Today's Readings: August 3

[1] These are the generations of Aaron and Moses at the time when the LORD spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai. [2] These are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. [3] These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed priests, whom he ordained to serve as priests. [4] But Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD when they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests in the lifetime of Aaron their father.

[5] And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, [6] “Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him. [7] They shall keep guard over him and over the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, as they minister at the tabernacle. [8] They shall guard all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, and keep guard over the people of Israel as they minister at the tabernacle. [9] And you shall give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are wholly given to him from among the people of Israel. [10] And you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall guard their priesthood. But if any outsider comes near, he shall be put to death.”

[11] And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, [12] “Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the people of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the people of Israel. The Levites shall be mine, [13] for all the firstborn are mine. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated for my own all the firstborn in Israel, both of man and of beast. They shall be mine: I am the LORD.”

[14] And the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying, [15] “List the sons of Levi, by fathers’ houses and by clans; every male from a month old and upward you shall list.” [16] So Moses listed them according to the word of the LORD, as he was commanded. [17] And these were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon and Kohath and Merari. [18] And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their clans: Libni and Shimei. [19] And the sons of Kohath by their clans: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. [20] And the sons of Merari by their clans: Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of the Levites, by their fathers’ houses.

[21] To Gershon belonged the clan of the Libnites and the clan of the Shimeites; these were the clans of the Gershonites. [22] Their listing according to the number of all the males from a month old and upward was 7,500. [23] The clans of the Gershonites were to camp behind the tabernacle on the west, [24] with Eliasaph, the son of Lael as chief of the fathers’ house of the Gershonites. [25] And the guard duty of the sons of Gershon in the tent of meeting involved the tabernacle, the tent with its covering, the screen for the entrance of the tent of meeting, [26] the hangings of the court, the screen for the door of the court that is around the tabernacle and the altar, and its cords—all the service connected with these.

[27] To Kohath belonged the clan of the Amramites and the clan of the Izharites and the clan of the Hebronites and the clan of the Uzzielites; these are the clans of the Kohathites. [28] According to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, there were 8,600, keeping guard over the sanctuary. [29] The clans of the sons of Kohath were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle, [30] with Elizaphan the son of Uzziel as chief of the fathers’ house of the clans of the Kohathites. [31] And their guard duty involved the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the vessels of the sanctuary with which the priests minister, and the screen; all the service connected with these. [32] And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest was to be chief over the chiefs of the Levites, and to have oversight of those who kept guard over the sanctuary.

[33] To Merari belonged the clan of the Mahlites and the clan of the Mushites: these are the clans of Merari. [34] Their listing according to the number of all the males from a month old and upward was 6,200. [35] And the chief of the fathers’ house of the clans of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail. They were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle. [36] And the appointed guard duty of the sons of Merari involved the frames of the tabernacle, the bars, the pillars, the bases, and all their accessories; all the service connected with these; [37] also the pillars around the court, with their bases and pegs and cords.

[38] Those who were to camp before the tabernacle on the east, before the tent of meeting toward the sunrise, were Moses and Aaron and his sons, guarding the sanctuary itself, to protect the people of Israel. And any outsider who came near was to be put to death. [39] All those listed among the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron listed at the commandment of the LORD, by clans, all the males from a month old and upward, were 22,000.

[40] And the LORD said to Moses, “List all the firstborn males of the people of Israel, from a month old and upward, taking the number of their names. [41] And you shall take the Levites for me—I am the LORD—instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the cattle of the people of Israel.” [42] So Moses listed all the firstborn among the people of Israel, as the LORD commanded him. [43] And all the firstborn males, according to the number of names, from a month old and upward as listed were 22,273.

[44] And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, [45] “Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle. The Levites shall be mine: I am the LORD. [46] And as the redemption price for the 273 of the firstborn of the people of Israel, over and above the number of the male Levites, [47] you shall take five shekels per head; you shall take them according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel of twenty gerahs), [48] and give the money to Aaron and his sons as the redemption price for those who are over.” [49] So Moses took the redemption money from those who were over and above those redeemed by the Levites. [50] From the firstborn of the people of Israel he took the money, 1,365 shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary. [51] And Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons, according to the word of the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses.

