Amshir 29, 1741

¹Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. ²For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. ³Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. ⁴Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. ⁵One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. ⁶He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. ⁷For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. ⁸For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's. ⁹For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. ¹⁰But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. ¹¹For it is written: "As I live, says the LORD, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God." ¹²So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. ¹³Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's way. ¹⁴I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. ¹⁵Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died. ¹⁶Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil; ¹⁷for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men.

²²But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ²³For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; ²⁴for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. ²⁵But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. ²⁶If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless. ²⁷Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

¹⁷"Now it happened, when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I was in a trance ¹⁸and saw Him saying to me, "Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, for they will not receive your testimony concerning Me.' ¹⁹So I said, "Lord, they know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believe on You. ²⁰And when the blood of Your martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by consenting to his death, and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.' ²¹Then He said to me, "Depart, for I will send you far from here to the Gentiles."' ²²And they listened to him until this word, and then they raised their voices and said, "Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he is not fit to live!" ²³Then, as they cried out and tore off their clothes and threw dust into the air, ²⁴the commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks, and said that he should be examined under scourging, so that he might know why they shouted so against him. ²⁵And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who stood by, "Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and uncondemned?" ²⁶When the centurion heard that, he went and told the commander, saying, "Take care what you do, for this man is a Roman." ²⁷Then the commander came and said to him, "Tell me, are you a Roman?" He said, "Yes." ²⁸The commander answered, "With a large sum I obtained this citizenship." And Paul said, "But I was born a citizen." ²⁹Then immediately those who were about to examine him withdrew from him; and the commander was also afraid after he found out that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him. ³⁰The next day, because he wanted to know for certain why he was accused by the Jews, he released him from his bonds, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down and set him before them.

¹Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. ²Let Israel now say, "His mercy endures forever." ³Let the house of Aaron now say, "His mercy endures forever." ⁴Let those who fear the LORD now say, "His mercy endures forever." ⁵I called on the LORD in distress; The LORD answered me and set me in a broad place. ⁶The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? ⁷The LORD is for me among those who help me; Therefore I shall see my desire on those who hate me. ⁸It is better to trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in man. ⁹It is better to trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in princes. ¹⁰All nations surrounded me, But in the name of the LORD I will destroy them. ¹¹They surrounded me, Yes, they surrounded me; But in the name of the LORD I will destroy them. ¹²They surrounded me like bees; They were quenched like a fire of thorns; For in the name of the LORD I will destroy them. ¹³You pushed me violently, that I might fall, But the LORD helped me. ¹⁴The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation. ¹⁵The voice of rejoicing and salvation Is in the tents of the righteous; The right hand of the LORD does valiantly. ¹⁶The right hand of the LORD is exalted; The right hand of the LORD does valiantly. ¹⁷I shall not die, but live, And declare the works of the LORD. ¹⁸The LORD has chastened me severely, But He has not given me over to death. ¹⁹Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will go through them, And I will praise the LORD. ²⁰This is the gate of the LORD, Through which the righteous shall enter. ²¹I will praise You, For You have answered me, And have become my salvation. ²²The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. ²³This was the LORD's doing; It is marvelous in our eyes. ²⁴This is the day the LORD has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. ²⁵Save now, I pray, O LORD; O LORD, I pray, send now prosperity. ²⁶Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD! We have blessed you from the house of the LORD. ²⁷God is the LORD, And He has given us light; Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar. ²⁸You are my God, and I will praise You; You are my God, I will exalt You. ²⁹Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.

¹³"Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. ¹⁴Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. ¹⁵"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. ¹⁶You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? ¹⁷Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. ¹⁹Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰Therefore by their fruits you will know them. ²¹"Not everyone who says to Me, "Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

¹To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul. ²O my God, I trust in You; Let me not be ashamed; Let not my enemies triumph over me. ³Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed; Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause. ⁴Show me Your ways, O LORD; Teach me Your paths. ⁵Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day. ⁶Remember, O LORD, Your tender mercies and Your lovingkindnesses, For they are from of old. ⁷Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; According to Your mercy remember me, For Your goodness' sake, O LORD. ⁸Good and upright is the LORD; Therefore He teaches sinners in the way. ⁹The humble He guides in justice, And the humble He teaches His way. ¹⁰All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth, To such as keep His covenant and His testimonies. ¹¹For Your name's sake, O LORD, Pardon my iniquity, for it is great. ¹²Who is the man that fears the LORD? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses. ¹³He himself shall dwell in prosperity, And his descendants shall inherit the earth. ¹⁴The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him, And He will show them His covenant. ¹⁵My eyes are ever toward the LORD, For He shall pluck my feet out of the net. ¹⁶Turn Yourself to me, and have mercy on me, For I am desolate and afflicted. ¹⁷The troubles of my heart have enlarged; Bring me out of my distresses! ¹⁸Look on my affliction and my pain, And forgive all my sins. ¹⁹Consider my enemies, for they are many; And they hate me with cruel hatred. ²⁰Keep my soul, and deliver me; Let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in You. ²¹Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, For I wait for You. ²²Redeem Israel, O God, Out of all their troubles!

⁴³If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched-- ⁴⁴where "Their worm does not die And the fire is not quenched.' ⁴⁵And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched-- ⁴⁶where "Their worm does not die And the fire is not quenched.' ⁴⁷And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire-- ⁴⁸where "Their worm does not die And the fire is not quenched.' ⁴⁹"For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. ⁵⁰Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another."