13 February 2016

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Saturday, 13 February 2016

a nice, toasty warm +6 degrees here.  The cold water to the kitchen sink is frozen, but the hot water is OK.  The hot water to the bathroom sink and tub are frozen, but the cold water to the sink is ok.  Likely to remain so until Monday when the temperatures moderate, or at least are predicted to do so.  Got a message yesterday from a cousin who lives about 15 miles away: she and her husband were headed to South Carolina and then to Florida.  Climates I was living in, three years ago.  Seems like another lifetime now.  I miss it.  A lot.

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

The Old Testament reading today is chapters 15, 16, and 17 of Leviticus.

1
And the LORD spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying,
2
Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When any man hath a running issue out of his flesh, because of his issue he is unclean.
3
And this shall be his uncleanness in his issue: whether his flesh run with his issue, or his flesh be stopped from his issue, it is his uncleanness.
4
Every bed, whereon he lieth that hath the issue, is unclean: and every thing, whereon he sitteth, shall be unclean.
5
And whosoever toucheth his bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.
6
And he that sitteth on any thing whereon he sat that hath the issue shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.
7
And he that toucheth the flesh of him that hath the issue shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.
8
And if he that hath the issue spit upon him that is clean; then he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.
9
And what saddle soever he rideth upon that hath the issue shall be unclean.
10
And whosoever toucheth any thing that was under him shall be unclean until the even: and he that beareth any of those things shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.
11
And whomsoever he toucheth that hath the issue, and hath not rinsed his hands in water, he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.
12
And the vessel of earth, that he toucheth which hath the issue, shall be broken: and every vessel of wood shall be rinsed in water.
13
And when he that hath an issue is cleansed of his issue; then he shall number to himself seven days for his cleansing, and wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in running water, and shall be clean.
14
And on the eighth day he shall take to him two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, and come before the LORD unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and give them unto the priest:
15
And the priest shall offer them, the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering; and the priest shall make an atonement for him before the LORD for his issue.
16
And if any man's seed of copulation go out from him, then he shall wash all his flesh in water, and be unclean until the even.
17
And every garment, and every skin, whereon is the seed of copulation, shall be washed with water, and be unclean until the even.
18
The woman also with whom man shall lie with seed of copulation, they shall both bathe themselves in water, and be unclean until the even.
19
And if a woman have an issue, and her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be put apart seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even.
20
And every thing that she lieth upon in her separation shall be unclean: every thing also that she sitteth upon shall be unclean.
21
And whosoever toucheth her bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.
22
And whosoever toucheth any thing that she sat upon shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.
23
And if it be on her bed, or on any thing whereon she sitteth, when he toucheth it, he shall be unclean until the even.
24
And if any man lie with her at all, and her flowers be upon him, he shall be unclean seven days; and all the bed whereon he lieth shall be unclean.
25
And if a woman have an issue of her blood many days out of the time of her separation, or if it run beyond the time of her separation; all the days of the issue of her uncleanness shall be as the days of her separation: she shall be unclean.
26
Every bed whereon she lieth all the days of her issue shall be unto her as the bed of her separation: and whatsoever she sitteth upon shall be unclean, as the uncleanness of her separation.
27
And whosoever toucheth those things shall be unclean, and shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.
28
But if she be cleansed of her issue, then she shall number to herself seven days, and after that she shall be clean.
29
And on the eighth day she shall take unto her two turtles, or two young pigeons, and bring them unto the priest, to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
30
And the priest shall offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering; and the priest shall make an atonement for her before the LORD for the issue of her uncleanness.
31
Thus shall ye separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness; that they die not in their uncleanness, when they defile my tabernacle that is among them.
32
This is the law of him that hath an issue, and of him whose seed goeth from him, and is defiled therewith;
33
And of her that is sick of her flowers, and of him that hath an issue, of the man, and of the woman, and of him that lieth with her that is unclean.


