Bible Readings for April 3, 2015

Today our passages are Deuteronomy 23:1–25:19; Luke 10:13-37; Psalm 75:1-10; and Proverbs 12:12-14. The readings are the Contemporary English Version.  

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Deuteronomy 23-25:19 (Contemporary English Version)

Deuteronomy 23

Who Cannot Become One of the LORD's People

Moses said to Israel:

 ¹If a man's private parts have been crushed or cut off, ^[a] he cannot fully belong to the LORD's people. ²No one born outside of a legal marriage, or any of their descendants for ten generations, can fully belong to the LORD's people.     ³No Ammonites or Moabites, or any of their descendants for ten generations, can become part of Israel, the LORD's people. ⁴This is because when you came out of Egypt, they refused to provide you with food and water. And besides, they hired Balaam ^[b] to put a curse on you. ⁵But the LORD your God loves you, so he refused to listen to Balaam and turned Balaam's curse into a blessing. ⁶Don't even think of signing a peace treaty with Moab or Ammon. ⁷But Edomites are your relatives, and you lived as foreigners in the country of Egypt. Now you must be kind to Edomites and Egyptians ⁸and let their great-grandchildren become part of Israel, the LORD's people.
   

Keep the Army Camp Acceptable

Moses said to Israel:

 ⁹When you men go off to fight your enemies, make sure your camp is acceptable to the LORD.     ¹⁰For example, if something happens at night that makes a man unclean and unfit for worship, he ^[c] must go outside the camp and stay there ¹¹until late afternoon. Then he must take a bath, and at sunset he can go back into camp. ¹²Set up a place outside the camp to be used as a toilet area. ¹³And make sure that you have a small shovel in your equipment. When you go out to the toilet area, use the shovel to dig a hole. Then, after you relieve yourself, bury the waste in the hole. ¹⁴You must keep your camp clean of filthy and disgusting things. The LORD is always present in your camp, ready to rescue you and give you victory over your enemies. But if he sees something disgusting in your camp, he may turn around and leave.
   

Runaway Slaves from Other Countries

Moses said:

 ¹⁵When runaway slaves from other countries come to Israel and ask for protection, you must not hand them back to their owners. ¹⁶Instead, you must let them choose which one of your towns they want to live in. Don't be cruel to runaway slaves.    

Temple Prostitutes

Moses said:

 ¹⁷People of Israel, don't any of you ever be temple prostitutes. ^{[d] 18}The LORD your God is disgusted with men and women who are prostitutes of any kind, and he will not accept a gift from them, even if it had been promised to him.

Interest on Loans

Moses said:

 ¹⁹When you lend money, food, or anything else to another Israelite, you are not allowed to charge interest. ²⁰You can charge a foreigner interest. But if you charge other Israelites interest, the LORD your God will not let you be successful in the land you are about to take.    

Sacred Promises to the LORD

Moses said:

 ²¹People of Israel, if you make a sacred promise to give a gift to the LORD, then do it as soon as you can. If the LORD has to come looking for the gift you promised, you will be guilty of breaking that promise. ²²On the other hand, if you never make a sacred promise, you can't be guilty of breaking it. ²³You must keep whatever promises you make to the LORD. After all, you are the one who chose to make the promises.    

Eating Someone Else's Produce

 ²⁴If you go into a vineyard that belongs to someone else, you are allowed to eat as many grapes as you want while you are there. But don't take any with you when you leave. ²⁵In the same way, if you are in a grain field that belongs to someone else, you can pick heads of grain and eat the kernels. But don't cut down the stalks of grain and take them with you.    

Deuteronomy 24

A Law about Divorce

Moses said to Israel:

 ¹Suppose a woman was divorced by her first husband because he found something disgraceful about her. ^[e] He wrote out divorce papers, gave them to her, and sent her away. ²Later she married another man, ³who then either divorced her in the same way or died. ⁴Since she has slept with her second husband, she cannot marry her first husband again. Their marriage would pollute the land that the LORD your God is giving you, and he would be disgusted.

Newlyweds

Moses said to Israel:

 ⁵If a man and a woman have been married less than one year, he must not be sent off to war or sent away to do forced labor. He must be allowed to stay home for a year and be happy with his wife.    

