AME Universal Reading April 25th 2021

Sunday School Zoom Link

Restoration as Part of God’s Creation Process

First Portion

Leviticus Chapter 16

1And the Lord spoke to Moses after the death of Aaron's two sons, when they drew near before the Lord, and they died.2And the Lord said to Moses: Speak to your brother Aaron, that he should not come at all times into the Holy within the dividing curtain, in front of the cover that is upon the ark, so that he should not die, for I appear over the ark cover in a cloud.3With this shall Aaron enter the Holy: with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.4He shall wear a holy linen shirt and linen pants shall be upon his flesh, and he shall gird himself with a linen sash and wear a linen cap these are holy garments, [and therefore,] he shall immerse himself in water and don them.5And from the community of the children of Israel, he shall take two he goats as a sin offering, and one ram as a burnt offering.6And Aaron shall bring his sin offering bull, and initiate atonement for himself and for his household.7And he shall take the two he goats, and place them before the Lord at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.8And Aaron shall place lots upon the two he goats: one lot "For the Lord," and the other lot, "For Azazel."9And Aaron shall bring the he goat upon which the lot, "For the Lord," came up, and designate it as a sin offering.10And the he goat upon which the lot "For Azazel" came up, shall be placed while still alive, before the Lord, to [initiate] atonement upon it, and to send it away to Azazel, into the desert.11And Aaron shall bring his sin offering bull, and shall [initiate] atonement for himself and for his household, and he shall [then] slaughter his sin offering bull.12And he shall take a pan full of burning coals from upon the altar, from before the Lord, and both hands' full of fine incense, and bring [it] within the dividing curtain.13And he shall place the incense upon the fire, before the Lord, so that the cloud of the incense shall envelope the ark cover that is over the [tablets of] Testimony, so that he shall not die.14And he shall take some of the bull's blood and sprinkle [it] with his index finger on top of the ark cover on the eastern side; and before the ark cover, he shall sprinkle seven times from the blood, with his index finger.15He shall then slaughter the he goat of the people's sin offering and bring its blood within the dividing curtain, and he shall do with its blood as he had done with the bull's blood, and he shall sprinkle it upon the ark cover and before the ark cover.16And he shall effect atonement upon the Holy from the defilements of the children of Israel and from their rebellions and all their unintentional sins. He shall do likewise to the Tent of Meeting, which dwells with them amidst their defilements.17And no man shall be in the Tent of Meeting when he comes to effect atonement in the Holy, until he comes out. And he shall effect atonement for himself, for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel.18And he shall then go out to the altar that is before the Lord and effect atonement upon it: He shall take some of the bull's blood and some of the he goat's blood, and place it on the horns of the altar, around.19He shall then sprinkle some of the blood upon it with his index finger seven times, and he shall cleanse it and sanctify it of the defilements of the children of Israel.20And he shall finish effecting atonement for the Holy, the Tent of Meeting, and the altar, and then he shall bring the live he goat.21And Aaron shall lean both of his hands [forcefully] upon the live he goat's head and confess upon it all the willful transgressions of the children of Israel, all their rebellions, and all their unintentional sins, and he shall place them on the he goat's head, and send it off to the desert with a timely man.22The he goat shall thus carry upon itself all their sins to a precipitous land, and he shall send off the he goat into the desert.23And Aaron shall enter the Tent of Meeting and remove the linen garments that he had worn when he came into the Holy, and there, he shall store them away.24And he shall immerse his flesh in a holy place and don his garments. He shall then go out and sacrifice his burnt offering and the people's burnt offering, and he shall effect atonement for himself and for the people.

Sunday

Lamentations 5:1–22 (NLT): Prayer for Restoration

1 Lord, remember what has happened to us.

See how we have been disgraced!

2 Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers,

our homes to foreigners.

3 We are orphaned and fatherless.

Our mothers are widowed.

4 We have to pay for water to drink,

and even firewood is expensive.

5 Those who pursue us are at our heels;

we are exhausted but are given no rest.

6 We submitted to Egypt and Assyria

to get enough food to survive.

7 Our ancestors sinned, but they have died—

and we are suffering the punishment they deserved!

8 Slaves have now become our masters;

there is no one left to rescue us.

9 We hunt for food at the risk of our lives,

for violence rules the countryside.

10 The famine has blackened our skin

as though baked in an oven.