1
And the LORD spake unto Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before the LORD, and died;
2
And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat.
3
Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering.
4
He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: these are holy garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on.
5
And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.
6
And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house.
7
And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
8
And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat.
9
And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD's lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.
10
But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.
11
And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself:
12
And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail:
13
And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not:
14
And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times.
15
Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat:
16
And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness.
17
And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel.
18
And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the LORD, and make an atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about.
19
And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.
20
And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat:
21
And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness:
22
And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.
23
And Aaron shall come into the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall put off the linen garments, which he put on when he went into the holy place, and shall leave them there:
24
And he shall wash his flesh with water in the holy place, and put on his garments, and come forth, and offer his burnt offering, and the burnt offering of the people, and make an atonement for himself, and for the people.
25
And the fat of the sin offering shall he burn upon the altar.
26
And he that let go the goat for the scapegoat shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward come into the camp.
27
And the bullock for the sin offering, and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall one carry forth without the camp; and they shall burn in the fire their skins, and their flesh, and their dung.
28
And he that burneth them shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp.
29
And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you:
30
For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD.
31
It shall be a sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute for ever.
32
And the priest, whom he shall anoint, and whom he shall consecrate to minister in the priest's office in his father's stead, shall make the atonement, and shall put on the linen clothes, even the holy garments:
33
And he shall make an atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for the altar, and he shall make an atonement for the priests, and for all the people of the congregation.
34
And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year. And he did as the LORD commanded Moses.


1
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2
Speak unto Aaron, and unto his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them; This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, saying,
3
What man soever there be of the house of Israel, that killeth an ox, or lamb, or goat, in the camp, or that killeth it out of the camp,
4
And bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer an offering unto the LORD before the tabernacle of the LORD; blood shall be imputed unto that man; he hath shed blood; and that man shall be cut off from among his people:
5
To the end that the children of Israel may bring their sacrifices, which they offer in the open field, even that they may bring them unto the LORD, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest, and offer them for peace offerings unto the LORD.
6
And the priest shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar of the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and burn the fat for a sweet savor unto the LORD.
7
And they shall no more offer their sacrifices unto devils, after whom they have gone a whoring. This shall be a statute for ever unto them throughout their generations.
8
And thou shalt say unto them, Whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers which sojourn among you, that offereth a burnt offering or sacrifice,
9
And bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer it unto the LORD; even that man shall be cut off from among his people.
10
And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eateth any manner of blood; I will even set my face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people.
11
For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.
12
Therefore I said unto the children of Israel, No soul of you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger that sojourneth among you eat blood.
13
And whatsoever man there be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, which hunteth and catcheth any beast or fowl that may be eaten; he shall even pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with dust.
14
For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof: whosoever eateth it shall be cut off.
15
And every soul that eateth that which died of itself, or that which was torn with beasts, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger, he shall both wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even: then shall he be clean.
16
But if he wash them not, nor bathe his flesh; then he shall bear his iniquity.




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

The New Testament reading is verses 1-31 from the 27th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew.
Jesus before Pilate.  Judas repents, and is rejected.

1
When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death:
2
And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor.
3
Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
4
Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.
5
And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.
6
And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood.
7
And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in.
8
Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day.
9
Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value;
10
And gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord appointed me.
11
And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest.
12
And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing.
13
Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee?
14
And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly.
15
Now at that feast the governor was wont to release unto the people a prisoner, whom they would.
16
And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas.
17
Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ?
18
For he knew that for envy they had delivered him.
19
When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.
20
But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus.
21
The governor answered and said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas.
22
Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified.
23
And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified.
24
When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.
25
Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.
26
Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.
27
Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers.
28
And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe.
29
And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!
30
And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.
31
And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.


12 February 2016

Today's Readings and Stuff == Friday, 12 February 2016

It is bitterly cold out right now, worse tonight, worse tomorrow, much worse tomorrow night.  Then, a bit of a break is foretold.  We shall see.  And by Monday, we have passed the half way point for the month of February.  March is not yet in sight, but we sense it's in the region.  Something about "hihg" temperatures in single digits just is no fun at all.  Hate it.

Dear Wife has gone next door to "watch" the beloved Great Niece for a few hours while niece is at work and before niece's husband gets home.  She and the Little One enjoy their time together, mom & dad enjoy having a free sitter who doesn't teach her bad habits.  Good thing for all.

