary [area], as I commanded."

19 But Aaron replied to Moses, "See, today they presented their sin offering and their burnt offering before the Lord. Since these things have happened to me, if I had eaten the sin offering today, would it have been acceptable in the Lord's sight?"

20 When Moses heard this, it was acceptable to him.

Proverbs 23

1 When you sit down to dine with a ruler, consider carefully what is before you,

2 and stick a knife in your throat if you have a big appetite;

3 don't desire his choice food, for that food is deceptive.

4 Don't wear yourself out to get rich; stop giving your attention to it.

5 As soon as your eyes fly to it, it disappears, for it makes wings for itself and flies like an eagle to the sky.

6 Don't eat a stingy person's bread, and don't desire his choice food,

7 for as he thinks within himself, so he is. "Eat and drink," he says to you, but his heart is not with you.

8 You will vomit the little you've eaten and waste your pleasant words.

9 Don't speak to a fool, for he will despise the insight of your words.

10 Don't move an ancient property line, and don't encroach on the fields of the fatherless,

11 for their Redeemer is strong, and He will take up their case against you.

12 Apply yourself to instruction and listen to words of knowledge.

13 Don't withhold correction from a youth; if you beat him with a rod, he will not die.

14 Strike him with a rod, and you will rescue his life from Sheol.

15 My son, if your heart is wise, my heart will indeed rejoice.

16 My innermost being will cheer when your lips say what is right.

17 Don't be jealous of sinners; instead, always fear the Lord.

18 For then you will have a future, and your hope will never fade.

19 Listen, my son, and be wise; keep your mind on the right course.

20 Don't associate with those who drink too much wine, or with those who gorge themselves on meat.

21 For the drunkard and the glutton will become poor, and grogginess will clothe [them] in rags.

22 Listen to your father who gave you life, and don't despise your mother when she is old.

23 Buy-and do not sell-truth, wisdom, instruction, and understanding.

24 The father of a righteous son will rejoice greatly, and one who fathers a wise son will delight in him.

25 Let your father and mother have joy, and let her who gave birth to you rejoice.

26 My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways.

27 For a prostitute is a deep pit, and a forbidden woman is a narrow well;

28 indeed, she sets an ambush like a robber and increases those among men who are unfaithful.

29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has conflicts? Who has complaints? Who has wounds for no reason? Who has red eyes?

30 Those who linger over wine, those who go looking for mixed wine.

31 Don't gaze at wine when it is red, when it gleams in the cup and goes down smoothly.

32 In the end it bites like a snake and stings like a viper.

33 Your eyes will see strange things, and you will say absurd things.

34 You'll be like someone sleeping out at sea or lying down on the top of a ship's mast.

35 "They struck me, but I feel no pain! They beat me, but I didn't know it! When will I wake up? I'll look for another [drink]."