AME Zion Universal Reading July 10th 2022

Sunday School Zoom Link

First Portion

Numbers Chapter 19

1The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:2This is the statute of the Torah which the Lord commanded, saying, Speak to the children of Israel and have them take for you a perfectly red unblemished cow, upon which no yoke was laid.3And you shall give it to Eleazar the kohen, and he shall take it outside the camp and slaughter it in his presence.4Eleazar the kohen shall take from its blood with his finger and sprinkle it toward the front of the Tent of Meeting seven times.5The cow shall then be burned in his presence; its hide, its flesh, its blood, with its dung he shall burn it.6The kohen shall take a piece of cedar wood, hyssop, and crimson wool, and cast them into the burning of the cow.7The kohen shall wash his garments and bathe his flesh in water, and then he may enter the camp, and the kohen shall be unclean until evening.8The one who burns it shall wash his clothes in water and cleanse his body in water, and he shall be unclean until evening.9A ritually clean person shall gather the cow's ashes and place them outside the camp in a clean place, and It shall be as a keepsake for the congregation of the children of Israel for sprinkling water, [used] for cleansing.10The one who gathers the cow's ashes shall wash his clothes, and he shall be unclean until evening. It shall be an everlasting statute for the children of Israel and for the proselyte who resides in their midst.11Anyone touching the corpse of a human soul shall become unclean for seven days.12On the third and seventh days, he shall cleanse himself with it, so that he can become clean. But if he does not sprinkle himself with it on the third and seventh days, he shall not become clean.13Whoever touches the corpse of a human soul which dies, and he does not cleanse himself, he has defiled the Mishkan of the Lord, and that soul shall be cut off from Israel. For the sprinkling water was not sprinkled on him, so he remains unclean, and his uncleanness remains upon him.14This is the law: if a man dies in a tent, anyone entering the tent and anything in the tent shall be unclean for seven days.15Any open vessel which has no seal fastened around it becomes unclean.16Anyone who touches one slain by the sword, or a corpse, or a human bone or a grave, in an open field, he shall be unclean for seven days.17They shall take for that unclean person from the ashes of the burnt purification offering, and it shall be placed in a vessel [filled] with spring water.

John 4:46–54 (NLT):

46 As he traveled through Galilee, he came to Cana, where he had turned the water into wine. There was a government official in nearby Capernaum whose son was very sick. 47 When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged Jesus to come to Capernaum to heal his son, who was about to die.

48 Jesus asked, “Will you never believe in me unless you see miraculous signs and wonders?”

49 The official pleaded, “Lord, please come now before my little boy dies.”

50 Then Jesus told him, “Go back home. Your son will live!” And the man believed what Jesus said and started home.

51 While the man was on his way, some of his servants met him with the news that his son was alive and well. 52 He asked them when the boy had begun to get better, and they replied, “Yesterday afternoon at one o’clock his fever suddenly disappeared!” 53 Then the father realized that that was the very time Jesus had told him, “Your son will live.” And he and his entire household believed in Jesus. 54 This was the second miraculous sign Jesus did in Galilee after coming from Judea.

Second Portion

Numbers Chapter 19

18A ritually clean person shall take the hyssop and dip it into the water and sprinkle it on the tent, on all the vessels, and on the people who were in it, and on anyone who touched the bone, the slain person, the corpse, or the grave.19The ritually clean person shall sprinkle on the unclean person on the third day and on the seventh day, and he shall cleanse him on the seventh day, and he shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and he shall become ritually clean in the evening.20If a person becomes unclean and does not cleanse himself, that soul shall be cut off from the congregation, for he has defiled the Sanctuary of the Lord; the sprinkling waters were not sprinkled upon him. He is unclean.21This shall be for them as a perpetual statute, and the one who sprinkles the sprinkling waters shall wash his clothes, and one who touches the sprinkling waters shall be unclean until evening.22Whatever the unclean one touches shall become unclean, and anyone touching him shall be unclean until evening.

Numbers Chapter 20

1The entire congregation of the children of Israel arrived at the desert of Zin in the first month, and the people settled in Kadesh. Miriam died there and was buried there.2The congregation had no water; so they assembled against Moses and Aaron.3The people quarreled with Moses, and they said, "If only we had died with the death of our brothers before the Lord.4Why have you brought the congregation of the Lord to this desert so that we and our livestock should die there?5Why have you taken us out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place; it is not a place for seeds, or for fig trees, grapevines, or pomegranate trees, and there is no water to drink.6Moses and Aaron moved away from the assembly to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, and they fell on their faces. [Then] the glory of the Lord appeared to them.

Monday

John 2:1–11 (NLT): The Wedding at Cana

The next day there was a wedding celebration in the village of Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the celebration. 3 The wine supply ran out during the festivities, so Jesus’ mother told him, “They have no more wine.”

4 “Dear woman, that’s not our problem,” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.”

5 But his mother told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

6 Standing nearby were six stone water jars, used for Jewish ceremonial washing. Each could hold twenty to thirty gallons. 7 Jesus told the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” When the jars had been filled, 8 he said, “Now dip some out, and take it to the master of ceremonies.” So the servants followed his instructions.

9 When the master of ceremonies tasted the water that was now wine, not knowing where it had come from (though, of course, the servants knew), he called the bridegroom over. 10 “A host always serves the best wine first,” he said. “Then, when everyone has had a lot to drink, he brings out the less expensive wine. But you have kept the best until now!”

11 This miraculous sign at Cana in Galilee was the first time Jesus revealed his glory. And his disciples believed in him.

Third Portion

Numbers Chapter 20

7The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:8"Take the staff and assemble the congregation, you and your brother Aaron, and speak to the rock in their presence so that it will give forth its water. You shall bring forth water for them from the rock and give the congregation and their livestock to drink."9Moses took the staff from before the Lord as He had commanded him.10Moses and Aaron assembled the congregation in front of the rock, and he said to them, "Now listen, you rebels, can we draw water for you from this rock?"11Moses raised his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, when an abundance of water gushed forth, and the congregation and their livestock drank.12The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "Since you did not have faith in Me to sanctify Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly to the Land which I have given them.13These are the waters of dispute [Mei Meribah] where the children of Israel contended with the Lord, and He was sanctified through them.

Tuesday

Psalm 6:1–10 (NLT):

1 O Lord, don’t rebuke me in your anger

or discipline me in your rage.

2 Have compassion on me, Lord, for I am weak.

Heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony.

3 I am sick at heart.

How long, O Lord, until you restore me?

4 Return, O Lord, and rescue me.

Save me because of your unfailing love.

5 For the dead do not remember you.

Who can praise you from the grave?

6 I am worn out from sobbing.

All night I flood my bed with weeping,

drenching it with my tears.

7 My vision is blurred by grief;

my eyes are worn out because of all my enemies.

8 Go away, all you who do evil,

for the Lord has heard my weeping.

9 The Lord has heard my plea;

the Lord will answer my prayer.

10 May all my enemies be disgraced and terrified.

May they suddenly turn back in shame.

