The One Year Bible TLB (74 page)
Read The One Year Bible TLB Online
Authors: Tyndale
A good man’s mind is filled with honest thoughts; an evil man’s mind is crammed with lies.
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The wicked accuse; the godly defend.
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The wicked shall perish; the godly shall stand.
March 31“Always remember to celebrate the Passover during the month of April,
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for that was when Jehovah your God brought you out of Egypt by night.
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Your Passover sacrifice shall be either a lamb or an ox, sacrificed to the Lord your God at his sanctuary.
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Eat the sacrifice with unleavened bread. Eat unleavened bread for seven days as a reminder of the bread you ate as you escaped from Egypt. This is to remind you that you left Egypt in such a hurry that there was no time for the bread to rise.
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Remember that day all the rest of your lives!
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For seven days no trace of yeast shall be in your homes, and none of the Passover lamb shall be left until the next morning.
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“The Passover is not to be eaten in your homes.
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It must be eaten at the place the Lord shall choose as his sanctuary. Sacrifice it there on the anniversary evening just as the sun goes down.
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Roast the lamb and eat it, then start back to your homes the next morning.
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For the following six days you shall eat no bread made with yeast. On the seventh day there shall be a quiet gathering of the people of each city before the Lord your God. Don’t do any work that day.
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“Seven weeks after the harvest begins,
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there shall be another festival before the Lord your God called the Festival of Weeks. At that time bring to him a freewill offering proportionate in size to his blessing upon you as judged by the amount of your harvest.
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It is a time to rejoice before the Lord with your family and household. And don’t forget to include the local Levites, foreigners, widows, and orphans. Invite them to accompany you to the celebration at the sanctuary.
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Remember! You were a slave in Egypt, so be sure to carry out this command.
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“Another celebration, the Festival of Shelters, must be observed for seven days at the end of the harvest season, after the grain is threshed and the grapes have been pressed.
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This will be a happy time of rejoicing together with your family and servants. And don’t forget to include the Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows of your town.
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“This feast will be held at the sanctuary, which will be located at the place the Lord will designate. It is a time of deep thanksgiving to the Lord for blessing you with a good harvest and in so many other ways; it shall be a time of great joy.
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“Every man in Israel shall appear before the Lord your God three times a year at the sanctuary for these festivals:
The Festival of Unleavened Bread,
The Festival of Weeks,
The Festival of Shelters.
“On each of these occasions bring a gift to the Lord.
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Give as you are able, according as the Lord has blessed you.
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“Appoint judges and administrative officials for all the cities the Lord your God is giving you. They will administer justice in every part of the land.
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Never twist justice to benefit a rich man, and never accept bribes. For bribes blind the eyes of the wisest and corrupt their decisions.
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Justice must prevail.
“That is the only way you will be successful in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
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“Never, under any circumstances, are you to erect shameful images beside the altar of the Lord your God.
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And never set up stone pillars to worship them, for the Lord hates them!
17:
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“Never sacrifice a sick or defective ox or sheep to the Lord your God. He doesn’t feel honored by such gifts!
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“If anyone, whether man or woman, in any village throughout your land violates your covenant with God by worshiping other gods, the sun, moon, or stars—which I have strictly forbidden—
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first check the rumor very carefully; if there is no doubt it is true,
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then that man or woman shall be taken outside the city and shall be stoned to death.
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However, never put a man to death on the testimony of only one witness; there must be at least two or three.
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The witnesses shall throw the first stones, and then all the people shall join in. In this way you will purge all evil from among you.
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“If a case arises that is too hard for you to decide—for instance, whether someone is guilty of murder when there is insufficient evidence, or whether someone’s rights have been violated—you shall take the case to the sanctuary of the Lord your God,
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to the priests and Levites, and the chief judge on duty at the time will make the decision.
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His decision is without appeal and is to be followed to the letter.
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The sentence he imposes is to be fully executed.
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If the defendant refuses to accept the decision of the priest or judge appointed by God for this purpose, the penalty is death. Such sinners must be purged from Israel.
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Then everyone will hear about what happened to the man who refused God’s verdict, and they will be afraid to defy a court’s judgment.
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“When you arrive in the land the Lord your God will give you, and have conquered it, and begin to think, ‘We ought to have a king like the other nations around us’—
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be sure that you select as king the man the Lord your God shall choose. He must be an Israelite, not a foreigner.
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Be sure that he doesn’t build up a large stable of horses for himself, nor send his men to Egypt to raise horses for him there, for the Lord has told you, ‘Never return to Egypt again.’
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He must not have too many wives, lest his heart be turned away from the Lord, neither shall he be excessively rich.
