Day 85 of 365

Num 31:1–54

1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

2 "Avenge the children of Israel for the Midianites. Afterward you shall be gathered to your people."

3 Moses spoke to the people, saying, "Arm men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian, to execute the Lord's vengeance on Midian.

4 Of every tribe one thousand, throughout all the tribes of Israel, you shall send to the war."

5 So there were delivered, out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand of every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war.

6 Moses sent them, one thousand of every tribe, to the war, them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war, with the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for the alarm in his hand.

7 They warred against Midian, as the Lord commanded Moses; and they killed every male.

8 They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of their slain: Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian: Balaam also the son of Beor they killed with the sword.

9 The children of Israel took captive the women of Midian and their little ones; and all their livestock, and all their flocks, and all their goods, they took for a prey.

10 All their cities in the places in which they lived, and all their encampments, they burnt with fire.

11 They took all the spoil, and all the prey, both of man and of animal.

12 They brought the captives, and the prey, and the spoil, to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of the children of Israel, to the camp at the plains of Moab, which are by the Jordan at Jericho.

13 Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and all the princes of the congregation, went forth to meet them outside of the camp.

14 Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, who came from the service of the war.

15 Moses said to them, "Have you saved all the women alive?

16 Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the Lord in the matter of Peor, and so the plague was among the congregation of the Lord.

17 Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him.

18 But all the girls, who have not known man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.

19 "Encamp outside of the camp seven days: whoever has killed any person, and whoever has touched any slain, purify yourselves on the third day and on the seventh day, you and your captives.

20 As to every garment, and all that is made of skin, and all work of goats' hair, and all things made of wood, you shall purify yourselves."

21 Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who went to the battle, "This is the statute of the law which the Lord has commanded Moses:

22 however the gold, and the silver, the brass, the iron, the tin, and the lead,

23 everything that may withstand the fire, you shall make to go through the fire, and it shall be clean; nevertheless it shall be purified with the water for impurity: and all that doesn't withstand the fire you shall make to go through the water.

24 You shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you shall be clean; and afterward you shall come into the camp."

25 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

26 "Take the sum of the prey that was taken, both of man and of animal, you, and Eleazar the priest, and the heads of the fathers' households of the congregation;

27 and divide the prey into two parts: between the men skilled in war, who went out to battle, and all the congregation.

28 Levy a tribute to the Lord of the men of war who went out to battle: one soul of five hundred; of the persons, of the cattle, of the donkeys, and of the flocks.

29 Take it of their half, and give it to Eleazar the priest, for the Lord's wave offering.

30 Of the children of Israel's half, you shall take one drawn out of every fifty, of the persons, of the cattle, of the donkeys, and of the flocks, of all the livestock, and give them to the Levites, who perform the duty of the tabernacle of the Lord."

31 Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the Lord commanded Moses.

32 Now the prey, over and above the booty which the men of war took, was six hundred seventy-five thousand sheep,

33 and seventy-two thousand head of cattle,

34 and sixty-one thousand donkeys,

35 and thirty-two thousand persons in all, of the women who had not known man by lying with him.

36 The half, which was the portion of those who went out to war, was in number three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep:

37 and the Lord's tribute of the sheep was six hundred seventy-five.

38 The cattle were thirty-six thousand; of which the Lord's tribute was seventy-two.

39 The donkeys were thirty thousand five hundred; of which the Lord's tribute was sixty-one.

40 The persons were sixteen thousand; of whom the Lord's tribute was thirty-two persons.

41 Moses gave the tribute, which was the Lord's wave offering, to Eleazar the priest, as the Lord commanded Moses.

42 Of the children of Israel's half, which Moses divided off from the men who warred

43 (now the congregation's half was three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep,

44 and thirty-six thousand head of cattle,

45 and thirty thousand five hundred donkeys,

46 and sixteen thousand persons),

47 even of the children of Israel's half, Moses took one drawn out of every fifty, both of man and of animal, and gave them to the Levites, who performed the duty of the tabernacle of the Lord; as the Lord commanded Moses.

48 The officers who were over the thousands of the army, the captains of thousands, and the captains of hundreds, came near to Moses;

49 and they said to Moses, "Your servants have taken the sum of the men of war who are under our command, and there lacks not one man of us.

50 We have brought the Lord's offering, what every man has gotten, of jewels of gold, armlets, and bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and necklaces, to make atonement for our souls before the Lord."

51 Moses and Eleazar the priest took their gold, even all worked jewels.

52 All the gold of the wave offering that they offered up to the Lord, of the captains of thousands, and of the captains of hundreds, was sixteen thousand seven hundred fifty shekels.

53 (The men of war had taken booty, every man for himself.)

54 Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the Tent of Meeting, for a memorial for the children of Israel before the Lord.

Luke 4:13–44

13 When the devil had completed every temptation, he departed from him until another time.

14 Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee, and news about him spread through all the surrounding area.

15 He taught in their synagogues, being praised by all.

16 He came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. He entered, as was his custom, into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.

17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. He opened the scroll, and found the place where it was written,

18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, recovering of sight to the blind, to deliver those who are crushed,

19 and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."

20 He closed the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fastened on him.

21 He began to tell them, "Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."

22 All testified about him, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth, and they said, "Is not this Joseph's son?"

23 He said to them, "Doubtless you will tell me this parable, 'Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done at Capernaum, do also here in your hometown.'"

24 He said, "Truly I tell you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown.

25 But truly I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land.

26 Elijah was sent to none of them, except to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.

27 There were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed, except Naaman, the Syrian."

28 They were all filled with wrath in the synagogue, as they heard these things.

29 They rose up, threw him out of the city, and led him to the brow of the hill that their city was built on, that they might throw him off the cliff.

30 But he, passing through the midst of them, went his way.

31 He came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. He was teaching them on the Sabbath day,

32 and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word was with authority.

33 In the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon, and he shouted with a loud voice,

34 saying, "Ah! what have we to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know you who you are: the Holy One of God!"

35 Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent, and come out of him!" When the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm.

36 Amazement came on all, and they spoke together, one with another, saying, "What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!"

37 News about him went out into every place of the surrounding region.

38 He rose up from the synagogue, and entered into Simon's house. Simon's mother-in-law was afflicted with a great fever, and they begged him for her.

39 He stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her. Immediately she rose up and served them.

40 When the sun was setting, all those who had any sick with various diseases brought them to him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them.

41 Demons also came out from many, crying out, and saying, "You are the Son of God!" Rebuking them, he did not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Messiah.

42 When it was day, he departed and went into an uninhabited place, and the multitudes looked for him, and came to him, and held on to him, so that he would not go away from them.

43 But he said to them, "I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God to the other cities also. For this reason I have been sent."

44 He was proclaiming in the synagogues of Judea.

Prov 19:22–29

22 That which makes a man to be desired is his kindness. A poor man is better than a liar.

23 The fear of the Lord leads to life, then contentment; he rests and will not be touched by trouble.

24 The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.

25 Flog a scoffer, and the simple will learn prudence; rebuke one who has understanding, and he will gain knowledge.

26 He who robs his father and drives away his mother, is a son who causes shame and brings reproach.

27 If you stop listening to instruction, my son, you will stray from the words of knowledge.

28 A corrupt witness mocks justice, and the mouth of the wicked gulps down iniquity.

29 Penalties are prepared for scoffers, and beatings for the backs of fools.