11 Our enemies rape the women in Jerusalem

and the young girls in all the towns of Judah.

12 Our princes are being hanged by their thumbs,

and our elders are treated with contempt.

13 Young men are led away to work at millstones,

and boys stagger under heavy loads of wood.

14 The elders no longer sit in the city gates;

the young men no longer dance and sing.

15 Joy has left our hearts;

our dancing has turned to mourning.

16 The garlands have fallen from our heads.

Weep for us because we have sinned.

17 Our hearts are sick and weary,

and our eyes grow dim with tears.

18 For Jerusalem is empty and desolate,

a place haunted by jackals.

19 But Lord, you remain the same forever!

Your throne continues from generation to generation.

20 Why do you continue to forget us?

Why have you abandoned us for so long?

21 Restore us, O Lord, and bring us back to you again!

Give us back the joys we once had!

22 Or have you utterly rejected us?

Are you angry with us still?

Second Portion

Leviticus Chapter 16

25And he shall cause the fat of the sin offering to go up in smoke upon the altar.26And the person who sent off the he goat to Azazel, shall immerse his garments and immerse his flesh in water. And after this, he may come into the camp.27And the sin offering bull and he goat of the sin offering, [both of] whose blood was brought to effect atonement in the Holy, he shall take outside the camp, and they shall burn in fire their hides, their flesh, and their waste.28And the person who burns them shall immerse his garments and immerse his flesh in water. And after this, he may come into the camp.29And [all this] shall be as an eternal statute for you; in the seventh month, on the tenth of the month, you shall afflict yourselves, and you shall not do any work neither the native nor the stranger who dwells among you.30For on this day He shall effect atonement for you to cleanse you. Before the Lord, you shall be cleansed from all your sins.31It is a Sabbath of rest for you, and you shall afflict yourselves. It is an eternal statute.32And the Kohen who is anointed or who is invested to serve in his father's stead, shall effect [this] atonement, and he shall don the linen garments, the holy garments;33And he shall effect atonement upon the Holy of Holies, and he shall effect atonement upon the Tent of Meeting and upon the altar, and he shall effect atonement upon the kohanim and upon all the people of the congregation.34[All] this shall be as an eternal statute for you, to effect atonement upon the children of Israel, for all their sins, once each year. And he did as the Lord had commanded Moses.Leviticus Chapter 17 1And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:2Speak to Aaron and to his sons, and to all the children of Israel, and say to them: This is the thing the Lord has commanded, saying:3Any man of the House of Israel, who slaughters an ox, a lamb, or a goat inside the camp, or who slaughters outside the camp,4but does not bring it to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting to offer up as a sacrifice to the Lord before the Mishkan of the Lord, this [act] shall be counted for that man as blood he has shed blood, and that man shall be cut off from among his people;5in order that the children of Israel should bring their offerings which they slaughter on the open field, and bring them to the Lord, to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, to the kohen, and slaughter them as peace offerings to the Lord.6And the kohen shall dash the blood upon the altar of the Lord at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, and he shall cause the fat to go up in smoke, as a pleasing fragrance to the Lord.7And they shall no longer slaughter their sacrifices to the satyrs after which they stray. This shall be an eternal statute for them, for [all] their generations.

Monday

Psalm 111:1–10 (NLT):

1 Praise the Lord!

I will thank the Lord with all my heart

as I meet with his godly people.

2 How amazing are the deeds of the Lord!

All who delight in him should ponder them.

3 Everything he does reveals his glory and majesty.

His righteousness never fails.

4 He causes us to remember his wonderful works.

How gracious and merciful is our Lord!

5 He gives food to those who fear him;

he always remembers his covenant.

6 He has shown his great power to his people

by giving them the lands of other nations.

7 All he does is just and good,

and all his commandments are trustworthy.

8 They are forever true,

to be obeyed faithfully and with integrity.

9 He has paid a full ransom for his people.

He has guaranteed his covenant with them forever.

What a holy, awe-inspiring name he has!

10 Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true wisdom.

All who obey his commandments will grow in wisdom.

Praise him forever!

