Today's Readings and Stuff -- Sunday, 17 March 2013

Some apologies are due for the irregular postings lately.  There are reasons, other than plain sloth, for this, reasons beyond the scope of this posting.  Been tough.  Sorry.  I just worked all night, got home a short while ago, and in an hour or so will leave the house again to bring a message to our little church.  Makes for about a 25-hour long day, and may get longer. 

This morning's Old Testament passage is chapters 29 and 30.  Among other things, we are witnessing the era of Moses coming to a close.  Only a few more days here.  He knew as he spoke that this was the case.  Would I have done as well, knowing that the Lord was calling me home?  As I get older, such thoughts run through, more often than was the case just a few years ago.  Moses was intent of finishing well. I think he did all right.

Deuteronomy 29

1	These are the words of the covenant, which the LORD commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, beside the covenant which he made with them in Horeb.
2	And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them, Ye have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh, and unto all his servants, and unto all his land;
3	The great temptations which thine eyes have seen, the signs, and those great miracles:
4	Yet the LORD hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day.
5	And I have led you forty years in the wilderness: your clothes are not waxen old upon you, and thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot.
6	Ye have not eaten bread, neither have ye drunk wine or strong drink: that ye might know that I am the LORD your God.
7	And when ye came unto this place, Sihon the king of Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, came out against us unto battle, and we smote them:
8	And we took their land, and gave it for an inheritance unto the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to the half tribe of Manasseh.
9	Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do.
10	Ye stand this day all of you before the LORD your God; your captains of your tribes, your elders, and your officers, with all the men of Israel,
11	Your little ones, your wives, and thy stranger that is in thy camp, from the hewer of thy wood unto the drawer of thy water:
12	That thou shouldest enter into covenant with the LORD thy God, and into his oath, which the LORD thy God maketh with thee this day:
13	That he may establish thee to day for a people unto himself, and that he may be unto thee a God, as he hath said unto thee, and as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
14	Neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath;
15	But with him that standeth here with us this day before the LORD our God, and also with him that is not here with us this day:
16	(For ye know how we have dwelt in the land of Egypt; and how we came through the nations which ye passed by;
17	And ye have seen their abominations, and their idols, wood and stone, silver and gold, which were among them:)
18	Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood;
19	And it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst:
20	The LORD will not spare him, but then the anger of the LORD and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and the LORD shall blot out his name from under heaven.
21	And the LORD shall separate him unto evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant that are written in this book of the law:
22	So that the generation to come of your children that shall rise up after you, and the stranger that shall come from a far land, shall say, when they see the plagues of that land, and the sicknesses which the LORD hath laid upon it;
23	And that the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom, and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, which the LORD overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath:
24	Even all nations shall say, Wherefore hath the LORD done thus unto this land? what meaneth the heat of this great anger?
25	Then men shall say, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD God of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them forth out of the land of Egypt:
26	For they went and served other gods, and worshipped them, gods whom they knew not, and whom he had not given unto them:
27	And the anger of the LORD was kindled against this land, to bring upon it all the curses that are written in this book:
28	And the LORD rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is this day.
29	The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.

Deuteronomy 30

1	And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee,
2	And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul;
3	That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee.
4	If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee:
5	And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers.
6	And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.
7	And the LORD thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies, and on them that hate thee, which persecuted thee.
8	And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the LORD, and do all his commandments which I command thee this day.
9	And the LORD thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good: for the LORD will again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers:
10	If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul.
11	For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off.
12	It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?
13	Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?
14	But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.
15	See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;
16	In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.
17	But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them;
18	I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.
19	I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
20	That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.

The New Testament passage is chapter 16 from the Gospel of Mark, completing it.  Mark tends to be a get down to it writer.  This is no exception.  But it captures the important thing at hand, the Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus, and the Great Commission too.  Not bad.

Mark 16

1	And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.
2	And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.
3	And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?
4	And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.
5	And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted.
6	And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.
7	But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you.
8	And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid.
9	Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.
10	And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept.
11	And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not.
12	After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country.
13	And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them.
14	Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.
15	And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
16	He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
17	And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18	They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
19	So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.
20	And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Monday, 11 February 2013

Middle of the night here, bad storms all around us.  Friends a bit south of here spent much of the evening huddled in the basement as near-tornadoes roared through the area.  Possibly some actual ones, they won't be sure until morning when damage assessment can take place.  We merely had a power failure, have everything back up now.  Dear Wife and I sitting at the kitchen table drinking a little decaf coffee and checking weather reports and status of friends near and far.
Heading into an uncertain week.  It appears that I will once again be asked to spend the week at a customer's facility on a night turn.  That does have the advantage of a commute roughly half that when I go to our operation (a 46 mile round trip rather than a 90 mile round trip) and it leaves me somewhat available during the day if Dear Wife has a doctor appointment or something.  She can no longer see to drive, and we have only the one car to share.  So it's not all bad, and perhaps there's a reason for all of this.
I heard from a recruiter last week, they want me to come in for an interview and are making arrangements to fly me into the Pittsburgh area soon.  Would be much closer to much of the family, and pay scale is about $25,000 more than what I've been drawing here for the last five years.  So that would be good.  And Dear Wife misses the family up there desperately.  So, we shall see.  I hate to get hopes up, there have been too many doors slammed in our face over the last eight years. 

