Leviticus 23
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Holy Days
23 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: These are My appointed times,(A) the times of the Lord that you will proclaim as sacred assemblies.(B)
3 “Work may be done for six days, but on the seventh day there must be a Sabbath of complete rest,(C) a sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; it is a Sabbath(D) to the Lord wherever you live.
4 “These are the Lord’s appointed times, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times. 5 The Passover(E) to the Lord comes in the first month, at twilight on the fourteenth day of the month. 6 The Festival of Unleavened Bread(F) to the Lord is on the fifteenth day of the same month. For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. 7 On the first day you are to hold a sacred assembly; you are not to do any daily work. 8 You are to present a fire offering to the Lord for seven days. On the seventh day there will be a sacred assembly; you must not do any daily work.”
9 The Lord spoke to Moses: 10 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When you enter the land I am giving you and reap its harvest,[a] you are to bring the first sheaf of your harvest to the priest. 11 He will wave the sheaf before the Lord so that you may be accepted; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath. 12 On the day you wave the sheaf, you are to offer a year-old male lamb[b] without blemish(G) as a burnt offering to the Lord. 13 Its grain offering is to be four quarts[c] of fine flour mixed with oil as a fire offering to the Lord, a pleasing aroma, and its drink offering will be one quart[d] of wine. 14 You must not eat bread, roasted grain, or any new grain[e] until this very day, and until you have brought the offering to your God. This is to be a permanent statute throughout your generations wherever you live.
15 “You are to count seven[f] complete weeks[g](H) starting from the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the presentation offering.(I) 16 You are to count 50 days until the day after the seventh Sabbath and then present an offering of new grain[h] to the Lord. 17 Bring two loaves of bread from your settlements as a presentation offering, each of them made from four quarts[i] of fine flour, baked with yeast, as firstfruits(J) to the Lord. 18 You are to present with the bread seven unblemished male lambs a year old, one young bull, and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the Lord, with their grain offerings and drink offerings, a fire offering of a pleasing aroma to the Lord. 19 You are also to prepare one male goat as a sin offering, and two male lambs a year old as a fellowship sacrifice. 20 The priest will wave the lambs with the bread of firstfruits as a presentation offering before the Lord; the bread and the two lambs will be holy to the Lord for the priest. 21 On that same day you are to make a proclamation and hold a sacred assembly. You are not to do any daily work. This is to be a permanent statute wherever you live throughout your generations. 22 When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to reap all the way to the edge of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the foreign resident;(K) I am Yahweh your God.”
23 The Lord spoke to Moses: 24 “Tell the Israelites: In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you are to have a day of complete rest, commemoration, and joyful shouting[j](L)—a sacred assembly.(M) 25 You must not do any daily work, but you must present a fire offering to the Lord.”
26 The Lord again spoke to Moses: 27 “The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement.(N) You are to hold a sacred assembly and practice self-denial;[k](O) you are to present a fire offering to the Lord. 28 On this particular day you are not to do any work, for it is a Day of Atonement to make atonement for yourselves before the Lord your God. 29 If any person does not practice self-denial on this particular day, he must be cut off from his people. 30 I will destroy among his people anyone who does any work on this same day. 31 You are not to do any work. This is a permanent statute throughout your generations wherever you live. 32 It will be a Sabbath of complete rest for you, and you must practice self-denial. You are to observe your Sabbath from the evening of the ninth day of the month until the following evening.”
33 The Lord spoke to Moses: 34 “Tell the Israelites: The Festival of Booths[l](P) to the Lord begins on the fifteenth day of this seventh month and continues for seven days. 35 There is to be a sacred assembly on the first day; you are not to do any daily work. 36 You are to present a fire offering to the Lord for seven days. On the eighth day you are to hold a sacred assembly and present a fire offering to the Lord. It is a solemn gathering;(Q) you are not to do any daily work.
37 “These are the Lord’s appointed times that you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies for presenting fire offerings to the Lord, burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings, each on its designated day. 38 These are in addition to the offerings for the Lord’s Sabbaths, your gifts, all your vow offerings, and all your freewill offerings that you give to the Lord.
