Today's Readings: July 16

[1] The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, [2] “Command the people of Israel to bring you pure oil from beaten olives for the lamp, that a light may be kept burning regularly. [3] Outside the veil of the testimony, in the tent of meeting, Aaron shall arrange it from evening to morning before the LORD regularly. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations. [4] He shall arrange the lamps on the lampstand of pure gold before the LORD regularly.

[5] “You shall take fine flour and bake twelve loaves from it; two tenths of an ephah shall be in each loaf. [6] And you shall set them in two piles, six in a pile, on the table of pure gold before the LORD. [7] And you shall put pure frankincense on each pile, that it may go with the bread as a memorial portion as a food offering to the LORD. [8] Every Sabbath day Aaron shall arrange it before the LORD regularly; it is from the people of Israel as a covenant forever. [9] And it shall be for Aaron and his sons, and they shall eat it in a holy place, since it is for him a most holy portion out of the LORD’s food offerings, a perpetual due.”

[10] Now an Israelite woman’s son, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the people of Israel. And the Israelite woman’s son and a man of Israel fought in the camp, [11] and the Israelite woman’s son blasphemed the Name, and cursed. Then they brought him to Moses. His mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan. [12] And they put him in custody, till the will of the LORD should be clear to them.

[13] Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, [14] “Bring out of the camp the one who cursed, and let all who heard him lay their hands on his head, and let all the congregation stone him. [15] And speak to the people of Israel, saying, Whoever curses his God shall bear his sin. [16] Whoever blasphemes the name of the LORD shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall stone him. The sojourner as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.

[17] “Whoever takes a human life shall surely be put to death. [18] Whoever takes an animal’s life shall make it good, life for life. [19] If anyone injures his neighbor, as he has done it shall be done to him, [20] fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; whatever injury he has given a person shall be given to him. [21] Whoever kills an animal shall make it good, and whoever kills a person shall be put to death. [22] You shall have the same rule for the sojourner and for the native, for I am the LORD your God.” [23] So Moses spoke to the people of Israel, and they brought out of the camp the one who had cursed and stoned him with stones. Thus the people of Israel did as the LORD commanded Moses.

[1] The word of the LORD came to me: [2] “Son of man, set your face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them, [3] and say, You mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD! Thus says the Lord GOD to the mountains and the hills, to the ravines and the valleys: Behold, I, even I, will bring a sword upon you, and I will destroy your high places. [4] Your altars shall become desolate, and your incense altars shall be broken, and I will cast down your slain before your idols. [5] And I will lay the dead bodies of the people of Israel before their idols, and I will scatter your bones around your altars. [6] Wherever you dwell, the cities shall be waste and the high places ruined, so that your altars will be waste and ruined, your idols broken and destroyed, your incense altars cut down, and your works wiped out. [7] And the slain shall fall in your midst, and you shall know that I am the LORD.

[8] “Yet I will leave some of you alive. When you have among the nations some who escape the sword, and when you are scattered through the countries, [9] then those of you who escape will remember me among the nations where they are carried captive, how I have been broken over their whoring heart that has departed from me and over their eyes that go whoring after their idols. And they will be loathsome in their own sight for the evils that they have committed, for all their abominations. [10] And they shall know that I am the LORD. I have not said in vain that I would do this evil to them.”

[11] Thus says the Lord GOD: “Clap your hands and stamp your foot and say, Alas, because of all the evil abominations of the house of Israel, for they shall fall by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence. [12] He who is far off shall die of pestilence, and he who is near shall fall by the sword, and he who is left and is preserved shall die of famine. Thus I will spend my fury upon them. [13] And you shall know that I am the LORD, when their slain lie among their idols around their altars, on every high hill, on all the mountaintops, under every green tree, and under every leafy oak, wherever they offered pleasing aroma to all their idols. [14] And I will stretch out my hand against them and make the land desolate and waste, in all their dwelling places, from the wilderness to Riblah. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”

[1] The word of the LORD came to me: [2] “And you, O son of man, thus says the Lord GOD to the land of Israel: An end! The end has come upon the four corners of the land. [3] Now the end is upon you, and I will send my anger upon you; I will judge you according to your ways, and I will punish you for all your abominations. [4] And my eye will not spare you, nor will I have pity, but I will punish you for your ways, while your abominations are in your midst. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

