22 February 2014

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Saturday, 22 February, 2014

The last Saturday in February.  Spring is not here, especially in this part of the country, but the Vernal Equinox is only about four weeks away.  I love so many people in this part of the country.  The weather, not so much.  Not at all in fact.  But, it comes with the territory. 

Local church has an outreach of bulk food purchases, no junk food,  lots of frozen items and non-perishables.  Price is quite reasonable.  We bought some extra and gave it to a family member who is going through a rough time -- rougher even than we are.  They were so grateful and it will be used well.  Came home, stuffed it in freezer, had a few bites of it, and vegged out for a while. 

Nephew's wife and the two kids, both small, came by and went through Dear Wife's clothes closet.  She hauled off some stuff that no longer fits (shrank in traveling, of course) which helps her out.  They are also going through some tough times.  Lots of that in this area.  Lots of abandoned houses, closed businesses, broken-up streets, lots of signs of hard times.  There are places within walking distance that look like pictures out of the Great Depression.  Lots of hopelessness.
Perhaps that was why we were sent here.  We shall see.

====================

The Old Testament reading for the day is chapter 7 from the book of Numbers.


1
And it came to pass on the day that Moses had fully set up the tabernacle, and had anointed it, and sanctified it, and all the instruments thereof, both the altar and all the vessels thereof, and had anointed them, and sanctified them;
2
That the princes of Israel, heads of the house of their fathers, who were the princes of the tribes, and were over them that were numbered, offered:
3
And they brought their offering before the LORD, six covered wagons, and twelve oxen; a wagon for two of the princes, and for each one an ox: and they brought them before the tabernacle.
4
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
5
Take it of them, that they may be to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; and thou shalt give them unto the Levites, to every man according to his service.
6
And Moses took the wagons and the oxen, and gave them unto the Levites.
7
Two wagons and four oxen he gave unto the sons of Gershon, according to their service:
8
And four wagons and eight oxen he gave unto the sons of Merari, according unto their service, under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.
9
But unto the sons of Kohath he gave none: because the service of the sanctuary belonging unto them was that they should bear upon their shoulders.
10
And the princes offered for dedicating of the altar in the day that it was anointed, even the princes offered their offering before the altar.
11
And the LORD said unto Moses, They shall offer their offering, each prince on his day, for the dedicating of the altar.
12
And he that offered his offering the first day was Nahshon the son of Amminadab, of the tribe of Judah:
13
And his offering was one silver charger, the weight thereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them were full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering:
14
One spoon of ten shekels of gold, full of incense:
15
One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering:
16
One kid of the goats for a sin offering:
17
And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Nahshon the son of Amminadab.
18
On the second day Nethaneel the son of Zuar, prince of Issachar, did offer:
19
He offered for his offering one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering:
20
One spoon of gold of ten shekels, full of incense:
21
One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering:
22
One kid of the goats for a sin offering:
23
And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Nethaneel the son of Zuar.
24
On the third day Eliab the son of Helon, prince of the children of Zebulun, did offer:
25
His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering:
26
One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense:
27
One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering:
28
One kid of the goats for a sin offering:
29
And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Eliab the son of Helon.
30
On the fourth day Elizur the son of Shedeur, prince of the children of Reuben, did offer:
31
His offering was one silver charger of the weight of an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering:
32
One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense:
33
One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering:
34
One kid of the goats for a sin offering:
35
And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Elizur the son of Shedeur.
36
On the fifth day Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai, prince of the children of Simeon, did offer:
37
His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering:
38
One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense:
39
One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering:
40
One kid of the goats for a sin offering:
41
And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.
42
On the sixth day Eliasaph the son of Deuel, prince of the children of Gad, offered:
43
His offering was one silver charger of the weight of an hundred and thirty shekels, a silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering:
44
One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense:
45
One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering:
46
One kid of the goats for a sin offering:
47
And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Eliasaph the son of Deuel.
48
On the seventh day Elishama the son of Ammihud, prince of the children of Ephraim, offered:
49
His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering:
50
One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense:
51
One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering:
52
One kid of the goats for a sin offering:
53
And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Elishama the son of Ammihud.
54
On the eighth day offered Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur, prince of the children of Manasseh:
55
His offering was one silver charger of the weight of an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering:
56
One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense:
57
One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering:
58
One kid of the goats for a sin offering:
59
And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.
60
On the ninth day Abidan the son of Gideoni, prince of the children of Benjamin, offered:
61
His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering:
62
One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense:
63
One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering:
64
One kid of the goats for a sin offering:
65
And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Abidan the son of Gideoni.
66
On the tenth day Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai, prince of the children of Dan, offered:
67
His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering:
68
One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense:
69
One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering:
70
One kid of the goats for a sin offering:
71
And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.
72
On the eleventh day Pagiel the son of Ocran, prince of the children of Asher, offered:
73
His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering:
74
One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense:
75
One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering:
76
One kid of the goats for a sin offering:
77
And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Pagiel the son of Ocran.
78
On the twelfth day Ahira the son of Enan, prince of the children of Naphtali, offered:
79
His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering:
80
One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense:
81
One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering:
82
One kid of the goats for a sin offering:
83
And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Ahira the son of Enan.
84
This was the dedication of the altar, in the day when it was anointed, by the princes of Israel: twelve chargers of silver, twelve silver bowls, twelve spoons of gold:
85
Each charger of silver weighing an hundred and thirty shekels, each bowl seventy: all the silver vessels weighed two thousand and four hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary:
86
The golden spoons were twelve, full of incense, weighing ten shekels apiece, after the shekel of the sanctuary: all the gold of the spoons was an hundred and twenty shekels.
87
All the oxen for the burnt offering were twelve bullocks, the rams twelve, the lambs of the first year twelve, with their meat offering: and the kids of the goats for sin offering twelve.
88
And all the oxen for the sacrifice of the peace offerings were twenty and four bullocks, the rams sixty, the he goats sixty, the lambs of the first year sixty. This was the dedication of the altar, after that it was anointed.
89
And when Moses was gone into the tabernacle of the congregation to speak with him, then he heard the voice of one speaking unto him from off the mercy seat that was upon the ark of testimony, from between the two cherubim: and he spake unto him.