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“And when he has been crowned and sits upon his throne as king, then he must copy these laws from the book kept by the Levite-priests.
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That copy of the laws shall be his constant companion. He must read from it every day of his life so that he will learn to respect the Lord his God by obeying all of his commands.
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This regular reading of God’s laws will prevent him from feeling that he is better than his fellow citizens. It will also prevent him from turning away from God’s laws in the slightest respect and will ensure his having a long, good reign. His sons will then follow him upon the throne.”
When reports of Jesus’ miracles reached Herod, the governor,
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he was worried and puzzled, for some were saying, “This is John the Baptist come back to life again”;
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and others, “It is Elijah or some other ancient prophet risen from the dead.” These rumors were circulating all over the land.
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“I beheaded John,” Herod said, “so who is this man about whom I hear such strange stories?” And he tried to see him.
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After the apostles returned to Jesus and reported what they had done, he slipped quietly away with them toward the city of Bethsaida.
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But the crowds found out where he was going and followed. And he welcomed them, teaching them again about the Kingdom of God and curing those who were ill.
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Late in the afternoon all twelve of the disciples came and urged him to send the people away to the nearby villages and farms, to find food and lodging for the night. “For there is nothing to eat here in this deserted spot,” they said.
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But Jesus replied,
“
You
feed them!”
“Why, we have only five loaves of bread and two fish among the lot of us,” they protested; “or are you expecting us to go and buy enough for this whole mob?”
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For there were about 5,000 men there!
“Just tell them to sit down on the ground in groups of about fifty each,”
Jesus replied.
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So they did.
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Jesus took the five loaves and two fish and looked up into the sky and gave thanks; then he broke off pieces for his disciples to set before the crowd.
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And everyone ate and ate; still, twelve basketfuls of scraps were picked up afterwards!
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One day as he was alone, praying, with his disciples nearby, he came over and asked them,
“Who are the people saying I am?”
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“John the Baptist,” they told him, “or perhaps Elijah or one of the other ancient prophets risen from the dead.”
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Then he asked them,
“Who do you think I am?”
Peter replied, “The Messiah—the Christ of God!”
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He gave them strict orders not to speak of this to anyone.
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“For I, the Messiah,
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must suffer much,”
he said,
“and be rejected by the Jewish leaders—the elders, chief priests, and teachers of the Law—and be killed; and three days later I will come back to life again!”
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Then he said to all,
“Anyone who wants to follow me must put aside his own desires and conveniences and carry his cross with him every day and
keep close to me!
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Whoever loses his life for my sake will save it, but whoever insists on keeping his life will lose it;
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and what profit is there in gaining the whole world when it means forfeiting one’s self?
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“When I, the Messiah, come in my glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels, I will be ashamed then of all who are ashamed of me and of my words now.
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But this is the simple truth—some of you who are standing here right now will not die until you have seen the Kingdom of God.”
O God, help the king to judge as you would, and help his son to walk in godliness.
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Help him to give justice to your people, even to the poor.
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May the mountains and hills flourish in prosperity because of his good reign.
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Help him to defend the poor and needy and to crush their oppressors.
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May the poor and needy revere you constantly, as long as sun and moon continue in the skies! Yes, forever!
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May the reign of this son of mine
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be as gentle and fruitful as the springtime rains upon the grass—like showers that water the earth!
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May all good men flourish in his reign with abundance of peace to the end of time.
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Let him reign from sea to sea and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.
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The desert nomads shall bow before him; his enemies shall fall face downward in the dust.
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Kings along the Mediterranean coast—the kings of Tarshish and the islands—and those from Sheba and from Seba—all will bring their gifts.
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Yes, kings from everywhere! All will bow before him! All will serve him!
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He will take care of the helpless and poor when they cry to him; for they have no one else to defend them.
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He feels pity for the weak and needy and will rescue them.
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He will save them from oppression and from violence, for their lives are precious to him.
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And he shall live; and to him will be given the gold of Sheba, and there will be constant praise for him.
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His people will bless him all day long.
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Bless us with abundant crops throughout the land, even on the highland plains; may there be fruit like that of Lebanon; may the cities be as full of people as the fields are of grass.
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His name will be honored forever; it will continue as the sun; and all will be blessed in him; all nations will praise him.
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Blessed be Jehovah God, the God of Israel, who only does wonderful things!
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Blessed be his glorious name forever! Let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and amen!
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(This ends the psalms of David, son of Jesse.)
Everyone admires a man with good sense, but a man with a warped mind is despised.
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It is better to get your hands dirty—and eat,
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than to be too proud to work—and starve.