Fourth Portion

Numbers Chapter 20

14Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom: "So says your brother, Israel, 'You know of all the hardship that has befallen us.15Our fathers went down to Egypt, and we sojourned in Egypt for a long time. And the Egyptians mistreated us and our forefathers.16We cried out to the Lord and He heard our voice. He sent an angel, and he took us out of Egypt, and now we are in Kadesh, a city on the edge of your border.17Please let us pass through your land; we will not pass through fields or vineyards, nor will we drink well water. We will walk along the king's road, and we will turn neither to the right nor to the left until we have passed through your territory.'"18Edom replied to him, "You shall not pass through me, lest I go out towards you with the sword!"19The children of Israel said to him, "We will keep to the highway, and if we drink your water, either I or my cattle, we will pay its price. It is really nothing; I will pass through on foot."20But he said, "You shall not pass through!" and Edom came out toward them with a vast force and with a strong hand.21Edom refused to allow Israel to cross through his territory; so Israel turned away from him.

Wednesday

Matthew 8:5–13 (NLT): The Faith of a Roman Officer

5 When Jesus returned to Capernaum, a Roman officer came and pleaded with him, 6 “Lord, my young servant lies in bed, paralyzed and in terrible pain.”

7 Jesus said, “I will come and heal him.”

8 But the officer said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. 9 I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.”

10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to those who were following him, he said, “I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel! 11 And I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the world—from east and west—and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven. 12 But many Israelites—those for whom the Kingdom was prepared—will be thrown into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

13 Then Jesus said to the Roman officer, “Go back home. Because you believed, it has happened.” And the young servant was healed that same hour.

Fifth Portion

Numbers Chapter 20

22They traveled from Kadesh, and the entire congregation of the children of Israel arrived at Mount Hor.23The Lord said to Moses and Aaron at Mount Hor, on the border of the land of Edom, saying,24"Aaron shall be gathered to his people, for he shall not come to the Land which I have given to the children of Israel, because you defied My word at the waters of dispute [Mei Meribah].25Take Aaron and Eleazar his son and ascend Mount Hor.26Strip Aaron of his garments and dress Eleazar his son with them. Then Aaron shall be gathered in [to his people] and die there.27Moses did as the Lord commanded him. They ascended Mount Hor in the presence of the entire congregation.28Moses then stripped Aaron of his garments and dressed Eleazar his son in them, and Aaron died there on the top of the mountain. [Then] Moses and Eleazar descended from the mountain.29The whole congregation saw that Aaron had expired, and the entire house of Israel wept for Aaron for thirty days.

Numbers Chapter 21

1The Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the south, heard that Israel had come by the route of the spies, and he waged war against Israel and took from them a captive.2Israel made a vow to the Lord, and said, "If You deliver this people into my hand, I shall consecrate their cities."3The Lord heard Israel's voice and delivered the Canaanite. He destroyed them and [consecrated] their cities, and he called the place Hormah.4They journeyed from Mount Hor by way of the Red Sea to circle the land of Edom, and the people became disheartened because of the way.5The people spoke against God and against Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in this desert, for there is no bread and no water, and we are disgusted with this rotten bread."6The Lord sent against the people the venomous snakes, and they bit the people, and many people of Israel died.7The people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord that He remove the snakes from us." So Moses prayed on behalf of the people.8The Lord said to Moses, "Make yourself a serpent and put it on a pole, and let whoever is bitten look at it and live."9Moses made a copper snake and put it on a pole, and whenever a snake bit a man, he would gaze upon the copper snake and live.

Thursday

John 5:1–9 (NLT): Jesus Heals a Lame Man

Afterward Jesus returned to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish holy days. 2 Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches. 3 Crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—lay on the porches. 5 One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?”

7 “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.”

8 Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!”

9 Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking! But this miracle happened on the Sabbath,

Sixth Portion

Numbers Chapter 21

10The children of Israel journeyed on and camped in Oboth.11They journeyed from Oboth and camped in the wasteland passes in the wilderness, which faced Moab, toward the rising sun.12From there they journeyed, and they encamped along the stream of Zered.13From there they journeyed, and they encamped on the other side of the Arnon, which was in the desert, extending from the Amorite border, for Arnon was the Moabite border between Moab and the Amorites.14Concerning this it is told in the account of the Wars of the Lord, "What He gave at the [Sea of] Reeds and the streams of Arnon.15And the spilling of the streams that turned to settle at Ar and leaned toward the border of Moab.16From there to the well; that is the well of which the Lord said to Moses, 'Gather the people, and I will give them water.'"17Then Israel sang this song: "'Ascend, O well,' sing to it!18A well dug by princes, carved out by nobles of the people, through the lawgiver with their staffs, and from the desert, a gift.19From the gift, to the streams, and from the streams to the heights.20From the heights to the valley in the field of Moab, at the top of the peak, that overlooks the wastelands."

Friday

John 9:1–7 (NLT): Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind

As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. 2 “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?”

3 “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him. 4 We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work. 5 But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.”

6 Then he spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud over the blind man’s eyes. 7 He told him, “Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam” (Siloam means “sent”). So the man went and washed and came back seeing!

Seventh Portion

Numbers Chapter 21

21Israel sent messengers to Sihon the king of the Amorites, saying:22"Let me pass through your land. We will not turn into fields or vineyards, nor drink well water. We shall walk along the king's road, until we have passed through your territory."23But Sihon did not permit Israel to pass through his territory, and Sihon gathered all his people and went out to the desert toward Israel. He arrived at Jahaz and fought against Israel.24Israel smote him with the sword, and took possession of his land from Arnon to Jabbok, as far as the children of Ammon, for the border of the children of Ammon was strong.25Israel took all these cities, and the Israelites dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon and all its villages.26For Heshbon was the city of Sihon, king of the Amorites, and he had fought against the first king of Moab, taking all his land from his possession, as far as Arnon.27Concerning this, those who speak in parables say, "Come to Heshbon, may it be built and established as the city of Sihon.28For fire went forth from Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon; it consumed Ar of Moab, the masters of the high places of Arnon.29Woe is to you, Moab; you are lost, people of Chemosh. His sons he has given over as refugees and his daughters into captivity, to Sihon, king of the Amorites.30Their kingdom is destroyed from Heshbon; it has been removed from Dibon; we laid them waste as far as Nophah which is near Medeba."31Israel settled in the land of the Amorites.32Moses sent [men] to spy out Jaazer and they captured its villages, driving out the Amorites who lived there.33Then they turned and headed north toward the Bashan. Og, the king of Bashan, came out toward them with all his people, to wage war at Edrei.34The Lord said to Moses, "Do not fear him, for I have delivered him, his people, and his land into your hand. You shall do to him as you did to Sihon the king of the Amorites who dwells in Heshbon.35They smote him, his sons and all his people, until there was no survivor, and they took possession of his land.

Numbers Chapter 22

1The children of Israel journeyed and encamped in the plains of Moab, across the Jordan from Jericho.

Saturday

Psalm 41 (NLT):

1 Oh, the joys of those who are kind to the poor!

The Lord rescues them when they are in trouble.

2 The Lord protects them

and keeps them alive.

He gives them prosperity in the land

and rescues them from their enemies.

3 The Lord nurses them when they are sick

and restores them to health.

4 “O Lord,” I prayed, “have mercy on me.

Heal me, for I have sinned against you.”

5 But my enemies say nothing but evil about me.

“How soon will he die and be forgotten?” they ask.

6 They visit me as if they were my friends,

but all the while they gather gossip,

and when they leave, they spread it everywhere.

7 All who hate me whisper about me,

imagining the worst.

8 “He has some fatal disease,” they say.

“He will never get out of that bed!”

9 Even my best friend, the one I trusted completely,

the one who shared my food, has turned against me.