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

The Old Testament reading is chapter 14 of Leviticus.


1
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2
This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing: He shall be brought unto the priest:
3
And the priest shall go forth out of the camp; and the priest shall look, and, behold, if the plague of leprosy be healed in the leper;
4
Then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two birds alive and clean, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop:
5
And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water:
6
As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water:
7
And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose into the open field.
8
And he that is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean: and after that he shall come into the camp, and shall tarry abroad out of his tent seven days.
9
But it shall be on the seventh day, that he shall shave all his hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows, even all his hair he shall shave off: and he shall wash his clothes, also he shall wash his flesh in water, and he shall be clean.
10
And on the eighth day he shall take two he lambs without blemish, and one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish, and three tenth deals of fine flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, and one log of oil.
11
And the priest that maketh him clean shall present the man that is to be made clean, and those things, before the LORD, at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation:
12
And the priest shall take one he lamb, and offer him for a trespass offering, and the log of oil, and wave them for a wave offering before the LORD:
13
And he shall slay the lamb in the place where he shall kill the sin offering and the burnt offering, in the holy place: for as the sin offering is the priest's, so is the trespass offering: it is most holy:
14
And the priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and the priest shall put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot:
15
And the priest shall take some of the log of oil, and pour it into the palm of his own left hand:
16
And the priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand, and shall sprinkle of the oil with his finger seven times before the LORD:
17
And of the rest of the oil that is in his hand shall the priest put upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot, upon the blood of the trespass offering:
18
And the remnant of the oil that is in the priest's hand he shall pour upon the head of him that is to be cleansed: and the priest shall make an atonement for him before the LORD.
19
And the priest shall offer the sin offering, and make an atonement for him that is to be cleansed from his uncleanness; and afterward he shall kill the burnt offering:
20
And the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the meat offering upon the altar: and the priest shall make an atonement for him, and he shall be clean.
21
And if he be poor, and cannot get so much; then he shall take one lamb for a trespass offering to be waved, to make an atonement for him, and one tenth deal of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering, and a log of oil;
22
And two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, such as he is able to get; and the one shall be a sin offering, and the other a burnt offering.
23
And he shall bring them on the eighth day for his cleansing unto the priest, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, before the LORD.
24
And the priest shall take the lamb of the trespass offering, and the log of oil, and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the LORD:
25
And he shall kill the lamb of the trespass offering, and the priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot:
26
And the priest shall pour of the oil into the palm of his own left hand:
27
And the priest shall sprinkle with his right finger some of the oil that is in his left hand seven times before the LORD:
28
And the priest shall put of the oil that is in his hand upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot, upon the place of the blood of the trespass offering:
29
And the rest of the oil that is in the priest's hand he shall put upon the head of him that is to be cleansed, to make an atonement for him before the LORD.
30
And he shall offer the one of the turtledoves, or of the young pigeons, such as he can get;
31
Even such as he is able to get, the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, with the meat offering: and the priest shall make an atonement for him that is to be cleansed before the LORD.
32
This is the law of him in whom is the plague of leprosy, whose hand is not able to get that which pertaineth to his cleansing.
33
And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
34
When ye be come into the land of Canaan, which I give to you for a possession, and I put the plague of leprosy in a house of the land of your possession;
35
And he that owneth the house shall come and tell the priest, saying, It seemeth to me there is as it were a plague in the house:
36
Then the priest shall command that they empty the house, before the priest go into it to see the plague, that all that is in the house be not made unclean: and afterward the priest shall go in to see the house:
37
And he shall look on the plague, and, behold, if the plague be in the walls of the house with hollow streaks, greenish or reddish, which in sight are lower than the wall;
38
Then the priest shall go out of the house to the door of the house, and shut up the house seven days:
39
And the priest shall come again the seventh day, and shall look: and, behold, if the plague be spread in the walls of the house;
40
Then the priest shall command that they take away the stones in which the plague is, and they shall cast them into an unclean place without the city:
41
And he shall cause the house to be scraped within round about, and they shall pour out the dust that they scrape off without the city into an unclean place:
42
And they shall take other stones, and put them in the place of those stones; and he shall take other mortar, and shall plaster the house.
43
And if the plague come again, and break out in the house, after that he hath taken away the stones, and after he hath scraped the house, and after it is plastered;
44
Then the priest shall come and look, and, behold, if the plague be spread in the house, it is a fretting leprosy in the house; it is unclean.
45
And he shall break down the house, the stones of it, and the timber thereof, and all the mortar of the house; and he shall carry them forth out of the city into an unclean place.
46
Moreover he that goeth into the house all the while that it is shut up shall be unclean until the even.
47
And he that lieth in the house shall wash his clothes; and he that eateth in the house shall wash his clothes.
48
And if the priest shall come in, and look upon it, and, behold, the plague hath not spread in the house, after the house was plastered: then the priest shall pronounce the house clean, because the plague is healed.
49
And he shall take to cleanse the house two birds, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop:
50
And he shall kill the one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running water:
51
And he shall take the cedar wood, and the hyssop, and the scarlet, and the living bird, and dip them in the blood of the slain bird, and in the running water, and sprinkle the house seven times:
52
And he shall cleanse the house with the blood of the bird, and with the running water, and with the living bird, and with the cedar wood, and with the hyssop, and with the scarlet:
53
But he shall let go the living bird out of the city into the open fields, and make an atonement for the house: and it shall be clean.
54
This is the law for all manner of plague of leprosy, and scall,
55
And for the leprosy of a garment, and of a house,
56
And for a rising, and for a scab, and for a bright spot:
57
To teach when it is unclean, and when it is clean: this is the law of leprosy.