==============================

The New Testament passage is verses 21-41 of Mark's gospel chapter 4.

21
And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick?
22
For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad.
23
If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.
24
And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.
25
For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.
26
And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;
27
And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how.
28
For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.
29
But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.
30
And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it?
31
It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth:
32
But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it.
33
And with many such parables spake he the word unto them, as they were able to hear it.
34
But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.
35
And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side.
36
And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.
37
And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.
38
And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?
39
And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
40
And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?
41
And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

21 February 2014

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Friday, 21 February, 2014

this is the next-to-last Friday in February.  Tomorrow shows on the calendar as being the last Saturday in the month, making eight days from now as the first of March.  And March has within it the first day of Spring.  Can't come soon enough for me.  There is still snow on the ground here, a great deal of it, despite two days of rain and highs above 40 degrees.  Incidentally, there's some nasty flooding associated with that. We've been spared that, so far.
Dear Wife is talking about going to a local shopping mall and getting some heavy duty walking in in a non-snow, non-cold environment.  Might be worth a try.  Will see if I'm up to it.  Doc the other day put me on a prescription -- first one I've had in quite a long time -- to deal with the LDL and it's sapping my strength and making me feel lousy.  We'll see if things settle out.

=============================

The Old Testament reading for today in our annual trip through the Bible, is chapters 5 and 6 in the book of Numbers.

