Today's Readings and Stuff -- Friday, 05 February 2021

Wow!  All the way up to 10 hours 16 minutes of "day".  Doesn't sound all that much, but it's a noticeable improvement from just six weeks ago.  The awareness that our last place of residence will see 55° today doesn't improve my mood.  Not with it going to 14° tonight and a "high" of 27° tomorrow.  But ....  I recall a few years ago when the "high" was in the single digits and the lows were like -14°.  So we haven't been down quite that far.  Yet.

==========

EXODUS 37

Making the Ark

1Bezalel  made the ark of acacia wood, 45 inches long, 27 inches wide, and 27 inches high.  2He overlaid it with pure gold inside and out and made a gold molding all around it. 3He cast four gold rings for it, for its four feet, two rings on one side and two rings on the other side. 4He made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. 5He inserted the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark for carrying the ark.

6He made a mercy seat of pure gold, 45 inches long and 27 inches wide.  7He made two cherubim of gold; he made them of hammered work at the two ends of the mercy seat, 8one cherub at one end and one cherub at the other end. At each end, he made a cherub of one piece with the mercy seat. 9They had wings spread out. They faced each other and covered the mercy seat with their wings. The faces of the cherubim were looking toward the mercy seat.

Making the Table

10He  constructed the table of acacia wood, 36 inches long, 18 inches wide, and 27 inches high.  11He overlaid it with pure gold and made a gold molding all around it. 12He made a three-inch  frame all around it and made a gold molding all around its frame. 13He cast four gold rings for it and attached the rings to the four corners at its four legs. 14The rings were next to the frame as holders for the poles to carry the table. 15He made the poles for carrying the table from acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. 16He also made the utensils that would be on the table out of pure gold: its plates and cups, as well as its bowls and pitchers for pouring drink offerings.

Making the Lampstand

17Then  he made the lampstand out of pure hammered gold. He made it all of one piece: its base and shaft, its ornamental cups, and its calyxes  and petals. 18Six branches extended from its sides, three branches of the lampstand from one side and three branches of the lampstand from the other side. 19There were three cups shaped like almond blossoms, each with a calyx and petals, on the first branch, and three cups shaped like almond blossoms, each with a calyx and petals, on the next branch. It was this way for the six branches that extended from the lampstand. 20On the lampstand shaft there were four cups shaped like almond blossoms with its calyxes and petals. 21For the six branches that extended from it, a calyx was under the first pair of branches from it, a calyx under the second pair of branches from it, and a calyx under the third pair of branches from it. 22Their calyxes and branches were of one piece.  All of it was a single hammered piece of pure gold. 23He also made its seven lamps, snuffers, and firepans of pure gold. 24He made it and all its utensils of 75 pounds  of pure gold.

Making the Altar of Incense

25He  made the altar of incense out of acacia wood. It was square, 18 inches long and 18 inches wide; it was 36 inches high.  Its horns were of one piece.  26He overlaid it, its top, all around its sides, and its horns with pure gold. Then he made a gold molding all around it. 27He made two gold rings for it under the molding on two of its sides; he put these on opposite sides of it to be holders for the poles to carry it with. 28He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.

29He also made the holy anointing oil and the pure, fragrant, and expertly blended incense. 

EXODUS 38

Making the Altar of Burnt Offering

1Bezalel  constructed the altar of burnt offering from acacia wood. It was square, 7 1/2 feet long and 7 1/2 feet wide,  and was 4 1/2 feet  high. 2He made horns for it on its four corners; the horns were of one piece.  Then he overlaid it with bronze.

3He made all the altar’s utensils: the pots, shovels, basins, meat forks, and firepans; he made all its utensils of bronze. 4He constructed for the altar a grate of bronze mesh under its ledge,  halfway up from the bottom. 5At the four corners of the bronze grate he cast four rings as holders for the poles. 6Also, he made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with bronze. 7Then he inserted the poles into the rings on the sides of the altar in order to carry it with them. He constructed the altar with boards so that it was hollow.