[1] The word of the LORD came to me: [2] “Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother. [3] They played the whore in Egypt; they played the whore in their youth; there their breasts were pressed and their virgin bosoms handled. [4] Oholah was the name of the elder and Oholibah the name of her sister. They became mine, and they bore sons and daughters. As for their names, Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem.

[5] “Oholah played the whore while she was mine, and she lusted after her lovers the Assyrians, warriors [6] clothed in purple, governors and commanders, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding on horses. [7] She bestowed her whoring upon them, the choicest men of Assyria all of them, and she defiled herself with all the idols of everyone after whom she lusted. [8] She did not give up her whoring that she had begun in Egypt; for in her youth men had lain with her and handled her virgin bosom and poured out their whoring lust upon her. [9] Therefore I delivered her into the hands of her lovers, into the hands of the Assyrians, after whom she lusted. [10] These uncovered her nakedness; they seized her sons and her daughters; and as for her, they killed her with the sword; and she became a byword among women, when judgment had been executed on her.

[11] “Her sister Oholibah saw this, and she became more corrupt than her sister in her lust and in her whoring, which was worse than that of her sister. [12] She lusted after the Assyrians, governors and commanders, warriors clothed in full armor, horsemen riding on horses, all of them desirable young men. [13] And I saw that she was defiled; they both took the same way. [14] But she carried her whoring further. She saw men portrayed on the wall, the images of the Chaldeans portrayed in vermilion, [15] wearing belts on their waists, with flowing turbans on their heads, all of them having the appearance of officers, a likeness of Babylonians whose native land was Chaldea. [16] When she saw them, she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea. [17] And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their whoring lust. And after she was defiled by them, she turned from them in disgust. [18] When she carried on her whoring so openly and flaunted her nakedness, I turned in disgust from her, as I had turned in disgust from her sister. [19] Yet she increased her whoring, remembering the days of her youth, when she played the whore in the land of Egypt [20] and lusted after her lovers there, whose members were like those of donkeys, and whose issue was like that of horses. [21] Thus you longed for the lewdness of your youth, when the Egyptians handled your bosom and pressed your young breasts.”

[22] Therefore, O Oholibah, thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I will stir up against you your lovers from whom you turned in disgust, and I will bring them against you from every side: [23] the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, Pekod and Shoa and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them, desirable young men, governors and commanders all of them, officers and men of renown, all of them riding on horses. [24] And they shall come against you from the north with chariots and wagons and a host of peoples. They shall set themselves against you on every side with buckler, shield, and helmet; and I will commit the judgment to them, and they shall judge you according to their judgments. [25] And I will direct my jealousy against you, that they may deal with you in fury. They shall cut off your nose and your ears, and your survivors shall fall by the sword. They shall seize your sons and your daughters, and your survivors shall be devoured by fire. [26] They shall also strip you of your clothes and take away your beautiful jewels. [27] Thus I will put an end to your lewdness and your whoring begun in the land of Egypt, so that you shall not lift up your eyes to them or remember Egypt anymore.

[28] “For thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will deliver you into the hands of those whom you hate, into the hands of those from whom you turned in disgust, [29] and they shall deal with you in hatred and take away all the fruit of your labor and leave you naked and bare, and the nakedness of your whoring shall be uncovered. Your lewdness and your whoring [30] have brought this upon you, because you played the whore with the nations and defiled yourself with their idols. [31] You have gone the way of your sister; therefore I will give her cup into your hand. [32] Thus says the Lord GOD:

“You shall drink your sister’s cup
that is deep and large;
you shall be laughed at and held in derision,
for it contains much;
[33] you will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow.
A cup of horror and desolation,
the cup of your sister Samaria;
[34] you shall drink it and drain it out,
and gnaw its shards,
and tear your breasts;


for I have spoken, declares the Lord GOD. [35] Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Because you have forgotten me and cast me behind your back, you yourself must bear the consequences of your lewdness and whoring.”