Third Portion

Leviticus Chapter 17

8And you should say to them: Any man of the House of Israel or of the strangers who will sojourn among them, who offers up a burnt offering or [any other] sacrifice,9but does not bring it to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting to make it [a sacrifice] to the Lord, that man shall be cut off from his people.10And any man of the House of Israel or of the strangers that sojourn among them, who eats any blood, I will set My attention upon the soul who eats the blood, and I will cut him off from among his people.11For the soul of the flesh is in the blood, and I have therefore given it to you [to be placed] upon the altar, to atone for your souls. For it is the blood that atones for the soul.12Therefore, I said to the children of Israel: None of you shall eat blood, and the stranger who sojourns among you shall not eat blood.13And any man of the children of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn among them, who traps a quarry of a wild animal or bird that may be eaten, and sheds its blood, he shall cover it [the blood] with dust.14For [regarding] the soul of all flesh its blood is in its soul, and I said to the children of Israel: You shall not eat the blood of any flesh, for the soul of any flesh is its blood all who eat it shall be cut off.15And any person, whether a native or a stranger, who eats carrion or what was torn, shall immerse his garments and immerse himself in the waters, and shall remain unclean until evening, and then he shall become clean.16But if he does not immerse [his garments] or immerse his flesh, he shall bear his sin.Leviticus Chapter 18 1And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:2Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: I am the Lord, your God.3Like the practice of the land of Egypt, in which you dwelled, you shall not do, and like the practice of the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you, you shall not do, and you shall not follow their statutes.4You shall fulfill My ordinances and observe My statutes, to follow them. I am the Lord, your God.5You shall observe My statutes and My ordinances, which a man shall do and live by them. I am the Lord.6No man shall come near to any of his close relatives, to uncover [their] nakedness. I am the Lord.7You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father or the nakedness of your mother; she is your mother; you shall not uncover her nakedness.8You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's wife; it is your father's nakedness.9The nakedness of your sister, whether your father's daughter or your mother's daughter, whether born to one who may remain in the home or born to one who must be sent outside you shall not uncover their nakedness.10The nakedness of your son's daughter or your daughter's daughter you shall not uncover their nakedness, for they are your own nakedness.11The nakedness of the daughter of your father's wife, born to your father she is your sister: you shall not uncover her nakedness.12You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's sister; she is the close relative of your father.13You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother's sister, for she is the close relative of your mother.14You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's brother you shall not come near his wife; she is your aunt.15You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter in law; she is your son's wife you shall not uncover her nakedness.16You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother's wife: it is your brother's nakedness.17You shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter; you shall not take [in marriage] her son's daughter or her daughter's daughter, to uncover her nakedness they are close relatives, it is evil counsel.18And you shall not take a woman with her sister [in marriage] as rivals, to uncover the nakedness of one upon the other, in her lifetime.19And to a woman during the uncleanness of her separation, you shall not come near to uncover her nakedness.20You shall not lie carnally with your neighbor's wife, to become defiled by her.21And you shall not give any of your offspring to pass through for Molech. And you shall not profane the Name of your God. I am the Lord.

Tuesday

Zechariah 8:18–23 (NLT):

18 Here is another message that came to me from the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 19 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: The traditional fasts and times of mourning you have kept in early summer, midsummer, autumn, and winter are now ended. They will become festivals of joy and celebration for the people of Judah. So love truth and peace.

20 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: People from nations and cities around the world will travel to Jerusalem. 21 The people of one city will say to the people of another, ‘Come with us to Jerusalem to ask the Lord to bless us. Let’s worship the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. I’m determined to go.’ 22 Many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord of Heaven’s Armies and to ask for his blessing.

23 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: In those days ten men from different nations and languages of the world will clutch at the sleeve of one Jew. And they will say, ‘Please let us walk with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’ ”

