Day 86 of 730

¹The priests the Levites, all the tribe of Levi, shall have no portion nor inheritance with Israel: they shall eat the offerings of the Lord made by fire, and his inheritance.

²They shall have no inheritance among their brothers: the Lord is their inheritance, as he has spoken to them.

³This shall be the priests' due from the people, from those who offer a sacrifice, whether it be ox or sheep, that they shall give to the priest the shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the maw.

⁴The first fruits of your grain, of your new wine, and of your oil, and the first of the fleece of your sheep, you shall give him.

⁵For the Lord your God has chosen him out of all your tribes, to stand to minister in the name of the Lord, him and his sons for ever.

⁶If a Levite comes from any of your gates out of all Israel, where he lives as a foreigner, and comes with all the desire of his soul to the place which the Lord shall choose;

⁷then he shall minister in the name of the Lord his God, as all his brothers the Levites do, who stand there before the Lord.

⁸They shall have like portions to eat, besides that which comes of the sale of his patrimony.

⁹When you have come into the land which the Lord your God gives you, you shall not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.

¹⁰There shall not be found with you anyone who makes his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices sorcery, or an enchanter, or a sorcerer,

¹¹or a charmer, or a consulter with a familiar spirit, or a wizard, or a necromancer.

¹²For whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord your God does drive them out from before you.

¹³You shall be perfect with the Lord your God.

¹⁴For these nations, that you shall dispossess, listen to those who practice sorcery, and to diviners; but as for you, the Lord your God has not allowed you so to do.

¹⁵The Lord your God will raise up to you a prophet from the midst of you, of your brothers, like me. You shall listen to him.

¹⁶This is according to all that you desired of the Lord your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, "Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I not die."

¹⁷The Lord said to me, "They have well said that which they have spoken.

¹⁸I will raise them up a prophet from among their brothers, like you; and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I shall command him.

¹⁹It shall happen, that whoever will not listen to my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.

²⁰But the prophet, who shall speak a word presumptuously in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who shall speak in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die."

²¹If you say in your heart, "How shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?"

²²When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing doesn't follow, nor happen, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken: the prophet has spoken it presumptuously, you shall not be afraid of him.

¹When the Lord your God shall cut off the nations, whose land the Lord your God gives you, and you succeed them, and dwell in their cities, and in their houses;

²you shall set apart three cities for you in the midst of your land, which the Lord your God gives you to possess it.

³You shall prepare you the way, and divide the borders of your land, which the Lord your God causes you to inherit, into three parts, that every manslayer may flee there.

⁴This is the case of the manslayer, that shall flee there and live: whoever kills his neighbor unawares, and did not hate him in time past;

⁵as when a man goes into the forest with his neighbor to chop wood, and his hand fetches a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slips from the handle, and lights on his neighbor, so that he dies; he shall flee to one of these cities and live:

⁶lest the avenger of blood pursue the manslayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and strike him mortally; whereas he was not worthy of death, inasmuch as he did not hate him in time past.

⁷Therefore I command you, saying, You shall set apart three cities for yourselves.

⁸If the Lord your God enlarges your border, as he has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land which he promised to give to your fathers;

⁹if you keep all this commandment to do it, which I command you this day, to love the Lord your God, and to walk ever in his ways; then you shall add three cities more for yourselves, besides these three:

¹⁰that innocent blood not be shed in the midst of your land, which the Lord your God gives you for an inheritance, and so blood be on you.

¹¹But if any man hates his neighbor, and lies in wait for him, and rises up against him, and strikes him mortally so that he dies, and he flees into one of these cities;

¹²then the elders of his city shall send and bring him there, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die.

¹³Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall put away the innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with you.

¹⁴You shall not remove your neighbor's landmark, which they of old time have set, in your inheritance which you shall inherit, in the land that the Lord your God gives you to possess it.

¹⁵One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sins: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall a matter be established.

¹⁶If an unrighteous witness rise up against any man to testify against him of wrongdoing,

¹⁷then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the Lord, before the priests and the judges who shall be in those days;

¹⁸and the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness is a false witness, and has testified falsely against his brother;

¹⁹then you shall do to him as he had thought to do to his brother: so you shall put away the evil from the midst of you.

