Monday, December 4, 2028

^5:1Don’t rebuke an older man, but exhort him as a father; the younger men as brothers; ²the elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, in all purity. ³Honor widows who are widows indeed. ⁴But if any widow has children or grandchildren, let them learn first to show piety toward their own family and to repay their parents, for this is acceptable in the sight of God. ⁵Now she who is a widow indeed and desolate, has her hope set on God and continues in petitions and prayers night and day.

⁶But she who gives herself to pleasure is dead while she lives. ⁷Also command these things, that they may be without reproach. ⁸But if anyone doesn’t provide for his own, and especially his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. ⁹Let no one be enrolled as a widow under sixty years old, having been the wife of one man, ¹⁰being approved by good works, if she has brought up children, if she has been hospitable to strangers, if she has washed the saints’ feet, if she has relieved the afflicted, and if she has diligently followed every good work.

^13:7Remember your leaders, men who spoke to you the word of God, and considering the results of their conduct, imitate their faith. ⁸Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. ⁹Don’t be carried away by various and strange teachings, for it is good that the heart be established by grace, not by foods, through which those who were so occupied were not benefited. ¹⁰We have an altar from which those who serve the holy tabernacle have no right to eat. ¹¹For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside of the camp.

¹²Therefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people through his own blood, suffered outside of the gate. ¹³Let’s therefore go out to him outside of the camp, bearing his reproach. ¹⁴For we don’t have here an enduring city, but we seek that which is to come. ¹⁵Through him, then, let’s offer up a sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of lips which proclaim allegiance to his name. ¹⁶But don’t forget to be doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

^20:27Some of the Sadducees came to him, those who deny that there is a resurrection. ²⁸They asked him, “Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man’s brother dies having a wife, and he is childless, his brother should take the wife and raise up children for his brother. ²⁹There were therefore seven brothers. The first took a wife, and died childless. ³⁰The second took her as wife, and he died childless. ³¹The third took her, and likewise the seven all left no children, and died. ³²Afterward the woman also died.

³³Therefore in the resurrection whose wife of them will she be? For the seven had her as a wife.” ³⁴Jesus said to them, “The children of this age marry and are given in marriage. ³⁵But those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. ³⁶For they can’t die any more, for they are like the angels and are children of God, being children of the resurrection. ³⁷But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed at the bush, when he called the Lord ‘The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’

³⁸Now he is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for all are alive to him.” ³⁹Some of the scribes answered, “Teacher, you speak well.” ⁴⁰They didn’t dare to ask him any more questions. ⁴¹He said to them, “Why do they say that the Christ is David’s son? ⁴²David himself says in the book of Psalms, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, ⁴³until I make your enemies the footstool of your feet.”’ ⁴⁴“David therefore calls him Lord, so how is he his son?”

^12:32“Don’t be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom. ³³Sell what you have and give gifts to the needy. Make for yourselves purses which don’t grow old, a treasure in the heavens that doesn’t fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. ³⁴For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. ³⁵“Let your waist be dressed and your lamps burning. ³⁶Be like men watching for their lord when he returns from the wedding feast, that when he comes and knocks, they may immediately open to him.

³⁷Blessed are those servants whom the lord will find watching when he comes. Most certainly I tell you that he will dress himself, make them recline, and will come and serve them. ³⁸They will be blessed if he comes in the second or third watch and finds them so. ³⁹But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what hour the thief was coming, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. ⁴⁰Therefore be ready also, for the Son of Man is coming in an hour that you don’t expect him.”

^43:27And it shall come to pass from the eighth day and onward, that the priests shall offer your whole-burnt-offerings on the altar, and your peace-offerings; and I will accept you, saith the Lord. ^44:1Then he brought me back by the way of the outer gate of the sanctuary that looks eastward; and it was shut. ²And the Lord said to me, This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no one shall pass through it; for the Lord God of Israel shall enter by it, and it shall be shut.

³For the prince, he shall sit in it, to eat bread before the Lord; he shall go in by the way of the porch of the gate, and shall go forth by the way of the same. ⁴And he brought me in by the way of the gate that looks northward, in front of the house: and I looked, and, behold, the house was full of the glory of the Lord: and I fell upon my face.

^1:39Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Judah, ⁴⁰and entered into the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴²She called out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! ⁴³Why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴For behold, when the voice of your greeting came into my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy!

⁴⁵Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of the things which have been spoken to her from the Lord!” ⁴⁶Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord. ⁴⁷My spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior, ⁴⁸for he has looked at the humble state of his servant. For behold, from now on, all generations will call me blessed. ⁴⁹For he who is mighty has done great things for me. Holy is his name. ⁵⁶Mary stayed with her about three months, and then returned to her house.

^9:1Now indeed even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service and an earthly sanctuary. ²For a tabernacle was prepared. In the first part were the lamp stand, the table, and the show bread, which is called the Holy Place. ³After the second veil was the tabernacle which is called the Holy of Holies, ⁴having a golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which was a golden pot holding the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant; ⁵and above it cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat, of which things we can’t speak now in detail.

⁶Now these things having been thus prepared, the priests go in continually into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the services, ⁷but into the second the high priest alone, once in the year, not without blood, which he offers for himself and for the errors of the people.

^5:1Don’t rebuke an older man, but exhort him as a father; the younger men as brothers; ²the elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, in all purity. ³Honor widows who are widows indeed. ⁴But if any widow has children or grandchildren, let them learn first to show piety toward their own family and to repay their parents, for this is acceptable in the sight of God. ⁵Now she who is a widow indeed and desolate, has her hope set on God and continues in petitions and prayers night and day.

⁶But she who gives herself to pleasure is dead while she lives. ⁷Also command these things, that they may be without reproach. ⁸But if anyone doesn’t provide for his own, and especially his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. ⁹Let no one be enrolled as a widow under sixty years old, having been the wife of one man, ¹⁰being approved by good works, if she has brought up children, if she has been hospitable to strangers, if she has washed the saints’ feet, if she has relieved the afflicted, and if she has diligently followed every good work.

^10:38As they went on their way, he entered into a certain village, and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. ³⁹She had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard his word. ⁴⁰But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she came up to him, and said, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister left me to serve alone? Ask her therefore to help me.” ⁴¹Jesus answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, ⁴²but one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

^11:27It came to pass, as he said these things, a certain woman out of the multitude lifted up her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts which nursed you!” ²⁸But he said, “On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God, and keep it.”

^17:20Being asked by the Pharisees when God’s Kingdom would come, he answered them, “God’s Kingdom doesn’t come with observation; ²¹neither will they say, ‘Look, here!’ or, ‘Look, there!’ for behold, God’s Kingdom is within you.” ²²He said to the disciples, “The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. ²³They will tell you, ‘Look, here!’ or ‘Look, there!’ Don’t go away or follow after them, ²⁴for as the lightning, when it flashes out of one part under the sky, shines to another part under the sky, so will the Son of Man be in his day. ²⁵But first, he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.