Matthew 14:22-36; Leviticus 22; Leviticus 23; Proverbs 31

Matthew 14:22-36

22 Immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowds.

23 After dismissing the crowds, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone.

24 But the boat was already over a mile from land, battered by the waves, because the wind was against them.

25 Around three in the morning, He came toward them walking on the sea.

26 When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified. "It's a ghost!" they said, and cried out in fear.

27 Immediately Jesus spoke to them. "Have courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."

28 "Lord, if it's You," Peter answered Him, "command me to come to You on the water."

29 "Come!" He said. And climbing out of the boat, Peter started walking on the water and came toward Jesus.

30 But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid. And beginning to sink he cried out, "Lord, save me!"

31 Immediately Jesus reached out His hand, caught hold of him, and said to him, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?"

32 When they got into the boat, the wind ceased.

33 Then those in the boat worshiped Him and said, "Truly You are the Son of God!"

34 Once they crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret.

35 When the men of that place recognized Him, they alerted the whole vicinity and brought to Him all who were sick.

36 They were begging Him that they might only touch the tassel on His robe. And as many as touched it were made perfectly well.

Leviticus 22

1 The Lord spoke to Moses:

2 "Tell Aaron and his sons to deal respectfully with the holy offerings of the Israelites that they have consecrated to Me, so they do not profane My holy name; I am the Lord.

3 Say to them: If any man from any of your descendants throughout your generations is in a state of uncleanness yet approaches the holy offerings that the Israelites consecrate to the Lord, that person will be cut off from My presence; I am the Lord.

4 No man of Aaron's descendants who has a skin disease or a discharge is to eat from the holy offerings until he is clean. Whoever touches anything made unclean by a dead person or by a man who has an emission of semen,

5 or whoever touches any swarming creature that makes him unclean or any person who makes him unclean-whatever his uncleanness-

6 the man who touches any of these will remain unclean until evening and is not to eat from the holy offerings unless he has bathed his body with water.

7 When the sun has set, he will become clean, and then he may eat from the holy offerings, for that is his food.

8 He must not eat an animal that died naturally or was mauled by wild beasts, making himself unclean by it; I am the Lord.

9 They must keep My instruction, or they will be guilty and die because they profane it; I am the Lord who sets them apart.

10 "No one outside a priest's family is to eat the holy offering. A foreigner staying with a priest or a hired hand is not to eat the holy offering.

11 But if a priest purchases someone with his money, that person may eat it, and those born in his house may eat his food.

12 If the priest's daughter is married to a man outside a priest's family, she is not to eat from the holy contributions.

13 But if the priest's daughter becomes widowed or divorced, has no children, and returns to her father's house as in her youth, she may share her father's food. But no outsider may share it.

14 If anyone eats a holy offering in error, he must add a fifth to its value and give the holy offering to the priest.

15 The priests must not profane the holy offerings the Israelites give to the Lord

16 and have them bear the penalty of restitution if the people eat their holy offerings. For I am the Lord who sets them apart."

17 The Lord spoke to Moses:

18 "Speak to Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites and tell them: Any man of the house of Israel or of the foreign residents in Israel who presents his offering-whether they present freewill gifts or payment of vows to the Lord as burnt offerings-

19 must offer an unblemished male from the cattle, sheep, or goats in order for you to be accepted.

20 You are not to present anything that has a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf.

21 "When a man presents a fellowship sacrifice to the Lord to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering from the herd or flock, it has to be unblemished to be acceptable; there must be no defect in it.

22 You are not to present any [animal] to the Lord that is blind, injured, maimed, or has a running sore, festering rash, or scabs; you may not put any of them on the altar as a fire offering to the Lord.

23 You may sacrifice as a freewill offering any animal from the herd or flock that has an elongated or stunted limb, but it is not acceptable as a vow offering.

24 You are not to present to the Lord anything that has bruised, crushed, torn, or severed [testicles]; you must not sacrifice [them] in your land.

25 Neither you nor a foreigner are to present food to your God from any of these animals. They will not be accepted for you because they are deformed and have a defect."

26 The Lord spoke to Moses:

27 "When an ox, sheep, or goat is born, it must remain with its mother for seven days; from the eighth day on, it will be acceptable as a gift, a fire offering to the Lord.

28 But you are not to slaughter an animal from the herd or flock on the same day as its young.

29 When you sacrifice a thank offering to the Lord, sacrifice it so that you may be accepted.

30 It is to be eaten on the same day. Do not let any of it remain until morning; I am the Lord.

31 "You are to keep My commands and do them; I am the Lord.

32 You must not profane My holy name; I must be treated as holy among the Israelites. I am the Lord who sets you apart,

33 the One who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God; I am the Lord."

Leviticus 23

1 The Lord spoke to Moses:

2 "Speak to the Israelites and tell them: These are My appointed times, the times of the Lord that you will proclaim as sacred assemblies.

3 "For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there must be a Sabbath of complete rest, a sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; it is a Sabbath to the Lord wherever you live.

4 "These are the Lord's appointed times, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times

5 The Passover to the Lord comes in the first month, at twilight on the fourteenth day of the month.

6 The Festival of Unleavened Bread to the Lord is on the fifteenth day of the same month. For seven days you must eat unleavened bread.

7 On the first day you are to hold a sacred assembly; you are not to do any daily work.

8 You are to present a fire offering to the Lord for seven days. On the seventh day there will be a sacred assembly; you must not do any daily work."

9 The Lord spoke to Moses:

10 "Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When you enter the land I am giving you and reap its harvest, you are to bring the first sheaf of your harvest to the priest.