10 Lord, have mercy on me.

Make me well again, so I can pay them back!

11 I know you are pleased with me,

for you have not let my enemies triumph over me.

12 You have preserved my life because I am innocent;

you have brought me into your presence forever.

13 Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,

who lives from everlasting to everlasting.

Amen and amen!

Maftir Portion

Numbers Chapter 21

34The Lord said to Moses, "Do not fear him, for I have delivered him, his people, and his land into your hand. You shall do to him as you did to Sihon the king of the Amorites who dwells in Heshbon.35They smote him, his sons and all his people, until there was no survivor, and they took possession of his land.

Numbers Chapter 22

1The children of Israel journeyed and encamped in the plains of Moab, across the Jordan from Jericho.

Haftarah

Judges Chapter 11

1Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor, and he was the son of a woman harlot, and Gilead begot Jephthah.2And Gilead's wife bore him sons; and his wife's sons grew up and drove Jephthah out, and they said to him, "You shall not inherit in our father's house for you are the son of another woman."3And Jephthah fled from his brothers and he dwelt in the land of Tob; and idle men were gathered to Jephthah, and they went out with him.4And it was after many days, and the children of Ammon made war with Israel.5And it was, when the children of Ammon fought with Israel; and the elders of Gilead went to take Jephthah from the land of Tob.6And they said to Jephthah, "Come and become our chief, and we will fight with the children of Ammon."7And Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, "Did you not hate me, and drive me from my father's house? So why have you come to me now when you are in distress?"8And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, "Therefore we returned to you now, and you shall go with us, and you will fight with the children of Ammon, and you shall become our head, over all the inhabitants of Gilead."9And Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, "If you bring me back to fight with the children of Ammon, and the Lord delivers them before me, I will become your head."10And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, "The Lord shall hear between us, if not according to your word so will we do."11And Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people appointed him a head and chief over them; and Jephthah spoke all his words before the Lord in Mizpah.12And Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the children of Ammon, saying, "What is (between) me and you, that you have come to me to fight in my land?"13And the king of the children of Ammon said to the messengers of Jephthah, "Because Israel took away my land, when they came out of Egypt, from Arnon and up to the Jabbok, and up to the Jordan; and now restore them peacefully."14And Jephthah continued, and sent messengers to the king of the children of Ammon.15And he said to him, "So said Jephthah, Israel did not take the land of Moab and the land of the children of Ammon.16Because when they came up from Egypt, and Israel went through the wilderness up to the Red Sea, and they came to Kadesh.17And Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom saying, 'Let me pass now through your land,' and the king of Edom did not listen, and also to the king of Moab he sent, and he was unwilling; and Israel abode in Kadesh.18And they went through the wilderness, and went around the land of Edom and the land of Moab, and they came to the east of the land of Moab, and they encamped on the other side of the Arnon, and they did not come within the border of Moab, for (the) Arnon (was) the border of Moab.19And Israel sent messengers to Sichon, king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and Israel said to him, 'Please let us pass through your land up to my place.'20And Sichon did not trust Israel to pass through his border, and Sichon gathered all his people, and they encamped in Jahaz, and he fought with Israel.21And the Lord, the God of Israel, delivered Sichon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they struck them; and Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that land.22And they possessed all the border of the Amorites, from the Arnon up to the Jabbok, and from the wilderness up to the Jordan.23And now the Lord, the God of Israel, has driven out the Amorites from before His people Israel, and you want to possess it?24Is it not that which Chemosh your god gives you to possess, that you may possess; and all that which the Lord our God has driven out from before us, that we shall possess.25And now, are you any better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever strive with Israel, (or) did he ever fight against them?26When Israel dwelt in Heshbon and its towns, and in Aroer and its towns, and in all the cities that are along Arnon, three hundred years; why did you not recover them at that time?27And I have not sinned against you, and you do wrong with me by fighting against me; may the Lord, the Judge, decide this day between the children of Israel and between the children of Ammon."28And the king of the children of Ammon did not listen to the words of Jephthah which he had sent him.29And a spirit of the Lord was upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead and Menasseh, and he passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over (to) the children of Ammon.30And Jephthah vowed a vow to the Lord, and said, "If You will indeed deliver the children of Ammon into my hand,31And it will be, whatever comes forth, that shall come forth from the doors of my house towards me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall be to the Lord, and I will offer him up for a burnt-offering."32And Jephthah passed over to the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the Lord delivered them into his hand.33And he struck them from Aroer until you come to Minnith, twenty cities, and up to Abel Cheramim, a very great slaughter. And the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.

AME Zion Universal Reading July 3rd 2022

Sunday School Zoom Link

First Portion

Numbers Chapter 13

1The Lord spoke to Moses saying,2"Send out for yourself men who will scout the Land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel. You shall send one man each for his father's tribe; each one shall be a chieftain in their midst."3So Moses sent them from the desert of Paran by the word of the Lord. All of them were men of distinction; they were the heads of the children of Israel.4These are their names: For the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zakkur.5For the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori.6For the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jepphunneh.7For the tribe of Issachar, Yigal the son of Joseph.8For the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun.9For the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu.10For the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi.11For the tribe of Joseph, for the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi.12For the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli.13For the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael.14For the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi.15For the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.16These are the names of the men Moses sent to scout the Land, and Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun, Joshua.17Moses sent them to scout the Land of Canaan, and he said to them, "Go up this way in the south and climb up the mountain.18You shall see what [kind of] land it is, and the people who inhabit it; are they strong or weak? Are there few or many?19And what of the land they inhabit? Is it good or bad? And what of the cities in which they reside are they in camps or in fortresses?20What is the soil like is it fat or lean? Are there any trees in it or not? You shall be courageous and take from the fruit of the land." It was the season when the first grapes begin to ripen.

John 1:1–15 (NLT):

 In the beginning the Word already existed.

The Word was with God,

and the Word was God.

2 He existed in the beginning with God.

3 God created everything through him,

and nothing was created except through him.

4 The Word gave life to everything that was created,

and his life brought light to everyone.

5 The light shines in the darkness,

and the darkness can never extinguish it.

6 God sent a man, John the Baptist, 7 to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. 8 John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. 9 The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

10 He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. 11 He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. 12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. 13 They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.

14 So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

Second Portion

Numbers Chapter 13

21So they went up and explored the land, from the desert of Zin until Rehov, at the entrance to Hamath.22They went up in, the south, and he came to Hebron, and there were Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of the giant. Now Hebron had been built seven years before Zoan of Egypt.23They came to the Valley of Eshkol and they cut a branch with a cluster of grapes. They carried it on a pole between two [people] and [they also took] some pomegranates and figs.24They called that place the Valley of Eshkol because of the cluster [eshkol] the children of Israel cut from there.25They returned from scouting the Land at the end of forty days.26They went, and they came to Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel in the desert of Paran, to Kadesh. They brought them back a report, as well as to the entire congregation, and they showed them the fruit of the land.27They told him and said, "We came to the land to which you sent us, and it is flowing with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.28However, the people who inhabit the land are mighty, and the cities are extremely huge and fortified, and there we saw even the offspring of the giant.29The Amalekites dwell in the south land, while the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountainous region. The Canaanites dwell on the coast and alongside the Jordan."30Caleb silenced the people to [hear about] Moses, and he said, "We can surely go up and take possession of it, for we can indeed overcome it."31But the men who went up with him said, "We are unable to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.32They spread an [evil] report about the land which they had scouted, telling the children of Israel, "The land we passed through to explore is a land that consumes its inhabitants, and all the people we saw in it are men of stature.33There we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, descended from the giants. In our eyes, we seemed like grasshoppers, and so we were in their eyes.

