Day 81 of 365

Num 24:1–25:18

24:1 When Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not go, as at the other times, to meet with omens, but he set his face toward the wilderness.

24:2 Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel dwelling according to their tribes; and the Spirit of God came on him.

24:3 He took up his parable, and said, "Balaam the son of Beor says, the man whose eye was closed says;

24:4 he says, who hears the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down, and having his eyes open:

24:5 How goodly are your tents, Jacob, and your tents, Israel!

24:6 As valleys they are spread forth, as gardens by the riverside, as aloes which the Lord has planted, as cedar trees beside the waters.

24:7 Water shall flow from his buckets. His seed shall be in many waters. His king shall be higher than Agag. His kingdom shall be exalted.

24:8 God brings him out of Egypt. He has as it were the strength of the wild ox. He shall eat up the nations his adversaries, shall break their bones in pieces, and pierce them with his arrows.

24:9 He couched, he lay down as a lion, as a lioness; who shall rouse him up? Everyone who blesses you is blessed. Everyone who curses you is cursed."

24:10 Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he struck his hands together; and Balak said to Balaam, "I called you to curse my enemies, and, behold, you have altogether blessed them these three times.

24:11 Therefore now flee you to your place! I thought to promote you to great honor; but, behold, the Lord has kept you back from honor."

24:12 Balaam said to Balak, "Did I not also tell your messengers who you sent to me, saying,

24:13 'If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I can't go beyond the word of the Lord, to do either good or bad of my own mind. I will say what the Lord says'?

24:14 Now, behold, I go to my people: come, I will inform you what this people shall do to your people in the latter days."

24:15 He took up his parable, and said, "Balaam the son of Beor says, the man whose eye was closed says;

24:16 he says, who hears the words of God, knows the knowledge of the Most High, and who sees the vision of the Almighty, Falling down, and having his eyes open:

24:17 I see him, but not now. I see him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob. A scepter will rise out of Israel, and shall strike through the corners of Moab, and break down all the sons of Sheth.

24:18 Edom shall be a possession. Seir, his enemies, also shall be a possession, while Israel does valiantly.

24:19 Out of Jacob shall one have dominion, and shall destroy the remnant from the city."

24:20 He looked at Amalek, and took up his parable, and said, "Amalek was the first of the nations, But his latter end shall come to destruction."

24:21 He looked at the Kenite, and took up his parable, and said, "Your dwelling place is strong. Your nest is set in the rock.

24:22 Nevertheless Kain shall be wasted, until Asshur carries you away captive."

24:23 He took up his parable, and said, "Alas, who shall live when God does this?

24:24 But ships shall come from the coast of Kittim. They shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber. He also shall come to destruction."

24:25 Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place; and Balak also went his way.

25:1 Israel stayed in Shittim; and the people began to play the prostitute with the daughters of Moab:

25:2 for they called the people to the sacrifices of their gods; and the people ate, and bowed down to their gods.

25:3 Israel joined himself to Baal Peor: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel.

25:4 The Lord said to Moses, "Take all the chiefs of the people, and hang them up to the Lord before the sun, that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel."

25:5 Moses said to the judges of Israel, "Everyone kill his men who have joined themselves to Baal Peor."

25:6 Behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought to his brothers a Midianite woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, while they were weeping at the door of the Tent of Meeting.

25:7 When Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from the midst of the congregation, and took a spear in his hand;

25:8 and he went after the man of Israel into the pavilion, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her body. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel.

25:9 Those who died by the plague were twenty-four thousand.

25:10 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

25:11 "Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I did not consume the children of Israel in my jealousy.

25:12 Therefore say, 'Behold, I give to him my covenant of peace:

25:13 and it shall be to him, and to his seed after him, the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was jealous for his God, and made atonement for the children of Israel.'"

25:14 Now the name of the man of Israel that was slain, who was slain with the Midianite woman, was Zimri, the son of Salu, a prince of a fathers' house among the Simeonites.

25:15 The name of the Midianite woman who was slain was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur; he was head of the people of a fathers' house in Midian.

25:16 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

25:17 "Harass the Midianites, and strike them;

25:18 for they harassed you with their wiles, with which they have deceived you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of the prince of Midian, their sister, who was slain on the day of the plague in the matter of Peor."

Luke 2:1–26

1 Now it happened in those days, that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled.

2 This was the first enrollment made when Quirinius was governor of Syria.

3 All went to enroll themselves, everyone to his own city.

4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David;

5 to enroll himself with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him, being pregnant.

6 It happened, while they were there, that the day had come that she should give birth.

7 She brought forth her firstborn son, and she wrapped him in bands of cloth, and placed him in a feeding trough, because there was no room for them in the inn.

8 There were shepherds in the same country staying in the field, and keeping watch by night over their flock.

9 Behold, an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

10 The angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be to all the people.

11 For there is born to you, this day, in the city of David, a Savior, who is Messiah, the Lord.

12 This is the sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth, lying in a feeding trough."

13 Suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army praising God, and saying,

14 "Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace among men in whom he is well pleased."

15 It happened, when the angels went away from them into the sky, that the men, the shepherds, said one to another, "Let us go to Bethlehem, now, and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us."

16 They came with haste, and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby was lying in the feeding trough.

17 When they saw it, they publicized widely the saying which was spoken to them about this child.

18 All who heard it wondered at the things which were spoken to them by the shepherds.

19 But Mary kept all these sayings, pondering them in her heart.

20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, just as it was told them.

21 When eight days were fulfilled to circumcise him, his name was called Jesus, which was given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

22 When the days of their purification according to the Law of Moses were fulfilled, they brought him up to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord

23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, "Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord"),

24 and to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the Law of the Lord, "A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons."

25 Behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him.

26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Messiah.

Prov 19:1–10

1 Better is the poor who walks in his integrity than he who is perverse in his lips and is a fool.

2 It isn't good to have zeal without knowledge; nor being hasty with one's feet and missing the way.

3 The foolishness of man subverts his way; his heart rages against the Lord.

4 Wealth adds many friends, but the poor is separated from his friend.

5 A false witness shall not be unpunished. He who pours out lies shall not go free.

6 Many will entreat the favor of a ruler, and everyone is a friend to a man who gives gifts.

7 All the relatives of the poor shun him: how much more do his friends avoid him! He pursues them with pleas, but they are gone.

8 He who gets wisdom loves his own soul. He who keeps understanding shall find good.

9 A false witness shall not be unpunished. He who utters lies shall perish.

10 Delicate living is not appropriate for a fool, much less for a servant to have rule over princes.