Matthew 2; Exodus 22; Exodus 23; Proverbs 10

Matthew 2

1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived unexpectedly in Jerusalem,

2 saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him."

3 When King Herod heard this, he was deeply disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.

4 So he assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people and asked them where the Messiah would be born.

5 "In Bethlehem of Judea," they told him, "because this is what was written by the prophet:

6 And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah: because out of you will come a leader who will shepherd My people Israel. "

7 Then Herod secretly summoned the wise men and asked them the exact time the star appeared.

8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the child. When you find Him, report back to me so that I too can go and worship Him."

9 After hearing the king, they went on their way. And there it was-the star they had seen in the east! It led them until it came and stopped above the place where the child was.

10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed beyond measure.

11 Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary His mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12 And being warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their own country by another route.

13 After they were gone, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Get up! Take the child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. For Herod is about to search for the child to destroy Him."

14 So he got up, took the child and His mother during the night, and escaped to Egypt.

15 He stayed there until Herod's death, so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled: Out of Egypt I called My Son.

16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been outwitted by the wise men, flew into a rage. He gave orders to massacre all the male children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, in keeping with the time he had learned from the wise men.

17 Then what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:

18 A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; and she refused to be consoled, because they were no more.

19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,

20 saying, "Get up! Take the child and His mother and go to the land of Israel, because those who sought the child's life are dead."

21 So he got up, took the child and His mother, and entered the land of Israel.

22 But when he heard that Archelaus 6 was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned in a dream, he withdrew to the region of Galilee.

23 Then he went and settled in a town called Nazareth to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets, that He will be called a Nazarene.

Exodus 22

1 "When a man steals an ox or a sheep and butchers it or sells it, he must repay five cattle for the ox or four sheep for the sheep.

2 If a thief is caught in the act of breaking in, and he is beaten to death, no one is guilty of bloodshed.

3 But if this happens after sunrise, there is guilt of bloodshed. A thief must make full restitution. If he is unable, he is to be sold because of his theft.

4 If what was stolen-whether ox, donkey, or sheep-is actually found alive in his possession, he must repay double.

5 "When a man lets a field or vineyard be grazed in, and then allows his animals to go and graze in someone else's field, he must repay with the best of his own field or vineyard.

6 "When a fire gets out of control, spreads to thornbushes, and consumes stacks of cut grain, standing grain, or a field, the one who started the fire must make full restitution for what was burned.

7 "When a man gives his neighbor money or goods to keep, but they are stolen from that person's house, the thief, if caught, must repay double.

8 If the thief is not caught, the owner of the house must present himself to the judges to determine whether or not he has taken his neighbor's property.

9 In any case of wrongdoing involving an ox, a donkey, a sheep, a garment, or anything [else] lost, and someone claims: That's mine, the case between the two parties is to come before the judges. The one the judges condemn must repay double to his neighbor.

10 "When a man gives his neighbor a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or any [other] animal to care for, but it dies, is injured, or is stolen, while no one is watching,

11 there must be an oath before the Lord between the two of them to determine whether or not he has taken his neighbor's property. Its owner must accept [the oath], and the other man does not have to make restitution.

12 But if, in fact, the animal was stolen from his custody, he must make restitution to its owner.

13 If it was actually torn apart [by a wild animal], he is to bring it as evidence; he does not have to make restitution for the torn carcass.

14 "When a man borrows [an animal] from his neighbor, and it is injured or dies while its owner is not there with it, the man must make full restitution.

15 If its owner is there with it, the man does not have to make restitution. If it was rented, the loss is covered by its rental price.

16 "When a man seduces a virgin who was not promised in marriage, and he has sexual relations with her, he must certainly pay the bridal price for her to be his wife.

17 If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, he must pay an amount in silver equal to the bridal price for virgins.

18 "You must not allow a sorceress to live.

19 "Whoever has sexual intercourse with an animal must be put to death.

20 "Whoever sacrifices to any gods, except the Lord alone, is to be set apart for destruction.

21 "You must not exploit a foreign resident or oppress him, since you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.

22 "You must not mistreat any widow or fatherless child.

23 If you do mistreat them, they will no doubt cry to Me, and I will certainly hear their cry.

24 My anger will burn, and I will kill you with the sword; then your wives will be widows and your children fatherless.

25 "If you lend money to My people-to the poor person among you, you must not be like a moneylender to him; you must not charge him interest.

26 "If you ever take your neighbor's cloak as collateral, return it to him before sunset.

27 For it is his only covering; it is the clothing for his body. What will he sleep in? And if he cries out to Me, I will listen because I am compassionate.

28 "You must not blaspheme God or curse a leader among your people.

29 "You must not hold back [offerings from] your harvest or your vats. Give Me the firstborn of your sons.

30 Do the same with your cattle and your flock. Let them stay with their mothers for seven days, but on the eighth day you are to give them to Me.

31 "Be My holy people. You must not eat the meat of a mauled animal [found] in the field; throw it to the dogs.

Exodus 23

1 "You must not spread a false report. Do not join the wicked to be a malicious witness.