Loans

Moses said to Israel:

 ⁶When you lend money to people, you are allowed to keep something of theirs as a guarantee that they will pay back the loan. But don't take one or both of their millstones, or else they may starve. They need these stones for grinding grain into flour to make bread.    

Kidnapping

Moses said to Israel:

 ⁷If you are guilty of kidnapping Israelites and forcing them into slavery, you will be put to death to remove this evil from the community.    

Skin Diseases

Moses said to Israel:

 ⁸I have told the priests ^[f] what to do if any of you have leprosy, ^[g] so do exactly what they say. ⁹And remember what the LORD your God did to Miriam ^[h] after you left Egypt.

Loans

Moses said to Israel:

 ¹⁰When you lend money to people, you are allowed to keep something of theirs as a guarantee that the money will be paid back. But you must not go into their house to get it. ¹¹Wait outside, and they will bring out the item you have agreed on.     ¹²Suppose someone is so poor that a coat is the only thing that can be offered as a guarantee on a loan. Don't keep the coat overnight. ¹³Instead, give it back before sunset, so the owner can keep warm and sleep and ask the LORD to bless you. Then the LORD your God will notice that you have done the right thing.
   

Poor People's Wages

Moses said:

 ¹⁴If you hire poor people to work for you, don't hold back their pay, ^[i] whether they are Israelites or foreigners who live in your town. ¹⁵Pay them their wages at the end of each day, because they live in poverty and need the money to survive. If you don't pay them on time, they will complain about you to the LORD, and he will punish you.

The Death Penalty

Moses said to Israel:

 ¹⁶Parents must not be put to death for crimes committed by their children, and children must not be put to death for crimes committed by their parents. Don't put anyone to death for someone else's crime.    

Don't Mistreat the Powerless

Moses said to Israel:

 ¹⁷Make sure that orphans and foreigners are treated fairly. And if you lend money to a widow and want to keep something of hers to guarantee that she will pay you back, don't take any of her clothes. ¹⁸You were slaves in Egypt until the LORD your God rescued you. That's why I am giving you these laws.    

Leave Some of Your Harvest for the Poor

Moses said to Israel:

 ¹⁹If you forget to bring in a stack of harvested grain, don't go back in the field to get it. Leave it for the poor, including foreigners, orphans, and widows, and the LORD will make you successful in everything you do.     ²⁰When you harvest your olives, don't try to get them all for yourself, but leave some for the poor. ²¹And when you pick your grapes, go over the vines only once, then let the poor have what is left. ²²You lived in poverty as slaves in Egypt until the LORD your God rescued you. That's why I am giving you these laws.
   

Deuteronomy 25

Whipping as Punishment for a Crime

Moses said to Israel:

 ^1-2Suppose you and someone else each accuse the other of doing something wrong, and you go to court, where the judges decide you are guilty. If your punishment is to be beaten with a whip, ^[j] one of the judges will order you to lie down, and you will receive the number of lashes you deserve. ³Forty lashes is the most that you can be given, because more than that might make other Israelites think you are worthless.

Don't Muzzle an Ox

Moses said to Israel:

 ⁴Don't muzzle an ox while it is threshing grain. ^[k]

A Son for a Dead Brother

Moses said to Israel:

 ^5-6Suppose two brothers are living on the same property, when one of them dies without having a son to carry on his name. If this happens, his widow must not marry anyone outside the family. Instead, she must marry her late husband's brother, and their first son will be the legal son of the dead man.     ⁷But suppose the brother refuses to marry the widow. She must go to a meeting of the town leaders at the town gate and say, " My husband died without having a son to carry on his name. And my husband's brother refuses to marry me so I can have a son."
    ⁸The leaders will call the living brother to the town gate and try to persuade him to marry the widow. But if he doesn't change his mind and marry her, ⁹she must go over to him while the town leaders watch. She will pull off one of his sandals and spit in his face, while saying, " That's what happens to a man who won't help provide descendants for his dead brother." ¹⁰From then on, that man's family will be known as " the family of the man whose sandal was pulled off."
   

