Luke 19:1-10
[1]
He entered Jericho and was passing through. [2] And behold, there was a
man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. [3] And
he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he
could not, because he was small in stature. [4] So he ran on ahead and
climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass
that way. [5] And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to
him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house
today.” [6] So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. [7]
And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest
of a man who is a sinner.” [8] And Zacchaeus stood and said to the
Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I
have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” [9] And Jesus
said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a
son of Abraham. [10] For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the
lost.”
Titus 1:10-16
[10]
For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers,
especially those of the circumcision party. [11] They must be silenced,
since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain
what they ought not to teach. [12] One of the Cretans, a prophet of
their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.”
[13] This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they
may be sound in the faith, [14] not devoting themselves to Jewish myths
and the commands of people who turn away from the truth. [15] To the
pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing
is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled. [16]
They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are
detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.
Proverbs 14:19-35
[19]
The evil bow down before the good,
the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
[20]
The poor is disliked even by his neighbor,
but the rich has many friends.
[21]
Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner,
but blessed is he who is generous to the poor.
[22]
Do they not go astray who devise evil?
Those who devise good meet steadfast love and faithfulness.
[23]
In all toil there is profit,
but mere talk tends only to poverty.
[24]
The crown of the wise is their wealth,
but the folly of fools brings folly.
[25]
A truthful witness saves lives,
but one who breathes out lies is deceitful.
[26]
In the fear of the LORD one has strong confidence,
and his children will have a refuge.
[27]
The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life,
that one may turn away from the snares of death.
[28]
In a multitude of people is the glory of a king,
but without people a prince is ruined.
[29]
Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding,
but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.
[30]
A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh,
but envy makes the bones rot.
[31]
Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker,
but he who is generous to the needy honors him.
[32]
The wicked is overthrown through his evildoing,
but the righteous finds refuge in his death.
[33]
Wisdom rests in the heart of a man of understanding,
but it makes itself known even in the midst of fools.
[34]
Righteousness exalts a nation,
but sin is a reproach to any people.
[35]
A servant who deals wisely has the king’s favor,
but his wrath falls on one who acts shamefully.
Nehemiah 13
[1]
On that day they read from the Book of Moses in the hearing of the
people. And in it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should
ever enter the assembly of God, [2] for they did not meet the people of
Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse
them—yet our God turned the curse into a blessing. [3] As soon as the
people heard the law, they separated from Israel all those of foreign
descent.
[4]
Now before this, Eliashib the priest, who was appointed over the
chambers of the house of our God, and who was related to Tobiah, [5]
prepared for Tobiah a large chamber where they had previously put the
grain offering, the frankincense, the vessels, and the tithes of grain,
wine, and oil, which were given by commandment to the Levites, singers,
and gatekeepers, and the contributions for the priests. [6] While this
was taking place, I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year
of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I went to the king. And after some time I
asked leave of the king [7] and came to Jerusalem, and I then discovered
the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, preparing for him a chamber
in the courts of the house of God. [8] And I was very angry, and I
threw all the household furniture of Tobiah out of the chamber. [9] Then
I gave orders, and they cleansed the chambers, and I brought back there
the vessels of the house of God, with the grain offering and the
frankincense.
[10]
I also found out that the portions of the Levites had not been given to
them, so that the Levites and the singers, who did the work, had fled
each to his field. [11] So I confronted the officials and said, “Why is
the house of God forsaken?” And I gathered them together and set them in
their stations. [12] Then all Judah brought the tithe of the grain,
wine, and oil into the storehouses. [13] And I appointed as treasurers
over the storehouses Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah
of the Levites, and as their assistant Hanan the son of Zaccur, son of
Mattaniah, for they were considered reliable, and their duty was to
distribute to their brothers. [14] Remember me, O my God, concerning
this, and do not wipe out my good deeds that I have done for the house
of my God and for his service.
[15]
In those days I saw in Judah people treading winepresses on the
Sabbath, and bringing in heaps of grain and loading them on donkeys, and
also wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of loads, which they brought
into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And I warned them on the day when
they sold food. [16] Tyrians also, who lived in the city, brought in
fish and all kinds of goods and sold them on the Sabbath to the people
of Judah, in Jerusalem itself! [17] Then I confronted the nobles of
Judah and said to them, “What is this evil thing that you are doing,
profaning the Sabbath day? [18] Did not your fathers act in this way,
and did not our God bring all this disaster on us and on this city? Now
you are bringing more wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath.”
[19]
As soon as it began to grow dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the
Sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut and gave orders that
they should not be opened until after the Sabbath. And I stationed some
of my servants at the gates, that no load might be brought in on the
Sabbath day. [20] Then the merchants and sellers of all kinds of wares
lodged outside Jerusalem once or twice. [21] But I warned them and said
to them, “Why do you lodge outside the wall? If you do so again, I will
lay hands on you.” From that time on they did not come on the Sabbath.
[22] Then I commanded the Levites that they should purify themselves and
come and guard the gates, to keep the Sabbath day holy. Remember this
also in my favor, O my God, and spare me according to the greatness of
your steadfast love.
[23]
In those days also I saw the Jews who had married women of Ashdod,
Ammon, and Moab. [24] And half of their children spoke the language of
Ashdod, and they could not speak the language of Judah, but only the
language of each people. [25] And I confronted them and cursed them and
beat some of them and pulled out their hair. And I made them take an
oath in the name of God, saying, “You shall not give your daughters to
their sons, or take their daughters for your sons or for yourselves.
[26] Did not Solomon king of Israel sin on account of such women? Among
the many nations there was no king like him, and he was beloved by his
God, and God made him king over all Israel. Nevertheless, foreign women
made even him to sin. [27] Shall we then listen to you and do all this
great evil and act treacherously against our God by marrying foreign
women?”
[28]
And one of the sons of Jehoiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest,
was the son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite. Therefore I chased him
from me. [29] Remember them, O my God, because they have desecrated the
priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites.
[30]
Thus I cleansed them from everything foreign, and I established the
duties of the priests and Levites, each in his work; [31] and I provided
for the wood offering at appointed times, and for the firstfruits.
Remember me, O my God, for good.