11 He will wave the sheaf before the Lord so that you may be accepted; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath.

12 On the day you wave the sheaf, you are to offer a year-old male lamb without blemish as a burnt offering to the Lord.

13 Its grain offering is to be four quarts of fine flour mixed with oil as a fire offering to the Lord, a pleasing aroma, and its drink offering will be one quart of wine.

14 You must not eat bread, roasted grain, or [any] new grain until this very day, and you have brought the offering of your God. This is to be a permanent statute throughout your generations wherever you live.

15 "You are to count seven complete weeks starting from the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the presentation offering.

16 You are to count 50 days until the day after the seventh Sabbath and then present an offering of new grain to the Lord.

17 Bring two loaves of bread from your settlements as a presentation offering, each of them made from four quarts of fine flour, baked with yeast, as firstfruits to the Lord.

18 You are to present with the bread seven unblemished male lambs a year old, one young bull, and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the Lord, with their grain offerings and drink offerings, a fire offering of a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

19 You are also to prepare one male goat as a sin offering, and two male lambs a year old as a fellowship sacrifice

20 The priest will wave the lambs with the bread of firstfruits as a presentation offering before the Lord; the bread and the two lambs will be holy to the Lord for the priest.

21 On that same day you are to make a proclamation and hold a sacred assembly. You are not to do any daily work. This is to be a permanent statute wherever you live throughout your generations

22 When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to reap all the way to the edge of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the foreign resident; I am the Lord your God."

23 The Lord spoke to Moses:

24 "Tell the Israelites: In the seventh month, on the first [day] of the month, you are to have a day of complete rest, commemoration and jubilation-a sacred assembly.

25 You must not do any daily work, but you must present a fire offering to the Lord."

26 The Lord again spoke to Moses:

27 "The tenth [day] of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. You are to hold a sacred assembly and practice self-denial; you are to present a fire offering to the Lord.

28 On this particular day you are not to do any work, for it is a Day of Atonement to make atonement for yourselves before the Lord your God.

29 If any person does not practice self-denial on this particular day, he must be cut off from his people.

30 I will destroy among his people anyone who does any work on this same day.

31 You are not to do any work. This is a permanent statute throughout your generations wherever you live.

32 It will be a Sabbath of complete rest for you, and you must practice self-denial. You are to observe your Sabbath from the evening of the ninth [day] of the month until the [following] evening."

33 The Lord spoke to Moses:

34 "Tell the Israelites: The Festival of Booths to the Lord begins on the fifteenth day of this seventh month and continues for seven days.

35 There is to be a sacred assembly on the first day; you are not to do any daily work.

36 You are to present a fire offering to the Lord for seven days. On the eighth day you are to hold a sacred assembly and present a fire offering to the Lord. It is a solemn gathering; you are not to do any daily work.

37 "These are the Lord's appointed times that you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies for presenting fire offerings to the Lord, burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings, each on its [designated] day.

38 These are in addition to the offerings for the Lord's Sabbaths, your gifts, all your vow offerings, and all your freewill offerings that you give to the Lord.

39 "You are to celebrate the Lord's festival on the fifteenth day of the seventh month for seven days after you have gathered the produce of the land. There will be complete rest on the first day and complete rest on the eighth day.

40 On the first day you are to take the product of majestic trees-palm fronds, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook-and rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days.

41 You are to celebrate it as a festival to the Lord seven days each year. This is a permanent statute for you throughout your generations; you must celebrate it in the seventh month.

42 You are to live in booths for seven days. All the native-born of Israel must live in booths,

43 so that your generations may know that I made the Israelites live in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt; I am the Lord your God."

44 So Moses declared the Lord's appointed times to the Israelites.

Proverbs 31

1 The words of King Lemuel, an oracle that his mother taught him:

2 What [should I say], my son? What, son of my womb? What, son of my vows?

3 Don't spend your energy on women or your efforts on those who destroy kings.

4 It is not for kings, Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine or for rulers [to desire] beer.

5 Otherwise, they will drink, forget what is decreed, and pervert justice for all the oppressed.

6 Give beer to one who is dying, and wine to one whose life is bitter.

7 Let him drink so that he can forget his poverty and remember his trouble no more.

8 Speak up for those who have no voice, for the justice of all who are dispossessed.

9 Speak up, judge righteously, and defend the cause of the oppressed and needy.

10 Who can find a capable wife? She is far more precious than jewels.

11 The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will not lack anything good.

12 She rewards him with good, not evil, all the days of her life.

13 She selects wool and flax and works with willing hands.

14 She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from far away.

15 She rises while it is still night and provides food for her household and portions for her servants.

16 She evaluates a field and buys it; she plants a vineyard with her earnings.

17 She draws on her strength and reveals that her arms are strong.

18 She sees that her profits are good, and her lamp never goes out at night.

19 She extends her hands to the spinning staff, and her hands hold the spindle.

20 Her hands reach out to the poor, and she extends her hands to the needy.

21 She is not afraid for her household when it snows, for all in her household are doubly clothed.

22 She makes her own bed coverings; her clothing is fine linen and purple.

23 Her husband is known at the city gates, where he sits among the elders of the land.

24 She makes and sells linen garments; she delivers belts to the merchants.

25 Strength and honor are her clothing, and she can laugh at the time to come.

26 She opens her mouth with wisdom, and loving instruction is on her tongue.

27 She watches over the activities of her household and is never idle.

28 Her sons rise up and call her blessed. Her husband also praises her:

29 "Many women are capable, but you surpass them all!"

30 Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord will be praised.

31 Give her the reward of her labor, and let her works praise her at the city gates.