1
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
2
“Command the people of Israel that they put out of the camp everyone who is leprous or has a discharge and everyone who is unclean through contact with the dead.
3
“You shall put out both male and female, putting them outside the camp, that they may not defile their camp, in the midst of which I dwell.”
4
And the people of Israel did so, and put them outside the camp; as the Lord said to Moses, so the people of Israel did.
5
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
6
“Speak to the people of Israel, When a man or woman commits any of the sins that people commit by breaking faith with the Lord, and that person realizes his guilt,
7
“he shall confess his sin that he has committed. And he shall make full restitution for his wrong, adding a fifth to it and giving it to him to whom he did the wrong.
8
“But if the man has no next of kin to whom restitution may be made for the wrong, the restitution for wrong shall go to the Lord for the priest, in addition to the ram of atonement with which atonement is made for him.
9
“And every contribution, all the holy donations of the people of Israel, which they bring to the priest, shall be his.
10
“Each one shall keep his holy donations: whatever anyone gives to the priest shall be his.”
11
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
12
“Speak to the people of Israel, If any man’s wife goes astray and breaks faith with him,
13
“if a man lies with her sexually, and it is hidden from the eyes of her husband, and she is undetected though she has defiled herself, and there is no witness against her, since she was not taken in the act,
14
“and if the spirit of jealousy comes over him and he is jealous of his wife who has defiled herself, or if the spirit of jealousy comes over him and he is jealous of his wife, though she has not defiled herself,
15
“then the man shall bring his wife to the priest and bring the offering required of her, a tenth of an ephah of barley flour. He shall pour no oil on it and put no frankincense on it, for it is a grain offering of jealousy, a grain offering of remembrance, bringing iniquity to remembrance.
16
“And the priest shall bring her near and set her before the Lord.
17
“And the priest shall take holy water in an earthenware vessel and take some of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle and put it into the water.
18
“And the priest shall set the woman before the Lord and unbind the hair of the woman’s head and place in her hands the grain offering of remembrance, which is the grain offering of jealousy. And in his hand the priest shall have the water of bitterness that brings the curse.
19
“Then the priest shall make her take an oath, saying, ‘If no man has lain with you, and if you have not turned aside to uncleanness while you were under your husband’s authority, be free from this water of bitterness that brings the curse.
20
“‘But if you have gone astray, though you are under your husband’s authority, and if you have defiled yourself, and some man other than your husband has lain with you,
21
“‘then’ (let the priest make the woman take the oath of the curse, and say to the woman) ‘the Lord make you a curse and an oath among your people, when the Lord makes your thigh fall away and your body swell.
22
“‘May this water that brings the curse pass into your bowels and make your womb swell and your thigh fall away.’ And the woman shall say, ‘Amen, Amen.’
23
“Then the priest shall write these curses in a book and wash them off into the water of bitterness.
24
“And he shall make the woman drink the water of bitterness that brings the curse, and the water that brings the curse shall enter into her and cause bitter pain.
25
“And the priest shall take the grain offering of jealousy out of the woman’s hand and shall wave the grain offering before the Lord and bring it to the altar.
26
“And the priest shall take a handful of the grain offering, as its memorial portion, and burn it on the altar, and afterward shall make the woman drink the water.
27
“And when he has made her drink the water, then, if she has defiled herself and has broken faith with her husband, the water that brings the curse shall enter into her and cause bitter pain, and her womb shall swell, and her thigh shall fall away, and the woman shall become a curse among her people.
28
“But if the woman has not defiled herself and is clean, then she shall be free and shall conceive children.
29
“This is the law in cases of jealousy, when a wife, though under her husband’s authority, goes astray and defiles herself,
30
“or when the spirit of jealousy comes over a man and he is jealous of his wife. Then he shall set the woman before the Lord, and the priest shall carry out for her all this law.
31
“The man shall be free from iniquity, but the woman shall bear her iniquity.”