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

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

The New Testament reading is verses 26-75 from the 26th chapter in the Gospel of Matthew.
This is hard reading.  I am sure that all the apostles, Peter in particular, replayed this night in their minds for years to come.
Jesus has been seized by soldiers, brought before the religious leaders of the people.  And Peter denies Him, as foretold.  Not once, but three times.

55
In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me.
56
But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.
57
And they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled.
58
But Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest's palace, and went in, and sat with the servants, to see the end.
59
Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death;
60
But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses,
61
And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.
62
And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?
63
But Jesus held his peace, And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God.
64
Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
65
Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy.
66
What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death.
67
Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands,
68
Saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee?
69
Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee.
70
But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest.
71
And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and said unto them that were there, This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth.
72
And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man.
73
And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee.
74
Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew.
75
And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.

11 February 2016

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Thursday, 11 February 2016

cold and snowy here.  I woke to nice warm +11 degrees.  All of +14 now, to go to + tonight.  Tomorrow's high predicted for +23 with a low of +6.  Bad enough, right?  Saturday's "high" is  predicted for +7 with a nightly low of -1 degree.  Sunday gets up to +17 with a low of +11 (which is, at least, above zero).  And then it gets comparatively warmer, with the highs above freezing, and the lows in the 20's or high teens.  A comparative improvement, and by Monday we'll be on the last half of February. 
I shoveled half a food of snow this morning, but now it appears I'd done nothing at all.
We''re getting by, but I hate to imagine the heating bill. Dear Wife spent time on phone today with the insurance people.  It seems that one of her issues has only two know meds for. They regard either as unworthy of much coverage, which is bad enough.  The problem is that if we use their in-house pharmacy, the CO-PAY per month is about $270.  If she takes the same prescription to one of the local pharmacies, the ENTIRE cash price is about $60!  And, should she do so, that $60 will not count towards the annual deductible! 
I hate, loathe, and despise the abomination of Obamacare, and have precisely the same attitude towards Every.Single.Worthless.Bum who foisted this monstrosity upon the nation, against the known opposition of the majority of the citizens thereof.  TWANLOC bums, all of them.  Low down no-account lying bums.
No, I am not in a particularly good mood, not at all.

==============================
*******************************************

The Old Testament reading is chapter 13 of Leviticus.