Fourth Portion

Leviticus Chapter 18

22You shall not lie down with a male, as with a woman: this is an abomination.23And with no animal shall you cohabit, to become defiled by it. And a woman shall not stand in front of an animal to cohabit with it; this is depravity.24You shall not defile yourselves by any of these things, for the nations, whom I am sending away from before you, have defiled themselves with all these things.25And the land became defiled, and I visited its sin upon it, and the land vomited out its inhabitants.26But as for you, you shall observe My statutes and My ordinances, and you shall not do like any of these abominations neither the native, nor the stranger who sojourns among you.27For the people of the land who preceded you, did all of these abominations, and the land became defiled.28And let the land not vomit you out for having defiled it, as it vomited out the nation that preceded you.29For anyone who commits any of these abominations, the persons doing so shall be cut off from the midst of their people.30And you shall observe My charge, not to commit any of the abominable practices that were done before you, and you shall not become defiled by them. I am the Lord your God.Leviticus Chapter 19 1And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,2Speak to the entire congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them, You shall be holy, for I, the Lord, your God, am holy.3Every man shall fear his mother and his father, and you shall observe My Sabbaths. I am the Lord, your God.4You shall not turn to the worthless idols, nor shall you make molten deities for yourselves. I am the Lord, your God.5When you slaughter a peace offering to the Lord, you shall slaughter it for your acceptance.6It may be eaten on the day you slaughter it and on the morrow, but anything left over until the third day, shall be burned in fire.7And if it would be eaten on the third day, it is abominable; it shall not be accepted.8And whoever eats it shall bear his sin, because he has profaned what is holy to the Lord, and that person shall be cut off from his people.9When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not fully reap the corner of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest.10And you shall not glean your vineyard, nor shall you collect the [fallen] individual grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger. I am the Lord, your God.11You shall not steal. You shall not deny falsely. You shall not lie, one man to his fellow.12You shall not swear falsely by My Name, thereby profaning the Name of your God. I am the Lord.13You shall not oppress your fellow. You shall not rob. The hired worker's wage shall not remain with you overnight until morning.14You shall not curse a deaf person. You shall not place a stumbling block before a blind person, and you shall fear your God. I am the Lord.

Wednesday

Psalm 102:12–22 (NLT):

12 But you, O Lord, will sit on your throne forever.

Your fame will endure to every generation.

13 You will arise and have mercy on Jerusalem—

and now is the time to pity her,

now is the time you promised to help.

14 For your people love every stone in her walls

and cherish even the dust in her streets.

15 Then the nations will tremble before the Lord.

The kings of the earth will tremble before his glory.

16 For the Lord will rebuild Jerusalem.

He will appear in his glory.

17 He will listen to the prayers of the destitute.

He will not reject their pleas.

18 Let this be recorded for future generations,

so that a people not yet born will praise the Lord.

19 Tell them the Lord looked down

from his heavenly sanctuary.

He looked down to earth from heaven

20 to hear the groans of the prisoners,

to release those condemned to die.

21 And so the Lord’s fame will be celebrated in Zion,

his praises in Jerusalem,

22 when multitudes gather together

and kingdoms come to worship the Lord.

Fifth Portion

Leviticus Chapter 19

15You shall commit no injustice in judgment; you shall not favor a poor person or respect a great man; you shall judge your fellow with righteousness.16You shall not go around as a gossipmonger amidst your people. You shall not stand by [the shedding of] your fellow's blood. I am the Lord.17You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your fellow, but you shall not bear a sin on his account.18You shall neither take revenge from nor bear a grudge against the members of your people; you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.19You shall observe My statutes: You shall not crossbreed your livestock with different species. You shall not sow your field with a mixture of seeds, and a garment which has a mixture of shaatnez shall not come upon you.20If a man lies carnally with a woman, and she is a handmaid designated for a man, and she had not been [fully] redeemed nor had her document of emancipation been granted her, there shall be an investigation; they shall not be put to death, because she had not been [completely] freed.21He shall bring his guilt offering to the Lord, to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, a guilt offering ram.22And the kohen shall effect atonement for him with the guilt offering ram, before the Lord, for the sin that he had committed; and he shall be forgiven for the sin that he had committed.23When you come to the Land and you plant any food tree, you shall surely block its fruit [from use]; it shall be blocked from you [from use] for three years, not to be eaten.24And in the fourth year, all its fruit shall be holy, a praise to the Lord.25And in the fifth year, you may eat its fruit; [do this, in order] to increase its produce for you. I am the Lord, your God.26You shall not eat over the blood. You shall not act on the basis of omens or lucky hours.27You shall not round off the corner of your head, and you shall not destroy the edge of your beard.28You shall not make cuts in your flesh for a person [who died]. You shall not etch a tattoo on yourselves. I am the Lord.29You shall not defile your daughter by making her a harlot, lest the Land fall into harlotry and the land be filled with immorality.30You shall observe My Sabbaths and revere My Sanctuary. I am the Lord.31You shall not turn to [the sorcery of] Ov or Yid'oni; you shall not seek [these and thereby] defile yourselves through them. I am the Lord, your God.32You shall rise before a venerable person and you shall respect the elderly, and you shall fear your God. I am the Lord.