1
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
2
“Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When either a man or a woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the Lord,
3
“he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink. He shall drink no vinegar made from wine or strong drink and shall not drink any juice of grapes or eat grapes, fresh or dried.
4
“All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, not even the seeds or the skins.
5
“All the days of his vow of separation, no razor shall touch his head. Until the time is completed for which he separates himself to the Lord, he shall be holy. He shall let the locks of hair of his head grow long.
6
“All the days that he separates himself to the Lord he shall not go near a dead body.
7
“Not even for his father or for his mother, for brother or sister, if they die, shall he make himself unclean, because his separation to God is on his head.
8
“All the days of his separation he is holy to the Lord.
9
“And if any man dies very suddenly beside him and he defiles his consecrated head, then he shall shave his head on the day of his cleansing; on the seventh day he shall shave it.
10
“On the eighth day he shall bring two turtledoves or two pigeons to the priest to the entrance of the tent of meeting,
11
“and the priest shall offer one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering, and make atonement for him, because he sinned by reason of the dead body. And he shall consecrate his head that same day
12
“and separate himself to the Lord for the days of his separation and bring a male lamb a year old for a guilt offering. But the previous period shall be void, because his separation was defiled.
13
“And this is the law for the Nazirite, when the time of his separation has been completed: he shall be brought to the entrance of the tent of meeting,
14
“and he shall bring his gift to the Lord, one male lamb a year old without blemish for a burnt offering, and one ewe lamb a year old without blemish as a sin offering, and one ram without blemish as a peace offering,
15
“and a basket of unleavened bread, loaves of fine flour mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers smeared with oil, and their grain offering and their drink offerings.
16
“And the priest shall bring them before the Lord and offer his sin offering and his burnt offering,
17
“and he shall offer the ram as a sacrifice of peace offering to the Lord, with the basket of unleavened bread. The priest shall offer also its grain offering and its drink offering.
18
“And the Nazirite shall shave his consecrated head at the entrance of the tent of meeting and shall take the hair from his consecrated head and put it on the fire that is under the sacrifice of the peace offering.
19
“And the priest shall take the shoulder of the ram, when it is boiled, and one unleavened loaf out of the basket and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them on the hands of the Nazirite, after he has shaved the hair of his consecration,
20
“and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the Lord. They are a holy portion for the priest, together with the breast that is waved and the thigh that is contributed. And after that the Nazirite may drink wine.
21
“This is the law of the Nazirite. But if he vows an offering to the Lord above his Nazirite vow, as he can afford, in exact accordance with the vow that he takes, then he shall do in addition to the law of the Nazirite.”
22
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
23
“Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,
24
“The Lord bless you and keep you;
25
“the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
26
“the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
27
“So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”




==================================

The New Testament passage for today is verses 1-20 from the 4th chapter in the Gospel of Mark.


1
Again he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land.
2
And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them:
3
“Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow.
4
“And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.
5
“Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil.
6
“And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away.
7
“Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain.
8
“And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”
9
And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
10
And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables.
11
And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables,
12
so that ‘they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.’”
13
And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?
14
“The sower sows the word.
15
“And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them.
16
“And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy.
17
“And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.
18
“And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word,
19
“but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.
20
“But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”


20 February 2014

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Thursday, 20 February, 2014

another comparatively warm day.  "warm" in this part of the country being defined as "above 40 degrees during Winter"..  Our friends in Lower Alabama, western Arkansas (and just over the line into Oklahoma), and several parts of Tennessee, are generally experiencing somewhat warmer temps.  We're enjoying it while it lasts, as the weather casters are telling us it's about to get downright frigid once more. 

The Old Testament passage for the day is chapters 3 and 4 from the book of Numbers.