²⁰Those who remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil in the midst of you.

²¹Your eyes shall not pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

¹Hear, Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.

²Preserve my soul, for I am godly. You, my God, save your servant who trusts in you.

³Be merciful to me, Lord, for I call to you all day long.

⁴Bring joy to the soul of your servant, for to you, Lord, do I lift up my soul.

⁵For you, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive; abundant in loving kindness to all those who call on you.

⁶Hear, Lord, my prayer. Listen to the voice of my petitions.

⁷In the day of my trouble I will call on you, for you will answer me.

⁸There is no one like you among the gods, Lord, nor any deeds like your deeds.

⁹All nations you have made will come and worship before you, Lord. They shall glorify your name.

¹⁰For you are great, and do wondrous things. You are God alone.

¹¹Teach me your way, Lord. I will walk in your truth. Make my heart undivided to fear your name.

¹²I will praise you, Lord my God, with my whole heart. I will glorify your name forevermore.

¹³For your loving kindness is great toward me. You have delivered my soul from the lowest Sheol.

¹⁴God, the proud have risen up against me. A company of violent men have sought after my soul, and they do not hold regard for you before them.

¹⁵But you, Lord, are a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness and truth.

¹⁶Turn to me, and have mercy on me! Give your strength to your servant. Save the son of your handmaid.

¹⁷Show me a sign of your goodness, that those who hate me may see it, and be shamed, because you, Lord, have helped me, and comforted me.

¹Do not be envious of evil men; neither desire to be with them:

²for their hearts plot violence, and their lips talk about mischief.

³Through wisdom a house is built; by understanding it is established;

⁴by knowledge the rooms are filled with all rare and beautiful treasure.

⁵A wise man has great power; and a knowledgeable man increases strength;

⁶for by wise guidance you wage your war; and victory is in many advisors.

⁷Wisdom is too high for a fool: he doesn't open his mouth in the gate.

⁸One who plots to do evil will be called a schemer.

⁹The schemes of folly are sin. The mocker is detested by men.

¹⁰If you falter in the time of trouble, your strength is small.

¹¹Rescue those who are being led away to death! Indeed, hold back those who are staggering to the slaughter!

¹²If you say, "Behold, we did not know this;" doesn't he who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, doesn't he know it? Shall he not render to every man according to his work?

¹³My son, eat honey, for it is good; the droppings of the honeycomb, which are sweet to your taste:

¹⁴so you shall know wisdom to be to your soul; if you have found it, then there will be a reward, your hope will not be cut off.

¹⁵Do not lie in wait, wicked man, against the habitation of the righteous. Do not destroy his resting place:

¹⁶for a righteous man falls seven times, and rises up again; but the wicked are overthrown by calamity.

¹⁷Do not rejoice when your enemy falls. Do not let your heart be glad when he is overthrown;

¹⁸lest the Lord see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.

¹⁹Do not fret yourself because of evildoers; neither be envious of the wicked:

²⁰for there will be no reward to the evil man; and the lamp of the wicked shall be snuffed out.

²¹My son, fear the Lord and the king. Do not join those who are rebellious:

²²for their calamity will rise suddenly; the destruction from them both-who knows?

²³These also are sayings of the wise. To show partiality in judgment is not good.

²⁴He who says to the wicked, "You are righteous;" peoples shall curse him, and nations shall abhor him-

²⁵but it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and a rich blessing will come on them.

²⁶An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips.

²⁷Prepare your work outside, and get your fields ready. Afterwards, build your house.

²⁸Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause. Do not deceive with your lips.

²⁹Do not say, "I will do to him as he has done to me; I will render to the man according to his work."

³⁰I went by the field of the sluggard, by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;

³¹Behold, it was all grown over with thorns. Its surface was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down.

³²Then I saw, and considered well. I saw, and received instruction:

³³a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep;

³⁴so your poverty will come as a robber, and your want as an armed man.