Thursday

Psalm 79:title–13 (NLT): A psalm of Asaph.

1 O God, pagan nations have conquered your land,

your special possession.

They have defiled your holy Temple

and made Jerusalem a heap of ruins.

2 They have left the bodies of your servants

as food for the birds of heaven.

The flesh of your godly ones

has become food for the wild animals.

3 Blood has flowed like water all around Jerusalem;

no one is left to bury the dead.

4 We are mocked by our neighbors,

an object of scorn and derision to those around us.

5 O Lord, how long will you be angry with us? Forever?

How long will your jealousy burn like fire?

6 Pour out your wrath on the nations that refuse to acknowledge you—

on kingdoms that do not call upon your name.

7 For they have devoured your people Israel,

making the land a desolate wilderness.

8 Do not hold us guilty for the sins of our ancestors!

Let your compassion quickly meet our needs,

for we are on the brink of despair.

9 Help us, O God of our salvation!

Help us for the glory of your name.

Save us and forgive our sins

for the honor of your name.

10 Why should pagan nations be allowed to scoff,

asking, “Where is their God?”

Show us your vengeance against the nations,

for they have spilled the blood of your servants.

11 Listen to the moaning of the prisoners.

Demonstrate your great power by saving those condemned to die.

12 O Lord, pay back our neighbors seven times

for the scorn they have hurled at you.

13 Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture,

will thank you forever and ever,

praising your greatness from generation to generation.

Sixth Portion

Leviticus Chapter 19

33When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not taunt him.34The stranger who sojourns with you shall be as a native from among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. I am the Lord, your God.35You shall not commit a perversion of justice with measures, weights, or liquid measures.36You shall have true scales, true weights, a true ephah, and a true hin. I am the Lord, your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt.37You shall observe all My statutes and all My ordinances, and fulfill them. I am the Lord.Leviticus Chapter 20 1And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,2And to the children of Israel, you shall say: Any man of the children of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn among Israel, who gives any of his offspring to Molech, shall surely be put to death; the people of the land shall pelt him with stones.3And I will set My attention upon that man, and I will cut him off from amidst his people, because he gave of his offspring to Molech in order to defile My holy ones and to profane My holy Name.4But if the people of the land ignore that man when he gives of his offspring to Molech, not putting him to death5I will set My attention upon that man, and upon his family, and I will cut him off, and all who stray after him to stray after Molech, from amidst their people.6And the person who turns to Ov or Yid'oni, to stray after them I will set My attention upon that person, and I will cut him off from amidst his people.7You shall sanctify yourselves and be holy, for I am the Lord, your God.

Friday

Jeremiah 9:17–22 (NLT): Weeping in Jerusalem

17 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says:

“Consider all this, and call for the mourners.

Send for the women who mourn at funerals.

18 Quick! Begin your weeping!

Let the tears flow from your eyes.

19 Hear the people of Jerusalem crying in despair,

‘We are ruined! We are completely humiliated!

We must leave our land,

because our homes have been torn down.’ ”

20 Listen, you women, to the words of the Lord;

open your ears to what he has to say.

Teach your daughters to wail;

teach one another how to lament.

21 For death has crept in through our windows

and has entered our mansions.

It has killed off the flower of our youth:

Children no longer play in the streets,

and young men no longer gather in the squares.

22 This is what the Lord says:

“Bodies will be scattered across the fields like clumps of manure,

like bundles of grain after the harvest.

No one will be left to bury them.”