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 Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,
2
“Take a census of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their clans and their fathers’ houses,
3
“from thirty years old up to fifty years old, all who can come on duty, to do the work in the tent of meeting.
4
“This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting: the most holy things.
5
“When the camp is to set out, Aaron and his sons shall go in and take down the veil of the screen and cover the ark of the testimony with it.
6
“Then they shall put on it a covering of goatskin and spread on top of that a cloth all of blue, and shall put in its poles.
7
“And over the table of the bread of the Presence they shall spread a cloth of blue and put on it the plates, the dishes for incense, the bowls, and the flagons for the drink offering; the regular showbread also shall be on it.
8
“Then they shall spread over them a cloth of scarlet and cover the same with a covering of goatskin, and shall put in its poles.
9
“And they shall take a cloth of blue and cover the lampstand for the light, with its lamps, its tongs, its trays, and all the vessels for oil with which it is supplied.
10
“And they shall put it with all its utensils in a covering of goatskin and put it on the carrying frame.
11
“And over the golden altar they shall spread a cloth of blue and cover it with a covering of goatskin, and shall put in its poles.
12
“And they shall take all the vessels of the service that are used in the sanctuary and put them in a cloth of blue and cover them with a covering of goatskin and put them on the carrying frame.
13
“And they shall take away the ashes from the altar and spread a purple cloth over it.
14
“And they shall put on it all the utensils of the altar, which are used for the service there, the fire pans, the forks, the shovels, and the basins, all the utensils of the altar; and they shall spread on it a covering of goatskin, and shall put in its poles.
15
“And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, as the camp sets out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry these, but they must not touch the holy things, lest they die. These are the things of the tent of meeting that the sons of Kohath are to carry.
16
“And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall have charge of the oil for the light, the fragrant incense, the regular grain offering, and the anointing oil, with the oversight of the whole tabernacle and all that is in it, of the sanctuary and its vessels.”
17
The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,
18
“Let not the tribe of the clans of the Kohathites be destroyed from among the Levites,
19
“but deal thus with them, that they may live and not die when they come near to the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in and appoint them each to his task and to his burden,
20
“but they shall not go in to look on the holy things even for a moment, lest they die.”
21
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
22
“Take a census of the sons of Gershon also, by their fathers’ houses and by their clans.
23
“From thirty years old up to fifty years old, you shall list them, all who can come to do duty, to do service in the tent of meeting.
24
“This is the service of the clans of the Gershonites, in serving and bearing burdens:
25
“they shall carry the curtains of the tabernacle and the tent of meeting with its covering and the covering of goatskin that is on top of it and the screen for the entrance of the tent of meeting
26
“and the hangings of the court and the screen for the entrance of the gate of the court that is around the tabernacle and the altar, and their cords and all the equipment for their service. And they shall do all that needs to be done with regard to them.
27
“All the service of the sons of the Gershonites shall be at the command of Aaron and his sons, in all that they are to carry and in all that they have to do. And you shall assign to their charge all that they are to carry.
28
“This is the service of the clans of the sons of the Gershonites in the tent of meeting, and their guard duty is to be under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.
29
“As for the sons of Merari, you shall list them by their clans and their fathers’ houses.
30
“From thirty years old up to fifty years old, you shall list them, everyone who can come on duty, to do the service of the tent of meeting.
31
“And this is what they are charged to carry, as the whole of their service in the tent of meeting: the frames of the tabernacle, with its bars, pillars, and bases,
32
“and the pillars around the court with their bases, pegs, and cords, with all their equipment and all their accessories. And you shall list by name the objects that they are required to carry.
33
“This is the service of the clans of the sons of Merari, the whole of their service in the tent of meeting, under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.”
34
And Moses and Aaron and the chiefs of the congregation listed the sons of the Kohathites, by their clans and their fathers’ houses,
35
from thirty years old up to fifty years old, everyone who could come on duty, for service in the tent of meeting;
36
and those listed by clans were 2,750.
37
This was the list of the clans of the Kohathites, all who served in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron listed according to the commandment of the Lord by Moses.
38
Those listed of the sons of Gershon, by their clans and their fathers’ houses,
39
from thirty years old up to fifty years old, everyone who could come on duty for service in the tent of meeting–
40
those listed by their clans and their fathers’ houses were 2,630.
41
This was the list of the clans of the sons of Gershon, all who served in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron listed according to the commandment of the Lord.
42
Those listed of the clans of the sons of Merari, by their clans and their fathers’ houses,
43
from thirty years old up to fifty years old, everyone who could come on duty, for service in the tent of meeting–
44
those listed by clans were 3,200.
45
This was the list of the clans of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron listed according to the commandment of the Lord by Moses.
46
All those who were listed of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the chiefs of Israel listed, by their clans and their fathers’ houses,
47
from thirty years old up to fifty years old, everyone who could come to do the service of ministry and the service of bearing burdens in the tent of meeting,
48
those listed were 8,580.
49
According to the commandment of the Lord through Moses they were listed, each one with his task of serving or carrying. Thus they were listed by him, as the Lord commanded Moses.



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The New Testament reading is verses 22-35 form Mark chapter 3

22
And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.”
23
And he called them to him and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan?
24
“If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
25
“And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.
26
“And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end.
27
“But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house.
28
“Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter,
29
“but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”–
30
for they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”
31
And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him.
32
And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.”
33
And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?”
34
And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers!
35
For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.