Today our passages are Exodus 21:22–23:13; Matthew 24:1-28; Psalm 29:1-11; and Proverbs 7:6-23. The readings are the Contemporary English Version. If you find these readings helpful, please consider sending an offering directly to Cove Presbyterian Church, 3404 Main Street, Weirton, West Virginia or through PayPal by using the link below.
Exodus 21:22-23:13 (Contemporary English Version)
22Suppose a pregnant woman suffers a miscarriage a<="" value="[a]" >[] as the result of an injury caused by someone who is fighting. If she isn't badly hurt, the one who injured her must pay whatever fine her husband demands and the judges approve. 23But if she is seriously injured, the payment will be life for life, 24eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25burn for burn, cut for cut, and bruise for bruise. 26If you hit one of your slaves and cause the loss of an eye, the slave must be set free. 27The same law applies if you knock out a slave's tooth--the slave goes free.
28A bull that kills someone with its horns must be killed and its meat destroyed, but the owner of the bull isn't responsible for the death.
29Suppose you own a bull that has been in the habit of attacking people, but you have refused to keep it fenced in. If that bull kills someone, both you and the bull must be put to death by stoning. 30However, you may save your own life by paying whatever fine is demanded. 31This same law applies if the bull gores someone's son or daughter. 32If the bull kills a slave, you must pay the slave owner thirty pieces of silver for the loss of the slave, and the bull must be killed by stoning.
33Suppose someone's ox or donkey is killed by falling into an open pit that you dug or left uncovered on your property. 34You must pay for the dead animal, and it becomes yours.
35If your bull kills someone else's, yours must be sold. Then the money from your bull and the meat from the dead bull must be divided equally between you and the other owner.
36If you refuse to fence in a bull that is known to attack others, you must pay for any animal it kills, but the dead animal will belong to you.
28A bull that kills someone with its horns must be killed and its meat destroyed, but the owner of the bull isn't responsible for the death.
29Suppose you own a bull that has been in the habit of attacking people, but you have refused to keep it fenced in. If that bull kills someone, both you and the bull must be put to death by stoning. 30However, you may save your own life by paying whatever fine is demanded. 31This same law applies if the bull gores someone's son or daughter. 32If the bull kills a slave, you must pay the slave owner thirty pieces of silver for the loss of the slave, and the bull must be killed by stoning.
33Suppose someone's ox or donkey is killed by falling into an open pit that you dug or left uncovered on your property. 34You must pay for the dead animal, and it becomes yours.
35If your bull kills someone else's, yours must be sold. Then the money from your bull and the meat from the dead bull must be divided equally between you and the other owner.
36If you refuse to fence in a bull that is known to attack others, you must pay for any animal it kills, but the dead animal will belong to you.
Exodus 22
Property Laws
The LORD said:
1If you steal an ox and slaughter or sell it, you must replace it with five oxen; if you steal a sheep and slaughter it or sell it, you must replace it with four sheep. 2-4But if you cannot afford to replace the animals, you must be sold as a slave to pay for what you have stolen. If you steal an ox, donkey, or sheep, and are caught with it still alive, you must pay the owner double. If you happen to kill a burglar who breaks into your home after dark, you are not guilty. But if you kill someone who breaks in during the day, you are guilty of murder.5If you allow any of your animals to stray from your property and graze [b<="">] in someone else's field or vineyard, you must repay the damage from the best part of your own harvest of grapes and grain. 6If you carelessly let a fire spread from your property to someone else's, you must pay the owner for any crops or fields destroyed by the fire.