Numbers Chapter 14

1The entire community raised their voices and shouted, and the people wept on that night.2All the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the entire congregation said, "If only we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only we had died in this desert.3Why does the Lord bring us to this land to fall by the sword; our wives and children will be as spoils. Is it not better for us to return to Egypt?"4They said to each other, "Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt!"5Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before the entire congregation of the children of Israel.6Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had scouted the land, tore their clothes.7They spoke to the entire congregation of the children of Israel, saying, "The land we passed through to scout is an exceedingly good land.

Monday

Proverbs 8:22–31 (NLT):

22 “The Lord formed me from the beginning,

before he created anything else.

23 I was appointed in ages past,

at the very first, before the earth began.

24 I was born before the oceans were created,

before the springs bubbled forth their waters.

25 Before the mountains were formed,

before the hills, I was born—

26 before he had made the earth and fields

and the first handfuls of soil.

27 I was there when he established the heavens,

when he drew the horizon on the oceans.

28 I was there when he set the clouds above,

when he established springs deep in the earth.

29 I was there when he set the limits of the seas,

so they would not spread beyond their boundaries.

And when he marked off the earth’s foundations,

30 I was the architect at his side.

I was his constant delight,

rejoicing always in his presence.

31 And how happy I was with the world he created;

how I rejoiced with the human family!

Third Portion

Numbers Chapter 14

8If the Lord desires us, He will bring us to this land and give it to us, a land flowing with milk and honey.9But you shall not rebel against the Lord, and you will not fear the people of that land for they are [as] our bread. Their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them."10The entire congregation threatened to pelt them with stones, but the glory of the Lord appeared in the Tent of Meeting to all the children of Israel.11The Lord said to Moses, "How long will this people provoke Me? How much longer will they not believe in Me after all the signs I have performed in their midst?12I will strike them with a plague and annihilate them; then I will make you into a nation, greater and stronger than they."13Moses said to the Lord, "But the Egyptians will hear that You have brought this nation out from its midst with great power.14They will say about the inhabitants of this land, who have heard that You, O Lord, are in the midst of this people; that You, the Lord, appear to them eye to eye and that Your cloud rests over them. And You go before them with a pillar of cloud by day and with a pillar of fire by night,15and if You kill this nation like one man, the nations who have heard of Your reputation will say as follows:16'Since the Lord lacked the ability to bring this nation to the Land which He swore to them, He slaughtered them in the desert.'17Now, please, let the strength of the Lord be increased, as You spoke, saying.18'The Lord is slow to anger and abundantly kind, forgiving iniquity and transgression, Who cleanses [some] and does not cleanse [others], Who visits the iniquities of parents on children, even to the third and fourth generations.'19Please forgive the iniquity of this nation in accordance with your abounding kindness, as You have borne this people from Egypt until now."20And the Lord said, "I have forgiven them in accordance with your word.21However, as surely as I live, and as the glory of the Lord fills the earth...22that all the people who perceived My glory, and the signs that I performed in Egypt and in the desert, yet they have tested me these ten times and not listened to My voice,23if they will see the Land that I swore to their fathers, and all who provoked Me will not see it.24But as for My servant Caleb, since he was possessed by another spirit, and he followed Me, I will bring him to the land to which he came, and his descendants will drive it[s inhabitants] out.25The Amalekites and the Canaanites dwell in the valley. Tomorrow, turn back and journey into the desert toward the Red Sea."

Tuesday

Colossians 1:13–17 (NLT):

13 For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, 14 who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.

Christ Is Supreme

15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.

He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,

16 for through him God created everything

in the heavenly realms and on earth.

He made the things we can see

and the things we can’t see—

such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.

Everything was created through him and for him.

17 He existed before anything else,

and he holds all creation together.

Fourth Portion

Numbers Chapter 14

26The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,27"How much longer will this evil congregation who are causing to complain against Me [exist]? The complaints of the children of Israel which they caused them to complain against Me, I have heard.28Say to them, 'As I live,' says the Lord, 'if not as you have spoken in My ears, so will I do to you.29In this desert, your corpses shall fall; your entire number, all those from the age of twenty and up, who were counted, because you complained against Me.30You shall [not] come into the Land concerning which I raised My hand that you would settle in it, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.31As for your infants, of whom you said that they will be as spoils, I will bring them [there], and they will come to know the Land which You despised.32But as for you, your corpses shall fall in this desert.33Your children shall wander in the desert for forty years and bear your defection until the last of your corpses has fallen in the desert.34According to the number of days which you toured the Land forty days, a day for each year, you will [thus] bear your iniquities for forty years; thus you will come to know My alienation.35I, the Lord, have spoken if I will not do this to the entire evil congregation who have assembled against me; in this desert they will end, and there they will die.36As for the men whom Moses had sent to scout the Land, who returned and caused the entire congregation to complain against him by spreading [a slanderous] report about the Land"37the men who spread an evil report about the Land died in the plague, before the Lord.38But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive of the men who went to tour the Land.39Moses related all these words to the children of Israel, and the people mourned greatly.40They arose early in the morning and ascended to the mountain top, saying, "We are ready to go up to the place of which the Lord spoke, for we have sinned. "41Moses said, "Why do you transgress the word of the Lord? It will not succeed.42Do not go up, for the Lord is not among you, [so that] you will not be beaten by your enemies.43For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and you will fall by the sword. For you have turned away from the Lord, and the Lord will not be with you.44They defiantly ascended to the mountain top, but the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord and Moses did not move from the camp.45The Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived on the mountain came down and smote them and crushed them [pursuing them] until Hormah.

Numbers Chapter 15

1The Lord spoke to Moses saying:2Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: When you arrive in the Land of your dwelling place, which I am giving you,3and you make a fire offering to the Lord, a burnt offering or a sacrifice [namely a peace offering], for an expressed vow or for a voluntary offering or on your festivals, to provide a pleasing fragrance for the Lord, from the cattle or from the sheep.4The one who brings his offering to the Lord shall present a meal offering containing one tenth fine flour mixed with a quarter of a hin of oil.5And a quarter of a hin of wine for a libation, you shall prepare with the burnt offering or for the sacrifice, for each lamb.6Or for a ram, you shall present a meal offering containing two tenths fine flour mixed with a third of a hin of oil.7And a third of a hin of wine for a libation; you shall offer up, a pleasing fragrance to the Lord.

Wednesday

Colossians 1:18–22 (NLT):

18 Christ is also the head of the church,

which is his body.

He is the beginning,

supreme over all who rise from the dead.

So he is first in everything.

19 For God in all his fullness

was pleased to live in Christ,

20 and through him God reconciled

everything to himself.

He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth

by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.