[36] The LORD said to me: “Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Declare to them their abominations. [37] For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. With their idols they have committed adultery, and they have even offered up to them for food the children whom they had borne to me. [38] Moreover, this they have done to me: they have defiled my sanctuary on the same day and profaned my Sabbaths. [39] For when they had slaughtered their children in sacrifice to their idols, on the same day they came into my sanctuary to profane it. And behold, this is what they did in my house. [40] They even sent for men to come from afar, to whom a messenger was sent; and behold, they came. For them you bathed yourself, painted your eyes, and adorned yourself with ornaments. [41] You sat on a stately couch, with a table spread before it on which you had placed my incense and my oil. [42] The sound of a carefree multitude was with her; and with men of the common sort, drunkards were brought from the wilderness; and they put bracelets on the hands of the women, and beautiful crowns on their heads.

[43] “Then I said of her who was worn out by adultery, ‘Now they will continue to use her for a whore, even her!’ [44] For they have gone in to her, as men go in to a prostitute. Thus they went in to Oholah and to Oholibah, lewd women! [45] But righteous men shall pass judgment on them with the sentence of adulteresses, and with the sentence of women who shed blood, because they are adulteresses, and blood is on their hands.”

[46] For thus says the Lord GOD: “Bring up a vast host against them, and make them an object of terror and a plunder. [47] And the host shall stone them and cut them down with their swords. They shall kill their sons and their daughters, and burn up their houses. [48] Thus will I put an end to lewdness in the land, that all women may take warning and not commit lewdness as you have done. [49] And they shall return your lewdness upon you, and you shall bear the penalty for your sinful idolatry, and you shall know that I am the Lord GOD.”

[1] The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD;
he turns it wherever he will.
[2] Every way of a man is right in his own eyes,
but the LORD weighs the heart.
[3] To do righteousness and justice
is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.
[4] Haughty eyes and a proud heart,
the lamp of the wicked, are sin.
[5] The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance,
but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.
[6] The getting of treasures by a lying tongue
is a fleeting vapor and a snare of death.
[7] The violence of the wicked will sweep them away,
because they refuse to do what is just.
[8] The way of the guilty is crooked,
but the conduct of the pure is upright.
[9] It is better to live in a corner of the housetop
than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.
[10] The soul of the wicked desires evil;
his neighbor finds no mercy in his eyes.
[11] When a scoffer is punished, the simple becomes wise;
when a wise man is instructed, he gains knowledge.
[12] The Righteous One observes the house of the wicked;
he throws the wicked down to ruin.
[13] Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor
will himself call out and not be answered.
[14] A gift in secret averts anger,
and a concealed bribe, strong wrath.
[15] When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous
but terror to evildoers.
[16] One who wanders from the way of good sense
will rest in the assembly of the dead.
[17] Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man;
he who loves wine and oil will not be rich.
[18] The wicked is a ransom for the righteous,
and the traitor for the upright.
[19] It is better to live in a desert land
than with a quarrelsome and fretful woman.
[20] Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man’s dwelling,
but a foolish man devours it.
[21] Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness
will find life, righteousness, and honor.
[22] A wise man scales the city of the mighty
and brings down the stronghold in which they trust.
[23] Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue
keeps himself out of trouble.
[24] “Scoffer” is the name of the arrogant, haughty man
who acts with arrogant pride.
[25] The desire of the sluggard kills him,
for his hands refuse to labor.
[26] All day long he craves and craves,
but the righteous gives and does not hold back.
[27] The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination;
how much more when he brings it with evil intent.
[28] A false witness will perish,
but the word of a man who hears will endure.
[29] A wicked man puts on a bold face,
but the upright gives thought to his ways.
[30] No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel
can avail against the LORD.
[31] The horse is made ready for the day of battle,
but the victory belongs to the LORD.

[1] Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. [2] If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. [3] But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.

[4] Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.” [5] For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”—[6] yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.

[7] However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. [8] Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. [9] But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. [10] For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? [11] And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. [12] Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. [13] Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.