Seventh Portion

Leviticus Chapter 20

8And you shall observe My statutes and fulfill them. I am the Lord, Who sanctifies you.9For any man who curses his father or his mother shall be put to death; he has cursed his father or his mother; his blood is upon himself.10And a man who commits adultery with [another] man's wife, committing adultery with the wife of his fellow the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.11And a man who lies with his father's wife has uncovered his father's nakedness: both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon themselves.12And a man who lies with his daughter in law both of them shall surely be put to death; they have committed a depravity; their blood is upon themselves.13And a man who lies with a male as one would with a woman both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon themselves.14And a man who takes a woman and her mother it is evil counsel. They shall burn him and them in fire, and there shall be no evil counsel in your midst.15And a man who lies with an animal, shall surely be put to death, and you shall kill the animal.16And a woman who comes close to any animal so that it will mate with her you shall kill the woman and the animal; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon themselves.17And a man who takes his sister, whether his father's daughter or his mother's daughter, and he sees her nakedness, and she sees his nakedness it is a disgraceful act, and they shall be cut off before the eyes of the members of their people; he uncovered his sister's nakedness; he shall bear his sin.18And a man who lies with a woman who has a flow, and he uncovers her nakedness he has bared her fountain, and she has uncovered the fountain of her blood. Both of them shall be cut off from the midst of their people.19And you shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother's sister or your father's sister, for he would be baring his close relative; they shall bear their sin.20And a man who lies with his aunt he has uncovered his uncle's nakedness; they shall bear their transgression; they shall die childless.21And a man who takes his brother's wife it is a repulsive act; he has uncovered his brother's nakedness; they shall be childless.22And you shall observe all My statutes and all My ordinances, and fulfill them, then the Land, to which I am bringing you to dwell therein, will not vomit you out.23You shall not follow the practices of the nation that I am sending away from before you, for they committed all these [sins], and I was disgusted with them.24So I said to you, You shall possess their land, and I shall give it to you to possess it a land flowing with milk and honey. I am the Lord your God, Who has distinguished you from the peoples.25And you shall distinguish between clean animals and unclean ones, and between unclean birds and clean ones; thus you shall not make yourselves disgusting through [unclean] animals and birds and any [creature] which crawls on the earth, that I have distinguished for you to render unclean.26And you shall be holy to Me, for I, the Lord, am holy, and I have distinguished you from the peoples, to be Mine.27And a man or a woman who has [the sorcery of] Ov or Yid'oni, shall surely be put to death; they shall pelt them with stones; their blood is upon themselves.

Saturday

Lamentations 3:22–33 (NLT):

22 The faithful love of the Lord never ends!

His mercies never cease.

23 Great is his faithfulness;

his mercies begin afresh each morning.

24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance;

therefore, I will hope in him!”

25 The Lord is good to those who depend on him,

to those who search for him.

26 So it is good to wait quietly

for salvation from the Lord.

27 And it is good for people to submit at an early age

to the yoke of his discipline:

28 Let them sit alone in silence

beneath the Lord’s demands.

29 Let them lie face down in the dust,

for there may be hope at last.

30 Let them turn the other cheek to those who strike them

and accept the insults of their enemies.

31 For no one is abandoned

by the Lord forever.

32 Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion

because of the greatness of his unfailing love.

33 For he does not enjoy hurting people

or causing them sorrow.

Maftir Portion

Leviticus Chapter 20

25And you shall distinguish between clean animals and unclean ones, and between unclean birds and clean ones; thus you shall not make yourselves disgusting through [unclean] animals and birds and any [creature] which crawls on the earth, that I have distinguished for you to render unclean.26And you shall be holy to Me, for I, the Lord, am holy, and I have distinguished you from the peoples, to be Mine.27And a man or a woman who has [the sorcery of] Ov or Yid'oni, shall surely be put to death; they shall pelt them with stones; their blood is upon themselves.

Haftarah

Amos Chapter 9

7Are you not like the children of the Cushites to Me, O children of Israel? says the Lord. Did I not bring Israel up from the land of Egypt, and the Philistines from Caphtor and Aram from Kir?8Behold the eyes of the Lord God are on the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from upon the face of the earth; but I will not destroy the house of Jacob, says the Lord.9For, behold I command, and I will scatter the house of Israel among all the nations; as it is shaken in a sieve, and not a coarse particle falls to the earth.10By the sword shall all the sinful of My people perish, those who say, "The evil shall not soon come upon us. "11On that day, I will raise up the fallen Tabernacle of David, and I will close up their breaches, and I will raise up its ruins, and build it up as in the days of yore.12In order that they inherit the remnant of Edom and all the nations because My Name is called upon them, says the Lord Who does this.13Behold days are coming, says the Lord, that the plowman shall meet the reaper and the treader of the grapes the one who carries the seed, and the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt.14And I will return the captivity of My people Israel, and they shall rebuild desolate cities and inhabit [them], and they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their produce.15And I will plant them on their land, and they shall no longer be uprooted from upon their land, that I have given them, said the Lord your God.