When Two Men Fight

Moses said to Israel:

 ¹¹If two men are fighting, and the wife of one man tries to rescue her husband by grabbing the other man's private parts, ¹²you must cut off her hand. Don't have any mercy.    

Be Honest in Business

Moses said to Israel:

 ^13-14Don't try to cheat people by having two sets of weights or measures, one to get more when you are buying, and the other to give less when you are selling. ¹⁵If you weigh and measure things honestly, the LORD your God will let you enjoy a long life in the land he is giving you. ¹⁶But the LORD is disgusted with anyone who cheats or is dishonest.    

Wipe Out Amalek

Moses said:

 ¹⁷People of Israel, do you remember what the Amalekites did to you after you came out of Egypt? ¹⁸You were tired, and they followed along behind, attacking those who could not keep up with the others. This showed that the Amalekites have no respect for God.     ¹⁹The LORD your God will help you capture the land, and he will give you peace. But when that day comes, you must wipe out Amalek so completely that no one will remember they ever lived.
   

Footnotes:

1. Deuteronomy 23:1 a man's private parts have been crushed or cut off: This was sometimes done to show devotion to pagan gods.
2. Deuteronomy 23:4 Balaam: Hebrew " Balaam son of Beor from Pethor."
3. Deuteronomy 23:10 if something. . . worship, he: Or " if a man has a flow of semen at night, he is unclean and unfit for worship, and he."
4. Deuteronomy 23:17 temple prostitutes: Some Canaanites worshiped by going to their temples and having sex with prostitutes that represented their gods.
5. Deuteronomy 24:1 something disgraceful about her: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
6. Deuteronomy 24:8 the priests: See the note at 17.8-12.
7. Deuteronomy 24:8 leprosy: The word " leprosy" was used for many different kinds of skin diseases.
8. Deuteronomy 24:9 what the LORD your God did to Miriam: See Numbers 12.1-16.
9. Deuteronomy 24:14 don't hold back their pay: The Dead Sea Scrolls; the Standard Hebrew Text " treat them right."
10. Deuteronomy 25:1 whip: Or " rod."
11. Deuteronomy 25:4 threshing grain: Oxen were used at the threshing place to walk on heads of grain, or pull heavy slabs of wood over it, to separate the kernels from the husks.

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Luke 10:13-37 (Contemporary English Version)

The Unbelieving Towns

(Matthew 11.20-24)

 ¹³You people of Chorazin are in for trouble! You people of Bethsaida are also in for trouble! If the miracles that took place in your towns had happened in Tyre and Sidon, the people there would have turned to God long ago. They would have dressed in sackcloth and put ashes on their heads. ^{[a] 14}On the day of judgment the people of Tyre and Sidon will get off easier than you will. ¹⁵People of Capernaum, do you think you will be honored in heaven? Well, you will go down to hell! ¹⁶My followers, whoever listens to you is listening to me. Anyone who says "No" to you is saying "No" to me. And anyone who says "No" to me is really saying "No" to the one who sent me.    

The Return of the Seventy-Two

 ¹⁷When the seventy-two ^[b] followers returned, they were excited and said, "Lord, even the demons obeyed when we spoke in your name!" ¹⁸Jesus told them:    I saw Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. ¹⁹I have given you the power to trample on snakes and scorpions and to defeat the power of your enemy Satan. Nothing can harm you. ²⁰But don't be happy because evil spirits obey you. Be happy that your names are written in heaven!
   

Jesus Thanks His Father

(Matthew 11.25-27; 13.16,17)

 ²¹At that same time, Jesus felt the joy that comes from the Holy Spirit, ^[c] and he said: My Father, Lord of heaven and earth, I am grateful that you hid all this from wise and educated people and showed it to ordinary people. Yes, Father, that is what pleased you.     ²²My Father has given me everything, and he is the only one who knows the Son. The only one who really knows the Father is the Son. But the Son wants to tell others about the Father, so that they can know him too.
    ²³Jesus then turned to his disciples and said to them in private, "You are really blessed to see what you see! ²⁴Many prophets and kings were eager to see what you see and to hear what you hear. But I tell you that they did not see or hear."
   

