Matthew 13:24-58; Leviticus 19; Proverbs 29

Matthew 13:24-58

24 He presented another parable to them: "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.

25 But while people were sleeping, his enemy came, sowed weeds among the wheat, and left.

26 When the plants sprouted and produced grain, then the weeds also appeared.

27 The landowner's slaves came to him and said, 'Master, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Then where did the weeds come from?'

28 " 'An enemy did this!' he told them. " 'So, do you want us to go and gather them up?' the slaves asked him.

29 " 'No,' he said. 'When you gather up the weeds, you might also uproot the wheat with them.

30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At harvest time I'll tell the reapers: Gather the weeds first and tie them in bundles to burn them, but store the wheat in my barn. ' "

31 He presented another parable to them: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field.

32 It's the smallest of all the seeds, but when grown, it's taller than the vegetables and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the sky come and nest in its branches."

33 He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into 50 pounds of flour until it spread through all of it."

34 Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables, and He would not speak anything to them without a parable,

35 so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled: I will open My mouth in parables; I will declare things kept secret from the foundation of the world.

36 Then He dismissed the crowds and went into the house. His disciples approached Him and said, "Explain the parable of the weeds in the field to us."

37 He replied: "The One who sows the good seed is the Son of Man;

38 the field is the world; and the good seed-these are the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and

39 the enemy who sowed them is the Devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.

40 Therefore just as the weeds are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age.

41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather from His kingdom everything that causes sin and those guilty of lawlessness.

42 They will throw them into the blazing furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father's kingdom. Anyone who has ears should listen!

44 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure, buried in a field, that a man found and reburied. Then in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field.

45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls.

46 When he found one priceless pearl, he went and sold everything he had, and bought it.

47 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a large net thrown into the sea. It collected every kind [of fish],

48 and when it was full, they dragged it ashore, sat down, and gathered the good [fish] into containers, but threw out the worthless ones.

49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out, separate the evil people from the righteous,

50 and throw them into the blazing furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

51 "Have you understood all these things?" "Yes," they told Him.

52 "Therefore," He said to them, "every student of Scripture instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who brings out of his storeroom what is new and what is old."

53 When Jesus had finished these parables, He left there.

54 He went to His hometown and began to teach them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, "How did this wisdom and these miracles come to Him?

55 Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't His mother called Mary, and His brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?

56 And His sisters, aren't they all with us? So where does He get all these things?"

57 And they were offended by Him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his household."

58 And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.

Leviticus 19

1 The Lord spoke to Moses:

2 "Speak to the entire Israelite community and tell them: Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.

3 "Each of you is to respect his mother and father. You are to keep My Sabbaths; I am the Lord your God.

4 Do not turn to idols or make cast images of gods for yourselves; I am the Lord your God.

5 "When you offer a fellowship sacrifice to the Lord, sacrifice it that you may be accepted.

6 It is to be eaten on the day you sacrifice [it] or on the next day, but what remains on the third day must be burned up.

7 If any is eaten on the third day, it is a repulsive thing; it will not be accepted.

8 Anyone who eats it will bear his punishment, for he has profaned what is holy to the Lord. That person must be cut off from his people.

9 "When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to reap to the very edge of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest.

10 You must not strip your vineyard bare or gather its fallen grapes. Leave them for the poor and the foreign resident; I am the Lord your God.

11 "You must not steal. You must not act deceptively or lie to one another.

12 You must not swear falsely by My name, profaning the name of your God; I am the Lord.

13 "You must not oppress your neighbor or rob [him]. The wages due a hired hand must not remain with you until morning.

14 You must not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but you are to fear your God; I am the Lord.

15 "You must not act unjustly when rendering judgment. Do not be partial to the poor or give preference to the rich; judge your neighbor fairly.

16 You must not go about spreading slander among your people; you must not jeopardize your neighbor's life; I am the Lord.

17 "You must not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor directly, and you will not incur guilt because of him.

18 Do not take revenge or bear a grudge against members of your community, but love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord.

19 "You are to keep My statutes. You must not crossbreed two different kinds of your livestock, sow your fields with two kinds of seed, or put on a garment made of two kinds of material.

20 "If a man has sexual intercourse with a woman who is a slave designated for [another] man, but she has not been redeemed or given her freedom, there must be punishment. They are not to be put to death, because she had not been freed.

21 However, he must bring his ram as a restitution offering to the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

22 The priest will make atonement on his behalf before the Lord with the ram of the restitution offering for the sin he has committed, and he will be forgiven for the sin he committed.

23 "When you come into the land and plant any kind of tree for food, you are to consider the fruit forbidden. It will be forbidden to you for three years; it is not to be eaten.

24 In the fourth year all its fruit must be consecrated as a praise offering to the Lord.

25 But in the fifth year you may eat its fruit. In this way its yield will increase for you; I am the Lord your God.

26 "You are not to eat [anything] with blood [in it]. You are not to practice divination or sorcery.

27 You are not to cut off the hair at the sides of your head or mar the edge of your beard.

28 You are not to make gashes on your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves; I am the Lord.

29 "Do not debase your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land will be prostituted and filled with depravity.

30 You must keep My Sabbaths and revere My sanctuary; I am the Lord.

31 "Do not turn to mediums or consult spiritists, or you will be defiled by them; I am the Lord your God.

32 "You are to rise in the presence of the elderly and honor the old. Fear your God; I am the Lord.

33 "When a foreigner lives with you in your land, you must not oppress him.

34 You must regard the foreigner who lives with you as the native-born among you. You are to love him as yourself, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.

35 "You must not act unfairly in measurements of length, weight, or volume.

36 You are to have honest balances, honest weights, an honest dry measure, and an honest liquid measure; I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.

37 You must keep all My statutes and all My ordinances and do them; I am the Lord."

Proverbs 29

1 One who becomes stiff-necked, after many reprimands will be broken suddenly- and without a remedy.

2 When the righteous flourish, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, people groan.

3 A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father, but one who consorts with prostitutes destroys his wealth.

4 By justice a king brings stability to a land, but a man [who demands] "contributions" demolishes it.

5 A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet.

6 An evil man is caught by sin, but the righteous one sings and rejoices.

7 The righteous person knows the rights of the poor, but the wicked one does not understand these concerns.

8 Mockers inflame a city, but the wise turn away anger.

9 If a wise man goes to court with a fool, there will be ranting and raving but no resolution.

10 Bloodthirsty men hate an honest person, but the upright care about him.

11 A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man holds it in check.

12 If a ruler listens to lies, all his servants will be wicked.

13 The poor and the oppressor have this in common: the Lord gives light to the eyes of both.

14 A king who judges the poor with fairness- his throne will be established forever.

15 A rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a youth left to himself is a disgrace to his mother.

16 When the wicked increase, rebellion increases, but the righteous will see their downfall.

17 Discipline your son, and he will give you comfort; he will also give you delight.

18 Without revelation people run wild, but one who keeps the law will be happy.

19 A servant cannot be disciplined by words; though he understands, he doesn't respond.

20 Do you see a man who speaks too soon? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

21 A slave pampered from his youth will become arrogant later on.

22 An angry man stirs up conflict, and a hot-tempered man increases rebellion.

23 A person's pride will humble him, but a humble spirit will gain honor.

24 To be a thief's partner is to hate oneself; he hears the curse but will not testify.

25 The fear of man is a snare, but the one who trusts in the Lord is protected.

26 Many seek a ruler's favor, but a man receives justice from the Lord.

27 An unjust man is detestable to the righteous, and one whose way is upright is detestable to the wicked.