1
And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, saying,
2
When a man shall have in the skin of his flesh a rising, a scab, or bright spot, and it be in the skin of his flesh like the plague of leprosy; then he shall be brought unto Aaron the priest, or unto one of his sons the priests:
3
And the priest shall look on the plague in the skin of the flesh: and when the hair in the plague is turned white, and the plague in sight be deeper than the skin of his flesh, it is a plague of leprosy: and the priest shall look on him, and pronounce him unclean.
4
If the bright spot be white in the skin of his flesh, and in sight be not deeper than the skin, and the hair thereof be not turned white; then the priest shall shut up him that hath the plague seven days:
5
And the priest shall look on him the seventh day: and, behold, if the plague in his sight be at a stay, and the plague spread not in the skin; then the priest shall shut him up seven days more:
6
And the priest shall look on him again the seventh day: and, behold, if the plague be somewhat dark, and the plague spread not in the skin, the priest shall pronounce him clean: it is but a scab: and he shall wash his clothes, and be clean.
7
But if the scab spread much abroad in the skin, after that he hath been seen of the priest for his cleansing, he shall be seen of the priest again.
8
And if the priest see that, behold, the scab spreadeth in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a leprosy.
9
When the plague of leprosy is in a man, then he shall be brought unto the priest;
10
And the priest shall see him: and, behold, if the rising be white in the skin, and it have turned the hair white, and there be quick raw flesh in the rising;
11
It is an old leprosy in the skin of his flesh, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean, and shall not shut him up: for he is unclean.
12
And if a leprosy break out abroad in the skin, and the leprosy cover all the skin of him that hath the plague from his head even to his foot, wheresoever the priest looketh;
13
Then the priest shall consider: and, behold, if the leprosy have covered all his flesh, he shall pronounce him clean that hath the plague: it is all turned white: he is clean.
14
But when raw flesh appeareth in him, he shall be unclean.
15
And the priest shall see the raw flesh, and pronounce him to be unclean: for the raw flesh is unclean: it is a leprosy.
16
Or if the raw flesh turn again, and be changed unto white, he shall come unto the priest;
17
And the priest shall see him: and, behold, if the plague be turned into white; then the priest shall pronounce him clean that hath the plague: he is clean.
18
The flesh also, in which, even in the skin thereof, was a boil, and is healed,
19
And in the place of the boil there be a white rising, or a bright spot, white, and somewhat reddish, and it be showed to the priest;
20
And if, when the priest seeth it, behold, it be in sight lower than the skin, and the hair thereof be turned white; the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a plague of leprosy broken out of the boil.
21
But if the priest look on it, and, behold, there be no white hairs therein, and if it be not lower than the skin, but be somewhat dark; then the priest shall shut him up seven days:
22
And if it spread much abroad in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a plague.
23
But if the bright spot stay in his place, and spread not, it is a burning boil; and the priest shall pronounce him clean.
24
Or if there be any flesh, in the skin whereof there is a hot burning, and the quick flesh that burneth have a white bright spot, somewhat reddish, or white;
25
Then the priest shall look upon it: and, behold, if the hair in the bright spot be turned white, and it be in sight deeper than the skin; it is a leprosy broken out of the burning: wherefore the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is the plague of leprosy.
26
But if the priest look on it, and, behold, there be no white hair in the bright spot, and it be no lower than the other skin, but be somewhat dark; then the priest shall shut him up seven days:
27
And the priest shall look upon him the seventh day: and if it be spread much abroad in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is the plague of leprosy.
28
And if the bright spot stay in his place, and spread not in the skin, but it be somewhat dark; it is a rising of the burning, and the priest shall pronounce him clean: for it is an inflammation of the burning.
29
If a man or woman have a plague upon the head or the beard;
30
Then the priest shall see the plague: and, behold, if it be in sight deeper than the skin; and there be in it a yellow thin hair; then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a dry scall, even a leprosy upon the head or beard.
31
And if the priest look on the plague of the scall, and, behold, it be not in sight deeper than the skin, and that there is no black hair in it; then the priest shall shut up him that hath the plague of the scall seven days:
32
And in the seventh day the priest shall look on the plague: and, behold, if the scall spread not, and there be in it no yellow hair, and the scall be not in sight deeper than the skin;
33
He shall be shaven, but the scall shall he not shave; and the priest shall shut up him that hath the scall seven days more:
34
And in the seventh day the priest shall look on the scall: and, behold, if the scall be not spread in the skin, nor be in sight deeper than the skin; then the priest shall pronounce him clean: and he shall wash his clothes, and be clean.
35
But if the scall spread much in the skin after his cleansing;
36
Then the priest shall look on him: and, behold, if the scall be spread in the skin, the priest shall not seek for yellow hair; he is unclean.
37