7Suppose a neighbor asks you to keep some silver or other valuables, and they are stolen from your house. If the thief is caught, the thief must repay double. 8But if the thief isn't caught, some judges [c<="">] will decide if you are the guilty one. 9Suppose two people claim to own the same ox or donkey or sheep or piece of clothing. Then the judges [d<="">]must decide the case, and the guilty person will pay the owner double. 10Suppose a neighbor who is going to be away asks you to keep a donkey or an ox or a sheep or some other animal, and it dies or gets injured or is stolen while no one is looking. 11If you swear with me as your witness that you did not harm the animal, you do not have to replace it. Your word is enough. 12But if the animal was stolen while in your care, you must replace it. 13If the animal was attacked and killed by a wild animal, and you can show the remains of the dead animal to its owner, you do not have to replace it.
14Suppose you borrow an animal from a neighbor, and it gets injured or dies while the neighbor isn't around. Then you must replace it. 15But if something happens to the animal while the owner is present, you do not have to replace it. If you had leased the animal, the money you paid the owner will cover any harm done to it.
Laws for Everyday Life
The LORD said:
16Suppose a young woman has never been married and isn't engaged. If a man talks her into having sex, he must pay the bride price [e<="">] and marry her. 17But if her father refuses to let her marry the man, the bride price must still be paid. 18Death is the punishment for witchcraft. 19Death is the punishment for having sex with an animal.20Death is the punishment for offering sacrifices to any god except me.
21Do not mistreat or abuse foreigners who live among you. Remember, you were foreigners in Egypt.
22Do not mistreat widows or orphans. 23If you do, they will beg for my help, and I will come to their rescue. 24In fact, I will get so angry that I will kill your men and make widows of their wives and orphans of their children.
25Don't charge interest when you lend money to any of my people who are in need. 26Before sunset you must return any coat taken as security for a loan, 27because that is the only cover the poor have when they sleep at night. I am a merciful God, and when they call out to me, I will come to help them.
28Don't speak evil of me [f<="">] or of the ruler of your people. 29Don't fail to give me the offerings of grain and wine that belong to me. [g<="">] Dedicate to me your first-born sons 30and the first-born of your cattle and sheep. Let the animals stay with their mothers for seven days, then on the eighth day give them to me, your God.
31You are my chosen people, so don't eat the meat of any of your livestock that was killed by a wild animal. Instead, feed the meat to dogs.
Exodus 23
Equal Justice for All
The LORD said:
1Don't spread harmful rumors or help a criminal by giving false evidence. 2Always tell the truth in court, even if everyone else is [h<="">] dishonest and stands in the way of justice. 3And don't favor the poor, simply because they are poor. 4If you find an ox or a donkey that has wandered off, take it back where it belongs, even if the owner is your enemy.5If a donkey is overloaded and falls down, you must do what you can to help, even if it belongs to someone who doesn't like you. [i<="">]6Make sure that the poor are given equal justice in court. 7Don't bring false charges against anyone or sentence an innocent person to death. I won't forgive you if you do.
8Don't accept bribes. Judges are blinded and justice is twisted by bribes.
9Don't mistreat foreigners. You were foreigners in Egypt, and you know what it is like.
Laws for the Sabbath
The LORD said:
10Plant and harvest your crops for six years, 11but let the land rest during the seventh year. The poor are to eat what they want from your fields, vineyards, and olive trees during that year, and when they have all they want from your fields, leave the rest for wild animals. 12Work the first six days of the week, but rest and relax on the seventh day. This law is not only for you, but for your oxen, donkeys, and slaves, as well as for any foreigners among you.13Make certain that you obey everything I have said. Don't pray to other gods or even mention their names.
The LORD said:
Footnotes:
- Exodus 21:22suffers a miscarriage: Or " gives birth before her time."
- Exodus 22:5graze: Or " eat everything."
- Exodus 22:8some judges: Or " I."
- Exodus 22:9the judges: Or " I."
- Exodus 22:16bride price: It was the custom for a man to pay his wife's family a bride price before the actual wedding ceremony took place.
- Exodus 22:28me: Or " your judges."
- Exodus 22:29Don't fail. . . me: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- Exodus 23:2everyone else is: Or " the authorities are."
- Exodus 23:5you: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 5.
