Day 85 reading

Wisdom·Psalm 53

¹The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt; their ways are vile. There is no one who does good. ²God looks down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if any understand, if any seek God. ³All have turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one. ⁴Will the workers of iniquity never learn? They devour my people like bread; they refuse to call upon God. ⁵There they are, overwhelmed with dread, where there was nothing to fear. For God has scattered the bones of those who besieged you. You put them to shame, for God has despised them. ⁶Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come from Zion! When God restores His captive people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad!

New Testament·Luke 2:1–29

¹Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that a census should be taken of the whole empire. ²This was the first census to take place while Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³And everyone went to his own town to register. ⁴So Joseph also went up from Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, since he was from the house and line of David. ⁵He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to him in marriage and was expecting a child. ⁶While they were there, the time came for her Child to be born. ⁷And she gave birth to her firstborn, a Son. She wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. ⁸And there were shepherds residing in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks by night. ⁹Just then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid! For behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: ¹¹Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord! ¹²And this will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” ¹³And suddenly there appeared with the angel a great multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying: ¹⁴“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests!” ¹⁵When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the Baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷After they had seen the Child, they spread the message they had received about Him. ¹⁸And all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, which was just as the angel had told them. ²¹When the eight days until His circumcision had passed, He was named Jesus, the name the angel had given Him before He had been conceived. ²²And when the time of purification according to the Law of Moses was complete, His parents brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord ²³(as it is written in the Law of the Lord: “Every firstborn male shall be consecrated to the Lord”), ²⁴and to offer the sacrifice specified in the Law of the Lord: “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.” ²⁵Now there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. ²⁶The Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. ²⁷Led by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. And when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for Him what was customary under the Law, ²⁸Simeon took Him in his arms and blessed God, saying: ²⁹“Sovereign Lord, as You have promised, You now dismiss Your servant in peace.

Old Testament·Numbers 27–28

¹Now the daughters of Zelophehad son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, belonged to the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph. These were the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. They approached ²the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders, and the whole congregation, and said, ³“Our father died in the wilderness, but he was not among the followers of Korah who gathered together against the LORD. Instead, he died because of his own sin, and he had no sons. ⁴Why should the name of our father disappear from his clan because he had no sons? Give us property among our father’s brothers.” ⁵So Moses brought their case before the LORD, ⁶and the LORD answered him, ⁷“The daughters of Zelophehad speak correctly. You certainly must give them property as an inheritance among their father’s brothers, and transfer their father’s inheritance to them. ⁸Furthermore, you shall say to the Israelites, ‘If a man dies and leaves no son, you are to transfer his inheritance to his daughter. ⁹If he has no daughter, give his inheritance to his brothers. ¹⁰If he has no brothers, give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. ¹¹And if his father has no brothers, give his inheritance to the next of kin from his clan, that he may take possession of it. This is to be a statutory ordinance for the Israelites, as the LORD has commanded Moses.’” ¹²Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go up this mountain of the Abarim range and see the land that I have given the Israelites. ¹³After you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was; ¹⁴for when the congregation contended in the Wilderness of Zin, both of you rebelled against My command to show My holiness in their sight regarding the waters.” Those were the waters of Meribah in Kadesh, in the Wilderness of Zin. ¹⁵So Moses appealed to the LORD, ¹⁶“May the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation ¹⁷who will go out and come in before them, and who will lead them out and bring them in, so that the congregation of the LORD will not be like sheep without a shepherd.” ¹⁸And the LORD replied to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man with the Spirit in him, and lay your hands on him. ¹⁹Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation, and commission him in their sight. ²⁰Confer on him some of your authority, so that the whole congregation of Israel will obey him. ²¹He shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who will seek counsel for him before the LORD by the judgment of the Urim. At his command, he and all the Israelites with him—the entire congregation—will go out and come in.” ²²Moses did as the LORD had commanded him. He took Joshua, had him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation, ²³and laid his hands on him and commissioned him, as the LORD had instructed through Moses.

28Then the LORD said to Moses, ²“Command the Israelites and say to them: See that you present to Me at its appointed time the food for My offerings by fire, as a pleasing aroma to Me. ³And tell them that this is the offering made by fire you are to present to the LORD as a regular burnt offering each day: two unblemished year-old male lambs. ⁴Offer one lamb in the morning and the other at twilight, ⁵along with a tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a grain offering, mixed with a quarter hin of oil from pressed olives. ⁶This is a regular burnt offering established at Mount Sinai as a pleasing aroma, an offering made by fire to the LORD. ⁷The drink offering accompanying each lamb shall be a quarter hin. Pour out the offering of fermented drink to the LORD in the sanctuary area. ⁸And offer the second lamb at twilight, with the same grain offering and drink offering as in the morning. It is an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the LORD. ⁹On the Sabbath day, present two unblemished year-old male lambs, accompanied by a grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, as well as a drink offering. ¹⁰This is the burnt offering for every Sabbath, in addition to the regular burnt offering and its drink offering. ¹¹At the beginning of every month, you are to present to the LORD a burnt offering of two young bulls, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old, all unblemished, ¹²along with three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering with each bull, two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering with the ram, ¹³and a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering with each lamb. This is a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma, an offering made by fire to the LORD. ¹⁴Their drink offerings shall be half a hin of wine with each bull, a third of a hin with the ram, and a quarter hin with each lamb. This is the monthly burnt offering to be made at each new moon throughout the year. ¹⁵In addition to the regular burnt offering with its drink offering, one male goat is to be presented to the LORD as a sin offering. ¹⁶The fourteenth day of the first month is the LORD’s Passover. ¹⁷On the fifteenth day of this month, there shall be a feast; for seven days unleavened bread is to be eaten. ¹⁸On the first day there is to be a sacred assembly; you must not do any regular work. ¹⁹Present to the LORD an offering made by fire, a burnt offering of two young bulls, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old, all unblemished. ²⁰The grain offering shall consist of fine flour mixed with oil; offer three-tenths of an ephah with each bull, two-tenths of an ephah with the ram, ²¹and a tenth of an ephah with each of the seven lambs. ²²Include one male goat as a sin offering to make atonement for you. ²³You are to present these in addition to the regular morning burnt offering. ²⁴Offer the same food each day for seven days as an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the LORD. It is to be offered with its drink offering and the regular burnt offering. ²⁵On the seventh day you shall hold a sacred assembly; you must not do any regular work. ²⁶On the day of firstfruits, when you present an offering of new grain to the LORD during the Feast of Weeks, you are to hold a sacred assembly; you must not do any regular work. ²⁷Present a burnt offering of two young bulls, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old as a pleasing aroma to the LORD, ²⁸together with their grain offerings of fine flour mixed with oil—three-tenths of an ephah with each bull, two-tenths of an ephah with the ram, ²⁹and a tenth of an ephah with each of the seven lambs. ³⁰Include one male goat to make atonement for you. ³¹Offer them with their drink offerings in addition to the regular burnt offering and its grain offering. The animals must be unblemished.