The Good Samaritan

 ²⁵An expert in the Law of Moses stood up and asked Jesus a question to see what he would say. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to have eternal life?"     ²⁶Jesus answered, "What is written in the Scriptures? How do you understand them?"
    ²⁷The man replied, "The Scriptures say, `Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind.' They also say, `Love your neighbors as much as you love yourself.' "
    ²⁸Jesus said, "You have given the right answer. If you do this, you will have eternal life."
    ²⁹But the man wanted to show that he knew what he was talking about. So he asked Jesus, "Who are my neighbors?"
    ³⁰Jesus replied:
   As a man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, robbers attacked him and grabbed everything he had. They beat him up and ran off, leaving him half dead.
    ³¹A priest happened to be going down the same road. But when he saw the man, he walked by on the other side. ³²Later a temple helper ^[d] came to the same place. But when he saw the man who had been beaten up, he also went by on the other side. ³³A man from Samaria then came traveling along that road. When he saw the man, he felt sorry for him ³⁴and went over to him. He treated his wounds with olive oil and wine ^[e] and bandaged them. Then he put him on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. ³⁵The next morning he gave the innkeeper two silver coins and said, "Please take care of the man. If you spend more than this on him, I will pay you when I return." ³⁶Then Jesus asked, "Which one of these three people was a real neighbor to the man who was beaten up by robbers?"
    ³⁷The teacher answered, "The one who showed pity."
   Jesus said, "Go and do the same!"
   

Footnotes:

1. Luke 10:13 dressed in sackcloth. . . ashes on their heads: This was one way that people showed how sorry they were for their sins.
2. Luke 10:17 seventy-two: See the note at 10.1.
3. Luke 10:21 the Holy Spirit: Some manuscripts have " his spirit."
4. Luke 10:32 temple helper: A man from the tribe of Levi, whose job it was to work around the temple.
5. Luke 10:34 olive oil and wine: In New Testament times these were used as medicine. Sometimes olive oil is a symbol for healing by means of a miracle (see James 5.14).

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Psalm 75:1-10 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 75

(A psalm and a song by Asaph for the music leader. To the tune "Don't Destroy." (Psalm 75 Don't Destroy: See the note at Psalm 57.) )

Praise God for All He Has Done

 ¹Our God, we thank you    for being so near to us!
   Everyone celebrates
   your wonderful deeds.
    ²You have set a time
   to judge with fairness.
    ³The earth trembles,
   and its people shake;
   you alone keep
   its foundations firm.
    ⁴You tell every bragger,
   "Stop bragging!"
   And to the wicked you say,
   "Don't boast of your power!
    ⁵Stop bragging! Quit telling me
   how great you are."
    ⁶Our LORD and our God,
   victory doesn't come
   from the east or the west
   or from the desert.
    ⁷You are the one who judges.
   You can take away power
   and give it to others.
    ⁸You hold in your hand
   a cup filled with wine, ^[a] strong and foaming.
   You will pour out some
   for every sinful person
   on this earth,
   and they will have to drink
   until it is gone.
    ⁹But I will always tell about
   you, the God of Jacob,
   and I will sing your praise.
    ¹⁰Our Lord, you will destroy
   the power of evil people,
   but you will give strength
   to those who are good.
   

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 75:8 a cup. . . wine: In the Old Testament " a cup filled with wine" sometimes stands for God's anger.

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Proverbs 12:12-14 (Contemporary English Version)

¹²An evil person tries to hide
   behind evil; ^[a] good people are like trees
   with deep roots.
    ¹³We trap ourselves
   by telling lies,
   but we stay out of trouble
   by living right.
    ¹⁴We are rewarded or punished
   for what we say and do.
   

Footnotes:

1. Proverbs 12:12 An evil. . . evil: Or " Evil people love what they get from being evil."

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Verse of the Day

 

“We must keep our eyes on Jesus, who leads us and makes our faith complete. He endured the shame of being nailed to a cross, because he knew that later on he would be glad he did. Now he is seated at the right side of God's throne!” - Hebrews 12:2

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

 

American Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, James Gibbons wrote, “We do not attach any intrinsic virtue to the cross; this would be sinful and idolatrous. Our veneration is referred to Him who died upon it.”