39 “You are to celebrate the Lord’s festival on the fifteenth day of the seventh month for seven days after you have gathered the produce of the land. There will be complete rest on the first day and complete rest on the eighth day. 40 On the first day you are to take the product(R) of majestic trees—palm fronds,(S) boughs of leafy trees,(T) and willows of the brook(U)—and rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. 41 You are to celebrate it as a festival to the Lord seven days each year. This is a permanent statute for you throughout your generations; you must celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 You are to live in booths(V) for seven days. All the native-born of Israel must live in booths, 43 so that your generations may know that I made the Israelites live in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt; I am Yahweh your God.” 44 So Moses declared the Lord’s appointed times to the Israelites.
Footnotes
- Leviticus 23:10 = the barley harvest
- Leviticus 23:12 Or a male lamb in its first year
- Leviticus 23:13 Lit two-tenths [of an ephah]
- Leviticus 23:13 Lit one-fourth of a hin
- Leviticus 23:14 Grain or bread from the new harvest
- Leviticus 23:15 Lit count; they will be seven
- Leviticus 23:15 Or Sabbaths
- Leviticus 23:16 = the wheat harvest; Ex 34:22
- Leviticus 23:17 Lit two-tenths [of an ephah]
- Leviticus 23:24 Or blast; traditionally trumpet blasts
- Leviticus 23:27 Traditionally, fasting, abstinence from sex, and refraining from personal grooming
- Leviticus 23:34 Or Feast of Tabernacles
Ecclesiastes 2
Holman Christian Standard Bible
The Emptiness of Pleasure
2 I said to myself, “Go ahead, I will test you with pleasure;(A) enjoy what is good.” But it turned out to be futile. 2 I said about laughter,(B) “It is madness,” and about pleasure, “What does this accomplish?” 3 I explored with my mind how to let my body enjoy life[a] with wine(C) and how to grasp folly(D)—my mind still guiding me with wisdom—until I could see what is good for people to do under heaven[b] during the few days of their lives.(E)
The Emptiness of Possessions
4 I increased my achievements. I built houses(F) and planted vineyards(G) for myself. 5 I made gardens(H) and parks for myself and planted every kind of fruit tree in them. 6 I constructed reservoirs of water for myself from which to irrigate a grove of flourishing trees.(I) 7 I acquired male and female servants and had slaves who were born in my house.(J) I also owned many herds of cattle and flocks, more than all who were before me in Jerusalem.(K) 8 I also amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces.(L) I gathered male and female singers for myself,(M) and many concubines, the delights of men.[c][d] 9 So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem;(N) my wisdom also remained with me. 10 All that my eyes desired, I did not deny them.(O) I did not refuse myself any pleasure, for I took pleasure in all my struggles. This was my reward for all my struggles.(P) 11 When I considered all that I had accomplished[e] and what I had labored to achieve, I found everything to be futile and a pursuit of the wind.(Q) There was nothing to be gained under the sun.(R)
The Relative Value of Wisdom
12 Then I turned to consider wisdom,(S) madness, and folly, for what will the man be like who comes after the king? He[f] will do what has already been done.(T) 13 And I realized that there is an advantage to wisdom over folly, like the advantage of light over darkness.(U)
14 The wise man has eyes in his head,
but the fool walks in darkness.(V)
Yet I also knew that one fate comes to them both.(W) 15 So I said to myself, “What happens to the fool will also happen to me. Why then have I been overly wise?”(X) And I said to myself that this is also futile. 16 For, just like the fool, there is no lasting remembrance of the wise man,(Y) since in the days to come both will be forgotten. How is it that the wise man dies just like the fool? 17 Therefore, I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me. For everything is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
The Emptiness of Work
18 I hated all my work that I labored at under the sun(Z) because I must leave it to the man who comes after me.(AA) 19 And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool?(AB) Yet he will take over all my work that I labored at skillfully under the sun. This too is futile. 20 So I began to give myself over[g] to despair concerning all my work that I had labored at under the sun. 21 When there is a man whose work was done with wisdom, knowledge, and skill,(AC) and he must give his portion to a man who has not worked for it, this too is futile and a great wrong. 22 For what does a man get with all his work and all his efforts(AD) that he labors at under the sun? 23 For all his days are filled with grief, and his occupation is sorrowful;(AE) even at night, his mind does not rest.(AF) This too is futile.