Matthew 24:1-28 (Contemporary English Version)
Matthew 24
The Temple Will Be Destroyed
(Mark 13.1,2; Luke 21.5,6)
1After Jesus left the temple, his disciples came over and said, "Look at all these buildings!" 2Jesus replied, "Do you see these buildings? They will certainly be torn down! Not one stone will be left in place."Warning about Trouble
(Mark 13.3-13; Luke 21.7-19)
3Later, as Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his disciples came to him in private and asked, "When will this happen? What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the world?" 4Jesus answered:Don't let anyone fool you. 5Many will come and claim to be me. They will say that they are the Messiah, and they will fool many people.
6You will soon hear about wars and threats of wars, but don't be afraid. These things will have to happen first, but that isn't the end. 7Nations and kingdoms will go to war against each other. People will starve to death, and in some places there will be earthquakes. 8But this is just the beginning of troubles.
9You will be arrested, punished, and even killed. Because of me, you will be hated by people of all nations. 10Many will give up and will betray and hate each other. 11Many false prophets will come and fool a lot of people. 12Evil will spread and cause many people to stop loving others. 13But if you keep on being faithful right to the end, you will be saved. 14When the good news about the kingdom has been preached all over the world and told to all nations, the end will come.
The Horrible Thing
(Mark 13.14-23; Luke 21.20-24)
15Someday you will see that "Horrible Thing" in the holy place, just as the prophet Daniel said. Everyone who reads this must try to understand! 16If you are living in Judea at that time, run to the mountains. 17If you are on the roof a<="" value="[a]" >[] of your house, don't go inside to get anything. 18If you are out in the field, don't go back for your coat. 19It will be a terrible time for women who are expecting babies or nursing young children. 20And pray that you won't have to escape in winter or on a Sabbath. [b<="">]21This will be the worst time of suffering since the beginning of the world, and nothing this terrible will ever happen again. 22If God doesn't make the time shorter, no one will be left alive. But because of God's chosen ones, he will make the time shorter. 23Someone may say, "Here is the Messiah!" or "There he is!" But don't believe it. 24False messiahs and false prophets will come and work great miracles and signs. They will even try to fool God's chosen ones. 25But I have warned you ahead of time. 26If you are told that the Messiah is out in the desert, don't go there! And if you are told that he is in some secret place, don't believe it! 27The coming of the Son of Man will be like lightning that can be seen from east to west. 28Where there is a corpse, there will always be buzzards. [c<="">]
Footnotes:
- Matthew 24:17roof: In Palestine the houses usually had a flat roof. Stairs on the outside led up to the roof, which was made of beams and boards covered with packed earth.
- Matthew 24:20in winter or on a Sabbath: In Palestine the winters are cold and rainy and make travel difficult. The Jewish people were not allowed to travel much more than half a mile on the Sabbath. For these reasons it was hard for them to escape from their enemies in the winter or on a Sabbath.
- Matthew 24:28Where there is a corpse, there will always be buzzards: This saying may mean that when anything important happens, people soon know about it. Or the saying may mean that whenever something bad happens, curious people gather around and stare. But the word translated "buzzard" also means "eagle" and may refer to the Roman army, which had an eagle as its symbol.
Psalm 29:1-11 (Contemporary English Version)
Psalm 29
(A psalm by David.)
The Voice of the LORD in a Storm
1All of you angels a<="" value="[a]" >[] in heaven, honor the glory and power of the LORD!2Honor the wonderful name
of the LORD,
and worship the LORD
most holy and glorious. [b<="">]3The voice of the LORD
echoes over the oceans.
The glorious LORD God
thunders
above the roar
of the raging sea,
4and his voice is mighty
and marvelous.
5The voice of the LORD
destroys the cedar trees;
the LORD shatters cedars
on Mount Lebanon.
6God makes Mount Lebanon
skip like a calf
and Mount Hermon
jump like a wild ox.
7The voice of the LORD
makes lightning flash
8and the desert tremble.