The Old Testament passage before us is chapter 13 of the book of the Leviticus.  This is primarily the ceremonial Law, here requiring a type of perfection for those who serve the Lord, right down to the garments worn by them or anyone else.  The Lord's standards are high.  Ours should be as well.

Leviticus 13

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.

The New Testament passage here is verses 20-54 from Matthew chapter 26.  This is an appropriate passage as we enter into the season of Lent.  Here we see the culmination of the Last Supper, and conclude with Jesus being seized in the Garden of Gethsemane.  A hard thing to watch.

Matthew 26:20-54

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?

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Tuesday, 29 January, 2013

Another day forward and one behind.  Last night was a long and miserable work night and I am off to bed.  In "normal" weeks I would right now be halfway along on my hour-long commute TO work.  Today I am off to bed AFTER work.  No wonder my system is always in confusion.

The morning reading in the Old Testament is chapters 19-21 of the Exodus.  Quite a lot here, actually, but here is where the Lord begins to lay out the Law, with the 10 Commandments at the heart of it.  This the heart of the Covenant that He made.

Exodus 19 

1	In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai.
2	For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount.
3	And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel;
4	Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself.
5	Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:
6	And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.
7	And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the LORD commanded him.
8	And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD.
9	And the LORD said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the LORD.
10	And the LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes,
11	And be ready against the third day: for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai.
12	And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death:
13	There shall not an hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount.
14	And Moses went down from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes.
15	And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day: come not at your wives.
16	And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.
17	And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount.
18	And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.
19	And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice.
20	And the LORD came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the LORD called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up.
21	And the LORD said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish.
22	And let the priests also, which come near to the LORD, sanctify themselves, lest the LORD break forth upon them.
23	And Moses said unto the LORD, The people cannot come up to mount Sinai: for thou chargedst us, saying, Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it.
24	And the LORD said unto him, Away, get thee down, and thou shalt come up, thou, and Aaron with thee: but let not the priests and the people break through to come up unto the LORD, lest he break forth upon them.
25	So Moses went down unto the people, and spake unto them.

Exodus 20

1	And God spake all these words, saying,
2	I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3	Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
4	Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
5	Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
6	And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
7	Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
8	Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9	Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work:
10	But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
11	For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
12	Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
13	Thou shalt not kill.
14	Thou shalt not commit adultery.
15	Thou shalt not steal.
16	Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
17	Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor's.
18	And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.
19	And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.
20	And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.
21	And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.
22	And the LORD said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.
23	Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold.
24	An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee.
25	And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.
26	Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon.

Exodus 21

1	Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them.
2	If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.
3	If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself: if he were married, then his wife shall go out with him.
4	If his master have given him a wife, and she have born him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out by himself.
5	And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free:
6	Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl; and he shall serve him for ever.
7	And if a man sell his daughter to be a maidservant, she shall not go out as the menservants do.
8	If she please not her master, who hath betrothed her to himself, then shall he let her be redeemed: to sell her unto a strange nation he shall have no power, seeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her.
9	And if he have betrothed her unto his son, he shall deal with her after the manner of daughters.
10	If he take him another wife; her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish.
11	And if he do not these three unto her, then shall she go out free without money.
12	He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death.
13	And if a man lie not in wait, but God deliver him into his hand; then I will appoint thee a place whither he shall flee.
14	But if a man come presumptuously upon his neighbor, to slay him with guile; thou shalt take him from mine altar, that he may die.
15	And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death.
16	And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.
17	And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death.
18	And if men strive together, and one smite another with a stone, or with his fist, and he die not, but keepeth his bed:
19	If he rise again, and walk abroad upon his staff, then shall he that smote him be quit: only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall cause him to be thoroughly healed.
20	And if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand; he shall be surely punished.
21	Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished: for he is his money.
22	If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman's husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine.
23	And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life,
24	Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
25	Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
26	And if a man smite the eye of his servant, or the eye of his maid, that it perish; he shall let him go free for his eye's sake.
27	And if he smite out his manservant's tooth, or his maidservant's tooth; he shall let him go free for his tooth's sake.
28	If an ox gore a man or a woman, that they die: then the ox shall be surely stoned, and his flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be quit.
29	But if the ox were wont to push with his horn in time past, and it hath been testified to his owner, and he hath not kept him in, but that he hath killed a man or a woman; the ox shall be stoned, and his owner also shall be put to death.
30	If there be laid on him a sum of money, then he shall give for the ransom of his life whatsoever is laid upon him.
31	Whether he have gored a son, or have gored a daughter, according to this judgment shall it be done unto him.
32	If the ox shall push a manservant or a maidservant; he shall give unto their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.
33	And if a man shall open a pit, or if a man shall dig a pit, and not cover it, and an ox or an ass fall therein;
34	The owner of the pit shall make it good, and give money unto the owner of them; and the dead beast shall be his.
35	And if one man's ox hurt another's, that he die; then they shall sell the live ox, and divide the money of it; and the dead ox also they shall divide.
36	Or if it be known that the ox hath used to push in time past, and his owner hath not kept him in; he shall surely pay ox for ox; and the dead shall be his own.

The evening reading is verses 1-16 in Matthew 20.  Jesus is talking.  Listen!

Matthew 20:1-16

1	For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.
2	And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
3	And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
4	And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.
5	Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise.
6	And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?
7	They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.
8	So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.
9	And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.
10	But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.
11	And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house,
12	Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.
13	But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny?
14	Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.
15	Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?
16	So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.