24 There is nothing better for man than to eat, drink, and enjoy[h][i] his work.(AG) I have seen that even this is from God’s hand,(AH) 25 because who can eat and who can enjoy life[j] apart from Him?[k] 26 For to the man who is pleasing in His sight, He gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy,(AI) but to the sinner He gives the task of gathering and accumulating in order to give to the one who is pleasing in God’s sight.(AJ) This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.(AK)
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 2:3 Lit to pull my body
- Ecclesiastes 2:3 Two Hb mss, LXX, Syr read the sun
- Ecclesiastes 2:8 LXX, Theod, Syr read and male cupbearers and female cupbearers; Aq, Tg, Vg read a cup and cups; Hb obscure
- Ecclesiastes 2:8 Or many treasures that people delight in
- Ecclesiastes 2:11 Lit all my works that my hands had done
- Ecclesiastes 2:12 Some Hb mss read They
- Ecclesiastes 2:20 Lit And I turned to cause my heart
- Ecclesiastes 2:24 Syr, Tg; MT reads There is no good in man who eats and drinks and enjoys
- Ecclesiastes 2:24 Lit and his soul sees good
- Ecclesiastes 2:25 LXX, Theod, Syr read can drink
- Ecclesiastes 2:25 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr read me
Luke 16
Holman Christian Standard Bible
The Parable of the Dishonest Manager
16 He also said to the disciples: “There was a rich(A) man who received an accusation that his manager(B) was squandering(C) his possessions. 2 So he called the manager in and asked, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management,(D) because you can no longer be my manager.’
3 “Then the manager said to himself, ‘What should I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I’m not strong enough to dig; I’m ashamed to beg. 4 I know what I’ll do so that when I’m removed from management, people will welcome me into their homes.’
5 “So he summoned each one of his master’s debtors. ‘How much do you owe my master?’ he asked the first one.
6 “‘A hundred measures of olive oil,’ he said.
“‘Take your invoice,’ he told him, ‘sit down quickly, and write 50.’
7 “Next he asked another, ‘How much do you owe?’
“‘A hundred measures of wheat,’ he said.
“‘Take your invoice,’ he told him, ‘and write 80.’
8 “The master praised the unrighteous manager(E) because he had acted astutely. For the sons of this age(F) are more astute than the sons of light(G) in dealing with their own people.[a] 9 And I tell you, make friends(H) for yourselves by means of the unrighteous money(I) so that when it fails,[b] they may welcome you into eternal dwellings. 10 Whoever is faithful(J) in very little(K) is also faithful in much, and whoever is unrighteous in very little is also unrighteous in much. 11 So if you have not been faithful with the unrighteous money, who will trust you with what is genuine? 12 And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to someone else, who will give you what is your own? 13 No(L) household slave can be the slave of two masters, since either he will hate(M) one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You can’t be slaves to both God and money.”
Kingdom Values
14 The Pharisees, who were lovers of money,(N) were listening to all these things and scoffing(O) at Him. 15 And He told them: “You are the ones who justify(P) yourselves in the sight of others, but God knows your hearts.(Q) For what is highly admired by people is revolting(R) in God’s sight.
16 “The(S) Law and the Prophets(T) were[c] until John; since then, the good news of the kingdom of God(U) has been proclaimed, and everyone is strongly urged to enter it.[d] 17 But it is easier(V) for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter in the law to drop out.
18 “Everyone(W) who divorces(X) his wife and marries another woman commits adultery,(Y) and everyone who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.