And because of the LORD,
the desert near Kadesh
shivers and shakes.
9The voice of the LORD
makes deer give birth
before their time. [c<="">] Forests are stripped of leaves,
and the temple is filled
with shouts of praise.
10The LORD rules on his throne,
king of the flood [d<="">] forever. 11Pray that our LORD
will make us strong
and give us peace.
Footnotes:
- Psalm 29:1angels: Or " supernatural beings" or " gods."
- Psalm 29:2most. . . glorious: Or " in his holy place" or " and wear your glorious clothes."
- Psalm 29:9makes. . . time: Or " twists the oak trees around."
- Psalm 29:10king of the flood: In ancient times the people of Israel believed that a mighty ocean surrounded all of creation, and that God could release the water to flood the earth.
Proverbs 7:6-23 (Contemporary English Version)
6From the window of my house,
I once happened to see
7some foolish young men.
8It was late in the evening,
sometime after dark.
9One of these young men
turned the corner
and was walking by the house
of an unfaithful wife.
10She was dressed fancy
like a woman of the street
with only one thing in mind.
11She was one of those women
who are loud and restless
and never stay at home,
12who walk street after street,
waiting to trap a man.
13She grabbed him and kissed him,
and with no sense of shame,
she said:
14"I had to offer a sacrifice,
and there is enough meat
left over for a feast.
15So I came looking for you,
and here you are!
16The sheets on my bed
are bright-colored cloth
from Egypt.
17And I have covered it
with perfume
made of myrrh,
aloes, and cinnamon.
18"Let's go there
and make love all night.
19My husband is traveling,
and he's far away.
20He took a lot of money along,
and he won't be back home
before the middle
of the month."
21And so, she tricked him
with all of her sweet talk
and her flattery.
22Right away he followed her
like an ox on the way
to be slaughtered,
or like a fool on the way
to be punished a<="" value="[a]" >[]23and killed with arrows.
He was no more than a bird
rushing into a trap,
without knowing
it would cost him his life.
I once happened to see
7some foolish young men.
8It was late in the evening,
sometime after dark.
9One of these young men
turned the corner
and was walking by the house
of an unfaithful wife.
10She was dressed fancy
like a woman of the street
with only one thing in mind.
11She was one of those women
who are loud and restless
and never stay at home,
12who walk street after street,
waiting to trap a man.
13She grabbed him and kissed him,
and with no sense of shame,
she said:
14"I had to offer a sacrifice,
and there is enough meat
left over for a feast.
15So I came looking for you,
and here you are!
16The sheets on my bed
are bright-colored cloth
from Egypt.
17And I have covered it
with perfume
made of myrrh,
aloes, and cinnamon.
18"Let's go there
and make love all night.
19My husband is traveling,
and he's far away.
20He took a lot of money along,
and he won't be back home
before the middle
of the month."
21And so, she tricked him
with all of her sweet talk
and her flattery.
22Right away he followed her
like an ox on the way
to be slaughtered,
or like a fool on the way
to be punished a<="" value="[a]" >[]23and killed with arrows.
He was no more than a bird
rushing into a trap,
without knowing
it would cost him his life.
Footnotes:
- Proverbs 7:22a fool. . . punished: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
Verse of the Day
“The LORD is truthful; he can be trusted. He loves justice and fairness, and he is kind to everyone everywhere on earth.” - Psalm 33:4-5
Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.
Thought for the Day
A Joke for Today
One day a little girl was sitting and watching her mother do the dishes at the kitchen sink. She suddenly noticed that her mother had several strands of white hair sticking out in contrast on her brunette head.She looked at her mother and inquisitively asked, "Why are some of your hairs white, Mom?"
Her mother replied, "Well, every time that you do something wrong and make me cry or unhappy, one of my hairs turns white."
The little girl thought about this revelation for a while and then said, "Momma, how come ALL of grandma's hairs are white?"
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