21 This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. 22 Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.

Fifth Portion

Numbers Chapter 15

8If you prepare a young bull as a burnt offering or sacrifice by expressing a vow, or for a peace offering for the Lord,9with the young bull he shall offer up a meal offering consisting of three tenths fine flour mixed with half a hin of oil.10And you shall offer half a hin of wine for a libation, a fire offering of pleasing fragrance to the Lord.11So shall it be done for each ox or ram, or for a young sheep or young goat.12In accordance with the number you offer up, so shall you present for each one, according to their numbers.13Every native born shall do it in this manner, to offer up a fire offering of pleasing fragrance to the Lord.14If a proselyte resides with you, or those among you in future generations, and he offers up a fire offering of pleasing fragrance to the Lord, as you make it, so shall he make it.15One rule applies to the assembly, for yourselves and for the proselyte who resides [with you]; one rule applies throughout your generations just as [it is] for you, so [it is] for the proselyte, before the Lord.16There shall be one law and one ordinance for you and the proselyte who resides [with you].

Thursday

Psalm 104:1–15 (NLT):

1 Let all that I am praise the Lord.

O Lord my God, how great you are!

You are robed with honor and majesty.

2 You are dressed in a robe of light.

You stretch out the starry curtain of the heavens;

3 you lay out the rafters of your home in the rain clouds.

You make the clouds your chariot;

you ride upon the wings of the wind.

4 The winds are your messengers;

flames of fire are your servants.

5 You placed the world on its foundation

so it would never be moved.

6 You clothed the earth with floods of water,

water that covered even the mountains.

7 At your command, the water fled;

at the sound of your thunder, it hurried away.

8 Mountains rose and valleys sank

to the levels you decreed.

9 Then you set a firm boundary for the seas,

so they would never again cover the earth.

10 You make springs pour water into the ravines,

so streams gush down from the mountains.

11 They provide water for all the animals,

and the wild donkeys quench their thirst.

12 The birds nest beside the streams

and sing among the branches of the trees.

13 You send rain on the mountains from your heavenly home,

and you fill the earth with the fruit of your labor.

14 You cause grass to grow for the livestock

and plants for people to use.

You allow them to produce food from the earth—

15 wine to make them glad,

olive oil to soothe their skin,

and bread to give them strength.

Sixth Portion

Numbers Chapter 15

17The Lord spoke to Moses saying:18Speak to the children of Israel and you shall say to them, When you arrive in the Land to which I am bringing you,19and you eat from the bread of the Land, you shall set aside a gift for the Lord.20The first portion of your dough, you shall separate a loaf for a gift; as in the case of the gift of the threshing floor, so shall you separate it.21From the first portion of your dough you shall give a gift to the Lord in [all] your generations.22And if you should err and not fulfill all these commandments, which the Lord spoke to Moses.23All that the Lord commanded you through Moses, from the day on which the Lord commanded and from then on, for all generations.24If because of the eyes of the congregation it was committed inadvertently, the entire congregation shall prepare a young bull as a burnt offering for a pleasing fragrance for the Lord, with its prescribed meal offering and libation, and one young he goat for a sin offering.25The kohen shall atone on behalf of the entire congregation of the children of Israel, and it shall be forgiven them, for it was an error, and they have brought their offering as a fire offering to the Lord and their sin offering before the Lord because of their error.26The entire congregation of the children of Israel and the proselyte who resides with them shall be forgiven, for all the people were in error.

Friday

Psalm 104:14–35 (NLT):

14 You cause grass to grow for the livestock

and plants for people to use.

You allow them to produce food from the earth—

15 wine to make them glad,

olive oil to soothe their skin,

and bread to give them strength.

16 The trees of the Lord are well cared for—

the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.

17 There the birds make their nests,

and the storks make their homes in the cypresses.

18 High in the mountains live the wild goats,

and the rocks form a refuge for the hyraxes.

19 You made the moon to mark the seasons,

and the sun knows when to set.

20 You send the darkness, and it becomes night,

when all the forest animals prowl about.

21 Then the young lions roar for their prey,

stalking the food provided by God.

22 At dawn they slink back

into their dens to rest.

23 Then people go off to their work,

where they labor until evening.

24 O Lord, what a variety of things you have made!

In wisdom you have made them all.

The earth is full of your creatures.

25 Here is the ocean, vast and wide,

teeming with life of every kind,

both large and small.

26 See the ships sailing along,

and Leviathan, which you made to play in the sea.

27 They all depend on you

to give them food as they need it.

28 When you supply it, they gather it.

You open your hand to feed them,

and they are richly satisfied.

29 But if you turn away from them, they panic.

When you take away their breath,

they die and turn again to dust.

30 When you give them your breath, life is created,

and you renew the face of the earth.

31 May the glory of the Lord continue forever!

The Lord takes pleasure in all he has made!

32 The earth trembles at his glance;

the mountains smoke at his touch.

33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live.

I will praise my God to my last breath!

34 May all my thoughts be pleasing to him,

for I rejoice in the Lord.

35 Let all sinners vanish from the face of the earth;

let the wicked disappear forever.

Let all that I am praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord!

Seventh Portion

Numbers Chapter 15

27But if an individual sins inadvertently, he shall offer up a she goat in its first year as a sin offering.28And the kohen shall atone for the erring soul which sinned inadvertently before the Lord, so as to atone on his behalf, and it shall be forgiven him.29One law shall apply to anyone who sins inadvertently from the native born of the children of Israel and the proselyte who resides among them.30But if a person should act highhandedly, whether he is a native born or a proselyte, he is blaspheming the Lord, and that soul shall be cut off from among its people.31For he has scorned the word of the Lord and violated His commandment; that soul shall be utterly cut off for its iniquity is upon it.32When the children of Israel were in the desert, they found a man gathering wood on the Sabbath day.33Those who found him gathering wood presented him before Moses and Aaron and before the entire congregation.34They put him under guard, since it was not specified what was to be done to him.35The Lord said to Moses, The man shall be put to death; the entire congregation shall pelt him with stones outside the camp.36So the entire congregation took him outside the camp, and they pelted him to death with stones, as the Lord had commanded Moses.37The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:38Speak to the children of Israel and you shall say to them that they shall make for themselves fringes on the corners of their garments, throughout their generations, and they shall affix a thread of sky blue [wool] on the fringe of each corner.39This shall be fringes for you, and when you see it, you will remember all the commandments of the Lord to perform them, and you shall not wander after your hearts and after your eyes after which you are going astray.40So that you shall remember and perform all My commandments and you shall be holy to your God.41I am the Lord, your God, Who took you out of the land of Egypt to be your God; I am the Lord, your God.

Saturday

Hebrews 1:1–4 (NLT):

Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. 2 And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe. 3 The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven. 4 This shows that the Son is far greater than the angels, just as the name God gave him is greater than their names.

Maftir Portion

Numbers Chapter 15

37The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:38Speak to the children of Israel and you shall say to them that they shall make for themselves fringes on the corners of their garments, throughout their generations, and they shall affix a thread of sky blue [wool] on the fringe of each corner.39This shall be fringes for you, and when you see it, you will remember all the commandments of the Lord to perform them, and you shall not wander after your hearts and after your eyes after which you are going astray.40So that you shall remember and perform all My commandments and you shall be holy to your God.41I am the Lord, your God, Who took you out of the land of Egypt to be your God; I am the Lord, your God.