The Rich Man and Lazarus
19 “There was a rich man who would dress in purple and fine linen,(Z) feasting lavishly every day. 20 But a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, was left at his gate.(AA) 21 He longed to be filled(AB) with what fell from the rich man’s table,(AC) but instead the dogs(AD) would come and lick his sores. 22 One day the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s side.[e](AE) The rich man also died and was buried. 23 And being in torment(AF) in Hades,(AG) he looked up and saw Abraham a long way off, with Lazarus at his side. 24 ‘Father Abraham!’(AH) he called out, ‘Have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony(AI) in this flame!’
25 “‘Son,’[f] Abraham said, ‘remember that during your life you received your good things,(AJ) just as Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here,(AK) while you are in agony. 26 Besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that those who want to pass over from here to you cannot; neither can those from there cross over to us.’
27 “‘Father,’ he said, ‘then I beg you to send him to my father’s house— 28 because I have five brothers—to warn(AL) them, so they won’t also come to this place of torment.’
29 “But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the prophets;(AM) they should listen to them.’
30 “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said. ‘But if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
31 “But he told him, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.’”(AN)
Footnotes
- Luke 16:8 Lit own generation
- Luke 16:9 Other mss read when you fail or pass away
- Luke 16:16 Perhaps were proclaimed, or were in effect
- Luke 16:16 Or everyone is forcing his way into it
- Luke 16:22 Or to Abraham’s bosom; lit to the fold of Abraham’s robe; Jn 13:23
- Luke 16:25 Lit Child
Psalm 105:23-45
Holman Christian Standard Bible
23 Then Israel went to Egypt;
Jacob lived as a foreigner in the land of Ham.[a](A)
24 The Lord[b] made His people very fruitful;
He made them more numerous than their foes,(B)
25 whose hearts He turned to hate His people
and to deal deceptively with His servants.(C)
26 He sent Moses His servant,
and Aaron, whom He had chosen.(D)
27 They performed His miraculous signs among them,
and wonders in the land of Ham.[c](E)
28 He sent darkness, and it became dark—
for did they not defy[d] His commands?(F)
29 He turned their water into blood
and caused their fish to die.(G)
30 Their land was overrun with frogs,
even in their royal chambers.(H)
31 He spoke, and insects came(I)—
gnats throughout their country.(J)
32 He gave them hail for rain,
and lightning throughout their land.(K)
33 He struck their vines and fig trees
and shattered the trees of their territory.(L)
34 He spoke, and locusts came—
young locusts without number.
35 They devoured all the vegetation in their land
and consumed the produce of their land.(M)
36 He struck all the firstborn in their land,
all their first progeny.(N)
37 Then He brought Israel out with silver and gold,
and no one among His tribes stumbled.(O)
38 Egypt was glad when they left,
for the dread of Israel[e] had fallen on them.(P)
39 He spread a cloud as a covering
and gave a fire to light up the night.(Q)
40 They asked, and He brought quail
and satisfied them with bread from heaven.(R)
41 He opened a rock, and water gushed out;
it flowed like a stream in the desert.(S)
42 For He remembered His holy promise
to Abraham His servant.(T)
43 He brought His people out with rejoicing,
His chosen ones with shouts of joy.(U)
44 He gave them the lands of the nations,
and they inherited
what other peoples had worked for.(V)
45 All this happened
so that they might keep His statutes
and obey His instructions.(W)
Hallelujah!
Footnotes
- Psalm 105:23 = Egypt
- Psalm 105:24 Lit He
- Psalm 105:27 = Egypt
- Psalm 105:28 LXX, Syr read for they did defy
- Psalm 105:38 Lit them
Proverbs 20:21-25
Holman Christian Standard Bible
21 An inheritance gained prematurely
will not be blessed ultimately.(A)
24 A man’s steps are determined by the Lord,(G)
so how can anyone understand his own way?
25 It is a trap for anyone to dedicate something rashly
and later to reconsider his vows.(H)
Footnotes
- Proverbs 20:23 Lit A stone and a stone
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