But if the scall be in his sight at a stay, and that there is black hair grown up therein; the scall is healed, he is clean: and the priest shall pronounce him clean.
38
If a man also or a woman have in the skin of their flesh bright spots, even white bright spots;
39
Then the priest shall look: and, behold, if the bright spots in the skin of their flesh be darkish white; it is a freckled spot that groweth in the skin; he is clean.
40
And the man whose hair is fallen off his head, he is bald; yet is he clean.
41
And he that hath his hair fallen off from the part of his head toward his face, he is forehead bald: yet is he clean.
42
And if there be in the bald head, or bald forehead, a white reddish sore; it is a leprosy sprung up in his bald head, or his bald forehead.
43
Then the priest shall look upon it: and, behold, if the rising of the sore be white reddish in his bald head, or in his bald forehead, as the leprosy appeareth in the skin of the flesh;
44
He is a leprous man, he is unclean: the priest shall pronounce him utterly unclean; his plague is in his head.
45
And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean.
46
All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be.
47
The garment also that the plague of leprosy is in, whether it be a woolen garment, or a linen garment;
48
Whether it be in the warp, or woof; of linen, or of woolen; whether in a skin, or in any thing made of skin;
49
And if the plague be greenish or reddish in the garment, or in the skin, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in any thing of skin; it is a plague of leprosy, and shall be showed unto the priest:
50
And the priest shall look upon the plague, and shut up it that hath the plague seven days:
51
And he shall look on the plague on the seventh day: if the plague be spread in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in a skin, or in any work that is made of skin; the plague is a fretting leprosy; it is unclean.
52
He shall therefore burn that garment, whether warp or woof, in woolen or in linen, or any thing of skin, wherein the plague is: for it is a fretting leprosy; it shall be burnt in the fire.
53
And if the priest shall look, and, behold, the plague be not spread in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in any thing of skin;
54
Then the priest shall command that they wash the thing wherein the plague is, and he shall shut it up seven days more:
55
And the priest shall look on the plague, after that it is washed: and, behold, if the plague have not changed his color, and the plague be not spread; it is unclean; thou shalt burn it in the fire; it is fret inward, whether it be bare within or without.
56
And if the priest look, and, behold, the plague be somewhat dark after the washing of it; then he shall rend it out of the garment, or out of the skin, or out of the warp, or out of the woof:
57
And if it appear still in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in any thing of skin; it is a spreading plague: thou shalt burn that wherein the plague is with fire.
58
And the garment, either warp, or woof, or whatsoever thing of skin it be, which thou shalt wash, if the plague be departed from them, then it shall be washed the second time, and shall be clean.
59
This is the law of the plague of leprosy in a garment of woolen or linen, either in the warp, or woof, or any thing of skins, to pronounce it clean, or to pronounce it unclean.






**********************************************************
******************************************************************
Today's New Testament reading is verses 20-54 of Matthew 26.
This is pretty intense.  This begins with the Last Supper, and ends with Jesus taken captive by soldiers.  Just as He said.

20
Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve.
21
And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.
22
And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I?
23
And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me.
24
The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born.
25
Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said.
26
And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.
27
And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;
28
For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
29
But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.
30
And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.
31
Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.
32
But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.
33
Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.
34
Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.
35
Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.
36
Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.
37
And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.
38
Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.
39
And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
40
And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?
41
Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
42
He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.
43
And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.
44
And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.
45
Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
46
Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.
47
And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people.
48
Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast.
49
And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him.
50
And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus and took him.
51
And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest's, and smote off his ear.
52
Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.
53
Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?
54
But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?