Haftarah

Joshua Chapter 2

1And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men out of Shittim to spy secretly, saying, Go see the land and Jericho. And they went, and came to the house of an innkeeper named Rahab, and they lay there.2And it was told to the king of Jericho, saying, Behold, men have come here this night from the children of Israel to search the land.3And the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men who have come to you, that have entered your house, for they have come to search out the entire land.4Now the woman had taken the two men, and had hidden them, and she said, Indeed the men came to me, but I did not know from where they were.5And it was time to close the gate, at darkness, that the men went out. I do not know where they went. Pursue after them quickly, for you will overtake them.6And she had brought them up to the roof, and she hid them with the stalks of flax, that she had laid arranged upon the roof.7And the men pursued them in the direction of the Jordan, to the fords; and as soon as the pursuers had gone out, they shut the gate.8And before they were asleep, she came up to them upon the roof.9And she said to the men, I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away because of you.10For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt; and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites that were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you completely destroyed.11And as soon as we heard, our hearts melted, nor did there remain anymore spirit in any man because of you, for the Lord your God He is God in heaven above and on the earth below.12And now, I pray, swear to me by the Lord, since I have showed you kindness, that you will also show kindness to my father's house, and give me a true token.13And you shall preserve alive my father, and my mother, and my brothers and my sisters, and all that they have, and you shall deliver our lives from death.14And the men answered her, Our life for yours, if you will not tell this our discussion. And it shall be, when the Lord gives us the land, that we will deal with you with kindness and truth.15And she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was in the town wall and she dwelt in the wall.16And she said to them, Go to the mountain lest the pursuers meet you; and hide yourselves there three days until the pursuers return, and afterwards you will go your way.17And the men said to her, we will be blameless of this your oath which you made us swear;18Behold when we come into the land, you shall bind this line of scarlet thread in the window by which you let us down; and you shall bring your father and your mother, and your brothers and all your father's household home to you.19And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out of the doors of your house outside, his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be blameless, and that whosoever shall be with you in the house, his blood shall be upon our head if any hand be upon him.20And if you tell this our discussion, then we will be blameless of your oath which you have made us swear.21And she said, According to your words, so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed; and she bound the scarlet line in the window.22And they went, and came to the mountain, and stayed there three days until the pursuers returned; and the pursuers sought them throughout all the way, but they did not find them.23And the two men returned and descended from the mountain, and crossed over and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and told him all that had happened to them.24And they said to Joshua, -For the Lord has delivered into our hands all the land; and also the inhabitants of the country have melted away because of us.

AME Zion Universal Reading June 26th 2022

Sunday School Zoom Link

First Portion

Numbers Chapter 13

1The Lord spoke to Moses saying,2"Send out for yourself men who will scout the Land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel. You shall send one man each for his father's tribe; each one shall be a chieftain in their midst."3So Moses sent them from the desert of Paran by the word of the Lord. All of them were men of distinction; they were the heads of the children of Israel.4These are their names: For the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zakkur.5For the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori.6For the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jepphunneh.7For the tribe of Issachar, Yigal the son of Joseph.8For the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun.9For the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu.10For the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi.11For the tribe of Joseph, for the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi.12For the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli.13For the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael.14For the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi.15For the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.16These are the names of the men Moses sent to scout the Land, and Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun, Joshua.17Moses sent them to scout the Land of Canaan, and he said to them, "Go up this way in the south and climb up the mountain.18You shall see what [kind of] land it is, and the people who inhabit it; are they strong or weak? Are there few or many?19And what of the land they inhabit? Is it good or bad? And what of the cities in which they reside are they in camps or in fortresses?20What is the soil like is it fat or lean? Are there any trees in it or not? You shall be courageous and take from the fruit of the land." It was the season when the first grapes begin to ripen.

Isaiah 51:1–23 (NLT): A Call to Trust the Lord

1 “Listen to me, all who hope for deliverance—

all who seek the Lord!

Consider the rock from which you were cut,

the quarry from which you were mined.

2 Yes, think about Abraham, your ancestor,

and Sarah, who gave birth to your nation.

Abraham was only one man when I called him.

But when I blessed him, he became a great nation.”

3 The Lord will comfort Israel again

and have pity on her ruins.

Her desert will blossom like Eden,

her barren wilderness like the garden of the Lord.

Joy and gladness will be found there.

Songs of thanksgiving will fill the air.

4 “Listen to me, my people.

Hear me, Israel,

for my law will be proclaimed,

and my justice will become a light to the nations.

5 My mercy and justice are coming soon.

My salvation is on the way.

My strong arm will bring justice to the nations.

All distant lands will look to me

and wait in hope for my powerful arm.

6 Look up to the skies above,

and gaze down on the earth below.

For the skies will disappear like smoke,

and the earth will wear out like a piece of clothing.

The people of the earth will die like flies,

but my salvation lasts forever.

My righteous rule will never end!

7 “Listen to me, you who know right from wrong,

you who cherish my law in your hearts.

Do not be afraid of people’s scorn,

nor fear their insults.

8 For the moth will devour them as it devours clothing.

The worm will eat at them as it eats wool.

But my righteousness will last forever.

My salvation will continue from generation to generation.”

9 Wake up, wake up, O Lord! Clothe yourself with strength!

Flex your mighty right arm!

Rouse yourself as in the days of old

when you slew Egypt, the dragon of the Nile.

10 Are you not the same today,

the one who dried up the sea,

making a path of escape through the depths

so that your people could cross over?

11 Those who have been ransomed by the Lord will return.

They will enter Jerusalem singing,

crowned with everlasting joy.

Sorrow and mourning will disappear,

and they will be filled with joy and gladness.

12 “I, yes I, am the one who comforts you.

So why are you afraid of mere humans,

who wither like the grass and disappear?

13 Yet you have forgotten the Lord, your Creator,

the one who stretched out the sky like a canopy

and laid the foundations of the earth.

Will you remain in constant dread of human oppressors?

Will you continue to fear the anger of your enemies?

Where is their fury and anger now?

It is gone!

14 Soon all you captives will be released!

Imprisonment, starvation, and death will not be your fate!

15 For I am the Lord your God,

who stirs up the sea, causing its waves to roar.

My name is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

16 And I have put my words in your mouth

and hidden you safely in my hand.

I stretched out the sky like a canopy

and laid the foundations of the earth.

I am the one who says to Israel,

‘You are my people!’ ”

17 Wake up, wake up, O Jerusalem!

You have drunk the cup of the Lord’s fury.

You have drunk the cup of terror,

tipping out its last drops.

18 Not one of your children is left alive

to take your hand and guide you.

19 These two calamities have fallen on you:

desolation and destruction, famine and war.

And who is left to sympathize with you?

Who is left to comfort you?

20 For your children have fainted and lie in the streets,

helpless as antelopes caught in a net.

The Lord has poured out his fury;

God has rebuked them.

21 But now listen to this, you afflicted ones

who sit in a drunken stupor,

though not from drinking wine.

22 This is what the Sovereign Lord,

your God and Defender, says:

“See, I have taken the terrible cup from your hands.

You will drink no more of my fury.