2 "You must not follow a crowd in wrongdoing. Do not testify in a lawsuit and go along with a crowd to pervert [justice].

3 Do not show favoritism to a poor person in his lawsuit.

4 "If you come across your enemy's stray ox or donkey, you must return it to him.

5 "If you see the donkey of someone who hates you lying [helpless] under its load, and you want to refrain from helping it, you must help with it.

6 "You must not deny justice to the poor among you in his lawsuit.

7 Stay far away from a false accusation. Do not kill the innocent and the just, because I will not justify the guilty.

8 You must not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and corrupts the words of the righteous.

9 You must not oppress a foreign resident; you yourselves know how it feels to be a foreigner because you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.

10 "Sow your land for six years and gather its produce.

11 But during the seventh year you are to let it rest and leave it uncultivated, so that the poor among your people may eat [from it] and the wild animals may consume what they leave. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove.

12 "Do your work for six days but rest on the seventh day so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female slave as well as the foreign resident may be refreshed.

13 "Pay strict attention to everything I have said to you. You must not invoke the names of other gods; they must not be heard on your lips.

14 "Celebrate a festival in My honor three times a year

15 Observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread. As I commanded you, you are to eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib, because you came out of Egypt in that month. No one is to appear before Me empty-handed.

16 Also [observe] the Festival of Harvest with the firstfruits of your produce from what you sow in the field, and [observe] the Festival of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather your produce from the field.

17 Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord God .

18 "You must not offer the blood of My sacrifices with anything leavened. The fat of My festival offering must not remain until morning.

19 "Bring the best of the firstfruits of your land to the house of the Lord your God. "You must not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.

20 "I am going to send an Angel before you to protect you on the way and bring you to the place I have prepared.

21 Be attentive to Him and listen to His voice. Do not defy Him, because He will not forgive your acts of rebellion, for My name is in Him

22 But if you will carefully obey Him and do everything I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes.

23 For My Angel will go before you and bring you to [the land of] the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and I will wipe them out.

24 You must not bow down to their gods or worship them. Do not imitate their practices. Instead, demolish them and smash their sacred pillars to pieces.

25 Worship the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. I will take away your illnesses.

26 No woman will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give [you] the full number of your days.

27 "I will cause the people ahead of you to feel terror and throw into confusion all the nations you come to. I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you in retreat.

28 I will send the hornet in front of you, and it will drive the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites away from you.

29 I will not drive them out ahead of you in a single year; otherwise, the land would become desolate, and wild animals would multiply against you.

30 I will drive them out little by little ahead of you until you have become numerous and take possession of the land.

31 I will set your borders from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates River. For I will place the inhabitants of the land under your control, and you will drive them out ahead of you.

32 You must not make a covenant with them or their gods.

33 They must not remain in your land, or else they will make you sin against Me. If you worship their gods, it will be a snare for you."

Proverbs 10

1 Solomon's proverbs: A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son, heartache to his mother.

2 Ill-gotten gains do not profit anyone, but righteousness rescues from death.

3 The Lord will not let the righteous go hungry, but He denies the wicked what they crave.

4 Idle hands make one poor, but diligent hands bring riches.

5 The son who gathers during summer is prudent; the son who sleeps during harvest is disgraceful.

6 Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

7 The remembrance of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.

8 A wise heart accepts commands, but foolish lips will be destroyed.

9 The one who lives with integrity lives securely, but whoever perverts his ways will be found out.

10 A sly wink of the eye causes grief, and foolish lips will be destroyed.

11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

12 Hatred stirs up conflicts, but love covers all offenses.

13 Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning, but a rod is for the back of the one who lacks sense.

14 The wise store up knowledge, but the mouth of the fool hastens destruction.

15 A rich man's wealth is his fortified city; the poverty of the poor is their destruction.

16 The labor of the righteous leads to life; the activity of the wicked leads to sin.

17 The one who follows instruction is on the path to life, but the one who rejects correction goes astray.

18 The one who conceals hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool.

19 When there are many words, sin is unavoidable, but the one who controls his lips is wise.

20 The tongue of the righteous is pure silver; the heart of the wicked is of little value.

21 The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for lack of sense.

22 The Lord's blessing enriches, and struggle adds nothing to it.

23 As shameful conduct is pleasure for a fool, so wisdom is for a man of understanding.

24 What the wicked dreads will come to him, but what the righteous desires will be given to him.

25 When the whirlwind passes, the wicked are no more, but the righteous are secure forever.

26 Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so the slacker is to the one who sends him [on an errand].

27 The fear of the Lord prolongs life, but the years of the wicked are cut short.

28 The hope of the righteous is joy, but the expectation of the wicked comes to nothing.

29 The way of the Lord is a stronghold for the honorable, but destruction awaits the malicious.

30 The righteous will never be shaken, but the wicked will not remain on the earth.

31 The mouth of the righteous produces wisdom, but a perverse tongue will be cut out.

32 The lips of the righteous know what is appropriate, but the mouth of the wicked, [only] what is perverse.