Day 320 reading

Wisdom·Proverbs 17:18–28

¹⁸A man lacking judgment strikes hands in pledge and puts up security for his neighbor. ¹⁹He who loves transgression loves strife; he who builds his gate high invites destruction. ²⁰The one with a perverse heart finds no good, and he whose tongue is deceitful falls into trouble. ²¹A man fathers a fool to his own grief; the father of a fool has no joy. ²²A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones. ²³A wicked man takes a covert bribe to subvert the course of justice. ²⁴Wisdom is the focus of the discerning, but the eyes of a fool wander to the ends of the earth. ²⁵A foolish son brings grief to his father and bitterness to her who bore him. ²⁶It is surely not good to punish the innocent or to flog a noble for his honesty. ²⁷A man of knowledge restrains his words, and a man of understanding maintains a calm spirit. ²⁸Even a fool is considered wise if he keeps silent, and discerning when he holds his tongue.

New Testament·Hebrews 9:1–17

¹Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. ²A tabernacle was prepared. In its first room were the lampstand, the table, and the consecrated bread. This was called the Holy Place. ³Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, ⁴containing the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. Inside the ark were the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. ⁵Above the ark were the cherubim of glory, overshadowing the mercy seat. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now. ⁶When everything had been prepared in this way, the priests entered regularly into the first room to perform their sacred duties. ⁷But only the high priest entered the second room, and then only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. ⁸By this arrangement the Holy Spirit was showing that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still standing. ⁹It is an illustration for the present time, because the gifts and sacrifices being offered were unable to cleanse the conscience of the worshiper. ¹⁰They consist only in food and drink and special washings—external regulations imposed until the time of reform. ¹¹But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that have come, He went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made by hands and is not a part of this creation. ¹²He did not enter by the blood of goats and calves, but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, thus securing eternal redemption. ¹³For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that their bodies are clean, ¹⁴how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, purify our consciences from works of death, so that we may serve the living God! ¹⁵Therefore Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, now that He has died to redeem them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant. ¹⁶In the case of a will, it is necessary to establish the death of the one who made it, ¹⁷because a will does not take effect until the one who made it has died; it cannot be executed while he is still alive.

Old Testament·Ezekiel 11–12

¹Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the gate of the house of the LORD that faces east. And there at the entrance of the gate were twenty-five men. Among them I saw Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, who were leaders of the people. ²And the LORD said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who plot evil and give wicked counsel in this city. ³They are saying, ‘Is not the time near to build houses? The city is the cooking pot, and we are the meat.’ ⁴Therefore prophesy against them; prophesy, O son of man!” ⁵And the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me and told me to declare that this is what the LORD says: “That is what you are thinking, O house of Israel; and I know the thoughts that arise in your minds. ⁶You have multiplied those you killed in this city and filled its streets with the dead. ⁷Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: The slain you have laid within this city are the meat, and the city is the pot; but I will remove you from it. ⁸You fear the sword, so I will bring the sword against you, declares the Lord GOD. ⁹I will bring you out of the city and deliver you into the hands of foreigners, and I will execute judgments against you. ¹⁰You will fall by the sword, and I will judge you even to the borders of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD. ¹¹The city will not be a pot for you, nor will you be the meat within it. I will judge you even to the borders of Israel. ¹²Then you will know that I am the LORD. For you have neither followed My statutes nor practiced My ordinances, but you have conformed to the ordinances of the nations around you.” ¹³Now as I was prophesying, Pelatiah son of Benaiah died. Then I fell facedown and cried out in a loud voice, “Oh, Lord GOD, will You bring the remnant of Israel to a complete end?” ¹⁴Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ¹⁵“Son of man, your brothers—your relatives, your fellow exiles, and the whole house of Israel—are those of whom the people of Jerusalem have said, ‘They are far away from the LORD; this land has been given to us as a possession.’ ¹⁶Therefore declare that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Although I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries, yet for a little while I have been a sanctuary for them in the countries to which they have gone.’ ¹⁷Therefore declare that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you from the countries to which you have been scattered, and I will give back to you the land of Israel.’ ¹⁸When they return to it, they will remove all its detestable things and all its abominations. ¹⁹And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them; I will remove their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh, ²⁰so that they may follow My statutes, keep My ordinances, and practice them. Then they will be My people, and I will be their God. ²¹But as for those whose hearts pursue detestable things and abominations, I will bring their conduct down upon their own heads, declares the Lord GOD.” ²²Then the cherubim, with the wheels beside them, spread their wings, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them. ²³And the glory of the LORD rose up from within the city and stood over the mountain east of the city. ²⁴And the Spirit lifted me up and carried me back to Chaldea, to the exiles in the vision given by the Spirit of God. After the vision had gone up from me, ²⁵I told the exiles everything the LORD had shown me.

12Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ²“Son of man, you are living in a rebellious house. They have eyes to see but do not see, and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious house. ³Therefore, son of man, pack your bags for exile. In broad daylight, set out from your place and go to another as they watch. Perhaps they will understand, though they are a rebellious house. ⁴Bring out your baggage for exile by day, as they watch. Then in the evening, as they watch, go out like those who go into exile. ⁵As they watch, dig through the wall and carry your belongings out through it. ⁶And as they watch, lift your bags to your shoulder and take them out at dusk; cover your face so that you cannot see the land. For I have made you a sign to the house of Israel.” ⁷So I did as I was commanded. I brought out my bags for exile by day, and in the evening I dug through the wall by hand. I took my belongings out at dusk, carrying them on my shoulder as they watched. ⁸And in the morning the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ⁹“Son of man, hasn’t the rebellious house of Israel asked you, ‘What are you doing?’ ¹⁰Tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘This burden concerns the prince in Jerusalem and all the house of Israel who are there.’ ¹¹You are to say, ‘I am a sign to you.’ Just as it happened here, so will it be done to them; they will go into exile as captives. ¹²And at dusk the prince among them will lift his bags to his shoulder and go out. They will dig through the wall to bring him out. He will cover his face so he cannot see the land. ¹³But I will spread My net over him, and he will be caught in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans; yet he will not see it, and there he will die. ¹⁴And I will scatter to every wind all the attendants around him and all his troops, and I will draw a sword to chase after them. ¹⁵And they will know that I am the LORD, when I disperse them among the nations and scatter them throughout the countries. ¹⁶But I will spare a few of them from sword and famine and plague, so that in the nations to which they go, they can recount all their abominations. Then they will know that I am the LORD.” ¹⁷Moreover, the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ¹⁸“Son of man, eat your bread with trembling, and drink your water with quivering and anxiety. ¹⁹Then tell the people of the land that this is what the Lord GOD says about those living in Jerusalem and in the land of Israel: ‘They will eat their bread with anxiety and drink their water in dread, for their land will be stripped of everything in it because of the violence of all who dwell in it. ²⁰The inhabited cities will be laid waste, and the land will become desolate. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’” ²¹Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ²²“Son of man, what is this proverb that you have in the land of Israel: ‘The days go by, and every vision fails’? ²³Therefore tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will put an end to this proverb, and in Israel they will no longer recite it.’ But say to them: ‘The days are at hand when every vision will be fulfilled. ²⁴For there will be no more false visions or flattering divinations within the house of Israel, ²⁵because I, the LORD, will speak whatever word I speak, and it will be fulfilled without delay. For in your days, O rebellious house, I will speak a message and bring it to pass, declares the Lord GOD.’” ²⁶Furthermore, the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ²⁷“Son of man, take note that the house of Israel is saying, ‘The vision that he sees is for many years from now; he prophesies about the distant future.’ ²⁸Therefore tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘None of My words will be delayed any longer. The message I speak will be fulfilled, declares the Lord GOD.’”