Making the Bronze Basin

8He made the bronze basin and its stand from the bronze mirrors of the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 

Making the Courtyard

9Then  he made the courtyard. The hangings on the south side of the courtyard were of finely spun linen, 150 feet in length,  10including their 20 posts and 20 bronze bases. The hooks and bands  of the posts were silver. 11The hangings on the north side were also 150 feet in length,  including their 20 posts and 20 bronze bases. The hooks and bands  of the posts were silver. 12The hangings on the west side were 75 feet in length,  including their 10 posts and 10 bases. The hooks and bands of the posts were silver. 13The hangings on the east toward the sunrise were also 75 feet in length.  14The hangings on one side of the gate were 22 1/2 feet,  including their three posts and three bases. 15It was the same for the other side. The hangings were 22 1/2 feet,  including their three posts and three bases on both sides of the courtyard gate. 16All the hangings around the courtyard were of finely spun linen. 17The bases for the posts were bronze; the hooks and bands  of the posts were silver; and the plating for the tops of the posts was silver. All the posts of the courtyard were banded with silver.

18The screen for the gate of the courtyard was embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen. It was 30 feet  long, and like the hangings of the courtyard, 7 1/2 feet  high.  19It had four posts, including their four bronze bases. Their hooks were silver, and the bands  as well as the plating of their tops were silver. 20All the tent pegs for the tabernacle and for the surrounding courtyard were bronze.

Inventory of Materials

21This is the inventory for the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the testimony,  that was recorded at Moses’ command. It was the work of the Levites under the direction of  Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.  22Bezalel son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made everything that the Lord commanded Moses. 23With him was Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, a gem cutter, a designer, and an embroiderer with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and fine linen.

24All the gold of the presentation offering that was used for the project in all the work on the sanctuary, was 2,193 pounds,  according to the sanctuary shekel.  25The silver from those of the community who were registered was 7,544 pounds,  according to the sanctuary shekel — 262/5 of an ounce  per man, that is, half a shekel according to the sanctuary shekel, from everyone 20 years old or more who had crossed over to the registered group, 603,550 men. 27There were 7,500 pounds  of silver used to cast the bases of the sanctuary and the bases of the veil — 100 bases from 7,500 pounds,  75 pounds  for each base.  28With the remaining 44 pounds  he made the hooks for the posts, overlaid their tops, and supplied bands  for them.

29The bronze of the presentation offering totaled 5,310 pounds.  30He made with it the bases for the entrance to the tent of meeting, the bronze altar and its bronze grate, all the utensils for the altar, 31the bases for the surrounding courtyard, the bases for the gate of the courtyard, all the tent pegs for the tabernacle, and all the tent pegs for the surrounding courtyard.

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

MATTHEW 23

23“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You pay a tenth of  mint, dill, and cumin,  yet you have neglected the more important matters of the law — justice,  mercy, and faith. These things should have been done without neglecting the others. 24Blind guides!  You strain out a gnat, yet gulp down a camel!

25“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed  and self-indulgence!  26Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup,  so the outside of it  may also become clean.

27“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs,  which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every impurity. 28In the same way, on the outside you seem righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

29“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, 30and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we wouldn’t have taken part with them in shedding the prophets’ blood.’  31You, therefore, testify against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ sins!  

33“Snakes! Brood of vipers! How can you escape being condemned to hell?   34This is why I am sending you prophets,  sages, and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will flog in your synagogues  and hound from town to town. 35So all the righteous blood shed on the earth will be charged to you,  from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah,  son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.  36I assure you: All these things will come on this generation! 

Jesus’ Lamentation over Jerusalem

37“Jerusalem, Jerusalem!  She who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her. How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks  under her wings, yet you were not willing!  38See, your house is left to you desolate.  39For I tell you, you will never see Me again until you say, ‘He who comes in the name of the Lord is the blessed One’! ”