23 Instead, I will hand that cup to your tormentors,

those who said, ‘We will trample you into the dust

and walk on your backs.’ ”

Second Portion

Numbers Chapter 13

21So they went up and explored the land, from the desert of Zin until Rehov, at the entrance to Hamath.22They went up in, the south, and he came to Hebron, and there were Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of the giant. Now Hebron had been built seven years before Zoan of Egypt.23They came to the Valley of Eshkol and they cut a branch with a cluster of grapes. They carried it on a pole between two [people] and [they also took] some pomegranates and figs.24They called that place the Valley of Eshkol because of the cluster [eshkol] the children of Israel cut from there.25They returned from scouting the Land at the end of forty days.26They went, and they came to Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel in the desert of Paran, to Kadesh. They brought them back a report, as well as to the entire congregation, and they showed them the fruit of the land.27They told him and said, "We came to the land to which you sent us, and it is flowing with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.28However, the people who inhabit the land are mighty, and the cities are extremely huge and fortified, and there we saw even the offspring of the giant.29The Amalekites dwell in the south land, while the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountainous region. The Canaanites dwell on the coast and alongside the Jordan."30Caleb silenced the people to [hear about] Moses, and he said, "We can surely go up and take possession of it, for we can indeed overcome it."31But the men who went up with him said, "We are unable to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.32They spread an [evil] report about the land which they had scouted, telling the children of Israel, "The land we passed through to explore is a land that consumes its inhabitants, and all the people we saw in it are men of stature.33There we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, descended from the giants. In our eyes, we seemed like grasshoppers, and so we were in their eyes.

Numbers Chapter 14

1The entire community raised their voices and shouted, and the people wept on that night.2All the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the entire congregation said, "If only we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only we had died in this desert.3Why does the Lord bring us to this land to fall by the sword; our wives and children will be as spoils. Is it not better for us to return to Egypt?"4They said to each other, "Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt!"5Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before the entire congregation of the children of Israel.6Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had scouted the land, tore their clothes.7They spoke to the entire congregation of the children of Israel, saying, "The land we passed through to scout is an exceedingly good land.

Monday

Isaiah 50:4–9 (NLT): The Lord’s Obedient Servant

4 The Sovereign Lord has given me his words of wisdom,

so that I know how to comfort the weary.

Morning by morning he wakens me

and opens my understanding to his will.

5 The Sovereign Lord has spoken to me,

and I have listened.

I have not rebelled or turned away.

6 I offered my back to those who beat me

and my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard.

I did not hide my face

from mockery and spitting.

7 Because the Sovereign Lord helps me,

I will not be disgraced.

Therefore, I have set my face like a stone,

determined to do his will.

And I know that I will not be put to shame.

8 He who gives me justice is near.

Who will dare to bring charges against me now?

Where are my accusers?

Let them appear!

9 See, the Sovereign Lord is on my side!

Who will declare me guilty?

All my enemies will be destroyed

like old clothes that have been eaten by moths!

Third Portion

Numbers Chapter 14

8If the Lord desires us, He will bring us to this land and give it to us, a land flowing with milk and honey.9But you shall not rebel against the Lord, and you will not fear the people of that land for they are [as] our bread. Their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them."10The entire congregation threatened to pelt them with stones, but the glory of the Lord appeared in the Tent of Meeting to all the children of Israel.11The Lord said to Moses, "How long will this people provoke Me? How much longer will they not believe in Me after all the signs I have performed in their midst?12I will strike them with a plague and annihilate them; then I will make you into a nation, greater and stronger than they."13Moses said to the Lord, "But the Egyptians will hear that You have brought this nation out from its midst with great power.14They will say about the inhabitants of this land, who have heard that You, O Lord, are in the midst of this people; that You, the Lord, appear to them eye to eye and that Your cloud rests over them. And You go before them with a pillar of cloud by day and with a pillar of fire by night,15and if You kill this nation like one man, the nations who have heard of Your reputation will say as follows:16'Since the Lord lacked the ability to bring this nation to the Land which He swore to them, He slaughtered them in the desert.'17Now, please, let the strength of the Lord be increased, as You spoke, saying.18'The Lord is slow to anger and abundantly kind, forgiving iniquity and transgression, Who cleanses [some] and does not cleanse [others], Who visits the iniquities of parents on children, even to the third and fourth generations.'19Please forgive the iniquity of this nation in accordance with your abounding kindness, as You have borne this people from Egypt until now."20And the Lord said, "I have forgiven them in accordance with your word.21However, as surely as I live, and as the glory of the Lord fills the earth...22that all the people who perceived My glory, and the signs that I performed in Egypt and in the desert, yet they have tested me these ten times and not listened to My voice,23if they will see the Land that I swore to their fathers, and all who provoked Me will not see it.24But as for My servant Caleb, since he was possessed by another spirit, and he followed Me, I will bring him to the land to which he came, and his descendants will drive it[s inhabitants] out.25The Amalekites and the Canaanites dwell in the valley. Tomorrow, turn back and journey into the desert toward the Red Sea."

Tuesday

Isaiah 51:9–16 (NLT):

9 Wake up, wake up, O Lord! Clothe yourself with strength!

Flex your mighty right arm!

Rouse yourself as in the days of old

when you slew Egypt, the dragon of the Nile.

10 Are you not the same today,

the one who dried up the sea,

making a path of escape through the depths

so that your people could cross over?

11 Those who have been ransomed by the Lord will return.

They will enter Jerusalem singing,

crowned with everlasting joy.

Sorrow and mourning will disappear,

and they will be filled with joy and gladness.

12 “I, yes I, am the one who comforts you.

So why are you afraid of mere humans,

who wither like the grass and disappear?

13 Yet you have forgotten the Lord, your Creator,

the one who stretched out the sky like a canopy

and laid the foundations of the earth.

Will you remain in constant dread of human oppressors?

Will you continue to fear the anger of your enemies?

Where is their fury and anger now?

It is gone!

14 Soon all you captives will be released!

Imprisonment, starvation, and death will not be your fate!

15 For I am the Lord your God,

who stirs up the sea, causing its waves to roar.

My name is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

16 And I have put my words in your mouth

and hidden you safely in my hand.

I stretched out the sky like a canopy

and laid the foundations of the earth.

I am the one who says to Israel,

‘You are my people!’ ”

Fourth Portion

Numbers Chapter 14

26The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,27"How much longer will this evil congregation who are causing to complain against Me [exist]? The complaints of the children of Israel which they caused them to complain against Me, I have heard.28Say to them, 'As I live,' says the Lord, 'if not as you have spoken in My ears, so will I do to you.29In this desert, your corpses shall fall; your entire number, all those from the age of twenty and up, who were counted, because you complained against Me.30You shall [not] come into the Land concerning which I raised My hand that you would settle in it, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.31As for your infants, of whom you said that they will be as spoils, I will bring them [there], and they will come to know the Land which You despised.32But as for you, your corpses shall fall in this desert.33Your children shall wander in the desert for forty years and bear your defection until the last of your corpses has fallen in the desert.34According to the number of days which you toured the Land forty days, a day for each year, you will [thus] bear your iniquities for forty years; thus you will come to know My alienation.35I, the Lord, have spoken if I will not do this to the entire evil congregation who have assembled against me; in this desert they will end, and there they will die.36As for the men whom Moses had sent to scout the Land, who returned and caused the entire congregation to complain against him by spreading [a slanderous] report about the Land"37the men who spread an evil report about the Land died in the plague, before the Lord.38But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive of the men who went to tour the Land.39Moses related all these words to the children of Israel, and the people mourned greatly.40They arose early in the morning and ascended to the mountain top, saying, "We are ready to go up to the place of which the Lord spoke, for we have sinned. "41Moses said, "Why do you transgress the word of the Lord? It will not succeed.42Do not go up, for the Lord is not among you, [so that] you will not be beaten by your enemies.43For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and you will fall by the sword. For you have turned away from the Lord, and the Lord will not be with you.44They defiantly ascended to the mountain top, but the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord and Moses did not move from the camp.45The Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived on the mountain came down and smote them and crushed them [pursuing them] until Hormah.