[5] “Thus says the Lord GOD: Disaster after disaster! Behold, it comes. [6] An end has come; the end has come; it has awakened against you. Behold, it comes. [7] Your doom has come to you, O inhabitant of the land. The time has come; the day is near, a day of tumult, and not of joyful shouting on the mountains. [8] Now I will soon pour out my wrath upon you, and spend my anger against you, and judge you according to your ways, and I will punish you for all your abominations. [9] And my eye will not spare, nor will I have pity. I will punish you according to your ways, while your abominations are in your midst. Then you will know that I am the LORD, who strikes.

[10] “Behold, the day! Behold, it comes! Your doom has come; the rod has blossomed; pride has budded. [11] Violence has grown up into a rod of wickedness. None of them shall remain, nor their abundance, nor their wealth; neither shall there be preeminence among them. [12] The time has come; the day has arrived. Let not the buyer rejoice, nor the seller mourn, for wrath is upon all their multitude. [13] For the seller shall not return to what he has sold, while they live. For the vision concerns all their multitude; it shall not turn back; and because of his iniquity, none can maintain his life.

[14] “They have blown the trumpet and made everything ready, but none goes to battle, for my wrath is upon all their multitude. [15] The sword is without; pestilence and famine are within. He who is in the field dies by the sword, and him who is in the city famine and pestilence devour. [16] And if any survivors escape, they will be on the mountains, like doves of the valleys, all of them moaning, each one over his iniquity. [17] All hands are feeble, and all knees turn to water. [18] They put on sackcloth, and horror covers them. Shame is on all faces, and baldness on all their heads. [19] They cast their silver into the streets, and their gold is like an unclean thing. Their silver and gold are not able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD. They cannot satisfy their hunger or fill their stomachs with it. For it was the stumbling block of their iniquity. [20] His beautiful ornament they used for pride, and they made their abominable images and their detestable things of it. Therefore I make it an unclean thing to them. [21] And I will give it into the hands of foreigners for prey, and to the wicked of the earth for spoil, and they shall profane it. [22] I will turn my face from them, and they shall profane my treasured place. Robbers shall enter and profane it.

[23] “Forge a chain! For the land is full of bloody crimes and the city is full of violence. [24] I will bring the worst of the nations to take possession of their houses. I will put an end to the pride of the strong, and their holy places shall be profaned. [25] When anguish comes, they will seek peace, but there shall be none. [26] Disaster comes upon disaster; rumor follows rumor. They seek a vision from the prophet, while the law perishes from the priest and counsel from the elders. [27] The king mourns, the prince is wrapped in despair, and the hands of the people of the land are paralyzed by terror. According to their way I will do to them, and according to their judgments I will judge them, and they shall know that I am the LORD.”

[1] Wisdom has built her house;
she has hewn her seven pillars.
[2] She has slaughtered her beasts; she has mixed her wine;
she has also set her table.
[3] She has sent out her young women to call
from the highest places in the town,
[4] “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
To him who lacks sense she says,
[5] “Come, eat of my bread
and drink of the wine I have mixed.
[6] Leave your simple ways, and live,
and walk in the way of insight.”


[7] Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse,
and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury.
[8] Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you;
reprove a wise man, and he will love you.
[9] Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;
teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.
[10] The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
[11] For by me your days will be multiplied,
and years will be added to your life.
[12] If you are wise, you are wise for yourself;
if you scoff, you alone will bear it.


[13] The woman Folly is loud;
she is seductive and knows nothing.
[14] She sits at the door of her house;
she takes a seat on the highest places of the town,
[15] calling to those who pass by,
who are going straight on their way,
[16] “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
And to him who lacks sense she says,
[17] “Stolen water is sweet,
and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”
[18] But he does not know that the dead are there,
that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

[1] I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. [2] Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

[3] For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. [4] For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, [5] so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. [6] Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; [7] if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; [8] the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

[9] Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. [10] Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. [11] Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. [12] Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. [13] Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

[14] Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. [15] Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. [16] Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. [17] Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. [18] If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. [19] Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” [20] To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” [21] Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.