Numbers Chapter 15

1The Lord spoke to Moses saying:2Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: When you arrive in the Land of your dwelling place, which I am giving you,3and you make a fire offering to the Lord, a burnt offering or a sacrifice [namely a peace offering], for an expressed vow or for a voluntary offering or on your festivals, to provide a pleasing fragrance for the Lord, from the cattle or from the sheep.4The one who brings his offering to the Lord shall present a meal offering containing one tenth fine flour mixed with a quarter of a hin of oil.5And a quarter of a hin of wine for a libation, you shall prepare with the burnt offering or for the sacrifice, for each lamb.6Or for a ram, you shall present a meal offering containing two tenths fine flour mixed with a third of a hin of oil.7And a third of a hin of wine for a libation; you shall offer up, a pleasing fragrance to the Lord.

Wednesday

Isaiah 51:17–23 (NLT):

17 Wake up, wake up, O Jerusalem!

You have drunk the cup of the Lord’s fury.

You have drunk the cup of terror,

tipping out its last drops.

18 Not one of your children is left alive

to take your hand and guide you.

19 These two calamities have fallen on you:

desolation and destruction, famine and war.

And who is left to sympathize with you?

Who is left to comfort you?

20 For your children have fainted and lie in the streets,

helpless as antelopes caught in a net.

The Lord has poured out his fury;

God has rebuked them.

21 But now listen to this, you afflicted ones

who sit in a drunken stupor,

though not from drinking wine.

22 This is what the Sovereign Lord,

your God and Defender, says:

“See, I have taken the terrible cup from your hands.

You will drink no more of my fury.

23 Instead, I will hand that cup to your tormentors,

those who said, ‘We will trample you into the dust

and walk on your backs.’ ”

Fifth Portion

Numbers Chapter 15

8If you prepare a young bull as a burnt offering or sacrifice by expressing a vow, or for a peace offering for the Lord,9with the young bull he shall offer up a meal offering consisting of three tenths fine flour mixed with half a hin of oil.10And you shall offer half a hin of wine for a libation, a fire offering of pleasing fragrance to the Lord.11So shall it be done for each ox or ram, or for a young sheep or young goat.12In accordance with the number you offer up, so shall you present for each one, according to their numbers.13Every native born shall do it in this manner, to offer up a fire offering of pleasing fragrance to the Lord.14If a proselyte resides with you, or those among you in future generations, and he offers up a fire offering of pleasing fragrance to the Lord, as you make it, so shall he make it.15One rule applies to the assembly, for yourselves and for the proselyte who resides [with you]; one rule applies throughout your generations just as [it is] for you, so [it is] for the proselyte, before the Lord.16There shall be one law and one ordinance for you and the proselyte who resides [with you].

Thursday

2 Corinthians 1:6–14 (NLT):

7 We are confident that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God gives us.

8 We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. 9 In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. 10 And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us. 11 And you are helping us by praying for us. Then many people will give thanks because God has graciously answered so many prayers for our safety.

Paul’s Change of Plans

12 We can say with confidence and a clear conscience that we have lived with a God-given holiness and sincerity in all our dealings. We have depended on God’s grace, not on our own human wisdom. That is how we have conducted ourselves before the world, and especially toward you. 13 Our letters have been straightforward, and there is nothing written between the lines and nothing you can’t understand. I hope someday you will fully understand us, 14 even if you don’t understand us now. Then on the day when the Lord Jesus returns, you will be proud of us in the same way we are proud of you.

Sixth Portion

Numbers Chapter 15

17The Lord spoke to Moses saying:18Speak to the children of Israel and you shall say to them, When you arrive in the Land to which I am bringing you,19and you eat from the bread of the Land, you shall set aside a gift for the Lord.20The first portion of your dough, you shall separate a loaf for a gift; as in the case of the gift of the threshing floor, so shall you separate it.21From the first portion of your dough you shall give a gift to the Lord in [all] your generations.22And if you should err and not fulfill all these commandments, which the Lord spoke to Moses.23All that the Lord commanded you through Moses, from the day on which the Lord commanded and from then on, for all generations.24If because of the eyes of the congregation it was committed inadvertently, the entire congregation shall prepare a young bull as a burnt offering for a pleasing fragrance for the Lord, with its prescribed meal offering and libation, and one young he goat for a sin offering.25The kohen shall atone on behalf of the entire congregation of the children of Israel, and it shall be forgiven them, for it was an error, and they have brought their offering as a fire offering to the Lord and their sin offering before the Lord because of their error.26The entire congregation of the children of Israel and the proselyte who resides with them shall be forgiven, for all the people were in error.

Friday

1 Thessalonians 1:5–10 (NLT):

6 So you received the message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the severe suffering it brought you. In this way, you imitated both us and the Lord. 7 As a result, you have become an example to all the believers in Greece—throughout both Macedonia and Achaia.

8 And now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere, even beyond Macedonia and Achaia, for wherever we go we find people telling us about your faith in God. We don’t need to tell them about it, 9 for they keep talking about the wonderful welcome you gave us and how you turned away from idols to serve the living and true God. 10 And they speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God’s Son from heaven—Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment.

Seventh Portion

Numbers Chapter 15

27But if an individual sins inadvertently, he shall offer up a she goat in its first year as a sin offering.28And the kohen shall atone for the erring soul which sinned inadvertently before the Lord, so as to atone on his behalf, and it shall be forgiven him.29One law shall apply to anyone who sins inadvertently from the native born of the children of Israel and the proselyte who resides among them.30But if a person should act highhandedly, whether he is a native born or a proselyte, he is blaspheming the Lord, and that soul shall be cut off from among its people.31For he has scorned the word of the Lord and violated His commandment; that soul shall be utterly cut off for its iniquity is upon it.32When the children of Israel were in the desert, they found a man gathering wood on the Sabbath day.33Those who found him gathering wood presented him before Moses and Aaron and before the entire congregation.34They put him under guard, since it was not specified what was to be done to him.35The Lord said to Moses, The man shall be put to death; the entire congregation shall pelt him with stones outside the camp.36So the entire congregation took him outside the camp, and they pelted him to death with stones, as the Lord had commanded Moses.37The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:38Speak to the children of Israel and you shall say to them that they shall make for themselves fringes on the corners of their garments, throughout their generations, and they shall affix a thread of sky blue [wool] on the fringe of each corner.39This shall be fringes for you, and when you see it, you will remember all the commandments of the Lord to perform them, and you shall not wander after your hearts and after your eyes after which you are going astray.40So that you shall remember and perform all My commandments and you shall be holy to your God.41I am the Lord, your God, Who took you out of the land of Egypt to be your God; I am the Lord, your God.

Saturday

Psalm 3:1–8 (NLT):

1 O Lord, I have so many enemies;

so many are against me.

2 So many are saying,

“God will never rescue him!”

Interlude

3 But you, O Lord, are a shield around me;

you are my glory, the one who holds my head high.

4 I cried out to the Lord,

and he answered me from his holy mountain.

Interlude

5 I lay down and slept,

yet I woke up in safety,

for the Lord was watching over me.

6 I am not afraid of ten thousand enemies

who surround me on every side.

7 Arise, O Lord!

Rescue me, my God!

Slap all my enemies in the face!

Shatter the teeth of the wicked!

8 Victory comes from you, O Lord.

May you bless your people.

Interlude